The New Generation of Community Foundations

Community foundations have enjoyed considerable growth in recent years, not only in their number but also in their character. This emergence of a "new generation" of community foundations is occurring within a larger context of other emerging forms of "social solidarity" movements and institutions, including rural development philanthropy, member-based organizing and other hybrid forms of citizen-led actions. In an effort to strengthen a conceptual framework for this phenomenon, this paper identifies synergies and linkages across networks (and their respective bodies of literature) that may previously not have been well connected

Rhetoric and Reason in the Civil Science of Thomas Hobbes

In successive versions of Hobbes\u27s political teaching we see a changing account of the nature of rhetoric, or eloquence, and of the dangers it poses for political life. In his Leviathan Hobbes expresses a new confidence that the causes of political dissolution can in principle be entirely eradicated. I argue that Hobbes\u27s new hope is based on his account of the problem of rhetoric and of the solution to that problem developed in Leviathan. I also examine two recent and important accounts of Hobbes\u27s understanding of rhetoric by Quentin Skinner and David Johnston

Must a Just Distribution of Emissions Shares Respect Territorial Claims to Terrestrial Sink Capacity?

A central task of climate justice is to agree upon a just distribution of the right to emit greenhouse gases. According to the equal per capita shares view, the right to emit should be divided equally between every inhabitant of Earth, since to emit is to use up the resource of atmospheric absorptive capacity, and this is a resource to which no one person has any stronger claim than any other. The fact that a significant proportion of the Earth's ability to absorb and sequester greenhouse gases actually comes not from the atmosphere, but from terrestrial climate sinks that are located within national borders, and that are therefore plausibly subject to legitimate territorial claims, poses a serious challenge to the intuitive egalitarian simplicity of the equal per capita shares view. A defence of this view, then, is tantamount to a defence of the redistribution of terrestrial sink capacity, and therefore must involve either (1) an argument against the legitimacy of territorial claims to terrestrial sink capacity, or (2) an argument for why legitimate territorial claims to terrestrial sink capacity should nevertheless be ignored in favour of an equal per capita distribution of emissions shares. One strategy for doing so involves applying Charles Beitz's resource redistribution principle to terrestrial sink capacity. Some authors have argued that this strategy will fail due to important differences between the nature of 'conventional' natural resources, and the nature of a resource link climate sink capacity. In this paper, I consider five arguments to this effect that seek to establish the legitimacy of territorial claims to terrestrial sink capacity. Respectively, they appeal to attachment, identity, self-determination, improvement and fairness in order to do so. I argue that each one either fails to establish the legitimacy of territorial claims to terrestrial sink capacity, or, where they do plausibly establish legitimacy, they do so in a way that renders them vulnerable to type-(2) objections that suggest territorial claims to terrestrial sink capacity should nevertheless be ignored. I conclude that, if one is willing to adopt the resource redistribution principle, a just distribution of emissions shares need not respect territorial claims to terrestrial sink capacity

Grain and seed storage in France: State of practice and perspectives

ARVALIS – Institut du végétal is a French research and development institute working for farmers on different topics: in the field as well as after harvest with storage and quality preservation of grain. This work is carried out with various partners: public and private research institutes and professional organisations. In France, storage of cereals between harvest and use takes place in elevators and on farms. A survey carried out by the French National Office for Cereal (ONIGC/France Agrimer) showed that elevators use various ways to fight against insects, for example with preventive or remedial use of insecticides.In this frame and given the current regulatory reduction of chemical products on the market, ARVALIS– Institut du végétal recommends the application of preventive practices through vocational scientific and practical training, articles in specialized papers, and meetings. The approach is first to store clean grain free from insects in cleaned premises. Additionally, the most important parameters to control and manage quality of stored products during storage are grain humidity and temperature. Thanks to this procedure, insects might not infest grain. But in case of insect development in the grain, elevator workers can use one of the three authorized liquid insecticides or control treatment. At the same time, ARVALIS is involved in research. The topics are close to the current preoccupations of elevator operators: sampling (how to get a representative sample of grain for insects search), early detection of insects in stored grain, use of aeration to cool grain temperature to avoid attracting insects to the grain and use of physical processes to kill insects (heat…)

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationPublic schools in the United States face challenges as they attempt to increase the academic achievement and social competencies of today's students. Many schools are turning to strategies known as positive behavior interventions and supports in a national effort to focus on prevention rather than on reactive disciplinary programs. This study examined the effects of positive behavior support within a district model of implementation. Through a state-supported program called the Utah Behavior Initiative, five elementary schools worked through the phases of infrastructure, implementation, and continuous improvement. Data were gathered for the baseline year and treatment year, and the effects were examined. The schools were found to be high implementers of positive behavior interventions and supports, and they also had a high level of consumer satisfaction based on student and teacher reports. The rates of positive reinforcement, reduction in office discipline referrals, and resources saved were examined on a school-by-school basis because an overall effect was not found. Implications for practice and future research were also discussed

Oxidant production in exercise: effects of exercise intensity and an environmental stressor on rate of oxidant production

Dissertation submitted to Luton University for the degree of Masters by ResearchOxidant production in exercise was investigated with the aim of determining whether certain exercise intensities could cause increases in post exercise concentrations of urinary free radical markers, when compared to pre-exercise marker concentrations, by use of a simple, easy to repeat study. Subjects exercised at a variety of set percentages of maximum oxygen intake capacity (V02 Max) for 30 minutes, following which urine samples were taken at scheduled time points for up to 24 hours. Samples were analysed for markers of free radical damage to cellular structures. No significant differences in concentrations were found between individual sample time-points in each urinary free radical marker (p=>O.OS). However urinary concentrations of each marker were significantly different (p=<O.OS). For all urinary markers analysed there was a significant difference in concentrations between exercise at an intensities of 1 00% V02 Max and 85% V02 Max (p=<O.OS). Also observed was a general pattern of concentration changes over the 24 hours, for all urinary markers. Oxidant production was also studied in a group of Free Divers as they competed in three classes in a World Championship free dive event. Subjects gave urine samples pre-dive and post-dive which were analysed for markers of free radical damage to cellular structures, as before. Of the three classes studied, the Static event consistently produced the highest concentrations of urinary markers, possibly due to a weaker 'dive reflex' response in the divers. The results of both studies demonstrate that concentrations of urinary markers of free radical damage are unique to each individual. However, the significant differences found between markers show that different forms and intensities of exercise produce different magnitudes of free radical markers in the urine. Such analysis can provide useful information into how different intensities of exercise may influence general health

Mechanisms underlying the resolution of HDM induced allergic airways disease

Allergic asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the lung and deficiencies in pro-resolving mechanisms may contribute to the persistence of inflammation. The overall aim of this project was to establish a resolution model of house dust mite (HDM) induced allergic airway disease (AAD) and identify mediators of resolution. In our model, features of disease, induced by HDM at peak disease 4 hours, airway hyper-reactivity (AHR), Th2 lymphocytes and eosinophils remained significantly elevated 7 days after last challenge, resolving to baseline by 13 days. The levels of FoxP3+ regulatory lymphocytes also follow this pattern. However, as disease waned there was an elevation in the levels of alveolar macrophages and up regulation of the homeostatic molecule CD200R up to 13 days. Exposure to a single i.n administration of HDM in the resolved airways resulted in a rapid increase in Th2 inflammation and AHR suggesting that after resolution of HDM inflammation there is altered immune homeostasis in the lung. The pro-resolving lipid Lipoxin A4 was induced in the lung by HDM exposure and remained detectable during resolution. Depletion of alveolar macrophages during the resolution phase of allergen challenge resulted in delayed clearance of Th2 lymphocytes, airway neutrophils and interstitial macrophages. Conversely, adoptive transfer of alveolar macrophages during resolution resulted in reduced numbers of lung tissue leukocytes, specifically neutrophils and interstitial macrophages. This suggests a cross talk between these macrophage subsets and a novel interaction for pulmonary homeostasis. The anti-inflammatory peptide Annexin A1 is highly expressed by alveolar macrophages and mice deficient in Annexin A1 had enhanced AHR and Th2 immunity response to HDM. Blocking the Annexin A1 receptor FPR2 enhanced AHR and lung inflammation. Conversely, therapeutic administration of an Annexin A1 mimetic improved AHR and Th2 immunity. These studies demonstrate that Annexin A1: FPR2 pathway may be important in HDM disease and that resolution of allergic airways disease is an active process resulting in altered homeostasis of the lung.Open Acces

Comparison of veterinary drugs and veterinary homeopathy: part 1

For many years after its invention around 1796, homeopathy was widely used in people and later in animals. Over the intervening period (1796-2016) pharmacology emerged as a science from Materia Medica (medicinal materials) to become the mainstay of veterinary therapeutics. There remains today a much smaller, but significant, use of homeopathy by veterinary surgeons. Homeopathic products are sometimes administered when conventional drug therapies have not succeeded, but are also used as alternatives to scientifically based therapies and licensed products. The principles underlying the veterinary use of drug-based and homeopathic products are polar opposites; this provides the basis for comparison between them. This two-part review compares and contrasts the two treatment forms in respect of history, constituents, methods of preparation, known or postulated mechanisms underlying responses, the legal basis for use and scientific credibility in the 21st century. Part 1 begins with a consideration of why therapeutic products actually work or appear to do so