A Tale of Two Cheeses: Parmesan, Cheddar, and the Politics of Generic Geographical Indications (GGIs)

The difference between Geographical Indication (GI) and generic food terms is an important and highly contentious issue in international negotiations. This distinction is significant to producers, manufacturers, consumers, and policy-makers all over the world because it means the difference between the restricted versus open use of certain popular terms in domestic and global markets. This thesis uses a food studies approach that employs cheese as a lens to understand the contested politics of Generic Geographical Indications (GGIs), which has been under-explored in the literature on GIs. Through case studies and an analysis of written policy material and other documents, websites, blogs, artefacts, observations, and semi-structured interviews and discussions, it investigates the complex processes through which European and New World (NW) actors compete over the status – protected or generic – of cheese names, why this struggle is manifested in the case of Parmesan but not of Cheddar, and how we can better understand genericism within the context of GI policy. The thesis argues that actors guided by differing agricultural paradigms compete to secure the use of terms through oppositional discursive strategies of ‘gastro-panic’, where they appeal to a language of security in order to persuade policy-makers to take action against the perceived threatening actions of their opponents. It finds that unlike the contested term Parmesan no such panic has emerged surrounding Cheddar because its widespread use has not been interpreted as a threat to the ‘original.’ As well, genericism emerges as both a dynamic and socially-constructed concept subject to ongoing negotiation and contestation and a strategic discursive device used to block the successful registration of proposed product names as GIs. The debate over cheese reveals the inherently political nature of the ways in which genuineness and genericness are constructed in an increasingly competitive market-place.The difference between Geographical Indication (GI) and generic food terms is an important and highly contentious issue in international negotiations. This distinction is significant to producers, manufacturers, consumers, and policy-makers all over the world because it means the difference between the restricted versus open use of certain popular terms in domestic and global markets. This thesis uses a food studies approach that employs cheese as a lens to understand the contested politics of Generic Geographical Indications (GGIs), which has been under-explored in the literature on GIs. Through case studies and an analysis of written policy material and other documents, websites, blogs, artefacts, observations, and semi-structured interviews and discussions, it investigates the complex processes through which European and New World (NW) actors compete over the status – protected or generic – of cheese names, why this struggle is manifested in the case of Parmesan but not of Cheddar, and how we can better understand genericism within the context of GI policy. The thesis argues that actors guided by differing agricultural paradigms compete to secure the use of terms through oppositional discursive strategies of ‘gastro-panic’, where they appeal to a language of security in order to persuade policy-makers to take action against the perceived threatening actions of their opponents. It finds that unlike the contested term Parmesan no such panic has emerged surrounding Cheddar because its widespread use has not been interpreted as a threat to the ‘original.’ As well, genericism emerges as both a dynamic and socially-constructed concept subject to ongoing negotiation and contestation and a strategic discursive device used to block the successful registration of proposed product names as GIs. The debate over cheese reveals the inherently political nature of the ways in which genuineness and genericness are constructed in an increasingly competitive market-place.LUISS PhD Thesi

A tale of two cheeses : Parmesan, Cheddar, and the politics of Generic Geographical Indications (GGIs)

The difference between Geographical Indication (GI) and generic food terms is an important and highly contentious issue in international negotiations. This distinction is of significant importance to producers, manufacturers, consumers, and policy-makers all over the world because it means the difference between the restricted versus open use of certain popular terms in domestic and global markets. This thesis uses a food studies approach that employs cheese as a lens to understand the contested politics of Generic Geographical Indications (GGIs), which has been under-explored in the literature on GIs. Through case study and an analysis of written policy material and other documents, websites, blogs, artifacts, observations, and semi-structured interviews and discussions, it investigates the complex processes through which European and New World (NW) actors compete over the status – protected or generic - of cheese names, why this struggle is manifested in the case of Parmesan but not of Cheddar, and how we can better understand genericism within the context of GI policy. The thesis argues that actors guided by differing agricultural paradigms compete to secure the use of terms through oppositional discursive strategies of ‘gastro-panic’ where they appeal to a language of security in order to persuade policy-makers to take action against the perceived threatening actions of their opponents. It finds that unlike the contested term Parmesan no such panic has emerged surrounding Cheddar because its widespread use has not been interpreted as a threat to the ‘original.’ As well, genericism emerges as both a dynamic and socially-constructed concept subject to ongoing negotiation and contestation and a strategic discursive device used block the successful registration of proposed product names as GIs. The debate over cheese reveals the inherently political nature of the ways in which genuineness and genericness are constructed in an increasingly competitive marketplace

Self-assembly and electron-beam-induced direct etching of suspended graphene nanostructures

We report on suspended single-layer graphene deposition by a transfer-printing approach based on polydimethylsiloxane stamps. The transfer printing method allows the exfoliation of graphite flakes from a bulk graphite sample and their residue-free deposition on a silicon dioxide substrate. This deposition system creates a blistered graphene surface due to strain induced by the transfer process itself. Single-layer-graphene deposition and its "blistering" on the substrate are demonstrated by a combination of Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and atomic-force microscopy measurements. Finally, we demonstrate that blister-like suspended graphene are self-supporting single-layer structures and can be flattened by employing a spatially-resolved direct-lithography technique based on electron-beam induced etching.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figure

The Influence of Graphene Curvature on Hydrogen Adsorption: Towards Hydrogen Storage Devices

The ability of atomic hydrogen to chemisorb on graphene makes the latter a promising material for hydrogen storage. Based on scanning tunneling microscopy techniques, we report on site-selective adsorption of atomic hydrogen on convexly curved regions of monolayer graphene grown on SiC(0001). This system exhibits an intrinsic curvature owing to the interaction with the substrate. We show that at low coverage hydrogen is found on convex areas of the graphene lattice. No hydrogen is detected on concave regions. These findings are in agreement with theoretical models which suggest that both binding energy and adsorption barrier can be tuned by controlling the local curvature of the graphene lattice. This curvature-dependence combined with the known graphene flexibility may be exploited for storage and controlled release of hydrogen at room temperature making it a valuable candidate for the implementation of hydrogen-storage devices

Revealing the atomic structure of the buffer layer between SiC(0001) and epitaxial graphene

On the SiC(0001) surface (the silicon face of SiC), epitaxial graphene is obtained by sublimation of Si from the substrate. The graphene film is separated from the bulk by a carbon-rich interface layer (hereafter called the buffer layer) which in part covalently binds to the substrate. Its structural and electronic properties are currently under debate. In the present work we report scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) studies of the buffer layer and of quasi-free-standing monolayer graphene (QFMLG) that is obtained by decoupling the buffer layer from the SiC(0001) substrate by means of hydrogen intercalation. Atomic resolution STM images of the buffer layer reveal that, within the periodic structural corrugation of this interfacial layer, the arrangement of atoms is topologically identical to that of graphene. After hydrogen intercalation, we show that the resulting QFMLG is relieved from the periodic corrugation and presents no detectable defect sites

Raman Spectroscopy of magneto-phonon resonances in Graphene and Graphite

The magneto-phonon resonance or MPR occurs in semiconductor materials when the energy spacing between Landau levels is continuously tuned to cross the energy of an optical phonon mode. MPRs have been largely explored in bulk semiconductors, in two-dimensional systems and in quantum dots. Recently there has been significant interest in the MPR interactions of the Dirac fermion magnetoexcitons in graphene, and a rich splitting and anti-crossing phenomena of the even parity E2g long wavelength optical phonon mode have been theoretically proposed and experimentally observed. The MPR has been found to crucially depend on disorder in the graphene layer. This is a feature that creates new venues for the study of interplays between disorder and interactions in the atomic layers. We review here the fundamentals of MRP in graphene and the experimental Raman scattering works that have led to the observation of these phenomena in graphene and graphite

Universal Alcohol/Drug Screening in Prenatal Care: A Strategy for Reducing Racial Disparities? Questioning the Assumptions

Agencies and organizations promoting universal screening for alcohol and drug use in prenatal care argue that universal screening will reduce White versus Black racial disparities in reporting to Child Protective Services (CPS) at delivery. Yet, no published research has assessed the impact of universal screening on reporting disparities or explored plausible mechanisms. This review defines two potential mechanisms: Equitable Surveillance and Effective Treatment and identifies assumptions underlying each mechanism. It reviews published literature relating to each assumption. Research relating to assumptions underlying each mechanism is primarily inconclusive or contradictory. Thus, available research does not support the claim that universal screening for alcohol and drug use in prenatal care reduces racial disparities in CPS reporting at delivery. Reducing these reporting disparities requires more than universal screening

Graphene for Hydrogen Storage

[Excerpt; the whole abstract is available at pages V-VII ]: The ever dwindling supply of fossil fuels and the unsustainable growing demand for energy due to worldwide improvements in the quality of life has induced significant increases in fuel prices across the globe. This in turn has lead to research in alternative energy; solar, wind, biofuels, etc. The choice of alternative energy will depend on the specific use and the resources available in the vicinity. One attractive possibility is hydrogen, the third most abundant element available on Earth [1]. However, hydrogen is often found in compounds such as water and must be extracted. The production or extraction of pure hydrogen is an energy consuming process which still requires extensive research to optimize the production methods. Hydrogen is what is called an energy vector meaning that it can be used to store and transport energy. Using only hydrogen and oxygen, hydrogen fuel cells produce electricity with water being the only by-product. The hydrogen energy cycle is sustainable and does not release carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the environment. However, one of the main hurdles facing a hydrogen based energy economy is hydrogen storage. Hydrogen is a gas at room temperature and pressure, a considerable hindrance to engineering applicable storage devices. Ample funding and research has been allocated to finding and implementing a safe, cheap, nontoxic, and compact method of storing and releasing hydrogen. [...