Statelessness, identity cards and citizenship as status in the case of the Nubians of Kenya

Statelessness as a legal and political problem has attracted increasing attention from scholars and international advocacy organisations in recent years. This attention has predominantly focussed on the legal aspects of statelessness, and has generally held the acquisition of citizenship documentation as the primary goal in remedying citizenship deprivation. This article explores the merits of this focus through a case study of the Nubians of Kenya, widely considered stateless until recently. The article connects the focus on citizenship as documented status to a liberal conception of citizenship. The article identifies the ways in which this approach is helpful, that is, as a means of pursuing legal status and possession of individual rights. It then goes on to identify more important ways in which a liberal conception of citizenship falls short of accounting for the Nubians’ citizenship problems by neglecting the more collective dimensions of citizenship practice and recognition.

The “inclusion” of students with vision impairments: generational perspectives in Australia

In this paper I draw upon findings of a recent qualitative project conducted in Queensland, Australia in which all actors – the researcher and 5 participants aged 13-17 years — were linked together by our shared experiences of being students with impaired vision (VI) and who were educated in inclusive secondary schools in Australia during the last two decades. The narrative demonstrates the alienating legacy of two everyday routines of schooling, the placement and the daily commute. In the paper I show how referential knowledge acquisition of a trans-identity research alliance can reveal barriers to inclusion that might be ordinarily overlooked. Theoretically I map the research relationship formed between myself and participants using both Foucault’s analysis of how human beings are made subjects (1982) and Bourdieu’s understanding of reflexive interviewing in qualitative research (1998). The empirical contribution of this paper is to demonstrate how special education discourses render subjects more “special” than the sum of their actual impairments, and methodologically to highlight the role of qualitative inquiry in the field of inclusive schooling.

Teacher practice: a spotlight on the use of feedback and conferencing in the first year of schooling

With the prevalence of statements that refer to a need to “bridge”, “narrow” or “close” gaps in achievement it would appear that Government bodies have an appreciation for the fact that students need not be victims of circumstance. In addition to this, research has suggested that certain skills, such as the acquisition of phonemic awareness, need to be acquired in the early years to ensure that children do not fall behind their peers. Use of feedback is one way in which teachers have attempted to positively influence student outcomes. There are authors, however, who have suggested that not all forms of feedback are necessarily effective. In light of these perspectives, this study sought to investigate whether the incorporation of student/teacher conferences into a pre-existing program could be seen to support the development of phonemic awareness skills of students in their first year of schooling.

Digital archetypes : adaptations of early temple architecture in South and Southeast Asia

This unique book presents a broad multi-disciplinary examination of early temple architecture in Asia, written by two experts in digital reconstruction and the history and theory of Asian architecture. The authors examine the archetypes of Early Brahmanic, Hindu and Buddhist temple architecture from their origins in north western India to their subsequent spread and adaptation eastwards into Southeast Asia. While the epic monuments of Asia are well known, much less is known about the connections between their building traditions, especially the common themes and mutual influences in the early architecture of Java, Cambodia and Champa. While others have made significant historiographic connections between these temple building traditions, this book unravels, for the first time, the specifically compositional and architectural linkages along the trading routes of South and Southeast Asia. Through digital reconstruction and recovery of three dimensional temple forms, the authors have developed a digital dataset of early Indian antecedents, tested new technologies for the acquisition of built heritage and developed new methods for comparative analysis of built form geometry. Overall the book presents a novel approach to the study of heritage and representation within the framework of emerging digital techniques and methods. © Sambit Datta and David Beynon 2014. All rights reserved.

A tale of two expropriations: Newcrestia and Agrizania

A comparison will be made between the decision of the High Court of Australia in Newcrest Mining (WA) Ltd v The Commonwealth1 (“Newcrest”) and the decisions of the South African Courts in the Agri South Africa line of cases.2 Although the mineral law systems of the two countries differ insofar as historical development and content,3 the simplified facts of the Newcrest and Agri SA decisions and principles of expropriation law are similar enough to draw an interesting comparison between the respective cases. Both cases dealt with the issue of whether the mineral rights/mining rights of private holders were expropriated by legislation which prohibited mining in one way or another. A comparison between the cases shows the approaches towards the issues and what exactly constitutes deprivation and/or acquisition of property for purposes of expropriation and whether deprivation and/or acquisition actually took place.The differences between the mineral law systems of Australia and South Africa (before the enactment of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act 28 of 2002 (hereafter “MPRDA”)) and the protection afforded against the resumption/expropriation of mineral rights or mining rights will be set as background information for a better understanding of the respective decisions. The facts of the two cases will first be set out and simplified for comparative purposes before the respective decisions are discussed. At the end, a comparison will be made between the decisions and a conclusion reached about the similarity of principles and the correctness of the respective decisions.

Performing desistance: how might theories of desistance from crime help us understand the possibilities of prison theatre?

Despite the ubiquity of theatre projects in prisons there has been little (published) discussion of the application of theatre to the theories of criminology or rehabilitation of offenders, and scant examination of the potential for criminological theories to inform theatre practice in criminal justice settings. This article seeks to address this deficit and argues that positioning prison theatre within the discipline of positive criminology, specifically contemporary theories of desistance from crime, provides a theoretical framework for understanding the contribution that prison theatre might be making in the correctional setting. Through a review of related literature, the article explores how prison theatre may be motivating offenders toward the construction of a more adaptive narrative identity and toward the acquisition of capabilities that might usefully assist them in the process of desisting from crime.

The South African Doctrine of Notice: a comparative law perspective

The doctrine of notice was received into South African law in Cohen v Shires, Mchattie and King (1881-1884) 1 SAR TS 41 by reference to a 17th century Dutch decision and English equity.The reception of the polar star of equity has led to doctrinal problems and differing views as to requirements for the operation of the doctrine ever since. This is illustrated in the decision of the Supreme Court of Appeal in Meridian Bay Restaurant (Pty) Ltd v Mitchell 2011 (4) SA 1 (SCA). The Court mentioned fraud and equity as the doctrinal basis but also accepted the view that the doctrine is an anomaly which does not fit into the principles of either the law of delict or property law.The Court required actual notice (or dolus eventualis) and wrongfulness for the operation of the doctrine of notice. In the following discussion of the decision it is argued that for the operation of the doctrine it should be required that: (a) a prior personal right aimed at the acquisition of a real right existed; (b) a holder of a subsequent personal right was actually aware or foresaw the possibility of the existence of the prior personal right; and (c) the holder of the real right nonetheless infringed upon the prior personal right by concluding a subsequent contract and obtaining registration of the real right in the deeds office.

Meropenem versus piperacillin-tazobactam for definitive treatment of bloodstream infections due to ceftriaxone non-susceptible Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp (the MERINO trial): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli or Klebsiella spp. frequently cause bloodstream infections. There has been a worldwide increase in resistance in these species to antibiotics such as third generation cephalosporins, largely driven by the acquisition of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase or plasmid-mediated AmpC enzymes. Carbapenems have been considered the most effective therapy for serious infections caused by such resistant bacteria; however, increased use creates selection pressure for carbapenem resistance, an emerging threat arising predominantly from the dissemination of genes encoding carbapenemases. Recent retrospective data suggest that beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations, such as piperacillin-tazobactam, may be non-inferior to carbapenems for the treatment of bloodstream infection caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producers, if susceptible in vitro. This study aims to test this hypothesis in an effort to define carbapenem-sparing alternatives for these infections.

METHODS/DESIGN: The study will use a multicentre randomised controlled open-label non-inferiority trial design comparing two treatments, meropenem (standard arm) and piperacillin-tazobactam (carbapenem-sparing arm) in adult patients with bacteraemia caused by E. coli or Klebsiella spp. demonstrating non-susceptibility to third generation cephalosporins. Recruitment is planned to occur in sites across three countries (Australia, New Zealand and Singapore). A total sample size of 454 patients will be required to achieve 80% power to determine non-inferiority with a margin of 5%. Once randomised, definitive treatment will be for a minimum of 4 days, but up to 14 days with total duration determined by treating clinicians. Data describing demographic information, antibiotic use, co-morbid conditions, illness severity, source of infection and other risk factors will be collected. Vital signs, white cell count, use of vasopressors and days to bacteraemia clearance will be recorded up to day 7. The primary outcome measure will be mortality at 30 days, with secondary outcomes including days to clinical and microbiological resolution, microbiological failure or relapse, isolation of a multi-resistant organism or Clostridium difficile infection.

Lexical and syntactic transfer in writing: a pilot study of two Chilean learners of EFL

Transfer is crucial during the learning and acquisition of a Second Language (L2) and can affect learners' production and reception at all stages of learning. The ·process of transfer can be explained as the use of structures or lexical items which are concurrent with or deviant from the target language, but which are in fact copies of structures or lexical items from the learner's First Language (L1) (Larranaga, Treffers-Daller, Tidball & Ortega, 2011). Transfer is a common occurrence and as such, it' is crucial to acknowledge its use and utility by learners during the process of second language learning and acquisition. Transfer is not always negative; structures and lexical items from a learner's L1 may transfer into their L2 with accuracy and naturalness. This may be particularly the case where a learner is acquiring a language which is cognate with their L1 and as such has a high degree of reciprocity or overlap. However, even cognate languages contain distinctive structures and words which L2 learners must identify as reciprocal or non-reciprocal in order to improve their writing by avoiding negative transfer. Transfer often occurs via translation, particularly for lexical items. Adult L2 learners rely on L1 translation particularly for lexical processing and production; learners' knowledge of L1 informs their use of L2 vocabulary to varying degrees depending on their proficiency (Jiang, 2004).

An investigation into the effect of play-based instruction on the development of play skills and oral language: a 6-month longitudinal study

The current study investigated the influence of a play-based curriculum on the development of pretend play skills and oral language in children attending their first year of formal schooling. In this quasi-experimental design, two groups of children were followed longitudinally across the first 6 months of their first year at school. The children in the experimental group were attending a school with a play-based curriculum; the children in the control group were attending schools following a traditional curriculum. A total of 54 children (Time 1 M age = 5;6, range: 4;10–6;2 years) completed standardised measures of pretend play and narrative language skills upon school entry and again 6 months later. The results showed that the children in the play-based group significantly improved on all measures, whereas the children in the traditional group did not. A subset of the sample of children (N = 28, Time 1 M age = 5;7, range: 5;2 – 6;1) also completed additional measures of vocabulary and grammar knowledge, and a test of non-verbal IQ. The results suggested that, in addition to improving play skills and narrative language ability, the play-based curriculum also had a positive influence on the acquisition of grammar.

Potential role of glutathione in evolution of thiol-based redox signaling sites in proteins.

Cysteine is susceptible to a variety of modifications by reactive oxygen and nitrogen oxide species, including glutathionylation; and when two cysteines are involved, disulfide formation. Glutathione-cysteine adducts may be removed from proteins by glutaredoxin, whereas disulfides may be reduced by thioredoxin. Glutaredoxin is homologous to the disulfide-reducing thioredoxin and shares similar binding modes of the protein substrate. The evolution of these systems is not well characterized. When a single Cys is present in a protein, conjugation of the redox buffer glutathione may induce conformational changes, resulting in a simple redox switch that effects a signaling cascade. If a second cysteine is introduced into the sequence, the potential for disulfide formation exists. In favorable protein contexts, a bistable redox switch may be formed. Because of glutaredoxin's similarities to thioredoxin, the mutated protein may be immediately exapted into the thioredoxin-dependent redox cycle upon addition of the second cysteine. Here we searched for examples of protein substrates where the number of redox-active cysteine residues has changed throughout evolution. We focused on cross-strand disulfides (CSDs), the most common type of forbidden disulfide. We searched for proteins where the CSD is present, absent and also found as a single cysteine in protein orthologs. Three different proteins were selected for detailed study-CD4, ERO1, and AKT. We created phylogenetic trees, examining when the CSD residues were mutated during protein evolution. We posit that the primordial cysteine is likely to be the cysteine of the CSD which undergoes nucleophilic attack by thioredoxin. Thus, a redox-active disulfide may be introduced into a protein structure by stepwise mutation of two residues in the native sequence to Cys. By extension, evolutionary acquisition of structural disulfides in proteins can potentially occur via transition through a redox-active disulfide state.

Housing tenure and affordability and mental health following disability acquisition in adulthood

Acquiring a disability in adulthood is associated with a reduction in mental health and access to secure and affordable housing is associated with better mental health. We hypothesised that the association between acquisition of disability and mental health is modified by housing tenure and affordability. We used twelve annual waves of data (2001-2012) (1913 participants, 13,037 observations) from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey. Eligible participants reported at least two consecutive waves of disability preceded by two consecutive waves without disability. Effect measure modification, on the additive scale, was tested in three fixed-effects linear regression models (which remove time-invariant confounding) which included a cross-product term between disability and prior housing circumstances: housing tenure by disability; housing affordability by disability and, in a sub-sample (896 participants 5913 observations) with housing costs, tenure/affordability by disability. The outcome was the continuous mental component summary (MCS) of SF-36. Models adjusted for time-varying confounders. There was statistical evidence that prior housing modified the effect of disability acquisition on mental health. Our findings suggested that those in affordable housing had a -1.7 point deterioration in MCS (95% CI -2.1, -1.3) following disability acquisition and those in unaffordable housing had a -4.2 point reduction (95% CI -5.2, -1.4). Among people with housing costs, the largest declines in MCS were for people with unaffordable mortgages (-5.3, 95% CI -8.8, -1.9) and private renters in unaffordable housing (-4.0, 95% CI -6.3, -1.6), compared to a -1.4 reduction (95% CI -2.1, -0.7) for mortgagors in affordable housing. In sum, we used causally-robust fixed-effects regression and showed that deterioration in mental health following disability acquisition is modified by prior housing circumstance with the largest negative associations found for those in unaffordable housing. Future research should test whether providing secure, affordable housing when people acquire a disability prevents deterioration in mental health.

Experiences and perceptions of problem gamblers on cognitive and exposure therapies when taking part in a randomised controlled trial: a qualitative study

In South Australia (SA) problem gambling is mainly a result of the widespread availability of electronic gaming machines. A key treatment provider in SA offers free cognitive and behavioural therapy (CBT) to help-seeking problem gamblers. The CBT program focuses on the treatment of clients' urge to gamble using exposure therapy (ET) and cognitive therapy (CT) to restructure erroneous gambling beliefs. The aim of this study was to explore treatment specific and non-specific effects for CT alone and ET alone using qualitative interviews. Interviewees were a sub-sample of participants from a randomised trial that investigated the relative efficacy of CT versus ET. Findings revealed that all interviewees gained benefit from their respective therapies and their comments did not appear to favour one therapy over another. Both treatment specific and treatment non-specific effects were well supported as playing a therapeutic role to recovery. Participants' comments in both therapy groups suggested that symptom reduction was experienced on a gambling related urge-cognition continuum. In addition to symptom improvement from therapy-specific mechanisms, ET participants described a general acquisition of "rational thought" from their program of therapy and CT participants had "taken-over" their gambling urges. The findings also highlighted areas for further improvement including therapy drop-out.

Assessment of credit arrangements towards engineering programs/courses

Credit Transfer (CT), Advanced Standing (AS), Credit for Prior Learning (CPL), Recognition of PriorLearning (RPL), Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR), Accreditation of PriorExperiential Learning (APEL), Validation of Prior Learning (VPL), Prior Learning Assessment (PLA),Credit Transfer and Recognition (CTR), Recognition of Current Competency (RCC) and Credit forConcurrent Formal Learning (CCFL) are the terms used by academic institutions and engineeringschools to describe several types of credit arrangements depending upon a student’s current state ofqualification, experience, skills and knowledge towards the requirement of his/her formal professionalengineering qualification. The objectives of such credit arrangements are to make sure that thelearning is not duplicated, to reduce the duration and cost of the engineering studies, to encourageworking engineering associates and technologists return to engineering schools for professionalengineering qualification and to help upgrade the skills and knowledge of the junior engineeringpractitioners, to name a few. Formal, informal, non-formal or a combination of prior learning are usedfor such credit arrangements. Engineering schools offer block credit, specified credit, unspecifiedcredit and a combination of these forms of credits when recognising prior learning of any form.However, anecdotal and literature evidence suggests that the assessment of credit arrangementslacks established universal framework for assessment, lacks harmonisation, compatibility,transparency and comparability and is complex and inconsistent resulting a significant variations in theassessment for recognising prior learning across engineering schools in spite of being based onsimilar fundamental principles. There is a clear need of a consolidated framework in order to assesscredit arrangements systematically and consistently.PURPOSEThe purpose of this study is to develop a consolidated framework for assessing credit arrangementstowards a partial requirements of a professional engineering course, program, degree or qualification.The developed framework is expected to help manage the assessment of credit arrangement process.APPROACHThis study first critically reviews existing frameworks and literature evidences regarding the principlesof credit arrangements towards a partial requirements of a professional engineering course, program,degree or qualification. This study then uses evidence-based literature knowledge (principles,processes and practices) to devise a consolidated framework for assessing credit arrangements. Theframework is then expanded in order to elaborate its several components.RESULTSThe existing frameworks and literature review suggest that for better assessment of creditarrangements, attentions are to be given on the forms of prior learning, types of credit arrangements,forms of credit recognition, required documents, characteristics of the prior learning, alignment of priorlearning with professional engineering qualification and additional aspects.CONCLUSIONSAs the assessment of credit arrangements has been a major challenge for engineering schools, theframework developed in this study is expected to help engineering schools to manage the assessmentprocess systematically and consistently. For further study, the framework needs to be continuouslyimplemented, monitored and evaluated.