Blurred Borders: Trans-Boundary Impacts & Solutions in the San Diego-Tijuana Border Region

Over the years, the border has divided the people of San Diego County and Tijuana over language, culture, national security, public safety and a host of other cross-border issues ranging from human migration to the environment. For some, the 'us' versus 'them' mentality has become more pervasive following the tragedy of September 11, 2001, with a growing number of San Diegans focusing greater attention on terrorism and homeland security, as well as the need to re-think immigration policy in the United States as a means of fortifying the international border. This is validated by a recent KPBS/Competitive Edge research poll that found 46% of English-speaking San Diegans desiring that the U.S. impose tighter restrictions on the border. Yet the question remains: if San Diegans and Tijuana are so different, why is our shared port of entry the most busily crossed international border in the world with over 56 million crossings a year? The answer is simple. Opposites attract. The contrasts and complementarities between San Diego and Tijuana are so powerful that residents, as well as visiting tourists and business people, endure post-9/11 traffic and pedestrian delays to cross the border for work, school, cultural enrichment, maintaining family ties or sheer economic necessity

Civic Engagement, Volunteerism and Charitable Giving: Americans Retiring in Mexico's Coastal Communities

This study examines whether the American commitment to volunteerism and charitable giving is as evident among U.S. retirees in other countries as it is in the U.S., and in particular, how committed U.S. retirees in their adopted Mexican communities are engaged in civic engagement and charitable giving.As baby boomers - - the generation of 77 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964 - - retire, they represent a tremendous potential resource to their communities for public service and volunteerism. A recent study undertaken by the U.S. Corporation for National Public Service (CNPS) determined that the number of volunteers aged 65 and older will increase 50% over the 13 year period from 2007 to 2020, from approximately 9 million senior volunteers to over 13 million.1 According to CNPS, that number is likely to continue to rise because the youngest baby boomers will not reach age 65 until 2029. Furthermore, research has shown that that older volunteers may derive additional health benefits from volunteering such as greater life satisfaction and lower rates of depression.2While the pool of potential baby boomers engaged in voluntary service is expected to grow in the coming years, not everyone in that population is expected to remain in the United States. In fact, due to the rising costs of retiring in the United States, a growing number of American retirees are opting to retire overseas. And, among overseas retirement destinations, Mexico is considered one of the most preferred retirement locales because of its affordability, lifestyle options, and its close proximity to the United States. To better understand perceptions and lifestyle trends of U.S. retirees in Mexico, the International Community Foundation conducted a comprehensive study of U.S retirees in Mexican coastal communities between July and November 2009. A key focus of this research included an analysis of civic engagement, volunteerism and charitable giving trends among the U.S. expatriate community. The target populations surveyed were those aged 50 years or older who are now either retired full time in Mexico or residing there on a part-time basis.Several key findings emerged from the research. Volunteerism and giving to charity is as robust among U.S. retirees living in coastal Mexico as it is among retirees in the U.S. This is especially noteworthy since relatively few of these donors receive a tax deduction for their gifts. Respondents not only give in Mexico, but continue to give in the U.S. as well. These retirees volunteer because of their strong sense of social responsibility, and desire to make a difference in their communities. They report that their volunteer efforts increase their sense of belonging in Mexico, and contribute to an increased sense of community among local neighbors and friends.Respondents engage in a wide range of volunteer activities, most prominently with education-focused charities, community projects, and the environment. Social issues such as poverty, stray animals, economic challenges, unemployment, and lack of educational opportunities for youth concern them. Many retirees are willing to get involved to solve such problems, and report they would even consider Peace Corps service should the program be expanded to include retirees.Despite their inclination to be civically involved, there is a gap between U.S. retirees and Mexican-led nonprofit organizations in Mexico. Many respondents to this survey indicated that they were more likely to start their own nonprofit or to be involved in nonprofits created by other expats than to engage in work with a Mexican nonprofit. This could be due to doubts retirees have about the accountability and transparency of Mexican nonprofits, which often exist in a nascent state. Factors such as cultural misunderstandings and language barriers may also influence the willingness of retirees to engage with Mexican nonprofits. Yet, despite these findings, many U.S. retirees have a favorable impression of Mexican nonprofits in terms of program strength and effectiveness. Nevertheless, the potential for connection between retirees and Mexican communities is rich. Many retirees are willing to consider not only volunteering and giving, but planned giving and property bequests to Mexican nonprofits. At this time, Mexican nonprofits have a limited capacity to leverage this valuable resource. Thus, there exists a very real potential, for the gap between Mexican nonprofits and the U.S. retiree community to increase. This report makes a number of specific recommendations for both Mexican nonprofits, and U.S. policy makers to make improvements and promote future collaboration in volunteerism, philanthropy, and civic engagement

Housing and Real Estate Trends among Americans Retiring in Mexico's Coastal Communities

For years, U.S. and Canadian retirees have flocked to Mexico as an alternative overseas retirement destination that was affordable, offered desirable weather and was close to their communities of origin in North America. These attributes have made Mexico the top overseas retirement destination for older Americans, resulting in a building boom that reached its peak in 2005/06 and stretched from Playas de Tijuana-Rosarito and Los Cabos along the Baja California peninsula, and from Puerto Penasco, Sonora to Mazatlan, Sinaloa. In southern Mexico, the real estate focus has been on expanding the Cancun corridor to the Riviera Maya

Hit Brewery

Description: This student created a plan to establish a joint recording studio and craft brewery in Southern California.https://remix.berklee.edu/graduate-studies-global-entertainment-business/1022/thumbnail.jp

Konsumentenbefragungen zum Thema "Fair Trade" und "Bio" an Hochschulen in Nordrhein-Westfalen

Im Rahmen des 2013 gegründeten "Regionalen Forums für verantwortungsvolles Wirtschaften im Bereich Lebensmittel" wurde an der Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg und der Fachhochschule Köln eine Befragung zum Bekanntheitsgrad und zur Glaubwürdigkeit der Labels für "Fair Trade" und "Bio" durchgeführt. Zudem wurde die generelle Einstellung zu sowie die Kaufbereitschaft für fair gehandelte Produkte erfragt. Die Resultate konnten unter verschiedenen Aspekten (Stellung im Beruf und Einkommenshöhe, Alterskategorien, Geschlecht) differenziert analysiert werden. Im vorliegenden Beitrag werden ausgewählte Ergebnisse der Befragung vorgestellt

Metal-Induced Specific and Nonspecific Oligonucleotide Folding Studied by FRET and Related Biophysical and Bioanalytical Implications

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Kiy, M. M., Jacobi, Z. E., & Liu, J. (2012). Metal-Induced Specific and Nonspecific Oligonucleotide Folding Studied by FRET and Related Biophysical and Bioanalytical Implications. Chemistry - A European Journal, 18(4), 1202–1208, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/chem.201102515 This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.Metal induced nucleic acid folding has been extensively studied with ribozymes, DNAzymes, tRNA and riboswitches. These RNA/DNA molecules usually have a high content of double-stranded regions to support a rigid scaffold. On the other hand, such rigid structural features are not available for many in vitro selected or rationally designed DNA aptamers; they adopt flexible random coil structures in the absence of target molecules. Upon target binding, these aptamers adaptively fold into a compact structure with a reduced end-to-end distance, making fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) a popular signaling mechanism. However, nonspecific folding induced by mono- or divalent metal ions can also reduce the end-to-end distance and thus lead to false positive results. In this study we used a FRET pair labeled HgII binding DNA and monitored metal-induced folding in the presence of various cations. While nonspecific electrostatically mediated folding can be very significant, at each tested salt condition, HgII induced folding was still observed with a similar sensitivity. We also studied the biophysical meaning of the acceptor/donor fluorescence ratio that allowed us to explain the experimental observations. Potential solutions for this ionic strength problem have been discussed. For example, probes designed to signal the formation of double-stranded DNA showed a lower dependency on ionic strength.University of Waterloo || Canadian Foundation for Innovation Ontario ministry of Research and Innovation || Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council |

An image understanding system based on the geometrised histograms method: finding the sky in road scenes

Основная статьяIn this paper, the technique provided by the geometrized histogram method for segmentation and description of color images is developed and improved in order to analyze the adjacency relation of left and right germs of contrast objects (left and right contrast curves) on theSTG. This adjacency relation involves and generalizes the adjacency relation for regions in classical segmentation methods (the so called RAG). The adjacency relation of left and right germs of contrast objects is based on selecting in each layer of STG a “basic” set of linearly ordered bunches that in some sense covers this layer. Using this order relation, the adjacency relation for left and right germs of contrast objects is established. This order relation is also employed for finding the correspondence between left and right germs with prescribed geometric and color-intensity characteristic that are not adjacent and lay apart at a distance. Based on the adjacency relation proposed, a technique for constructing complex contrast objects with a prescribed geometric shape and color-intensity description is proposed. The developed technique is applied to analyzing road scenes in order to find the sky in video sequences. The results of finding the object in video sequences by a programming complex implementing these ideas are presented and discussed

A new real-time method for finding temporary and permanent road marking and its applications

In this paper, a new real-time method for finding temporary and permanent road marking is proposed. The method is based on the geometrized histograms method for segmenting and describing color images. It is able to work with both rectilinear and curvilinear marking, as well as with color temporary and permanent road marking. The developed method is stable under illumination and is able to work even for partially disappearing road marking, typical for late winter and early spring. The proposed method has been implemented by a program written in C++, operating under Windows and Linux. The program operation has been tested on video records shot on typical Russian roads. The processing speed is about 20 fps for a standard modern computer. The results of program operation are presented and discussed. The developed program is a part of the video system of the AvtoNiva pilotless vehicle.This work was partially supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, projects no. 16-08-00880, 18-07-00127, and 19-08-01159