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Saturday 30 April 2016

Photo competition - https://www.banffcentre.ca/banff-mountain-photo-essay-competition

https://www.banffcentre.ca/banff-mountain-photo-essay-competitionThe 2016 Banff Mountain Photo Essay Competition is now open  

ENTER NOW!

Deadline to enter is May 12, 2016
Grand Prize: $3000 Canadian

The competition's goal is to showcase the best in mountain-themed photo essays – to recognize the best stories told through a series of still images. The jury is seeking a sequence of images that conveys a compelling story or message – with each image strong enough to stand on its own while conveying a greater narrative when viewed in the photographer’s desired sequence.
We invite photographers to submit photo essays to illustrate their mountain related stories whether culture, adventure, wildlife, sport, environment, or natural history

- See more at: https://www.banffcentre.ca/banff-mountain-photo-essay-competition#sthash.6pj18mvj.dpufThe 2016 Banff Mountain Photo Essay Competition is now open  

ENTER NOW!

Deadline to enter is May 12, 2016
Grand Prize: $3000 Canadian

The competition's goal is to showcase the best in mountain-themed photo essays – to recognize the best stories told through a series of still images. The jury is seeking a sequence of images that conveys a compelling story or message – with each image strong enough to stand on its own while conveying a greater narrative when viewed in the photographer’s desired sequence.
We invite photographers to submit photo essays to illustrate their mountain related stories whether culture, adventure, wildlife, sport, environment, or natural history

- See more at: https://www.banffcentre.ca/banff-mountain-photo-essay-competition#sthash.6pj18mvj.dpufThe 2016 Banff Mountain Photo Essay Competition is now open  

ENTER NOW!

Deadline to enter is May 12, 2016
Grand Prize: $3000 Canadian

The competition's goal is to showcase the best in mountain-themed photo essays – to recognize the best stories told through a series of still images. The jury is seeking a sequence of images that conveys a compelling story or message – with each image strong enough to stand on its own while conveying a greater narrative when viewed in the photographer’s desired sequence.
We invite photographers to submit photo essays to illustrate their mountain related stories whether culture, adventure, wildlife, sport, environment, or natural history
- See more at: https://www.banffcentre.ca/banff-mountain-photo-essay-competition#sthash.6pj18mvj.dpuf

2016 Philosophy Essay Prize - £2,500


2016 Prize Essay Competition

The Royal Institute of Philosophy and Cambridge University Press are pleased to announce the 2016 Philosophy Essay Prize. The winner of the Prize will receive £2,500 with his or her essay being published in Philosophy and identified as the essay prize winner.
The topic for the 2016 essay competition is:
Can there be a credible philosophy of history?
Many thinkers from classical times onwards have seen history as having a predetermined direction. Some have seen it in terms of inevitable decline, others in terms of progress to a utopian future. The idea that history has a predetermined direction has been criticised by many, who stress the unpredictability of the future in general or the effects of human freedom, creativity and ingenuity, or other ways in which the course of events may change radically. Are these or other criticisms conclusive, or is it still possible to hold a deterministic or evolutionary view, either despite the criticisms or by refuting them directly? Even given historical unpredictability in detail, are there still trends in history which can be discerned? If history has no direction, is there anything left to be said about the philosophy of history? Authors may address the question by considering some of the issues raised above or by attempting other approaches of their own.
In assessing entries priority will be given to originality, clarity of expression, breadth of interest, and potential for advancing discussion. All entries will be deemed to be submissions to Philosophy and more than one may be published. In exceptional circumstances the prize may be awarded jointly in which case the financial component will be divided, but the aim is to select a single prize-winner.
Entries should be prepared in line with standard Philosophy guidelines for submission (see http://royalinstitutephilosophy.org/publications/philosophy-information-for-authors/). They should be submitted electronically in Word, with PRIZE ESSAY in the subject heading, to assistant@royalinstitutephilosophy.org.
The closing date for receipt of entries is 3rd October 2016. 
Entries will be considered by a committee of the Royal Institute of Philosophy, and the winner announced by the end 2016.  The winning entry will be published in Philosophy in April 2017.

Environmental impact assessment system in Thailand and its comparison with those in China and Japan


  • Department of Environmental Science and Technology, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan


Highlights

Reviewed current EIA procedures in Thailand, Japan and China
The EIA database is getting improved so as to generate profile of EIAs in the past.
Thailand needs to empower the local EIA authority within the EIA system.
The potential impacts should be more concerned than their scale in Japanese EIA.
Time limits and transparency should be reconsidered in China's EIA system.

Abstract

This paper aims to find ways to streamline the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) system in Thailand to increase its effectiveness by comparative analysis with China and Japan. This study is mainly focused on review, update and comparison of EIA systems between these three countries. It is intended to clarify fundamental information of the EIA systems and characteristics of the key elements of EIA processes (screening, consideration of alternatives, prediction or evaluation of impact, and public participation). Moreover, the number of the EIA projects that have been implemented in all the provinces in Thailand are presented. The results identified the similarities and differences of the EIA processes among the three aforementioned countries. The type of EIA report used in Thailand, unlike those in China and Japan, is an Environmental and Health Impact Assessment (EHIA), which is concerned with the health and environmental impacts that could occur from the project. In addition, EIA reports in Thailand are made available to the public online and the shortcomings of the process have details of barriers resulting from the projects to help future projects with reconsideration and improvements. In this study, it is pointed out that Thai's EIA system still lacks local EIA authority which needs to be empowered by implementing a set of laws or ordinance.

Keywords

  • Thailand;
  • China;
  • Japan;
  • Environmental impact assessment
Corresponding author at: G5-9, 4259 Nagatsuta, Midori-ku, Yokohama 2268502, Japan.
Kultip Suwanteep, M.A. After graduating from Master's course of Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, She entered Ph.D. course of Tokyo Institute of Technology in October of 2013. Her research topic is focused on EIA as well as SEA systems in her country comparing with other Asian countries.
Takehiko Murayama, Ph.D. After graduating from Ph.D. course of Tokyo Institute of Technology, he moved to Fukushima university as an associate professor, and Waseda University as a professor. In 2012, he is in the current position. He has been conducting researches on environmental impact assessment as well as risk management. In addition to a member of International Advisory Board of this journal, he is active as a member of IAIA, and vice president of Japan Society for Impact Assessment. Also, he is an international member of editorial board of the journal for Korean Society for Environmental Impact Assessment.
Shigeo Nishikizawa, Ph.D. After graduating from Ph.D. course of Tokyo Institute of Technology, he moved to Shiga Prefectural University as a lecturer, and went back to his current university as an associate professor in 2009. His research topics include environmental impact assessment, public participation and consensus building. He is a member of editorial board of the journal for Japan Society for Impact Assessment. he is active as a member of IAIA.

Perfluoroalkyl substances assessment in drinking waters from Brazil, France and Spain

Volume 539, 1 January 2016, Pages 143–152


Highlights

PFASs were assessed in 96 drinking waters from Brazil, France and Spain.
The highest levels in tap and bottled waters were of 140 and 116 ng/l, respectively.
The tolerable daily intake has been estimated for 16 PFASs.
Drinking water did not pose imminent risk associated to PFASs.

Abstract

Human exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) occurs primarily via dietary intake and drinking water. In this study, 16 PFASs have been assessed in 96 drinking waters (38 bottled waters and 58 samples of tap water) from Brazil, France and Spain. The total daily intake and the risk index (RI) of 16 PFASs through drinking water in Brazil, France and Spain have been estimated.
This study was carried out using an analytical method based on an online sample enrichment followed by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). The quality parameters of the analytical method were satisfactory for the analysis of the 16 selected compounds in drinking waters. Notably, the method limits of detection (MLOD) and method limits of quantification (MLOQ) were in the range of 0.15 to 8.76 ng/l and 0.47 to 26.54 ng/l, respectively.
The results showed that the highest PFASs concentrations were found in tap water samples and the more frequently found compound was perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), with mean concentrations of 7.73, 15.33 and 15.83 ng/l in French, Spanish and Brazilian samples, respectively. In addition, PFOS was detected in all tap water samples from Brazil. The highest level of PFASs contamination in a single sample was 140.48 ng/l in a sample of Spanish tap water. In turn, in bottled waters the highest levels were detected in a French sample with 116 ng/l as the sum of PFASs. Furthermore, the most frequent compounds and those at higher concentrations were perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA) with a mean of frequencies in the three countries of 51.3%, followed by perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS) (27.2%) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) (23.0%).
Considering that bottled water is approximately 38% of the total intake, the total PFASs exposure through drinking water intake for an adult man was estimated to be 54.8, 58.0 and 75.6 ng/person per day in Spain, France and Brazil, respectively. However, assuming that the water content in other beverages has at least the same levels of contamination as in bottled drinking water, these amounts were increased to 72.2, 91.4 and 121.0 ng/person per day for an adult man in Spain, France and Brazil, respectively. The results of total daily intake in different gender/age groups showed that children are the most exposed population group through hydration with maximum values in Brazil of 2.35 and 2.01 ng/kg body weight (BW)/day for male and female, respectively. Finally, the RI was calculated. In spite of the highest values being found in Brazil, it was demonstrated that, in none of the investigated countries, drinking water pose imminent risk associated with PFASs contamination

Graphical abstract


Image for unlabelled figure

Keywords

  • Perfluoroalkyl substances;
  • Water;
  • Drinking water;
  • Daily intake;
  • Risk index
Corresponding author.

Gastronomic cosmopolitanism: Supermarket products in France and the United Kingdom

Available online 26 March 2016


Highlights

An innovative approach to measuring cosmopolitanism in Europe that focuses on supermarket product offerings.
Evidence for both the depth and the limitations of cultural diversity in contemporary Europe.
We find that some of the most stigmatized immigrant-origin groups in France and the UK have become part of mainstream supermarket culture.
The range of foreign gastronomic influences is limited and stratified, which reflects standardizing logics of globalizing consumer markets.

Abstract

In this article, we explore whether contemporary European cosmopolitanism is a deep or superficial trend. We do so by examining prepared meals in mainstream French and United Kingdom (UK) supermarket chains. First, we ask to what extent are foreign cultural influences present in these grocery outlets? Then, we explore which foreign cultural influences are present and, finally, how they are presented in this mainstream market setting. Our results are mixed. We find evidence of significant cultural diversity in the offerings of both French and UK supermarket chains. Supermarkets in both countries offer sizeable percentages of products from foreign countries in and outside of Europe. In addition, most of these products are presented without exoticization, suggesting a level of comfort and familiarity with the foreign gastronomic products among consumers, and a promising indicator of robust cosmopolitanism. However, the range of foreign gastronomic influences, in both countries, is both limited and stratified. We argue that this partially reflects standardizing logics and trends of globalizing consumer markets. This suggests that everyday cosmopolitanism may continue to develop in Western Europe, but will likely involve an uneven set of cultural influences.

Keywords

  • Cosmopolitanism;
  • Gastronomy;
  • Europe;
  • France;
  • UK;
  • Cultural diversity;
  • Immigration;
  • Globalization;
  • Cultural sociology
Corresponding author.
Rahsaan Maxwell is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He received his PhD in 2008 from the Department of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. His research explores the politics of racial, ethnic, religious, and immigrant-origin minorities, often focusing on Western Europe. He has examined numerous issues including minority cultural integration, political attitudes, identity, representation, and acceptance in mainstream society.
Michaela DeSoucey is Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at North Carolina State University. She received her PhD in 2010 from the Department of Sociology at Northwestern University. Her research and teaching centers on how varied relationships among markets, social movements, and state systems shape the cultural and moral politics of food.

New radiocarbon evidence on the extirpation of the spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta (Erxl.)) in northern Eurasia

Volume 96, 15 July 2014, Pages 108–116
Predators, Prey and Hominins - Celebrating the Scientific Career of Alan Turner (1947-2012)


Abstract

The extirpation of spotted hyaena, Crocuta crocuta, in northern Eurasia can be seen as part of the late Quaternary megafaunal extinction event. The radiocarbon record for this species is less substantial than for other megafaunal species, but with the addition of new dates we have significantly increased the tally to approximately 100 reliable direct dates. These suggest extirpation at ca 40 ka (calendar years) in Central Europe and Russia, and ca 31 ka in north-west and southern Europe, so that the species was probably restricted to the Mediterranean and the Atlantic seaboard after 40 ka. Previous records suggesting Lateglacial or even Holocene survival (especially in eastern Asia) are not substantiated. The current estimate of 31 ka for extirpation of the spotted hyaena in northern Eurasia is close to the estimated extinction date of cave bear (Ursus spelaeus), suggesting a possible common cause. Factors likely to have impacted the spotted hyaena include, in particular, physiological cold intolerance in the face of deteriorating climate, as well as reduction of prey abundance driven by depressed vegetational productivity, and increased competition for food or space with lions, bears and people, possibly exacerbated by the arrival of modern humans.

Keywords

  • Spotted hyaena Crocuta crocuta;
  • Radiocarbon dating;
  • Extinction;
  • Extirpation;
  • Palaeobiology;
  • Northern Eurasia
Corresponding author.

Trace element composition of freshwater pearl mussels Margaritifera spp. across Eurasia: Testing the effect of species and geographic location

Volume 402, 8 May 2015, Pages 125–139


  • a Institute of Ecological Problems of the North of Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Arkhangelsk 163000, Russia
  • b Georesources and Environment Toulouse UMR 5563 CNRS, IRD, University of Toulouse, 14 Avenue Edouard Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France
  • c BIO-GEO-CLIM Laboratory, Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia


Highlights

Four factors control Ca-normalized TE distribution in freshwater shells.
Element concentration and biochemical affinity are the first two factors.
Landscape and the proximity to hydrothermal/volcanic sources are the two other factors.
All species are significantly enriched by Mn relative to the river water.
TE distribution coefficients between the shells and water are similar for five species.

Abstract

To reveal the geographical and inter-species variability of the major and trace element (TE) compositions of freshwater mussel shells across Eurasia, we used ICP MS after acid digestion to analyze 50 samples of shells from five species of the genus Margaritifera spp. (Bivalvia: Margaritiferidae) collected in 20 minor rivers located in NW Russia, Sakhalin, Amur basin, Kuril Islands, Kamchatka and Laos. The variations between replicates from the same site were smaller than the variations between samples from different localities or between different mollusk species. Using normed PCA, we observed significant biological and geographical controls of the trace element composition in freshwater shells, with five main species exhibiting distinct features of TE concentration corresponding to four major geographical locations. Four PCA factors explain 81% of the TE variability, which is closely linked to specific geographical location and weakly linked to the identity of the species. The first two factors (F1 × F2) are the element concentration and its biological affinity. The other two factors (F3 × F4) likely are the nutrient status of the river, corresponding to its proximity to wetlands or mountains, and the degree of the influence of volcanic/hydrothermal activity. The analysis of water samples collected during the active growth period in summer baseflow was used to quantify the distribution coefficients (Kd) of trace elements between the aragonite shells and the river water. All species are significantly enriched in Mn relative to the river water, with distribution coefficients of up to 5. The other elements exhibit Kd values that were similar for the five species. This suggests that the obtained distribution coefficients may be universal constants reflecting uptake of each element by the organism from the river water and its intracellular transport and biocalcification processes. Taken together, the chemical composition data for pearl mussel shells may not only reflect the geographical locality and species identity but also provide insights into biochemical processes of element uptake in the form of biominerals.

Graphical abstract


Image for unlabelled figure

Keywords

  • Bivalve mussels;
  • Margaritifera;
  • Trace element;
  • Eurasia;
  • Distribution coefficient
Corresponding author at: Georesources and Environment Toulouse UMR 5563 CNRS, IRD, University of Toulouse, 14 Avenue Edouard Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France. Tel.: + 33 5 61 33 26 25; fax: + 33 5 61 33 25 60.

1904: The Feline Police Squad of New York’s General Post Office

https://hatchingcatnyc.com/2014/04/13/feline-police-squad-ny-post-office/ via @HatchingCatNYC

Women’s Health in the South Slavic Orthodox Tradition

http://recipes.hypotheses.org/

Visit to the witch from the Main Church of Rila Monastery, 1844. Photograph by Adelina Angusheva-Tihanov
Visit to the witch from the Main Church of Rila Monastery, 1844.
Photograph by Stavri Tserovski
This intriguing fresco was painted on the walls of the Rila Monastery, Bulgaria, in 1844. If you look closely at the bottom left-hand corner of this fresco, you might spot a demon urinating in a woman’s potion as she hands it to a sick man. Here, viewers of this fresco are encouraged to connect the activities of female healers with demons and evil spirits. This negative depiction of female healers was a common sight on the walls of nineteenth-century Bulgarian religious institutions, and continued a centuries-long struggle between the Church and local healers. The Church demonised female healers, but regularly concerned itself with the health issues of one group that was more likely to rely upon the powers of these practitioners –women. Indeed, religious texts of various periods deal with health and sickness. Religious healing has been discussed on The Recipes Project before.  Medieval South Slavic religious manuscripts commonly contain a range of texts relating to health: curative prayers; medical recipes; healing practices; short medical treatises; prognostications for an illness; and prophylactic instructions (such as dietary texts). In this post, we would like to share some common recipes, incantations and prayers addressing women’s health issues.
Detail from Fresco Photograph by Adelina Angusheva-Tihanov
Detail from Fresco
Photograph by Adelina Angusheva-Tihanov
The Hodoş Miscellany (Hodoshki Sbornik), so called because of its association with the Hodoş monastery now in Romania, is one of the richest sources for fifteenth century South Slavic remedies. This collection contains a range of recipes, including several concerning women. One such recipe is for conception. For this, it recommends administering morning baths from a dried rabbit’s womb or placenta (lozhe) filled with water during the woman’s menstruation. Interestingly, this recipe bears close resemblance to another remedy for conception presented by Dioscorides. According to Dioscorides, rabbit’s rennet mixed with butter should be used for purging baths during menstruation to cause pregnancy. In the remedy from Hodoş the replacement of the ‘rennet’ (stored in the stomach) with a ‘womb’, perhaps stems from a belief in the sympathetic magical influence of the rabbit’s fecundity. Interestingly, versions of this remedy continued to circulate in South Slavic folk tradition well into the twentieth century. For instance, in the 1980s, Margaret Dimitrova interviewed an old woman from the village of Brestnitsa in the Lovech region who continued to use pessaries made with rabbit fat as a fertility remedy.
South-eastern_Europe_1340(1)
Map of the Balkans, c. 1340 from Wiki Commons
Aside from providing fertility aids, the Hodoş miscellany also offers readers medicines to ease the pains of childbirth. We would like to bring three of these to your attention. The first remedy advises users to place a wreath of Euforbia officinarum on the head of the woman in labour. The other two offer brief magical rituals accompanied by powerful Biblical formulae. One instructs the user to write the short biblical quote “Open you, Gate of heaven” on a piece of paper and place it on the woman’s back. The second advises the reader to have a well-watered sponge in his or her left hand, and with their right hand inscribe on the top of the door: ‘Tear it down to its foundations!’ [Psalms 136:7]. The use of the door here as a locus in performing the conjuration might be a symbolic gesture associated with transition. The biblical quotation here took on multiple functions. ‘Tear it down to its foundations!’ is also used in prayers against swelling and water retention in men and horses. The meaning of the Biblical text was quite literally understood. The implication was of liberation, rather than destruction. In all cases it was applied because of the similarity in the expected results, regardless of the nature of the pains. Evidence suggests the use of this kind of remedies was widespread in the Balkans.
A Medieval Bulgarian Bible from Wiki Commons
A Medieval Bulgarian Bible
from Wiki Commons
The sources presented here from South Slavic literate culture inevitably show the role of medieval monasteries and parish churches in the transmission of healing practices. Indeed, the role of the – male-dominated – Church might help explain the spread of some of these recipes across South Eastern Europe: religious institutions formed a network of literate centres, exchanging texts and ideas. Those institutions preserved and employed ancient medical knowledge, healing practices and biblical texts to support women in the moment of pain and need. Unlike them, however, the female practitioners (as the one in the fresco), who helped medieval women throughout the lifecycle—be they midwives, local witches, or wise and older members of the family—have left behind no sources of their own.

Adelina Angusheva-Tihanov is a Research Fellow at the University of Manchester, working on magic, medicine, and religion in Medieval South Slavic Manuscripts. To find out more about women’s health in the Medieval South Slavic context, see Angusheva-Tihanov, A. “Ancient Medical Knowledge of the Woman’s Body in the Medieval Slavic Context: The Case of the Prague Manuscript IXF10.” Wiener Slavistisches Jahrbuch Vol. 51,(2005) : 139-152.
Margaret Dimitrova is a Professor at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, working on Medieval and Early Modern South Slavonic manuscripts. Margaret has published on medieval Slavonic translations of biblical texts and prayers.

CV of failures: Princeton professor publishes resume of his career lows


“This darn CV of Failures has received way more attention that my entire body of academic work.”


 http://gu.com/p/4tmnz/stw

Friday 29 April 2016

Ecosystem services provided by urban gardens in Barcelona, Spain: Insights for policy and planning



Highlights

Urban gardens provide manifold ecosystem services.
Cultural ecosystem services are most important in urban gardens.
Urban gardens enhance social cohesion, integration and healthy lifestyles.
Urban gardens provide nature-based solutions for urban policy challenges.
Urban planning can enhance ecosystem services by offering vacant land for gardening.

Abstract

In many European cities, urban gardens are seen as increasingly important components of urban green space networks. We adopt an ecosystem services framework to assess contributions of urban gardens to the quality of of their users. First, we identify and characterize ecosystem services provided by urban gardens. Secondly, we assess the demographic and socioeconomic profile of its beneficiaries and the relative importance they attribute to different ecosystem services. Next we discuss the relevance of our results in relation to critical policy challenges, such as the promotion of societal cohesion and healthy lifestyles. Data were collected through 44 semi-structured interviews and a survey among 201 users of 27 urban gardens in Barcelona, Spain, as well as from consultation meetings with local planners. We identified 20 ecosystem services, ranging from food production over pollination to social cohesion and environmental learning. Among them, cultural ecosystem services (non-material benefits people derive from their interaction with nature) ​ stand out as the most widely perceived and as the most highly valued. The main beneficiaries of ecosystem services from urban gardens are elder, low-middle income, and migrant people. Our results about the societal importance of urban gardens ​were deemed highly relevant by the interviewed green space planners in Barcelona, who noted that our data can provide basis to support or expand existing gardening programs in the city. Our research further suggests that ecosystem services from urban gardens can play an important role in addressing several urban policy challenges in cities, such as promoting stewardship of urban ecosystems, providing opportunities for recreation and healthy lifestyles, and promoting social cohesion. We conclude that urban gardens and associated ecosystem services can play an important ​ in urban policies aimed at enhancing quality of life in cities, particularly if access to their benefits is expanded to larger segments of the population.

Keywords

  • Barcelona;
  • Ecosystem services;
  • Green infrastructure;
  • Nature-based solutions;
  • Urbanism;
  • Urban agriculture
Corresponding author at: Institute for Environmental Science and Technology, ICTA-ICP, Edifici Z, Carrer de les columnes, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra-Cerdanyola del Vallés, Spain. Fax: +34 935863331.

The (Stuffed) Elephant in the Room: Negotiating Identities from Pregnancy to Parenthood within the Academy


Co-edited by Dr. Rachel Berger (Associate Professor, History, Concordia) and Dr. Jessica Riddell (Associate Professor, English, Bishop’s University).
Description:
This edited collection takes a multi-disciplinary approach to conception, pregnancy, childbirth, and parenthood within the academy. Contributors from diverse disciplines will contribute essays on their process of negotiating parenthood and professorship within the Canadian landscape of higher education.
Context:
While there have been a series of scholarly books on academia and motherhood from professional perspectives, there is still lots of work to be done to explore parenthood through disciplinary lenses. We would like to investigate what happens when ontological transformations from childlessness to parenthood – in its many forms – are framed in terms of sacrifice or dilution in our roles as academics, and explore alternate perspectives of parenthood that opens up and possibly even enhances our relationships to our disciplines, our institutions, and our academic communities more generally. This series of essays will explore ways to deploy disciplinary lenses to read maternal bodies/parental identities in the contexts of discipline, research, teaching, service, and our understanding of who we are and what we do as scholars. Furthermore, the particular conditions that dictate parental leaves in Canada – labour protection around employment, supplemented income, a culture of leave – create a particular set of conditions that should work (but sometimes fails to) give parents in academia options around their parenting that run counter to a career set by time limits and pre-determined milestones.
We are currently in discussions with academic presses to secure a publishing contract.
Please submit the following documents by May 15, 2016
a) Abstract (500 words) that outlines the subject, topic, themes and broad contours of an essay (completed papers should be approximately 3000 – 5000 words)
b) Cover letter
c) Curriculum Vitae
All submissions should be in MS Word format. The submission of images where appropriate, is also welcome.
We will accept personal narratives as well as academic essays
Some questions we may address:
• How do we view parenthood via disciplinary lenses?
• How is pregnancy treated and disciplined and regulated within the institutional culture of a university?
• What forms of maternity/parental leave are available and how do we negotiate/navigate these leaves?
• How are forms of new motherhood regulated, reified, constructed? How are these relatively new identity categories?
• How are alternate models of parenthood made visible/remain invisible?
Proposed Timeline:
April 15 Call For Papers disseminated
May 15 Abstracts due
June 1 Contributors notified
September 1 First draft due
October 1 Family friendly writing retreat
December 15 Essays due
January – March Editing Process
May 1 Final version submitted for publication
Possible academic presses:
NYU Press
Rutgers University Press
Columbia University Press
Oxford University Press Canada
McGill-Queen’s University Press
University of Toronto Press
University of Alberta Press
Wilfred Laurier University Press
Please send inquiries to: Jessica Riddell jriddell@ubishops.ca or Rachel Bergerrachel.berger@concordia.ca

How Not to Win a Nobel Prize Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-not-win-nobel-prize-180956824/#z7Fdr0Fo00rt0rTr.99 Give the gift of Smithsonian magazine for only $12! http://bit.ly/1cGUiGv Follow us: @SmithsonianMag on Twitter

How not to win a #NobelPrize. http://po.st/XqsyZx via @SmithsonianMag

Be the "Wrong" Gender or Race

Vivien_Thomas.jpg

The Quality Perception of Fresh Berries: An Empirical Survey in the German Market

Volume 8, 2016, Pages 566–575
Florence “Sustainability of Well-Being International Forum”. 2015: Food for Sustainability and not just food, FlorenceSWIF2015
Open Access


Abstract

The present work aimed to investigate the main quality attributes that influence the purchase decisions of fresh berries. To this regard, an empirical survey has been conducted by interviewing 200 consumers of fresh berries at the exit of the main centers of the large scale retail trade in the city of Munich (Germany). An econometric model has been adopted to examine the relationship that single attributes has on the purchase frequency of fresh berries. Results showed that nutraceutical properties and health benefits of berries have a strong appeal to the consumers and confirmed that intrinsic attributes are determinants of consumer purchase decision

Keywords

  • quality perception;
  • fresh berries;
  • food quality;
  • consumer shopping behavior;
  • german market

Disseminated Chrysosporium infection in a German shepherd dog

Volume 10, December 2015, Pages 29–33
Open Access


Abstract

Disseminated Chrysosporium spp. infection was diagnosed in a German shepherd dog based on a positive fungal culture and cytological findings of intralesional fungi associated with granulomatous splenitis and neutrophilic lymphadenitis. The clinical presentation that could mimic a multicentric lymphoma, including markedly enlarged lymph nodes and a very abnormal splenic appearance on ultrasound makes this case even more atypical. The patient showed rapid clinical improvement on oral posaconazole and remains clinically stable ten months after diagnosis.

Keywords

  • Canine;
  • Chrysosporium;
  • Disseminated fungal infection;
  • German shepherd dog

1. Introduction

German shepherd dogs (GSD), particularly young to middle-aged females, are well-known for their predisposition to disseminated Aspergillus spp. infection [1] and [2]. The familial tendency is further supported in this breed with the development of disseminated fungal disease in close relatives [3]. A genetic predisposition leading to a deficient immune response to fungi, possibly related to immunoglobulin A (IgA) deficiency and/or dysfunction has been reported in this breed [4] and [5]. However, the aetiology is likely multifactorial, involving dysfunction of both humoral and cell mediated immunity against Aspergillus spp. infection [3], [5] and [6]. Literature tends to suggest that GSD are also prone to other disseminated fungal infections caused by species such as Penicillium spp., Paecilomyces spp., Pseudallescheria boydii, Scytalidium spp., Scedosporium prolificans, and Chrysosporium spp., most of which would be classified as opportunistic [1], [7] and [8].
Infection with Chrysosporium spp. is uncommon in both human and veterinary literature, being mostly described in reptiles. Information on clinical management is then quite variable and depends on the species involved, the extent of the disease (focal vs systemic involvement), and drug availability. Infection of a dog by Chrysosporium spp. has only be reported three times to date.
The difference in clinical presentation, ultrasound findings and long term treatment with posaconazole in the case described herein adds valuable information about the diversity of signs that Chrysosporium spp. infection can cause in dog and brings a new light on possible treatment. Indeed, to the author's knowledge, the successful use of posaconazole for Chrysosporium spp. infection has not yet been reported in humans or animals, making the description of this case unique.