Constant Mobilization Research Articles

"РЕПАТРІАЦІЯ" ЛЮДСЬКИХ РЕСУРСІВ ДЛЯ ПІСЛЯВОЄННОЇ ВІДБУДОВИ УКРАЇНИ

The article reveals the meaning of the concept of repatriation of human resources. Peculiarities of the repatriation process depending on the degree of its voluntariness are analyzed. The types of repatriation of human resources are considered depending on the degree of participation of the state and international organizations in this process. It was found that the main goals of stimulating the repatriation of human resources and the development of relevant state programs in the countries of the world are humanitarian, demographic, economic, stimulating regional development, etc. Features of the implementation of state programs for the involvement, voluntary return and reintegration of repatriates are outlined. It was established that the countries of the world that use the repatriation of human resources for the benefit of socio-economic development have accumulated considerable experience with regard to the main approaches to the organization and implementation of the process of resettlement, adaptation and integration of repatriates in new places of residence. It was emphasized that investments in social programs for repatriates should not be considered as non-reimbursable expenses of the state, but as investments in the local population. Factors affecting the process of repatriation of human resources in Ukraine are analyzed: the threat of renewed hostilities, deterioration of economic conditions and sustainable economic growth, the need for constant military mobilization. Directions for stimulating the repatriation of human resources in Ukraine are proposed, including: rapid post-war reconstruction of the affected regions; coordination of various state management structures and creation of a «road map» with areas of responsibility, both in Ukraine and abroad; development of state programs for free retraining of citizens and assistance in finding a job; assistance and advice on finding and purchasing housing on the market, obtaining access to social housing; development of public-private partnership; simplification of programs for returning children to study in Ukrainian educational institutions; support and simplification of programs for obtaining grants and providing microloans for starting one's own business, etc.

Changes Over Time in the Strain on the Inferior Iliofemoral Ligament During a Sustained 5-Minute High-Force Long-Axis Distraction Mobilization: A Cadaveric Study

ObjectiveTo analyze the changes over time in the strain on the inferior iliofemoral (IIF) ligament when a constant high-force long-axis distraction mobilization (LADM) was applied over 5 minutes. DesignA cross-sectional laboratory cadaveric study. SettingAnatomy laboratory. ParticipantsThirteen hip joints from 9 fresh-frozen cadavers (mean age, 75.6±7.8 years; N=13). InterventionsHigh-force LADM in open-packed position was sustained for a period of 5 minutes. Main Outcome Measure(s)Strain on IFF ligament was measured over time with a microminiature differential variable reluctance transducer. Strain measurements were taken at every 15 seconds for the first 3 minutes and every 30 seconds for the next 2 minutes. ResultsMajor changes in strain occurred in the first minute of high-force LADM application. The greatest increase in strain on the IFF ligament occurred at the first 15 seconds (7.3±7.2%). At 30 seconds, the increase in strain was 10.1±9.6%, the half of the total increase at the end of the 5-minute high-force LADM (20.2±8.5%). Significant changes in strain measures were shown to occur at 45 seconds of high-force LADM (F=18.11; P<.001). ConclusionsWhen a 5-minute high-force LADM was applied, the major changes in the strain on IIF ligament occurred in the first minute of the mobilization. A high-force LADM mobilization should be sustained at least 45 seconds to produce a significant change in the strain of capsular–ligament tissue.

Pension provision for Ukrainian military personnel: national and regional dimensions

Over the past year, Ukraine has faced the challenge of protecting the integrity of its borders, the lives and health of its citizens, and the existence of the Ukrainian state as a whole. On February 24, 2022, the russian federation launched a full-scale war against Ukraine. Ukrainian servicemen and women have been defending the country's sovereignty from aggressors on a daily basis. Due to these events, the number of servicemen and their families began to increase significantly throughout Ukraine, given the constant mobilization of citizens to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine notes that as of 2022, about 11 million people in Ukraine received pensions, of whom more than 540,000 were military pensioners. However, it is worth noting that the average amount of pensions received by the military in 2022 was about UAH 8,500, which confirms the low level of pension payments to this category of citizens. It should be noted that the average pension of a serviceman in Ukraine is several times lower than the average pension of a serviceman in the United States or one of the European countries (10 times lower than in the United States). This proves that the issue of reforming Ukraine's pension system to create an effective pension mechanism that could guarantee an adequate standard of living for military personnel in retirement is currently acute. After all, building an effective system of social protection for military personnel is a direct responsibility of our state. Accordingly, in the article, the authors identify and analyze the main aspects of pension provision for servicemen and their families in Ukraine, in particular in the Lviv region, namely: the amount of pension payments, depending on the types of pensions to which the serviceman is entitled, and the total amount of expenditures on pension provision for servicemen and their families in Ukraine, in particular in the Lviv region. The analysis provides an assessment of the state of pension provision for military personnel and their families, and formulates practical recommendations for improving the pension provision of this category of pensioners for further reform.

Борьба за Царицын в ходе Гражданской войны в России: к изданию коллективной монографии

The review of the monograph “The Civil War in Tsaritsyn: 1918–20” considers Volgograd historians-archivists’ views on the struggle between the Reds and the Whites in the South of Russia, resuming discussion on the role of J. V. Stalin in the organization of Tsaritsyn’s defense and of impact of the battles for the city on the overall development of military and political confrontation of the warring parties. The reviewer confirms the opinion of the authors that decreased significance of Tsaritsyn events of 1918–19 in the national historiography sprang from intention to diminish the merits of J. V. Stalin and his associates. Eventually, stubborn battles for the most important industrial and transport center and efforts to solve the food supply issues in the Soviet Republic turned into ordinary episodes of the history Civil War in Russia. The review emphasizes validity of the conclusions on the causes of successes and failures of the Red Army near Tsaritsyn: mood fluctuations of the Don Cossacks, contradictions between the Ataman of the Don Army P. N. Krasnov and the leaders of the Volunteer army, low discipline and manageability of military units defending the city. The materials of the monograph are consistent with the achievements of modern foreign historiography, which pays increasing attention to the episodes of the Civil War that made J. V. Stalin a politician and the leader of the Soviet state. The review substantiates the importance of the published book for analysis of food policy of the Bolshevik government, of significance of German aid for fighting efficiency of the Don Army, of socio-economic features of the region, which determined the balance of opposed forces. It underscores the relevance and information value of unique photographs and documents, found in the fonds of the central and local archives and published in the monograph. Visual sources provide an opportunity to consider the early stages of formation of historical memory of the events in the South of Russia in 1918–19. The reviewer expresses his opinion on the prospects of further research involving documents from the Russian State Military Archives (RGVA), which permit to identify the specifics of city life over years of martial law. The analysis of issues of wartime everyday life, of survival under during terror, military operations, and constant mobilization of resources can enhance the perception of the Civil War as a tragedy, contributing to national reconciliation in Russia.

DECREASE IN THE CONTENT OF REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES DURING INACTIVATION OF THE RESPIRATORY COMPLEX I IN ARABIDOPSIS CELLS

Background. The mitochondrial electron transport chain, in particular the respiratory complex I, is one of the main sources of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in living cells. Suppression of the complex I activity in human cells through chemical inhibition or mutations that disrupt the functionality of this complex leads to a significant increase in the content of ROS. The complex I mutants are also known for plants; however, it is still not clear whether the suppression of the activity of this complex leads to an increase in the level of ROS and the development of oxidative stress.&#x0D; Purpose. To study the level of superoxide, hydrogen peroxide and sensitivity to prooxidants in Arabidopsis ndufs4 cells with complex I inactivated by insertional mutagenesis.&#x0D; Materials and methods. A suspension culture of wild-type Arabidopsis cells and a line with knockout the NDUFS4 complex I subunit was used. The level of hydrogen peroxide in the cells was determined using dichlorofluorescein. The superoxide content was estimated by cell staining in the presence of nitroblue tetrazolium.&#x0D; Results. It has been shown that inactivation of the NADH-dehydrogenase complex in Arabidopsis cells due to the absence of one of its subunits leads to a decrease in the content of superoxide and hydrogen peroxide. It was also shown that the level of ROS in cells treated with the menadione and hydrogen peroxide increased several times in wild-type cells, but remained almost unchanged in ndufs4 cells.&#x0D; Conclusion. Suppression of the activity of the NADH dehydrogenase complex in plant cells, but not in animal cells, leads to a decrease in the content of both hydrogen peroxide and superoxide. Cells of ndufs4 line have an increased ability to detoxify ROS, possibly associated with the constant mobilization of antioxidant defense systems.

The taquito hot seat: Socializing monolingual bias through error correction practices in a Portuguese language classroom

AbstractPortuguese language students in the United States typically also speak Spanish, and Portuguese programs, influenced by ideologies of linguistic purism, ceaselessly battle against its interference. This article describes a qualitative study of the treatment of Spanish utterances—called taquitos by participants—in a beginner‐level Portuguese class. It presents the classroom as a space of language socialization where students are apprenticed into a culture of strict language separation that demonstrates our field's monolingual bias. Microanalysis of videorecorded classes shows how error correction practices socialize students into upholding monolingual immersion through constant vigilance and mobilization against taquitos. Gaze, body orientation, and gestures as attention markers reveal a taquito hot seat that marginalizes and places Spanish‐speaking students in intense negative focus for not producing Portuguese in “uncontaminated” forms. Given the harm such practices may cause, the article urges the field to examine our rigid insistence upon artificial classroom monolingual immersion and promote flexible, strategic translanguaging for more effective world language pedagogy.

Optimal scheduling of the next preventive maintenance activity for a wind farm

Abstract. A large part of the operational cost for a wind farm is due to the cost of equipment maintenance, especially for offshore wind farms. How to reduce the maintenance cost, and hence increase profitability, is this article's focus. It presents a binary linear optimization model whose solution may inform the wind turbine owners about which components, and when, should undergo the next preventive maintenance (PM) replacements. The suggested short-term scheduling strategy takes into account eventual failure events of the multi-component system – in that after the failed system is repaired, the previously scheduled PM plan should be updated, assuming that the restored components are as good as new. The optimization algorithm of this paper, NextPM, is tested through numerical case studies applied to a four-component model of a wind turbine. The first study addresses the important case of a single component system, used for parameter calibration purposes. The second study analyses the case of seasonal variations of mobilization costs, as compared to the constant mobilization cost setting. Among other things, this analysis reveals a 35 % cost reduction achieved by the NextPM model, as compared to the pure corrective maintenance (CM) strategy. The third case study compares the NextPM model with another optimization model – the preventive maintenance scheduling problem with interval costs (PMSPIC), which was the major source of inspiration for this article. This comparison demonstrates that the NextPM model is accurate and much faster in terms of computational time.

СОВЛАДАЮЩЕЕ ПОВЕДЕНИЕ ПЕДАГОГОВ ДОШКОЛЬНОГО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ С РАЗНЫМ УРОВНЕМ ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНОГО ВЫГОРАНИЯ

The article presents the results of a theoretical analysis and empirical study of the problem of coping behavior and professional burnout among teachers of preschool educational institutions. The teaching profession belongs to the category of stressful ones, requiring constant mobilization of personal resources to cope with a difficult life situation, ensure high efficiency of professional activity and maintain internal balance. The teachers who use mostly ineffective strategies for coping with stress, there is a decrease in indicators of professional activity and symptoms of professional burnout. The level of emotional stress in the professional activity of the teacher of a preschool educational institution (KEI) is significantly higher than that of teachers at other levels of education, due to the high level of responsibility for the life and health of pupils. The purpose of the empirical study was to identify the specifics of strategies for coping with stress among teachers of preschool educational institutions, depending on the severity of the professional burnout syndrome. The study involved teachers of preschool educational institutions – 82 people, the age range of the sample is from 21 to 66 years, the average age is 44 years. It was found that the majority of preschool teachers show symptoms of professional burnout (98,8 %), in a third of teachers in the sample (36,6 %), the indicator of professional burnout reaches «high» and «above average» levels. The specificity of the use of ineffective and effective strategies of coping behavior among teachers with different levels of professional benefit has been revealed. In the groups of teachers with lower rates of professional burnout, the rates of the used productive coping strategies are higher. With age and an increase in teaching experience, the risk of professional burnout increases. Statistically significant relationships were established between the indicators of professional burnout and the indicators of the length of service and age of teachers.

Assessment of trace metal contamination and bioavailability in an Environmental Protection Area: Guaxindiba estuarine system (Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro Brazil)

Guaxindiba River, located inside an Environmental Protected Area (EPA) inside Guanabara Bay, was evaluated concerning trace metals and arsenic. A total of 7 sediment cores up to 80 cm were extracted along the river and in the channel that connects Guaxindiba and Caceribu rivers. No natural enrichment from bottom to top was observed, suggesting a constant mobilization of the sedimentary column along the Guaxindiba River. Results showed elevated concentrations of Zn (175.77-321.01 mg.kg−1) and Ni (27.71-108.39 mg.kg−1) surpassing the probable effect levels (PEL) reference values. Sediments were considered severely enriched in Ni (EF >10) and Cu (EF>5). No enrichment was observed for As. The evaluation of bioavailability through the Risk Assessment Code (RAC), however, revealed medium risk for Zn and Ni, which exhibited high concentrations, and low risk for sediments severely enriched in Cu. Despite exhibiting minor enrichment and low concentrations, under PEL, the RAC revealed high risk for Cd, for bioavailability. Overall, the Guaxindiba River proved to be contaminated by recent pollution, in spite of its localization inside an EPA.

Membership and members’ participation in new digital parties: Bring back the people?

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the participation of the membership in new digital parties, i.e., Five Stars Movement and Podemos. Following the pioneering example of the Pirates parties, those two parties rely on digital platform to make crucial decisions. While the literature has extensively dealt with several aspects of party organizations, little has been said on membership participation. The aim of this paper is to inquire whether new (digital) participatory tools are able to boost political participation. Firstly, I evaluate the types of membership that these parties allow. Secondly, I analyze when, under which rules and in which fields direct democracy tolls have been used. Thirdly, I evaluate the overall participation of the membership to internal consultations. The (partial) conclusion that I reach is that, albeit presenting different characteristics, the platform implemented by the parties have tried to expand direct democracy in the internal decision-making. However, the low participation rates indicate that direct democracy risks to be an empty vessel if not coupled with a constant political mobilization.

Acinetobacter spp in a Third World Country with Socio-economic and Immigrants Challenges.

In the last decade, Acinetobacter species have taken a major public health concern. This is mainly due the increased resistance to a wide range of antibiotics causing treatment challenges. In view of the constant population mobilization and the economic crisis that Lebanon is currently facing, it becomes a necessity to re-evaluate the real threat of Acinetobacter spp and its implication in the one health. This review was conducted through the analysis of 45 research papers and reports pertaining to Acinetobacter spp performed in Lebanon. More than 82% of the papers consulted were published in international journals and more than 70 percent of them had received impact factor. An in depth description of the involvement of this organism in human infection and its role as potential pathogen or simple colonizer was performed. In addition, the different aspects of resistance, mostly to carbapenems and colistin was studied and summarized. While in animals and environment, susceptible strains were mostly isolated, OXA-23/OXA-24 were predominant in humans. Recently, NDM-1 producing Acinetobacter spp was detected in a Syrian refugee which then was reported in Lebanese patients. The bacterial identification procedures are non-systematic and not always reliable in the Lebanese studies presenting sometimes discrepancies an inconsistency. Acinetobacter is commonly isolated Lebanon. In view of the spread of resistance among these isolated and their dissemination, Infection control measures attempting to control the spread of this genus in and outside hospitals are lacking and thus require more attention and stewardship activities.

Understanding the Epidemiology of Multi-Drug Resistant Gram-Negative Bacilli in the Middle East Using a One Health Approach.

In the last decade, extended-spectrum cephalosporin and carbapenem resistant Gram-negative bacilli (GNB) have been extensively reported in the literature as being disseminated in humans but also in animals and the environment. These resistant organisms often cause treatment challenges due to their wide spectrum of antibiotic resistance. With the emergence of colistin resistance in animals and its subsequent detection in humans, the situation has worsened. Several studies reported the transmission of resistant organisms from animals to humans. Studies from the middle east highlight the spread of resistant organisms in hospitals and to a lesser extent in livestock and the environment. In view of the recent socio-economical conflicts that these countries are facing in addition to the constant population mobilization; we attempt in this review to highlight the gaps of the prevalence of resistance, antibiotic consumption reports, infection control measures and other risk factors contributing in particular to the spread of resistance in these countries. In hospitals, carbapenemases producers appear to be dominant. In contrast, extended spectrum beta lactamases (ESBL) and colistin resistance are becoming a serious problem in animals. This is mainly due to the continuous use of colistin in veterinary medicine even though it is now abandoned in the human sphere. In the environment, despite the small number of reports, ESBL and carbapenemases producers were both detected. This highlights the importance of the latter as a bridge between humans and animals in the transmission chain. In this review, we note that in the majority of the Middle Eastern area, little is known about the level of antibiotic consumption especially in the community and animal farms. Furthermore, some countries are currently facing issues with immigrants, poverty and poor living conditions which has been imposed by the civil war crisis. This all greatly facilitates the dissemination of resistance in all environments. In the one health concept, this work re-emphasizes the need to have global intervention measures to avoid dissemination of antibiotic resistance in humans, animals and the environment in Middle Eastern countries.

Wynter with Fanon in the FLN: The "Rights of Peoples" against the "Monohumanism" of "Man"

Wynter with Fanon in the FLN:The "Rights of Peoples" against the "Monohumanism" of "Man" Greg Thomas (bio) After the fruitful struggle that it ["the French conscience"] waged two centuries ago for the respect of individual liberties and the rights of [M]an, it finds itself unable to wage a similar battle for the rights of peoples. —Frantz Fanon, El Moudjahid (1957) / Towards the African Revolution (1964) I The "Black" African and Afro-mixed descent peoples were now made into the iconic embodiment of this now extreme form of (racialized) Human Otherness, as well as of the Western world-system's later nineteenth-century, territorially expropriated, and now colonized neo-periphery category of native labor as, in Fanonian terms, Les Damnés de la terre, meaning, literally, "the condemned of the Earth." —Sylvia Wynter, "The Ceremony Found" (2015) In hindsight, "The Ceremony Must Be Found" (1984) must have marked a new moment in the multifaceted career of Sylvia Wynter. The dancer-dramatist and cultural critic who wrote The Hills of Hebron (1962) becomes an epic critical essayist on Western humanism, "Ethno-Class Man," Western bourgeois humanism. Now that essay from boundary 2: a journal of post-modern literature can only be read with "The Ceremony Found" (2015), if this major contribution to a collection titled Black Knowledges / Black Struggles: Essays in Critical Epistemology has yet to reap a significant readership in scholarship on the scholar.1 One of many ways to engage this text is to remark the relationship between a new coinage and a sustained commitment or concern—namely, "monohumanism" and Wynter's revolutionary Fanonism. The importance of Fanon in Wynter is hard to overlook yet not easy or simple to gauge in its assorted dimensions. Before "The Ceremony Found" there was "Towards the Sociogenic Principle: Fanon, Identity, the Puzzle of Conscious Experience, and What It Is Like to Be 'Black'" (2001). Earlier still, [End Page 857] there was "Tras el 'Hombre,' su última palabra: Sobre el posmodernismo, les damnés y el principio sociogénico" (1991), via Spanish translation by Ignacio Corona-Guitérrez. It appeared in the same year as "After the New Class: James, Les Damnés, and the Autonomy of Human Cognition" (1991), which also upholds Fanon's "starving fellah" as "the truth," as she would so boldly in "No Humans Involved: An Open Letter to My Colleagues" (1992). Many a notion from Fanon will frame the texts of Wynter over the years. Most monumental are the concepts of sociogeny and damnation or condemnation. Their constant mobilization by Wynter sets her work apart from the standard "postcolonialist" containment of Fanon in Western academe, which only rarely if ever conjoins rather than severs the insights of Fanon's Black Skin, White Masks with the insights of The Wretched of the Earth. To open "The Ceremony Found: Towards the Autopoetic Turn/Overturn, It's Autonomy of Human Agency and Extraterritoriality of (Self-)Cognition," Wynter returns to "The Ceremony Must Be Found: After Humanism" by recalling the political legacy of the 1950s and 1960s, especially the "Anti-Colonial Revolutions," which would be such a determining factor in her intellectual work. The first Fanon she cites here in the introduction is the ultimate Fanon—of Les Damnés de la terre, whose title she is at pains, again, to retranslate as "The Condemned of the Earth."2 Part 1 of "The Ceremony Found" next presents itself as a manifesto meant to retrieve the "failure" of "The Ceremony Must Be Found" and to practice a heresy—"after Frantz Fanon"—in providing a "profoundly 'narcissistic' and revalorizingly new answer to the question of who-we-are as humans."3 Soon, Black Skin, White Masks is uniquely engaged to craft the "new Fanonian answer" of "The Ceremony Found" in a manner that matches him, again, with Copernicus in worldly significance. Here's where "sociogeny" is key, departing equally from the biologist or biocentric "ontogeny" foundational to "ethno-class" "Man" and the "phylogenetic" expression of Western individualism systematized by Freud's psychoanalytic thought. After the Copernican Revolution, en route to his "African Revolution," this Fanonian Revolution motivates Wynter's proposition in part 2 of a counter-cosmogonic "Autopoetic Turn/Overturn" with Rastafarian intonations...

조선인민군 충원정책의 변화와 정체성 형성(1948~1950)

Examined in this article is the North Korean policy of mobilizing troops during the time between 1948 when the People’s army was first born, and early 1950s, when the Korean war broke out and continued. Also, the meaning of such policy is evaluated here as well.BR As it was widely believed by scholars that the Korean war was started by North Korea, the mobilization process of the North Korean army was never fully examined. But if we consider the simple fact that a functioning military could only be sustained and expanded upon a socio-economic platform already in place, it becomes clear that an understanding of the North Korean troop mobilization policy would allow us to look inside the North Korean society at the time of its moving into war.BR In order to swiftly mobilize troops, the North Korean authorities first reorganized the military service system. The basic principle of maintaining a ‘volunteer’ system was kept intact, but elements of a ‘conscription(drafting)’ system were also grafted upon it. The authorities surveyed possible candidates’ whereabouts and numbers, and then performed ‘mobilization tests,’ in order to select and manage candidates suited for the service. Also, in order to minimize the economic loss of the families who had members mobilized for military service, and create an atmosphere which was not against or hostile to constant mobilization of troops, military aiding projects also went underway. Political education and mental training was also reinforced, in order to respond to or even prevent possible emergences of anti-regime voices or factions within the military.BR In the meantime, large scale mobilization of military troops could have caused severe drop in overall state production, as North Korea had already been suffering from chronic shortage of workforce. In response to this problem, the North Korean leadership newly defined the identity of the North Korean army, which was redesigned as a unit that would politically enlighten the North Korean youths, and train them to learn skills and attitude necessary for productive labor.

Análisis etnográfico en salas de espera de centros de salud primaria: implicancias para la detección y tratamiento de la depresión posparto

In Chile, universal screening and treatment for postpartum depression has been implemented at a national level, however it remains under-detected and under-treated. To describe and analyze barriers to postpartum depression detection and treatment implied in maternal-infant health care production at general practice waiting rooms, an ethnographic study was carried out at six primary care clinics belonging to the Metropolitan Area of Santiago, Chile. Discourses and practices on maternity enacted at waiting room, reveals a conflicting condition for postpartum women, implying a differential overburden with domestic work and care tasks, demanding constant mobilization between formal and informal health care sources. The grade of integration between remunerated work and women’s self-care is debated.

Estado y política hidráulica en México: el confl icto de los indígenas mazahuas

En septiembre de 2003, indígenas mazahuas de Villa de Allende, estado de México, sufrieron inundaciones de 300 hectáreas de cultivo por el desbordamiento del río Malacatepec proveniente de la presa de Villa Victoria, del sistema Cutzamala. Este suceso hizo que los indígenas se organizaran y exigieran a la Comisión Nacional del Agua el pago de sus cultivos. Los reclamos de los mazahuas pronto se convirtieron en un conflicto, pues tanto las autoridades federales como estatales no supieron dar respuesta pronta a sus demandas. El centralismo del Estado mexicano en el manejo de los recursos hídricos puso en evidencia la carencia de agua, la desigualdad social y la marginación estructurales de las comunidades mazahuas afectadas por el sistema Cutzamala. Bajo esta situación, las estructuras de gobierno se vieron cuestionadas en el manejo y en la resolución del conflicto pues la movilización constante de los mazahuas durante más de un año tuvo un costo económico y político importante para las distintas instituciones de gobierno involucradas.

Community mobilization for malaria elimination: application of an open space methodology in Ruhuha sector, Rwanda.

BackgroundDespite the significant reduction of malaria transmission in Rwanda, Ruhuha sector is still a highly endemic area for malaria. The objective of this activity was to explore and brainstorm the potential roles of various community stakeholders in malaria elimination.MethodsHorizontal participatory approaches such as ‘open space’ have been deployed to explore local priorities, stimulate community contribution to project planning, and to promote local capacity to manage programmes. Two open space meetings were conducted with 62 and 82 participants in years 1 and 2, respectively. Participants included purposively selected community and local organizations’ representatives.ResultsMalaria was perceived as a health concern by the respondents despite the reported reduction in prevalence from 60 to 20% for cases at the local health centre. Some misconceptions of the cause of malaria and misuse of preventive strategies were noted. Poverty was deemed to be a contributing factor to malaria transmission, with suggestions that improvement of living conditions for poor families might help malaria reduction. Participants expressed willingness to contribute to malaria elimination and underscored the need for constant education, sensitization and mobilization towards malaria control in general. Active diagnosis, preventative strategies and prompt treatment of malaria cases were all mentioned by participants as ways to reduce malaria. Participants suggested that partnership of stakeholders at various levels could speed up programme activities. A community rewards system was deemed important to motivate engaged participants, i.e., community health workers and households. Establishment of malaria clubs in schools settings was also suggested as crucial to speed up community awareness and increase skills towards further malaria reduction.ConclusionsThis bottom-up approach was found useful in engaging the local community, enabling them to explore issues related to malaria in the area and suggest solutions for sustainable malaria elimination gains.

Work process and management competences of the nurses in the family health strategy

The objective was to identify the dimension of the process of nursing work in a unit of the Family Health Strategy and correlate the necessary competences for the development of managerial activities. It is a descriptive study using the technique of non-participant observation during 160 hours of activities of four nurses from a unit of the Family Health Strategy, from March to May, 2011. The results showed that the care dimension holds 42% of the time spent by nurses in their activities, followed by management (33%), education (20%) and political participation (2.5%). In managerial dimension, managerial competences were classified as follows: communication (55%), leadership (33%), permanent education (8%) and decision making (4%). These competences are interrelated and developed together with administrative functions: planning, coordination, direction and control. For the development of their attributions in the Family Health Strategies the nurse professionals uses administrative tools demanding constant mobilization of different competences.

Simulating seed reserve mobilization and seedling growth of rice in DSRICE1

The simulation of seed reserve mobilization and seedling growth of rice in the model DSRICE1 was analyzed using published data. Early plant DM patterns are characterized by a decline in total (kernel+seedling) DM during heterotrophy, and then an increase into exponential growth after CO 2 assimilation (autotrophy) begins. Data for a tropical japonica variety were used for qualitative comparisons of observed and predicted kernel and total DM. The published version of DSRICE1 was sequentially modified to (1) subtract respiration costs from mobilized reserves, (2) use a constant mobilization rate, (3) use the same partitioning fractions (PF) for both reserves and assimilates, and (4) assess the effects of leaching losses. After the first modification, the model reproduced observed DM patterns, and setting a constant mobilization rate allowed complete use of reserves. Using consistent PF values for both assimilates and reserves was justified because it simplified the model and had only slight effects on predictions. Predicted mobilization efficiencies (ME; g seedling g −1 seed) were greater than measured values, but were improved by accounting for leaching losses. In sensitivity analyses, six seed-related parameters had significant effects on seedling DM at 14 days after seeding (DAS), but none significantly affected mature DM or yields. In other tests, the effects of four traits on seedling growth were assessed over their likely empirical ranges. The start of CO 2 assimilation (DAS) had the greatest effect, followed by the start of mobilization and seed mass. Mobilization rate had the smallest effect over its likely range. Finally, simulated and measured early PF values were significantly different, particularly for root partitioning. Predicted DM to 18 DAS using three sets of PF values also differed, although more for total DM per plant than for some plant parts. Using the measured PF values will likely improve the model. It was also demonstrated that simulating reserve mobilization allows dynamic responses to variation in environmental and cultural inputs that may have critical effects on later growth. Thus, the calibration of parameters such as initial DM and leaf area required in other models may be avoided. Most important, using a more process-based approach in DSRICE1 facilitates (or forces) realistic linkages between seedling growth and environment by management interactions, which can improve analyses of crop and weed establishment and management strategies.

The Structural Marginalization of Artisanal Fishing Communities: The Case of La Boquita

IntroductionIn Mexico, the artisanal fishing sector suffers from structural marginalization characterized by, on the one hand, the growing loss of economic autonomy and control over the economic activity, natural resources, and territory of artisanal fishing communities, and, on the other hand, by these groups' increasing social exclusion and the deterioration of the internal social bonds linking their members. Three main factors have led to this situation. First, the neo-liberal reforms introduced by the federal government have led, on the one hand, to an effort of diversification leading to the promotion of industrial fisheries and, on the other hand, to the increasingly frequent sale of coastal land to foreign investors. Second, a reduction of the government's involvement in the social sector of the fisheries, especially the artisanal fishery has led both to a decrease in the size and number of loans accorded to fishing co-operatives and to a deregulation process that has eliminated the co-operatives' exclusive control over certain species. Finally, despite diverse governmental initiatives to take into account the importance, heterogeneity, and needs of the artisanal fishing communities by commissioning scientific reports and organizing meetings with community leaders, bureaucrats, and scientists, these attempts remain insufficient and often irrelevant to the population concerned because they fail to acknowledge pivotal issues: poverty, environmental degradation, resource depletion and the internal atomization of fishing communities.This article offers a case study of structural marginalization in the artisanal fishing community of La Boquita, on the Mexican Pacific coast. This community owes its existence to the battle its members have led for the right to keep on fishing and to remain on the territory that they have now occupied for more than sixty years. As we shall see, their struggle revolves around three elements: (1) land conflicts with various government institutions that have repeatedly failed to respect community members' property rights, (2) the encroachment of the tourism industry on residential and productive areas, which severely damages the environment and its marine resources, (3) increased pressure from the sport fishing industry to limit the community's access to some demersal species, such as tuna, swordfish, and marlin, and to certain fishing zones. The combined conflicts of this context have embroiled community members in a constant and time-consuming mobilization process, and moreover have jeopardized the community's internal cohesion, rendering its future even more precarious. Let us first consider how the theory of political ecology allows us to analyze this dynamic.Political ecology and La Boquita's strugglePolitical ecology is a relatively new research field in the social sciences. It emerged in the 1980s from political economy, human geography, ecological anthropology, and human ecology as a testimony to a growing concern with the complex interactions between humans and the environment. Even though its definition is quite elusive and somewhat variable between researchers and academic backgrounds, Blaikie and Brookfield (1987: 17) identify some basic commonalities: The phrase political ecology combines the concerns of ecology and a broadly defined political economy. Together, this encompasses the constantly shifting dialectic between society and land-based resources, and also within classes and groups within the society itself.(...)The complexity of these relationships demands an approach which can encompass interactive effects, the contribution of different geographical scales and hierarchies of socioeconomic organizations (e.g. persons, household, village, region, state, world) and the contradiction between social and environmental changes through time.More succinctly, Bryant (1992: 13) proposes that broadly, Third World political ecology may be defined as the attempt to understand the political sources, conditions and ramifications of environmental change. …