Citizens and Noncitizens in Europe: European Union Measures Against Terrorism After September 11th

In the European Union, new anti-terror measures have had an impact on the lives of noncitizens, immigrants, and asylum-seekers. This Essay outlines the rights guaranteed to both citizens and noncitizens under the European Convention on Human Rights and the EU treaties and evaluates how these rights have limited harsh treatment of noncitizens in the fight against terrorism. Although suspicion and rejection of noncitizens are widespread, there remains hope for broadening the principles of equality and fundamental rights to third country nationals through an open conception of the notion of European citizenship

Food, Freedom, Fairness, and the Family Farm

The concept of the “family farm” holds powerful sway within the American narrative, embodying both nostalgia for an imagined past and anxiety for a future perceived to be under threat. Since the founding of the United States, this cultural ideal has been invoked in support of a rosy vision of agrarian democracy while obscuring the ways in which the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s codified definition of “family farm” has unfairly aggregated advantages for the benefit of a particular kind of family (nuclear) and farmer (white, male, straight). At the same time, consumers are misled by an under-interrogated conflation of family farming with “good” farming practices. There exists a pervasive fear among Americans that the family farm is at risk of disappearing, and that something must be done to save it. This Essay analyzes the history of family farms in the United States and contends that reclaiming, not rescuing, is what needs to be done. As an alternative to preserving an institution whose benefits have always been constrained by gender, race, and wealth, we propose instead re-orienting efforts toward three concepts rooted in the family farm ideal but which we believe to possess greater transformative potential: fairness—the distribution of benefits along the agrifood chain to ensure adequate compensation and access; self-determination—the ability for communities to make their own decisions within the food system; and “good” farming—the specific practices that could lead to a more just, humane, and sustainable food system

Food, Freedom, Fairness, and the Family Farm

The concept of the “family farm” holds powerful sway within the American narrative, embodying both nostalgia for an imagined past and anxiety for a future perceived to be under threat. Since the founding of the United States, this cultural ideal has been invoked in support of a rosy vision of agrarian democracy while obscuring the ways in which the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s codified definition of “family farm” has unfairly aggregated advantages for the benefit of a particular kind of family (nuclear) and farmer (white, male, straight). At the same time, consumers are misled by an under-interrogated conflation of family farming with “good” farming practices. There exists a pervasive fear among Americans that the family farm is at risk of disappearing, and that something must be done to save it. This Essay analyzes the history of family farms in the United States and contends that reclaiming, not rescuing, is what needs to be done. As an alternative to preserving an institution whose benefits have always been constrained by gender, race, and wealth, we propose instead re-orienting efforts toward three concepts rooted in the family farm ideal but which we believe to possess greater transformative potential: fairness—the distribution of benefits along the agrifood chain to ensure adequate compensation and access; self-determination—the ability for communities to make their own decisions within the food system; and “good” farming—the specific practices that could lead to a more just, humane, and sustainable food system

Statistical tests to compare motif count exceptionalities

BACKGROUND: Finding over- or under-represented motifs in biological sequences is now a common task in genomics. Thanks to p-value calculation for motif counts, exceptional motifs are identified and represent candidate functional motifs. The present work addresses the related question of comparing the exceptionality of one motif in two different sequences. Just comparing the motif count p-values in each sequence is indeed not sufficient to decide if this motif is significantly more exceptional in one sequence compared to the other one. A statistical test is required. RESULTS: We develop and analyze two statistical tests, an exact binomial one and an asymptotic likelihood ratio test, to decide whether the exceptionality of a given motif is equivalent or significantly different in two sequences of interest. For that purpose, motif occurrences are modeled by Poisson processes, with a special care for overlapping motifs. Both tests can take the sequence compositions into account. As an illustration, we compare the octamer exceptionalities in the Escherichia coli K-12 backbone versus variable strain-specific loops. CONCLUSION: The exact binomial test is particularly adapted for small counts. For large counts, we advise to use the likelihood ratio test which is asymptotic but strongly correlated with the exact binomial test and very simple to use

Les jeux en ligne dans le marché intérieur : Les effets sur les politiques nationales et les stratégies des entreprises des libertés d'établissement et de prestation de services

peer reviewe

Identification of particulate heavy metal pollution sources in urban river sediment using scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM-EDS)

8 p.International audienceScanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) was used to develop a protocol for the identification of trace element carriers in the Seine River. Various Pb, Ni, Zn, V, Cr, and Cu bearing phases were identified on the sediment of the Seine River. Lead and nickel were found to be preferentially bound with iron sulfide particles. This phase is known to be a significant trace metal carrier in a reducing environment. Association of vanadium and calcium was identified which would be a product of road surface runoff. Zinc was also found associated with barite, possibly indicating an urban-related contamination source. Microscopic particle analysis shows to be a powerful tool in the characterization of their different sources and their eventual mobility in the environment