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Selected AbstractsPopular mobilization and disaster management in CubaPUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & DEVELOPMENT, Issue 5 2002Holly Sims Cuba has effectively implemented a system of popular mobilization and education to prepare people for such natural disasters as hurricanes. Compliance with evacuation orders is impressive. Top priority is attached to saving lives. The country's acclaimed programme accounts for the limited toll of Hurricane Michelle in November 2001, which was the most powerful storm since 1944. Five Cubans died in the storm, which wreaked havoc in Jamaica, Honduras, and Nicaragua. This article reviews recent Cuban experience in disaster preparedness, which was achieved despite material scarcity. Since the prestigious Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns of increased susceptibility to disasters in future, Cuba's record deserves wide attention. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Mapping polygenes for tuber resistance to late blight in a diploid Solanum phureja × S. stenotomum hybrid populationPLANT BREEDING, Issue 4 2006I. Simko Abstract Potato tuber blight is a disease caused by the oomycete Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary. Due to the significant economic impact of this disease, introgression of durable resistance into the cultivated potato is one of the top priorities of breeding programmes worldwide. Though numerous resistance loci against this devastating disease have already been mapped, most of the detected loci are contributing towards foliar resistance while specific information on tuber resistance is limited. To identify the genetic components of tuber resistance and its relationship to foliar resistance and plant maturity we have investigated the host-pathogen interaction in a segregating diploid hybrid Solanum phureja × S. stenotomum family. Mature tubers from this mapping family were inoculated with a sporangial suspension of P. infestans (US-8 clonal lineage) and evaluated for lesion expansion. No significant correlation was detected between late blight resistance in foliage and tubers, and between plant maturity and tuber resistance. Four chromosomal regions were significantly associated with tuber resistance to the disease. The largest effect was detected near the marker locus PSC (LOD 10.7) located on chromosome 10. This locus explained about 63% of the total phenotypic variation of the trait. The other three resistance-related loci were mapped on chromosomes 8 (GP1282, LOD 4.4), 6 (CP18, LOD 4.0) and 2 (CP157, LOD 3.8). None of the four tuber resistance loci coincides with the foliage resistance loci detected in this same family. Tuber blight resistance quantitative trait loci (QTL) on chromosomes 2, 8 and 10 are distinct from the maturity QTLs and have an additive effect on tuber resistance. These results indicate that different genes are involved in foliar and tuber resistance to P. infestans in the present family and that some of the resistance genes might be associated with late maturity. [source] Waste Minimisation Clubs: a cost-efficient policy instrument?ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 6 2001Stefan Henningsson The total amount of solid waste generated in Europe is estimated to grow by 10% every year and there is increased concern over the associated environmental impacts. As a result, the minimization of waste at source in business and industry is a top priority in the European Community's waste strategy. In the UK, regional Waste Minimisation Clubs (WMCs) have been established to promote sustainable waste management in business and industry. The company clusters taking part in these clubs have reported financial savings combined with reductions in environmental impact. These results are disseminated to encourage further savings by the UK industry. This paper examines the savings as well as the costs involved in ten WMCs. It finds that there is a lack of standardization in the reporting of WMC results. This makes it difficult to evaluate the influence of WMCs, whilst also having an adverse effect on the credibility of waste minimization in business. Despite these problems, the paper finds that there is still strong evidence to suggest that these ten WMCs have been efficient in stimulating cost savings by industry, with an average rate of return on investment of 170%. It also finds that the financial benefits for companies are key outcomes of WMCs and that these benefits significantly exceed the estimated social benefits of the reduced environmental burden. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] A logical starting point for developing priorities for lizard and snake ecotoxicology: A review of available dataENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 5 2002Kym Rouse Campbell Abstract Reptiles, specifically lizards and snakes, usually are excluded from environmental contamination studies and ecological risk assessments. This brief summary of available lizard and snake environmental contaminant data is presented to assist in the development of priorities for lizard and snake ecotoxicology. Most contaminant studies were not conducted recently, list animals found dead or dying after pesticide application, report residue concentrations after pesticide exposure, compare contaminant concentrations in animals from different areas, compare residue concentrations found in different tissues and organs, or compare changes in concentrations over time. The biological significance of the contaminant concentrations is rarely studied. A few recent studies, especially those conducted on modern pesticides, link the contaminant effects with exposure concentrations. Nondestructive sampling techniques for determining organic and inorganic contaminant concentrations in lizards and snakes recently have been developed. Studies that relate exposure, concentration, and effects of all types of environmental contaminants on lizards and snakes are needed. Because most lizards eat insects, studies on the exposure, effects, and accumulation of insecticides in lizards, and their predators, should be a top priority. Because all snakes are upper-trophic-level carnivores, studies on the accumulation and effects of contaminants that are known to bioaccumulate or biomagnify up the food chain should be the top priority. [source] Habitat-mediated size selection in endangered Atlantic salmon fry: selectional restoration assessmentEVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 4 2010Michael M. Bailey Abstract Preservation of adaptive variation is a top priority of many species restoration programs, but most restoration activities are conducted without direct knowledge of selection that might foster or impair adaptation and restoration goals. In this study, we quantified geographic variation in selection on fry size of endangered Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) during the 6-week period immediately following stocking in the wild. We also used a model selection approach to assess whether habitat variables influence patterns of such selection. We found evidence for significant size-selection in five out of six selection trials. Interestingly, the strength and pattern of selection varied extensively among sites, and model selection suggested that this variation in phenotypic selection was related to geographic variation in the presence of large woody debris and the slope of the stream gradient. The strong selection differentials we observed should be a concern for endangered salmon restoration, whether they reflect natural processes and an opportunity to maintain adaptation, or an indicator of the potentially deleterious phenotypic consequences of hatchery practices. [source] Overcoming the Glass Barriers: Reflection and Action in the ,Women to the Top' ProgrammeGENDER, WORK & ORGANISATION, Issue 2 2008Ulla Eriksson-Zetterquist Numerous equality programmes have been launched with the aim of promoting a more gender equal work life, yet little substantial action has been reported. This article presents a study of the Women to the Top programme in Sweden, supported by the European Union (EU) and aimed at promoting more women into top management positions. The research suggests that large-scale projects assembling such heterogeneous actors as industry representatives, politicians and scholars tend to generate further reflection and discussion rather than promoting adequate and highly needed action. Drawing upon Brunsson's distinction between action rationality and decision rationality, the relatively modest effects of large-scale equality programmes are examined, not in terms of a lack of commitment or competence on the part of the participants but as a matter of the disjunction between reflection and action. Reconciling reflection and action, that is, emphasizing not only reflection on gender inequality but also privileging various forms of practical action (such as new policies, the appointment of female managers, restructuring gendered wage inequalities or new recruitment procedures), is therefore a top priority for policymakers desiring more substantial changes in the gendered outline of industry. [source] BAYLOR UNIVERSITY ROUNDTABLE ON INTEGRITY IN FINANCIAL REPORTINGJOURNAL OF APPLIED CORPORATE FINANCE, Issue 3 2003Article first published online: 11 APR 200 At the center of the U.S. corporate governance controversy are questions about the integrity of the U.S. financial reporting system. Can investors trust the numbers now being reported in corporate financial statements? And, if not, what steps are being taken to bring about the return of investor trust and confidence? The academics and practitioners who took part in this discussion began by expressing their reluctance to describe the current situation as a "crisis." The consensus was that the recent governance failures are not the reflection of a general decline in corporate moral standards, but rather the work of a handful of opportunists who found ways to exploit some weaknesses in the present system. Part of the discussion focused on the expected benefits (and costs) of the heightened regulatory scrutiny provided by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the newly formed Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. But most of the panelists placed greater emphasis on the role of self-regulation in resolving problems such as the conflicts of interest within auditing and brokerage firms that played a major role in scandals like Enron and WorldCom. And rather than relying on more vigorous SEC oversight of financial statements, a number of panelists argued that top priority should be given to comprehensive reform of U.S. accounting standards, which are said to be a major source of confusion for both managers and investors. [source] The connection: Schooling, youth development, and community building,The Futures Academy caseNEW DIRECTIONS FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT, Issue 122 2009Henry Louis Taylor Jr. Universities, because of their vast human and fiscal resources, can play the central role in assisting in the development of school-centered community development programs that make youth development their top priority. The Futures Academy, a K,8 public school in the Fruit Belt, an inner-city neighborhood in Buffalo, New York, offers a useful model of community development in partnership with the Center for Urban Studies at the State University of New York at Buffalo. The goal of the project is to create opportunities for students to apply the knowledge and skills they learn in the classroom to the goal of working with others to make the neighborhood a better place to live. The efforts seek to realize in practice the Dewey dictum that individuals learn best when they have "a real motive behind and a real outcome ahead." [source] Assessment of violence potential among school children: Beyond profilingPSYCHOLOGY IN THE SCHOOLS, Issue 3 2001Matthew K. Burns The increasing level of public attention to violence in American schools makes the issue a top priority among educators. School psychologists could play an important role in identifying at-risk youth, and planning appropriate individual, school, and community interventions related to school violence. However, there is limited literature examining different assessment approaches that could be used to evaluate student risk for violence. This article reviews (a) characteristics of students "at risk" for violence, (b) informal checklists and matching student characteristics to profiles of typical violent students and (c) threat assessment based on Borum et al.'s (1999) model. Ethical and legal considerations are covered as well. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons. Inc. [source] Drug-resistant tuberculosis: Past, present, futureRESPIROLOGY, Issue 3 2010Chen-Yuan CHIANG ABSTRACT In a population of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, random chromosomal mutation that results in genetic resistance to anti-tuberculosis (TB) drugs occurs at a relatively low frequency. Anti-TB drugs impose selection pressure so that mycobacterial mutants gradually outnumber susceptible bacilli and emerge as the dominant strains. Resistance to two or more anti-TB drugs represents cumulative results of sequential mutation. The fourth report on global anti-TB drug resistance provides the latest data on the extent of such problem in the world. The median prevalence of multi-drug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) in new TB cases was 1.6%, and in previously treated TB cases 11.7%. Of the half a million MDR-TB cases estimated to have emerged in 2006, 50% were in China and India. The optimal duration of any given combination of anti-TB drugs for treatment of MDR- and extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) has not been defined in controlled clinical trials. Standardized treatment may be feasible for MDR-TB patients not previously treated with second-line drugs, but a different strategy needs to be applied in the treatment of MDR-TB patients who have received second-line drugs before. Unfortunately, the reliability of drug susceptibility testing of most second-line anti-TB drugs is still questionable. Drug-resistant TB is not necessarily less virulent. Findings from modelling exercise warned that if MDR-TB case detection and treatment rates increase to the World Health Organization target of 70%, without simultaneously increasing MDR-TB cure rates, XDR-TB prevalence could increase exponentially. Prevention of development of drug resistance must be accorded the top priority in the era of MDR-/XDR-TB. [source] Balancing the Need to Develop Coastal Areas with the Desire for an Ecologically Functioning Coastal Environment: Is Net Ecosystem Improvement Possible?RESTORATION ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2005R.M. Thom Abstract The global human population is growing exponentially, close to a majority lives and works near the coast, and coastal commerce and development are critical to the economies of many nations. Hence, coastal areas will continue to be a major focus of development and economic activity. People desire the economic advantages provided by coastal development along with the fisheries and social commodities supported by estuarine and coastal ecosystems. Because of these facts, we view the challenge of balancing coastal development with enhancing nearshore marine and estuarine ecosystems (i.e., net ecosystem improvement) as the top priority for coastal researchers in this century. Our restoration research in Pacific Northwest estuaries and participation in nearshore project design and impact mitigation has largely dealt with these competing goals. To this end, we have applied conceptual models, comprehensive assessment methods, and principles of restoration ecology, conservation biology, and adaptive management to incorporate science into decisions about uses of estuarine systems. Case studies of Bainbridge Island and the Columbia River demonstrate the use of objective, defensible methods to prioritize tidally influenced shorelines and habitats (i.e., riparian forests, marshes, unvegetated flats, rocky shores, seagrass meadows, kelp forests) for preservation, conservation, and restoration. Case studies of Clinton, Washington, and Port Townsend, Washington, demonstrate the incorporation of an ecological perspective and technological solutions into design of overwater structures to minimize impacts on nearshore ecosystems. Adaptive management has allowed coastal development and restoration uncertainties to be better evaluated, with the information used to improve management decisions. Although unproven on a large scale, we think these kinds of methods can contribute to the net improvement of already degraded ecosystems. The ingredients include applied science to understand the issues, education, incentives, empirical data, cumulative impact analysis, and an effective adaptive management program. Because the option of net ecosystem improvement is often more costly than alternatives such as no net loss, commitment by the local or regional community to this approach is essential. [source] Public Health Rural Health Priorities in America: Where You Stand Depends on Where You SitTHE JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 3 2003Larry Gamm PhD Methods: Analysis of responses to a mail survey sent to 999 rural health leaders, with 501 responses. Respondents were asked to rank importance to rural health of focus areas named in Healthy People 2010 Findings: There was substantial agreement on top rural health priorities among state and local rural health leaders across the 50 states. "Access to quality health services" was the top priority among leaders of state-level rural agencies and health associations, local rural public health agencies, rural health clinics and community health centers, and rural hospitals. It was the top priority across all 4 major census regions of the nation as well. The next 4 top-ranking rural priorities,"heart disease and stroke,""diabetes,""mental health and mental disorders," and "oral health",were selected as 1 of the top 5 rural priorities by one third or more of respondents across most groups and regions. At the same time, some observed differences in rural health priorities suggest opportunities for community partnership strategies or for regional multistate policy initiatives by states sharing similar rural health priorities. [source] Business First: Work Relations in Cape Breton's "Progressive" Third SectorANTHROPOLOGY OF WORK REVIEW, Issue 1 2005Constance P. DeRoche Abstract Cape Breton Island, the northeastern portion of Canada's province of Nova Scotia, has a long history of both economic malaise and experimentation with innovative forms of economic organization. Disillusioned with both private enterprise and state economic intervention, local activists have, over the last three decades, worked to develop community-oriented, "third-sector" ventures. Building on the grassroots tradition of the region's "Antigonish Movement," and inspired by the Basque worker co-operatives of Mondragón, these reformers have established enterprises that purport to be progressive. This article examines that reformist claim as it pertains to a group of not-for-profit companies called New Dawn Enterprises, as well as the community-investment firm it spawned, BCA. The analysis suggests that while these firms, in some ways, have "socialized" capital, they have done nothing to restructure labor-management relations. Experimentation with workplace democracy has been sacrificed for conventional measures of business success. That is, though it is not privately appropriated in these firms, financial profit is the top priority. [source] Schools as Socialisation Contexts: Understanding the Impact of School Climate Factors on Students' Sense of School BelongingAPPLIED PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2010Zeynep Cemalcilar Education is a top priority of the European Union (EU). The EU Education Council has declared that to be the world leader in terms of the quality of education and training systems by 2010, fundamental transformations in education should be carried out in each country according to its national context and traditions. As a candidate country, Turkey shares this common objective. Yet, the mean school attainment and net education enrollment rates in Turkey are still behind the EU averages. The education literature indicates students' sense of school belonging as an important predictor of school attainment. This study aims to identify the policy manipulable social aspects of schools that can be instrumental in increasing students' sense of school belonging in a sample of 799 middle school students attending public schools in Istanbul, Turkey. The conceptual model posits that students' satisfaction with both the social relationships in the school and the school environment has consequences for their sense of school belonging. The results of the structural equation model analysis revealed a plausible model. Satisfaction with social relationships emerged as a stronger predictor of sense of school belonging than satisfaction with the school environment. Further comparisons of the same conceptual model for schools with low and high socioeconomic conditions yielded different associations among the study variables. The findings are discussed in terms of their relevance to the education system in Turkey and other less affluent societies with similar social, cultural, and economic conditions. L'éducation est une priorité majeure de l'Union Européenne (UE). Le Conseil de l'Education de l'UE a déclaré que pour devenir le leader mondial de la qualité de l'éducation et de la formation en 2010, il fallait opérer des réformes d'importance dans le système d'éducation de chacun des pays dans le respect de leurs traditions et de leur contexte national. En tant que candidate pour intégrer l'Union, la Turquie partage cet objectif commun. Pourtant, les performances scolaires moyennes et le taux de scolarisation sont en Turquie toujours en-dessous des moyennes européennes. La littérature concernée montre que la conviction de l'élève d'être intégréà l'école est un prédicteur important de ses résultats scolaires. Cette étude cherche à définir les possibilités d'action politique sur les variables sociales scolaires susceptibles d'améliorer le sentiment d'appartenance à l'école, cela sur un échantillon de 799 élèves de collège fréquentant des établissements publics d'Istanbul. Le modèle pose que la satisfaction des élèves relative aux relations sociales à l'école et à l'environnement scolaire est en relation avec leur sentiment d'intégration à l'établissement. Les résultats de l'analyse en modèle d'équation structurale fournissent une structure plausible. La satisfaction liée aux relations sociales ressort comme un prédicteur du sentiment d'appartenance plus puissant que la satisfaction relative à l'environnement scolaire. Des manipulations complémentaires de ce même modèle à partir de conditions socio-économiques élevées ou basses débouchèrent sur de nouvelles associations entre les différentes variables. Ces résultats sont évalués sur la base de leur pertinence pour le système scolaire turque et celui d'autres pays moins prospères présentant des conditions économiques, sociales et culturelles analogues. [source] Predictors of treatment outcome in dually-diagnosed antisocial youth: an initial study of forensic inpatientsBEHAVIORAL SCIENCES & THE LAW, Issue 2 2004Richard Rogers Ph.D. The safe and effective management of adolescent offenders is a top priority for inpatient forensic programs. Treatment successes were examined for adolescent offenders on four parameters, specifically hospital course, level of improvement, time to discharge, and rapidity of improvement. Hospital course was predicted primarily by the breadth of polysubstance abuse with modest but independent contributions by psychopathic characteristics, and aggressive conduct-disorder symptoms. An important finding for treatment was that level of improvement at discharge was only marginally affected by psychopathic traits. In addition, rapidity of improvement was predicted only by decreased polysubstance abuse. Approximately one-fourth of the adolescent offenders experienced a substantial decrease in psychopathic characteristics. This finding was unexpected because the generic treatment program did not target the core elements of psychopathy. Even in the absence of nontreatment controls, this diminution of psychopathic traits in 25% of adolescent offenders raises important questions about the temporal stability of these traits and their potential amenability to generic interventions. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||