Class Actors in Two Kenyan Transitions -Democracy, redress and distribution policy in a post-authoritarian state

This essay is a comparative study the role of class actors in Kenya's independence movement and democratic transition in 2002. The concept of social class in an African context is explored in order to develop Berins Collier's theory of working class and elite actors in democratic transition. What roles the actors played, their motivations and arena of action are analysed in both transitions. The two transitions are then compared in order to find similarities and differences between them. The second part of this essay discusses how the role of the actors has influence the course of action taken by the Kenyan state with regards to redress for those who suffered during the colonial regime and single-party authoritarian regime respectively. The findings are that both the path to independence and the democratic transition can be characterised as elite dominated transitions were the main actors enjoyed a position of prior inclusion in the authoritarian regime. Consequently, redress and land reform has not been carried out

IP SIGILL

Denna rapport beskriver IP SIGILL – den svenska standarden för kvalitetssäkrad produktion av frukt och grönt. IP SIGILL-standarder finns för flera produktionsområden och ägs och utvecklas av Sigill Kvalitetssystem AB som är ett dotterbolag till LRF. Man strävar efter att göra skillnad inom områdena miljöhänsyn, livsmedelssäkerhet och djuromsorg. Det är inom dessa områden standarden ställer krav. Standarderna inom IP SIGILL bygger på HACCP-principerna. Då det gäller certifiering av primärproduktion av frukt och grönt är det standarden ”IP SIGILL Frukt & grönt” som är aktuell. Standarden är öppen för alla, uppdateras vartannat år, kräver tredjepartscertifiering och finns med tillägg för klimatcertifiering. Sigill Kvalitetssystem AB tillhandahåller stödmaterial som är till stor hjälp i certifieringsarbetet. Önskar man de mervärden IP SIGILL innefattar samt även möjlighet till export är det aktuellt med certifiering enligt standarden ”IP SIGILL GAP Frukt och grönt inklusive tillägg Svenskt Sigill”. Rapporten är en del av projektet ”Kvalitets- och livsmedelssäkerhet för att möta marknadens krav/utbildningsmoduler” som har utförts inom ramen för Tillväxt Trädgård

Livsmedelssäkerhet, ledningssystem, kvalitetssäkring och certifiering

Livsmedelssäkerhet är ett begrepp som får allt större betydelse ju fler livsmedelsskandaler som skakar världen. Begreppet är centralt för alla som arbetar med primärproduktion och förädling av livsmedel. Det är en självklarhet att livsmedel ska produceras och hanteras på ett sätt som innebär att de är ofarliga för oss människor att äta. Begreppet kvalitet är viktigt och innefattar även aspekter som inte syns på produkterna t ex miljöbelastning och spårbarhet. Dessa typer av kvaliteter kan garanteras genom olika typer av certifiering. Det finns flera mervärden som uppnås då man certifierar sin produktion. Certifiering sker mot en standard, ett fastställt kravdokument, som då det gäller livsmedelssäkerhet oftast bygger på HACCP, det produktsäkerhetssystem som är norm inom EU. Det är godkända/ackrediterade certifieringsbolag som utför revisionerna mot standarden. Denna rapport är ett resultat av projektet ”Kvalitets- och livsmedelssäkerhet för att möta marknadens krav/utbildningsmoduler” som har utförts inom ramen för Tillväxt Trädgård

Abnormal auditory forward masking pattern in the brainstem response of individuals with Asperger syndrome.

Abnormal auditory information processing has been reported in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). In the present study auditory processing was investigated by recording auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) elicited by forward masking in adults diagnosed with Asperger syndrome (AS). Sixteen AS subjects were included in the forward masking experiment and compared to three control groups consisting of healthy individuals (n = 16), schizophrenic patients (n = 16) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder patients (n = 16), respectively, of matching age and gender. The results showed that the AS subjects exhibited abnormally low activity in the early part of their ABRs that distinctly separated them from the three control groups. Specifically, wave III amplitudes were significantly lower in the AS group than for all the control groups in the forward masking condition (P < 0.005), which was not the case in the baseline condition. Thus, electrophysiological measurements of ABRs to complex sound stimuli (eg, forward masking) may lead to a better understanding of the underlying neurophysiology of AS. Future studies may further point to specific ABR characteristics in AS individuals that separate them from individuals diagnosed with other neurodevelopmental diseases

Abnormal auditory forward masking pattern in the brainstem response of individuals with Asperger syndrome

Abnormal auditory information processing has been reported in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). In the present study auditory processing was investigated by recording auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) elicited by forward masking in adults diagnosed with Asperger syndrome (AS). Sixteen AS subjects were included in the forward masking experiment and compared to three control groups consisting of healthy individuals (n = 16), schizophrenic patients (n = 16) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder patients (n = 16), respectively, of matching age and gender. The results showed that the AS subjects exhibited abnormally low activity in the early part of their ABRs that distinctly separated them from the three control groups. Specifically, wave III amplitudes were significantly lower in the AS group than for all the control groups in the forward masking condition (P < 0.005), which was not the case in the baseline condition. Thus, electrophysiological measurements of ABRs to complex sound stimuli (eg, forward masking) may lead to a better understanding of the underlying neurophysiology of AS. Future studies may further point to specific ABR characteristics in AS individuals that separate them from individuals diagnosed with other neurodevelopmental diseases

Genome-Wide Analyses Suggest Mechanisms Involving Early B-Cell Development in Canine IgA Deficiency.

Immunoglobulin A deficiency (IgAD) is the most common primary immune deficiency disorder in both humans and dogs, characterized by recurrent mucosal tract infections and a predisposition for allergic and other immune mediated diseases. In several dog breeds, low IgA levels have been observed at a high frequency and with a clinical resemblance to human IgAD. In this study, we used genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to identify genomic regions associated with low IgA levels in dogs as a comparative model for human IgAD. We used a novel percentile groups-approach to establish breed-specific cut-offs and to perform analyses in a close to continuous manner. GWAS performed in four breeds prone to low IgA levels (German shepherd, Golden retriever, Labrador retriever and Shar-Pei) identified 35 genomic loci suggestively associated (p <0.0005) to IgA levels. In German shepherd, three genomic regions (candidate genes include KIRREL3 and SERPINA9) were genome-wide significantly associated (p <0.0002) with IgA levels. A ~20kb long haplotype on CFA28, significantly associated (p = 0.0005) to IgA levels in Shar-Pei, was positioned within the first intron of the gene SLIT1. Both KIRREL3 and SLIT1 are highly expressed in the central nervous system and in bone marrow and are potentially important during B-cell development. SERPINA9 expression is restricted to B-cells and peaks at the time-point when B-cells proliferate into antibody-producing plasma cells. The suggestively associated regions were enriched for genes in Gene Ontology gene sets involving inflammation and early immune cell development

A network analysis to identify mediators of germline-driven differences in breast cancer prognosis.

Identifying the underlying genetic drivers of the heritability of breast cancer prognosis remains elusive. We adapt a network-based approach to handle underpowered complex datasets to provide new insights into the potential function of germline variants in breast cancer prognosis. This network-based analysis studies ~7.3 million variants in 84,457 breast cancer patients in relation to breast cancer survival and confirms the results on 12,381 independent patients. Aggregating the prognostic effects of genetic variants across multiple genes, we identify four gene modules associated with survival in estrogen receptor (ER)-negative and one in ER-positive disease. The modules show biological enrichment for cancer-related processes such as G-alpha signaling, circadian clock, angiogenesis, and Rho-GTPases in apoptosis

Crowdsourcing Cultural Heritage : Public Participation and Conflict Legacy in Finland

Following a recent worldwide boom in the democratization of knowledge, crowdsourcing and Participatory GIS, heritage practice increasingly draws on crowdsourced geographical data. In this paper, I discuss a public crowdsourcing of twentieth century conflict heritage in Finland, launched by state-owned broadcasting company Yleisradio. Here emphasis is on analysing the user behaviour and incentives, which can inform analogous future initiatives. Many of the public entries mirror local perspectives on conflict heritage: pride of personally important loci and self-satisfaction appear to be important incentives for taking part. Finally, I summarize themes that other heritage crowdsourcing organizers could apply to their work.Peer reviewe