The Color of Childhood: The Role of the Child/Human Binary in the Production of Anti-Black Racism

The binary between the figure of the child and the fully human being is invoked with regularity in analyses of race, yet its centrality to the conception of race has never been fully explored. For most commentators, the figure of the child operates as a metaphoric or rhetorical trope, a non-essential strategic tool in the perpetuation of White supremacy. As I show in the following, the child/human binary does not present a contingent or merely rhetorical construction but, rather, a central feature of racialization. Where Black peoples are situated as objects of violence it is often precisely because Blackness has been identified with childhood and childhood is historically identified as the archetypal site of naturalized violence and servitude. I proceed by offering a historical account of how Black peoples came to inherit the subordination and dehumanization of European childhood and how White youth were subsequently spared through their partial categorization as adults

Call for emergency action to restore dietary diversity and protect global food systems in times of COVID-19 and beyond: Results from a cross-sectional study in 38 countries

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the fragility of the global food system, sending shockwaves across countries\u27 societies and economy. This has presented formidable challenges to sustaining a healthy and resilient lifestyle. The objective of this study is to examine the food consumption patterns and assess diet diversity indicators, primarily focusing on the food consumption score (FCS), among households in 38 countries both before and during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional study with 37 207 participants (mean age: 36.70 ± 14.79, with 77 % women) was conducted in 38 countries through an online survey administered between April and June 2020. The study utilized a pre-tested food frequency questionnaire to explore food consumption patterns both before and during the COVID-19 periods. Additionally, the study computed Food Consumption Score (FCS) as a proxy indicator for assessing the dietary diversity of households. Findings: This quantification of global, regional and national dietary diversity across 38 countries showed an increment in the consumption of all food groups but a drop in the intake of vegetables and in the dietary diversity. The household\u27s food consumption scores indicating dietary diversity varied across regions. It decreased in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries, including Lebanon (p \u3c 0.001) and increased in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries including Bahrain (p = 0.003), Egypt (p \u3c 0.001) and United Arab Emirates (p = 0.013). A decline in the household\u27s dietary diversity was observed in Australia (p \u3c 0.001), in South Africa including Uganda (p \u3c 0.001), in Europe including Belgium (p \u3c 0.001), Denmark (p = 0.002), Finland (p \u3c 0.001) and Netherland (p = 0.027) and in South America including Ecuador (p \u3c 0.001), Brazil (p \u3c 0.001), Mexico (p \u3c 0.0001) and Peru (p \u3c 0.001). Middle and older ages [OR = 1.2; 95 % CI = [1.125–1.426] [OR = 2.5; 95 % CI = [1.951–3.064], being a woman [OR = 1.2; 95 % CI = [1.117–1.367], having a high education (p \u3c 0.001), and showing amelioration in food-related behaviors [OR = 1.4; 95 % CI = [1.292–1.709] were all linked to having a higher dietary diversity. Conclusion: The minor to moderate changes in food consumption patterns observed across the 38 countries within relatively short time frames could become lasting, leading to a significant and prolonged reduction in dietary diversity, as demonstrated by our findings

An Evaluation of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Perceived Social Distancing Policies in Relation to Planning, Selecting, and Preparing Healthy Meals: An Observational Study in 38 Countries Worldwide

Objectives: To examine changes in planning, selecting, and preparing healthy foods in relation to personal factors (time, money, stress) and social distancing policies during the COVID-19 crisis. Methods: Using cross-sectional online surveys collected in 38 countries worldwide in April-June 2020 (N = 37,207, Mage 36.7 SD 14.8, 77% women), we compared changes in food literacy behaviors to changes in personal factors and social distancing policies, using hierarchical multiple regression analyses controlling for sociodemographic variables. Results: Increases in planning (4.7 SD 1.3, 4.9 SD 1.3), selecting (3.6 SD 1.7, 3.7 SD 1.7), and preparing (4.6 SD 1.2, 4.7 SD 1.3) healthy foods were found for women and men, and positively related to perceived time availability and stay-at-home policies. Psychological distress was a barrier for women, and an enabler for men. Financial stress was a barrier and enabler depending on various sociodemographic variables (all p < 0.01). Conclusion: Stay-at-home policies and feelings of having more time during COVID-19 seem to have improved food literacy. Stress and other social distancing policies relate to food literacy in more complex ways, highlighting the necessity of a health equity lens. Copyright 2021 De Backer, Teunissen, Cuykx, Decorte, Pabian, Gerritsen, Matthys, Al Sabbah, Van Royen and the Corona Cooking Survey Study Group.This research was funded by the Research Foundation Flanders (G047518N) and Flanders Innovation and Entrepreneurship (HBC.2018.0397). These funding sources had no role in the design of the study, the analysis and interpretation of the data or the writing of, nor the decision to publish the manuscript.Scopu

Efficacy of bio and synthetic pesticides against the American bollworm and their natural enemies on cotton

Cotton production in Uganda is limited by various factors among which insects pests are the most important. The key insect pests of cotton are the bollworm complex; spotted bollworm, Earias insulana; pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella and American bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera. The American bollworm is an alien species and the most disastrous among all the three bollworm species attacking cotton in Uganda. Management for the bollworm complex in Uganda is largely synthetic chemical use with little or no biopesticide use which reduces natural enemies population and resistance development to continuous use of a single synthetic pesticide product. Therefore this study aimed at determining the efficacy of bio and synthetic pesticides on the management of cotton bollworm pests with special reference to the American bollworm. The pesticides in the study included Nimbecidine (Azaradactin), Engeo K247SC (Lambda Cyhalothrin 106 g l-1 + Thiamethoxam 141 g l-1), Talstar (Bifenthrin), and Amdoc3EC (Emamectin and Abamectin), Aster extreme 20SL (Acetamiprid 150g/l and Cypermethrin 50 g l-1), Agrolambacin (15 g l-1 Lambda Cyhalothrin + 300 g l-1 Profenofos), Thiodicarb (Larvin 80DF), and Methomyl (Lannate 40SP) on cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa amigera) and its natural enemies in eastern Uganda. The study was conducted at the National Semi-Arid Resources Research Institute (NaSARRI) under both laboratory and field conditions. Under laboratory controlled conditions, recommended doses of these bio and synthetic pesticides were used against third instar larvae of the American bollworm in a completely randomised experimental design with five replicates. Amdoc 3EC and Nimbecidine, showed maximum efficacy, 100 %, in terms of mortality after 72 hours. While Engeo, Aster extreme and Agrolambacin showed maximum mortality of (100%) after 96 hours followed by Larvin 80DF (80%) and Lannate 40SP (67%). In the field conditions, Nimbecidine (0.3 and 1.00) and Talstar (2.0 and 1.7) were the most effective bio-pesticides; while Amdoc with means (1.8 and 1.9), Aster extreme (2.0 and 1.8) and Agrolambacin (1.5 and 1.3) were the most effective synthetic pesticides respectively. Seed cotton yield was significantly higher in biopesticide treated plots, Talstar 1966 , 1935 kg ha-1, Nimbicidine 1985 and 1715 kg ha-1 compared to the synthetic pesticide treated plots with amdoc1935 and 1506 , Agrolambacin 1846 and 1722 kg ha-1, Aster extreme 1733 and 1930 kg ha-1 respectively. Computation of the benefit cost ratios showed that these new chemical pesticides were all financially viable and, therefore, adoptable by the cotton farmers, respectively which also performed better than the controls 1012 and 912kg ha-1 outside the experiment, 892 and 602 kg ha-1 inside the experimental area. In addition, synthetic pesticides  treated plots were associated with significant reductions in natural enemies populations. In contrast biopesticide treatments had minimum side effects on the natural enemies populations.Keywords: Cotton, Helicoverpa amiger

Case Report: Biloma gastrostomy after failed sonogram-guided percutaneous aspiration, pigtail catheter insertion and surgical drainage

Bilomas are rare abnormal extrabiliary accumulation of bile. This can be either intrahepatic or extrahepatic following traumatic or spontaneous rupture of the biliary tree. The commonest causes of biloma are surgery, percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography, percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage, transcatheter arterial embolization and abdominal trauma. We report here a 15 year old patient whom we followed for over 10 years. His chief complaints were right hypochondriac pain, loss of appetite and vomiting. Initial clinical presentation, sonographic as well as laboratory findings suggested a liver abscess, which was drained, but the definitive diagnosis of biloma was entertained after sonographically guided percutaneous aspirations and percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography 7 years later. We also discuss the role of imaging and surgical challenges encountered that culminated into bilomo-gastrostomy. The patient is now enjoying a peaceful life