Bringing Non-governmental Actors into the Policymaking Process: The Case of Local Development Policy in Thailand

During the past two decades in Thailand, non-governmental actors, such as NGOs, intellectuals, and people's organizations, have found widening opportunities to participate in policy formation and in the implementation of local development. The government has facilitated the formation of civil society forums, in the expectation of influencing local-level governance. The last two national five-year development plans were formulated after taking into account the voices of people in the provinces. Even though they may seem petty, some state funds are now transmitted through non-governmental institutions for policy implementation at the grassroots level. These changes have their origin in a reformation of rural development administration in early 1980s. This reformation in due course led to policies that have allowed the participation of non-governmental actors. Meanwhile, rural people have proved their ability to engage in participatory development by forming various local organizations, while NGOs have grown to be proficient facilitators of local development. This paper describes the process whereby three leading actors, namely the government, local people, and the NGOs, have interacted to bring about a more participatory system of local development administration.

The LTTE Proposals for an Interim Self-Governing Authority and Future of the Peace Process in Sri Lanka

The political brinkmanship of the Liberation Tigers of the Tamil Eelam has been illustrated vividly by the way in which it brought forward its proposals for an Interim Self-Governing Authority by exploiting the vulnerabilities of the United National Front Government. In the proposals the LTTE articulated its political intentions in concrete constitutional terms for the first time. The Proposals rationalize the armed struggle and a contractual agreement outside the Constitution. The plenary powers of the ISGA exceed the federal formula; effectively exclude the institutions of the state of Sri Lanka from the North-East; and clear the route for a separate state. This situation demands a redirection of the peace process which requires a clear political vision and a proper strategy with alternative proposals on the part of the government. In the face of present impasse of the peace process the challenges before the new Freedom Alliance government are formidable.

Changes in the foreign trade structure of the Russian Far East under the process of transition toward a market economy

Under the process of transition toward a market economy, the economic connections of the Russian Far East (RFE) with external regions changed from a division of labor among the regions of the USSR (Russia) to an international division of labor. This happened due to factors including the liberalization of the trade system away from a state monopoly, the presence of rich natural resources and of developed industries related to these resources, the advantage of geographically proximity to Asia-Pacific countries, and the political and economic division of the once unified national economic space during the process of transition. The economic connections of RFE with external economies changed radically under the transition toward the market economy. First, the value of foreign trade increased dramatically and the importance of foreign trade for the RFE economy increased enormously. Second, however, different territories of RFE traveled along different trajectories, due to factors involving their industrial structure and geographical conditions. Third, in recent years connections with China, in the areas of both exports and imports, have grown. Fourth, the share within exports of "fuel, mineral resources and metal" increased radically from the end of the 1990s, and the share of "machine, facilities and transportation means" increased from 2002 year within imports. Under this situation, especially since 2002, there has been a major change in the structure of foreign trade.

Kenya after the 2007 "post-election violence" : constitutional reform and the National Accord and Reconciliation Act

Immediately after the announcement of the re-election of President Kibaki on the evening of 30 December 2007, Kenya was thrust into the worst civil unrest experienced by the country since independence – a development that became known as the "Post-Election Violence" (PEV). However, after a subsequent process of reconciliation, the PEV came to an end within a relatively short period. The present-day politics of Kenya are being conducted within the framework of a provisional Constitution that took shape through peaceful mediation. How did Kenya manage to put a lid on a period of turmoil that placed the country in unprecedented danger? This paper traces the sequence of events that led to mediation, explains the emergency measures that were needed to maintain law and order, and indicates the remaining problems that still need to be solved.

Risk assessment of the spanish national railway system

The principal risks in the railway industry are mainly associated with collisions, derailments and level crossing accidents. An understanding of the nature of previous accidents on the railway network is required to identify potential causes and develop safety systems and deploy safety procedures. Risk assessment is a process for determining the risk magnitude to assist with decision-making. We propose a three-step methodology to predict the mean number of fatalities in railway accidents. The first is to predict the mean number of accidents by analyzing generalized linear models and selecting the one that best fits to the available historical data on the basis of goodness-offit statistics. The second is to compute the mean number of fatalities per accident and the third is to estimate the mean number of fatalities. The methodology is illustrated on the Spanish railway system. Statistical models accounting for annual and grouped data for the 1992-2009 time period have been analyzed. After identifying the models for broad and narrow gauges, we predicted mean number of accidents and the number of fatalities for the 2010-18 time period.

Metaphor and Genre: An Approach to improve the learning process of English for Aeronautics

This study suggests a theoretical framework for improving the teaching/ learning process of English employed in the Aeronautical discourse that brings together cognitive learning strategies, Genre Analysis and the Contemporary theory of Metaphor (Lakoff and Johnson 1980; Lakoff 1993). It maintains that cognitive strategies such as imagery, deduction, inference and grouping can be enhanced by means of metaphor and genre awareness in the context of content based approach to language learning. A list of image metaphors and conceptual metaphors which comes from the terminological database METACITEC is provided. The metaphorical terms from the area of Aeronautics have been taken from specialised dictionaries and have been categorised according to the conceptual metaphors they respond to, by establishing the source domains and the target domains, as well as the semantic networks found. This information makes reference to the internal mappings underlying the discourse of aeronautics reflected in five aviation accident case studies which are related to accident reports from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and provides an important source for designing language teaching tasks. La Lingüística Cognitiva y el Análisis del Género han contribuido a la mejora de la enseñanza de segundas lenguas y, en particular, al desarrollo de la competencia lingüística de los alumnos de inglés para fines específicos. Este trabajo pretende perfeccionar los procesos de enseñanza y el aprendizaje del lenguaje empleado en el discurso aeronáutico por medio de la práctica de estrategias cognitivas y prestando atención a la Teoría del análisis del género y a la Teoría contemporánea de la metáfora (Lakoff y Johnson 1980; Lakoff 1993). Con el propósito de crear recursos didácticos en los que se apliquen estrategias metafóricas, se ha elaborado un listado de metáforas de imagen y de metáforas conceptuales proveniente de la base de datos terminológica META-CITEC. Estos términos se han clasificado de acuerdo con las metáforas conceptuales y de imagen existentes en esta área de conocimiento. Para la enseñanza de este lenguaje de especialidad, se proponen las correspondencias y las proyecciones entre el dominio origen y el dominio meta que se han hallado en los informes de accidentes aéreos tomados de la Junta federal de la Seguridad en el Transporte (NTSB)

Comparative Analysis of Firms’ Participation in National and International Programmes to Support Innovation

Innovation is a process that faces several market failure situations. For this reason and for being considered one of the main drivers of economic growth, a large number of governmental and supranational policies are designed to foster technological progress. Along with these policies, there is an increasing concern with their continuous evaluation aiming at providing valuable feedback for these program?s adaptation and adequacy to the firm?s needs. The paper develops an evaluation of the influence of innovation-focused programs in firm¿s innovation and economic performance by means of a comparative analysis of the results obtained by Spanish firms that have participated in R&D national programmes and those achieved by Spanish firms participating in EUREKA international program. Findings show that the programmes were effective in achieving their objective of promoting technological innovation but, as regards the economic effects, the results were less conclusive since some differences were observed depending on the programme. The EUREKA companies displayed better behaviour, with positive differences in their returns on assets and labour productivity. The results also confirm the importance of designing more detailed and rigorous evaluation processes, taking into account the risk variable, in order to draw a more realistic picture of the impact of national and international programmes.

Supramolecular organization of immature and mature murine leukemia virus revealed by electron cryo-microscopy: Implications for retroviral assembly mechanisms

We have used electron cryo-microscopy and image analysis to examine the native structure of immature, protease-deficient (PR−) and mature, wild-type (WT) Moloney murine leukemia virus (MuLV). Maturational cleavage of the Gag polyprotein by the viral protease is associated with striking morphological changes. The PR− MuLV particles exhibit a rounded central core, which has a characteristic track-like shell on its surface, whereas the WT MuLV cores display a polygonal surface with loss of the track-like feature. The pleomorphic shape and inability to refine unique orientation angles suggest that neither the PR− nor the WT MuLV adheres to strict icosahedral symmetry. Nevertheless, the PR− MuLV particles do exhibit paracrystalline order with a spacing between Gag molecules of ≈45 Å and a length of ≈200 Å. Because of the pleomorphic shape and paracrystalline packing of the Gag–RNA complexes, we raise the possibility that assembly of MuLV is driven by protein–RNA, as well as protein–protein, interactions. The maturation process involves a dramatic reorganization of the packing arrangements within the ribonucleoprotein core with disordering and loosening of the individual protein components.

Immediate and simultaneous sensory reorganization at cortical and subcortical levels of the somatosensory system

The occurrence of cortical plasticity during adulthood has been demonstrated using many experimental paradigms. Whether this phenomenon is generated exclusively by changes in intrinsic cortical circuitry, or whether it involves concomitant cortical and subcortical reorganization, remains controversial. Here, we addressed this issue by simultaneously recording the extracellular activity of up to 135 neurons in the primary somatosensory cortex, ventral posterior medial nucleus of the thalamus, and trigeminal brainstem complex of adult rats, before and after a reversible sensory deactivation was produced by subcutaneous injections of lidocaine. Following the onset of the deactivation, immediate and simultaneous sensory reorganization was observed at all levels of the somatosensory system. No statistical difference was observed when the overall spatial extent of the cortical (9.1 ± 1.2 whiskers, mean ± SE) and the thalamic (6.1 ± 1.6 whiskers) reorganization was compared. Likewise, no significant difference was found in the percentage of cortical (71.1 ± 5.2%) and thalamic (66.4 ± 10.7%) neurons exhibiting unmasked sensory responses. Although unmasked cortical responses occurred at significantly higher latencies (19.6 ± 0.3 ms, mean ± SE) than thalamic responses (13.1 ± 0.6 ms), variations in neuronal latency induced by the sensory deafferentation occurred as often in the thalamus as in the cortex. These data clearly demonstrate that peripheral sensory deafferentation triggers a system-wide reorganization, and strongly suggest that the spatiotemporal attributes of cortical plasticity are paralleled by subcortical reorganization.

Reorganization of an arid ecosystem in response to recent climate change

Natural ecosystems contain many individuals and species interacting with each other and with their abiotic environment. Such systems can be expected to exhibit complex dynamics in which small perturbations can be amplified to cause large changes. Here, we document the reorganization of an arid ecosystem that has occurred since the late 1970s. The density of woody shrubs increased 3-fold. Several previously common animal species went locally extinct, while other previously rare species increased. While these changes are symptomatic of desertification, they were not caused by livestock grazing or drought, the principal causes of historical desertification. The changes apparently were caused by a shift in regional climate: since 1977 winter precipitation throughout the region was substantially higher than average for this century. These changes illustrate the kinds of large, unexpected responses of complex natural ecosystems that can occur in response to both natural perturbations and human activities.

Bordetella bronchiseptica dermonecrotizing toxin induces reorganization of actin stress fibers through deamidation of Gln-63 of the GTP-binding protein Rho

Bordetella dermonecrotizing toxin causes assembly of actin stress fibers and focal adhesions in some cultured cells and induces mobility shifts of the small GTP-binding protein Rho on electrophoresis. We attempted to clarify the molecular basis of the toxin action on Rho. Analysis of the amino acid sequence of toxin-treated RhoA revealed the deamidation of Gln-63 to Glu. The substitution of Glu for Gln-63 of RhoA by site-directed mutagenesis caused a mobility shift on electrophoresis, which was indistinguishable from that of the toxin-treated RhoA. Neither mutant RhoA-bearing Glu-63 nor toxin-treated RhoA significantly differed from untreated wild type RhoA in guanosine 5′-[γ-thio]triphosphate binding activity but both showed a 10-fold reduction in GTP hydrolysis activity relative to untreated RhoA. C3H10T1/2 cells transfected with cDNA of the mutant RhoA bearing Glu-63 showed extensive formation of actin stress fibers similar to the toxin-treated cells. These results indicate that the toxin catalyzes deamidation of Gln-63 of Rho and renders it constitutively active, leading to formation of actin stress fibers.

Molecular dynamics and free-energy calculations applied to affinity maturation in antibody 48G7

We investigated the relative free energies of hapten binding to the germ line and mature forms of the 48G7 antibody Fab fragments by applying a continuum model to structures sampled from molecular dynamics simulations in explicit solvent. Reasonable absolute and very good relative free energies were obtained. As a result of nine somatic mutations that do not contact the hapten, the affinity-matured antibody binds the hapten >104 tighter than the germ line antibody. Energetic analysis reveals that van der Waals interactions and nonpolar contributions to solvation are similar and drive the formations of both the germ line and mature antibody–hapten complexes. Affinity maturation of the 48G7 antibody therefore appears to occur through reorganization of the combining site geometry in a manner that optimizes the balance of gaining favorable electrostatic interactions with the hapten and losing those with solvent during the binding process. As reflected by lower rms fluctuations in the antibody–hapten complex, the mature complex undergoes more restricted fluctuations than the germ line complex. The dramatically increased affinity of the 48G7 antibody over its germ line precursor is thus made possible by electrostatic optimization.

Yersinia enterocolitica induces apoptosis in macrophages by a process requiring functional type III secretion and translocation mechanisms and involving YopP, presumably acting as an effector protein

Yersiniae, causative agents of plague and gastrointestinal diseases, secrete and translocate Yop effector proteins into the cytosol of macrophages, leading to disruption of host defense mechanisms. It is shown in this report that Yersinia enterocolitica induces apoptosis in macrophages and that this effect depends on YopP. Functional secretion and translocation mechanisms are required for YopP to act, strongly suggesting that this protein exerts its effect intracellularly, after translocation into the macrophages. YopP shows a high level of sequence similarity with AvrRxv, an avirulence protein from Xanthomonas campestris, a plant pathogen that induces programmed cell death in plant cells. This indicates possible similarities between the strategies used by pathogenic bacteria to elicit programmed cell death in both plant and animal hosts.

Cytoskeletal Reorganization Induced by Engagement of the NG2 Proteoglycan Leads to Cell Spreading and Migration

Cells expressing the NG2 proteoglycan can attach, spread, and migrate on surfaces coated with NG2 mAbs, demonstrating that engagement of NG2 can trigger the cytoskeletal rearrangements necessary for changes in cell morphology and motility. Engagement of different epitopes of the proteoglycan results in distinct forms of actin reorganization. On mAb D120, the cells contain radial actin spikes characteristic of filopodial extension, whereas on mAb N143, the cells contain cortical actin bundles characteristic of lamellipodia. Cells that express NG2 variants lacking the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains are unable to spread or migrate on NG2 mAb-coated surfaces, indicating that these portions of the molecule are essential for NG2-mediated signal transduction. Cells expressing an NG2 variant lacking the C-terminal half of the cytoplasmic domain can still spread normally on mAbs D120 and N143, suggesting that the membrane-proximal cytoplasmic segment is responsible for this process. In contrast, this variant migrates poorly on mAb D120 and exhibits abnormal arrays of radial actin filaments decorated with fascin during spreading on this mAb. The C-terminal portion of the NG2 cytoplasmic domain, therefore, may be involved in regulating molecular events that are crucial for cell motility.

Microtubule reorganization is obligatory for growth cone turning

To examine the role of microtubules in growth cone turning, we have compared the microtubule organization in growth cones advancing on uniform laminin substrates with their organization in growth cones turning at a laminin–tenascin border. The majority (82%) of growth cones on laminin had a symmetrical microtubule organization, in which the microtubules entering the growth cone splay out toward the periphery of the growth cone. Growth cones at tenascin borders had symmetrically arranged microtubules in only 34% of cases, whereas in the majority of cases the microtubules were displaced toward one-half of the growth cone, presumably stabilizing in the direction of the turn along the tenascin border. These results suggest that reorganization of microtubules could underlie growth cone turning. Further evidence for the involvement of microtubule rearrangement in growth cone turning was provided by experiments in which growth cones approached tenascin borders in the presence of nanomolar concentrations of the microtubule stabilizing compound, Taxol. Taxol altered the organization of microtubules in growth cones growing on laminin by restricting their distribution to the proximal regions of the growth cone and increasing their bundling. Taxol did not stop growth cone advance on laminin. When growing in the presence of Taxol, growth cones at tenascin borders were not able to turn and grow along the laminin–tenascin border, and consequently stopped at the border. Growth cones were arrested at borders for as long as Taxol was present (up to 6 h) without showing any signs of drug toxicity. These effects of Taxol were reversible. Together, these results suggest that microtubule reorganization in growth cones is a necessary event in growth cone turning.