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World Today (world + today)
Selected AbstractsRethinking Medical Ethics: A View From BelowDEVELOPING WORLD BIOETHICS, Issue 1 2004Paul Farmer ABSTRACT In this paper, we argue that lack of access to the fruits of modern medicine and the science that informs it is an important and neglected topic within bioethics and medical ethics. This is especially clear to those working in what are now termed ,resource-poor settings', to those working, in plain language, among populations living in dire poverty. We draw on our experience with infectious diseases in some of the poorest communities in the world to interrogate the central imperatives of bioethics and medical ethics. AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria are the three leading infectious killers of adults in the world today. Because each disease is treatable with already available therapies, the lack of access to medical care is widely perceived in heavily disease-burdened areas as constituting an ethical and moral dilemma. In settings in which research on these diseases are conducted but there is little in the way of therapy, there is much talk of first world diagnostics and third world therapeutics. Here we call for the ,resocialising' of ethics. To resocialise medical ethics will involve using the socialising disciplines to contextualise fully ethical dilemmas in settings of poverty and, a related gambit, the systematic participation of the destitute sick. Clinical research across steep gradients also needs to be linked with the interventions that are demanded by the poor and otherwise marginalised. We conclude that medical ethics must grapple more persistently with the growing problem posed by the yawning ,outcome gap' between rich and poor. [source] The Interdependence of U.S. Troop Deployments and Trade in the Developing WorldFOREIGN POLICY ANALYSIS, Issue 3 2009Glen Biglaiser The relationship between political conflict and trade has contributed to a riveting discussion in international relations about whether trade produces conflict, or whether conflict itself reduces trade. Most studies proxy "the flag" using militarized interstate disputes (MIDs). However, extensions of "the flag" might well obtain in environments short of MIDs. A more general way to proxy the flag is troop deployments. The deployment of military troops is an essential element of foreign policy. Using panel data for 126 developing countries from 1965 to 2002 and a two-stage least square approach, this essay investigates the relationship between trade and United States troop deployments. We find that trade and troops have a nonrecursive relationship: trade follows the flag and troops follow trade. Given the increased insecurity in the world today, the results are timely and reinforce previous research about the reciprocal relationship between the flag and trade. [source] Predictors of the International HIV,AIDS INGO Network Over TimeHUMAN COMMUNICATION RESEARCH, Issue 4 2005Michelle Shumate The HIV,AIDS epidemic is one of the most challenging and significant health crises facing the world today. In order to cope with its complexities, the United Nations and World Health Organization have increasingly relied upon the resources offered by networks of HIV,AIDS nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The research reported here uses evolutionary theory to predict the patterns of alliances and collaborations within the HIV,AIDS International Nongovernmental Organizations (INGO) network. The hypotheses are tested using 8 years of data from the Yearbook of International Organizations. The results showed that geographic proximity and common ties with intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) predict the pattern of alliances among HIV,AIDS INGOs. The best predictor of such alliances, however, is past relationships among these organizations. [source] Innate immunity against malaria parasites in Anopheles gambiaeINSECT SCIENCE, Issue 1 2008Yang Chen Abstract Malaria continues to exert a huge toll in the world today, causing approximately 400 million cases and killing between 1-2 million people annually. Most of the malaria burden is borne by countries in Africa. For this reason, the major vector for malaria in this continent, Anopheles gambiae, is under intense study. With the completion of the draft sequence of this important vector, efforts are underway to develop novel control strategies. One promising area is to harness the power of the innate immunity of this mosquito species to block the transmission of the malaria parasites. Recent studies have demonstrated that Toll and Imd signaling pathways and other immunity-related genes (encoding proteins possibly function in recognition or as effector molecules) play significant roles in two different arms of innate immunity: level of infection intensity and melanization of Plasmodium oocysts. The challenges in the future are to understand how the functions of these different genes are coordinated in defense against malaria parasites, and if different arms of innate immunity are cross,regulated or coordinated. [source] Transforming aggressive conflict in political and personal contextsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED PSYCHOANALYTIC STUDIES, Issue 4 2009Andrew Samuels Abstract The author begins by trying to imagine different models of politics applicable to Western societies. He reflects on the "state we are in" and asks if our present condition of political rupture could ever become political rapture. He asks whether it is possible for citizens to remove themselves from the abusive relationships with heroic, macho leaders. Instead, he states, we might ask where we will find new kinds of leaders who will be "good-enough". We will need such leaders if we are to manage the staggeringly high levels of conflict and aggression afflicting the political world today. The author suggests that we urgently explore innovative ways to manage conflict in political contexts using new psychological ideas about men, fathers and violence. Finally, he communicates what he has learned from Islam about some hidden aspects of political conflict. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] ,The Indivisible Whole of God's Reality': On the Agency of Jesus in Bonhoeffer's EthicsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY, Issue 3 2010CHRISTOPHER HOLMES In conversation with Karl Barth, this article explores Bonhoeffer's account in his Ethics of the character of the agency exercised by Jesus Christ in the world today in relation to the principal task of theological ethics: namely, the engendering of the most humane form of existence possible within the mandates of work, family, government and church. The article argues that the theological work undertaken by the command of God ensures that these mandates remain christologically determined spheres in which concrete obedience is enacted, and thus the places in which the reality that Jesus Christ is achieves social and historical form. [source] The Global Health Situation in the 21st Century: Aspects from the Global Forum on Health Research and the World Health Organization in Geneva,INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF MISSION, Issue 376-377 2006Louis J. Currat The objective of this paper is, in a first part, to give an overview of the main health problems in the world today and of their main causes. Then an attempt is made to compare the financial and human resourced available today to solve these problems with the resources which would be needed if we are to achieve the Health Millennium Development Goals by 2015. Given the fact that the available resources are limited, the question is then raised as to the selection of the strategies which would contribute the most to an improvement of the health situation in the world. To conclude on a positive note, a few examples are then given of great achievements in the health field over the past 50 years, but attention is drawn to the tremendous challenges remaining if the health MDGs are to be reached by 2015, particularly in Africa. [source] Reproductive traits following a parent,child separation trauma during childhood: A natural experiment during World War IIAMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2008Anu-Katriina Pesonen Given the ethical limitations of exposing children to experimentally manipulated adverse experiences, evidence of the effects of childhood traumas on subsequent life history are based mostly on women's retrospective reports and animal studies. Only a few prospective studies have assessed the life-long consequences of childhood trauma. We asked whether a traumatic separation from both parents during childhood is associated with reproductive and marital traits later in life, measured by age of onset of menarche, timing of menopause, period of fertile years, age at first childbirth, birth spacing, number of children, and history of divorce. We studied members of the 1934,1944 Helsinki Birth Cohort, including 396 former war evacuees from varying socioeconomic backgrounds, who were sent unaccompanied by their parents to temporary foster families in Sweden and Denmark, and 503 participants who had no separation experiences. Data on separation experiences, number of children, and divorces experienced came from national registers, and the remaining data from a survey among the participants aged 61.6 years (SD = 2.9). Former evacuees had earlier menarche, earlier first childbirth (men), more children by late adulthood (women), and shorter interbirth intervals (men), than the non-separated. A traumatic experience in childhood is associated with significant alterations in reproductive and marital traits, which characterize both women and men. The implications are relevant to the 9.2 million child refugees living throughout the world today. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] POVERTY AND INEQUALITY: CHALLENGES FOR THE IAB: IAB PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESSBIOETHICS, Issue 5-6 2005FLORENCIA LUNA ABSTRACT This paper focuses on poverty and inequality in the world today. First, it points out how this topic is a main concern for the IAB. Second, it proposes ,new' theoretical tools in order to analyze global justice and our obligations towards the needy. I present John Rawls's denial that the egalitarian principle can be applied to the global sphere, his proposed weak duty of assistance, and his consideration of endemic poverty as essentially homegrown. In opposition, I focus on Thomas Pogge as representative of a cosmopolitan view who also holds a critical position towards the international systems which allow and cause poverty. I endorse the general normative proposal that defends every human being as an ultimate unit of moral concern, as well as the strategy of moving away from the charity model of bilateral aid to the realm of rights and duties. These ideas should redesign and broaden the normative and practical roles of institutions, and should also help provide a new approach on bioethical issues such as drug patenting or the imbalance in global research and neglected diseases. [source] Impact of daily consumption of iron fortified ready-to-eat cereal and pumpkin seed kernels (Cucurbita pepo) on serum iron in adult womenBIOFACTORS, Issue 1 2007Mohammad Reza Naghii Abstract Iron deficiency, anemia, is the most prevalent nutritional problem in the world today. The objective of this study was to consider the effectiveness of consumption of iron fortified ready-to-eat cereal and pumpkin seed kernels as two sources of dietary iron on status of iron nutrition and response of hematological characteristics of women at reproductive ages. Eight healthy female, single or non pregnant subjects, aged 20,37 y consumed 30 g of iron fortified ready-to-eat cereal (providing 7.1 mg iron/day) plus 30 g of pumpkin seed kernels (providing 4.0 mg iron/day) for four weeks. Blood samples collected on the day 20 of menstrual cycles before and after consumption and indices of iron status such as reticulocyte count, hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Ht), serum ferritin, iron, total iron-binding capacity (TIBC), transferrin and transferrin saturation percent were determined. Better response for iron status was observed after consumption period. The statistical analysis showed a significant difference between the pre and post consumption phase for higher serum iron (60 ± 22 vs. 85 ± 23 ug/dl), higher transferrin saturation percent (16.8 ± 8.0 vs. 25.6 ± 9.0%), and lower TIBC (367 ± 31 vs. 339 ± 31 ug/dl). All individuals had higher serum iron after consumption. A significant positive correlation (r = 0.981, p = 0.000) between the differences in serum iron levels and differences in transferrin saturation percentages and a significant negative correlation (r = ,0.916, p < 0.001) between the differences in serum iron levels and differences in TIBC was found, as well. Fortified foods contribute to maintaining optimal nutritional status and minimizing the likelihood of iron insufficiencies and use of fortified ready-to-eat cereals is a common strategy. The results showed that adding another food source of iron such as pumpkin seed kernels improves the iron status. Additional and longer studies using these two food products are recommended to further determine the effect of iron fortification on iron nutrition and status among the target population, and mainly in young children, adolescents, women of reproductive ages and pregnant women. [source] The potential for first-generation ethanol production from sugarcaneBIOFUELS, BIOPRODUCTS AND BIOREFINING, Issue 1 2010José Goldemberg Abstract Ethanol production from sugarcane, mainly in Brazil, on the basis of first-generation technology (22.5 billion liters, in 2007/2008 season, in 3.4 million hectares) replaces 1% of the gasoline used in the world today and is highly competitive in economic terms with ethanol produced from other crops in the USA and Europe. In this paper we discuss the potential for sugarcane ethanol expansion from two angles: (1) productivity gains which would allow greater production in the same area and (2) geographical expansion to larger areas. The potential of first-generation technology for the production of ethanol from sugarcane is far from being exhausted. There are gains in productivity of approximately a factor of two from genetically modified varieties and a geographical expansion by a factor of ten of the present level of production in many sugar-producing countries. The replacement of 10% of the gasoline used in the world by ethanol from sugarcane seems possible before second-generation technology reaches technological maturity and possibly economic competitiveness. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd [source] Would China's Sovereign Wealth Fund Be a Menace to the USA?CHINA AND WORLD ECONOMY, Issue 4 2008Friedrich Wu G11; F21; F31 Abstract The sovereign wealth club acquired a new member with the official launch of the China Investment Corporation (CIC) on 29 September 2007. The arrival of CIC has further heated up debate regarding sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) and their potential implications for global financial markets. This is because, in carrying out its investments, CIC can tap into China's huge official foreign exchange reserves, which by April 2008 had surged to US$1.76tn. CIC's initial working capital of US$200bn makes it the fifth largest SWF in the world today. This article seeks to analyze CIC's investment strategies, as well as their potential economic and political implications for global as well as US financial markets. [source] | |||||||||||||