Early childhood nutrition and academic achievement

Early childhood nutrition is thought to be an important input into subsequent academic achievement. This paper investigates the nutrition-learning nexus using a unique longitudinal data set, which follows a large sample of Philippine children from birth until the end of their primary education. We find that malnourished children perform more poorly in school, even after correcting for the effects of unobserved heterogeneity both across and within households. Part of the advantage that well-nourished children enjoy arises from the fact that they enter school earlier and thus have more time to learn. The rest of their advantage appears to stem from greater learning productivity per year of schooling rather than from greater learning effort in the form of homework time, school attendance, and so forth. Despite these findings, our analysis suggests that the relationship between nutrition and learning is not likely to be of overriding importance either for nutrition policy or in accounting for economic growth.Gender ,households ,Human Nutrition. ,Malnutrition in children. ,Education, Primary Philippines. ,Philippines. ,

The libraries of Syrian higher education institutions: Current state and ways of development

Syria is one of the countries that was in the process of development at all levels, including education, but the war that began in 2011 led to the decline in the level of education and academic libraries activities. The features of Syrian higher education institutions and their libraries are described, with the focus on the four largest state universities (Damascus, Aleppo, Tishrin and Al-Ba'ath). The main characteristics including library collections of 8 public and 22 private higher education institutions are given. The organization of the libraries of Syrian educational institutions differs: a universitywide library plus the faculty (college) libraries, while the private universities have only one library. Modified and Arabicized Dewey decimal classification used in all libraries for indexing, catalogs are maintained on paper cards, modern information technologies are not implemented, there are still unsuccessful attempts to introduce ALIS Koha and Horizon. The authors show the prerequisites for designing conceptual, information and functional models of networked information system of university libraries to upgrade library and information processes to the modern level.Syria is one of the countries that was in the process of development at all levels, including education, but the war that began in 2011 led to the decline in the level of education and academic libraries activities. The features of Syrian higher education institutions and their libraries are described, with the focus on the four largest state universities (Damascus, Aleppo, Tishrin and Al-Ba'ath). The main characteristics including library collections of 8 public and 22 private higher education institutions are given. The organization of the libraries of Syrian educational institutions differs: a universitywide library plus the faculty (college) libraries, while the private universities have only one library. Modified and Arabicized Dewey decimal classification used in all libraries for indexing, catalogs are maintained on paper cards, modern information technologies are not implemented, there are still unsuccessful attempts to introduce ALIS Koha and Horizon. The authors show the prerequisites for designing conceptual, information and functional models of networked information system of university libraries to upgrade library and information processes to the modern level

Decriminalizing Violence: A Critique of Restorative Justice and Proposal for Diversionary Mediation

In this article, Professor Hanan explores the issues surrounding reforms to the criminal justice system, juveniles, and conflict resolution. She asserts that enthusiasm for restorative justice as the best method of out-of-court dispute resolution in criminal cases should be tempered in favor of mediation, which is neutral because it does not assume that the accused is guilty and that healing or repair is warranted. Because decriminalization is not complete and the state retains jurisdiction, Professor Hanan argues for a neutral mediation program, which should (1) function to reduce overall contact with the criminal courts and (2) include procedural safeguards in acknowledgment of the coercive effect of the threat of prosecution. This article is divided into three parts. Part I explores the feasibility and desirability of resolving crimes of violence outside of the criminal justice system. Part II examines two strands of restorative justice that undermine its ability to provide an alternative to criminal court-first, its therapeutic agenda and second, its claim that it functions separately from the criminal justice system. Part III lays out the elements of an alternative to restorative justice, a neutral form of mediation that could serve as a diversion from criminal court and as an alternative to restorative justice. By providing procedural protections, neutral mediation could offer both a meaningful form of dispute resolution and serve as a form of quasi-decriminalization for many criminal charges. Recommendations include the involvement of due process professionals in the design and implementation of criminal mediation programs to meet the goals of (1) reducing overall contact with the criminal courts and (2) providing procedural safeguards in acknowledgment of the coercive effect of the threat of prosecution. Part IV concludes with a discussion of potential objections to a system of mediation as an alternative to prosecution for instances of violent crime, including objections that might be brought by critics of informalism regarding both the rights of the accused and the safety and support of victim

Synthesis, Theoretical Studies of N1,N2,1,2-Tetraphenylethane-1,2-Diimine and Their Derivatives

N1,N2,1,2-tetraphenylethane-1,2-diimine(1),N1,N2-bis(2-bromophenyl)-1,2diphenylethane-1,2-diimine(2) and N1,N2-bis(4-bromophenyl)-1,2-diphenylethane-1,2-diimine(3) were synthesised and studied theoretically. The bond lengths, bond angles, dihedral angles and close contact of atoms were calculated. There are variable results for each compound. Internal coordinate of the three compounds were showed that the atoms around the double bond were in R and S configuration and the angle type was dihedral in most of atoms. The molecular mechanics force field (MMFF94) energy and gradient for (1), (2) and (3) were also calculated. The results showed that the total energy for this frame were (746.902, 1223.418 and 1235.345) kcal/mol respectively and the RMS gradients were 80.761, 175.979 and 178.38 respectively. The MMFF94 minimization iteration was also calculated which equal to 455, 500 and 500 and the final energy for (1), (2) and (3) were (120.525, 153.35 and 117.306) kcal/mol respectively. Though, the molecular mechanics (MM2) minimization of (1), (2) and (3) were also calculated and the total energy were (78.4465, 85.3592 and 74.7126) kcal/mol. the results were showed the difference between the three compounds and the effect of substitution in their results, the compound (2) was gave high total energy higher than (1) and (3) because the bulky substituted Br in ortho position which near to the nitrogen of imine group can effective by steric effect and this can explain the high value of strain energy (E). High dipole/dipole value was observed in compound (2) which was also higher than (1) and (3) and the later was higher than (1) which explains the effect of substituted group and their position in the structure properties. The best minimization either use MMFF94 or MM2 were observed in compound (3) which gave lower total energy than (1) and (2). The MMFF94 minimization and MM2 minimization were indicated the steric effect of o-Br in compound (2). Keywords: Internal coordinate, Molecular mechanics, ligand

Invisible Prisons

Modern punishment theory is based on an inadequate conceptualization of the severity of incarceration. While the severity of a prison sentence is measured solely in terms of the length of time, the actual experience of imprisonment is often more punishing and more destructive than a simple loss of liberty. Yet, lawmakers and judges evince a surprising lack of institutional interest in understanding the experience of imprisonment and applying this knowledge to sentencing. This lack of official attention to how prison is experienced by incarcerated people is one of the drivers of mass incarceration. This Article is the first scholarly work to analyze the weaknesses of punishment theory using a new and flourishing branch of political philosophy: epistemic injustice theory. The theory posits that disfavored social groups are excluded from contributing information about their experience that should be relevant to policy decisions. Epistemic injustice theory can be applied to analyze why incarcerated people’s accounts of prison’s cruelties are ignored or discounted in punishment decisions. As a disfavored group, prisoner accounts of prison’s harshness are discredited. As a result, sentencing decisions are made with only the thinnest understanding of the punishment being imposed — number of years of lost liberty — and with no accounting for the actual impact of incarceration on the person sentenced. Applying the framework of epistemic injustice to explore the thinness of punishment theory serves more than a descriptive function. It also forms the basis for concrete recommendations to improve sentencing policy and practice. To this end, the Article suggests (1) how sentencing authorities can exercise epistemic responsibility in punishment decisions; (2) how incarcerated people can participate in knowledge-creation; and (3) how the problem of variability of prison conditions can be accounted for in sentencing

Talking Back in Court

People charged with crimes often speak directly to the judge presiding over their case. Yet, what can be seen in courtrooms across the U.S. is that defendants rarely “talk back” in court, meaning that they rarely challenge authority’s view of the law, the crime, the defendant, the court’s procedure, or the fairness of the proposed sentence. With few exceptions, legal scholars have treated the occasions when defendants speak directly to the court as a problem to be solved by appointing more lawyers and better lawyers. While effective representation is crucial, this Article starts from the premise that defendants have important things to say that currently go unsaid in court. In individual cases, talking back could result in fairer outcomes. On a systemic level, talking back could bring much-needed realism to the criminal legal system’s assumptions about crime and punishment that produce injustice. This Article analyzes three types of power that prevent defendants from talking back in court: sovereign, disciplinary, and social-emotional power. While sovereign power silences defendants through fear, disciplinary power silences defendants by imposing a system of order within which talking back seems disorderly. Finally, social-emotional power silences defendants by imposing an emotional regime in which self-advocacy is both a breach of decorum and an affront to the court’s perception of itself as a source of orderliness and justice. The dynamics of social-emotional power are particularly critical to evaluating court reform efforts focused on improving courtroom culture. Paradoxically, the more solicitous the judge, the less the defendant may feel comfortable raising concerns that challenge the court’s narrative of justice

Big Law, Public Defender-Style: Aggregating Resources to Ensure Uniform Quality of Representation

Stories abound of public defenders who, overwhelmed with high caseloads, allow defendants to languish in pre-trial detention and guilty pleas to be entered without examining the merits of the case. Most defendants cannot afford to hire an attorney, and, thus, have no choice other than to accept the public counsel appointed by the court. In this Essay, I consider whether Professor Benjamin Edwards\u27 central argument in The Professional Prospectus: A Call for Effective Professional Disclosure \u27-that attorneys should provide potential clients with a prospectus disclosing their performance history-applies to criminal defense. I reject the proposition that most people charged with crimes would have better representation if they could choose their attorneys and, to that end, had adequate information about their attorney\u27s past performance. I conclude, instead, that the problem of inadequate criminal defense representation can be better remedied by improving the infrastructure for public defense. Others have argued that large, state-wide public defender offices provide better representation than smaller public defender offices or systems in which private attorneys accept public appointments from the court because large offices can aggregate resources. This essay adds to the discussion of the benefits of large public defender offices in two ways. First, it argues that statewide public defender offices can be evaluated for effectiveness, allowing potential clients and the general public to assess the quality of representation they provide. Adequate information about the effectiveness of the large public defender offices can overcome a common mistake that potential clients make regarding criminal defense-that a private attorney is always more effective than a public defender. Second, statewide public defender offices can use performance data and institutional processes to implement uniform structural and attitudinal changes that insure consistently excellent representation from all attorneys working in the office. The question of access to information about attorney performance is still relevant but should be refrained. It is not a question of how individual clients can evaluate individual attorneys, but of how the public sphere can use the information available to institutionalize excellence in public defense

Incapacitating Errors: Sentencing and the Science of Change

Despite widespread support for shifting sentencing policy from “tough on crime” to “smart on crime,” reflected in legislation like the federal First Step Act, the scope of criminal justice reform has been limited. We continue to engage in practices that permanently incapacitate people while carving out only limited niches of sentencing reform for special groups like first-time nonviolent offenders and adolescents. We cannot, however, be “smart on crime” without a theory of punishment that supports second chances for the broadest range of people convicted of crimes.This Article posits that the cultural belief that adults do not change poses a major impediment to “smart on crime” policies. Current sentencing policies focus on long-term incapacitation of adults with criminal records because of our folk belief that adult personality traits are immutable. Whereas adolescents are expected to mature over time, and thus can rarely be determined to require permanent incapacitation, adults lack the benefit of the presumption of change.Standing in contrast to our folk belief that adults do not change is a growing body of neuroscientific and psychological literature that this Article refers to as, “the science of adult change,” which demonstrates that adult brains change in response to environmental prompts and experience.The science of adult change has powerful implications for punishment theory and practice. In its broadest sense, the science of adult change supports an empirically grounded, normative claim that sentencing should not attempt to identify the true criminal to permanently exclude. Rather, sentencing policy should engage in only modest predictions about future behavior. The presumption of reintegration as a full member of society should be the norm. Moreover, because adult change occurs in response to environmental stimuli, the science of adult change supports both public accountability for the conditions of confinement and, ultimately, a challenge to incarceration as our primary means of responding to social harm

Remorse Bias

In this article, Professor M. Eve Hanan addresses how implicit cognitive biases may affect judges when they decide whether to credit defendants\u27 displays of remorse and how we can lessen the effects of that bias. Part I of this article introduces the main ideas to be discussed. Part II establishes the salience of remorse to punishment decisions and then demonstrates the ambiguity involved in assessing the sincerity of remorse. Part III examines existing research on implicit biases associating African Americans with criminality to consider whether judges are likely to view African American defendants\u27 expressions of remorse as insincere and, thus, unworthy of leniency. Part IV critiques and rejects two strategies for addressing implicit bias in punishment decisions - cabining discretion and sanitizing racial content from consideration. Part V offers recommendations to reduce the impact of racial bias on remorse assessments in punishment decisions