The Cost of Dreaming; Identifying the Underlying Social and Cultural Structures which Push/Pull Victims into Human Traffic and Commercial Sexual Exploitation in Central America

This investigation explores the international perspectives of causality of human traffic, specifically, traffic into commercial sexual exploitation. Current Western approaches to combat trafficking centre around law and order, immigration issues, and victim protection programs. While these are important for a holistic effort to deter traffic, these foci overlook prevention endeavors, thereby acting as a band-aid on a bullet wound, addressing the symptoms, but not the foundation of trafficking. Western perspectives toward prevention concentrate on economic aspects of supply and demand while crediting the root cause to be poverty. Using social exclusion theory, this thesis demonstrates that the current paradigm of viewing human trafficking in purely economic terms is an oversimplification. This project proposes to widen the focus of prevention efforts those cultural and social structures which push and pull victims into trafficking. The research is a response to an international call for further initiatives to prevent human trafficking, the recent rise of human traffic in Guatemala, Central America and the lack of research which focuses on the social links with trafficking and mainstream society. Research conducted in Guatemala, included a thirteen-month ethnography and involved one-hundred and thirteen qualitative interviews conducted in nine Guatemalan cities strategically located along trafficking routes. The target research population included women sex workers and former traffic victims from Central America and included insights from non-governmental organizations workers. Twenty-three interviewees were Central American migrants which provided insight in the wider regional structures of traffic and commercial sexual exploitation. The interviews aimed at understanding the lived experiences of exploitation in order to determine whether social exclusion affects human traffic within commercial sexual exploitation. The findings revealed the underlying social and cultural structures which reinforce human trafficking. Empirical data collected provides real-time data on trafficking networks, commercial sexual exploitation and reveals the geo-political significance of Guatemala as a hot-spot for traffic. Analysis of interviews illustrates variations in the experience of human traffic and commercial sexual exploitation which challenges current western stereotypical ideas on traffic victims. Conceptually, macro-structures—political, economic, social, and violence—are presented as a back drop for the formation of wider networks of exploitation. The exploration of violence as a push factor challenges international forced repatriation policies. Micro-structures—gender roles, family, violence, and coping strategies—are examined in the ways they perpetuate social systems of trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. Theoretically, the thesis argues against the current paradigm which narrowly focuses on economics, but calls for the incorporation of social exclusion theory to understand the multi-dimensionality of human traffic and its wider links to society in order to open up new dialogue for prevention between the West and the majority world

Alien Registration- Warden, Jean S. (Gorham, Cumberland County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/31604/thumbnail.jp

The fiscal residence of natural persons as it applies to South Africans working abroad: A study of South Africa, United States of America, United Kingdom and Australia and agreements for the avoidance of double taxation

For both natural and non-natural persons the basis of South African income tax changed for years of assessment commencing on or after 1 January 2001. Prior to 2001 South Africa's income tax regime was based on the source principle. Taking the cue from the Katz Commission Reports, Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel introduced the residence basis of taxation in his 2000 budget speech, thus ensuring that South African residents (as, defined in the Income Tax Act 58 of 1962 (as amended)(the 'Act')) became taxable on their worldwide income. This paper explores the South African ('SA') residence definition as well as those of the United States of America ('US'), United Kingdom ('UK') and Australia, taking cognisance of the effect of South African Agreements for the Avoidance of Double Taxation ('DTAs') with these countries (a summary table of the different treatments is presented in Appendix A). The scope of the paper has been limited to South African individuals only and specifically excludes non-natural persons and non-residents (for South African tax purposes). The choice of the countries selected was based largely on the (be it perceived or actual) popularity as destinations for South African short- and long-term contract (or other) workers. These countries are also major trading partners and have well developed economies and tax regimes, which provides for useful discussion. The scope of this paper has been limited to exclude a full discussion on the implications of capital gains tax. However, a short discussion on the change of a South African individual's residency status is pertinent to the paper and has been included at the end of the paper

A cellular automaton model of crystalline cellulose hydrolysis by cellulases

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cellulose from plant biomass is an abundant, renewable material which could be a major feedstock for low emissions transport fuels such as cellulosic ethanol. Cellulase enzymes that break down cellulose into fermentable sugars are composed of different types - cellobiohydrolases I and II, endoglucanase and β-glucosidase - with separate functions. They form a complex interacting network between themselves, soluble hydrolysis product molecules, solution and solid phase substrates and inhibitors. There have been many models proposed for enzymatic saccharification however none have yet employed a cellular automaton approach, which allows important phenomena, such as enzyme crowding on the surface of solid substrates, denaturation and substrate inhibition, to be considered in the model.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The Cellulase 4D model was developed <it>de novo </it>taking into account the size and composition of the substrate and surface-acting enzymes were ascribed behaviors based on their movements, catalytic activities and rates, affinity for, and potential for crowding of, the cellulose surface, substrates and inhibitors, and denaturation rates. A basic case modeled on literature-derived parameters obtained from <it>Trichoderma reesei </it>cellulases resulted in cellulose hydrolysis curves that closely matched curves obtained from published experimental data. Scenarios were tested in the model, which included variation of enzyme loadings, adsorption strengths of surface acting enzymes and reaction periods, and the effect on saccharide production over time was assessed. The model simulations indicated an optimal enzyme loading of between 0.5 and 2 of the base case concentrations where a balance was obtained between enzyme crowding on the cellulose crystal, and that the affinities of enzymes for the cellulose surface had a large effect on cellulose hydrolysis. In addition, improvements to the cellobiohydrolase I activity period substantially improved overall glucose production.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Cellulase 4D simulates the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose to glucose by surface and solution phase-acting enzymes and accounts for complex phenomena that have previously not been included in cellulose hydrolysis models. The model is intended as a tool for industry, researchers and educators alike to explore options for enzyme engineering and process development and to test hypotheses regarding cellulase mechanisms.</p

Structural Biology of the Enterovirus Replication-Linked 5\u27-Cloverleaf RNA and associated Virus Proteins

Although enteroviruses are associated with a wide variety of diseases and conditions, their mode of replication is well conserved. Their genome is carried as a single, positive-sense RNA strand. At the 5′ end of the strand is an approximately 90-nucleotide self-complementary region called the 5′ cloverleaf, or the oriL. This noncoding region serves as a platform upon which host and virus proteins, including the 3B, 3C, and 3D virus proteins, assemble in order to initiate replication of a negative-sense RNA strand. The negative strand in turn serves as a template for synthesis of multiple positive-sense RNA strands. Building on structural studies of individual RNA stem-loops, the structure of the intact 5′ cloverleaf from rhinovirus has recently been determined via nuclear magnetic resonance/small-angle X-ray scattering (NMR/SAXS)-based methods, while structures have also been determined for enterovirus 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D proteins. Analysis of these structures, together with structural and modeling studies of interactions between host and virus proteins and RNA, has begun to provide insight into the enterovirus replication mechanism and the potential to inhibit replication by blocking these interactions

The structure of the hexameric atrazine chlorohydrolase AtzA

Atrazine chlorohydrolase (AtzA) was discovered and purified in the early 1990s from soil that had been exposed to the widely used herbicide atrazine. It was subsequently found that this enzyme catalyzes the first and necessary step in the breakdown of atrazine by the soil organism Pseudomonas sp. strain ADP. Although it has taken 20 years, a crystal structure of the full hexameric form of AtzA has now been obtained. AtzA is less well adapted to its physiological role (i.e. atrazine dechlorination) than the alternative metal-dependent atrazine chlorohydrolase (TrzN), with a substrate-binding pocket that is under considerable strain and for which the substrate is a poor fit

Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Intact Parathyroid Hormone Influence Muscle Outcomes in Children and Adolescents

Increases in 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations are shown to improve strength in adults; however, data in pediatric populations are scant and equivocal. In this ancillary study of a larger-scale, multi-sited, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled vitamin D intervention in US children and adolescents, we examined the associations between changes in vitamin D metabolites and changes in muscle mass, strength, and composition after 12 weeks of vitamin D3 supplementation. Healthy male and female, black and white children and adolescents between the ages of 9 and 13 years from two US states (Georgia 34°N and Indiana 40°N) were enrolled in the study and randomly assigned to receive an oral vitamin D3 dose of 0, 400, 1000, 2000, or 4000 IU/d for 12 weeks between the winter months of 2009 to 2011 (N = 324). Analyses of covariance, partial correlations, and regression analyses of baseline and 12-week changes (post-baseline) in vitamin D metabolites (serum 25(OH)D, 1,25(OH)2 D, intact parathyroid hormone [iPTH]), and outcomes of muscle mass, strength, and composition (total body fat-free soft tissue [FFST], handgrip strength, forearm and calf muscle cross-sectional area [MCSA], muscle density, and intermuscular adipose tissue [IMAT]) were assessed. Serum 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2 D, but not iPTH, increased over time, as did fat mass, FFST, forearm and calf MCSA, forearm IMAT, and handgrip strength (p < 0.05). Vitamin D metabolites were not associated with muscle strength at baseline nor after the 12-week intervention. Changes in serum 25(OH)D correlated with decreases in forearm IMAT, whereas changes in serum iPTH predicted increases in forearm and calf MCSA and IMAT (p < 0.05). Overall, increases in 25(OH)D did not influence muscle mass or strength in vitamin D-sufficient children and adolescents; however, the role of iPTH on muscle composition in this population is unknown and warrants further investigation

Relationships between Peak Oxygen Uptake and Arterial Function: a Preliminary Study

Please view abstract in the attached PDF file