13 research outputs found
Responding to the Threat of Violent Extremism - Failing to Prevent
No full textThe shocking 7/7 London bombings and subsequent plots have confirmed the Islamist terrorist threat faced by the UK. How should we understand such home-grown terrorism, and how successful since 2005 have government attempts to ‘prevent violent extremism’ through community-based education been? This 2012 monograph draws on research evidence, much of it from work with young people in the north of England, to suggest that the 'Prevent' policy approaches have been misguided and ineffective, further alienating British Muslim communities rather than supporting longer-term attempts to encourage community cohesion and integration that provides resilience against extremism
Efficacy and safety of the pregnancy-IVI, an intravenous insulin protocol for pregnancy, following antenatal betamethasone in type 1 and type 2 diabetes
No full textAims: Hyperglycaemia following antenatal corticosteroids is common in womenwith diabetes in pregnancy, and validated algorithms to maintain pregnancy-specificglucose targets are lacking. The Pregnancy-IVI, an intravenous-insulin (IVI) algo-rithm, has been validated in gestational diabetes" however, its performance in pre-existing diabetes (Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes) is not known. We hypothesised that Pregnancy-IVI would be superior to a generic Adult-IVI protocol (prior standard of care) following betamethasone in women with pre-existing diabetes.Methods: A retrospective cohort study enrolled all women with pre-existing diabetes at a tertiary centre receiving betamethasone and treated with IVI according to one of two protocols: Adult-IVI (n = 73, 2014–2017) or Pregnancy-IVI (n = 62,2017–2020). The primary outcome was on-IVI glycaemic time-in-range (capillary blood glucose (BGL) 3.8–7.0 mmol/L). Secondary outcomes included time with critical hyperglycaemia (BGL > 10 mmol/L)" occurrence of maternal hypoglycaemia (BGL 10 mmol/L)" occurrence of maternal hypoglycaemia (BGL Results: Overall, Pregnancy-IVI achieved a higher proportion of on-IVI time-in-range (70%, IQR 56–78%) compared to Adult-IVI (52%, IQR 41–69%, p Conclusion: The Pregnancy-IVI algorithm is safe and effective when used following betamethasone in type 1 diabetes in pregnancy. Further study of women with type 2diabetes is required
Efficacy and safety of the pregnancy‐IVI, an intravenous insulin protocol for pregnancy, following antenatal betamethasone in type 1 and type 2 diabetes
No full textThe visceral screen: Between the cinemas of John Cassavetes and David Cronenberg, a Barthesian perspective
No full textThe thesis discusses two directors who are never considered together in academic discourse. Cassavetes’ perceived focus on events led by the dynamics of performance and his looseness of technique opposes the calculated compositions of the Cronenberg film, with its aesthetic of horrific images and its gallery of emotionally detached protagonists. Yet it is between such opposing methods of cinematic expression that the ineffable qualities of film aesthetics can be discovered. Cassavetes’ cinema achieves this by revelling in a surplus of activity that exceeds narrative, while the indescribable characteristics of the Cronenberg oeuvre is achieved through a systematic emptying of the image’s meaning through a simultaneous commitment to paring back emotion and portraying of images that are controversial and inconceivable. Taken together, the thesis identifies these aspects of film as ‘the visceral,’ a facet of the moving image that most certainly exists, but is resolutely, and disturbingly resistant to interpretation.
Roland Barthes’ writings are integral to a theory of the visceral. His re-evaluation of Saussurean semiology as a method of analyzing and undoing ideologically-imposed meanings informs readings of sequences from Cassavetes and Cronenberg’s films. Following Barthes, the thesis suggests that the existence of the visceral is realized as a resistance to ideological interpretations of the image, and so cannot be described. Ultimately, the inability of semiology to fully grasp certain aspects of the filmed image is put forward as a rejoinder to theories of the fiction film as principally a narrative medium
Antenatal corticosteroid administration for foetal lung maturation
No full textAntenatal corticosteroids are an essential component in the management of women at risk for preterm labour. They promote lung maturation and reduce the risk of other preterm neonatal complications. This narrative review discusses the contentious issues and controversies around the optimal use of antenatal corticosteroids and their consequences for both the mother and the neonate. The most recent evidence base is presented
Efficacy and safety of the pregnancy-IVI, an intravenous insulin protocol for pregnancy, following antenatal betamethasone in type 1 and type 2 diabetes
No full textAims: Hyperglycaemia following antenatal corticosteroids is common in women with diabetes in pregnancy, and validated algorithms to maintain pregnancy-specific glucose targets are lacking. The Pregnancy-IVI, an intravenous-insulin (IVI) algorithm, has been validated in gestational diabetes; however, its performance in pre-existing diabetes (Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes) is not known. We hypothesised that Pregnancy-IVI would be superior to a generic Adult-IVI protocol (prior standard of care) following betamethasone in women with pre-existing diabetes. Methods: A retrospective cohort study enrolled all women with pre-existing diabetes at a tertiary centre receiving betamethasone and treated with IVI according to one of two protocols: Adult-IVI (n = 73, 2014-2017) or Pregnancy-IVI (n = 62, 2017-2020). The primary outcome was on-IVI glycaemic time-in-range (capillary blood glucose (BGL) 3.8-7.0 mmol/L). Secondary outcomes included time with critical hyperglycaemia (BGL > 10 mmol/L); occurrence of maternal hypoglycaemia (BGL p p < 0.0001), without an increase in hypoglycaemia. Glycaemic variability was significantly reduced with Pregnancy-IVI. No difference in the rate of neonatal hypoglycaemia was observed. The Pregnancy-IVI was most effective in women with Type 1 diabetes. Conclusion: The Pregnancy-IVI algorithm is safe and effective when used following betamethasone in type 1 diabetes in pregnancy. Further study of women with type 2 diabetes is required
Matthew’s Emmanuel Messiah: a paradigm of presence for god's people
No full textThe motif of divine presence is a clear phenomenon within the Gospel of Matthew. The modern critical means for assessing the ancient biblical text have multiplied to the point, some claim, of disparity. This study employs both narrative and redaction criticism in an attempt to respond authentically to the structural, historical and theological dimensions of Matthew's Gospel. This study begins with the presumption of the wholeness and integrity of Matthew's narrative, and assumes the gospel story to have an inherently dramatic structure which invites readers to inhabit imaginatively its narrative world and respond to its call. But since we are concerned with the role of both reader and author, this study also assumes a text with an historical author and context. The introduction focuses on the meta-critical dilemma facing New Testament students - what is the text and how do we read it? - and seeks some balance in terms of Krieger's analogy of the text as both window and mirror. Proposed is a narrative reading of Matthew's presence motif alongside a redaction critical assessment of it. In Chapter 2 the elements of narrative theory are introduced and relevant terms defined: the structure of narrative, the function of the narrator, points of view. Chapter 3 becomes an exercise in narrative reading, with Matthew's presence motif providing the focus, and the implied reader’s interaction with the story being predominant in interpretation. Characters, rhetorical devices, and points of view are discussed, to understand the motif's development throughout the story's progress. The thrust of Chapter 4 is thereafter to examine divine presence as a dominant motif within Matthew's most important literary context: the Jewish scriptures. Here the primary paradigms of divine presence provided by the Patriarchs, the Sinai experience, and the Davidic-Zion traditions are assessed. Chapter 5 follows with a more detailed examination of the OT "I am with you/God is with us" formula and its µeo' vµwv/ηuwv language, so strongly connected to Matthew's presence motif. Chapters 6-8 build on these investigations with a closer analysis of the three critical "presence passages" of Mt 1:23. 18:20 and 28:20. The passages and their contexts are probed from a redaction critical perspective, guided by the narrative investigation of Chapter 3, and the background from Chapters 4 and 5.The three major "presence passages" examined in Chapters 6-8 are also complimented by a number of secondary issues: worship, wisdom, the Spirit and the poor in Matthew, and their relation to Jesus' divine presence. These are discussed in Chapter 9. Chapter 10 summarizes and looks briefly at some implications. Matthew' presence motif proves to be an important element of the Gospel’s rhetorical design, redactional strategy and Christology. The presence of Jesus, the Emmanuel Messiah, exhibited in his risen authority, becomes the focus of his people's hopes and experiences in the post-Easter world. What the presence of Yahweh was to his people. Jesus now provides in a new paradigm for his people - his followers, the little ones, the poor and the marginalized, from all nations
Teenage Pregnancy and Fertility in English Communities: Neighbourhood, Family and Peer Influences on Behaviour
No full textPhDThe British government established the Teenage Pregnancy Unit in 1999 to
reduce early pregnancy. Current policy initiatives have a significant geographic
dimension: specific English neighbourhoods have been identified as the sites
where most early pregnancy occurs and have been targeted for intervention.
The aim of this thesis is to explore the factors that influence teenage sexual and
reproductive behaviour by drawing on the neighbourhoods effects literature.
Within this body of research, teenage reproduction is believed to be affected by a
multiplicity of factors operating within different domains. The analysis (of survey
data and qualitative material collected in three locations) was guided by two
research questions: which factors within neighbourhoods, family and peer
contexts are the most important in elucidating the causal pathways to teenage
sex, pregnancy and fertility; and do the importance of these factors vary between
neighbourhoods?
Overall, factors within neighbourhood and peer contexts were found to be less
significant than family and individual-level factors. The analysis of British Cohort
Study data showed that, for example, women who experience teenage
pregnancy or birth lived in deprived areas at age 16, but other neighbourhood
variables were not significant in multivariate analysis. There were some
differences between neighbourhoods, but the cohort member's attitude to school
was, generally, the most important factor associated with teenage sexual and
reproductive behaviour. The qualitative data supported these statistical results.
There was little evidence that women had been influenced by either their friends
or others within their neighbourhoods (though some women reported knowing
high numbers of teenage mothers), and nearly all the young mothers had low
educational attainment. In conclusion, individual and family-level influences on
sexual and reproductive outcomes are paramount, but behaviour is also subtly
informed by wider social factors
Reading anonymity : narrative difference and framework selection in the claiming of terrorist violence
No full textWhile a significant proportion of terrorist attacks have always gone unclaimed scholarship has noted an increasing number of such acts over the past half-century, which appears to indicate that the claiming of violence may no longer constitute an essential terrorist strategy. The increasing gap between claimed and unclaimed attacks (where “unclaimed” is understood as a terrorist attack for which no credible assertion is issued by the perpetrating individual or group) cannot be explained by existing assumptions, which posit that terrorist groups will seek to advertise their success. This thesis attempts to develop a more complete understanding of this phenomenon by examining al Qaeda’s claim variation within a series of paired case studies to explore the presumption of narrative difference between the two types of attacks. Findings indicate that claimed acts of terrorism tend to be presented via a framework of uncertainty whereas unclaimed acts are presented within a framework of ambiguity. The distinction of ambiguous frameworks is that they allow the terrorist to operate in a newly created narrative space to perpetuate and expand the fear-provoking effects of violence by destabilizing mutually exclusive identities of blame and rendering attacker and victim indistinct, while at the same time confirming the imminent possibility of lethal harm. The variation between models has significant implications for policymakers given that the choice of framework limits or guides one towards particularized courses of action. Given the creative authority of the targeted society as definer of this framework, it remains within the attacked population’s power to eliminate the narrative advantage allotted terrorist actors under conditions of ambiguity
York U to Confer Honorary Degrees on 12 Remarkable Canadians at Spring Convocation
No full textYork University will recognize the tremendous contributions of a dozen community and business leaders including Canada’s Governor General, a judge, journalists and scholars at this year’s spring convocation ceremonies. An inspiring Canadian athlete will also be recognized with an honorary degree.
“This year’s honorary degree recipients truly are a remarkable group of Canadians, who embody in every way the high public purpose of universities as well as the values that make Canada the country it is today,” said Mamdouh Shoukri, president and vice-chancellor of York University. “Through their professional contributions, their advocacy and volunteerism, they are involved in supporting and building their communities, engaging with the challenging questions of our time, and inspiring others to follow their important example.”
Here are the recipients in order of the Faculty ceremonies at which they will be honoured:
Karen Weiler
Karen Weiler − Eminent jurist Honorary Doctor of Laws Faculty of Health I – Friday, June 16, 10:30am One of the most eminent judges in Canada, Karen Weiler (LL.B. ’67, LL.M. ’74) has dedicated her career to improving access to justice for litigants in need and to combating societal discrimination. She is a double graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School and was first appointed to the former District Court of Ontario in 1980 at the age of 35, making her the youngest person ever to have been appointed to the federal judiciary. From there she advanced to the Ontario High Court in 1989 followed by the Court of Appeal in 1992. Since 1995 she has also served as a Judge of the Court Martial Appeal Court. She has presided over most appeals heard in French at the Court of Appeal over the past 25 years and her work has led to the reform of several important laws relating to children and families as well as important equity initiatives.
William Fisch − York Region community advocate and public service leader Honorary Doctor of Laws Faculty of Health II and Faculty of Environmental Studies – Friday, June 16, 3:30pm William (Bill) Fisch is a respected lawyer, former city councillor and regional government chairperson. As chairman and chief executive officer of the Regional Municipality of York from 1997 to 2014, he demonstrated steadfast commitment to enhancing the York Region community at a time when it had become Canada’s fastest-growing constituency. Fisch received his JD from Osgoode Hall Law School and practiced law in Thornhill before entering local politics. He has advocated for the University’s interests by spearheading initiatives such as the new subway extension, and by lending instrumental support for the University’s proposal for a new Markham campus and the opening of the eponymous Bill Fisch Forest Stewardship and Education Centre, a living laboratory where visitors learn about forest ecosystems and natural resources.
Matt Galloway − Radio personality Honorary Doctor of Laws School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design and Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies I – Monday, June 19, 3:30pm A staple voice at the CBC for more than 10 years, Matt Galloway (BA ’94) is host of CBC Radio One’s Metro Morning in Toronto and co-host of Podcast Playlist. One of Canada’s most respected radio personalities, he began his career as music director for CHRY-FM at York. He has also written for NOW Magazine and hosted CBC Toronto’s Here and Now. His accolades include: Top Radio Personality in Toronto NOW Magazine for four consecutive years; Toronto Hero of 2011 by Torontoist; Excellence in Community Service Award in 2012 for addressing issues confronting diverse communities by the Intercultural Dialogue Institute; 2013 Award for Diversity and Inclusion by the Tagore Anniversary Celebrations Committee of Toronto; Toronto’s 50 Most Influential People by Toronto Life magazine (2014-2016) and the African Canadian Achievement Award for Excellence in Media (2015).
Wanda MacNevin − Social worker, activist, author Honorary Doctor of Laws Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies II – Tuesday, June 20, 10:30am For over 40 years Wanda MacNevin has been a leader, activist and author in the Jane-Finch community and has built crucial collaborations with York University. Her career in social work was nurtured by York’s Bridging Program for Women. A founding member of the Jane/Finch Community and Family Centre in 1976, she later developed the Women Moving Forward program for young women who had been teen mothers, established in 2005 with $1.234 million in foundation funding. As the first Community Health Worker for the Black Creek Community Health Centre, she developed programs and services for teen mothers and seniors. The author of two books, she is currently working on a book about the Jane-Finch community. Her interviews with people in the community can be found in the Toronto Public Library’s “Black Creek Living History Project.” She has received many honours including the Woman of the Year award from Jewish Women International, and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.
Michael Dan − Visionary social entrepreneur and philanthropist Honorary Doctor of Laws Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies III – Tuesday, June 20, 3:30pm Dr. Michael Dan is a leading philanthropist, supporting human rights, peace in the Middle East, First Nations initiatives and local charities. His career spans the fields of neurosurgery, biotechnology and hydroelectric power. A former assistant professor of neurosurgery, he left medicine to become chief executive officer of Novopharm Biotech, a division of Novopharm Ltd, the generic drug company started by his father, Leslie. He is currently president of both Regulus Investments Inc. and Gemini Power Corp., a hydroelectric company that builds partnerships with First Nations communities. In 2002, he founded the Paloma Foundation to assist charities in the GTA. In 2015, Dr. Dan and his wife, Amira Bojadzija-Dan, made a donation to the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto to create the Waakebiness-Bryce Institute for Indigenous Health. A great supporter of York University, he has received many accolades including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Order of Ontario, the Order of St. John, and the Order of Canada.
Hayley Wickenheiser, Celebrated elite athlete, author and motivational speaker Honorary Doctor of Laws Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies IV – Wednesday, June 21, 10:30am Considered one of the best female hockey players in the world, Hayley Wickenheiser is a five-time Olympic medalist and seven-time World Championship medalist. At 15, she became the youngest member chosen for the Canadian Women’s National Team, which she later led to six gold and one silver medal at the Women’s World Hockey Championships. Her Olympic career spans five Winter Olympics between 1998 and 2014. Twice named one of The Globe and Mail’s “Power 50” influencers in sport, her many accolades also include being named #20 on Sports Illustrated’s Top 25 Toughest Athletes in the World in 2008. She was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2011 and inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2014. In addition to working with organizations such as JumpStart, KidSport, Project North and Right to Play, she provides mentoring opportunities for young athletes through The Canadian Tire Wickenheiser World Female Hockey Festival.
Steve Paikin, Journalist Honorary Doctor of Laws Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies V – Wednesday, June 21, 3:30pm Engaging, informing and educating Canadians has been Steve Paikin’s purpose throughout his career as a broadcast journalist, author and filmmaker. He is best known as the host of TVO’s flagship current affairs program, The Agenda with Steve Paikin, which explores social, political, cultural and economic matters, and broadens the discussion on issues important to Ontarians. He joined TVO in 1992 after working at The Hamilton Spectator, CHFI radio station, and as Queen’s Park correspondent for CBC Television’s Toronto station. He has moderated three federal and three provincial election leaders’ debates and has authored several books about politicians, including one about Ontario’s 18th premier, Bill Davis. Paikin, who places high importance on education, is currently Chancellor of Laurentian University. He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2013 and appointed to the Order of Ontario the following year.
William MacDonald Evans − President, Canadian Space Agency, public servant Honorary Doctor of Laws Lassonde School of Engineering and Faculty of Science – Thursday, June 22, 10:30am William (Mac) MacDonald Evans is a distinguished senior federal public servant whose career spans over 30 years in the Canadian space program and includes extensive experience in research, project management, policy development, international relations and senior management in several federal departments. He was appointed Vice President of Operations for the newly formed Canadian Space Agency in 1989 and was president and CEO of PRECARN Associates Inc. from 1992 until his appointment as President of the CSA in 1994. During his tenure at the CSA, his leadership in the development of respected Canadian space policies led to the evolution of the CSA, the Astronaut Corps, RADARSAT, SCISAT and Canada’s presence on the International Space Station. Since retiring, Evans has been a consultant and remains an enthusiastic supporter of York’s Centre for Research in Earth and Space Science and space science programming. This year, he was appointed to the government’s Space Advisory Board.
David Johnston – Governor General of Canada, legal scholar and university administrator Honorary Doctor of Laws Faculty of Education – Thursday, June 22, 3:30pm The motto on His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston’s coat of arms reads Contemplare Meliora, meaning “to envision better things” − a sentiment clearly evidenced by his dedicated service as Canada’s current Governor General and as a professor and university administrator. After teaching law at Queen’s and the University of Toronto, he became dean of Western University’s law faculty in 1974. From 1979 to 1994 he served as principal and vice-chancellor of McGill University. In 1999 he became president and vice-chancellor of the University of Waterloo, a position he held until 2010 when he was appointed as the country’s 28th governor general. In that role, he has focused on strengthening the pillars of philanthropy and volunteerism, learning and innovation and families and children and launched new initiatives, including the Governor General’s Innovation Awards and My Giving Moment, a national initiative to encourage Canadians to give back to their communities. He is a Companion of the Order of Canada.
Bharat Masrani – Bank executive, York ambassador Honorary Doctor of Laws Schulich School of Business – Friday, June 23, 10:30am Bharat Masrani (BBA ’78, MBA ’79), who graduated from the Schulich School of Business 38 years ago, is President and CEO of TD Bank Group. Of South Asian descent, he became the first member of a visible minority to ascend to the corner office of a major Canadian bank. A champion of York University throughout the TD community, he returns to Schulich frequently as a guest speaker. His banking career with TD spans more than three decades of multi-faceted experience that includes retail, wholesale and wealth management. Masrani started his career with TD in 1987 as a Commercial Lending Trainee. Since then he has had various roles with TD in four countries, including India where in 1995 he set up the bank’s first offices in Mumbai. He was appointed President and CEO in November 2014. As part of Schulich’s 50th Anniversary celebrations last year, he was keynote speaker at CONNECT2016.
Cindy Blackstock – Academic, child advocate Honorary Doctor of Laws Osgoode Hall Law School – Friday, June 23, 3:30pm A member of the Gitxsan First Nation, Cindy Blackstock is Executive Director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society and a Professor at McGill University School of Social Work. She has over 30 years of social work experience in child protection and Indigenous children’s rights with a focus on documenting and addressing the systemic inequalities experienced by First Nations children, youth and families today. She engages the public, and particularly children, to learn about Canada’s history in ways that prepare them to implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action. Blackstock is most well known for her role in a landmark 2016 Canadian Human Rights Tribunal decision that found the Government of Canada’s flawed and inequitable provision of child welfare services and failure to ensure First Nations children could access all other government services on the same terms as other children, was discriminatory. In 2011, she was awarded the National Aboriginal Achievement Award (Public Policy) and was named an honorary witness to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Marion Boyd – Social justice advocate and political pioneer Honorary Doctor of Laws Glendon – Saturday, June 24, 2:30pm Marion Boyd (BA ‘68) is a passionate advocate for the rights of marginalized community members and a well-respected public service leader. A graduate of York’s Glendon College, she began her career at York University as an assistant to the president and was the longtime executive director of the London Battered Women’s Advocacy Clinic (now the London Abused Women’s Centre) and president of the London Status of Women Action Group. First elected in 1990 as MPP of London Centre for the NDP, she held several cabinet appointments, serving as minister of education, minister of community and social services and minister responsible for women’s issues. In 1993 she was the first woman and non-lawyer to be appointed as attorney general. Since her time in politics, she has led a taskforce on the effects of domestic violence on women and investigated the use of sharia law in Ontario family law arbitrations. She is currently a partner at the management consulting firm Boyd/Dunlop-Addley and Associates, Inc.
Convocation ceremonies will be held from Friday, June 16 to Saturday, June 24. A full schedule can be found at this link: York U spring 2017 convocation. All ceremonies will take place at the Convocation Pavilion, located at the Aviva Centre, 1 Shoreham Drive, on the west side of York University’s Keele campus with the exception of the Glendon ceremony, which will be held on the Glendon Campus, located at 2275 Bayview Avenue
