Who is harmed by fantasy? A deliberative and Charter analysis of Canada\u27s pornography law

This paper interrogates the breadth, necessity, and collateral effects of Canada’s child pornography law, as contained in the Criminal Code. The author argues that the inclusion of “fantasy” images in the definition of child pornography is over-inclusive, and considers that this may make the law illegitimate and discriminatory. She proposes that this over-inclusive definition arises from the conflation of a particular type of sexual desire with harm to children. The author draws loosely on deliberative democratic theory to structure her analysis of the law’s legitimacy, and uses Charter analysis to both critique the current law and suggest means of addressing the law’s potentially discriminatory character. The author does not support or promote sexual abuse or exploitation of children, nor does she suggest that child pornography should be wholly de-regulated or de-criminalized. Note: This paper was completed in April 2015. Due to current employment restrictions on updating the research, the case law and legislation cited herein are current to that date only

Regulatory Mechanisms in Borrelia Burgdorferi-Induced Arthritis

Lyme arthritis is a common symptom of Lyme borreliosis that involves inflammation of the synovial joints. Elucidating the immune events involved in Lyme arthritis is complicated by the fact that not all individuals infected with B. burgdorferi develop arthritis. Additionally, Lyme arthritis manifests in different severities between affected individuals. It is known that an inflammatory response is initiated by B. burgdorferi infection and that inflammatory T cells contribute to the development of arthritis. However, the anti-inflammatory mechanisms that regulate the pathogenic T cells’ response are not entirely understood. Here, the hypothesis that a dysregulated immune response results in an excessive inflammatory response and the development of arthritis following B. burgdorferi infection was tested. Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is involved in regulating the immune response during infection with B. burgdorferi. We demonstrate that IL-10 regulates the development of Lyme arthritis through inhibition of interleukin-17 (IL-17) production. We also demonstrate that IL-10 regulates the production of IL-17 by Borrelia-primed CD4+ cells early after interaction with Lyme spirochetes in vitro, and that infection of Borrelia-primed mice with B. burgdorferi leads to significant production of IL-17 that contributes to the development of severe arthritis. Further, we demonstrate that regulatory T (Treg) cell depletion prior to infection results in hind paw swelling and the development of arthritis along with an increased B. burgdorferi-specific antibody response in an arthritis-resistant mouse model. We further demonstrate that Treg cells inhibit paw swelling and inflammatory cytokine production during the course of B. burgdorferi infection, but may not modulate severity of arthritis in established disease. Based on our findings, this suggests that Treg cells present prior to B. burgdorferi infection results in regulation of IL-17 by IL-10, thereby inhibiting pathology. Our findings identify novel regulatory mechanisms that may be responsible for resistance to Lyme arthritis, and suggest that modulation of Treg cells may prove useful in the development of new strategies for treatment and/or prevention of Lyme arthritis

Support of the Informal Kinship Care Family

Most children cannot imagine living without their parents; for some though, because of social instability, substance abuse, or parental neglect, life apart from their parents is the reality. When these children are cared for by a relative or a close family friend without the involvement of a child welfare agency, the family that is created is known as an informal kinship care family. Because of the fluid nature of these families, little is known about them, leaving this group disadvantaged and neglected by the health care community. After a review of the existing literature, observation of informal kinship care families, and conversations with informal kinship caregivers and children, a conceptual model is proposed to help identify the unique challenges of this neglected group and ensure the holistic and sustained well-being of the children and adults who make up the informal kinship care family. The proposed model uses Margaret Newman\u27s Theory of Health as Expanding Consciousness and the strengths of transcultural nursing to widen the definition of the patient and redefine health to include a holistic view. The key concepts of holism, relationship, hope, and transformation are explored and used to deepen the meaning of the model. After implementation and evaluation, the goal is that families cared for under the model will experience transformation and sustained well-being

Effects of Depth and Cover Crop Treatment on the Functioning and Diversity of Soil Microbial Communities

Globally, agriculture is strained by the unpredictable effects of climate change, as well as flooding, drought, erosion, and decreases in soil fertility. To meet these challenges, agricultural systems must develop new techniques while promoting sustainable intensification practices. Cover crops can provide farmers with an off-season cash crop, while also positively impacting the soil and reducing reliance on less sustainable conventional farming practices. The objective of this research was to evaluate the impact of different cover crops on soil microbial communities at varying depths. Soils were sampled in the fall and spring from experimental plots (ISU Farm, Lexington, IL) that contained pennycress; cereal rye; pea, clover, radish, oat mix; or fallow soil. EcoPlates™ were used to conduct community-level physiological profiling (CLPP) and test the hypothesis that cover crop type and soil depth are strong determinants of microbial community diversity and functioning in an agricultural field. I predicted: (a) the physiological soil profile of the microbial community, as measured by the rate and ability to metabolize a variety of carbon sources, would change across depths and differ among cover crop types, (b) shallower depths would contain microbial communities with greater functional diversity, (c) the overall functional diversity of the microbial community would be greater under cover crops than in unplanted (fallow) fields, and (d) microbial functional diversity would be greatest in soils where cover crops with higher C:N ratios were grown, as crop residues decompose more slowly and provide more carbon for microbial metabolism. I found that theCLPP of the microbial community changed both across depths and between cover crop treatments. In both the fall and spring, evenness, richness, and Shannon diversity declined with sampling depth. Although the overall functional diversity of the microbial community did not differ among cover crop treatments, some differences were found in how the communities associated with the different cover crops metabolized the 31 carbon sources. Finally, I did not find a connection between the C:N ratio of the cover crop and the functional diversity of the microbial community. Cover crops are only one potential component to sustainable intensification, and more work is needed to develop agricultural practices that minimize environmental harm

Guide to Audience Revenue and Engagement

This report is intended to aid staff from news organizations and media entrepreneurs who wish to grow their revenue by deepening interactions with their audiences. It’s based on hundreds of conversations and interviews with journalists, managers, and members themselves, including newsroom fieldwork and observation, as well as focus groups with supporters of news sites. We use these findings to share strategic and tactical considerations for building audience revenue programs. We also share detailed examples of ways that news organizations around the world are experimenting with new approaches to raising funds and supporting myriad forms of audience participation

The Role of Crassostrea Virginica Hemocytes in Shell Formation: Ex Vivo Mineral Deposition by Cultured Hemocytes

Abstract of Technical Paper Presented at the 103rd Annual Meeting National Shellfisheries Association Baltimore, Maryland March 27–31, 201

Executive Summary: Evaluation of the MacArthur Foundation's Human Rights and International Justice Grantmaking in Nigeria 2000-2012

The MacArthur Foundation commissioned Itad to conduct an evaluation of the Foundation's Human Rights and International Justice (HRIJ) grant?making program in Nigeria between 2000 and 2012. During this period, the Foundation supported 102 HRIJ projects with an end?date in 2000 or later, for a total grant amount of US$23,945,010. The projects broadly fell within the following thematic categories:- Accountability of democratic institutions, including the police- Justice: legal and judicial reform, including international justice standards - Protection and promotion of human rightsThe evaluation was commissioned to seek answers to the following questions: - Approach and strategy: o What has changed in the wider Nigerian HRIJ landscape in Nigeria since 2000? o What was the Foundation's HRIJ grantmaking strategy in Nigeria over this time? o How has the Foundation responded to change in the wider environment? o How has the implementation of grants contributed to strategic aims? - Impact: o What have been the main results of the Foundation's investments? o What was the Foundation's primary contribution to Nigeria HRIJ issues? o What lessons can be drawn for future HRIJ grantmaking in Nigeria

The relative value of different QALY types

The oft-applied assumption in the use of Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) in economic evaluation, that all QALYs are valued equally, has been questioned from the outset. The literature has focused on differential values of a QALY based on equity considerations such as the characteristics of the beneficiaries of the QALYs. However, a key characteristic which may affect the value of a QALY is the type of QALY itself. QALY gains can be generated purely by gains in survival, purely by improvements in quality of life, or by changes in both. Using a discrete choice experiment and a new methodological approach to the derivation of relative weights, we undertake the first direct and systematic exploration of the relative weight accorded different QALY types and do so in the presence of equity considerations; age and severity. Results provide new evidence against the normative starting point that all QALYs are valued equally.This study was funded by an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council project grant APP1047788

Senior Recital: Emily Hansen, Soprano; Grace Eom, Piano; April 16, 2022

Center for the Performing Arts April 16, 2022 Saturday Afternoon 4:30 p.m

From 'Humanist' to 'Godly'?: The Changing Social Function of Education in Early Modern English Grammar Schools

This thesis explores the social function of England’s grammar schools between approximately 1480 and 1640, and how this changed due to the influences of both humanism and religious reform. It explores the grammar school curriculum, including instruction in Latin grammar and in rhetoric, as well as the teaching of Greek, religious instruction, and the general ‘experience‘ of attending school in the early modern period; it also addresses the process of founding and administering a school, the role of the schoolmaster, and the overall purpose of grammar school education, and who within society was able to benefit from that education. This thesis argues three main points: the first is that, despite becoming part of an educational ‘framework’ which was meant to help encourage religious understanding, the religious instruction found in a grammar school was in fact a very small proportion of the curriculum compared to the study of classical literature. Second, despite contemporary criticism of the humanist curriculum of grammar and rhetoric taught in the grammar schools, this curriculum remained in place continuously throughout the early modern period. Third, the definition of an ‘educated’ person was someone who had received instruction in the grammatical and rhetorical curriculum of the grammar schools, whether this was in a grammar school itself, or from a private tutor. The grammar school curriculum, and the ideal educated person which it was meant to produce, was kept very separate from other subjects, such as mathematics and modern languages and instruction in the vernacular. Grammar schools were put to use, officially, in upholding loyalty to the established church, and encouraging the spread of religious knowledge, yet the means to this end was primarily via the teaching of classical, secular, material