Extending boundaries: young people as action researchers

Action research is generally undertaken by adults as a process of systematic action planning and enquiry which can lead to improvements in aspects of their professional practices. This article challenges and extends conventional understanding of action research to show how young people, between the ages of 10 and 17, can interrogate and improve their own practices – both individually and collectively. Brief accounts of four case studies – three British and one South African – are presented, along the lines of a patchwork narrative. Each ‘patch’ in turn contributes to the later collation of a theme and ideas that ‘stitch’ the studies together

The Volcker Rule and the Presumption Against Extraterritoriality: Utterly Incompatible

The Volcker Rule, enacted in 2010 as part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Consumer Protection Act to address the too big to fail problem in todays interconnected global economy, has been controversial from the outset. The deadline for banks to comply with Volcker regulations has been extended several times, with the most recent deadline set for July 21, 2016. This Note examines the impact of the Volcker Rule on foreign banks, detailing the specific effects of Volcker regulations on two prominent German banks, Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank, and analyzes the countervailing European approach to regulating proprietary trading and risky investment. This Note argues that the extraterritorial reach of the Volcker Rule should be limited in order to comply with the presumption against extraterritoriality. While there is likely no perfect solution to preventing the too big to fail phenomenon, this Note proposes one alternative, which appropriately limits the extraterritorial scope ofthe Volcker Rule while preserving a primary aim of the Volcker legislation: exempt foreign banks with only minor U.S. subsidiaries comprising less than 25 percent of the foreign banks overall operations from the Volcker Rule

FREEDOMS LOST AND GAINED: ENTWINING PRISON HISTORY INTO THE FUTURE OF LORTON ARTS FOUNDATION

This document has had referenced material removed in respect for the owner's copyright. A complete version of this document, which includes said referenced material, resides in the University of Maryland, College Park's library collection. Masters final project submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Historic Preservation. HISP 710/711 Spring 2010.The Lorton Workhouse Museum is part of a 55-acre adaptively reused colonial revival reformatory complex in Virginia that once served the District of Columbia. While most of the site, including dormitories, gymnasium, and farm buildings, has been transformed by a grass-roots organization, the Lorton Arts Foundation, into a visual and performing arts center, one cellblock building remains as a stabilized ruin, reserved for interpretation of the site history. This project will examine the difficult and emotional prison history and explore potential models for integrating the narrative with the current arts use. Active public programs and audio tours are recommended as the best method to engage visitors with the entire site, and inspire thinking about historic and contemporary issues of social justice. Interpretive themes that tie art and performances created by prisoners with artists working in the reused structures are explored as a way to bring visitors into a dialogue between past and present

Cloning, expression, and localization of a rat brain high-affinity glycine transporter

A cDNA clone encoding a glycine transporter has been isolated from rat brain by a combined PCR and plaque-hybridization strategy. mRNA synthesized from this clone (designated GLYT1) directs the expression of sodium-and chloride-dependent, high-affinity uptake of [3H]glycine by Xenopus oocytes. [3H]Glycine transport mediated by clone GLYT1 is blocked by sarcosine but is not blocked by methylaminoisobutyric acid or L-alanine, a substrate specificity similar to that described for a previously identified glycine-uptake system called system Gly. In situ hybridization reveals that GLYT1 is prominently expressed in the cervical spinal cord and brainstem, two regions of the central nervous system where glycine is a putative neurotransmitter. GLYT1 is also strongly expressed in the cerebellum and olfactory bulb and is expressed at lower levels in other brain regions. The open reading frame of the GLYT1 cDNA predicts a protein containing 633 amino acids with a molecular mass of ≈70 kDa. The primary structure and hydropathicity profile of GLYT1 protein reveal that this protein is a member of the sodium- and chloride-dependent superfamily of transporters that utilize neurotransmitters and related substances as substrates

Indigenous knowledge in the time of climate change (with reference to Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia)

[Extract:] In order to understand how social resilience might be achieved in the face of climate change,it is crucial to consider how people employ everyday ‘local’ and ‘indigenous knowledge’ to deal in practice with uncertainty and risk in their lives. Focusing on responses to climate change discourse in the Pacific , with particular attention to Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), we call for more fine- grained ethnographic studies on how the global discourse of climate change transforms knowledge and practice at the local level

Women and Peacekeeping: Time for the UN to Commit to Gender Equality

UN peacekeepers are deployed to make local populations more safe and secure. They must not be allowed to become another source of insecurity for the people they are sent to serve. Christine Chinkin, Marsha Henry and Aiko Holvikivi on the need for the new UN Secretary-General to commit to gender equality in order to ensure that peacekeeping lives up to its promise

Human embryos from overweight and obese women display phenotypic and metabolic abnormalities

STUDY QUESTION Is the developmental timing and metabolic regulation disrupted in embryos from overweight or obese women? SUMMARY ANSWER Oocytes from overweight or obese women are smaller than those from women of healthy weight, yet post-fertilization they reach the morula stage faster and, as blastocysts, show reduced glucose consumption and elevated endogenous triglyceride levels. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Female overweight and obesity is associated with infertility. Moreover, being overweight or obese around conception may have significant consequences for the unborn child, since there are widely acknowledged links between events occurring during early development and the incidence of a number of adult disorders. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION We have performed a retrospective, observational analysis of oocyte size and the subsequent developmental kinetics of 218 oocytes from 29 consecutive women attending for ICSI treatment and have related time to reach key developmental stages to maternal bodyweight. In addition, we have measured non-invasively the metabolic activity of 150 IVF/ICSI embryos from a further 29 consecutive women who donated their surplus embryos to research, and have related the data retrospectively to their body mass index (BMI). PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS In a clinical IVF setting, we compared oocyte morphology and developmental kinetics of supernumerary embryos collected from overweight and obese women, with a BMI in excess of 25 kg/m2 to those from women of healthy weight. A Primovision Time-Lapse system was used to measure developmental kinetics and the non-invasive COnsumption/RElese of glucose, pyruvate, amino acids and lactate were measured on spent droplets of culture medium. Total triglyceride levels within individual embryos were also determined. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Human oocytes from women presenting for fertility treatment with a BMI exceeding 25 kg/m2 are smaller (R2 = −0.45; P = 0.001) and therefore less likely to complete development post-fertilization (P < 0.001). Those embryos that do develop reach the morula stage faster than embryos from women of a BMI < 25 kg/m2

Good Manufacturing and Hygienic Practices at Small and Medium Scale Pineapple Processing Enterprises in Rwanda

The purpose of this study was to assess the compliance of small and medium scale pineapple processing enterprises in Rwanda to the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Good Hygiene Practices (GHP) as set by the national, regional and Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) food safety and hygiene regulations. The layout design and practices of hygiene for 16 small and 11 medium pineapple processing enterprises were characterised by conducting face-to-face interviews using questionnaires and observations. None of the visited enterprises had clear criteria of the delivery procedure of raw pineapples and none had a signed contract with the suppliers and this led to uncontrolled primary production. The plant layout and design of both small and medium enterprises were characterised by insufficient number of working rooms and there was  crisscrossing in the production line of 81.8% and 87.5% respectively for medium and small enterprises. The clean and unclean sectors were only separated at 63.6% and 31.2% of the medium and small enterprises respectively. In generally, the status of all enterprise categories, their surrounding areas and equipment was classified as unsatisfactory. The majority of enterprises did not have temperature and time control systems and for both enterprise categories, there was no clear plan for waste disposal, plus pest and insect control. Lack of compliance to the standard requirements was observed in the majority of both enterprise categories. In order for these enterprises to access export market, it is recommended that training on the requirements for GMP and HGP for food processing industries by the Rwanda Bureau of Standards and other government and non-government institutions be provided. Training programs on basic food safety and hygiene in food processing enterprises need to be in place to support implementation of prerequisite programs in the small scale fruit processing enterprises. Keywords: Good manufacturing practices, Small and medium enterprises, Pineapple processing, Standard

Palmeri, Paolo. – Retour dans un village diola de Casamance. Chronique d’une recherche anthropologique au Sénégal. Traduit de l’italien par Janick Gazio. Présentation de Bernardo Bernardi. Paris, L’Harmattan, 397 p., bibl. (« Anthropologie-Connaissance des Hommes »).

En refermant le livre de Paolo Palmeri on se pose une question : alors que ne sont pas commodément accessibles au public français les grands textes classiques sur les Diola (L.-V. Thomas 1958-1959, Snyder 1975, Pélissier 1966, etc.) pourquoi traduire et éditer le livre d’un auteur italien qui ne renouvelle en aucune manière la réflexion de ses illustres devanciers ? Ce qui a probablement séduit les éditeurs est que Retour dans un village diola ne se présente pas seulement comme une monographi..