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This collection of essays, contributed by his friends, pays tribute to the work of Peter R. Baehr, whose impressive career spans some 40 years of activity devoted to the cause of human rights. Although human rights remains the leitmotiv of Professor Baehr's career, the themes explored in this collection - the role of the nation-state in the 21st century, international organisations and foreign policy - are a reflection of the versatility of his work and the range of his interests. This volume thus offers the reader a stimulating collection of essays by a wide range of international experts on both the theory and the practice of human rights within the context of the nation-state of the 21st century

This edition of the Yearbook on Human Rights in Developing Countries contains contributions on the role of the right to development in the development assistance policies of Norway and of the European Union. These thematic studies will help to provide a better perspective on the place of the right to development, a human right which was recognised by the General Assembly of the United Nations back in 1986. The Yearbook also contains seven country reports, which assess human rights trends in countries in the South, covering civil and political as well as economic, social and cultural rights during the period 1993-1995. The reports follow a common structure to allow for comparisons among countries. The present volume contains reports on Bhutan, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, India, Mexico and Uganda. The Yearbook on Human Rights in Developing Countries is a joint project of the Chr. Michelsen Institute, Bergen; the Danish Centre of Human Rights, Copenhagen; the Norwegian Institute of Human Rights, Oslo; the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Lund; the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights (BIM), Vienna; and the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights (SIM), Utrecht

INTRODUCTION: High rates of cannabis consumption among emerging adults in Canada represent an important public health issue. As part of the legalisation of cannabis, health objectives were established by the Government of Canada including reducing risky patterns of consumption and cannabis related harm among vulnerable populations. Despite these ambitions, few evidenced based education programmes have been evaluated in the literature. The aim of this study is to describe and evaluate the acceptability of a novel harm reduction and education initiative titled, UCalgary's Cannabis Café. The Cannabis Café incorporates components shown to be effective in reducing risky substance consumption on campuses and substance related stigma. An important objective of the Café is the dissemination of methods to reduce risk in the form of Canada's Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The study will take the form of a non-experimental, observational cohort design, where participants will be asked to complete four surveys (baseline, immediate follow-up, 1 month and 3 months). The primary outcomes of the study will be the feasibility of the initiative including acceptability and implementation. Secondary outcomes include knowledge uptake of methods to reduce risk of cannabis related harm, descriptive cannabis norms and changes in cannabis consumption. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study was approved by the University of Calgary Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board (#REB18-1364). The investigators will develop a guideline outlining the Cannabis Café to assist in the replication of this initiative at other locations and publish the results from the study in a peer-reviewed manuscript.

Background. Obesity prevalence is higher among those who live in impoverished environments. This investigation identified obesogenic factors in urban neighborhoods surrounding public housing developments (HDs). Design. Cross-sectional quantitative survey data from 14 HD neighborhoods and qualitative interviews of the HD managers. Setting. Kansas City, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri. Subjects. Environmental data were collected from HDs and surrounding neighborhoods, an area enclosed by an 800-m radius line drawn from the HD centroid. Qualitative data were collected from all 14 HD managers. Measures. HDs were rated by a brief environmental audit. HD managers were assessed in a structured 45- to 60-minute interview about neighborhood factors influencing resident obesity. Results. The properties were typically modern and well maintained; however, there were few physical activity (PA) resources and food sources on site. Most HD managers cited the availability of PA resources near the HD; however, there was wide variability in the type and accessibility of the resources. Only two HDs had a store that sold groceries within one block. Interviews identified fast food restaurants as common food sources, with few other food sources available. Discussion. Data suggested that although strides have been made to increase safety and comfort in public housing, there remains poor access to PA resources and healthful food sources. Interventions and policies should consider access to PA resources and food sources.

This volume contains the papers which were presented at a symposium on human rights, held in September 1994 in Beijing and organized within the framework of an academic programme of co-operation between the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences. The focal point of most of the papers is the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action - adopted during the 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights - which, from the perspective of particularly the Chinese participants, is considered as marking a new beginning in the field of human rights. Taking the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action as a point of departure the following main themes were the subject of discussion at the symposium and are more or less similarly reflected in the present volume: universality versus particularity; individual rights versus collective rights; national sovereignty and matters of international concern; ratification of international treaties

Macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (CSF1 or M‐CSF) and interleukin 34 (IL34) are secreted cytokines that control macrophage survival and differentiation. Both act through the CSF1 receptor (CSF1R), a type III transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinase. The functions of CSF1R and both ligands are conserved in birds. We have analyzed protein‐coding sequence divergence among avian species. The intracellular tyrosine kinase domain of CSF1R was highly conserved in bird species as in mammals but the extracellular domain of avian CSF1R was more divergent in birds with multiple positively selected amino acids. Based upon crystal structures of the mammalian CSF1/IL34 receptor‐ligand interfaces and structure‐based alignments, we identified amino acids involved in avian receptor‐ligand interactions. The contact amino acids in both CSF1 and CSF1R diverged among avian species. Ligand‐binding domain swaps between chicken and zebra finch CSF1 confirmed the function of variants that confer species specificity on the interaction of CSF1 with CSF1R. Based upon genomic sequence analysis, we identified prevalent amino acid changes in the extracellular domain of CSF1R even within the chicken species that distinguished commercial broilers and layers and tropically adapted breeds. The rapid evolution in the extracellular domain of avian CSF1R suggests that at least in birds this ligand‐receptor interaction is subjected to pathogen selection. We discuss this finding in the context of expression of CSF1R in antigen‐sampling and antigen‐presenting cells. ; UK Government's Department for International Development. Grant Number: OPP1127286

Purpose. This study examined associations of environmental variables with obesity prevalence and individual body mass index (BMI) among impoverished residents of public housing developments. Design. Cross-sectional data were drawn from two studies in the same Midwestern metropolitan area of participants within neighborhoods. Setting. Pathways to Health interviewed housing development residents and Understanding Neighborhood Determinants of Obesity assessed built environment factors in the surrounding neighborhoods (i.e., 800–m radius from center of housing development). Subjects. Four hundred twenty-one residents participated (mean age = 43.8 years; 72.0% women, 59.6% high school degree, 79.6% African-American). Fifty-five physical activity resources were identified and assessed. Measures. Demographics and measured weights and heights were obtained for participants. The Physical Activity Resource Assessment measured the type, accessibility, features, amenities, qualities, and incivilities of neighborhood physical activity resources. Neighborhood street connectivity was also measured. Results. Average age-adjusted BMI was 31.4 (SD = 1.3), with 45% of residents obese. High negative correlations were found between BMI and street connectivity (p = .05) and between obesity prevalence and resource accessibility (p = .09), number of amenities (p = .04), and amenity quality (p = .04). Higher resource accessibility, feature quality, number of amenities, and fewer incivilities per resource accounted for 71% of obesity variance (p < .05). Male gender and higher feature quality, F(11, 407)37.19 and 12.66, p < .001, predicted lower BMI among residents. Conclusion. Supportive neighborhood environments were related to lower obesity prevalence and lower BMI among residents.

Purpose. To determine the effects and mediating factors of a physical activity (PA) or vegetable and fruit (VF) group cohesion intervention. Design. Longitudinal design. Setting. Harris County and Travis County, Texas. Participants. Community-dwelling African-American and Hispanic or Latina women. Intervention. Three hundred ten women were randomized to a PA (n = 204) or VF (n = 106) intervention group. Women met in groups six times over the course of 6 months and were exposed to a group cohesion intervention to promote walking or to increase VF consumption. Measures. Women completed the International PA Questionnaire, National Cancer Institute VF and fat screeners, PA Group Environment Questionnaire, and 7-day accelerometer protocol at baseline and post-intervention. Analyses. The direct and mediated effects of the intervention on outcomes were evaluated using a mediational chain model, controlling for baseline values and covariates using path analysis. Results. Women were middle aged (mean = 44.4 years) and overweight or obese (mean body mass index = 34.0 kg/m2). PA increased and fat consumption decreased for both groups, whereas VF consumption increased for women in VF group only (all p <. 05). Increased task cohesion led to hypothesized increases in psychosocial factors in the PA group but not to behavioral changes. Conclusions. Group cohesion interventions may have psychological and physical health benefits for African-American and Hispanic or Latina women, but refinement of measures and intervention delivery is needed to determine whether hypothesized mediational pathways are valid.