"Torture continues to feature as a serious human rights violation in Africa. This explains why, during its 32nd ordinary session held in Banjul, The Gambia, the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (the African Commission) resolved to adopt the Guidelines and Measures for the Prohibition and Prevention of Torture, Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in Africa (The Robben Island Guidelines (RIG)). This is a new development in Africa aiming at operationalisng article 5 of the African Charter. The RIG are phrased in a seemingly ambitious language, but their implementation by the African states remains doubtful because they are not legally binding. This has to be viewed in the light of the fact that many African countries are states parties to major regional and international human rights instruments, but human rights violations still persist. ... Chapter I has covered the proposal which includes the background to the study, research question, research methodology, limitation of the study, definition of torture, torture as jus cogens, literature review, and the division of chapters. Chapter II covers a synopsis of the international instruments and mechanisms to combat torture. Chapter III deals with the European and American systems' approach to combating torture. Chapter IV covers the African human rights system and torture, and finally, chapter V includes the general conclusion and recommendations. A draft of the recommended African Charter on the Prevention of Torture which has been drafted after looking at international, the European and Inter-American conventions on torture, has been attached as the main recommendation." -- Introduction. / Thesis (LLM (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa)) -- University of Pretoria, 2005. / Prepared under the supervision of Professor Julia Sloth-Nielsen at the Faculty of Law of the University of the Western Cape, Republic of South Africa / http://www.chr.up.ac.za/academic_pro/llm1/dissertations.html / Centre for Human Rights / LLM

In this qualitative study, eight school policies against degrading treatment and bullying, which were applied in eight municipalities in six different counties in Sweden, were analyzed to study what interventions the schools used to prevent degrading treatment and bullying and what course of actions the schools took in case such behavior was shown. These policies were analyzed with thematic analysis, which involved finding codes in the qualitative data and developing them into themes within the data. As a result, the study showed that 130 interventions were used in these schools. These interventions were developed into 59 themes, which were categorized according to the frame factor theory, which included four frames: judicial, administrative, physical, and social frames. They were also categorized into five levels, at which they were applied: school-level, classroom-level, individual-level, school-level interventions that were applied by students, and security-level. The first three levels were taken from Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP), and the following two levels were constructed during the study. The results showed that the four frames and the interventions in them intervened more with each other than it was originally discussed in the frame factor theory, as well as with the different levels at which they were used. The results also suggested the necessity of a remodeling of the theory in the light of conclusions based on the data and changes in school as an institution caused by changes in society. Keywords: Middle school policies, thematic analysis, frame factor theory, degrading treatment, bullying.

No description available.

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(農学) / 甲第23524号 / 農博第2471号 / 新制||農||1087(附属図書館) / 学位論文||R3||N5355(農学部図書室) / 京都大学大学院農学研究科応用生物科学専攻 / (主査)教授 髙野 義孝, 教授 寺内 良平, 教授 吉田 健太郎 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Agricultural Science / Kyoto University / DGAM

This study demonstrated the presence of hyperthermophilic organisms in the upper Jurassic Smackover formation in Womack Hills, AL. Evidence for the presence of these organisms was shown by the cultivation of an aerobic and an anaerobic, oil-degrading hyperthermophilic culture from the cuttings of an oil well in the Jurassic Smackover at 90¢ªC. Viability of microorganisms in the formation was established through electron microscopy, by carbon dioxide production, and by protein production during incubation in medium at 90¢ªC. Not only was the presence of viable microorganisms in the reservoir established, but as a result of this study, new cultivation methods were also developed that may prove useful in future studies of these types of organisms.

Lignocellulosic ethanol offers a promising alternative to conventional fossil fuels. One among the major limitations in the lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysis is unavailability of efficient and environmentally biomass degrading technologies. Plantbased production of these enzymes on large scale offers a cost effective solution. Cellulases, hemicellulases including mannanases and other accessory enzymes are required for conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into fermentable sugars. β- mannanase catalyzes endo-hydrolysis of the mannan backbone, a major constituent of woody biomass. In this study, man1 gene encoding β-mannanase was isolated from Trichoderma reesei and expressed via the chloroplast genome. PCR and Southern hybridization analysis confirmed the site-specific transgene integration into the tobacco chloroplast genomes and homoplasmy. Transplastomic plants were fertile and set viable seeds. Germination of seeds showed inheritance of transgenes into the progeny without Mendelian segregation. Expression of the endo-β-mannanase gene for the first time in plants facilitated its characterization for use in enhanced lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysis. Gel diffusion assay for endo-β-mannanase showed the zone of clearance confirming functionality of chloroplast-derived mannanase. Endo-β-mannanase expression levels reached up to 25 units per gram of leaf (fresh weight). Chloroplastderived mannanase had higher temperature stability (40 °C to 70 °C) and wider pH optima (pH 3.0 to 7.0) than E.coli enzyme extracts. Plant crude extracts showed 6-7 fold iv higher enzyme activity than E.coli extracts due to the formation of disulfide bonds in chloroplasts, thereby facilitating their direct utilization in enzyme cocktails without any purification. Chloroplast-derived mannanase when added to the enzyme cocktail containing a combination of different enzymes yielded 20% more glucose equivalents from pinewood than the cocktail without mannanase. Our results demonstrate that chloroplast-derived mannanase is an important component of enzymatic cocktail for woody biomass hydrolysis and should provide a cost-effective solution for its diverse applications in the paper, oil, pharmaceutical, coffee and detergent industries.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of ubiquitous environmental contaminants with two or more aromatic rings and originating from different emission sources. They are extremely toxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic to human, animals and plants. Consequently, the need to expand economical and practical remediation technologies for PAH contaminated sites is evident. In this study, the effect of biotic and abiotic factors on degradation of PAH was studied. The degradation was studied on the key model PAH (phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene and pyrene) in J. Arthur Bower’s top soil. The hypothesis for this study was that roadside soil would contain PAH degrading bacteria; pH would influence the microbial degradation of PAH, chemical oxidation of PAH would be as efficient as microbial breakdown of PAH and mobilising agents, would move PAH throughout soil, potentially making the PAH more available for biodegradation. The greatest degradations were found for the lowest molecular weight PAH, phenanthrene and anthracene; whilst lowest degradation was observed for higher molecular weight PAH, fluoranthene and pyrene. Twelve bacteria genera were isolated and identified by biochemical and molecular techniques from the roadside soil with the four PAHs as the sole carbon source. However, potentially new PAH biodegrader bacteria species and a novel were found in this study, which was not reported in the literature. The effect of pH between 5.0 and 8.0 at half pH intervals on biodegradation of the four PAHs and on bacterial populations in the soil over 32 days was monitored. The greatest population of bacteria and greatest biodegradation for the four PAHs was found at pH of 7.5. It is likely that the general increase in population was also linked with greater metabolic activities of bacteria at basic pHs which assists pollutant biodegradation. Although there is high pollutant mobility at low pHs, the biodegradation was limited due to reduced microbial activity. High pHs resulted in greater PAH biodegradation suggesting that pH manipulation by liming may be an effective way of stimulating biodegradation of PAH. The effect of potassium permanganate on oxidation of the four PAHs in the soil was examined. Studies in this thesis, indicated that potassium permanganate had a significant (p<0.05) effect on oxidation of the four PAHs at pH 7.5 over 35 days. However in comparison to biodegradation, chemical oxidation has significantly (p<0.05) less effect. Finally, the effect of Tween 20 only on translocation and biodegradation of the four PAHs at pH 7.5 over 35 days was examined. Studies indicated that Tween 20 had significantly (p<0.05) enhanced translocation of the four PAHs in the sterile soil. Moreover, the greatest biodegradation was found in the soil inoculated with only the roadside soil microorganisms but without Tween 20. This suggested that Tween 20 had a significant (p<0.05) inhibitory effect on the roadside soil microorganisms and therefore less microorganism were grown in the soil containing Tween 20. This indicated that Tween 20 was translocated PAH, but inhibited breakdown. This study indicated microbial biodegradation was the most effective technique for removing of the PAH from contaminated soil, which was cost effective and easier to perform in comparison to the other two techniques. Microbial biodegradation could be improved by adjusting pH through liming if soil was acid.

Les HAP sont parmi les substances les plus problématiques parce qu'ils ont un fort pouvoir cancérigène, mutagène et ont, par conséquent, des effets nocifs pour la santé humaine. Parmi les techniques de remédiation des sols contaminés par des HAP, la phytoremédiation a été reconnue comme une méthode prometteuse en raison de ses avantages économiques et écologiques. Toutefois, en raison de la nature récalcitrante des HAP, et de facteurs environnementaux difficile à maîtriser, cette technique est encore limitée en termes d'efficacité, en particulier lorsqu'il s'agit de HAP de poids moléculaires élevés. L'inoculation des plantes avec des champignons mycorhiziens à arbuscules (MA), qui sont omniprésents dans la plupart des sols naturels et anthropiques, est connue pour favoriser l'élimination des HAP. Cependant, des résultats variables ont été rapportés quant à l'effet des plantes et des microorganisms associés notamment les champignons MA, sur la phytoremédiation des HAP et nécessite des études complémentaires. Des expériences été réalisées dans des cultures en pot et en microplaques, pour étudier l'influence de certains paramètres sur la dissipation des HAP dans la rhizosphère: l'espèce végétale, l'espèce fongique, la nutrition minérale, la nature des HAP, leur disponibilité et les interactions entre HAP. Quatre espèces de plantes (luzerne, fétuque élevée, ray-grass et céleri) et deux espèces de champignons MA (Glomus intraradices et Glomus mosseae) ont été testées dans un sol artificiellement contaminé avec trois HAP: le phénanthrène (PHE), le pyrène (PYR) et le dibenzo[a, h] anthracène (DBA). Le poids moléculaire des HAP est un facteur majeur influencant leur élimination. Lorsque le poids moléculaire des HAP était plus élevé, le nombre de bactéries dégradantes cultivables était plus faible, et l'efficacité de la phytoremédiation des HAP limitée. La présence de PHE a diminué la biomasse végétale et la colonisation mycorhizienne, mais il a augmenté la dissipation du DBA par co-métabolisme dans les expériences en pots et en microplaques. En revanche, cet effet n'a pas été observé entre le PYR et le DBA . La dissipation des HAP a varié avec les espèces de plantes et de champignons MA. Bien que les quatre espèces de plantes aient augmenté l'élimination du PHE, seule la luzerne a montré des effets positifs sur la phytoremédiation du DBA. Glomus intraradices a augmenté la biomasse végétale et l'absorption du phosphore par des plantes, et il a également augmenté la dissipation du DBA. Lorsque la co-culture de luzerne et fétuque était colonisée par Glomus mosseae, la biomasse obtenue était plus élevée, et la concentration des gènes de HAP-dioxygénase était significativement plus élevée qu'avec Glomus intraradices. Mais Glomus mosseae n'a montré aucun effet significatif sur la phytoremédiation du DBA. Ainsi cet effet des champignons MA sur la dissipation des HAP n'est pas seulement un effet biomasse. La concentration de phosphore et le régime d'alimentation en eau ont également influencé la colonisation mycorhizienne et la dissipation des HAP. Ainsi la dissipation du DBA en présence de plantes était significativement plus élevée que dans les témoins non plantés lorsque la teneur en eau était élevée et celle en phosphore plus faible, ce qui correspondait à la situation où le taux de mycorhization des plantes était le plus élevé. L'ensemble de ces résultats souligne la complexité des interactions entre plantes, microorganismes et polluants dans les sols. Ils montrent que tous les paramètres considérés affectent significativement la dissipation des HAP dans la rhizosphère des plantes, et méritent d'être pris en compte pour contrôler et améliorer la phytoremédiation / PAHs are among the most problematic substances as they could accumulate in the environment and threaten the development of living organisms because of their acute toxicity, mutagenicity or carcinogenity. Among remediation techniques for PAH contaminated sites, phytoremediation has been recognized as a promising method owing to its economical and ecological benefits. However, due to the recalcitrant nature of PAH, multivariate and changeful environment factors, this technique is still limited in terms of effectiveness, especially when dealing with high molecular weight PAHs. Inoculation of plants with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, which are ubiquitous in natural and most anthropogenically influenced soils, is known to benefit PAH phytoremediation. However, diverging results were reported on PAH dissipation in plant rhizosphere and the parameters affecting the AM fungi assisted PAH phytoremediation needed more investigation. Some of these parameters were considered in the present work: plant species, AM fungi species, phosphorus nutrition and watering regimes, PAH type, availability and interactions between PAHs. Experiments were performed in pot cultures and in microplates, with different plant species (including alfalfa, tall fescue, ryegrass and celery roots), two AM fungi (Glomus intraradices and Glomus mosseae) and three kinds of PAHs (phenanthrene (PHE), pyrene (PYR) and dibenzo[a,h]anthracene (DBA)), spiked to a soil. PAH molecular weight was a major parameter influencing PAH phytoremediation. With the increase of PAH molecular weight, the culturable PAH degraders decreased, so did the efficiency of phytoremediation. PHE decreased the plant biomass and AM fungi colonization, but it increased the DBA dissipation in both pot and microplate experiments. PYR did not increase DBA dissipation, and addition of PYR into PHE+DBA substrate decreased both PHE and DBA dissipation. PAH phytoremediation efficiency varied with the plant and AM fungi species. Although all four species of plants increased the disappearance of PHE, only alfalfa showed a positive effect on high molecular weight (HMW) PAHs. Glomus intraradices increased the plant biomass and phosphorus uptake of plants, and it also increased DBA dissipation in DBA or PHE+PYR+DBA spiked soil. Co-planted alfalfa and tall fescue colonized with Glomus mosseae obtained higher biomass and the concentration of the PAH-ring hydroxylating dioxygenase genes were significant higher, than with Glomus intraradices, but Glomus mosseae showed no or negative effect on DBA phytoremediation. The phosphorus concentration and water regime also influenced the AM fungus colonization and PAH dissipation. The highest AM colonization and a significant positive impact of mycorrhizal plants on the dissipation of DBA was detected in high-water and low-phosphorus treatment. Results indicated that complex interactions between plants, microorganisms and soil control the fate on PAHs. All the studied parameters significantly affected PAH dissipation in plant rhizosphere, and should be considered for controlling and improving phytoremediation efficiency

This thesis deals with the prohibition of torture in international law. The prohibition of torture is considered one of the fundamental values of democratic states, it is an absolute right and a part of customary international law and such a rule of conduct from which we can under no circumstances deviate. Although it might seem that this topic is not too current, the opposite is true. The violation of the prohibition of torture is almost worldwide. The inspiration and impetus to select this topic for me was the situation about the U.S. war against terror and torture of prisoners at U.S. military bases. The work is divided into two blocks. The first part is a theoretical question, which aims to define the very concept of torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment and their relationship and to map the universal and particular international mechanisms in which the prohibition of torture is established. In this respect, the important document is the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which is the only universal document that provides a precise definition of torture. The aim of the first part was also to describe how the control mechanisms checked in compliance with the prohibition of torture in the world. The second...

Submitted by Cláudia Bueno (claudiamoura18@gmail.com) on 2016-03-10T20:32:55Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Anna Paula Santos Almeida Rotta - 2015.pdf: 1241010 bytes, checksum: 9da763a436471dd9f131621df58acc8c (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2016-03-14T15:27:32Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Anna Paula Santos Almeida Rotta - 2015.pdf: 1241010 bytes, checksum: 9da763a436471dd9f131621df58acc8c (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-14T15:27:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Anna Paula Santos Almeida Rotta - 2015.pdf: 1241010 bytes, checksum: 9da763a436471dd9f131621df58acc8c (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-10-14 / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Goiás - FAPEG / In recent decades, the growth of industrial activity and agriculture has been responsible for environmental contamination due to the presence of organic and inorganic substances. Phenol and its derivatives are an important class of environmental contaminants by their presence in many industrial effluents. The seeking of biological alternatives to mitigate the environmental pollution has motivated researches to find microorganisms that combine the capacity to degrade phenol with a sustainable focus. Therefore, bacteras capable of degrading xenobiotics are been used in soil, sediment and water treatment. This study has aimed to evaluate the biodegradation of phenol by bacterial isolates isolated from two Brazilian biomes (Cerrado Goiano and Mangrove of Guarapary, ES), whereupon the influence of pre-adaptation of the bacteria was checked, as well as the effects of growth parameters in different concentrations and the tolerance to this chemical compound. One isolated from Cerrado was identified as Staphylococcus aureus (BF 2.5), and the other one as a gram-positive rod (\BF 2.3.2), and the mangrove bacteria were identified as Bacillus circulans (MF-2) and Bacillus sp. (MF-1). All of the isolates consumed phenol in the approximated of 500mg.L-1 when cultivated in liquid Busnell-Hass (BH) medium and 1.500mg.L-1 in Nutrient Agar medium (NA). The consumption of phenol as carbon source by BF-2.5 isolated was 2,78; 4;79 and 0,35% for concentrations of 100, 200 and 300 mg.L-1 of phenol, respectively. The isolated BF-2.3.2 results were 11, 04; 19,13 and 16,02%, respectively. For the mangrove isolated the results were 22,43; 11,52 and 3.33% to 21,54; 20;54 and 28.85% for the MF-1 and MF-2 isolates, respectively in the same phenol concentrations tested. These results suggest a higher phenol consumption capacity of MF-2 isolated from mangrove. / Nas últimas décadas, a crescente atividade industrial e a agropecuária têm sido as responsáveis pela contaminação do meio ambiente devido à presença de substâncias orgânicas e inorgânicas. O fenol e seus derivados constituem uma importante classe de contaminantes ambientais pela sua presença em muitos efluentes industriais. A busca por alternativas biológicas para combater a poluição ambiental tem motivado pesquisas por micro-organismos que aliem a capacidade de degradar o fenol com enfoque sustentável. Nesta vertente, bactérias degradadoras de xenobióticos, estão sendo utilizadas como inóculo nos diversos tipos de tratamento biológico para a minimização de contaminação de águas, solos e sedimentos. Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a biodegradação do fenol por isolados bacterianos de dois biomas brasileiros (Cerrado Goiano e Manguezal de Guaraparí, ES), no qual, verificou-se a influência da adaptação bacteriana perante as diferentes concentrações de fenol e a tolerância a esse composto químico. Das bactérias de Cerrado uma foi identificada como Staphylococcus aureus (BF 2.5) e a outra somente como bastonete gram-positivo (BF 2.3.2) e entre as bactérias de manguezal uma foi identificada como Bacillus circulans (MF-2) e a outra Bacillus sp. (MF-1) Todos os isolados consumiram fenol na concentração aproximada de 500mg.L-1 quando crescidos em meio de Bushnell-Haas (BH) líquido e em 1.500mg.L-1 quando em meio Ágar Nutriente (AN). Quanto à utilização do fenol como fonte única de carbono observamos que o consumo de fenol pelo isolado BF-2.5 foi de 2,78; 4,79 e 0,35% para as concentrações de 100, 200 e 300mg.L-1 de fenol, respectivamente. Já para o isolado BF-2.3.2 os resultados foram de 11,04; 19,13 e 16,02%, respectivamente. Para os isolados de manguezal os resultados foram 22,43; 11,52 e 3,33% e 21,54; 20,54 e 28,85% para os isolados MF-1 e MF-2, respectivamente nas mesmas concentrações de fenol testadas. Estes isolados sugerem uma maior capacidade de utilização pelo isolados MF-2 de manguezal.