Proposal on debt for climate adaptation swaps: a strategy for growth and economic transformation of Caribbean economies

ECLAC advocates that the Caribbean’s high debt dilemma was not principally driven by policy missteps, or the international financial crisis. Rather, it finds its roots in external shocks, compounded by the inherent structural weaknesses and vulnerabilities confronting Caribbean SIDS and their limited capacity to respond. A major factor has been the underperformance of the export sector, partly due to a decline in competitiveness and a slowdown in economic activity especially among the tourism-dependent economies. Caribbean countries have also accumulated debt as a consequence of increased expenditures to address the impact of extreme events and climate change attendant difficulties. Most Caribbean countries are located in the hurricane belt and are also prone to earthquakes and other hazards. Indeed, a disaster resulting in damage and losses in excess of 5 per cent of GDP can be expected to hit any Caribbean country every few years. Moreover, over the period 2000-2014, it is estimated that the economic cost of natural disasters in Caribbean countries was in excess of US$30.7 billion. The English Speaking Caribbean countries are extremely vulnerable to natural disasters.

Cutting edge: Species-specific TLR9-mediated recognition of CpG and non-CpG phosphorothioate-modified ohgonucleotides

Different DNA motifs are required for optimal stimulation Of mouse and human immune cells by CpG oligode-oxynucleotides (ODN). These species differences presumably reflect sequence differences in TLR9, the CPG DNA receptor. In this study, we show that this sequence specificity is restricted to phosphorothioate (PS)-modified ODN and is not observed when a natural phosphodiester backbone is used. Thus, human and mouse cells have not evolved to recognize different CpG motifs in natural DNA. Nonoptimal PS-ODN (i.e., mouse CpG motif on human cells and vice versa) gave delayed and less sustained phosphorylation of p38 AWK than optimal motifs. When the CpG dinucleotide was inverted to GC In each ODN some residual activity of the PS-ODN was retained in a species-specific, TLR-9-dependent manner. Thus, TLR9 may he responsible for mediating many published CpG-independent responses to PS-ODN.

Dyslexi och inkludering : Förutsättningar för en god läs- och skrivundervisning

Litteraturstudiens syfte är att undersöka hur elever med dyslexi i årskurs F-3 kan inkluderas utifrån en klassrumsdimension i läs- och skrivundervisningen.  Med studien vill vi söka svar på hur lärare kan genomföra en inkluderad läs- och skrivundervisning samt hur den fördelaktigt kan se ut för elever med dyslexi. Litteraturstudien utgår från ett inkluderingsperspektiv som har begränsats till en klassrumsdimension på grund av begreppets bredd. Därför har vi valt att fokusera på hur inkludering diskuteras i förhållande till klassrumssituationen. Genom informationssökningen hittades 13 vetenskapliga litteraturer som berör studiens ämne och som använts i resultatet. För att välja litteratur med relevant information till studiens syfte och frågeställningar utgick vi från fyra olika aspekter för att sedan kunna presentera ett resultat. Studiens resultat visar att elever med dyslexi har svårigheter med automatiserad avkodning samt rättskrivning för att det finns en brist i deras fonologiska system. För att inkludera elever med dyslexi i läs- och skrivundervisningen krävs ett varierat arbetssätt med tillgång till extra stöd i klassrummet som exempelvis specialpedagoger kan ge. Elever med dyslexi ska inte ses som problembärare i undervisningen. Istället ska undervisningen anpassas så att varje elevs förutsättningar och behov tillgodoses vilket möjliggör för att alla elever kan få samma chans till utveckling. Sammanlagt visar resultatet att tidiga insatser bör sättas in för att elever med dyslexi ska ha chans att utvecklas. Undervisningen ska även individanpassas för att möjliggöra ett inkluderande arbetssätt. Med inkludering som utgångspunkt finns goda förutsättningar för att skapa en skola för alla vilket grundskolans läroplan fastslår att alla skolor i Sverige ska vara. 

Ecological and evolutionary effects of dispersal on freshwater zooplankton

A recent focus on contemporary evolution and the connections between communities has sought to more closely integrate the fields of ecology and evolutionary biology. Studies of coevolutionary dynamics, life history evolution, and rapid local adaptation demonstrate that ecological circumstances can dictate evolutionary trajectories. Thus, variation in species identity, trait distributions, and genetic composition may be maintained among ecologically divergent habitats. New theories and hypotheses (e.g., metacommunity theory and the Monopolization hypothesis) have been developed to understand better the processes occurring in spatially structured environments and how the movement of individuals among habitats contributes to ecology and evolution at broader scales. As few empirical studies of these theories exist, this work seeks to further test these concepts. Spatial and temporal dispersal are the mechanisms that connect habitats to one another. Both processes allow organisms to leave conditions that are suboptimal or unfavorable, and enable colonization and invasion, species range expansion, and gene flow among populations. Freshwater zooplankton are aquatic crustaceans that typically develop resting stages as part of their life cycle. Their dormant propagules allow organisms to disperse both temporally and among habitats. Additionally, because a number of species are cyclically parthenogenetic, they make excellent model organisms for studying evolutionary questions in a controlled environment. Here, I use freshwater zooplankton communities as model systems to explore the mechanisms and consequences of dispersal and to test these nascent theories on the influence of spatial structure in natural systems. In Chapter one, I use field experiments and mathematical models to determine the range of adult zooplankton dispersal over land and what vectors are moving zooplankton. Chapter two focuses on prolonged dormancy of one aquatic zooplankter, Daphnia pulex. Using statistical models with field and mesocosm experiments, I show that variation in Daphnia dormant egg hatching is substantial among populations in nature, and some of that variation can be attributed to genetic differences among the populations. Chapters three and four explore the consequences of dispersal at multiple levels of biological organization. Chapter three seeks to understand the population level consequences of dispersal over evolutionary time on current patterns of population genetic differentiation. Nearby populations of D. pulex often exhibit high population genetic differentiation characteristic of very low dispersal. I explore two alternative hypotheses that seek to explain this pattern. Finally, chapter four is a case study of how dispersal has influenced patterns of variation at the community, trait and genetic levels of biodiversity in a lake metacommunity.

Veteranness : Representations of Combat-related PTSD in U.S. Popular Visual Media

Posttraumatic stress and PTSD are becoming familiar terms to refer to what we often call the invisible wounds of war, yet these are recent additions to a popular discourse in which images of and ideas about combat-affected veterans have long circulated. A legacy of ideas about combat veterans and war trauma thus intersects with more recent clinical information about PTSD to become part of a discourse of visual media that has defined and continues to redefine veteran for popular audiences. In this dissertation I examine realist combat veteran representations in selected films and other visual media from three periods: during and after World Wars I and II (James Allen from I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, Fred Derry and Al Stephenson from The Best Years of Our Lives); after the Vietnam War (Michael from The Deer Hunter, Eriksson from Casualties of War), and post 9/11 (Will James from The Hurt Locker, a collection of veterans from Wartorn: 1861-2010.) Employing a theoretical framework informed by visual media studies, Barthes’ concept of myth, and Foucault’s concept ofdiscursive unity, I analyze how these veteran representations are endowed with PTSD symptom-like behaviors and responses that seem reasonable and natural within the narrative arc. I contend that veteran myths appear through each veteran representation as the narrative develops and resolves. I argue that these veteran myths are many and varied but that they crystallize in a dominant veteran discourse, a discursive unity that I term veteranness. I further argue that veteranness entangles discrete categories such as veteran, combat veteran, and PTSD with veteran myths, often tying dominant discourse about combat-related PTSD to outdated or outmoded notions that significantly affect our attitudes about and treatment of veterans. A basic premise of my research is that unless and until we learn about the lasting effects of the trauma inherent to combat, we hinder our ability to fulfill our responsibilities to war veterans. A society that limits its understanding of posttraumatic stress, PTSD and post-war experiences of actual veterans affected by war trauma to veteranness or veteran myths risks normalizing or naturalizing an unexamined set of sociocultural expectations of all veterans, rendering them voice-less, invisible, and, ultimately disposable.

Violência conjugal percebida por um menor em contexto familiar e suas consequências psicossociais

A violência como fenómeno social e familiar, não é um problema atual, desde sempre esteve presente, sendo que a sua exposição apresenta diferentes intensidades em diferentes momentos da sua evolução. Como fenómeno mundial, percorreu todas as culturas, etnias, tipos de economia e regimes políticos (Sagim, 2003). O objectivo da presente investigação é a violência conjugal percebida por um menor em contexto familiar e suas consequências psicossociais: estudo de caso. Método: A metodologia escolhida é qualitativa e é designada por naturalista. O método utilizado foi o estudo de caso e a recolha de dados foi a entrevista (semi-estruturada) e fez-se a descodificação desta através da análise de conteúdo, que foi organizada em várias categorias . Instrumentos: Questionário sócio demográficos (filha); Guião de Entrevista para adultos(mãe), semi-estruturada; Entrevista Clínica Semi–Estruturada (SCICA);A Escala de Sinalização do Ambiente Natural Infantil (S.A.N.I.); O teste projectivo Pata Negra de Corman (filha). Participantes: R de 12 anos de idade, sexo feminino, caucasiana, possui o 9º ano de escolaridade Resultados: Verificou-se que R tem uma boa capacidade de coping e resolução de problemas, indo do encontro referido por alguns autores nos meus estudos, sendo que noutros não se enquadra no perfil defendido pela literatura. Referindo segundo o DSM-5, R apresenta alguma sintomatologia clínica como a ansiedade de separação, revelando insegurança e medo da perda dos afetos por parte dos progenitores. Conclusão: : Concluiu-se ainda que alguns estudos referem que nem todas as crianças expostas à violência intrafamiliar responderão negativamente, uma vez que a presença de fatores de proteção tèm um papel fundamental. Entre estes, o ambiente escolar, o relacionamento com a vizinhança e o suporte advindo de demais membros familiares, entre outros (Sani, 2008).

Evaluación del interés natural del Parque Nacional de Aigüestortes i estany de Sant Maurici a partir de la cartografía de hábitats CORINE

diverse and in most cases including lakes, snow beds and fens.

Estudi de les aigües salines a la conca del riu Llobregat i Cardener : implicacions ambientals

L’increment de la salinitat a les aigües subterrànies a prop de la zones de les explotacions mineres salines representa un problema ambiental amb moltes implicacions socio-econòmiques. La part mitja de la conca del riu Llobregat i Cardener és un clar exemple d’aquesta problemàtica. En molts casos l’origen de la salinitat és dubtós, ja que pot provenir del contacte de l’aigua de l’aqüífer amb formacions geològiques salines naturals o per l’afectació de les escombreres produïdes per l’explotació minera de potasses que es troba en aquesta regió. L’objectiu d’aquest treball és demostrar que el Ra pot ser un bon traçador per determinar l’origen de la salinitat de les aigües i complementar les analítiques químiques elementals i dels isòtops del sofre i de l’oxigen del sulfat (δ34SSO4 i δ18OSO4). La presència dels diversos isòtops del Ra en les aigües subterrànies dependrà de la geologia i del temps de residència de l’aigua dins l’aqüífer. L’anàlisi de 12 mostres de la comarca indica que el 226Ra és el millor dels isòtops del Ra que permet diferenciar l’origen de les aigües subterrànies.

El Parc Nacional de Cabrera : terra i mar per conèixer. 'El Parque nacional de Cabrera : tierra y mar por conocer'.

Material didáctico dirigido a alumnado de segundo ciclo de educación secundaria. Financiado por el Ministerio de Medio Ambiente

m144, a murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV)-encoded major histocompatibility complex class I homologue, confers tumor resistance to natural killer cell-mediated rejection

Until now, it has been unclear whether murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV)-encoded protein m144 directly regulates natural killer (NK) cell effector function and whether the effects of m144 are only strictly evident in the context of MCMV infection. We have generated clones of the transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP)-2-deficient RMA-S T lymphoma cell line and its parent cell line, RMA, that stably express significant and equivalent levels of m144. In vivo NK cell-mediated rejection of RMA-S-m144 lymphomas was reduced compared with rejection of parental or mock-transfected RMA-S clones, indicating the ability of m144 to regulate NK cell-mediated responses in vivo. Significantly, the accumulation of NK cells in the peritoneum was reduced in mice challenged with RMA-S-m144, as was the lytic activity of NK cells recovered from the peritoneum. Expression of m144 on RMA-S cells also conferred resistance to cytotoxicity mediated in vitro by interleukin 2-activated adherent spleen NK cells. In summary, the data demonstrate that m144 confers some protection from NK cell effector function mediated in the absence of target cell class I expression, but that in vivo the major effect of m144 is to regulate NK cell accumulation and activation at the site of immune challenge.

Cytomegalovirus MHC class I homologues and natural killer

Viruses that establish a persistent infection with their host have evolved numerous strategies to evade the immune system. Consequently, they are useful tools to dissect the complex cellular processes that comprise the immune response. Rapid progress has been made in recent years in defining the role of cellular MHC class I molecules in regulating the response of natural killer (NK) cells. Concomitantly, the roles of the MHC class I homologues encoded by human and mouse cytomegaloviruses in evading or subverting NK cell responses has received considerable interest. This review discusses the results from a number of studies that have pursued the biological function of the viral MHC class I homologues. Based on the evidence from these studies, hypotheses for the possible role of these intriguing molecules are presented. (C) 2000 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.

Inhibition of natural killer cells by a cytomegalovirus MHC class I homologue in vivo

Herpesviruses, such as murine and human cytomegalovirus (MCMV and HCMV), can establish a persistent infection within the host and have diverse mechanisms as protection from host immune defences'. Several herpesvirus genes that are homologous to host immune modulators have been identified, and are implicated in viral evasion of the host immune response(2,3). The discovery of a viral major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I homologue, encoded by HCMV(4), led to speculation that it might function as an immune modulator and disrupt presentation of peptides by MHC class I to cytotoxic T cells(5). However, there is no evidence concerning the biological significance of this gene during viral infection. Recent analysis of the MCMV genome has also demonstrated the presence of a MHC class I homologue(6). Here we show that a recombinant MCMV,in which. the gene encoding the class I homologue has been disrupted, has severely restricted replication during the acute stage of infection compared with wild-type MCMV, We demonstrate by in vivo depletion studies that natural killer (NK) cells are responsible for the attenuated phenotype of the mutant. Thus the viral MHC dass I homologue contributes to immune evasion through interference with NK cell-mediated clearance.

Germinação natural de 10 leguminosas arbóreas da Amazônia - I

Os resultados obtidos sobre a germinação de 10 espécies de leguminosas arbóreas da Amazônia (Campsiandra comosa var. laurifolia, Cassia negrensis, Crudia pubescens, Machaerium inundatum, Macrolobium acaciifolium, Peltogyne prancei, Pterocarpus amazonicus, Swartzia polyphylla, Tachigalia paniculata, Vatairea guianensis) demonstraram que 70% das espécies estudadas se enquadram nos padrões de germinação rápida (menos de 60 dias). Apenas Peltogyne prancei aprensentou germinação lenta (superior a 60 dias), em condições padronizadas. O percentual de germinação pana cinco das espécies estudadas foi superior a 70% enquanto que as outras cinco atingiram 50% de germinação total. O mais alto índice verificado foi em Vatairea guianensis - 91%. 0 IVE (índice de Velocidade de Emergência) alcançou maior índice nas espécies de germinação mais homeogênea, sendo o mais elevado o de Tachigalia paniculata - 2,39. Foi observado também que Swartzia polyphylla possui sementes poliembriônicas. A germinação inicial de seis espécies estudadas e do tipo epígeo e das 4 restantes hipógeo. Um percentual de 50% das espécies estudadas mostrou capacidade de se associar simbioticamente a bactérias fixadoras de N2 gênero Rhizobium.

Durabilidade natural da madeira de pupunha (Bactris gasipaes Kunth). I. fungos

A durabilidade da madeira de Bactris gasipaes Kunth (pupunha) face aos fungos foi avaliada em ambiente florestal e urbano e em condições de laboratório. Foram utilizadas, cinco árvores com espinhos e cinco sem espinhos da população Tabatinga, raças Putumayo, sendo retirados discos de 25-30cm da base, meio e do topo de cada pupunheira e colocados em uma área florestal próxima ao Banco Ativo de Germoplama de B. gasipaes (2°38'S, 60°03'W). Os discos foram inspecionados trimestralmente, para acompanhar o processo de biodeterioração da madeira causado por fungos durante dezoito meses. No ensaio em ambiente urbano, as amostras do estipe foram distribuídas, uma na posição côncava e outra na convexa, sobre uma estrutura de madeira localizada em uma área próxima da CPPF do Campus do INPA, Manaus e inspecionadas bimestralmente por um ano. Em ambiente florestal, o revestimento dos discos mostrou-se suscetível aos fungos Hymenogramme javanensis Mont. & Berk. e Hypoxylon rubiginosum (Pers.: Fr.) Fr.. Em ambiente urbano, a madeira apresentou alta susceptibilidade a Lenzites striata (Swart.: Fr.) Fr. e a Lenzites sp. e o revestimento a Porostereum amethysteum Hjortst. & Ryv. e a Stereum strigoso-zonatum (Sch.) G. H. Cunn.. Em condições de laboratório, a madeira da pupunheira demonstrou alta resistência aos fungos Lenzites trabea Pers.:Fr., Polyporus fumosus Pers.:Fr. e Pycnoporus sanguineus (L.:Fr.) Murr.