Do Constitutions Matter? The Dilemma of a Radical Lawyer

Constitutions do not make revolutions. Revolutions make constitutions. No constitution envisages its own death for that is what a revolution entail. But constitutions matter. Some of the finest constitutions have been erected on ugly socio-economic formations wrought with extreme inequalities and inequities. South Africa and Kenya are examples. But constitutions do matter. Constitutions rarely herald fundamental transformations. They are the product of major transformations to consolidate the new status quo. Yet constitutions do matter. Why do constitutions matter? Why do we need constitutions? Why does every revolution and major change in modern societies birth new constitutions

The Effects of Movement Interventions on Focus and Concentration in Toddler Montessori Classrooms

The purpose of this action research was to determine the effects of movement activities on focus and concentration in toddler Montessori classrooms. Evidence supports the connection between purposeful movement and levels of concentration. Both quantitative and qualitative data of three toddler-aged classes was collected through the use of a pre and post questionnaires, checklists and observational record keeping. The intervention took place over a period of six weeks at an independent school setting with 24 students ages 21 months to 3 years. The results showed the students focus and concentration levels increased during the Montessori uninterrupted morning work cycle when intentional movement lessons or activities were introduced. Based on the data, there is a correlation between movement intervention activities and concentration levels. Additional research should be conducted over an extended period of time to better study the effects of movement on focus, concentration, and behavior in the classroom

Vuta N'Kuvute (A Tug of War)

Vuta nkuvute (A Tug of War) is a feature-length fiction screenplay based on Adam Shafis award-winning Swahili novel, which is taught in high school literature classes across Tanzania. The story explores a forbidden romance between star-crossed lovers against the backdrop of 1950s colonial Zanzibar. Yasmin, a young Indian-Zanzibari runaway bride is intrigued by Denge, an African communist whose youthful rebelliousness lands him in trouble with the British colonial regime. Their passionate but forlorn relationship is coupled with their daily struggles of finding their place in the resistance movement for independence

The effect of dendritic cell mobilization on CD8+ T cell responses to influenza A virus

Influenza A viruses (IAV) cause respiratory infections with potentially catastrophic consequences. Neutralizing antibodies towards surface proteins of IAV prevent reinfection. However, mutations in these proteins allow the virus to evade these antibodies. Enhancing cytotoxic T cell-mediated immunity has been proposed as an attractive strategy to combat flu. Recombinant human FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (FL) is known to mobilize dendritic cells (DCs) in mice. Given that DCs are the most potent antigen-presenting cells, I hypothesized that their mobilization by FL will improve the CD8+ T cell response to IAV. Quantification of CD8+ T cell responses to IAV epitopes by intracellular cytokine staining revealed that FL treatment can indeed increase the frequencies and absolute numbers of mouse T cells specific for select IAV epitopes. Additionally, FL treatment increased the killing function of IAV-specific T cells. My results suggest that FL may exert a therapeutic benefit in the context of flu infection

The determination of drug stability by HPLC assay of degradation products.

This work evaluates the advantages in drug stability testing of following the decomposition by analysis of decomposition products. Conventional methods of drug stability testing are criticised and the limitations are shown to be largely a result of analysing for un-decomposed drug. Using simulated analytical results incorporating various levels of precision, the use of product concentration is shown to be capable of producing conventional rate constants in shorter times, by utilising smaller extents of reaction than use of intact drug analysis. The simulation is applied to single, parallel, consecutive and reversible reactions. The findings of the simulated decompositions are supported by practical decomposition studies on several drugs. HPLC with ultraviolet detection is used as a single analytical method for both reactant and product. Aspirin and diiodoaspirin represent single-decomposition product systems; tetracycline is examined as a drug decomposition involving parallel, consecutive and reversible reactions. Nafimidone is studied to establish the advantages and limitations of product and reactant measurements, where all decomposition products have not been identified. The oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural is also examined to determine the usefulness of product analysis in limit testing and in establishing reaction pathways. In all cases where product identity is known, it is shown that the initial rate method employing product concentrations provides more rapid determination of rate constants. It is suggested that reaction order is overemphasized in shelf-life determination of drugs and that the initial rate method with analysis of product can minimise - and in certain cases, eliminate - the need for temperature stressing to determine shelf-life. HPLC is shown to be very generally applicable in product measurement. New criteria for stability-indicating assays that allow use of the initial rate method are demonstrated for the above drugs, and for succinylsulphathiazole, diphenhydramine and chloramphenicol. The separations obtained are described in terms of current ion pairing ideas

BRCA2 Regulates Transcription Elongation by RNA Polymerase II to Prevent R-Loop Accumulation.

The controlled release of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) from promoter-proximal pausing (PPP) sites is critical for transcription elongation in metazoans. We show that the human tumor suppressor BRCA2 interacts with RNAPII to regulate PPP release, thereby preventing unscheduled RNA-DNA hybrids (R-loops) implicated in genomic instability and carcinogenesis. BRCA2 inactivation by depletion or cancer-causing mutations instigates RNAPII accumulation and R-loop accrual at PPP sites in actively transcribed genes, accompanied by γH2AX formation marking DNA breakage, which is reduced by ERCC4 endonuclease depletion. BRCA2 inactivation decreases RNAPII-associated factor 1 (PAF1) recruitment (which normally promotes RNAPII release) and diminishes H2B Lys120 ubiquitination, impeding nascent RNA synthesis. PAF1 depletion phenocopies, while its overexpression ameliorates, R-loop accumulation after BRCA2 inactivation. Thus, an unrecognized role for BRCA2 in the transition from promoter-proximal pausing to productive elongation via augmented PAF1 recruitment to RNAPII is subverted by disease-causing mutations, provoking R-loop-mediated DNA breakage in BRCA2-deficient cells