Final Cut: The West’s Opportunity to Accommodate Asylee Victims of Female Genital Mutilation

In an era where immigration and asylum is at the forefront of many western nationals’ minds, so too should be the reasons behind an individual’s intent to seek refuge in a new country. Statistics have shown that one of the pragmatic reasons women and girls, particularly from Middle Eastern and African nations, seek refuge through western asylum programs is to escape or recover from Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). While the practice has been a longstanding tradition in various communities around the world, modern western governments and international entities have moved to abolish the tradition completely, given its alarming implications against human rights. In order to reconcile the stark differences between what many regard as a traditional practice and others now consider a human rights violation, there must be a comprehensive understanding of the history and evolution of FGM, its significance to female asylum seekers, and its implications for the future of western immigration processes

Academic Achievement Of Ugandan Sixth Grade Students: Influence Of Parents Education Levels

The study investigates the influence of a father and mothers education on the academic achievement of their child. The investigation is based on data sourced from the 2009 Southern African Consortium for Monitoring Education Quality survey comprising 5,148 records of sixth grade students enrolled in Ugandan primary schools. Students percentage scores in the health sciences, reading, and numeracy tests were adopted as a measure of academic achievement. The analysis was carried out using summary statistics and a multiple linear regression clustered by six geographical regions in Uganda: central, eastern, western, northern, southwestern, and northeastern. In addition to father and mothers education, students test scores in the various disciplines were analyzed by the characteristics of age, sex, rural-urban residence, grade repetition status (any grade), and length of pre-primary education. The results showed that the level of a fathers education required to predict whether the child will achieve better scores in all disciplines was primary education. However, a mother required secondary and post-secondary education to enable the child to obtain better scores in reading and numeracy, respectively. Much of the previous literature has suggested that children born to educated parents have higher academic achievement; the results of this study support this finding but also reveal a difference in the levels of a father and mothers education required to predict their childs achievement of better scores in formal education

Local council courts and local conflict resolution : a case of Lubaga Division, Kampala District, Uganda.

Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2009.The government of Uganda, on realizing that community conflicts could not be handled entirely by the centre, enacted a Local Councils Act, whose operationalization began on 8th June, 2006. The Act established the Local Council Courts for the administration of Justice at the local levels; it was also intended to define the Jurisdictional powers and procedures for the established Courts and other related matters. Laws and guidelines were developed and the Minister of local government issued the Local Councils Courts (Regulations) 2007 aimed at facilitating the operationalization of local councils in their functions related to the administration of Justice. Since their inception, the experiences, challenges, and people's perception of these local councils is not very clear. Overall, the study explores the experiences of local council courts in resolving local conflicts and also comes up with suggestions for more effective resolution of conflicts. The specific objectives are: 1) to identify types of conflict handled; 2) to explain the process of resolving conflicts; 3) to document the degree of satisfaction with the court process and perception of the system's effectiveness; 4) to identify the challenges faced by local council courts system in helping to resolve conflicts; and finally to make suggestions for improving the effectiveness of these courts in resolving conflicts. This study used a cross-sectional descriptive study and employed both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. It was conducted in Lubaga division (LC III), Kampala District and it targeted members of the local courts, community members with a case handled by the local court representatives of collaborating institutions. The findings show that there was no uniform understanding of the phenomenon conflict apart from the community respondents and key informants who almost had similar view to mean 'a misunderstanding between two parties'. The local councils at all levels (LC I, LC II, LC III) were only mandated to handle civil cases. The cases mostly handled were; domestic violence (37/63); rent defaulting (35/63) and land disputes (30/63) .In all these cases the causes were mostly economical, social, cultural and political in nature. The study also found out that most of disputes were being brought willingly to the courts but a small fee levied was unpopular among the community members. The local courts were issued with guidelines to follow although these guidelines fell short of the expectations of the members who wished they could also handle criminal cases. The level of satisfaction with skills and capability of local courts members to handle cases was just above 50% and the reasons advanced were that in most cases the conflicts were usually resolved or settled, and the disputants were always allowed to ask questions. Most of the conflicts were usually resolved through negotiations (37/63) with courts playing a moderating role and encouraging the complainants to reconcile. Local courts were also perceived to be effective in terms of being quick and cost effective. The effectiveness of these courts was also looked at in terms of their ability to handle a wide range of services as reported by 38/63%) of the respondents. Other factors which were advanced as impacting negatively on the effectiveness of these courts include: biasness (36/63); lack of follow up, political interference and to some extent corruption. etc. The key challenges reported were; delivery of services on voluntary basis; lack of coordination between police and local courts; lack of local courts to implement judgments; pressure to make judgments on cases outside the mandate of these courts and the high rates of child offenders yet they were protected the existing laws. In conclusion, generally though not uniform there was a clear and rightful understanding of the term conflict. The local council courts were following the guidelines and were aware of their mandate of handling only civil cases which was a good practice. The approach of local courts endeavoring to solve cases through negotiations was a good one although at times it was reported as a slow process. Overall, communities were satisfied with the local courts and felt that they were effective in handling local conflicts The existing policies should be revised to accommodate: 1) remuneration of local court officials, 2) empowering the local courts to enforce their judgments; 3) clearly defining the roles and responsibilities of the local courts vis-à-vis those of the police and 4) reviewing the laws regarding child-offenders less than 18 years of age

Economic Impacts of Montgomery County’s Parks

Final project for ENSP400: Capstone in Environmental Science (Fall 2017). University of Maryland, College Park.This project’s goal is to analyze how the presence and quality of local parks and open spaces affects adjacent property values and the local economy, and to gauge the public perception of parks in Montgomery County to better understand public opinion and concerns surrounding parks. This project will also recommend how those concerns can be addressed to make stakeholder groups more likely to support the activities of the County’s Department of Parks. We assessed opinions of property owners, businesses, developers, and residents in Montgomery County and beyond through on-line and in person surveys. Respondents were asked to assess park amenities by personal preference, state their willingness to pay a premium to live and work near a public park, and share other information on their perceptions of public green spaces in their area. Using these survey result as well as literature reviews, we found a trend of increasing property values near parks, a perception of increasing business activity due to the presence of parks, and an increased attraction of visitors and residents to an area because of parks. We also determined that parks benefit the natural ecosystem in a way that offers significant monetary value and that can benefit the local economy in the form of saved public utility costs and personal health benefits. The surveys also provided information on trends in public opinion about parks. The most favored park amenity was paved trails, while the least favored amenity was skateparks. Overall, respondents’ opinions were quite positive and any concerns they had were related to safety in parks. Our research and surveys enabled us to determine four distinct recommendations for the Department of Parks. The first is to implement popular amenities. The surveys showed that paved trails were the most popular amenity, followed by family-oriented activities and dog parks, and these amenities can greatly help to generate a more positive perception of parks. The second recommendation is to create educational programs to help people better understand the economic and social benefits parks can provide, especially their benefits to the natural ecosystem. When people better understand those benefits, they will be less likely to oppose new park plans. The third recommendation is to continue to develop a safe atmosphere within parks. One of the main concerns is that parks can foster crime, so if the Department of Parks were to heavily advertise their safety measures, such as displaying signs about security camera systems or advertising that the parks are under constant surveillance, people may feel safer and be less concerned about a park in their neighborhood. Finally, more surveys should be conducted. By continuing to survey the public’s perception of their parks, the Department will be able to tailor services to residents and visitors as preferences and demographics change. We believe that following these suggestions will increase the economic benefits of parks in Montgomery County.Montgomery Count

Analysis of pharmaceuticals in wastewater and removal using a membrane bioreactor

Much attention has recently been devoted to the life and behaviour of pharmaceuticals in the water cycle. In this study the behaviour of several pharmaceutical products in different therapeutic categories (analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs, lipid regulators, antibiotics, etc.) was monitored during treatment of wastewater in a laboratory-scale membrane bioreactor (MBR). The results were compared with removal in a conventional activated-sludge (CAS) process in a wastewater-treatment facility. The performance of an MBR was monitored for approximately two months to investigate the long-term operational stability of the system and possible effects of solids retention time on the efficiency of removal of target compounds. Pharmaceuticals were, in general, removed to a greater extent by the MBR integrated system than during the CAS process. For most of the compounds investigated the performance of MBR treatment was better (removal rates >80%) and effluent concentrations of, e.g., diclofenac, ketoprofen, ranitidine, gemfibrozil, bezafibrate, pravastatin, and ofloxacin were steadier than for the conventional system. Occasionally removal efficiency was very similar, and high, for both treatments (e.g. for ibuprofen, naproxen, acetaminophen, paroxetine, and hydrochlorothiazide). The antiepileptic drug carbamazepine was the most persistent pharmaceutical and it passed through both the MBR and CAS systems untransformed. Because there was no washout of biomass from the reactor, high-quality effluent in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonium content (N-NH(4)), total suspended solids (TSS), and total organic carbon (TOC) was obtained

Predictive framework for estimating exposure of birds to pharmaceuticals

Here we present and evaluate a framework for estimating concentrations of pharmaceuticals over time in wildlife feeding at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The framework is composed of a series of predictive steps involving the estimation of pharmaceutical concentration in wastewater, accumulation into wildlife food items, uptake by wildlife with subsequent distribution into, and elimination from, tissues. As many pharmacokinetic parameters for wildlife are unavailable for the majority of drugs in use, a read-across approach was employed using either rodent or human data on absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME). Comparison of the different steps in the framework, against experimental data for the scenario where birds are feeding on a WWTP contaminated with fluoxetine, showed that: estimated concentrations in wastewater treatment works were lower than measured concentrations; concentrations in food could be reasonably estimated if experimental bioaccumulation data are available; and that read-across from rodent data worked better than human to bird read-across. The framework provides adequate predictions of plasma concentrations and of elimination behavior in birds, but yields poor predictions of distribution in tissues. We believe the approach holds promise, but it is important that we improve our understanding of the physiological similarities and differences between wild birds and domesticated laboratory mammals used in pharmaceutical efficacy/safety trials, so that the wealth of data available can be applied more effectively in ecological risk assessments

Markers of anthropogenic contamination : a validated method for quantification of pharmaceuticals, illicit drug metabolites, perfluorinated compounds, and plasticisers in sewage treatment effluent and rain runoff

An effective, specific and accurate method is presented for the quantification of 13 markers of anthropogenic contaminants in water using solid phase extraction (SPE) followed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Validation was conducted according to the International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH) guidelines. Method recoveries ranged from 77 to 114% and limits of quantification between 0.75 and 4.91 ng/L. A study was undertaken to quantify the concentrations and loadings of the selected contaminants in 6 sewage treatment works (STW) effluent discharges as well as concentrations in 5 rain-driven street runoffs and field drainages. Detection frequencies in STW effluent ranged from 25% (ethinylestradiol) to 100% (benzoylecgonine, bisphenol-A (BPA), bisphenol-S (BPS) and diclofenac). Average concentrations of detected compounds in STW effluents ranged from 3.62 ng/L (ethinylestradiol) to 210 ng/L (BPA). Levels of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) as well as the plasticiser BPA were found in street runoff at maximum levels of 1160 ng/L, 647 ng/L and 2405 ng/L respectively (8.52, 3.09 and 2.7 times more concentrated than maximum levels in STW effluents respectively). Rain-driven street runoff may have an effect on levels of PFCs and plasticisers in receiving rivers and should be further investigated. Together, this method with the 13 selected contaminants enables the quantification of various markers of anthropogenic pollutants: inter alia pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs and their metabolites from humans and improper disposal of drugs, while the plasticisers and perfluorinated compounds may also indicate contamination from industrial and transport activity (street runoff)

Psychoactive Pharmaceuticals Induce Fish Gene Expression Profiles Associated with Human Idiopathic Autism

Idiopathic autism, caused by genetic susceptibility interacting with unknown environmental triggers, has increased dramatically in the past 25 years. Identifying environmental triggers has been difficult due to poorly understood pathophysiology and subjective definitions of autism. The use of antidepressants by pregnant women has been associated with autism. These and other unmetabolized psychoactive pharmaceuticals (UPPs) have also been found in drinking water from surface sources, providing another possible exposure route and raising questions about human health consequences. Here, we examined gene expression patterns of fathead minnows treated with a mixture of three psychoactive pharmaceuticals (fluoxetine, venlafaxine & carbamazepine) in dosages intended to be similar to the highest observed conservative estimates of environmental concentrations. We conducted microarray experiments examining brain tissue of fish exposed to individual pharmaceuticals and a mixture of all three. We used gene-class analysis to test for enrichment of gene sets involved with ten human neurological disorders. Only sets associated with idiopathic autism were unambiguously enriched. We found that UPPs induce autism-like gene expression patterns in fish. Our findings suggest a new potential trigger for idiopathic autism in genetically susceptible individuals involving an overlooked source of environmental contamination