NGO Responses to Counterterrorism Regulations After September 11th

We examine variations in nongovernmental organizations\u27 (NGOs\u27) responses to post-2001 changes in counterterrorism regulations in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan. We connect the presence of different ideal type responses—hiding, shirking, vocal opposition, participating, and litigating—to the extent of change in regulations, the degree of uncertainty (and risk) created by new regulations, and the availability of political institutions for NGO participation in policy-making

INGOs, Inc. : the effects of INGO adoption of "Best Corporate Practices" on funding received

Since the late 1980s, the exponential growth of the nonprofit sector, large amounts of funding devoted to it, occurrence of major scandals in the corporate and nonprofit realms, and fear that international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) are vulnerable to misuse of funds for terrorist purposes have contributed to creating a more demanding environment for INGOs through new calls for accountability from within and outside the sector. Many solutions proposed by INGOs and others seem to emanate from corporate sector practices. How well have norms of accountability traveled from the corporate to the nonprofit sector? Using interviews and archival data, I examine the cases of Greenpeace USA and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) in order to examine the relationship between INGO adoption of corporate norms and INGOs financial performance. I argue that adopting corporate norms is likely to improve INGO financial performance. INGOs that copy corporate norms are likely to improve more financially than INGOs that adapt them because the former can respond more directly and rapidly to varied donor demands. However, INGOs which copy corporate norms are more likely to experience lower mission performance than INGOs which adapt them because copied corporate norms can conflict with the greater purpose of the organization or lead to goal displacement. If it is the case that INGOs which perform better financially are less likely to succeed in their mission, it could put into question the current collaborative relationships between INGOs and corporations as corporate norms may be incompatible, and even detrimental to INGOs purposes

Optimisation de la culture de microalgues pour la production de biodiésel

Affiche présentée dans le cadre du colloque de l'ARC "La gestion de la propriété intellectuelle : courants de pensée et facteurs de succès", lors du 81e Congrès de l'Acfas à l'Université Laval, le 8 mai 2013.Le troisième prix a été décerné à Marc-Olivier Béliveau, Virginie Bertrand-Lehouillier, Jessica Carrier et Joannie Tremblay au concours des Prix étudiants 2012-2013 de l'ARC.Dans l’optique de production de biodiésel, notre projet consistait à évaluer des conditions de culture de microalgues influençant la croissance et la production lipidique. Les souches Chlorella vulgaris, Scenedesmus sp. et Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata ont été cultivées dans différents milieux, dont des eaux usées, en version immobilisée tout comme en suspension. En plus d’avoir comparé les biomasses obtenues, des analyses en contenu lipidique des cultures ont été réalisées par coloration in situ et quantification par fluorescence

Interstitial imaging with multiple diffusive reflectance spectroscopy projections for in vivo blood vessels detection during brain needle biopsy procedures

Blood vessel injury during image-guided brain biopsy poses a risk of hemorrhage. Approaches that reduce this risk may minimize related patient morbidity. We present here an intraoperative imaging device that has the potential to detect the brain vasculature in situ. The device uses multiple diffuse reflectance spectra acquired in an outward-viewing geometry to detect intravascular hemoglobin, enabling the construction of an optical image in the vicinity of the biopsy needle revealing the proximity to blood vessels. This optical detection system seamlessly integrates into a commercial biopsy system without disrupting the neurosurgical clinical workflow. Using diffusive brain tissue phantoms, we show that this device can detect 0.5-mm diameter absorptive carbon rods up to approximately 2 mm from the biopsy window. We also demonstrate feasibility and practicality of the technique in a clinical environment to detect brain vasculature in an in vivo model system. In situ brain vascular detection may add a layer of safety to image-guided biopsies and minimize patient morbidity

Integration of a Raman spectroscopy system to a robotic-assisted surgical system for real-time tissue characterization during radical prostatectomy procedures

Surgical excision of the whole prostate through a radical prostatectomy procedure is part of the standard of care for prostate cancer. Positive surgical margins (cancer cells having spread into surrounding nonresected tissue) occur in as many as 1 in 5 cases and strongly correlate with disease recurrence and the requirement of adjuvant treatment. Margin assessment is currently only performed by pathologists hours to days following surgery and the integration of a real-time surgical readout would benefit current prostatectomy procedures. Raman spectroscopy is a promising technology to assess surgical margins: its in vivo use during radical prostatectomy could help insure the extent of resected prostate and cancerous tissue is maximized. We thus present the design and development of a dual excitation Raman spectroscopy system (680- and 785-nm excitations) integrated to the robotic da Vinci surgical platform for in vivo use. Following validation in phantoms, spectroscopic data from 20 whole human prostates immediately following radical prostatectomy are obtained using the system. With this dataset, we are able to distinguish prostate from extra prostatic tissue with an accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 91%, 90.5%, and 96%, respectively. Finally, the integrated Raman spectroscopy system is used to collect preliminary spectroscopic data at the surgical margin in vivo in four patients

Plasma response to fish oil in the elderly

Little information is available concerning whether incorporation of dietary omega-3 fatty acids into plasma lipids changes during healthy aging. Elderly (74 ± 4 years old) and young (24 ± 2 years old) adults were given a fish oil supplement for 3 weeks that provided 680 mg/day of docosahexaenoic acid and 320 mg/day of eicosapentaenoic acid, followed by a 2 week wash-out period. Compliance was monitored by spiking the capsules with carbon-13 glucose, the excretion of which was measured in breath CO2. In response to the supplement, plasma docosahexaenoic acid rose 42% more in the elderly but eicosapentaenoic responded similarly in both groups. Despite raising docosahexaenoic acid intake by five to tenfold, the supplement did not raise plasma free docosahexaenoic acid (% or mg/dL) in either group. We conclude that healthy aging is accompanied by subtle but significant changes in DHA incorporation into plasma lipids

Green Edge ice camp campaigns : understanding the processes controlling the under-ice Arctic phytoplankton spring bloom

The Green Edge initiative was developed to investigate the processes controlling the primary productivity and fate of organic matter produced during the Arctic phytoplankton spring bloom (PSB) and to determine its role in the ecosystem. Two field campaigns were conducted in 2015 and 2016 at an ice camp located on landfast sea ice southeast of Qikiqtarjuaq Island in Baffin Bay (67.4797∘ N, 63.7895∘ W). During both expeditions, a large suite of physical, chemical and biological variables was measured beneath a consolidated sea-ice cover from the surface to the bottom (at 360 m depth) to better understand the factors driving the PSB. Key variables, such as conservative temperature, absolute salinity, radiance, irradiance, nutrient concentrations, chlorophyll a concentration, bacteria, phytoplankton and zooplankton abundance and taxonomy, and carbon stocks and fluxes were routinely measured at the ice camp. Meteorological and snow-relevant variables were also monitored. Here, we present the results of a joint effort to tidy and standardize the collected datasets, which will facilitate their reuse in other Arctic studies

International Grantmaking by American Foundations

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2015Why do American foundations make international grants to certain nonprofits and not others? Numerous studies have examined the determinants of American bilateral foreign aid allocation, but little attention has been paid to the drivers of private aid, including foundation grants. The number of foundations in the United States is growing consistently, as is the amount of grants they distribute. As inequality increases and private wealth becomes more concentrated in the United States, we can expect even more foundations to distribute private aid and potentially channel nonprofit recipients' priorities. Yet, even as nonprofits more generally are receiving increasing attention in political science, public policy, and other disciplines, foundations tend to be ignored by scholars despite their potential for monetary and ideological power. To study grantmaking by American foundations, I adopt a multi-method approach focusing on three factors: their external environment, internal organizational dynamics, and the interpersonal relationships of their staff and trustees with recipient organizations. First, I examine how factors that affect governmental foreign aid distribution may also influence American foundations' international grants. Using a panel of 146 countries for the 2003-2011 time period, I find that self-interest, U.S. foreign policy objectives and need in recipient countries influence foundations. Second, I focus on the internal dynamics within foundations during the grantmaking process through case studies. Here, I focus on how size, organizational structure, and internal politics influence funding priorities, the grantee selection process, and grant turnover. Third, I study how interpersonal networks between foundations and potential grantees affect grantmaking using social network and multivariate analysis. I expect that interlocking boards of directors between foundations and nonprofits will act as a channel for "connected" nonprofits to send and receive important information, thus making them more likely to receive grants

L’enseignement par le théâtre en classe de français au Québec : état des lieux et pistes didactiques

Le genre théâtral est souvent considéré comme un « objet de réticence » en classe de français (Dardaillon, 2009). Malgré l’évidence de son caractère dynamique (Audet & Mercier, 2004) et la qualité des œuvres produites, notamment au Québec, le théâtre est délaissé au profit de différents genres, dont le roman, largement exploité dans les classes (Dardaillon, 2009). Peu de recherches se sont penchées sur les raisons qui pourraient expliquer ce désintérêt, et peu d’études encore proposent un état des lieux en matière d’enseignement du français par le théâtre en contexte québécois. Néanmoins, un certain nombre d’hypothèses peuvent être formulées pour expliquer la sous-exploitation de l’activité théâtrale en classe de français au Québec. Cette contribution a pour objectif de présenter ces hypothèses et de proposer quelques solutions didactiques adaptées à l’enseignement secondaire (élèves âgés entre 11 et 17 ans). L’article se développe en trois parties : (1) la pertinence d’intégrer le théâtre en classe de langue ; (2) une analyse du contenu relatif au théâtre dans les programmes de français du MELS (Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport) ; (3) des pistes didactiques permettant de répondre aux difficultés d’exploitation du genre théâtral en classe : le sous-texte, le Théâtre des lecteurs, le texte blanc et la dramatisation.Theatre, as a literary genre, is considered unpopular in the French classrooms (Dardaillon, 2009). Despite its obvious dynamic nature (Audet & Mercier, 2004) and the quality of the texts written, notably in the province of Quebec, theatre as a literary genre is neglected in comparison to other such as the novel, which is widely exploited in class (Dardaillon, 2009). According to our actual knowledge of the situation, not many researches show the reasons behind this possible lack of interest towards the theatre genre and the use or theatrical activities in the classroom. However, it is conceivable to formulate some hypotheses in order to explain the possible underuse of theatrical activities in the French classroom. The following article will present these hypotheses and propose some didactic solutions, adapted to classroom realities. In order to present those components, the upcoming text will be divided in three parts: (1) the relevance to include theatre in the language classroom; (2) an analysis of the reference programs (MELS – Ministère de l’Éducation et du Sport) used by French teachers for the teaching of theatre; (3) didactic solutions as an answer to possible conducting difficulties (Readers’ theatre, dramatization, comprehensive reading and interpretation of the blank text)

Delivering public services to the underserved: Nonprofits and the Latino threat narrative

Some politicians employ harsh rhetoric demanding that government deny public services such as food, housing, and medical care to immigrants. While nonprofits assist immigrants in this regard, their work is sustainable only if private donors support them. Using a survey experiment, this article examines whether donors' willingness to support a charity depends on the legal status of its beneficiaries, and the region from which they have come. We find that, in relation to a charity that serves low-income families (control group), donors are less willing to support a charity serving immigrants, but the region from which beneficiaries emigrated is irrelevant. Donor willingness diminishes substantially when beneficiaries are undocumented or face deportation. While shared ethnicity between donors and beneficiaries does not increase charitable support, bilingualism does. In addition, support for the charity rises substantially among Latinx donors who were born outside the US and do not speak English at home.https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.1349