Cultural Culprits

This paper draws from a longer Article that examines questions of agency, victimization, and cultural essentialism in U.S. asylum adjudication and cultural defense cases specifically, and in international human rights law more broadly. I explore the adjudication of FGC asylum claims based on cultural persecution” that encode a racialized view of culture. I describe the historical trajectory of contemporary FGC claims through a detailed analysis of colonial anti-excision campaigns. I compare early 19th century anti-excision campaigns with contemporary maternal imperialism, as international law, UN agencies, and international financial institutions became more responsive to feminist concerns about eradicating FGC. Throughout the paper, I ask: who is dominating the legal, normative, and political arguments determining the classification of “culture”? How does victimization hide behind and reproduce power when it is associated with culture? Are cultural claims activating latent concepts of pathology, repugnance, or savagery? Where are these discourses being produced and consumed, and what are the relationships between the colonial past and the post-colonial present? In the particular case of FGC, do the respective limitations of universalism, medicalization, and criminalization also demarcate the problems of post-structuralist deference, laissez-faire liberalism, and relativism

Libertad en la pila bautismal

¿“Sepan quantos esta carta vieren como yo Doña María de la Asunción, viuda de Fernando López de Miranda, moradora en esta ciudad de los Reyes del Perú digo que por quanto tengo por mi esclavo a un Zambillo nombrado Francisco que será de diecisiete oras que nació en mi casa ayer en la noche a las ocho de Catalina Miranda morena criolla mi esclava… y porque a la susodicha tengo mucho amor y voluntad por aberme servido con puntualidad, fidelidad y cuidado así por ser mi aijado el dicho niño Fran..

Use of biomarkers to assess fruit and vegetables intake

A high intake of fruit and vegetables (FV) has been associated with reduced risk of a number of chronic diseases, including CVD. The aim of this review is to describe the potential use of biomarkers to assess FV intake. Traditional methods of assessing FV intake have limitations, and this is likely to impact on observed associations with disease outcomes and markers of disease risk. Nutritional biomarkers may offer a more objective and reliable method of assessing dietary FV intake. Some single blood biomarkers, such as plasma vitamin C and serum carotenoids, are well established as indicators of FV intake. Combining potential biomarkers of intake may more accurately predict overall FV intake within intervention studies than the use of any single biomarker. Another promising approach is metabolomic analysis of biological fluids using untargeted approaches to identify potential new biomarkers of FV intake. Using biomarkers to measure FV intake may improve the accuracy of dietary assessment.authorsversionPeer reviewe

The demography of free-roaming dog populations and applications to disease and population control

Understanding the demography of domestic dog populations is essential for effective disease control, particularly of canine-mediated rabies. Demographic data are also needed to plan effective population management. However, no study has comprehensively evaluated the contribution of demographic processes (i.e. births, deaths and movement) to variations in dog population size or density, or determined the factors that regulate these processes, including human factors. We report the results of a 3-year cohort study of domestic dogs, which is the first to generate detailed data on the temporal variation of these demographic characteristics. The study was undertaken in two communities in each of Bali, Indonesia and Johannesburg, South Africa, in rabies-endemic areas and where the majority of dogs were free-roaming. None of the four communities had been engaged in any dog population management interventions by local authorities or animal welfare organizations. All identified dogs in the four communities were monitored individually throughout the study. We observed either no population growth or a progressive decline in population size during the study period. There was no clear evidence that population size was regulated through environmental resource constraints. Rather, almost all of the identified dogs were owned and fed regularly by their owners, consistent with population size regulated by human demand. Finally, a substantial fraction of the dogs originated from outside the population, entirely through the translocation of dogs by people, rather than from local births. These findings demonstrate that previously reported growth of dog populations is not a general phenomenon and challenge the widely held view that free-roaming dogs are unowned and form closed populations. Synthesis and applications. These observations have broad implications for disease and population control. The accessibility of dogs for vaccination and evaluation through owners and the movement of dogs (some of them infected) by people will determine the viable options for disease control strategies. The impact of human factors on population dynamics will also influence the feasibility of annual vaccination campaigns to control rabies and population control through culling or sterilization. The complex relationship between dogs and people is critically important in the transmission and control of canine-mediated rabies. For effective management, human factors must be considered in the development of disease and population control programmes

Development and Evaluation of a Computer-Based, Self-Management Tool for People Recently Diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes

Aim. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a computer-based, dietary, and physical activity self-management program for people recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Methods. The computer-based program was developed in conjunction with the target group and evaluated in a 12-week randomised controlled trial (RCT). Participants were randomised to the intervention (computer-program) or control group (usual care). Primary outcomes were diabetes knowledge and goal setting (ADKnowl questionnaire, Diabetes Obstacles Questionnaire (DOQ)) measured at baseline and week 12. User feedback on the program was obtained via a questionnaire and focus groups. Results. Seventy participants completed the 12-week RCT (32 intervention, 38 control, mean age 59 (SD) years). After completion there was a significant between-group difference in the "knowledge and beliefs scale" of the DOQ. Two-thirds of the intervention group rated the program as either good or very good, 92% would recommend the program to others, and 96% agreed that the information within the program was clear and easy to understand. Conclusions. The computer-program resulted in a small but statistically significant improvement in diet-related knowledge and user satisfaction was high. With some further development, this computer-based educational tool may be a useful adjunct to diabetes self-management. This trial is registered with clinicaltrials.gov NCT number NCT00877851

Impact of Abamectin on Anagrus Nilaparvatae, an Egg Parasitoid of Nilaparvata Lugens

Anagrus nilaparvatae (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) is an egg parasitoid potential for controlling the major pests on rice, the brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens [Hemiptera: Delphacidae]).Abamectin is one of insecticides registered for N. lugens. The research was aimed to investigate the impact of contact application of abamectin on the parasitism level of A. nilaparvatae under laboratory conditions. Adults of A. nilaparvatae and the first instars as well as adults of N. lugens were exposed to the residue of abamection inside the test tube. A. nilaparvatae was much more susceptible to abamectin compared to N. lugens. Application of abamectin at the recommended concentration (22.78 ppm) for 30 min caused 100% mortality, and it reduced to 85% when the concentration was decreased to 0.36 ppm. In contrast, the mortality for the first instar of N. lugens was only 15% at 22.78 and no mortality at 0.36 ppm. No N. lugens adults died even when they were exposed to 22.78 ppm. Furthermore, the parasitism test was conducted using 38 days after planting of IR-64 rice variety. Those plants were infested with 50 females of N. lugens for 2 days. A. nilaparvatae were exposed by contact to 0.02, 0.23, and 2.28 ppm of abamectin. The survivors were released to the rice plant containing eggs of N. lugens. Contact application of abamectin reduced parasitism level of A. nilaparvatae as much as 86.34, 70.01, and 28.43% with concentrations of 2.28 ppm, 0.23 and 0.02 ppm, respectively. In addition, the number of parasitoids emerged decreased with increasing concentration of abamectin. These results suggest that abamectin could be detrimental to A. nilaparvatae due to direct mortality, reduced the parasitism level, and decreased the number of progeny produced. IntisariAnagrus nilaparvatae (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) merupakan salah satu parasitoid telur yang berpotensi untuk mengendalikan hama utama tanaman padi, wereng batang padi cokelat (Nilaparvata lugens [Hemiptera: Delphacidae]). Abamektin adalah salah satu insektisida yang terdaftar untuk pengendalian N. lugens. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui dampak aplikasi kontak abamektin terhadap suseptibilitas dan tingkat parasitasi A. nilaparvatae terhadap telur N. lugens pada kondisi laboratorium. Imago A. nilaparvatae serta instar satu dan imago N. lugens dipapar dengan residu abamektin di dalam tabung reaksi. A. nilaparvatae lebih peka terhadap abamektin dibandingkan N. lugens. Aplikasi abamektin pada konsentrasi anjuran (22,78 ppm) selama 30 menit menyebabkan mortalitas A. nilaparvatae 100%, dan mengurangi sampai dengan 85% pada konsentrasi yang lebih rendah 0,36 ppm. Sebaliknya, mortalitas instar satu N. lugens hanya sebesar 15% pada 22,78 ppm dan tidak menimbulkan kematian pada 0,36 ppm. Konsentrasi 22,78 ppm tidak menimbulkan kematian imago N. lugens. Selanjutnya, uji parasitasi dilakukan menggunakan media tanaman padi varietas IR-64 umur 38 hari setelah tanam. Tanaman diinfestasi dengan 50 ekor betina N. lugens selama dua hari. A. nilaparvatae dipapar abamektin dengan metode kontak pada konsentrasi 0.02, 0,23, dan 2,28 ppm. Parasitoid yang mampu bertahan hidup dilepaskan pada tanaman padi yang telah diinfestasi telur N. lugens. Aplikasi kontak abamektin mengurangi tingkat parasitasi A. nilaparvatae sebesar 86,34, 70.01, dan 28,43% pada konsentrasi 2,28; 0,23; dan 0,02 ppm. Selain itu, jumlah parasitoid yang muncul semakin menurun dengan peningkatan konsentrasi abamektin. Hasil ini menunjukkan bahwa abamektin dapat merugikan secara langsung terhadap mortalitas serta mengurangi tingkat parasitasi dan jumlah keturunan A. nilaparvatae