The Unintended Consequences of the International Women\u27s Movement: Medicalizing Rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo

The legal advancements made by western feminists from the 1960s continuing today mark a distinct shift for both the women\u27s movement and mainstream radical feminist philosophy. This project examines the unintended consequences of the rise of the international women\u27s movement as American feminists brought the law to bear as the primary instrument for reform to eradicate rape and violence against women. As contemporary political scholars demonstrate, legal remediation further codifies gender inequality and protective tropes that sexualize women\u27s injury. Chapter 2 and 3 examines the intensified feminist efforts to criminalize domestic abuse at an international level, first at the United Nations (1980s) and later, sexual violence during wartime in international criminal law (1990s). In practice, state legislation to protect women from violence is often used as a vehicle to advance conservative political agendas. Two anthropological case studies explore these policies in action: Algerian women\u27s access to humanitarian asylum in France and specialized humanitarian medical care provided to raped women in the Democratic Republic of Congo. One pressing conclusion to draw from both studies is that women\u27s full citizenship status is being threatened by conservative notions of women\u27s worth being defined in terms of her chastity. Chapter 4 examines the highly publicized humanitarian medical response to mass rape in Congo and explores the colonially derived racial hierarchy that underlies many humanitarian missions. In the interest of circumventing state power over sexuality and therefore removing the sexual stigma from rape in legal terms, this paper engages with Michel Foucault\u27s argument that the crime of rape be desexualized and placed on a spectrum of degrees of assault

E-portfolio: more than an electronic resume

Paper-source portfolios have become instrumental in measuring learning and promoting one\u27s accomplishments. However, they lack an interactive component and are frequently cumbersome to carry and disseminate. On-line career portfolios overcome many of the difficulties of paper-source portfolios and provide additional benefits. This article discusses these benefits along with the caveats of on-line portfolios and responsibilities of the network administrator and students

Geothermal regime of the Williston Basin in North Dakota

Understanding the thermal regime of a large intracontinental basin such as the Williston Basin can be enhanced by analysis of the relationships among radiogenic heat production, surface heat flow, formation temperatures, and gravity and magnetic anomaly patterns. Digital processing of the spatial and causal relationships gives insight into the effect of basement heat production on the thermal state of the basement rocks and the overlying sedimentary successions. These relationships provide valuable insight on the radioactive heat contribution to heat flow, heat flow from the lower crust, composition of the upper crust, and the potential for geothermal power generation. The specific data used in this study include: radiogenic heat production values from well logs penetrating the Precambrian basement of the Williston basin in North Dakota, heat production values from gamma ray spectrometry on Precambrian basement core, tens of thousands of formation temperatures from the National Geothermal Data System borehole temperature data set, gravity and magnetic data (processed to generally characterize thickness and lithology of the radioactive layer), and stratigraphy and lithology. Surface heat flow in the Williston basin cannot be predicted strictly by inputs from the mantle and from the radiogenic basement heat. The direct influence of basement heat production on heat flow through the sedimentary succession is visible for deeper units, but shallow and surface heat flow is perturbed by advection in younger aquifers. While potential for enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) and sedimentary enhanced geothermal systems (SEGS) as well as co-produced and low temperature geothermal are ultimately controlled by temperature, understanding basement radioactivity can provide insight for delineating exploration areas

Reactive processing of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde in aqueous aerosol mimics: Surface tension depression and secondary organic products

The reactive uptake of carbonyl-containing volatile organic compounds (cVOCs) by aqueous atmospheric aerosols is a likely source of particulate organic material. The aqueous-phase secondary organic products of some cVOCs are surface-active. Therefore, cVOC uptake can lead to organic film formation at the gas-aerosol interface and changes in aerosol surface tension. We examined the chemical reactions of two abundant cVOCs, formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, in water and aqueous ammonium sulfate (AS) solutions mimicking tropospheric aerosols. Secondary organic products were identified using Aerosol Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry (Aerosol-CIMS), and changes in surface tension were monitored using pendant drop tensiometry. Hemiacetal oligomers and aldol condensation products were identified using Aerosol-CIMS. Acetaldehyde depresses surface tension to 65(\pm2) dyn/cm in pure water (a 10% surface tension reduction from that of pure water) and 62(\pm1) dyn/cm in AS solutions (a 20.6% reduction from that of a 3.1 M AS solution). Surface tension depression by formaldehyde in pure water is negligible; in AS solutions, a 9% reduction in surface tension is observed. Mixtures of these species were also studied in combination with methylglyoxal in order to evaluate the influence of cross-reactions on surface tension depression and product formation in these systems. We find that surface tension depression in the solutions containing mixed cVOCs exceeds that predicted by an additive model based on the single-species isotherms.Comment: Published in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 22 November 201

Autocrine Transforming Growth Factor β Signaling Regulates Extracellular Signal-regulated Kinase 1/2 Phosphorylation via Modulation of Protein Phosphatase 2A Expression in Scleroderma Fibroblasts

BACKGROUND. During scleroderma (SSc) pathogenesis, fibroblasts acquire an activated phenotype characterized by enhanced production of extracellular matrix (ECM) and constitutive activation of several major signaling pathways including extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK1/2). Several studies have addressed the role of ERK1/2 in SSc fibrosis however the mechanism of its prolonged activation in SSc fibroblasts is still unknown. Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is a key serine threonine phosphatase responsible for dephosphorylation of a wide array of signaling molecules. Recently published microarray data from cultured SSc fibroblasts suggests that the catalytic subunit (C-subunit) of PP2A is downregulated in SSc. In this study we examined the role and regulation of PP2A in SSc fibroblasts in the context of ERK1/2 phosphorylation and matrix production. RESULTS. We show for the first time that PP2A mRNA and protein expression are significantly reduced in SSc fibroblasts and correlate with an increase in ERK1/2 phosphorylation and collagen expression. Furthermore, transforming growth factor β (TGFβ), a major profibrotic cytokine implicated in SSc fibrosis, downregulates PP2A expression in healthy fibroblasts. PP2A-specific small interfering RNA (siRNA) was utilized to confirm the role of PP2A in ERK1/2 dephosphorylation in dermal fibroblasts. Accordingly, blockade of autocrine TGFβ signaling in SSc fibroblasts using soluble recombinant TGFβ receptor II (SRII) restored PP2A levels and decreased ERK1/2 phosphorylation and collagen expression. In addition, we observed that inhibition of ERK1/2 in SSc fibroblasts increased PP2A expression suggesting that ERK1/2 phosphorylation also contributes to maintaining low levels of PP2A, leading to an even further amplification of ERK1/2 phosphorylation. CONCLUSIONS. Taken together, these studies suggest that decreased PP2A levels in SSc is a result of constitutively activated autocrine TGFβ signaling and could contribute to enhanced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and matrix production in SSc fibroblasts.National Institutes of Health (AR-44883

Le zonage ou la spatialisation des fonctions de la réserve de biosphère du Ferlo (Nord-Sénégal)

Afin de combiner efficacement conservation, utilisation durable des ressources et production du savoir, la réserve de biosphère doit nécessairement bénéficier d’une stratification, d’un zonage intégré et d’une gestion coopérative. La méthode de zonage est basée sur une caractérisation des ressources végétales, suivie de la spatialisation des enjeux et du zonage de la réserve de biosphère. Pour être partagé avec les populations locales, le zonage de la réserve de biosphère du Ferlo (RBF) a procédé par des réunions d’information et de sensibilisation, des observations sur le terrain, des enquêtes et une collecte de données biophysiques. L’étude des paramètres structuraux de la végétation a révélé que l’aire centrale de la RBF présente une densité d’arbres et un potentiel de régénération plus élevés. L’analyse du spectre d’abondance a montré que Guiera senegalensis J.F. Gmel est l’espèce la plus abondante dans la réserve. L’indice de diversité a révélé que la zone tampon et l’aire de transition qui font l’objet de multiples usages et qui subissent l’action de l’homme, présentent une diversité plus grande et un niveau d’organisation du peuplement ligneux plus élevé que l’aire centrale qui est une zone de conservation intégrale. Le traitement des images satellitales et la photointerprétation ont permis d’élaborer une carte d’occupation des sols et une carte globale du zonage. Ce zonage participatif a établi une spatialisation des fonctions de la réserve de biosphère sans pour autant les superposer.Mots clés: Réserve de biosphère, carte d’occupation, zonage, conservation, biodiversité, utilisation du râble

Tuareg ethnoveterinary treatments of camel diseases in Agadez area (Niger)

peer reviewedFor generations, nomadic herders have been learning to manage herd health, particularly in dromedaries because of their great value. Owing to the unavailability of veterinary services, camel herders in remote areas have been developing their own pharmacopoeia and veterinary techniques. The bleeding of sick animals is a common treatment, as Tuareg herders believe that 'tainted blood' (izni) is the cause of many conditions. Several surgical techniques are also used, such as excision of calcified sublingual cord. The remedies mentioned in this survey are derived from Maerua crassifolia, Boscia senegalensis, Acacia raddiana, Cucumis prophetarum, Calotropis procera, Ricinus communis, Citrullus colocynthis, green tea, millet, tobacco and onions. Artificial elements are also used for treatment of animals: Powders collected from batteries, various haircare or skincare creams, crushed glass, insecticides or motor oil belong to their pharmacopoeia. This broadmindedness allows the introduction of modern veterinary medicine. Factors such as the lack of real production objectives constitute limits to this progress, however

Clownfishes evolution below and above the species level.

The difference between rapid morphological evolutionary changes observed in populations and the long periods of stasis detected in the fossil record has raised a decade-long debate about the exact role played by intraspecific mechanisms at the interspecific level. Although they represent different scales of the same evolutionary process, micro- and macroevolution are rarely studied together and few empirical studies have compared the rates of evolution and the selective pressures between both scales. Here, we analyse morphological, genetic and ecological traits in clownfishes at different evolutionary scales and demonstrate that the tempo of molecular and morphological evolution at the species level can be, to some extent, predicted from parameters estimated below the species level, such as the effective population size or the rate of evolution within populations. We also show that similar codons in the gene of the rhodopsin RH1, a light-sensitive receptor protein, are under positive selection at the intra and interspecific scales, suggesting that similar selective pressures are acting at both levels

Is Quantum Mechanics Compatible with an Entirely Deterministic Universe?

A b s t r a c t It will be argued that 1) the Bell inequalities are not equivalent with those inequalities derived by Pitowsky and others that indicate the Kolmogorovity of a probability model, 2) the original Bell inequalities are irrelevant to both the question of whether or not quantum mechanics is a Kolmogorovian theory as well as the problem of determinism, whereas 3) the Pitowsky type inequalities are not violated by quantum mechanics, hence 4) quantum mechanics is a Kolmogorovian probability theory, therefore, 5) it is compatible with an entirely deterministic universe.Comment: 15 pages, (compressed and uuencoded) Postscript (188 kb), preprint 94/0

Optimizing the third-and-a-half post-Newtonian gravitational radiation-reaction force for numerical simulations

The gravitational radiation-reaction force acting on perfect fluids at 3.5 post-Newtonian order is cast into a form which is directly applicable to numerical simulations. Extensive use is made of metric-coefficient changes induced by functional coordinate transformations, of the continuity equation, as well as of the equations of motion. We also present an expression appropriate for numerical simulations of the radiation field causing the worked out reaction force.Comment: 22 pages to appear in Physical Review