African American Mothers' and Daughters' Beliefs about Possible Selves and their Strategies for Reaching the Adolescents' Future Academic and Career Goals

The current study combines qualitative and quantitative data to examine beliefs and strategies related to possible selves within a sample of 22 rural African American female adolescents and their mothers. Mother–daughter pairs responded to interview questions pertaining to the adolescents' desired possible selves. Pairs also completed a possible selves Q-sort focusing on the personal attributes, roles, and life circumstances that might be expected for an adolescent's future adulthood. Academic and occupational selves were the most prominent possible selves discussed during the interviews. A mother's exposure to college influenced her strategies for helping her daughter reach academic and career goals. Findings from the Q-sort data indicated two distinctive mother–daughter groups, with one group emphasizing daughter's personal attributes and the other group putting greatest weight on the daughter's future occupations and life circumstances. The relative importance of possible selves was related to the strategies that mothers and daughters used to help the adolescent reach her goals.     

Exchanges

正U.S.VP Visits China The U.S.vice president,Joe Biden,visited China on December 4 and 5,2013.During his talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang,both sides agreed to enhance dialogue,exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.Xi stressed that both countries should maintain high-level commuU.Du sid co     

Premier Li’s Africa Tour Gives New Impetus to Sino-AfricanRelations

正Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited four African countries—Ethiopia,Nigeria,Angola and Kenya—from May 4 to 11.In Ethiopia he gave a speech at the AU Conference Center titled"Bring about a Better Future for China-Africa Cooperation."Li raised in his speech the"461"cooperative framework:adhere to the four principles:treat one another with full sincerity as equals,enhance     

Whither a Theory of Inter-organisational Relations: A Burgeon Field of Research Between Conceptual Innovation and Fragmentation

ABSTRACT

This article discusses the potential emergence of a theory on inter-organisational relations (IOR). Although no dominant set of causal statements about IOR exists, which is traditionally associated with a theory, the literature has made substantial advancements in the last decade. The main aim of this contribution is to review the respective literature, portraying its merits and shortcomings. The article shows that a rich analytical repertoire of instruments for research exists but that scholarship struggles to make use of these advancements. The article argues that an IOR theory is on the horizon but the field needs to accept and better conceptualise phenomena which lay outside the traditional understanding of theory building.     

Evaluation of skin-related variants in African ancestry populations and their role in personal identification

Pigment-related genetic variants point out their role in personal identification as they can be considered predictors suitable for Forensic DNA Phenotyping (FDP) and mounting evidence suggest also their bio-geographic inferential power for gaining information about the individual geographical origin. As they could be regarded as AIMs (Ancestry Informative Markers) they are powerful tools for inferring genetic composition of admixed population. Despite the huge range of skin tones across our species, little is known about genetic basis in global population and particularly our knowledge is less precise for those showing a complex historical and genomic background. The current research aims to explore the allelic status in several SNPs mapped in selected genes known to be involved in skin pigmentation: OCA2, HERC2, SLC45A2, SLC24A5 and two intergenic regions between BEND7/PRPF18 and EIF2S2/ASIP. The genetic evaluation has been performed on selected African and African derived populations: Fon, Dendi, Bariba and Berba communities from Benin, and Afroecuadorians. Data integration has been made up merging genotypic results with available information from major biological data warehouse as Phase 3–1000 Genomes Project or International HapMap Project in order to obtain a selected populations panel useful for their use as inferential model training set to test the likelihood of correct assignment to geographically differentiated human groups. The proposed variants panel seems to properly interpret the geographic variation and some new interesting evidence could be pointed out in African mixed populations, that seem to be differentially distributed if the total panel is considered. Understanding human pigmentation architecture can provide fundamental insight into genetic interaction of complex traits and the relationship between environmental adaptation and population history. In addition, the results support the use of phenotypic inference along with bio-geographical ancestry information as valid auxiliary tools in personal identification.     

Peripheral states and conformity to international norms: the dilemma of the marginalised

Abstract

This paper seeks to understand the seemingly paradoxical behaviour of states of the Global South, which on one the hand conform to transnational norms in order to integrate into the international society and on the other hand (sometimes simultaneously) differentiate themselves from them. To that end, this article develops the dilemma of the marginalised in order to show that conformity and differentiation become two paradoxical strategies for marginalised actors to pursue the same goal: equality with powerful states. The transformation of the Organisation of African Unity to the African Union, where significant changes in Africa’s policy vis-à-vis global powers took place, serves as a case study to illustrate how marginalised actors struggle between conformity and differentiation in order to claim their place in the international arena. It also shows how the dilemma of the marginalised can be compelling to help us understand the predicaments of marginalised actors across vastly different situations of structural inequality. Acknowledging the dilemma helps us understand their behaviour rather than to dismiss it as irrational, thereby recognising Third World agency in shaping the international system.     

《联合国反腐败公约》对中非引渡制度的影响

目前,中国已与六个非洲国家签订了引渡公约。同时,中国与这六个国家及其他很多非洲国家均为《联合国反腐败公约》的缔约国。《联合国反腐败公约》中有关引渡的规定拓展了中非引渡合作的法律依据,修订了传统的引渡原则,确立了附条件的非双重犯罪原则和缔约国国内法允许情况下腐败犯罪为非政治犯罪原则,大力倡导简化和快速引渡程序的应用和实践。虽然目前这些影响都还局限在反腐败犯罪领域,但是其必将深刻中非刑事司法协助的广度和深度。     

Maat and human communication: Supporting identity,culture and history without global domination

Abstract

This article discusses the ancient Egyptian ideal of maat, or moral order, and its implications for human communication. It is argued that the communicator must always be in search of harmony, balance, order, justice, truth, righteousness and reciprocity. Maat opens up possibilities that go beyond tolerance for the Other, towards profound respect.