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Complex Web (complex + web)
Selected AbstractsState Collapse and Fresh Starts: Some Critical ReflectionsDEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE, Issue 5 2002Martin Doornbos In examining the incidence of state collapse, two central themes emerge, one concerned with the search for causalities and the other concerned with appropriate responses. There is often a misplaced tendency to look for single causes and explanations of state collapse, and similarly to propose single, preferably ,quick,fix' solutions. Instead, what seems to be called for is a more nuanced scrutiny which differentiates the factors leading to collapse in specific instances, and a reconsideration, in the light of this scrutiny, of responses and possible external actor involvement. This article addresses these two themes. Firstly, it takes a preliminary look into the complex web of conditioning and facilitating factors that may or may not set in motion a chain reaction eventually leading to state collapse, examining the extent to which any emerging patterns can be identified. Secondly, it looks more closely at the response side to incidences of state collapse, specifically external responses. Whilst external actors, notably the ,donor community', are trying to better prepare themselves for the eventualities of crises of governance and state collapse in various countries, and to design more effective strategies and instruments, it remains to be seen to what extent there is a ,fit' between the determinants and dynamics of state collapse and the responses and solutions for restoration which are offered. [source] Exploring nursing outcomes for patients with advanced cancer following intervention by Macmillan specialist palliative care nursesJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 6 2003Jessica Corner BSc PhD RGN OncCert Background.,Little information exists about the outcomes from nursing interventions, and few studies report new approaches to evaluating the complex web of effects that may result from specialist nursing care. Aims.,The aim of this study was to explore nursing outcomes for patients with advanced cancer that may be identified as resulting from the care of a Macmillan specialist palliative care nurse. Methods/instruments.,Seventy-six patients referred to 12 United Kingdom Macmillan specialist palliative care nursing services participated in a longitudinal study of their care over 28 days. Patients were interviewed and completed the European Organization for Research on Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Scale and the Palliative Care Outcomes Scale at referral, and 3, 7 and 28 days following referral to a Macmillan specialist palliative care nursing service. A nominated carer was interviewed at baseline and 28 days. Notes recorded by Macmillan specialist palliative care nurses in relation to each patient case were analysed. Findings.,Significant improvements in emotional (P = 0·03) and cognitive functioning (P = 0·03) were identified in changes in patients' European Organization for Research on Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Scale scores, and in Palliative Care Outcomes Scale patient anxiety scores (P = 0·003), from baseline to day 7. Analysis of case study data indicated that overall positive outcomes of care from Macmillan specialist palliative care nursing intervention were achieved in 42 (55%) cases. Study limitations.,Sample attrition due to patients' deteriorating condition limited the value of data from the quality of life measures. The method developed for evaluating nursing outcomes using data from patient and carer interviews and nursing records was limited by a lack of focus on outcomes of care in these data sources. Conclusions.,A method was developed for evaluating outcomes of nursing care in complex situations such as care of people who are dying. Positive outcomes of care for patients that were directly attributable to the care provided by Macmillan specialist palliative care nurses were found for the majority of patients. For a small number of patients, negative outcomes of care were identified. [source] How helpers help: disentangling ecological confounds from the benefits of cooperative breedingJOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2008JONATHAN WRIGHT Evolutionary explanations for helping in cooperative breeding systems usually require a positive effect of helping on the fitness of the breeders being assisted. However, such helper effects have proven surprisingly difficult to quantify. Cockburn et al. (this issue) apply detailed statistical analyses to long-term field data on the enigmatic superb fairy-wren. They show that it is possible to disentangle the complex web of ecological and evolutionary interactions that confound so many studies. Whilst fairy-wren helpers may not increase nest productivity, they do increase future survival of breeding females. This study points the way for future statistical explorations of long-term data in other cooperative birds and mammals. [source] Teaching about ethics through socioscientific issues in physics and chemistry: Teacher candidates' beliefsJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 4 2010Sarah Elizabeth Barrett Abstract The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify and explain the origins of physics and chemistry teacher candidates' beliefs about teaching about ethics through socioscientific issues (SSI). This study utilized a series of in-depth interviews, while the participants (n,=,12) were enrolled in a 9-month teacher education program at an urban university in Canada. Our data analysis revealed that beliefs about teaching physics and chemistry using SSI derive from a complex web of fundamental beliefs exemplified by four archetypes representing the subject-specific identities of our teacher candidates,Model Scientist/Engineer, Model Individual, Model Teacher, and Model Citizen. Furthermore, we found that the justification for belief change required by a particular teacher candidate depends on these subject-discipline identities. Thus, the presence of each archetype in preservice classrooms has ramifications for the way a teacher educator should encourage his or her students to include SSI in their teaching. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 47: 380,401, 2010 [source] Defining a Democracy: Reforming the Laws on Women's Rights in Chile, 1990,2002LATIN AMERICAN POLITICS AND SOCIETY, Issue 3 2005Merike H. Blofield Liesl Haas ABSTRACT This article evaluates 38 bills seeking to expand women's rights in Chile and finds that the successful ones often originated with the Executive National Women's Ministry (SERNAM), did not threaten existing definitions of gender roles, and did not require economic redistribution. These factors (plus the considerable influence of the Catholic Church) correlate in important ways, and tend to constrain political actors in ways not apparent from an examination of institutional roles or ideological identity alone. In particular, the Chilean left's strategic response to this complex web of interactions has enabled it to gain greater legislative influence on these issues over time. [source] Mos10 (Vps60) is required for normal filament maturation in Saccharomyces cerevisiaeMOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2003Julia R. Köhler Summary Early pseudohyphal growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is well described, and is known to be subject to a complex web of developmental regulation. In maturing filaments, young cells differ significantly from their pseudohyphal progenitors, in their shape, and in their timing and direction of cell division. The changes that occur during filament maturation result in round and oval cells surrounding and covering the pseudohyphal filament. In a screen for mutants that affect this process, a vacuolar protein sorting gene, MOS10 (VPS60), and a gene encoding an , subunit of the proteasome core, PRE9, were isolated. Characterization of the mos10/mos10 phenotype showed that the process of filament maturation is regulated differently from early filamentous growth, and that the requirement for Mos10 is limited to the maturation stage of pseudohyphal development. The mos10/mos10 phenotype is unlikely to be an unspecific effect of disruption of endocytosis or vacuolar protein sorting, because it is not recapitulated by mutants in other genes required for these processes. Disruption of homologues of MOS10, which act as components of the ESCRT-III complex in targeting proteins for vacuolar degradation, results in abnormal early pseudohyphal growth, not in the filament maturation defect seen in mos10/mos10. Thus, Mos10 may function in targeting of specific cargo proteins for degradation, under conditions particular to maturing filaments. [source] Carbon metabolite sensing and signallingPLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL, Issue 6 2003Nigel G. Halford Abstract The regulation of carbon metabolism in plant cells responds sensitively to the levels of carbon metabolites that are available. The sensing and signalling systems that are involved in this process form a complex web that comprises metabolites, transporters, enzymes, transcription factors and hormones. Exactly which metabolites are sensed is not yet known, but candidates include sucrose, glucose and other hexoses, glucose-6-phosphate, trehalose-6-phosphate, trehalose and adenosine monophosphate. Important components of the signalling pathways include sucrose non-fermenting-1-related protein kinase-1 (SnRK1) and hexokinase; sugar transporters are also implicated. A battery of genes and enzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism, secondary metabolism, nitrogen assimilation and photosynthesis are under the control of these pathways and fundamental developmental processes such as germination, sprouting, pollen development and senescence are affected by them. Here we review the current knowledge of carbon metabolite sensing and signalling in plants, drawing comparisons with homologous and analogous systems in animals and fungi. We also review the evidence for cross-talk between carbon metabolite and other major signalling systems in plant cells and the prospects for manipulating this fundamentally important aspect of metabolic regulation for crop improvement. [source] Expression analysis suggests novel roles for the plastidic phosphate transporter Pht2;1 in auto- and heterotrophic tissues in potato and ArabidopsisTHE PLANT JOURNAL, Issue 1 2004Christine Rausch Summary A cDNA encoding Pht2;1 from potato, a new member of the plant Pht2 gene family of low-affinity orthophosphate (Pi) transporters, was isolated. The expression pattern of the corresponding gene as well as its ortholog from Arabidopsis was analyzed and the encoded proteins were localized in the two plants. Pht2;1 expression is strongly upregulated by light in potato and Arabidopsis leaf tissue. RNA gel blot analysis, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), promoter/GUS, and protein/green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion studies, respectively, indicate that the gene is expressed in both auto- and heterotrophic tissues and its encoded protein is localized to the plastids. The similar patterns of Pht2;1 gene regulation in potato and Arabidopsis prompted us to screen publicly available gene expression data from 228 Arabidopsis oligonucleotide microarrays covering 83 different experimental conditions. Modulation of Pht2;1 transcript levels was overall moderate, except for a limited number of experimental conditions where Pht2;1 mRNA concentrations varied between 2- and 3.7-fold. Overall, these analyses suggest involvement of the Pht2;1 protein in cell wall metabolism in young, rapidly growing tissues, independent of other Pi transporters such as the high-affinity Solanum tuberosum Pi transporter 1 (StPT1). Cluster analysis allowed identification of colinear or antiparallel expression profiles of a small set of genes involved in post-translational regulation, and photosynthetic carbon metabolism. These data give clues about the possible biological function of Pht2;1 and shed light on the complex web of interactions in which Pht2;1 could play a role. [source] Development and Distortion of Malaysian Public-Private Partnerships , Patronage, Privatised Profits and PitfallsAUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, Issue 2010Loo-See Beh This article examines the politicisation of systemic patronage and privatised profits in the development of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in Malaysia. Issues associated with inadequate regulatory frameworks, control, accountability and poorly managed risks, demonstrate that much more effective reforms are required to reduce further pitfalls, to protect public interests and to uphold the integrity of the public service and government. The adoption of a transparent procurement and evaluation system will be a challenging task if public and investor confidence is to be built up and strategic partnerships in the complex web of governance and administrative relationships in the governance of PPPs are to be developed effectively. Finally directions of reform and lessons learnt are suggested. [source] Partnering for e-government: Challenges for public administratorsCANADIAN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION/ADMINISTRATION PUBLIQUE DU CANADA, Issue 4 2001John Langford Public-private partnerships with information and communication technology firms have emerged as the vehicle of choice for implementing e-government strategies. Concerns are raised about the capacity of governments to manage these complex, multi-year, often multi-partner relationships that involve considerable sharing of authority, responsibility, financial resources, information and risks. The management challenges manifest themselves in the core partnering tasks: establishing a management framework for partnering; finding the right partners and making the right partnering arrangement; the management of relationships with partners in a network setting; and the measurement of the performance of e-government partnerships. The article reviews progress being made by governments in building capacity to deal with these core partnering tasks. It concludes that many new initiatives at the central agency and departmental/ministry level seem designed to centralize control of e-government projects and wrap them in a complex web of bureaucratic structures and processes that are, for the most part, antithetical or, at best, indifferent to the creation of strong partnerships and the business valuethat e-government public-private partnerships promise. [source] Biochemische Interaktionen in Marinen Biofilmen.CHEMIE IN UNSERER ZEIT (CHIUZ), Issue 3 2009Kampf, Kommunikation, Kooperation Abstract Marine Mikroorganismen sind als vielseitige Produzenten von Sekundärmetaboliten bekannt. Auch wenn das Meer tausende von bioaktiven Metaboliten in den letzten zwei Jahrzehnten hervorgebracht hat, so stehen wir erst am Anfang, die natürlichen Funktionen dieser Moleküle zu erforschen. Viele Mikroorganismen kommen in der Umwelt als mehrzellige Lebensgemeinschaften, so genannten Biofilmen, vor. Dabei stellt die chemische Kommunikation einen wichtigen Mechanismus dar, wie Biofilmpopulationen ihre Verhaltensweisen koordinieren und auf Umweltveränderungen reagieren. Aktuelle Untersuchungen bringen ein komplexes Netz biochemischer Wechselbeziehungen ans Licht, über das mikrobielle Symbiosen, Konkurrenz und Verteidigung gegenüber Fraßfeinden und Parasiten vermittelt wird. Das Verstehen der molekularen Grundlagen von Biofilminteraktionen in ihrem ökologischen Kontext birgt das Potential, die Suche nach wirkspezifischen Naturstoffen und die Entwicklung von Biofilm-basierter Biotechnologien zu verfeinern. Marine microorganisms are versatile producers of secondary metabolites. Although the sea has yielded thousands of bioactive metabolites over the past two decades, we are only beginning to explore the natural functions of these molecules. Many microorganisms exist in the environment as multicellular communities, so-called biofilms. Chemical communication is an essential part of the way in which biofilm populations coordinate their behavior and respond to environmental challenges. Recent research has been unravelling a complex web of chemical crosstalk mediating microbial symbiosis, competition and defense against predators and pathogens. Understanding the molecular basis of biofilm interactions in their ecological context bears the potential of refining natural product discovery and the development of biofilm-derived biotechnologies. [source] |