British Muslims and the anti-war movement

No abstract available

All I'm asking, is for a little respect: assessing the performance of Britain's most successful radical left party

This article offers an overview of the genesis, development and decline of the Respect Party, a rare example of a radical left party which has achieved some degree of success in the UK. It analyses the party's electoral fortunes and the reasons for its inability to expand on its early breakthroughs in East London and Birmingham. Respect received much of its support from Muslim voters, although the mere presence of Muslims in a given area was not enough for Respect candidates to get elected. Indeed, despite criticism of the party for courting only Muslims, it did not aim to draw its support from these voters alone. Moreover, its reliance on young people and investment in local campaigning on specific political issues were often in opposition to the traditional ethnic politics which have characterised the electoral process in some areas

Managing care environments: reflections from research and practice

This chapter considers the role of senior staff in managing the use of space and the physical environment within care settings. These day and residential settings come under the broad umbrella of social work and social care but the care may also be organized from within health. This is a subject that does not appear on the curriculum of many management courses in the UK, but arguably it is critical in relation to social work and social care where managers are involved with residential homes, day centres and other provision where the physical environment can enhance or be detrimental towards service users' wellbeing. In such settings many activities go on under one roof, particularly in group care or when the care is provided in a person's own home. The care environment is complex and can be bounded within space, place, time and behaviour. Activities and time available compete or have different meanings for the participants. Managers have different kinds of relationships with workers and with service users. The environment in which care takes place often frames these

Managing environments

Although a context might be solid - like a building - it has different meanings for the people who use it. The impact of the physical space is the focus for 'Managing environments'. Peace and Reynolds note that any one environment may be multifunctional. Taking an innovative approach to management, they argue that a residential care home, for example, may be simultaneously a place for living for residents, working for staff and managers and visiting for relatives and other professionals. The atmosphere in a care home makes a critical difference to the experience of service users who live there. The authors review how the environmental factors that influence care may be managed and how the careful design and us of space can contribute to improved quality of life in the management of care. Peace and Reynolds also consider relationships between people, places and quality, recognising the impact of the manager on caring environments. A focus on practice here emphasises the role of the manager in drawing out debates over values and best practice to help care workers feel supported and confident about the care they provide

Identification of “Kratom” (Mitragyna speciosa) Alkaloids in Commercially Available Products

“Kratom” is the common name for the botanical mitragyna speciosa. It is a tree native to Southeast Asia in which leaves contain the psychoactive alkaloids mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine. Kratom is often ingested as teas, chewed, or smoked. It acts as a stimulant in small doses and as an opioid in large doses. Overdoses can result in vomiting, seizures, and death. Recently the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) placed Kratom on Schedule 1, but, due to public outcry, it was almost immediately removed. Eleven kratom based products were obtained from various tobacco shops, “headshops” and via the internet including: Choice brand capsule and powder, Krave brand capsule, Lucky brand powder, King Kratom and Purple Haze e-liquids with 0 mg nicotine and 12 mg nicotine, Mojo brand capsule, O.P.M.S Liquid Kratom concentrate, and a K. Kratom chocolate bar. These products and methanol extracted samples were analyzed for psychoactive alkaloids and other components using an AccuTOF Direct Analysis in Real Time Mass Spectrometry (DART-MS) and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The psychoactive alkaloids mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine along with four other alkaloids, corynantheidine, corynoxine, paynantheine, and speciofoline, were identified in all 11 products. Unregulated commercial products made from kratom contain psychoactive alkaloids such as mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine. They are readily available in a variety of forms and may be prone to abuse.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/uresposters/1246/thumbnail.jp

The Forensic Characterization of Bacterial and Fungal Organisms in Traditional Chinese Medicine

There has been an increase in use of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in the United States because they are less expensive and believed to be more effective with less adverse effects in comparison to traditional pharmaceutics. Therefore, sales have increased in the US, despite articles and case studies demonstrating the dangers, such as injury and death, related to TCM, stemming from improper labelling, toxic contaminants, and, in some cases, the presence of pathogenic bacteria. The aim of this study was to perform a survival experiment to demonstrate the importance of proper herbal brewing technique and to conduct a molecular and biochemical survey of microorganisms present on eleven Chinese herbal samples. The survival study compared Chinese brewing preparation and American brewing preparation by fortifying the herbal mixture with known bacteria and assessing its survival after brewing. The American brewed herbal tea was calculated to contain upwards of 3000 CFU (colony forming units)/mL, where the Chinese brewed herbal tea contained roughly 50 CFU/mL. FAME (Fatty Acid Methyl Ester) analysis was performed on the herbs to characterize any microorganisms present on the plant material already, following purchase. Strains within the Bacillus genus were identified in nearly all eleven of the herbal samples. These included B. subtilis and B. megaterium. Organisms belonging to the Bacillus ACT group (anthracis, cereus, thuringiensis) were identified in five out of eleven herb cultures as evidenced by the large ratio of 15:0 iso to 15:0 anteiso fatty acid biomarkers. Nine out of eleven herbal specimens also exhibited fungal biomarkers such as polyunsaturated 20:4 ω6,9,12,15c, and 18:3 ω6c (6,9,12).https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/uresposters/1291/thumbnail.jp

THE IMPACT OF INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS ON ECONOMIC GROWTH IN NIGERIA

lnlemafional financial institutions peiforms a dynamirrfuly in lhe advancemenl of economies worldwide inclusive of Nigerian economy. The study investigated the impact of lntemational Financiallnsfihttion on economic growth in Nigeria for the period 1981-2015. Time series dala on World Bank loan (IBRD and IDA grants) and Jntemabfl Moneta1y Fund Credits (IMF) was used to capture the loans contracted The study set out '12..J!;r.st .fQi. bfi 'g,JQJ:zgJJ!lj and causal relationship_belween e.,r:temal borrowing from World Bank and JMF, and economic growth in Nigeria. An empirical investigalion was conducted using time series data on Real Gross Domestic Product, IBRD and IDA Loans, International lvlonetary Fund Credits (hv!F). Also Foreign Direct Investment and Official Exchange Rate was ui!Jas the control variables fi·om 1981-2015. The techniques of estimation employed in the study include Augmented Dickey Fuller (!JDf) unit root test Desc. e Statistics, Correlation test, Johansen Co-integration, vector error c01rection estimates, Granger causalily test. The result show a positive, but insignificant relationship betw. World Bank loans and real gross domestic product. Secondly, the IMF credit also shows fL posilive .. buUnsimificcmu.t:ks.J_on economjc. g -owth. It was recommended ltf since loans obtained fi·om International Financial Intuitions (World Bank, !lvfF) have IJ!!gatively conlributed to economic rowlh and also regressively qffected economic activities via increasing debt burden. Federal Govemmenl should implemenl policies towards effective and efficient domestic resource mobilization strategy, also a periodic, progressive monitoring and evaluation program and finally the amount of IMF jimding must not be unrestricted, unless on condition when is exceptionally important. In addition, concerted effort should be made towards timely loan repayment cmd servicing to melt down the negative effect of debt on economic growth