A Thug, a Revolutionary or Both? Negotiating Masculinity in Post-Revolutionary Egypt

During the eighteen days of the Egyptian revolution, some hundred police stations in popular quarters in Cairo were burned down. Official accounts reported this as the work of baltagiya (thugs). The question of who burned the police stations serves as an entry point to problematizing the identity of baltagiya. Thus, examining the gendered affective registers linked to the baltagi (thug) is essential in understanding the potential of the revolutionary moment and the urgency with which the state had to reinstate the narrative of the baltagi as a dangerous criminal to justify mass violence and speed urban transformation projects

A Qualitative Assessment of Close Range Photogrammetry for use in measuring Stratas/Stratums

This project was conducted for the purpose of assessing the use of Close Range Photogrammetry, using a portable high resolution camera to determine whether it will produce the same accuracy as traditional survey methods in measuring Strata/Stratums. The test was based on completing a stratum survey of a commercial building basement using a DSLR camera and an electronic tape for control data. An analysis of accuracies and precision for both types of equipment would be determined to assess the practicality and reliability of the camera in completing traditional strata and stratum surveys. This project was undertaken to increase the speed of measuring both strata and stratum plans to compensate for the increasing amount of high density residential and commercial building being constructed within Sydney. With a high consumer demand to live closer to Sydney's CBD, land has been reclassified and rezoned to allow for multi-storey developments, which in turn requires the need for stratum plans to be produced at a subsequent rate. Similarly, this project was conducted to reduce the cost of each survey, finding an affordable alternative to equipment including 3D scanners. Reducing the time on site will also minimise the wages required for each surveyor, overall reducing the expenses to complete the job. The close range photogrammetry method within the project was completed using a Canon EOS 600D accompanied with a Canon Tripod and swivel bracket. The control data for the stratum was completed using a Leica Disto D510, marked according to a Draft Strata Plan. The project used AutoCAD and Civilcad for the processing software for the electronic tape measurements and Photomodeler for photogrammetry extraction later to be reduced through both AutoCAD and Civilcad. The project was completed within a section of a commercial building carpark, a common site to be used with strata/stratums. The area has approximately 12 car spots with columns between each spot. There are 3 walls that are concrete block and one that is opened with meshing. The use of electronic measurements for control data was to provide the accuracies accepted by current methods and generate a coordinate system to be used in comparison to the close range photogrammetric method. The coordinates and areas between the different methods were compared both analytically and statistically, determining whether the accuracies are suitable for practical application. When compared to the electronically computed coordinates, the photogrammetric coordinates had minimal differences and were within the acceptable limits of the 95% confidence interval. Also when comparing the areas between the various models, the differences were acceptable to the standards set by current Strata legislation

واقع الخدمات التعليمية في مناطق السكن العشوائي ( حي الدعتور أنموذجا")

تهدف هذه الدراسة إلى تسليط الضوء على ظاهرة السكن العشوائي , وتحديد الأسباب التي أدت لظهور هذه المساكن في المدن والمشاكل التي تعانيها وخصائصها ونوعية الخدمات المقدمة لسكانها وتطويرها والارتقاء بسويتها وبخاصة الخدمات التعليمية , لما لها من أهمية بالغة وعظيم الأثر فتأمينها بالشكل المطلوب ضرورة ملحة أمام الدولة وخاصة لمرحلة التعليم الأساسي , وفي هذه المناطق المكتظة بالسكان , كما ويعرج البحث على الحلول الممكنة التي تسهم في الحد من ظاهرة السكن العشوائي  لما تسببه من مشاكل بسبب الاعتداءات لسكانها غير القانونية على الأراضي التي تخص الدولة , وإمكانية تحسين الخدمات بحيث تحقق الرفاهية والراحة للمواطنين , ولاسيما الخدمات التعليمية منها , وسندرس حي الدعتور كنموذج عن السكن العشوائي لأن الحل يبدأ من قلب تلك الأحياء الصغيرة الحجم التي تعتبر أقطابا بشرية وسكنية من المهم تنميتها وتطويرها . وقد توصلت الدراسة لنتائج مهمة كتدني الخدمات المقدمة لحي الدعتور وخاصة الخدمات التعليمية والاكتظاظ الطلابي في الشعب وكثرة عدد الطلاب مما يؤثر سلبا على التعليم ، كما لوحظ تركز المدارس في القسم الغربي للحي وتكتلها قريبة من بعضها البعض

Knowledge Transfer and Exchange Processes for Environmental Health Issues in Canadian Aboriginal Communities

Within Canadian Aboriginal communities, the process for utilizing environmental health research evidence in the development of policies and programs is not well understood. This fundamental qualitative descriptive study explored the perceptions of 28 environmental health researchers, senior external decision-makers and decision-makers working within Aboriginal communities about factors influencing knowledge transfer and exchange, beliefs about research evidence and Traditional Knowledge and the preferred communication channels for disseminating and receiving evidence. The results indicate that collaborative relationships between researchers and decision-makers, initiated early and maintained throughout a research project, promote both the efficient conduct of a study and increase the likelihood of knowledge transfer and exchange. Participants identified that empirical research findings and Traditional Knowledge are different and distinct types of evidence that should be equally valued and used where possible to provide a holistic understanding of environmental issues and support decisions in Aboriginal communities. To facilitate the dissemination of research findings within Aboriginal communities, participants described the elements required for successfully crafting key messages, locating and using credible messengers to deliver the messages, strategies for using cultural brokers and identifying the communication channels commonly used to disseminate and receive this type of information

Metastasis of Tumor Cells Is Enhanced by Downregulation of Bit1

Resistance to anoikis, which is defined as apoptosis induced by loss of integrin-mediated cell attachment to the extracellular matrix, is a determinant of tumor progression and metastasis. We have previously identified the mitochondrial Bit1 (Bcl-2 inhibitor of transcription) protein as a novel anoikis effector whose apoptotic function is independent from caspases and is uniquely controlled by integrins. In this report, we examined the possibility that Bit1 is suppressed during tumor progression and that Bit1 downregulation may play a role in tumor metastasis.Using a human breast tumor tissue array, we found that Bit1 expression is suppressed in a significant fraction of advanced stages of breast cancer. Targeted disruption of Bit1 via shRNA technology in lowly aggressive MCF7 cells conferred enhanced anoikis resistance, adhesive and migratory potential, which correlated with an increase in active Extracellular kinase regulated (Erk) levels and a decrease in Erk-directed phosphatase activity. These pro-metastasis phenotypes were also observed following downregulation of endogenous Bit1 in Hela and B16F1 cancer cell lines. The enhanced migratory and adhesive potential of Bit1 knockdown cells is in part dependent on their high level of Erk activation since down-regulating Erk in these cells attenuated their enhanced motility and adhesive properties. The Bit1 knockdown pools also showed a statistically highly significant increase in experimental lung metastasis, with no differences in tumor growth relative to control clones in vivo using a BALB/c nude mouse model system. Importantly, the pulmonary metastases of Bit1 knockdown cells exhibited increased phospho-Erk staining.These findings indicate that downregulation of Bit1 conferred cancer cells with enhanced anoikis resistance, adhesive and migratory properties in vitro and specifically potentiated tumor metastasis in vivo. These results underscore the therapeutic importance of restoring Bit1 expression in cancer cells to circumvent metastasis at least in part through inhibition of the Erk pathway

Developing an exploratory framework linking Australian Aboriginal peoples\u27 connection to country and concepts of wellbeing

Aboriginal people across Australia suffer significant health inequalities compared with the non-Indigenous population. Evidence indicates that inroads can be made to reduce these inequalities by better understanding social and cultural determinants of health, applying holistic notions of health and developing less rigid definitions of wellbeing. The following article draws on qualitative research on Victorian Aboriginal peoples\u27 relationship to their traditional land (known as Country) and its link to wellbeing, in an attempt to tackle this. Concepts of wellbeing, Country and nature have also been reviewed to gain an understanding of this relationship. An exploratory framework has been developed to understand this phenomenon focusing on positive (e.g., ancestry and partnerships) and negative (e.g., destruction of Country and racism) factors contributing to Aboriginal peoples\u27 health. The outcome is an explanation of how Country is a fundamental component of Aboriginal Victorian peoples\u27 wellbeing and the framework articulates the forces that impact positively and negatively on this duality. This review is critical to improving not only Aboriginal peoples\u27 health but also the capacity of all humanity to deal with environmental issues like disconnection from nature and urbanisation

Run‐Of‐River Dams as a Barrier to the Movement of a Stream‐Dwelling Amphibian

Human activities frequently create structures that alter the connectivity among habitats or act as barriers to the natural movement of animals. Movement allows individuals to access different habitats, connect life history stages, and maintain genetic diversity. Here, we evaluated whether run‐of‐river (RoR) hydropower projects, an emerging renewable energy source in British Columbia, interrupt the longitudinal connectivity among larval stream amphibians, by altering larval rearing densities, with possible repercussions on growth and survival. In three watersheds, we tested for differences in the average upstream and downstream density of larval coastal tailed frog (Ascaphus truei), as well as changes to their longitudinal distribution upstream of the dams, as would be expected if RoR dams or their headponds act as barriers to the natural downstream drift of larvae. We found a 60% decrease in larval densities downstream compared to upstream of dams, consistent with RoR dams interrupting the natural pattern of downstream A. truei drift. Larval densities in the first 10 m above RoR headponds were 3 times higher compared to 100 m upstream, and when expressed in terms of relative abundance, we find a similar pattern, with between 2.5 and 3 times more larvae in the first 10 m above of the headpond than expected if larvae followed a uniform distribution. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that RoR dams alter the spatial connectivity of A. truei larvae, leading to an accumulation of larvae directly above the dam, with unknown consequences for larval growth and survival. Our findings suggest caution is warranted when interpreting before–after monitoring studies that are often used to evaluate the impact of dams, whereby we find that reductions in downstream densities could be due to interruptions of downstream movement as opposed to direct mortality

βA3/A1-Crystallin controls anoikis-mediated cell death in astrocytes by modulating PI3K/AKT/mTOR and ERK survival pathways through the PKD/Bit1-signaling axis

During eye development, apoptosis is vital to the maturation of highly specialized structures such as the lens and retina. Several forms of apoptosis have been described, including anoikis, a form of apoptosis triggered by inadequate or inappropriate cell–matrix contacts. The anoikis regulators, Bit1 (Bcl-2 inhibitor of transcription-1) and protein kinase-D (PKD), are expressed in developing lens when the organelles are present in lens fibers, but are downregulated as active denucleation is initiated. We have previously shown that in rats with a spontaneous mutation in the Cryba1 gene, coding for βA3/A1-crystallin, normal denucleation of lens fibers is inhibited. In rats with this mutation (Nuc1), both Bit1 and PKD remain abnormally high in lens fiber cells. To determine whether βA3/A1-crystallin has a role in anoikis, we induced anoikis in vitro and conducted mechanistic studies on astrocytes, cells known to express βA3/A1-crystallin. The expression pattern of Bit1 in retina correlates temporally with the development of astrocytes. Our data also indicate that loss of βA3/A1-crystallin in astrocytes results in a failure of Bit1 to be trafficked to the Golgi, thereby suppressing anoikis. This loss of βA3/A1-crystallin also induces insulin-like growth factor-II, which increases cell survival and growth by modulating the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/mTOR and extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathways. We propose that βA3/A1-crystallin is a novel regulator of both life and death decisions in ocular astrocytes

Reflexionsbogen für die Reflexion über sprachsensiblen Fachunterricht. Zusatzmaterial zum Fachaufsatz „Zur Sensibilisierung für die Sprachförderung DaZ im Fachunterricht der Sekundarstufe – Annäherung durch reflektierte Praxiserfahrung“

Wahbe N. Reflexionsbogen für die Reflexion über sprachsensiblen Fachunterricht. Zusatzmaterial zum Fachaufsatz „Zur Sensibilisierung für die Sprachförderung DaZ im Fachunterricht der Sekundarstufe – Annäherung durch reflektierte Praxiserfahrung“. Herausforderung Lehrer*innenbildung: Zeitschrift zur Konzeption, Gestaltung und Diskussion (HLZ). 2020;3(2):Zusatzmaterial zu S. 196–213 (Fachaufsatz von Wahbe & Riemer 2020)