Between Continuity and Change: A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Cairo International Conference on Population and Development’s Program of Action

The history of the population control movement is one replete with controversies and where narratives about coercive population control policies and programs abound. Questionable practices such as the wide sterilization campaigns as took place in India during its state of emergency period in the 1970s or the use of contraceptives in the developing world already banned from Western markets contributed in casting a shadow over the population control movement for years. It is in this context that we need to understand the Cairo International conference on Population and Development of 1994, which, many claimed was an important paradigm shift that served to re-define the population issue and change the course of the population debate. The Program of Action firmly established the primacy of human welfare needs over a “simple” concern with demographic targets and goals. For activists and commentators alike, a consensus was reached at Cairo and the conference represented a complete break from the international population movement’s controversial past. However, this has led to the misconceived assumption that the debate on population control is now “dead and buried” (Brigham, 2012). Hence, some authors argue that the public and global interest in the issue of overpopulation has for some time been on decline. The argument of this paper is however that the consensus reached at Cairo happened less through a change in perspective than by finding a language that was so vague as to allow a coalition by a variety of actors with divergent interests, between women’s rights advocates, population control advocates, religious groups, market-oriented economists, environmentalists, etc. Through a critical discourse analysis (CDA) of the Program of Action, the paper suggests that it is important to see the Program of Action not as a complete break from the population control movement but as a continuation of the same discourse albeit in a changed political context, and, family planning has now become the vehicle through which the old population control discourse is legitimized and lives on

The Optimal Timing of Abscisic Acid Treatment in \u3ci\u3eArabidopsis\u3c/i\u3e Under Drought and Salt Stress

As climate change intensifies, harsh environmental conditions, such as increased drought and salt levels, will pose significant challenges to agricultural productivity globally. It is important to develop strategies for plants to tolerate these adverse conditions. This study aims to investigate how well the timing of abscisic acid (ABA) treatment can promote resistance to salt and drought in Arabidopsis thaliana grown on Murashige and Skoog agar medium. The study evaluates both wild-type and transgenic lines overexpressing the DREB2A gene, a transcriptional activator involved in the stress response of plants. Plants were exposed to drought and salt stress as they matured. Followed by supplementation of ABA on days 0, 3, and 6. The results were recorded for a 21-day period of treatment focusing on physiological responses, including leaf count and above-ground biomass, as indicators of plant growth and adaptation to stressors over time. The analyses show that early treatment in plants subjected to drought stress had more resistance than those treated later. However, the physiological responses of ABA and drought stress versus ABA and salt stress vary in different treatment groups. Overall, the comparisons between treated groups indicate the effectiveness of applying ABA to mitigate the detrimental impacts of drought and salinity stress, highlighting the limiting influence of environmental stressors on plant growth. Our goal is to help farmers who want to grow crops that can resist difficult environmental circumstances using plant physiology to maintain food security and sustainability in changing climatic conditions

Willow stack tower in leachate treatment

The aim of this work was to evaluate the efficiency of the willow stack tower as a component of leachate treatment system. This final thesis was done for the Tampere University of Applied Sciences as a part of the PAJUKÄSITTELY- willow stack tower in various wastewater treatments project. Two cases were studied in this part of the project; the first one was the closed landfill in Vaasa City, in Suvilahti and the second one the sludge treatment field of Aukeasuo, in Pälkäne region, in Ruokola village. The efficiency of the willow stack tower was determined by monitoring the physical, chemical and biological parameters of the leachate before and after the willow treatment. This was done by taking leachate samples and conducting field and laboratory analyses. Factors such as the active surface area of the willow, temperature, the evaporation ratio, wind speed and relative humidity were also taken into consideration in order to observe their effects on the functioning of the tower. The willow stack tower treatment was successful in removal of nutrients, pathogens, suspended solids and in reduction of biochemical and chemical oxygen demand. The results of this study represent only the willow stack tower in the treatment system and that in both landfill of Suvilahti and sludge treatment field of Aukeasuo, leachate was processed further before being released into the water bodies. The results of the cases were handled separately.Tämän työn tarkoituksena oli arvioida pajukerpputornin tehokkuus valumavesien käsittelyssä osana valumavesien käsittelyjärjestelmää. Tämä opinnäytetyö tehtiin Tampereen ammattikorkeakoululle osana PAJUKÄSITTELY - pajukerpputorni erilaisten jätevesien käsittelyssä projektia. Kaksi tapausta tutkittiin tässä osassa projektista; ensimmäinen oli suljettu kaatopaikka Vaasan kaupungissa, Suvilahdessa, ja toinen oli Aukeasuon lietteenkäsittelykenttä Pälkäneen kunnassa Ruokolan kylässä. Pajukerpputornin tehokkuus määriteltiin tarkkailemalla valumaveden fysikaalisia, kemiallisia ja biologisia tekijöitä ennen ja jälkeen pajukäsittelyn. Tämä tehtiin näytteiden otolla ja kenttä sekä laboratorio mittausten suorittamisella. Tekijät kuten pajun aktiivinen pinta-ala, lämpötila, haihtumissuhde, tuulen nopeus ja suhteellinen ilmankosteus otettiin myös huomioon, jotta niiden vaikutuksia tornin toimintaan voitaisiin tarkkailla. Pajukerpputorni käsittely oli menestyksellinen ravinteiden, taudinaiheuttajien ja kiintoaineiden poistamisessa sekä biokemiallisen hapenkulutuksen ja kemiallisen hapenkulutuksen vähentämisessä. Tämän tutkimuksen tulokset edustavat vain pajukerpputornia käsittelyjärjestelmässä, ja että Suvilahden kaatopaikalla sekä Aukeasuon lietteenkäsittelykentällä valumavedet jatkokäsiteltiin pajukerpputornin jälkeen ennen vesistöön päästöä. Tapauksien tulokset käsiteltiin erillään toisistaan

Étude biomÉcanique de la propulsion du fauteuil roulant manuel par les personnes ÂgÉes souffrant ou non de douleurs d'Épaules

The daily use of a manual wheelchair (MWC) implicates for many ageing people, as like for the handicapped young people and/or athletes, an overuse of the anatomical structure of the shoulders. In the long term, this fact is responsible for degenerative and painful phenomena leading to additional expenditure of health. Having a preventive target, the presented researches were done with one object in view: decreasing the stress of the scapulo-humeral girdle during MWC propulsion. A preliminary epidemiological study revealed the increasing of such a problem. In addition, the anatomo-pathological study showed the inefficiency of the health care intended to reduce the shoulder pains. The literature review also revealed the lack of researches concerning many aspects of the MWC propulsion by elderly and amputated population. Initially, a data acquisition system has been conceived to measure the dynamic, kinematic and electromyographic aspects of the MWC propulsion. The reliability of the equipment and the recorded data were both validated. These devices allowed the study of the MWC technique of propulsion by elderly people suffering or not from shoulder pains. The results revealed certain probable causes and consequences of these pains. They will permit to the clinicians to improve the control of a prevention process. These investigations led to the development and the validation of a MWC propulsion prototype, having two main characteristics: inexpensive and adaptable to all the types of MWC. This innovating device consists in an elastic connection between handrims and driving wheels. The experimental analyses and the clinical results revealed the main interests of such as a novel design: amelioration of comfort during the daily use of the MWC and in the reduction of the stresses of upper limb joints. The outcomes of such a research are in the following fields: scientific and technological but also medical, human and economic.L'utilisation quotidienne du fauteuil roulant manuel (FRM) entraîne chez certaines personnes âgées, tout comme chez les jeunes et/ou les athlètes handicapés, un surmenage de la structure anatomique des épaules. Ce fait est responsable à la longue de phénomènes dégénératifs et douloureux entraînant des dépenses de santé supplémentaires. Dans un but préventif, les recherches présentées ci-dessous visent à réduire le travail de la ceinture scapulaire au cours de la propulsion du FRM. Une étude épidémiologique préliminaire a révélé l'étendue de ce problème. Par ailleurs l'étude anatomo-pathologique a montré l'inefficacité des soins destinés à diminuer les douleurs d'épaules. La revue bibliographique a aussi révélé les lacunes de la littérature concernant les aspects de la propulsion du FRM par la population âgée et amputée. Dans un premier temps, une chaîne de mesure destinée à appréhender les aspects dynamique, cinématique et électromyographique de la propulsion du FRM, a été développée et validée. Ce dispositif a permis d'étudier la technique de propulsion du FRM par les personnes âgées souffrant ou non de douleurs d'épaules. Les résultats ont révélé certaines causes et conséquences probables de ces douleurs. Ils permettront aux cliniciens d'améliorer la conduite d'un processus de prévention. Ces investigations ont abouti à la mise au point et à la validation d'un prototype de propulsion peu coûteux et adaptable à tous les types de FRM. Ce dispositif innovant met en œuvre une liaison élastique entre la main courante et la roue motrice. Les analyses expérimentales et les résultats cliniques ont révélé l'intérêt de cette invention dans l'amélioration du confort d'utilisation du FRM et dans la réduction des contraintes articulaires du membre supérieur. Les retombées de ce travail sont à caractère scientifique et technologique mais aussi médical, humain et économique

Control of Population

The history of the population control movement is one replete with controversies and where narratives about coercive population control policies and programs abound. Questionable practices such as the wide sterilization campaigns as took place in India during its state of emergency period in the 1970s or the use of contraceptives in developing world already banned from Western markets contributed in casting a shadow over the population control movement for years. It is in this context that we need to understand the Cairo International conference on Population and Development of 1994, which, many claimed was an important paradigm shift that served to re-define the population issue and change the course of the population debate. The Program of Action firmly established the primacy of human welfare needs over a “simple” concern with demographic targets and goals. For activists and commentators alike, the Cairo conference offered the international population movement a much needed escape from its troubled past. However, this has led to the misconceived assumption that the debate on overpopulation is now “dead and buried”. Hence, some authors argue that the public and global interest in the issue of overpopulation has for some time been on decline (Brigham, 2012). The current paper argues that through a closer attention to the language and discourse on population contained within a selected number of pages of the Program of Action, it is important to see the Program of Action not as a complete break from the population control movement but as a continuation of the same discourse albeit in a changed political context

Enhancing Plant Growth in Adverse Environmental Conditions

As climate change intensifies, harsh environmental conditions, such as increased drought and salt levels, will cause significant challenges to agricultural productivity globally. Plants are naturally sensitive to stress but have evolved mechanisms that play a crucial role in regulating plant responses to environmental stress. However, the adaptations occurring may not be quick enough to ensure the long-term survivability or production of our agricultural system. Abscisic acid (ABA) is a hormone that allows plants to tolerate dry and salty conditions by causing stomatal closure and triggering a temporary dormancy. While naturally produced by plants, supplementation could enhance a plant’s resistance to harsh conditions. This study investigates how the timing of ABA treatment promotes plant growth under stressful conditions, specifically drought and salt stress. Arabidopsis thaliana, a commonly used plant model, provides insight into the processes underlying plant resistance to environmental challenges, mainly through the action of the plant hormone ABA. Arabidopsis plants grown on agar are supplemented with the ABA hormone as they mature and then exposed to drought and salt stress at different time intervals to evaluate optimal timing and effectiveness of treatment. By understanding these procedures, we aim to help farmers who want to grow crops that can resist difficult environmental circumstances by offering workable alternatives. This study emphasizes how crucial it is to use plant physiology to maintain food security and sustainability in changing climatic conditions

Un accompagnement personnalisé d’intégration communautaire en soutien au développement de la résilience : vers un modèle

Un accompagnement personnalisé d’intégration communautaire (APIC) post-réadaptation a été développé afin de soutenir la résilience des personnes ayant un traumatisme crânien (TCC) modéré ou sévère. Ces personnes présentent souvent des besoins non comblés et n’ont pas accès à des services afin de les aider à maintenir ou à améliorer leur intégration dans la communauté. Notre prémisse est la suivante : fournir un soutien psychosocial à long terme, qui tient compte du projet de vie de la personne, facilite grandement leur réintégration sociale et leur résilience.L’APIC consiste à accompagner durant un an, à raison de trois heures par semaine, des personnes ayant un TCC dans l’atteinte de leurs objectifs. L’intervention est personnalisée et participative. Pour ce faire, une équipe de travail en partenariat interprofessionnel (comité de gestion de projet) a été mise en place. L’APIC vise à :1) appliquer l’accompagnement auprès des personnes TCC; 2) en analyser les effets sur la capacité des personnes TCC à réaliser leurs activités de vie quotidienne (AVQ) et leurs loisirs; 3) à vérifier ses effets après à trois mois, six mois et douze mois d’accompagnement.Ultimement, le projet tend à renforcer l’autodétermination et l’autonomie des personnes TCC dans la réponse à leurs besoins d’intégration communautaire et à soutenir le développement de leur résilience. Une proposition d’éléments constitutifs d’un modèle de résilience conclura cet article

Discordance in injury reporting between youth-athletes, their parents and coaches

Hiring experienced health professionals to collect data on sport injuries is expensive, limits resources, and may be prohibitive for surveillance studies. The objective of this study was to obtain pilot data on whether youth self-report deserves further study. We followed 67 recreational and elite soccer players aged 11–17 for one season and compared responses of injured players with those of their parents/coaches. We defined our main outcome of discordance as any disagreement in responses between the youth, parent and coach (triad). When one person didn’t know the answer, we categorised the responses as “concordance” if the other two members agreed. We omitted data when two people responded “Don’t Know”. Of 10 injuries that could be analysed, 29/30 interviews occurred within 21 days. For factual questions analysed, there was 100% concordance for the type and side of injury, and place where the injury occurred. There were 1–2 discordant triads for each of time of day, activity during injury and specific body part injured. There were greater discordances for date of injury, first-aid treatment, and opinions concerning underlying reasons for the injury. Interview-report by youth themselves should be explored as a possible low cost method of documenting youth sport injuries