The French Identity Crisis: Fending Off the Franglais Invasion

In a nation that derives so much of its identity from a longstanding cultural heritage, rather than from an economic or political tradition, France finds itself facing an identity crisis. In recent decades, France has been unable to avoid the ever-expanding reach of globalization, and perhaps even more threatening, the grasp of Americanization. Consequently, as English has begun to permeate seemingly every aspect of French society, France\u27s first line of defense against such a cultural intrusion is its language policy. This paper first examines the longstanding history between the creation of a French nation and the promotion of the French language, and then uses this foundation to explore why the recent influence of outside cultures and languages has been framed as a crisis, or a threat to French identity. The paper then addresses the evolution of French language policy throughout history, ending with an evaluation of the most recent and blatantly protectionist laws of the late 20th century. After looking at the current realities of the French linguistic strategy and highlighting its inadequacies, the final sections of the paper examine the different strategies that could lead to a more effective or reasonable language policy in France

Should Schools Be Permitted to Monitor and Punish Students for Speech on Social Media?

May a school monitor and discipline a student for her content on social media? This blog post will explore the foundations of student speech law and how courts are trying to adapt the principles established in an analog era to an ever-connected digital world. With the Supreme Court having recently granted certiorari in a case involving student speech on social media, I will explore potential concerns with abandoning a school’s ability to police students’ online activity, while also looking at when a school might go too far in surveilling and punishing a student for her speech on social media platforms. This post was originally published on the Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal website on March 16, 2021. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link button above

Duration of CPR: How Long is Too Long? A Positive Outcome After 90 Minutes of CPR

INTRODUCTION: Survival and neurologic function following prolonged cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) are often poor and currently there lacks a formal recommendation for the maximum duration of resuscitative efforts. However, there have been multiple case reports of positive neurological outcomes following prolonged CPR. This case presentation helps to support and encourage the continuation of CPR in the appropriate setting and with available resources including intra-arrest percutaneous intervention (PCI) and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). CONCLUSION: Prolonged CPR can result in favorable patient outcomes if done promptly and effectively, utilizing all available resources including intra-arrest PCI and ECMO

The Development of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh ‘Certificate in Practical Horticulture’

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) has a long history of delivering high-quality practical horticultural training within the UK and abroad. In 2007 this training was formalised by the RBGE Education Department into the ‘RBGE Certificate in Practical Horticulture’ (CPH) programme. The vision for the CPH was to create an internationally recognised and standardised, yet flexible and practical horticultural qualification, predominantly, but not exclusively, for the botanic gardens sector. Providing a measurable educational outcome for international development projects is increasing the contribution that RBGE makes to target 15 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation. This paper reviews the development of the CPH programme, through its initial conception, the writing of the first course syllabus, the evolution of the course structure and content, up to the course now being offered today. The initial success of the CPH is discussed, detailing the different locations in which the course has been delivered to date and the other gardens that are now offering the CPH themselves. Recent developments are discussed, including the endorsement of the course by Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) and the funding awarded by the Stanley Smith (UK) Horticultural Trust in 2010 for course development. The paper ends by highlighting the future objectives for the CPH, including the development of new and improved tutor and learner support materials, the offering of ‘train the trainer’ programmes that will facilitate the wider uptake of these courses and the vision for the programme to become a benchmark for practical horticultural training worldwide

Further Characterization of an Interleukin-2-1Ike Cytokine Produced by Xenopus Laevis T Lymphocytes

A T-cell growth factor (TCGF) is produced by antigen- or mitogen-stimulated T lymphocytes from the South African clawed frog Xenopus laevis. This study further defines the physical and biological properties of this cytokine and demonstrates that TCGF is biochemically similar to mammalian interleukin-2 (IL-2). Biologically active TCGF eluted from SDS-PAGE displays a Mr of 16 kD and lectin-affinity chromatography indicates that the three-dimensionmal configuration of carbohydrates on TCGF and human IL-2 is similar. Secretion of TCGF is detectable 1 day after stimulation of splenocytes with the T-cell mitogen phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and peaks following 2 to 3 days of stimulation. Finally, despite the biological and physical similarities between Xenopus TCGF and mammalian IL-2, anti-human IL-2 monoclonal antibodies do not recognize Xenopus TCGF

Quality of antenatal care and associated factors in a rural county in Kenya: an assessment of service provision and experience dimensions.

BackgroundThis study aimed to assess the quality of antenatal care (ANC) women received in Migori county, Kenya-including both service provision and experience dimensions-and to examine factors associated with each dimension.MethodsWe used survey data collected in 2016 in Migori county from 1031 women aged 15-49 who attended ANC at least once in their most recent pregnancy. ANC quality service provision was measured by nine questions on receipt of recommended ANC services, and experience of care by 18 questions on information, communication, dignity, and facility environment. We summed the responses to the individual items to generate ANC service provision and experience of care scores. We used both linear and logistic regression to examine predictors.ResultsThe average service provision score was 10.9 (SD = 2.4) out of a total of 16. Most women received some recommended services once, but not at the frequency recommended by the Kenyan Ministry of Health. About 90% had their blood pressure measured, and 78% had a urine test, but only 58 and 14% reported blood pressure monitoring and urine test, respectively, at every visit. Only 16% received an ultrasound at any time during ANC. The average experience score is 27.3 (SD = 8.2) out of a total score of 42, with key gaps demonstrated in communication. About half of women were not educated on pregnancy complications. Also, about one-third did not often understand the purposes of tests and medicines received and did not feel able to ask questions to the health care provider. In multivariate analysis, women who were literate, employed, and who received all their ANC in a health center had higher experiences scores than women who were illiterate (coefficient = 1.52, CI:0.26,2.79), unemployed (coefficient = 2.73, CI:1.46,4.00), and received some ANC from a hospital (coefficient = 1.99, CI: 0.84, 3.14) respectively. The wealthiest women had two times higher odds of receiving an ultrasound than the poorest women (OR = 2.00, CI:1.20,3.33).ConclusionQuality of ANC is suboptimal in both service provision and experience domains, with disparities by demographic and socioeconomic factors and facility type. More efforts are needed to improve quality of ANC and to eliminate the disparities

Addressing spirituality for clients with physical disabilities

Spirituality is acknowledged as a key influence in human life. However, occupational therapists do not necessarily address clients\u27 spiritual needs in practice. This article describes ways that occupational therapists working in physical disabilities settings address spirituality in practice

Prevention for a Healthier California: Investments in Disease Prevention Yield Significant Savings, Stronger Communities

Estimates how much the state and the nation could save in healthcare costs by investing in disease prevention through community programs that increase physical activity, improve nutrition, and reduce tobacco use. Provides examples of prevention efforts