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Tourism Development and Women in Under Crises Destinations: A Case Study of Chilas, Pakistan.
No full textThis thesis discusses tourism development for the purpose of improvement in the current environment, including financial and socio-cultural conditions of an under crises destination and community. The emphasis of this thesis is to explore factors which have significant impact on a place and local community that is under natural and anthropogenic crises. For this research Chilas- a valley situated on the Silk Road under the control of the Gilgit-Baltistan territory of Pakistan is being used as a case study. The main purpose of this research is to explore the problems relating to tourism and development since the destination and community is facing the situation of crises which have worsened since the September 2011 terrorist attacks and the following involvement of Pakistan in the “war against terrorism”. Chilas- being a remote destination and present in North of Pakistan was known to be a hiding place of terrorists who were assumed to cross the Pak-Afghan border.
Due to Chilas’s location access by communication media and law enforcement agencies is not an easy task, However since the opening of the Babusar pass- that connects Islamabad the capital city of Pakistan to Chilas the valley has become less isolated. With the opening of the Babusar pass and efforts by the local authorities in terms of promoting tourism for example opening tourist resorts named Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation there has been a slight increase in tourist arrivals.
Though Chilas was always a centre of attention for Archaeologists and Botanists, the destination however at all times lacked basic tourism infrastructure. There have been several internal and external causes for instance: attitudes of local community towards visitors especially women tourists and place image propagated by com-media, which hinder tourism development in the region. Using ethnographic methods to collect data this thesis discusses how tourism development accompanied with NAC and com-media can change the situation of a destination and a community specifically women members of a community in an under crises destination. The last chapter of this thesis makes recommendations for the tourism development in Chilas and for Chilassi community by concluding the findings from the fieldwork
Prohibiting the niqab?: A critical examination of Western attitudes towards the Islamic veil and its relationship with law in the United Kingdom and France
No full textThe central argument of this thesis maintains that the reasons why Muslim women elect to veil various parts of their bodies are not clear-cut or homogenous, but instead cover a spectrum of religious convictions, social motivation, and cultural impetus. It is therefore possible to argue that the West’s arguments for, and justifications of, the prohibition of veiling lack universal validity. The thesis will explore and consider some of the reasons for veiling offered by Muslim women, with reference to recent case law, academic debate, published anecdotes and blogs. Additionally, it will offer detailed examinations of recent legal developments and the present socio-legal position in both the UK and France. The author identified these neighbouring jurisdictions, both with growing Muslim populations, as having some noteworthy contrasts in their approaches to the Islamic veil, presumably brought about in part by their differing constitutions: whilst France banned the wearing of face veils in 2011, the UK is yet to follow suit despite pressure from certain political organisations and their supporters. In particular, the in-depth exploration of the UK cases will illustrate some of the difficulties the UK legal system has encountered with disputes over the wearing of religious items, and Islamic garments in particular. Testing of the validity of the thesis will be made through a comparison and critical analysis of these findings and of the reasoning offered by the legislatures of the UK and France for their respective positions on veiling.
The thesis further argues that the prohibition of veiling is problematic and undesirable in twenty-first century Europe, unnecessary in democratic societies, serves to polarise (or further polarise) Western and Muslim populations, and is harmful to the rights and interests of Muslim women. A critical analysis of case law, academic commentary, and media reporting will illustrate that such prohibitions have served to exacerbate tensions between Western and Muslim populations and promote a lack of tolerance and understanding of veiling among Westerners. This will further demonstrate the thesis that prohibition of veiling without a full understanding of the practice is highly inadvisable in our increasingly multicultural society
‘Talent’ Mentalities: Young People’s Experience of Being in a Sports Talent Development Programme
No full textArticle 12 of The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child grants each young person the right to express their view, have their opinion considered and have their say in decisions that affect them. Previous research on talent development in sport has however failed to recognise the voice of the young person or regard the participant as an autonomous agent. This study employed phenomenological enquiry to focus on the conditions of lived reality to afford the young person the opportunity to convey their unique experience. The aim of the research was to employ a participatory approach to explore the essence of young people's conscious experience of Talent Development Programmes in sport. My co-collaborators were eight young people aged between 13 and 17, (two females: netball and gymnastics, and six males: rugby 3, discus, angling, and badminton), who all attended the same school and were all members of a Sports National Governing Body Talent Development Programme. Over twelve months each participant utilised their individual preference to communicate depictions of self, drawing upon interview, conversation, Twitter, video, photo and observation of training and performance. Results were presented in the form of individual vignettes generated from researcher and participant interaction and constructed according to hermeneutical interpretation. Young people’s stories reveal the essence of talent development through the experience of uncertainty and endeavour; talent development experience teaches young people to self-present in response to perceived injustice; and individual progress is characterised by self-regulation and the pursuit of personal empowerment. The research demonstrates that when young people are involved in active decision making about their learning and their lives they feel better respected and understood. Academics and practitioners must now accept a responsibility to engage with the unique lived experience of the young person’s reality to find better ways to listen to the young person’s voice to support their talent development experience in sport
Associations among height, body mass index and intelligence from age 11 to age 78 years.
No full textBACKGROUND: Intelligence is related to both height and body mass index (BMI) at various stages of life. Several studies have demonstrated longitudinal relationships between these measures, but none has established whether height and intelligence, or BMI and intelligence are linked from childhood through to older age. METHODS: We assessed the relations between these measures over an interval of up to 67 years using data from the 36-Day Sample, an initially-representative sample of Scottish people born in 1936, assessed at age 11 years (N = 6,291) and again at 77-78 years (N = 722). This paper focuses on the 423 participants (6.7 % of the original sample) who provided relevant data in late adulthood. RESULTS: Height and intelligence were significantly positively associated in childhood (β = .23) and late adulthood (β = .21-.29). Longitudinal correlations also showed that childhood intelligence predicted late-adulthood height (β = .20), and childhood height predicted late-adulthood cognitive ability (β = .12-.14). We observed no significant relationship between BMI and intelligence either in childhood or in late adulthood, nor any longitudinal association between the two in this sample. CONCLUSIONS: Our results on height and intelligence are the first to demonstrate that their relationship spans almost seven decades, from childhood through to late adulthood, and they call for further investigation into the mechanisms underlying this lifelong association
Mechanisms of resistance to β-lactam antibiotics in Streptomycetes
Full text linkThe most successful antimicrobial agents in clinical use are of microbial origin and of these the greatest variety has been found in the genus Streptomyces. However, the resistance of the pathogenic microbes to the commonly used antibiotics is increasing as a result of the wide-spread and long-term use of these antibiotics. Therefore, understanding the strategies that bacteria use to become resistant is of crucial need. Streptomycetes are Gram positive bacteria, commonly found in soil and are known antibiotic-producers. The focus of this thesis was to underpin the mechanism of resistance to penicillin G in isolated strains of streptomycetes that exhibit elevated resistance to penicillin G and to characterise these organisms. Moreover, to investigate the interaction between penicillin G and PBPs in Streptomyces strains and investigate the relationship between growth rate and penicillin G resistance in Streptomyces in vitro. Ninety six Streptomycetes were isolated and characterized. Morphological examination and the16s rRNA sequences of these strains indicated that strains belong to the species Streptomyces. The MICs and MBCs for penicillin G for the isolated Streptomyces strains were measured by plate culture. Some strains showed growth up to 400 μg/ml with penicillin G, which indicate that the strains were highly resistant against penicillin G. Some strains were unable to grow at penicillin concentrations above 200μg/ml. Also, The MICs of penicillin G for isolated Streptomyces strains were measured using a novel OxoPlates® system in 96-well culture format employing Mueller-Hinton broth culture. The MICs of all strains ranged from 1-100 μg /ml. Results indicate that the sensitivity of Streptomyces strains of penicillin G is not directly related to β-lactamase production in the panel of isolates examined. There was no correlation between the MICs of penicillin G and the growth rate in these isolates. Likewise, there was no association between the position of beta-lactamase producing and non-beta-lactamase producing strains on the phylogenetic tree and their beta-lactamase xii activity. Beta-lactamase producing and non-producing strains refers to the same ancestral origin clade. Additionally, the comparative analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequence and phylogenetic relationship of strain (W43) revealed that the isolate clustered with (W76) Streptomyces lividans strain YLA0. Bocillin (a penicillin binding protein stain) staining in β-lactamase producing strains showed staining throughout the mycelia whereas in non β-lactamase producing strains staining only occurred in certain parts of the mycelia. Bocillin also revealed that in spores PBPs were located on both poles of the spores. Streptomyces coelicolor has the ability to grow at high concentrations of penicillin G up to 640 μg/ml in continuous culture. It also has the capacity to grow at very low amounts of dissolved oxygen in continuous culture. Significantly, there was a correlation between the growth rate of S. coelicolor and the resistant to penicillin G. S. Coelicolor was more sensitive to penicillin G at a high dilution rate. Furthermore, our strategy of using the Bug-Lab for monitoring the progress of S. Coelicolor 1147 in continuous culture, even at low concentrations of cells in real time was successful
“The Socio-Cultural Impact of the War of American Independence on Liverpool, 1775-83.”
Full text linkMuch has been written about how the American Revolutionary War affected the British Isles. However, Liverpool (arguably the second city of empire) rarely features within such literature. This article redresses this oversight, and considers the socio-cultural impact of the war on the town. Liverpool will illustrate three key themes: first, that, contrary to some suggestions, eighteenth-century warfare did impact on British society; second, that both the localities and the central fiscal-military state influenced the agenda; third, that warfare generated division and unity. This third point has important implications for our understanding of British opinion, imperial ideology and national identity c.1775-83
New psychoactive substances 3-methoxyphencyclidine (3-MeO-PCP) and 3-methoxyrolicyclidine (3-MeO-PCPy): metabolic fate elucidated with rat urine and human liver preparations and their detectability in urine by GC-MS, LC-(high resolution)-MSn, and LC-high resolution-MS/MS
No full text3-Methoxyphencyclidine (3-MeO-PCP) and 3-methoxyrolicyclidine (3-MeO-PCPy) are two new psychoactive substances (NPS). The aims of the present study were the elucidation of their metabolic fate in rat and pooled human liver microsomes (pHLM), the identification of the cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoenzymes involved, and the detectability using standard urine screening approaches (SUSA) after intake of common users’ doses using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), liquid chromatography-multi-stage mass spectrometry (LC-MSn), and liquid chromatography-high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (LC-HR-MS/MS). For metabolism studies, rat urine samples were treated by solid phase extraction or simple precipitation with or without previous enzymatic conjugate cleavage. After analyses via LC-HR-MSn, the phase I and II metabolites were identified. Both drugs showed multiple aliphatic hydroxylations at the cyclohexyl ring and the heterocyclic ring, single aromatic hydroxylation, carboxylation after ring opening, O-demethylation, and glucuronidation. The transferability from rat to human was investigated by pHLM incubations, where O-demethylation and hydroxylation were observed. The involvement of the individual CYP enzymes in the initial metabolic steps was investigated after single CYP incubations. For 3-MeO-PCP, CYP 2B6 was responsible for aliphatic hydroxylations and CYP 2C19 and CYP 2D6 for O-demethylation. For 3-MeO-PCPy, aliphatic hydroxylation was again catalyzed by CYP 2B6 and O-demethylation by CYP 2C9 and CYP 2D6. As only polymorphically expressed enzymes were involved, pharmacogenomic variations might occur, but clinical data are needed to confirm the relevance. The detectability studies showed that the authors’ SUSAs were suitable for monitoring the intake of both drugs using the identified metabolites
The challenges of creating co-existing and competitive retail centres in the North West of England
No full textA combination of changing consumer behaviour, fluctuating economic conditions, advances in technology and changing government policy have left many British centres suffering from varying degrees of decline. As modern technologies and transportation have altered the way we shop, research suggests that a centre’s culture and identity can provide a successful foundation with which to create experiential retail that can attract footfall back into town centres (see for example El Hedhli & Chebat 2009; Verhoef et al. 2009; Padilla & Eastlick 2009; Robertson 1997; Runyan & Huddleston 2006). This chapter provides an overview of some of the challenges facing declining centres in the North West of England and, focusing on the regeneration of Liverpool’s core retail area, explores the ways in which identity and culture have been incorporated into its urban design to enhance the retail experience on offer in the city centre
Personality and Other Lifelong Influences on Older-Age Health and Wellbeing: Preliminary Findings in Two Scottish Samples
Full text linkRecent observations that personality traits are related to later-life health and wellbeing outcomes have inspired considerable interest in exploring the physiological mechanisms involved. Other factors, such as cognitive ability and education, also show longitudinal influences on health and wellbeing, but it is not yet clear how all these predictors and other early-life circumstances together contribute to later-life health and wellbeing. In this preliminary study, we assessed hypothesised relations among these variables across the life course using structural equation modelling in a sample assessed on dependability (a personality trait related to conscientiousness) in childhood, cognitive ability and social class in both childhood and older age, education, and health and subjective wellbeing in older age. Our models indicated that both health and subjective wellbeing in older age were influenced by childhood IQ and social class, via education, rather than via older-age cognitive ability and social class. Some older-age personality traits mediated the effects of early-life variables on subjective wellbeing in particular, but childhood dependability did not have a significant effect on older-age health or wellbeing. We replicated our models in a much larger sample assessed on many of the same variables in older age. Models constrained to the parameters estimated in the exploratory sample also fit data from this larger second sample. Our results did not provide support for a role of childhood dependability in promoting older-age health and wellbeing, but did highlight the importance of other early-life factors and, in particular, personal characteristics that contribute to educational attainment. Further, personality in later life may mediate the effects of such early-life factors on health and subjective wellbeing
FACTORS INFLUENCING CITIES PEDESTRIAN STREET FUNCTIONALITY AND SUSTAINABLE LAND USE
No full textThe public space encourages social exchange, develops and maintains social groups and allows the exchange of public messages. When the public space and public life are not supported in the community, there is no one to communicate with, people become isolated, less inclined to help or support each other. Public space is the scene of public life that promotes a sense of community, sense of place, human connection and communication as well as dependence sensation. High-quality and well-managed public space is a benefit to the city's economy, creating shelter from the car-centred life and move to a more natural environment as well as significant urban land use. Therefore, in recent times, in order to establish the right conditions in cities for different human needs, great attention is paid not only to the development of physical infrastructure, but also to other aspects that will help to create sustainable balance of social, economic and environmental aspects. One of the quality of life in the city return ways is the release of urban spaces for pedestrians. Until these days the pedestrian zones are extended little by little, resulting in disposal of the car parking-lots and improved cycling and other transport facilities. Sustainable use of urban pedestrian zones would provide economic, social, environmental and cultural benefits only if these aspects are combined with each other. The aim of the article is to distinguish and critically analyse (on the basis of a literature review) factors influencing the functionality and sustainable development of pedestrian streets. Article object – cities pedestrian street. The study was conducted using scientific publishing content analysis and synthesis techniques. This article is an overview. Keywords: city, functionality and sustainability, pedestrian street
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