Sub-regional Projects Research Articles

Analysis of the National Cancer Institute’s Investment in Site-Specific Cancer Research Funding Involving Collaborators in Latin America and Its Correspondence to Regional Cancer Burden

PURPOSE Economic and social-behavioral changes over the last two decades in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are associated with increases in the regional cancer burden. We aim to describe the National Cancer Institute–funded extramural research portfolio with collaborators in the LAC between fiscal years 2014 and 2018 and compare project numbers by site with subregional cancer burden. METHODS This analysis included National Cancer Institute–funded extramural projects with LAC collaborators from fiscal years 2014 to 2018 from the National Institutes of Health IMPAC II database. Projects were stratified by Pan American Health Organization’s Latin American subregions, tumor sites, and regional site-specific rates of cancer incidence and mortality using Globocan 2018 estimates. To better understand subregional variations in cancer incidence and mortality, this analysis focused on the top 5 sites of incidence and mortality in LAC after breast and prostate cancer. RESULTS Between fiscal years 2014 and 2018, 108 projects with LAC collaborators were funded. Project collaborators came from 22 countries in the region, and projects covered 20 tumor sites. The Southern Cone had the most projects funded, followed by the Central American Isthmus and Mexico, Andes, Latin Caribbean, and non-Latin Caribbean—this was roughly proportional to subregional populations. Variation exists at the subregional level for the top 5 cancers when comparing incidence and mortality with subregional project counts. Disparities between projects and incidence by tumor site were the largest for colorectal, lung, and uterine cancers. Disparities between projects and mortality by tumor site were the largest for lung and uterine cancers. Disparities between projects and both components of cancer burden by subregion were the largest for the Latin Caribbean and non-Latin Caribbean. The number of funded projects for Kaposi sarcoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma largely outpaced both incidence and mortality in every subregion. CONCLUSION This analysis suggests that projects’ alignment with cancer burden is variable by subregion, provides an understanding of cancer research funding by site, and highlights areas of interest for additional investigation, training, and collaboration in LAC.

India’s subregional connectivity initiatives: re-imagining the neighborhood

ABSTRACTGeopolitical interests and concerns motivate India’s renewed push for subregional connectivity. The evolving subregional approach aims at re-integrating India’s immediate neighborhood with the aim of protecting New Delhi’s traditional regional primacy. Historically, the Partition of the Indian subcontinent terminated a well-connected common space. Decades after its independence, India has turned toward reconnecting with its immediate neighbors clustered in subregions in the changing geopolitical context. India’s subregional approach has emerged as a key area of foreign policy priority. This paper attempts to map out India’s evolving subregional approach and explicates the strategic rationale behind it. Even as India has pushed to expand subregional connectivity, there are both domestic as well as external challenges. The article examines how India has been addressing some of the major hurdles underlining their policy implications. First, the conceptual underpinnings of India’s evolving subregional approach are explicated followed by an analysis of the factors driving this push. Subsequently, key subregional projects initiated by India are discussed. Finally, the challenges facing India in managing subregional initiatives are examined.

Subregional Projects in the Context of the Development of the EU Eastern Partnership

The author analyzes subregional projects that could add dynamics to the process of European integration in the situation of substantial conceptual and institutional crisis of the European Union what directly affects the efficience of implementation of the EU projects (Eastern Partnership). Here the aurhor means reload and activation of the Organization for Democracy and Economic Development GUAM and conceptualization the Baltic-Black See Union as isntitutional instruments of sub-regional stability in the context of deep crisis of Euroipean security. The consequences of sub-regional instutitutionalization for the EU and its prograns will be complex and multi-dimention. Firstly, there will be the rise of stability and security on the EU eastern flank as a compensation for its non-sufficient security elements as well as NATO low readiness for Russian threat. As soon as activation of Russian neo-imperial revisionism seriously undermines the EU Eastern Partnership Program and hampers the integration of the post-soviet states into the European and Euro-Atlantic in stitutions, establishment of both above-mentioned institutions will give a serious integration impuls for the European civilization and acceleration of the appearance of new wave of the EU members. The other result of institution building will be development of transport and logistic infastructure in the context of the implementationa bilateral EU-China trans continental projects resulting the growth of the EU poterntial as a leading global economic and political player. It is proved that ODED-GUAM and the Baltic-Black Sea Union could become substantial factors of the support of the European Union in whole and its Eastern Partnership Program particularly in case substantial work is being made by the interested states. But the main precondition of the activation pf sub-regional projects is political will and startegic interests of western elites.
 Keywords: European Union, EU Eastern Partnership, Organization for Democracy and Economic Development GUAM, Baltic-Black Sea Union, subregional integration.

The incidence and extent of the CDM across developing countries

AbstractThis paper empirically examines the factors that determine the incidence and extent of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) in developing countries. Estimation results show that the incidence and extent of the CDM is greater for the developing countries with larger mitigation potential and greater capacity to manage the projects. Developing countries with faster economic growth and past experience with activities implemented jointly (AIJ) projects are more likely to host renewable energy projects, although this is not the case for other project types. The incidence and extent of foreign investment projects in energy efficiency, CO2reduction and non-CO2gas reduction projects are higher for the countries with lower per capita GDP, most likely due to capital constraints. There is no evidence that the number of sub-regional projects impinged on investment flows. Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa appear to face special obstacles under the CDM even after the strength of institutions and energy-related mitigation opportunities are accounted for.

El proyecto subregional cono sur de control y vigilancia de la hidatidosis

Southern Cone Sub-Regional Project on Cystic Echinococcosis Control and Surveillance: Argentina, Brasil, Chile and Uruguay, is a joint and collaborative tool with the aim of promoting the implementation or the strengthening of programs for disease control. The paper describes the background, the institutional aspects that regulates the structure and functions, as well as the guidelines defined in the technical and operational project. The article emphasize the achievements through Projects of Technical Cooperation among Countries, and the development of integrated and innovative approaches for prevention and control of the disease and training of human resources of the control programs. Some of the challenges are: to achieve the sustainability of the project, implementation of technical groups for analysis and assessment at request of the countries, improvement of the regional information systems, to continue training human resources of the control programs and to expand and strengthen the technical cooperation among countries.

Bounded by the Reality of Trade: Practical Limits to a South American Region*

This article argues that regionalism in South America will meet with limited success because continental and subregional integration projects lack the necessary economic underpinnings. The result is an incomplete form of regional integration that, while offering some rewards to the participating countries, predominantly serves the energy security needs of the region's major players. Brazil, in particular, benefits from this process and also is the prime reason that regionalism in South America will not deepen. Without a major state to absorb the costs of region-building the process will stall. As the evidence in this article implies, Brazil is not willing to absorb these costs, placing severe limits on the region and regional acceptance of Brazilian leadership.

Hemispheric Integration and Subregionalism in the Americas

The project to construct a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) is unique in its attempt to integrate and build on existing subregional blocs. The impact of the hemispheric integration process on subregionalism can best be understood not through a simplistic strengthening/weakening dichotomy, but rather as involving a substantial reconfiguration of subregional projects. This article focuses on the manifestations of this relationship in the case of the Mercosur, with comparative glances at other subregions. It pays particular attention on the one hand to strategic ‘bloc bargaining’ issues, and on the other to the policy challenges generated by the FTAA project, which form the twin pillars of the reconfigured form of subregionalism that is currently emerging.

A REVIEW OF INDUCTION OF MUTATIONS IN FRUITS OF TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL REGIONS

Induction of mutations is an effective approach for enhancing natural genetic resources. FAO/IAEA Coordinated Research Projects (CRP) have been established on tropical and subtropical fruits as well as on banana, and the Technical Co-operation (TC) sub-Regional Project on date palm. The objectives are to improve these fruit crops by induced mutations. These programs have four major components: in vitro culture, radiation induction of mutations, mutation screening, and characterization of mutants with molecular markers. In most of the important fruit crops, tissue culture is well established for plant regeneration either via somatic embryogenesis or organogenesis. Since somatic embryo cultures often originate from a single cell, it is an ideal system for induction of mutations as it helps in preventing chimerism. The rate of somatic embryo germination is very poor, which has become a major hurdle for large-scale plant multiplication of desirable induced mutants. The major focus will be on the development of mutant lines of fruits with improved tolerance against abiotic and biotic stresses, seedlessness e.g. in guava and citrus.