bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
China-Africa Relations: A Neo-Imperialism or a Neo-Colonialism? A Reflection*
Authors: Lumumba-Kasongo Tukumbi 
Published: August 2011

AbstractBased on the intensity and the volume of financial and economic dimensions as it pertains to the relationship between China and various African countries since the end of the 1990s, the debate on these relations has just begun within a global context. The discussion on the nature of South-South relations, especially between a newly emerging industrial country, located in Asia, and the African countries, which represent the least industrialized area of the world, has more recently brought the subject of the unequal balance of power between the two regions under intellectual scrutiny.
Several intellectual debates on China-Africa relations have been mostly reactive in the sense that many analyses have focused on Africa’s past relations with the Global North. The existing literature on these relations has, to a large extent, not sufficiently located the discourse within the existing dominant ideologies, namely neo-imperialism and neo-liberalism. It is also important to localize these relations within the World Trade Organization’s dogmas and practices, the United Nations Charter, and African Union Charter in order to assess whether or not they can be characterized as either neo-imperialist or neo-liberal. Furthermore, it is important to identify on which specific areas these economic relations have generally focused and in which specific African countries they have been dominant. How do the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party perceive and define them? How do the African Union and specific African countries perceive and define these relations? And what are the policy implications in China and in the African public sectors? The main objective of this paper is, using the data and figures from Chinese sectoral investments and export-import of China and specific African countries to make a critical evaluative analysis of these relations and determine if they are qualified to be called neo-imperialist or neo-liberal. The article is both an empirically-based analysis and a reflection.
A comparison of reproductive output of the Omei Treefrog (Rhacophorus omeimontis) between high and low elevations
Authors: Liao Wen Bo , Lu Xin 
Published: August 2011

AbstractElevation that results in changes in climate, duration of breeding season and food resource has long been considered a major influence on the evolution of life-history traits in amphibians. The present study examined differences in reproductive output (clutch size and egg size) of the Omei Treefrog (Rhacophorus omeimontis) at two elevations (1000 m and 1700 m above sea level) in Baoxing County, western China. Within each population, female attributes (size and age) were responsible for much of the reproductive output variation in that larger or older females produced larger clutches of smaller eggs. Clutch size and egg size showed a significantly negative correlation, which was indicative of a trade-off between the two parameters. The high-elevation females were significantly larger than the low-elevation counterparts. After accounting for interpopulational difference in body size, clutch size, egg size and clutch volume differed significantly between the populations. For the high-elevation population relatively smaller clutches tended to be associated with larger eggs. Our findings suggest that females produce smaller clutches relative to body size and larger eggs in the high-elevation population to ensure that each egg is adequately provisioned in the face of cold climate and short duration of development.
Effect of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum graecum) seeds on adriamycin-induced nephrotoxicity in albino rats
Authors: Sakr Saber A. , El-Gamal Ezz M. 
Published: August 2011

AbstractAdriamycin (ADR) is an anticancer drug used in treatment of a variety of neoplastic lesions. Its use is limited due to diverse toxicities including cardiotoxicity, hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity. The present work was conducted to study the effect of fenugreek seed extract on nephrotoxicity induced by ADR in albino rats. Administrating animals with a single dose of ADR (10 mg/kg body weight) induced histopathological, immunohistochemical and biochemical alterations. Kidneys of ADR-treated rats showed many histopathological alterations. The renal tubules were degenerated and the glomeruli were atrophied. The intertubular spaces were infiltrated by inflammatory leucocytic cells. An increase in expression of alfa-SMA was recorded. ADR caused marked elevation in serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen. Moreover, ADR administration to animals significantly increased the concentration of malondialdehyde and decreased the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in kidney tissues. These changes were time-dependent. Treating animals with ADR and aqueous seed extract of fenugreek (0.4 g/kg) led to an improvement in the histological structure of the kidney together with a decrease in expression of α-SMA. Urea and creatinine were significantly decreased. Moreover, fenugreek treatment reduced the concentration of malondialdehyde (lipid peroxidation marker) and increased the activity of antioxidant enzyme, SOD. In conclusion, the results of the present work indicated that fenugreek seeds had ameliorative effect on kidney damage induced by ADR and this may be mediated by its potent antioxidant effects
Forwards or Backwards? New Directions in Danish Patients’ Rights Legislation
Authors: Hartlev Mette 
Published: August 2011

AbstractThe Danish Patients’ Rights Act from 1998 was the first comprehensive piece of legislation addressing the basic legal values and principles governing the relation between patient and the health care services. Since the adoption of the Act there has been continuous legislative activity in the field, and the objective of the article is to discuss how recent developments in Danish patients’ rights legislation shall be interpreted in terms of balancing interests of patients towards interests of society and the health care professions.
“Braxton Hick’s” or the Birth of a New Era? Tracing the Development of Ireland’s Abortion Laws in Respect of European Court of Human Rights Jurisprudence
Authors: Daly Brenda 
Published: August 2011

AbstractIn Ireland, Article 40.3.3° of Bunreacht na hÉireann (the Irish Constitution) guarantees the right to life of the unborn child and the equal right to life of the mother. Abortion in Ireland is permissible only where there is a real and substantial risk to the mother’s own life. Since Ireland became a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights in 1950,2 there have been concerns that it could result in Ireland being compelled to introduce a right to abortion.3 This article commences with a review of the extant law on abortion in Ireland, tracing the Constitutional protection afforded to the unborn child. The article will discuss the impact of the European Court of Human Rights’4 jurisprudence in regard to access to abortion and to information on abortion services in Ireland in an effort to ascertain if it really has resulted in a radical change to Irish abortion laws. As such, it will also be necessary to examine the more recent decisions of the ECtHR such as Tysiac v. Poland,5 and A, B, and C v. Ireland,6 to determine both the approach of the ECtHR to access to abortion in general and also to consider if it has resulted in a liberalisation of abortion law in Ireland.
Monitoring Quality in a Federal State with Shared Powers in Healthcare: The Case of Belgium
Authors: Fornaciari Diego , Vleugels Arthur , Callens Stefaan , Eeckloo Kristof 
Published: August 2011

AbstractThe Belgian healthcare system consists of a complex of more or less autonomous groups of healthcare providers. It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that the fundamental right to qualitative healthcare is secured through the services they provide. In Belgium, the regulatory powers in healthcare are divided between the federal state and the three communities. Both levels, within their area of competence, monitor the quality of healthcare services. Unique to the Belgian healthcare system is that the government that providers are accountable to is not always the same as the government that is competent to set the criteria. The goal of this article is to provide an overview of the main mechanisms that are used by the federal government and the government of the Flemish community to monitor healthcare quality in hospitals. The Flemish community is Belgian’s largest community (6.2 million inhabitants). The overview is followed by a critical analysis of the dual system of quality monitoring.
Paths into Irregularity: The Legal and Political Construction of Irregular Migration
Authors: Düvell Franck 
Published: August 2011

AbstractThis article empirically analyses the political and legal construction of irregular migration across selected member states of the European Union. First, it considers how policies lay the preconditions for irregular migration. Second, it explores the role of politics and law in generating irregular migration. Thus, it carves out diverse and divergent practices across the EU and argues that these are related to divergent legal and political cultures among the member states. This reveals that regulations that are meant to prevent unwanted migration often have unintended side-effects and instead encourage irregular migration which is conceptualised as a policy gap and policy failure. The conclusion drawn from this is that some irregular migration can be avoided and that there is scope for accordingly reforming national laws.
Policy Discourses on Irregular Migration in the EU - ‘Number Games’ and ‘Political Games’
Authors: Vollmer Bastian A. 
Published: August 2011

AbstractIrregular migration in Europe appeared on policy agendas in the early 1970s and more intensively in the late 1980s and 1990s; since then, it has become a top priority issue in policy discourses. With reference to exemplifying country cases, this article elaborates on two discursive elements that have emerged across discourses in the EU: 1. threat and criminalization, 2. ‘number games’. The discourse of irregular migration has become increasingly coloured by deviousness, a criminalisation took place at discursive and legislative level alike, but at the same time the insecurity about ‘numbers’, i.e. the scope of irregular migrants residing in the EU, geared policy discourses to a particular development. This article argues that an interplay between these two elements amounts to a necessity of ongoing demonstration of efficient governance. This takes the form of ‘political games’ that are run by political actors demonstrating the capacity and efficient governance of controlling irregular migration and its underlying implications.
Ghana's Children's Act 560: A Rethink of its Implementation?
Authors: McCrystal Patrick , Manful Esmeranda 
Published: August 2011

AbstractIn 1998 Ghana harmonised its child care legislation to conform to the Convention on the Rights of the Child by enacting the Children's Act 1998, Act 560. Some stakeholders expressed misgivings at its capacity to ensure child protection, but little literature exists on the views of professionals working within the law. This paper presents an investigation of the views of professionals who are mandated to work within the law to ensure the rights of the child to legal protection in Ghana. The findings suggest that there is a gap between legal intent and practice. It is concluded from these findings that for better child protection, the provision of legal rights for children is only an initial step; the administrative framework including better professional training, adequate resources for social care agencies and the establishment of new structures also needs to be reconsidered.
Children's Rights: How Much Do Zimbabwe Urban Secondary School Pupils Know?
Authors: Gwirayi Pesanayi , Shumba Almon 
Published: August 2011

Abstract
Research shows that the violation of the rights of the child manifests in various forms in our society. is study sought to investigate children's awareness about their rights and organisations which deal with their rights in Zimbabwean schools. The study is informed by the Empowerment Theory. Data were collected from a randomly selected sample of 376 secondary school children (200 male, 176 female; age range 12 to 16 years) from 3 schools in Gweru Urban District of Zimbabwe. Children were asked to list their rights and organisations which deal with child rights on given worksheets. The study found that most of the children were not aware about their rights and organisations which deal with their rights. The introduction of Children's Rights as a subject in schools can help increase children's safety, protection and well-being. There is also need to put more thrust on workshops and seminars on Children's Rights in Zimbabwean schools.
Protecting the Rights of the Child: Regulating Restorative Justice and Indigenous Practices in Southern Sudan and East Timor
Authors: Banks Cyndi 
Published: August 2011

AbstractThe Convention on the Rights of the Child has globalized child rights and child protection by setting international norms, which include a mandate to apply restorative justice practices in juvenile justice laws and procedures. In some states, restorative justice has long been a practice in communities and legislating to give effect to the CRC has involved codifying, modifying and regulating existing community restorative practices with the intention of incorporating adaptations of those practices under new laws. In Southern Sudan and East Timor, both of which have suffered extreme violence and conflict, lifestyles are predominately traditional and values and beliefs concerning family and children, remain rooted in custom. Both have drafted laws that attempt to incorporate traditional restorative practices and give effect to the norms of the Convention. Examining the provisions of each proposed law reveals how culture will be enacted and regulated for the benefit of children and the extent to which the international rights discourse embodied in these proposed laws is congruent with customary and traditional values and beliefs about children. A comparative examination of the two draft laws, contextualized according to local cultures, provides insights into policy choices about the incorporation of culture and the relationship between international norms of child protection and traditional restorative practices.
Intermediaries for Child Witnesses: Old Problems, New Solutions and Judicial Differences in South Africa
Authors: Zaal F. Noel , Matthias Carmel R. 
Published: August 2011

AbstractSouth Africa has utilised intermediaries to protect child witnesses and assist their communication in criminal proceedings in the magistrates' courts since 1993. is article examines some lessons to be learned from the South African experience. It provides an overview and assessment of attempts to overcome implementation problems and develop the legislation providing for intermediaries. It reviews contradictory solutions for improvement of the law recently put forward by the high court and constitutional court. Applying both the South African history and international standards, we argue that the high court offered a better way forward. We suggest some additional reforms which may also be relevant for advocates of the intermediary system in other jurisdictions.
The Rights of Children in Conflict with the Law in Ghana
Authors: Ame Robert Kwame 
Published: August 2011

AbstractIn a country where implementing children's rights in general remains a major challenge, the idea of according rights to children in conflict with the law can be a daunting task. With too many other children's problems to deal with such as the millions of street children and child laborers, female circumcision, and sexual violence against female children, the needs and rights of juvenile offenders could easily be relegated to the bottom of the government's priorities for children. Nonetheless, by virtue of ratifying the UNCRC in 1990, Ghana has made a commitment to address the needs and respect the rights of children in Ghana including its juvenile offenders. Thirteen years after ratifying the CRC, the Ghanaian Parliament passed the Juvenile Justice Act 2003 (Act 653). What rights does the Act accord children in conflict with the law? Do the policies and practices of the new juvenile justice system measure up to the standards of the Convention? These are the key questions addressed in this paper. The paper concludes that vis a vis the CRC, the new Juvenile Justice Act looks good on paper but argues that there is a colossal gap between policy and practice. The paper ends with suggestions on how to effectively protect the rights of children in conflict with the law.
Resource constraints and a child's right to legal representation in civil matters at state expense in South Africa
Authors: Stewart Linda 
Published: August 2011

AbstractSection 28(1)(h) of the South African Constitution bestows the right on every child to have a legal practitioner assigned to the child by the state, and at state expense, in civil proceedings affecting the child, if substantial injustice would otherwise result. Section 28(1)(h) places a positive duty on the state and the practical implementation of this right is dependent on the state's available resources. is paper enquires whether the criteria laid down by the South African Legal Aid Board may limit the realisation of s 28(1)(h) and if so, to what extent. It includes the question whether it is constitutionally permissible for the state to deny legal representation to children on the exclusive grounds of resource constraints. I commence by examining similar but not exact provisions in the Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC) to establish whether there are provisions that may inform the extent of the positive duty on the state to provide legal representation at state expense to children. is will be followed by a discussion on the nature and extent of s 28(1)(h) of the Constitution. I then turn to the relevant sections in the Children's Act pertaining to this right and especially s 55 which makes provision that the Legal Aid Board is the appropriate functionary of the state to deal with the realisation of s 28(1)(h). I finally enquire whether the criteria laid down in the Legal Aid Guidelines, 2009 (which include the argument of resource constraints) may justifiably limit this right.
Early Marriage: A Violation of Girls' Fundamental Human Rights in Africa
Authors: Mutyaba Rita 
Published: August 2011

AbstractAlthough African countries have ratified international human rights treaties that recognize girls' fundamental human rights to life, education, non-discrimination, freedom from degrading, inhumane and cruel treatment, and protection from harmful cultural practices, girls' human rights continue to be violated because of the prevalent practice of early marriages in most African countries. Whereas early marriages affect both girls and boys, girls are disproportionally affected by this practice which is rooted in culture and religion. Girls who get married before they are 18 years old are not physically, emotionally and mentally prepared for their roles as mothers and wives. African countries have an important role to play in ending early marriages to stop the human rights violations that girls experience when they get married before they are 18 years.
The Tropospheric Response to Tropical and Subtropical Zonally Asymmetric Torques: Analytical and Idealized Numerical Model Results
Authors: Shaw Tiffany A. , Boos William R. 
Published: August 2011

Abstract
The tropospheric response to prescribed tropical and subtropical zonally asymmetric torques, which can be considered as idealizations of vertical momentum transfers by orographic gravity waves or convection, is investigated. The linear analytical Gill model response to westward upper-tropospheric torques is compared to the response to a midtropospheric heating, which is a familiar point of reference. The response to an equatorial torque projects onto a Kelvin wave response to the east that is of opposite sign to the response to the east of the heating at upper levels. In contrast, the torque and heating both produce Rossby gyres of the same sign to the west of the forcing and the zonal-mean streamfunction responses are identical. When the forcings are shifted into the Northern Hemisphere, the streamfunction responses have opposite signs: there is upwelling in the Southern (Northern) Hemisphere in response to the torque (heating).
The nonlinear response to westward torques was explored in idealized general circulation model experiments. In the absence of a large-scale meridional temperature gradient, the response to an equatorial torque was confined to the tropics and was qualitatively similar to the linear solutions. When the torque was moved into the subtropics, the vorticity budget response was similar to a downward control–type balance in the zonal mean. In the presence of a meridional temperature gradient, the response to an equatorial torque involved a poleward shift of the midlatitude tropospheric jet and Ferrel cell. The response in midlatitudes was associated with a poleward shift of the regions of horizontal eddy momentum flux convergence, which coincided with a shift in the upper-tropospheric critical line for baroclinic waves. The shift in the critical line was caused (in part) by the zonal wind response to the prescribed torque, suggesting a possible cause of the response in midlatitudes. Overall, this hierarchy of analytical and numerical results highlights robust aspects of the response to tropical and subtropical zonally asymmetric torques and represents the first step toward understanding the response in fully comprehensive general circulation models.