Soli al Mondo: The Recourse to "Sovereigntism" in Contemporary Italian Populism

"Sovranismo" has become the “go-to” word to use in contrasting those advocating “take back control” and nationalism against the “globalists” who are the bête noire of populism. This paper discusses the recent provenance of the word and the impluses that underlie it. It then considers the various arguments for sovranismo more broadly. The final section discusses the actual history of state sovereignty and suggests that current usage lacks much understanding of its complexities

Separate areas for mirror responses and agency within the parietal operculum

There is common neural activity in parietal and premotor cortex when executing and observing goal-directed movements: the “mirror” response. In addition, active and passive limb movements cause overlapping activity in premotor and somatosensory cortex. This association of motor and sensory activity cannot ascribe agency, the ability to discriminate between self- and non-self-generated events. This requires that some signals accompanying self-initiated limb movement dissociate from those evoked by observing the action of another or by movement imposed on oneself by external force. We demonstrated associated activity within the medial parietal operculum in response to feedforward visual or somatosensory information accompanying observed and imposed finger movements. In contrast, the response to motor and somatosensory information during self-initiated finger and observed movements resulted in activity localized to the lateral parietal operculum. This ascribes separate functions to medial and lateral second-order somatosensory cortex, anatomically dissociating the agent and the mirror response, demonstrating how executed and observed events are distinguished despite common activity in widespread sensorimotor cortices

Asthma management: an ecosocial framework for disparity research

Background: Asthma management disparities (AMD) between African and White Americans are significant and alarming. Various determinants have been suggested by research frameworks that affect the unfair distribution of resources for asthma management to groups who are more or less advantaged socially. Ecosocial models organize determinants into individual/family, healthcare, community, and sociocultural levels. Multilevel interventions can affect AMD through simultaneous actions on different levels and pathways between determinants. Objective: Provide a comprehensive summary of the known determinants of AMD. Method: Peer reviewed research frameworks of AMD from 1998-2009 were retrieved from PubMed/ Web of Science databases using (“Socioeconomic Factors”[Mesh] OR (“Healthcare Disparities”[Mesh] OR “Health Status Disparities”[Mesh])) AND “Asthma”[Mesh] AND “African Americans”[Mesh] OR “Ethnic Groups”[Mesh]). Abstracts assessed for a focus on AMD, and determinants. Articles were analyzed for ecosocial levels and determinants. Results: 13 research frameworks described 34 determinants. Compared to other levels, Individual/family levels had the most emphasis, and frameworks using healthcare and community levels were the most narrow in focus. Stress, poverty, violence/crime, quality of care, healthcare access, and indoor air quality were well described determinants. Conclusions: Multilevel investigations should include those well described determinants of AMD and increase knowledge of pathway interactions between healthcare and community levels

Women prisoners in the criminal justice system : towards equal treatment and recognition of difference : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Social Policy), Massey University

This thesis is about the extent to which women who have received custodial sentences have their criminogenic needs met: that is how they are assisted to lead good lives without further offending. I approached the thesis from the perspective that women who have been imprisoned are entitled to be treated equally with men: to be imprisoned for the same seriousness of offences. They should have the same benefits, such as contact with families. They should at least receive the same level and quality of preparation for life after prison and equal standards of accommodation. In addition the genuine social differences between men and women should be recognized. Women are usually the main caregivers for children. Typical women prisoners are also solo parents, and so have the financial responsibility for of financial support for children as well as care. However, most of the women have few qualifications or opportunities for making a living to support their families that does not involve law-breaking. A recognition of these differences should lead to some supports being provided to women prisoners, such as education and training. In my interviews with women ex-prisoners and prison managers, and in surveying the literature I found that neither women's rights to equal treatment nor their differences were adequately reecognised in past or present penal policy. Whilst it is true that the minority status of the female prison population poses challenges for policy, it does not explain the systematic disadvantage faced by women in prison. There are alternative policies which could very well be more appropriate and some of these are set out in the concluding chapter to the thesis

The Battle of the Windmill Revisited: As recounted by Lieutenant Andrew Agnew, 93rd Highland Regiment of Foot, 8 December 1838

The failure of William Lyon McKenzie, Louis Joseph Papineau, and other like-minded reformers to bring about meaningful change in the political, economic, and social structure of Upper and Lower Canada in 1837 did not end the greater possibility of rebellion, and in fact a greater threat came in 1838, with widespread filibustering along the American border. On 11 November 1838, a force of about 400 men set out from New York State for Prescott, Upper Canada, its goal being the capture of Fort Wellington and the severance of communications between Upper and Lower Canada. The force, led by Nils von Schoultz, a true character in every sense of the word, landed and took up positions in a windmill and six stone house at the village of New Jerusalem, where they intended to hold out until reinforcements arrived from Ogdensburg, New York, and from Upper Canada itself. The reinforcements never arrived and the ‘sympathizers’ were left to fight a strong force of British regulars and militia. Contemporary accounts of the Battle of Windmill are difficult to find, and are often limited in scope. Several brief accounts have been reprinted in J.A. Morris, Prescott 1810–1967 (1967), and accounts of the conflict may also be found in contemporary issues of the Kingston Chronicle and Gazette. However, the information remains somewhat cursory and limited in colour and detail. The letter reprinted below was written on 8 December 1838, the very day Nils von Schoultz was executed, by an officer of the 93rd Highland Regiment of Foot who had taken an active part in the conflict. The letter’s author, Lieutenant Andrew Agnew of Lochnaw, was the eldest son of one of southern Scotland’s prominent landed families

Reporting rates of assaults on licensed premises by licensed premises staff: 2012-2013

There is no evidence licensed premises are systematically concealing assaults in a bid to avoid losing their liquor license or to avoid having restrictions imposed on their trading hours, according to this report. Aim To determine whether there has been any change in the rate of reporting of assaults on licensed premises by staff in 2012-2013 in both the top 100 and unranked licensed premises for assaults. This paper also briefly examines the characteristics of both offenders and victims of assaults on licensed premises. Method A random sample of 800 assaults (400 from top 100 premises and 400 from unranked premises) from January 2012 to December 2013 were tabulated and coded for relevant information. SPSS was then used to determine proportions of victims and offenders in various categories and any trends in reporting. Trend tests were carried out using χ2. Results There was no statistically significant trend in the proportion of reports of assaults emanating from staff on licensed premises

Pseudo-saturating power converter

Relative performance of three basic configurations of electronic conversion units (saturating, pseudo-saturating, nonsaturating) requiring low power levels is compared. Pseudo-saturating mode exhibits best overall performance, nonsaturating a close second, saturating a poor third