Transnational reflections on transnational research projects on men, boys and gender relations

This article reflects on the research project, ‘Engaging South African and Finnish youth towards new traditions of non-violence, equality and social well-being’, funded by the Finnish and South African national research councils, in the context of wider debates on research, projects and transnational processes. The project is located within a broader analysis of research projects and projectization (the reduction of research to separate projects), and the increasing tendencies for research to be framed within and as projects, with their own specific temporal and organizational characteristics. This approach is developed further in terms of different understandings of research across borders: international, comparative, multinational and transnational. Special attention is given to differences between research projects that are in the Europe and the EU, and projects that are between the global North and the global South. The theoretical, political and practical challenges of the North-South research project are discussed

The production and reproduction of inequality in the UK in times of austerity

Inequality appears to be back on the intellectual and political agenda. This paper provides a commentary on this renewed interest, drawing on an empirical discussion of inequality in the UK. The paper argues that inequality should be seen as produced in the inherently unequal social relations of production, drawing attention to the role of social struggle in shaping dynamics of inequality. However, inequality is not just produced in dynamic class struggle in the formal economy, but also through the social reproduction of labour power on a day-to-day and inter-generational basis. As such, inequalities of household resources at any point in time may be reproductive of greater future inequality. It is argued that inequality has risen in the UK over recent decades because of changes in the social relations of production in the formal economy and social reproduction in the domestic sector, both of which have witnessed significant state interventions that have increased structural inequalities. It is argued that, absent of significant change, the underpinning structural dynamics in the UK will lead to further increases in inequality over the short and longer-term. Given this, we might expect to see an already emergent ‘New Politics of Inequality’ intensifying in the coming decades.n/

Raise All Ships: Cooperative Repository Strategies in a Boot-Strap Culture

Presentation at Open Repositories 2014, Helsinki, Finland, June 9-13, 2014General Track, "Repository Rants" 24x7 PresentationsThe session was recorded and is available for watching (this presentation starts at 1:36:45).Conventional approaches to repository development and management have focused upon the adoption and use of open source software to build localized and customized repositories, both from a developer and a repository manager’s point of view. American universities have employed large teams to administer and manage their repositories, requiring tremendous and expensive effort. The cost of this approach has prevented many, if not most, university libraries from establishing robust digital library efforts. While well-funded efforts take quantum leaps forward, regional schools are still trying to identify and retain staff who can assist them in the basics of repository management. The scholarly and cultural record from these institutions is at risk. The Texas Digital Library is one of efforts in the United States seeking to join together to provide like resources and a community for users across a geographically and culturally diverse landscape where siloed efforts have often been the norm, and frequently rewarded. The TDL seeks to provide affordable, shareable repository infrastructure and a central point of community for technologists and librarians to work together and share knowledge in a state where “going it alone” has been considered a virtue.Steans, Ryan J. (Texas Digital Library, United States of America

International relations: perspectives and themes

xii.234 hal.;24 c

NGOs, Feminist Activism and Human Rights

When members of the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1325, “Women, Peace and Security,” at the end of October 2000, acknowledging for the first time the disproportionate impact of war and conflict on women (United Nations, 2000), it almost seemed as if women organizing at the international level had come full circle. A century earlier in 1915 women’s organizations mostly from around Europe and North America had also rallied around the issues of peace and security. Prompted then by the outbreak of World War I, however, women from both neutral and belligerent countries organized the First International Women’s Congress in The Hague, from which a series of proposals emerged for how to bring about world peace. While security figured in subsequent issue campaigns on occasion throughout the following decades, it took until the present for the role of gender to be recognized by states in this policy domain. Granted, the ways in which women organize today and interact with international institutions have changed significantly and in many ways. Nevertheless, we still can detect similarities between the present and the past, including that today just as back then it often takes favorable political opportunity structures, mobilizing resources as well as strategic frames, to gain access to particular policy domains and international governmental organizations where problems as well as likely solutions are discussed. This chapter provides an overview, albeit brief, of feminist organizing at the international level throughout time, highlighting what have been key issues and debates, continuities and breaks

Efficacy and tolerability of the anti-inflammatory throat lozenge flurbiprofen 8.75mg in the treatment of sore throat a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

Objective: This randomised, double-blind, parallel group study compared the efficacy and tolerability of flurbiprofen lozenges (8.75mg or 12.5mg) with demulcent placebo lozenges in the treatment of patients with sore throat due to upper respiratory tract infection. Study Participants: A total of 320 patients with objective and subjective evidence of sore throat were randomised to treatment with flurbiprofen 8.75mg (n = 128), flurbiprofen 12.5mg (n = 64) or placebo (n = 128) lozenges. Main Outcome Measures: Efficacy was assessed by changes in subjective ratings scales measuring pain relief, throat soreness and swollen throat at specified intervals over a 6-hour period following administration of a single dose. Tolerability was assessed over a 5-day multiple-dose regimen. Results: Flurbiprofen 8.75mg lozenge was significantly superior to placebo for the primary efficacy variable, total pain relief summed over 15 to 120 minutes (TOTPAR15-120 min), and for reducing throat soreness over 2 hours and swollen throat over 2 and 6 hours (p < 0.05). Flurbiprofen 12.5mg treatment was not significantly better than flurbiprofen 8.75mg. There were no significant differences between treatment groups in the incidence of adverse events when reports of taste perversion, which reflects an aspect of patient acceptability rather than tolerability, were removed from the analysis (p = 0.776). Conclusions: The efficacy and tolerability profile of flurbiprofen 8.75mg lozenges indicated that they provide a convenient treatment for patients with sore throat. Symptomatic relief was rapid, occurring within 15 minutes of administration due to lozenge demulcency, and statistically significant differences between active and placebo lozenges were detected within 30 minutes and sustained over 4 hours

Influence of natural reflective mulch on Pinot noir grape and wine quality

SFF Environment Report - August 2006 contains supporting information for the same project.The intention of conducting this project is to investigate the potential of addressing the problem of excessive sugar (potential alcohol) levels in Pinot noir at harvest. This was attempted by modifying the ripening process through the use of a natural reflective mulch (mussel shells), which are also a by-product of the Nelson area seafood industry.MAF, Nelson Grapegrowers and Winemakers, New Zealand Winegrowers, Neudorf Vineyards and Lincoln Universit