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Serious Challenges (serious + challenge)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Humanities and Social Sciences	40%
Life Sciences	28%
Medical Sciences	16%
Engineering	8%
2 Other Domains	8%

Selected Abstracts

Local Participation in Natural Resource Monitoring: a Characterization of Approaches

CONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2009
FINN DANIELSEN
conservación; evaluación de la biodiversidad; esquemas de monitoreo; intereses locales; manejo de recursos naturales Abstract:,The monitoring of trends in the status of species or habitats is routine in developed countries, where it is funded by the state or large nongovernmental organizations and often involves large numbers of skilled amateur volunteers. Far less monitoring of natural resources takes place in developing countries, where state agencies have small budgets, there are fewer skilled professionals or amateurs, and socioeconomic conditions prevent development of a culture of volunteerism. The resulting lack of knowledge about trends in species and habitats presents a serious challenge for detecting, understanding, and reversing declines in natural resource values. International environmental agreements require signatories undertake systematic monitoring of their natural resources, but no system exists to guide the development and expansion of monitoring schemes. To help develop such a protocol, we suggest a typology of monitoring categories, defined by their degree of local participation, ranging from no local involvement with monitoring undertaken by professional researchers to an entirely local effort with monitoring undertaken by local people. We assessed the strengths and weaknesses of each monitoring category and the potential of each to be sustainable in developed or developing countries. Locally based monitoring is particularly relevant in developing countries, where it can lead to rapid decisions to solve the key threats affecting natural resources, can empower local communities to better manage their resources, and can refine sustainable-use strategies to improve local livelihoods. Nevertheless, we recognize that the accuracy and precision of the monitoring undertaken by local communities in different situations needs further study and field protocols need to be further developed to get the best from the unrealized potential of this approach. A challenge to conservation biologists is to identify and establish the monitoring system most relevant to a particular situation and to develop methods to integrate outputs from across the spectrum of monitoring schemes to produce wider indices of natural resources that capture the strengths of each. Resumen:,El monitoreo de tendencias en el estatus de especies o hábitats es rutinario en los países desarrollados, donde es financiado por el estado o por grandes organizaciones no gubernamentales y a menudo involucra a grandes números de voluntarios amateurs competentes. El monitoreo de recursos naturales es menos intenso en los países en desarrollo, donde las agencias estatales tienen presupuestos pequeños, hay menos profesionales o amateurs competentes y las condiciones socioeconómicas limitan el desarrollo de una cultura de voluntariado. La consecuente falta de conocimientos sobre las tendencias de las especies y los hábitats presenta un serio reto para la detección, entendimiento y reversión de las declinaciones de los recursos naturales. Los tratados ambientales internacionales requieren que los signatarios realicen monitoreos sistemáticos de sus recursos naturales, pero no existe un sistema para guiar el desarrollo y la expansión de los esquemas de monitoreo. Para ayudar al desarrollo de tal protocolo, sugerimos una tipología de categorías de monitoreo, definidas por el nivel de participación local, desde ningún involucramiento local con el monitoreo realizado por investigadores profesionales hasta un esfuerzo completamente local con el monitoreo llevado a cabo por habitantes locales. Evaluamos las fortalezas y debilidades de cada categoría de monitoreo, así como su sustentabilidad potencial en países desarrollados o en desarrollo. El monitoreo basado localmente es particularmente relevante en los países en desarrollo, donde puede llevar a decisiones rápidas para resolver amenazas clave sobre sus recursos naturales, puede facultar a las comunidades locales para un mejor manejo de sus recursos naturales y puede refinar las estrategias de uso sustentable para mejorar la forma de vida local. Sin embargo, reconocemos que la precisión y exactitud del monitoreo llevado a cabo por comunidades locales en situaciones diferentes requiere de mayor estudio y los protocolos de campo requieren de mayor desarrollo para obtener lo mejor del potencial de este método. Un reto para los biólogos de la conservación es la identificación y establecimiento del sistema de monitoreo más relevante para la situación particular, así como el desarrollo de métodos para integrar los resultados de una gama de esquemas de monitoreo para producir índices de recursos naturales más amplios que capturen las fortalezas de cada uno. [source]

Sustainable development and the ,governance challenge': the French experience with Natura 2000

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 3 2008
Darren McCauley
Abstract Sustainable development is conceptualized in this paper as a serious challenge for governance structures and processes in nation states. Global and European agreements have placed the inclusion of civil society actors in policy-making at the heart of the sustainability agenda. This commitment is particularly evident in the Commission's White Paper on Governance and the EU Sustainable Development Strategy. From this perspective, the European Commission has consistently underlined the integral role of dialogue with social partners in any sustainability agenda. In contrast, there is a clear mismatch between these principles of civil society inclusion and policy-making in France. Long-standing traditions of meso-corporatism have struggled to adapt to extending participation to civil society actors. This paper assesses the implementation of sustainable development as civil society inclusion with reference to the French experience in dealing with EU biodiversity policy. It is argued that this governance challenge has effectively presented nation states with an ,interpretation dilemma' with regards to sustainable development. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source]

How is geriatrics different from general internal medicine?

GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY INTERNATIONAL, Issue 4 2004
Thomas E Finucane
Geriatrics and general internal medicine overlap greatly: most sick patients seen by a generalist are elderly and geriatricians care for nearly the full spectrum of diseases seen in internal medicine. Differences between the two disciplines can be seen in the areas of patient care, research and administration. As a group, geriatric patients are different from young adults because they are more likely to have multiple chronic illnesses, to depend on others, to be frail and to die in the near future. Each of these characteristics requires special knowledge on the part of the physician. The research agenda in geriatrics extends from attempts to find the molecular basis of sarcopenia and frailty to clinical research on the support of caregivers, who are themselves critically important to patients. In the US, nursing homes are required to have medical directors; this position is largely administrative and requires a distinct set of knowledge and attitudes. Clinical care, research and administrative efforts must all respond to the enormous number of patients who will develop cognitive impairment over the next three decades. Because the number of elderly patients so far exceeds the ability of geriatricians to provide care, education and ,geriatricizing' other specialties will also be an important mission for geriatricians. Proper reimbursement presents a serious challenge to physicians who care for the frail elderly. If geriatricians take care of the frailest, sickest and most vulnerable patients, but reimbursement mechanisms cannot recognize this fact, then all geriatricians will soon go bankrupt. [source]

The Water Crisis in the Gaza Strip: Prospects for Resolution

GROUND WATER, Issue 5 2005
E. Weinthal
Israel and the Palestinian Authority share the southern Mediterranean coastal aquifer. Long-term overexploitation in the Gaza Strip has resulted in a decreasing water table, accompanied by the degradation of its water quality. Due to high levels of salinity and nitrate and boron pollution, most of the ground water is inadequate for both domestic and agricultural consumption. The rapid rate of population growth in the Gaza Strip and dependence upon ground water as a single water source present a serious challenge for future political stability and economic development. Here, we integrate the results of geochemical studies and numerical modeling to postulate different management scenarios for joint management between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The chemical and isotopic data show that most of the salinity phenomena in the Gaza Strip are derived from the natural flow of saline ground water from Israel toward the Gaza Strip. As a result, the southern coastal aquifer does not resemble a classic "upstream-downstream" dispute because Israel's pumping of the saline ground water reduces the salinization rates of ground water in the Gaza Strip. Simulation of different pumping scenarios using a monolayer, hydrodynamic, two-dimensional model (MARTHE) confirms the hypothesis that increasing pumping along the Gaza Strip border combined with a moderate reduction of pumping within the Gaza Strip would improve ground water quality within the Gaza Strip. We find that pumping the saline ground water for a source of reverse-osmosis desalination and then supplying the desalinated water to the Gaza Strip should be an essential component of a future joint management strategy between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. [source]

Reversible introduction of transgenes in natural populations of insects

INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2006
A. Le Rouzic
Abstract The most serious challenge concerning genetically modified insects remains their invasion ability. Indeed, transgenic insects often show lower fitness than wild individuals, and the transgene does not seem able to spread through a natural population without a driving system. The use of remobilizable vectors, based on the invading properties of transposable elements, has been frequently suggested. Simulations show that this strategy can be efficient. Moreover, if the transgene is designed to use transposition machinery already present in the genome, the transgene invasion appears to be potentially reversible after a few hundred generations, leading to new experimental perspectives. [source]

Redefining citizenship for the 21st century: from the National Welfare State to the UN Global Compact

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WELFARE, Issue 4 2004
Antonin Wagner
This article analyses the impact of globalisation on the changing role of citizenship as a state-centred mechanism of societal integration. As more diverse forms of society emerged in the second half of the last century, national citizenship came under assault by identity-based social groups from within. They function as integrative mechanisms for those members of society who diverge from the majority position and are committed to replace the nation-state as the dominant integrative device. From without, vast movements of peoples across borders in search of jobs and refuge constitute an even more serious challenge to the traditional notion of citizenship. With reference to the current EU debates about immigration and the idea of a UN Global Compact, the article explores principles of societal integration that transcend the boundaries of national citizenship and involve a governance paradigm built on civil society and voluntary action. [source]

Corporate criminal law and organization incentives: a managerial perspective

MANAGERIAL AND DECISION ECONOMICS, Issue 6 2000
Nuno Garoupa
Corporate criminal liability puts a serious challenge to the economic theory of enforcement. Are corporate crimes different from other crimes? Are these crimes best deterred by punishing individuals, punishing corporations, or both? What is optimal structure of sanctions? Should corporate liability be criminal or civil? This paper has two major contributions to the literature. First, it provides a common analytical framework to most results presented and largely discussed in the field. Second, by making use of the framework, we provide new insights into how corporations should be punished for the offenses committed by their employees. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Detecting past population bottlenecks using temporal genetic data

MOLECULAR ECOLOGY, Issue 10 2005
UMA RAMAKRISHNAN
Abstract Population bottlenecks wield a powerful influence on the evolution of species and populations by reducing the repertoire of responses available for stochastic environmental events. Although modern contractions of wild populations due to human-related impacts have been documented globally, discerning historic bottlenecks for all but the most recent and severe events remains a serious challenge. Genetic samples dating to different points in time may provide a solution in some cases. We conducted serial coalescent simulations to assess the extent to which temporal genetic data are informative regarding population bottlenecks. These simulations demonstrated that the power to reject a constant population size hypothesis using both ancient and modern genetic data is almost always higher than that based solely on modern data. The difference in power between the modern and temporal DNA approaches depends significantly on effective population size and bottleneck intensity and less significantly on sample size. The temporal approach provides more power in cases of genetic recovery (via migration) from a bottleneck than in cases of demographic recovery (via population growth). Choice of genetic region is critical, as mutation rate heavily influences the extent to which temporal sampling yields novel information regarding the demographic history of populations. [source]

Mycophenolate mofetil without antibody induction in cadaver vs. living donor pediatric renal transplantation

PEDIATRIC TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 2 2003
O. Ojogho
Abstract: Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is a new immunosuppressive agent that blocks de novo purine synthesis in T and B lymphocytes via a potent selective inhibition of inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase. MMF has been shown to significantly reduce the incidence of acute rejection in both adult and pediatric renal transplantation. The impact of MMF on routine antibody induction therapy in pediatric renal transplantation has not been defined. Remarkably, a recent North American Pediatric Transplant Cooperative Study concluded that T-cell antibody induction therapy was deleterious for patients who received MMF. Our study examines the use of MMF in an evolving immunosuppressive strategy to avoid antibody induction in both living (LD) and cadaver (CAD) donor pediatric renal transplantation. We retrospectively analyzed the records of 43 pediatric renal transplants that received MMF-based triple therapy without antibody induction therapy between November 1996 and April 2000. We compared CAD (n = 17) with LD (n = 26). The two groups were similar demographically except that CAD had significantly younger donors than LD, 26.1 ± 13.7 vs. 36.2 ± 9.2 yr (p = 0.006). All the patients received MMF at 600 mg/m2/b.i.d. (maximum dose of 2 g/d) and prednisone with cyclosporine (86%) or tacrolimus (14%). Mean follow-up was >36 months for each group. Acute rejection rate at 6 months was 11.8% (CAD) vs. 15.4% (LD) (p = 0.999) and at 1 yr was 23.5% (CAD) vs. 26.9% (LD) (p = 0.999). Mean estimated glomerular filtration rate (ml/min/1.73 m2) at 6 months was 73.3 ± 15.3 (CAD) vs. 87.6 ± 24.2 (LD) (p = 0.068). Patient survival at 1, 2, and 3 yr was 100, 100, and 100% for CAD vs. 100, 96, and 96% for LD, respectively. Graft survival at 1, 2, and 3 yr was 100, 100, and 94% for CAD vs. 96, 88, and 71% for LD, respectively. Graft loss in CAD was because of chronic rejection (n = 2) while in LD it was because of non-compliance (n = 6), post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (n = 1), and sepsis (n = 1). In conclusion, MMF without antibody induction in both CAD and LD pediatric renal transplantation provides statistically similar and effective prophylaxis against acute rejection at 6 months and 1 yr post-transplant. The short-term patient and graft survival rates are excellent, however, non-compliance remains a serious challenge to long-term graft survival. Additional controlled studies are needed to define the role of MMF without antibody induction therapy in pediatric renal transplantation. [source]

Kant on Transcendental Freedom,

PHILOSOPHY AND PHENOMENOLOGICAL RESEARCH, Issue 3 2006
Derk PEREBOOM
Transcendental freedom consists in the power of agents to produce actions without being causally determined by antecedent conditions, nor by their natures, in exercising this power. Kant contends that we cannot establish whether we are actually or even possibly free in this sense. He claims only that our conception of being transcendentally free involves no inconsistency, but that as a result the belief that we have this freedom meets a pertinent standard of minimal credibility. For the rest, its justification depends on practical reasons. I argue that this belief satisfies an appropriately revised standard of minimal credibility, but that the practical reasons Kant adduces for it are subject to serious challenge. [source]

Speeding up tandem mass spectrometry based database searching by peptide and spectrum indexing

RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY, Issue 6 2010
You Li
Database searching is the technique of choice for shotgun proteomics, and to date much research effort has been spent on improving its effectiveness. However, database searching faces a serious challenge of efficiency, considering the large numbers of mass spectra and the ever fast increase in peptide databases resulting from genome translations, enzymatic digestions, and post-translational modifications. In this study, we conducted systematic research on speeding up database search engines for protein identification and illustrate the key points with the specific design of the pFind 2.1 search engine as a running example. Firstly, by constructing peptide indexes, pFind achieves a speedup of two to three compared with that without peptide indexes. Secondly, by constructing indexes for observed precursor and fragment ions, pFind achieves another speedup of two. As a result, pFind compares very favorably with predominant search engines such as Mascot, SEQUEST and X!Tandem. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Blister rust and western forest biodiversity: ecology, values and outlook for white pines

FOREST PATHOLOGY, Issue 3-4 2010
D. F. Tomback
Summary Eight white pine species are widely distributed among the forests of western Canada and the United States. The different forest communities with these species contribute biodiversity to the western landscape. The trees themselves provide various ecosystem services, including wildlife habitat and watershed protection. White pine communities range in elevation from lower to upper treeline, in successional stage from seral to climax, and in stand type from krummholz to closed-canopy forest. Many white pine species are moderately to strongly fire-dependent for regeneration; several species are extreme stress tolerators and persistent on harsh sites. Among the white pines are the oldest-living trees, the world's largest pines, species dependent on birds for seed dispersal, species important for grizzly bear habitat and species of high commercial timber value. The principal threats to white pine populations are blister rust (Cronartium ribicola, pathogen), fire suppression, succession, mountain pine beetle and climate change. Severe population declines in several white pine species are attributed to losses caused by these factors acting either alone or together, and sometimes in concert with logging and other land-use changes. The importance and particular interactions of these threats vary by region and species. For example, many northern and western populations of whitebark pine are seriously declining from a combination of mountain pine beetle outbreaks and severe blister rust infestations. As whitebark pines provide many keystone services on high-elevation sites, their loss would impact forest composition and structure, succession, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. Although there are serious challenges to science-based management and conservation (especially in remote American wilderness areas), prompt and effective intervention promoting regeneration of blister rust-resistant white pines could mitigate these severe impacts. [source]

Ankerung im Untertagebau , Entwicklungen in Theorie und Praxis

GEOMECHANICS AND TUNNELLING, Issue 5 2008
Stefan Kainrath-Reumayer Dipl.-Ing.
Die systematische Ankerung des Gebirges stellt ein wesentliches Verfahren zur Stabilisierung unterirdischer Hohlraumbauten dar. Die geschichtliche Entwicklung verschiedener Ankersysteme wird kurz vorgestellt und Unterteilungsmöglichkeiten werden aufgezeigt. Unterschiedliche Ansätze der Systemankerungen in analytischen und numerischen Berechnungen werden mit der diskreten Modellierung des Gesamtssystems in numerischen Berechnungen mit FLAC3D verglichen. Der Einfluss von Systemankerungen auf das Systemverhalten ist von einer Reihe von Randbedingungen abhängig, der Erfolg der Anwendung oftmals von den verwendeten Ankersystemen. Extreme Spannungszustände im Gebirge stellen hohe Anforderungen an die Methodik der Gebirgsankerung in Untertagebauwerken, die mit den herkömmlichen Ankerungssystemen nur eher unzufriedenstellend zu bewältigen sind. In Abhängigkeit von den Eigenschaften des Gebirges ist unter solch hohen, die Festigkeit des intakten Gebirges meist bereits überschreitenden Spannungszuständen mit großen Verschiebungen, Stabilitätsproblemen sowie Bergschlagphänomenen zu rechnen. Um diesen Anforderungen bestmöglich gerecht zu werden, wird ein neuartiger, energieabsorbierender Ankertyp "Roofex" vorgestellt, der sowohl unter langsam kriechenden, statischen, wie auch abrupten, dynamischen Beanspruchungen einen kontrollierbaren und konstanten Widerstand entlang eines definierten Gleitwegs aufweist. Rock bolting in subsurface constructions , developments in theory and praxis The systematic bolting of rock is a key support element in NATM tunnelling. A short review on the historical development and methods of classification is presented. Different methods of implementation in analytical and numerical calculations are compared to the discrete modelling of the system via FLAC 3D. The influence of the systematic rock bolting to the system behaviour is dependent on many boundary conditions, the success often depends on the used rock bolting techniques. High rock mass stress conditions in underground excavations are serious challenges for rock bolting systems, where conventional bolting systems can only cope with in an rather unsatisfactory way. Depending on the rock mass conditions, high stresses, which mostly exceed already the intact rock mass strength, will lead to serious stability problems, high deformation rates and rockburst phenomena. To provide the mining and tunnelling industry with a rock reinforcement fixture that is better suited to mining with high stress conditions, Atlas Copco GDE designed a new, energy absorbing rock bolt "Roofex" that can accommodate both very large displacements (static yielding) and high energy release (dynamic rupture) in the rock mass by offering an accurate pre-set deformation behaviour. [source]

The Chances for Children Teen Parent,Infant Project: Results of a pilot intervention for teen mothers and their infants in inner city high schools,

INFANT MENTAL HEALTH JOURNAL, Issue 4 2008
Hillary A. Mayers
Adolescent motherhood poses serious challenges to mothers, to infants, and ultimately to society, particularly if the teen mother is part of a minority population living in an urban environment. This study examines the effects of a treatment intervention targeting low-income, high-risk teen mothers and their infants in the context of public high schools where daycare is available onsite. Our findings confirm the initial hypothesis that mothers who received intervention would improve their interactions with their infants in the areas of responsiveness, affective availability, and directiveness. In addition, infants in the treatment group were found to increase their interest in mother, respond more positively to physical contact, and improve their general emotional tone, which the comparison infants did not. Importantly, these findings remain even within the subset of mothers who scored above the clinical cutoff for depression on the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D; L. Radloff, 1977), confirming that it is possible to improve mother,infant interaction without altering the mother's underlying depression. The implications of these findings are significant both because it is more difficult and requires more time to alter maternal depression than maternal behavior and because maternal depression has been found to have such devastating effects on infants. [source]

Social Policy in Harsh Times.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WELFARE, Issue 1 2000
1990s, Finland, Norway, Social Security Development in Denmark, Sweden during the 1980s
For the past two decades, Nordic social policy has been subject to a range of serious challenges, among which economic problems and critiques by neo-classical economists have been most prominent. This article raises the question whether Nordic social policy has significantly changed during this period of challenges. Based on an empirical analysis of social expenditure data and three central social security programs, this article provides evidence that changes in Nordic social policy over this period have, in fact, been relatively minor. Indeed, the four welfare states of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden have shown remarkable resilience considering the harsh challenges that they have been exposed to since the early 1980s. [source]

On the global distribution and dissemination of knowledge

INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL SCIENCE JOURNAL, Issue 195 2009
Nico Stehr
Our article centres on the question in the sense in which it may be possible to speak of global knowledge, in the first instance. Is it the necessary outcome and the intellectual mark of an age of globalising knowledge societies or is the global demand for the dissemination of knowledge systems trying to answer universally perceived problems? What changes occur to knowledge as it travels and for whom does its globalisation yield benefit or harm? Knowledge must be differentiated from mere information and its locally embedded nature poses serious challenges to opportunities and obstacles for its horizontal and vertical dissemination. Further, global worlds of knowledge raise questions over the ownership of knowledge. Intellectual property claims should be discussed with reference to opposing views, such as those concerning the thesis of knowledge's self-protective character. Some political and certain idealistic conceptions regard knowledge as common property par excellence. While trade in services and products as well as the digital communications revolution are identified as major vehicles for the dissemination of knowledge, it is yet an open question as to whether they will result in the unhindered dissemination of knowledge or in concentrating it. The second section of the article overviews and introduces the articles in this volume. [source]

Ending Wars and Building Peace: International Responses to War-Torn Societies1

INTERNATIONAL STUDIES PERSPECTIVES, Issue 1 2008
Charles T. Call
Scholars and practitioners of international relations have devoted increasing attention to how cease-fires, once achieved, may be translated into sustained peace. In recent years, the United Nations, the World Bank, and the United States and other governments have revamped their institutional architecture for addressing post-conflict reconstruction and peacebuilding. The creation in 2006 of a UN Peacebuilding Commission exemplifies these changes. The relationship between weak states and the durability of peace has acquired new emphasis in IR research. This article analyzes recent conceptual developments in post-conflict peacebuilding, relating them to new thinking about fragile states. It then analyzes the international architecture for addressing post-conflict peacebuilding, identifying gaps, and analyzing likely policy challenges in the near future. We argue that despite important analytic insights and institutional changes, serious challenges persist in efforts to prevent wars from recurring. [source]

Climate change: the science and the policy

JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 5 2005
DAVID KING
Summary Globally we face serious challenges from the effects of climate change. The causal link between global warming and increased greenhouse gas emissions is well established. Carbon dioxide levels are at a higher level than at any time in the past 750 000 years at least, and it is too late to stop further warming and consequent impacts on UK and global societies. Here I summarize the latest scientific evidence for anthropogenic global warming and outline strategies for adapting to its impacts and mitigating the effects in the longer term. [source]

The transformation of human services

JOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY RESEARCH, Issue 7 2008
H. Reinders
Abstract Background Recent studies in the development of professionalism suggest that western society witnesses a transformation of professional practices in human services that deeply affects how professionals experience their work. This paper describes key aspects of this development and presents an account of how it can be explained. Method The paper offers a review of the main features of neoliberal managerialism as it is found in the literature. The paper does not assume a meta-theoretical perspective on this literature but rather presents an account on the level of description of what the literature interprets as a transformation of professional practices. Its method is therefore to report the main features of what the literature describes as neoliberal changes in human services. Results The review results in an account of the transformation of professionalism in human services that shows two sides. One is that of opposing logics that present the tensions between professionalism and managerialism in terms of conflict. The other side is that of compliance of professionals who seek to find their way in the new realities of a neoliberal service economy. Conclusions I conclude that neoliberal managerialism presents serious challenges to professionals in human services to remain faithful to the values of their profession, and that these challenges , on the level of neoliberal society , raise a serious issue about social (dis)trust. [source]

DNA barcoding of Cuban freshwater fishes: evidence for cryptic species and taxonomic conflicts

MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES, Issue 3 2010
ARIAGNA LARA
Abstract Despite ongoing efforts to protect species and ecosystems in Cuba, habitat degradation, overuse and introduction of alien species have posed serious challenges to native freshwater fish species. In spite of the accumulated knowledge on the systematics of this freshwater ichthyofauna, recent results suggested that we are far from having a complete picture of the Cuban freshwater fish diversity. It is estimated that 40% of freshwater Cuban fish are endemic; however, this number may be even higher. Partial sequences (652 bp) of the mitochondrial gene COI (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I) were used to barcode 126 individuals, representing 27 taxonomically recognized species in 17 genera and 10 families. Analysis was based on Kimura 2-parameter genetic distances, and for four genera a character-based analysis (population aggregation analysis) was also used. The mean conspecific, congeneric and confamiliar genetic distances were 0.6%, 9.1% and 20.2% respectively. Molecular species identification was in concordance with current taxonomical classification in 96.4% of cases, and based on the neighbour-joining trees, in all but one instance, members of a given genera clustered within the same clade. Within the genus Gambusia, genetic divergence analysis suggests that there may be at least four cryptic species. In contrast, low genetic divergence and a lack of diagnostic sites suggest that Rivulus insulaepinorum may be conspecific with Rivulus cylindraceus. Distance and character-based analysis were completely concordant, suggesting that they complement species identification. Overall, the results evidenced the usefulness of the DNA barcodes for cataloguing Cuban freshwater fish species and for identifying those groups that deserve further taxonomic attention. [source]

Performative politics: The Camba countermovement in eastern Bolivia

AMERICAN ETHNOLOGIST, Issue 4 2009
NICOLE FABRICANT
ABSTRACT Evo Morales, the indigenous, leftist president of Bolivia, has faced serious challenges to his social-democratic project. His new constitution and proposals for redistributive legislation have sparked much resistance from white elites in the country's eastern region. In this article, I explore the component elements of right-wing movement building in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, which include festive and celebratory performances of regional pride and paramilitaristic carnivals of violence. I suggest that these kinds of spectacles,one of invented cultural tradition, the other of aggression and brutality,represent the desperate attempt of a minority white, mestizo population to restore political and economic order through extralegal means. [source]

Sustainability of humoral responses to varicella vaccine in pediatric transplant recipients following a pretransplantation immunization strategy

PEDIATRIC TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 8 2009
Michelle Barton
Abstract:, Varicella infections pose serious challenges for organ transplant recipients. To determine the safety and immunogenicity of the OMVV and determine the maintenance of OMVV responses in transplanted subjects at varying periods of immunosuppression within the first two yr following transplantation. Eligible subjects given a two-dose OMVV pretransplantation were monitored for AE. Antibody levels were assessed at baseline, six wk post-OMVV, pretransplantation and up to 24 months post-transplantation. Seroprotection was defined as ,5 gpEU. Twenty-one seronegative children were vaccinated. Following 42 doses, no vaccine-related serious AE occurred. Mab_titer were 17.8 (5.7,910.2) and 183.5 EU (18.8,8116.4) at six and 12 wk, respectively (p < 0.0001). Fourteen (66.7%) participants were transplanted at a median of 16 months (1.5,56) following OMVV and had Mab_titer of 27.2 EU (9.0,236.2) just prior to transplantation. Of 11 who had post-transplantation serology, seroprotection was sustained at three, six and 12 months post-transplantation in 10/11, 12/12 and 8/10 subjects. In five of six subjects with two-yr follow-up, antibody levels remained seroprotective. No breakthrough varicella infections occurred. The receipt of OMVV prior to transplantation induced humoral responses which persisted in the early months following transplantation and up to two yr post-transplantation and was not associated with any serious adverse consequences. [source]

Alleviating peanut allergy using genetic engineering: the silencing of the immunodominant allergen Ara h 2 leads to its significant reduction and a decrease in peanut allergenicity

PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL, Issue 2 2008
Hortense W. Dodo
Summary Peanut allergy is one of the most life-threatening food allergies and one of the serious challenges facing the peanut and food industries. Current proposed solutions focus primarily on ways to alter the immune system of patients allergic to peanut. However, with the advent of genetic engineering novel strategies can be proposed to solve the problem of peanut allergy from the source. The objectives of this study were to eliminate the immunodominant Ara h 2 protein from transgenic peanut using RNA interference (RNAi), and to evaluate the allergenicity of resulting transgenic peanut seeds. A 265-bp-long PCR product was generated from the coding region of Ara h 2 genomic DNA, and cloned as inverted repeats in pHANNIBAL, an RNAi-inducing plant transformation vector. The Ara h 2-specific RNAi transformation cassette was subcloned into a binary pART27 vector to construct plasmid pDK28. Transgenic peanuts were produced by infecting peanut hypocotyl explants with Agrobacterium tumefaciens EHA 105 harbouring the pDK28 construct. A total of 59 kanamycin-resistant peanut plants were regenerated with phenotype and growth rates comparable to wild type. PCR and Southern analyses revealed that 44% of plants stably integrated the transgene. Sandwich ELISA performed using Ara h 2-mAbs revealed a significant (P < 0.05) reduction in Ara h 2 content in several transgenic seeds. Western immunobloting performed with Ara h 2-mAb corroborated the results obtained with ELISA and showed absence of the Ara h 2 protein from crude extracts of several transgenic seeds of the T0 plants. The allergenicity of transgenic peanut seeds expressed as IgE binding capacity was evaluated by ELISA using sera of patients allergic to peanut. The data showed a significant decrease in the IgE binding capacity of selected transgenic seeds compared to wild type, hence, demonstrating the feasibility of alleviating peanut allergy using the RNAi technology. [source]

The Rationale, Prospects, and Challenges of China's Western Economic Triangle in Light of Global Economic Crisis

ASIAN POLITICS AND POLICY, Issue 3 2010
Hong Yu
The proposals to develop the Western Economic Triangle (WET) region into the fourth growth pole in China are ambitious; realization will be problematic. Although the local governments are overwhelmingly optimistic regarding future development, it is very unlikely that this region can become as powerful and vibrant as the eastern growth engines in the near future. Implementation of the proposals faces at least two serious challenges. First, the WET region has historically suffered from poor accessibility due to backward interregional transportation facilities. Second, the WET region is governed by three different administrative municipalities. The inherent lack of regional integration and coordination will restrict industrial cooperation within this region. [source]

Adapting to Europe: Is it Harder for Britain?

BRITISH JOURNAL OF POLITICS & INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, Issue 1 2006
Vivien A. Schmidt
Britain has had difficulties adapting to European integration. The problems result not so much from the EU-related changes in national policies, which have actually been rather moderate, or from the EU-related changes in governance practices, although these have been significant, affecting national institutional structures, policy-making processes and representative politics. They do not even follow from the serious challenges that the EU-related changes in governance practices pose for traditional ideas about democracy. Rather, they come from the lack of a discourse capable of legitimating such changes. To demonstrate this, the article considers Britain's problems in comparative perspective with those of France, which has had greater changes in policies and practices, greater challenges to national ideas, but a more legitimating discourse, and Germany and Italy, where changes in the practices and challenges to ideas have not been as significant. [source]