Countering an illusion of our epoch: the re-emergence of the single state solution in Palestine/Israel

Since the Oslo Accords, the two-state solution has dominated, and frustrated, the official search for peace in Israel/Palestine. In parallel to it, an alternative struggle of resistance — centered upon the single state idea as a more liberating pathway towards justice to the conflict — has re-emerged against the hegemony of Zionism and the demise of a viable two-state solution in Israel/Palestine. This thesis inquires into the nature of this phenomenon as a movement of resistance and investigates its potential to become a counterhegemonic force against the processes of Zionism as embedded within the peace process since Oslo. To this end, it reconstructs the re-emergence of the single state solution both intellectually and organizationally. This reconstructive analysis is undertaken in two interlinked ways. On the one hand, this thesis analyzes and evaluates the single state alternative from within its own self-understandings, strategies and maps to power. In doing so, it centers the political practices of the situated resistances of the oppressed themselves. On the other hand, it mobilises a classical Gramscian theoretical approach—one that re-centers the processes of counterhegemony, and Gramsci’s radical embrace of the transformative power of the human being—through the writings of Edward Said. This theoretical lens enables the analysis of the counterhegemonic potential of this alternative through an evaluation of the extent to which it meets the more stringent demands of becoming a Gramscian-Saidian counterhegemonic force of liberation. Hence, this thesis represents both an empirical contribution to knowledge, and a theoretically informed analysis of the nature of the single state alternative. The thesis finds that the single state alternative can be seen as a Gramscian-Saidian movement of critical pedagogy aimed at creating a reconstructive moment within the conflict. It argues that it has laid much of the groundwork required to become an expansive counterhegemonic force. However, this potential has yet to be seized through a unified, officially led vehicle openly endorsing a single state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—and has several obstacles left to overcome in its process of becoming an established political force

Everything is on the Table: Agriculture in the Canada-EU Trade Agreement

trade, eu, canada, agreement, agriculture, Agricultural and Food Policy, International Relations/Trade,

Crotalus Snake Venom Preconditioning to Prevent Surgical Brain Injury

Preventive measures are increasingly relevant to medical practice. Preconditioning, a preemptive therapy that administers mildly harmful stimuli to induce endogenous protective mechanisms before major injury, has been shown to minimize injury in many animal models. Given the elective nature of most neurosurgical procedures, the surgical brain injury (SBI) rodent model provides an ideal platform for preconditioning. Our work shows that preconditioning with Crotalus rattlesnake venom, known for its hemorrhagic and inflammatory effects, mitigates some harmful effects of SBI. We have identified two proteins of interest in Crotalus venom: snake venom metalloproteinase (SVMP), an enzyme with hemorrhagic effects, and phospholipase A2 (PLA2), an enzyme upstream to cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in the inflammatory cascade. We have found that preconditioning Crotalus venom increases endogenous fibrinogen, decreases perioperative hemorrhage, attenuates COX-2 activity, and reduces postoperative brain edema. Further understanding of these enzymes may yield a novel, preventive approach to reducing perioperative hemorrhage and edema in elective neurosurgical procedures

Science behind the socket-shield technique: analytical literature review

Introduction: Preserving the periodontal apparatus was a growing concept to save the buccal bone through protecting the blood supply to the area. However, tooth loss is inevitable and so is buccal bone dimensional changes. Here came the partial extraction therapies to better manage the devastating functional and esthetic consequences of tooth extraction. Objectives: Thirteen years have passed since socket-shield technique, the most recent among those therapies, had been introduced to the spectrum of implant dentistry. Science behind, evidence of the technique, advantages and disadvantages, complications, technique modifications and long-term follow up are being introduced to the bulk of knowledge with time. The aim of this dissertation is to illustrate as clearly as possible, but also to evaluate, the utmost available information about socket-shield technique through a literature review. Material and methods: Through a bibliographic search conducted on PubMed database , Web of Science, and Google Schola, we have selected a total of 34 articles over 288 positive results. The included articles are published between January 1990 and February 2020. A descriptive and analytical study of the data is carried out to examines the available evidence regarding the partial extraction and especially the socket-shield technique. Results: Socket-Shield Technique showed great performance regarding esthetics and function, but, many technical limitations not be ignored, were extracted from the articles , leading to absolutely end up in failures at different aspects whether technical, functional, or esthetical, ; the results of the bibliographic review point also on the very limited follow-up periods come that with the case reports and series, that form in fact the majority of the bulk of knowledge about SST, and they are considered untrustworthy to predict the long-term prognosis of SST. Conclusions: In conclusion, although it is evident that a great consensus about the clinical and esthetic success of SST has been earned, there is a greater unanimity among authors that the aforementioned technique still requires long-term clinical follow-up

Ecclesiast: A Novel Exploring Atheist Morality & Discrimination in Indonesia

One of the many reasons why atheists are shunned is the common belief that lack of faith leads to a lack of moral foundation. However, analyses on the moral behaviors of atheists and religious people show that atheists behave similarly to any other group and that they possess their own methods of discovering a moral foundation. This thesis explores the discrimination atheists face within Indonesian society, and how atheists are able to develop and possess their own moral foundation. This thesis uses Turiel�s psychological Social Domain Theory, which is used to explain the moral panic around atheism as well as how morality develops outside of religious teaching. The creative work comes in the form of a magical realist novella about a young woman who slowly reconstructs her view on morality while on a journey to find God for an old corpse, guided by a mysterious archivist

Mechanisms Of Alpha]-synuclein-induced Neurodegenertaion In Parkinson\u27s Disease And Stroke

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a debilitating neurodegenerative disorder affecting one million Americans. Despite its social and economic impact, the pathological cascades that lead to neuron dysfunction and degeneration in PD are poorly understood. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress has been implicated as an initiator or contributing factor in neurodegenerative diseases including PD. The ER is an organelle central to protein folding and intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis. Perturbations of these functions result in ER stress and upregulation of ER stress proteins, of which some have been implicated in counteracting ER stress-induced cell death. The mechanisms that lead to ER stress and how ER stress proteins contribute to the degenerative cascades remain unclear but their understanding is critical to devising effective therapies for PD. Both the accumulation of mutant -synuclein (Syn), which causes an inherited form of PD, and the inhibition of mitochondrial complex I function by PDinducing neurotoxin lead to ER stress. The critical involvement of ER stress in experimental models of PD supports its potential relevance to PD pathogenesis and led us to test the hypothesis whether the homocysteine-inducible ER protein (Herp), an ubiquitin-like domain (UBD) containing ER-resident protein, can counteract mutant Syn- and neurotoxin- induced pathological cascades. In the first part of my study I showed that knockdown of Herp aggravates ER stress-mediated cell death induced by PD-linked mutant Syn. Functionally, Herp plays iv a role in maintaining ER homeostasis by facilitating proteasome-mediated degradation of ER-resident Ca2+ release channels in a neuronal-like cell line expressing the mutant A53T-Syn. Deletion of UBD or pharmacological inhibition of the proteasomes abolishes the Herp-mediated stabilization of ER Ca2+ homeostasis. Furthermore, knockdown or pharmacological inhibition of ER Ca2+ release channels ameliorates ER stress suggesting that impaired homeostatic regulation of Ca2+ channels promotes a protracted ER stress with the consequent activation of ER stress-associated cell death pathways. Interestingly, sustained upregulation of ER stress markers and aberrant accumulation of ER Ca2+ release channels were detected in transgenic mutant A53T- Syn mice. These data establish a causative link between impaired ER Ca2+ homeostasis and chronic ER stress in the degenerative cascades induced by mutant A53T-Syn and suggest that Herp is essential for the resolution of ER stress through maintenance of ER Ca2+ homeostasis. Because oxidants and mitochondria-derived free radicals can target ER-based Ca2+ regulatory proteins and cause uncontrolled Ca2+ release that may contribute to protracted ER stress resulting in cell death, I next determined the impact of the PD causing neurotoxin, 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), the precursor of 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+ ) on ER functions. I demonstrated that knockdown of Herp renders dopaminergic cells vulnerable to MPP+ -induced toxicity by a mechanism involving upregulation of CCAAT/enhancer binding protein homologous protein (CHOP) and depletion of the ER Ca2+ store. Conversely, ectopic expression of Herp confers protection by blocking MPP+ -induced CHOP upregulation, ER Ca2+ store depletion and mitochondrial Ca2+ accumulation in a manner dependent on a functional v ubiquitin-proteasomal protein degradation pathway. Deletion of the UBD or treatment with a proteasomal inhibitor abolished the central function of Herp in ER Ca2+ homeostasis. Collectively, our findings suggest that approaches that aim to increase Herp levels or its ER Ca2+ -stabilizing action may prevent or ameliorate neuronal loss in PD. Though abnormal protein aggregates are characteristic features of the slowly progressive neurodegenerative disorders, they are also found in acute pathological states such as cerebral ischemia. The role of protein aggregation in neuronal pathology after brain ischemia is not clear. In the last part of my work, I show that transient focal ischemia induces the continuous accumulation of insoluble Syn and DJ-1, two proteins linked to early-onset PD, in vulnerable neurons from the onset of reperfusion until delayed neuronal death. Double immunocytochemical analysis reveals that Syn and DJ-1 are co-localized in inclusion-like structures in the vulnerable neurons of the lesioned cortices suggesting that DJ-1 is recruited into the Syn-containing inclusions and thereby precludes this neuroprotective protein from exercising its anti-oxidant and chaperone-like activities. Supporting this notion, knockdown of DJ-1 promotes Syn insolubility and renders neurons vulnerable to an ischemic insult whereas ectopic expression of DJ-1 ameliorates Syn -induced degenerative cascades and reverses ischemic neuronal injury. Furthermore, mice deficient in Syn exhibit significantly smaller infarcts and improved behavioral recovery after ischemia compared to nontransgenic mice. Ablation of Syn ameliorates the accumulation of insoluble DJ-1 and the ensuing oxidative damage following an ischemic insult. Taken together, our data show that aberrant accumulation of Syn plays a precipitating role in ischemic neuronal vi injury and suggest that PD-causing mutations in Syn and DJ-1 can worsen ischemic brain damage. In conclusion, these studies provide insights into the molecular cascade of Syninduced degeneration and may uncover novel therapeutic strategies for PD and stroke

Étude neuroanatomique fonctionnelle de l'émoussement affectif dans la schizophrénie : les implications du traitement à la quetiapine

Thèse numérisée par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal

Les cités, como favelas, e os projetos: obrigações do Direito Internacional na luta contra a brutalidade policial racista em guetos franceses, brasileiros e americanos

Police brutality is a problem that plagues countries across the globe. All too frequently the victims of police abuse are racial minorities in their respective countries. This paper investigates the notion that international treaty obligations against torture, racial discrimination, and the violation of civil and political rights, when ratified, make state parties liable for systemic acts of racialized police brutality within their territory. It will analyze the treaty obligations of each country (the United States, France, and Brazil) which stem from their ratification of three treaties: The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, The Convention Against Torture, and The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. A discussion of how race is framed as well as the institutionalization of racism in each of the three societies in question will be followed by an evaluation of the practice of police brutality along racial lines. The United States has a traditionally binary concept of race, and Blacks and Latinos are subjected to disparate treatment at every stage of the criminal process. France adopts the notion of “colorblindness,” however the police’s use of excessive and lethal force against Arab and African suspects is conducted without fear of serious repercussions. And while Brazil sees itself as a “racial Utopia,” non-white Brazilians are disproportionately beaten, tortured, imprisoned, and killed by Brazilian police. Finally, the paper will address the possibility of legal redress for the violation of the above treaties through the practice of racialized police brutality by the United States, France, and Brazil.Key words: police brutality, racial minorities, favela, ghetto, treaty obligations.A brutalidade policial é um problema que aflige os países em todo o mundo. Frequentemente vítimas de abuso policial são minorias raciais em seus respectivos países. Este artigo investiga a noção que as obrigações dos tratados internacionais contra a tortura, a discriminação racial e a violação dos direitos civis e políticos, quando ratificadas, fazem o estado responsável por atos sistêmicos de brutalidade policial no seu território. O artigo analisa as obrigações do tratado de cada país (os Estados Unidos, França e Brasil), que decorrem da ratificação de três tratados: Convenção Internacional sobre a Eliminação de Todas as Formas de Discriminação Racial, a Convenção contra a Tortura, e no Pacto Internacional sobre os Direitos Civis e Políticos. Primeiramente, há uma discussão sobre como a raça é definida assim como sera analisado como ocorre a institucionalização do racismo em cada uma das três sociedades em questão e, na sequência, sera feita uma avaliação da prática da brutalidade policial considerando as diferentes raças. Os Estados Unidos têm um conceito tradicionalmente binário de raça, e os negros e latinos são submetidos a tratamento diferenciado em todas as fases do processo criminal. A França adota a noção de “daltonismo”. No entanto, a polícia usa força excessiva e letal contra suspeitos árabes e africanos, sem receio de repercussões graves. Enquanto o Brasil sevê como uma “utopia racial” os brasileiros não-brancos são desproporcionalmente espancados, torturados, presos e mortos pela polícia brasileira. Por fim, o artigo irá abordar a possibilidade de reparação legal para a violação dos tratados mencionados por meio da prática de brutalidade policial racista praticada pelos Estados Unidos, França e Brasil.Palavras-chave: brutalidade policial, minorias raciais, favela, gueto, tratado de obrigações

The affective affordances of frugal science using foldscopes during a Life Sciences water quality practical

Manu Prakash, the developer of the foldscope microscope reported on in this paper, stated that it is important to use tools that can support open-ended inquiry in the classroom, without dumbing down those tools. Scientific equipment in the school laboratory is often very expensive and only available to those who can afford it. “Frugal science” is a trend in education that researches, develops and introduces economical and quality scientific resources to developing countries. In South Africa, many underprivileged schools lack quality practical and laboratory resources to perform simple tasks, such as microscopy. Furthermore, the absence of laboratory investigations could lead to learners not enjoying Life Sciences nor developing a more nuanced understanding of the nature (tenets) of science. As part of an indigenous knowledge intervention hosted by the North-West University, teachers were provided with $1 foldscopes (paper microscope) to use in their classrooms. This research reports on the views of Life Sciences learners and teachers on the use of foldscopes in the Life Sciences classroom during a practical lesson. The focus of the research is to illuminate how such problem-based approaches could enhance affective outcomes. This generic qualitative research study has elements of design-based research (DBR) as well as classroom action research (CAR), carried out by participating teachers to investigate the affordances of foldscopes. Data was collected using observations, teacher reflections, learner reflections, photographs and personal interviews. From an affective stance, this qualitative study used Engeström’s third-generation Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) as a research lens in order to identify factors that promote or inhibit the use of foldscopes in the Life Sciences classroom during a practical lesson