Swedish Agency For Research Cooperation Research Articles

LA COOPERACIÓN SUECA EN LA UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL AGRARIA: IMPACTO DE 26 AÑOS DE COLABORACIÓN

La cooperación científica sueca en la Universidad Nacional Agraria inició en el año 1986, teniendo como contraparte a la Agencia Sueca para la Cooperación en Investigación (SAREC), quien administró la cooperación hasta 1995, año en que dicha institución se integra a la estructura de la Agencia Sueca para el Desarrollo Internacional (Asdi). Durante los primeros años la cooperación se orientó a la capacitación institucional a través de becas de dos años otorgadas a académicos para la obtención de maestrías en ciencias. Para el año 1995, la cooperación decide dar un salto, continuando con la formación a nivel de doctorado con un tiempo de duración de cinco años. El modelo de estudios utilizado fue el método sándwich donde la investigación se realizaba en Nicaragua y los cursos se tomaban en Suecia u otro país. La contraparte de la UNA en esta colaboración fue la Universidad de Ciencias Agrícolas de Suecia (Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet - SLU). En el año 1997 se amplió el apoyo hacia la formación de capacidades institucionales. Suecia apoyó el fortalecimiento de la administración de la investigación científica, infraestructura (plataformas de tecnología, informática y laboratorios), el acceso a publicaciones electrónicas, etc., con la intención de desarrollar las capacidades, fomentar la capacidad analítica y generar conocimientos con base científica que respondieran a niveles internacionales. Producto de esta cooperación, la capacitad de investigación ha aumentado en torno a temas vinculados a Nutrición y genética Animal, Control Biológico de Plagas, Manejo Integrado de Plagas, Gestión de la Fertilización, Manejo de Cuencas Hidrográficas, Restauración de Ecosistemas Degradados, Manejo de Áreas Protegidas, Agronomía y Biotecnología de Raíces y Tubérculos, Agro forestaría, Ordenamiento Territorial, Medicina Homeopática, Recursos Genéticos, Seguridad Alimentaria, Turismo y Desarrollo Rural. También, se mejoró la calidad de los programas de cooperación y se cuenta con docentes capacitados para tutorar estudiantes a nivel de grado y posgrado. La cooperación científica ha dado resultados positivos en varios aspectos; hasta mediados del año 2011 han alcanzado el grado de maestría 22 académicos de la institución y 17 el grado de doctor. Se han publicado 93 artículos científicos y bajo un programa de fondos competitivos se financiaron un total de 91 proyectos de investigación, seleccionados mediante un proceso abierto y transparente. La UNA actualmente cuenta con capacidades para ofrecer educación de maestrías a nivel local. El fortalecimiento de la UNA ha contribuido a mejorar el nivel de eficacia, así como la gestión de la investigación científica, se formularon las políticas de investigación, y se crearon espacios de intercambio con actores claves del sistema de investigación. El apoyo de Asdi en tecnología de la información en la UNA ha contribuido a un mayor acceso al conocimiento para los investigadores y estudiantes, a través de publicaciones científicas y redes internacionales DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5377/calera.v11i16.753 La Calera Vol. 11, No 16 p. 57-67/junio 2011

Swedish agency for research cooperation's support to biotechnology programmes

The activities of the Swedish Agency for Research Cooperation (SAREC) are geared to helping developing countries build-up their research capacities. SAREC supports biotechnology related activities such as development of biotechnologies for industrial fermentation, food processing, disease management, and pollution control. Support is also provided to building up indigenous capacity in biosafety and biotechnology policy.

Prevalence and aetiology of congenital birth defects, infant mortality and mental retardation in Lahore, Pakistan: A prospective cohort study

To study the health and development of children in a developing and low-income country. The health and development of children in Lahore in northern Pakistan have been studied since 1981 in a collaborative project between Pakistani and Swedish university institutions and the Swedish Agency for Research Cooperation with Developing Countries (SAREC). The study described in this paper comprised four different areas in Lahore with different degrees of urbanization and different social conditions. All pregnancies in the four areas were registered during the period March 1984 to July 1986 and were followed up from the 5th month of pregnancy. All 1476 children born after 1 September 1984 were followed up from birth to 12 y of age. The perinatal mortality in the whole material was 5.4%. It was highest in the periurban slum (7.5%) and lowest in the upper-middle class cohort (3.3%). Overall infant mortality was 10%. It was highest (14%) in the periurban slum and lowest (2%) in the upper-middle class group. Overall incidence of serious birth defects was 5%. It was highest in the periurban slum community (7%) and lowest in the upper-middle class cohort (3%). The overall cumulative incidence of severe mental retardation per 100 live births was 1.1. It was highest (2.2) in the periurban slum and lowest (0.4) in the upper-middle class group. The overall prevalence of mild mental retardation among 6-10-y-old children was 6.2 per 100. It was highest in the periurban slum (10.5) and lowest (1.3 per 100) in the upper-middle class group. Poverty, malnutrition, birth trauma and consanguinity were common causes of infant mortality and mental retardation in Lahore, Pakistan. Preventive measures with provision of obstetric and health services, services for genetic information and risk evaluation, vaccination programmes and identification of children with retarded development for specific stimulation and habilitation measures, e.g. organized play activities, are important in developing and low-income countries.

Nutritional status of indigenous children at boarding schools in northern Mexico.

To assess the nutritional status of Tarahumara children at indigenous boarding schools. Cross-sectional comprehensive nutritional survey. The schools sampled were located in indigenous municipalities of the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua. The study was carried out in 2001 among 331 children aged 6-14 y from a sample of five schools. Anthropometric measurements, a thyroid exam and capillary haemoglobin levels were obtained from the children. Serum concentrations of ferritin, iron, total iron-binding capacity, vitamin B(12), folic acid and zinc were collected from a subsample of 100 children. The prevalence of wasting and overweight (children 6-9 y) was 1.1 and 4.6%, respectively, and of underweight, risk of overweight and overweight (10-14 y) was 3.2, 5.1 and 0.6%, respectively. Stunting (6-12 y) was present in 22.3% of the children. The total goitre rate was 5.4%. The prevalence of anaemia was 13% (boys 11.4, girls 14.5%). Overall, 24.2% of the children were iron deficient (depletion 11.1%, deficient erythropoiesis 3%, iron deficiency anaemia 10.1%). No child had folic acid values <3 ng/ml, but 20.2% had low (<200 microg/dl) and 27.3% marginal (200-300 microg/dl) vitamin B(12) levels, and 80.2% had low zinc concentrations (<60 microg/dl). Nutritional underweight and stunting were similar to those reported in rural localities at the national level, but overweight was less prevalent in children aged 10-14 y. Various micronutrient deficiencies was identified including zinc and vitamin B(12), but the prevalence of iron and folic acid deficiency was lower than expected. These results suggest that Tarahumara children attending boarding schools may be the better-off children from these extremely poor and marginalized areas. Swedish Agency for Research Cooperation with Developing Countries and the Mexican Social Security Institute.

Changes in iodine metabolism during late pregnancy and lactation: a longitudinal study among Sudanese women.

To elucidate the persistence, or otherwise, of the pregnancy-related changes in the iodine metabolism and thyroid function in a population residing in an area of mild iodine deficiency in the Sudan. A longitudinal prospective cohort study involving pregnant women who were recruited during their third trimester of pregnancy and were followed up for up to nine months after delivery. The study was conducted among Sudanese women residing in the Omdurman area in Khartoum, an area with a total goitre rate of 17.5%. Forty-seven pregnant women were recruited during their third trimester of pregnancy. Their mean age and weight were 29+/-4.6 y and 62.4+/-8.7 kg, respectively. Age matched healthy non-pregnant women living in the same area (n=40) served as a control group. Serum levels of thyrotropin (TSH), thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3), thyroglobulin (Tg) and the urinary iodine concentration (UIC) were determined during the third trimester (first occasion), and subsequently at three months (second occasion), six months (third occasion) and nine months after delivery (fourth occasion). Control subjects provided corresponding samples on one occasion. UIC, TSH, Tg, FT4 and T3. During the third trimester of pregnancy the median UIC and the free T4 (FT4) were lower than in the control group (P<0. 0001, P<0.0001, respectively), while the median Tg was higher than in the controls (P<0.03). Three months post-partum maximum thyroidal stimulation was evident, with elevated serum levels of TSH and Tg (P<0.0001, P<0.03) and reduced UIC and serum T3 and FT4 (P<0.0004, P<0.0005, P<0.0001), compared with the control group. Nine months post-partum the thyroid function was restored to the pre-pregnancy state, and the median values of TSH, Tg, T3, FT4 and UIC did not differ significantly from those in the control group. Our study suggests that the reversibility of the pregnancy-induced changes in the iodine status and thyroid function to the pre-pregnancy levels may depend on the iodine status of the mother during and after pregnancy. The thyroidal stress during the first three months of the post-partum period, which is partially due to the iodine loss in the breast milk, justifies further detailed studies to assess the iodine content of the breast milk and the role of breast milk as a vehicle for iodine supply of infants in situations of iodine deficiency. This study was supported by a grant from the Swedish Agency for Research Co-operation with Developing Countries.

Immunoperoxidase evaluation of buffalo tissues for acute hemorrhagic septicemia.

Annals of the New York Academy of SciencesVolume 849, Issue 1 p. 494-496 Immunoperoxidase Evaluation of Buffalo Tissues for Acute Hemorrhagic Septicemia † N. U. HORADAGODA, Corresponding Author N. U. HORADAGODA Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka Corresponding author: Tel: 94 8 388205; Fax: 94 8 232343; E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorK. BELAK, K. BELAK National Veterinary Institute, Uppsala, SwedenSearch for more papers by this authorM.C. L. DE ALWIS, M.C. L. DE ALWIS Veterinary Research Institute, Peradeniya, Sri LankaSearch for more papers by this authorT. G. WIJEWARDANA, T. G. WIJEWARDANA Veterinary Research Institute, Peradeniya, Sri LankaSearch for more papers by this authorA.I. U. GOMIS, A.I. U. GOMIS Veterinary Research Institute, Peradeniya, Sri LankaSearch for more papers by this authorA. A. VIPULASIRI, A. A. VIPULASIRI Veterinary Research Institute, Peradeniya, Sri LankaSearch for more papers by this author N. U. HORADAGODA, Corresponding Author N. U. HORADAGODA Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka Corresponding author: Tel: 94 8 388205; Fax: 94 8 232343; E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorK. BELAK, K. BELAK National Veterinary Institute, Uppsala, SwedenSearch for more papers by this authorM.C. L. DE ALWIS, M.C. L. DE ALWIS Veterinary Research Institute, Peradeniya, Sri LankaSearch for more papers by this authorT. G. WIJEWARDANA, T. G. WIJEWARDANA Veterinary Research Institute, Peradeniya, Sri LankaSearch for more papers by this authorA.I. U. GOMIS, A.I. U. GOMIS Veterinary Research Institute, Peradeniya, Sri LankaSearch for more papers by this authorA. A. VIPULASIRI, A. A. VIPULASIRI Veterinary Research Institute, Peradeniya, Sri LankaSearch for more papers by this author First published: 07 February 2006 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.1998.tb11104.xCitations: 2 † The authors wish to thank Swedish Agency for Research Co-operation with Developing Countries (SAREC) for the financial support. The travel grant awarded by the International Foundation of Science (IFS) to N.U.H. is gratefully acknowledged. Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Citing Literature Volume849, Issue1TROPICAL VETERINARY MEDICINE: MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY, HEMOPARASITES AND THEIR VECTORS, AND GENERAL TOPICSJune 1998Pages 494-496 RelatedInformation

The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO and regional capacity building

This paper concentrates on the past and present interaction between the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Com- mission, donor organisations and developing countries in the development of regional programmes for creating and supporting marine science capabilities. The Global Ocean Observing System and Integrated Coastal Zone Management in relation to fisheries, marine pollution and climate/sea level changes require regional input which depends on South-South and North South cooperation. The Indian Ocean with the Eastern African region, serve as an example for an ongoing process of capacity building and growing partnership in marine science. Through the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, a strong and very beneficial cooperation was established, with several donors, in particular with the Swedish Agency for Research Co- operation with Developing Countries. This tripartite partnership of (a) a regional body with a regionally driven programme, (b) a global coordination mechanism in the form of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, and (a) a multi-lateral donor in the form of the Swedish Agency for Research Co-operation with Developing Countries is in fact a model for regional development aid. The need for strong leadership of regional bodies is emphasised including a formal intersessional mechanism in the form of a bureau.

Swedish Agency for Research Cooperation with Developing Countries. Prospects for public health benefits in developing countries from new vaccines against enteric infections.

The symposium participants concluded that vaccines with even moderate efficacy can be highly useful to prevent large numbers of severe illness episodes and deaths and that the decision of whether to initiate a vaccine program should be based on measures or estimates of public health effectiveness rather than only on protective efficacy. Studies of protective efficacy are of course critical to establish the vaccine's biologic activity, but additional aspects of public health effectiveness are also crucial in making these decisions. First-generation vaccines are available against typhoid, cholera, and soon rotavirus diarrhea, and vaccines against enterotoxigenic E. coli diarrhea and shigellosis are under development. The problems related to enteric diseases are enormous; the vaccines may soon be produced at low cost and promise to be relatively more easy to distribute than most previous vaccines. The number of illnesses and deaths averted from vaccine programs are potentially great. Pilot programs using the new vaccines should urgently be considered in areas where the disease burden is high, and steps should be taken to monitor effectiveness of the intervention in these programs. Such studies of vaccine effectiveness and costs in a "real world" situation are an essential step of the research process and should be used to guide the organization of larger-scale programs. Finally, many of the necessary research and development activities relevant to public health vaccinology must address country-specific problems. Developing countries should consider the role of vaccine-related research among the priorities for their essential national health research and build the necessary capabilities in applied and basic medical sciences and in the social sciences.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Development of a Community Intervention Programme on Miners' Health and Working Environment in Nicaragua

Since 1983, a broad research and development programme has been carried out with the support of Sweden through the Swedish Agency for Research Cooperation in Developing Countries (SAREC). One of the medical research and development projects deals with the environment and state of health of the population of an entire village, and is referred to as the Abdon Vega project. It is pursued by the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine of the University of León, Nicaragua, with the support of the Department of Social Medicine at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. The project comprises two stages. The first one centres on the state of health of the workers and the mining environment. This article reports on the objectives of the project and the study area. It presents experience from the development work up to now and the difficulties encountered.

Swedish research cooperation with developing countries-Nicaragua as an example

Abstract Sweden has one of the most important aid programmes of the Western countries. One of the institutions through which this aid is given is SAREC, the Swedish Agency for Research Cooperation with Developing Countries. Ove Stephansson looks at the present SAREC programme, with a particular emphasis on the cooperation with Nicaragua.

Organizations

The Human Settlements Programme of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) arose out of the Institute's involvement in Habitat, the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements in Vancouver in 1976. Before the conference, the Canadian government had invited the Institute's President, Barbara Ward, 1 1 Barbara Ward retired as President in 1980 and died in 1981. to write a popular book on the issues the conference should be tackling and this was published just before the conference as The Home of Man. 2 2 Published by W.W. Norton (USA), Penguin (UK) and McClelland and Stewart (Canada). While various IIED members took part both in the official conference and in the non-government ‘Habitat Forum’, it was through Canadian government support after the conference that a Human Settlements Programme was started. 3 3 At present, the Programme is funded by the Canadian International Development Agency, the Swedish Agency for Research Cooperation with Developing Countries, the Swedish Building Research Council and the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat). This article is the first in a series of reports from settlements- and urban-related organizations .

MULTINATIONAL ENTERPRISE INVESTMENT AND IMPORT SUBSTITUTION IN LATIN AMERICA*

Australian Economic PapersVolume 21, Issue 39 p. 321-331 MULTINATIONAL ENTERPRISE INVESTMENT AND IMPORT SUBSTITUTION IN LATIN AMERICA* PETER SVEDBERG, PETER SVEDBERG Institute for International Economic Studies University of StockholmSearch for more papers by this author PETER SVEDBERG, PETER SVEDBERG Institute for International Economic Studies University of StockholmSearch for more papers by this author First published: December 1982 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8454.1982.tb00393.x † *The article bears on chapters 4–6 of the authors Ph.D. thesis [21]. The author has benefitted from extensive discussions of earlier drafts with Alf Carling. Special gratitude is also due to Max Corden for his generous support in simplifying the model used in the article. Financial assistancefor the preparation of the present version from The Bank of Sweden Tercentenaq7 Foundation and the Swedish Agency for Research Co-operation with Developing Countries is gratefully acknowledged. AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Volume21, Issue39December 1982Pages 321-331 RelatedInformation