Methodological Guide for developing Environmental and Sustainable Development Indicators in Latin American and Caribbean countries

This methodological guide is intended as a practical tool for the design and implementation of systems of national indicators to evaluate the success of environmental and sustainable development initiatives, and to define policymaking priorities. The methodology derives from work carried out in Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries keeping in mind that the manner in which indicators are constructed and updated has an impact on their overall quality and possible uses.

Development Paths In The Caribbean

This study analyzes the patterns of development in the Caribbean and gives particular focus to the challenges to and opportunities for sustainable development. The study is divided into two parts. The first part of the study examines trajectories for development in the Caribbean, while the second addresses the relationship between competition and integration.1 The significant development gains attained since independence have been threatened in the last decade. Slowing productivity growth, rising debt, increasing crime and social dislocation in recent years have adversely affected growth in per capita income and social welfare. The study therefore calls on policy makers to promote dynamic drivers of growth and development in the region. The key requirement in this regard, is the need to strengthen import productivity,2 or the efficiency with which the region uses foreign exchange. This can be done by producing and exporting more high-value services such as education and the output of the creative industries. The sub-region also needs to strengthen its systems of governance by providing more opportunities for citizens to participate in decision making. In addition, the region needs to address the inherent relationship between competition and integration by developing improved systems to cushion the negative impacts on weaker members of the integration arrangement. These could include a more robust development fund and capacity building to enable losers to benefit from regional trade and investment. However, regional integration should provide a platform for moving up the value chain, through research and development and innovation to produce more competitive exports.

Latin America and the Caribbean: looking ahead after the Millennium Development Goals: Regional monitoring report on the Millennium Development Goals in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2015

Foreword by Alicia Bárcena

A socio-environmental development programme in action in Brazilian Amazonia

This paper deals with the process of scaling up and scaling down grassroots demands through a state-sponsored socio-environmental development programme in Brazilian Amazonia called Proambiente (Pro-environment). The paper attempts to understand the links between the three different levels of the programme actions: the macro (federal government), intermediate (NGOs), and local (community) levels. The central paper s issue is to understand how a state-sponsored socio-environmental development programme interacts with and impacts local communities. The theoretical paper s framework involves the approaches of participatory development and governance. The methodology is based on three levels of qualitative analysis (macro-, intermediary- and local-level). The paper (a) describes the trajectory of the Proambiente and the process of scaling up communities demands; (b) reveals contradictions within the Proambiente implementation; and (c) debates the impacts of the programme actions at local level. The paper reveals that once the state encompasses local people s demands and creates a development programme, the development model absorbs multi-actor interests that change local people s proposals. It also shows that the challenge facing a socio-environmental development programme like the Proambiente is to find a balance between production and conservation aims.

Physical education in schools, sport activity and total physical activity in adolescents

Less than half of adolescents reach the recommended 300 minutes per week of physical activity (PA). Physical education classes and sports participation provide opportunities for adolescents to accumulate more time for PA practice; however, little is known about the influence of these variables on the level of total physical activity of adolescents. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the practice of physical education (PE) in schools and sports activities (SA) with the practice of total PA of adolescents. The study was cross-sectional and involved 467 adolescents of high school (15.8 ± 0.9 years-old) from the city of Rio Claro, in the State of São Paulo. Participants completed the Physical Activity Questionnaire to Older Children (PAQ-C) and questions related to the practice of PE and SA in schools. We performed a logistic regression with p<0.05 using SPSS. Girls had lower prevalence of PA than boys, 9.4% and 26.8%, respectively. Boys who did not participate of PE classes (OR=0.25, 95% CI=0.09-0.66) and SA in schools (OR=0.34, 95% CI=0.12-0.95) were less likely to be active in PA than boys who practiced these activities. The participation in PE classes or engagement in some SA were positively associated with the practice of total PA in boys.

Development and in vitro skin delivery of dexamethasone acetate-loaded surfactant-based systems

Topical corticosteroids, e.g., dexamethasone acetate (DMA), are extensively used to treat cutaneous inflammatory disorders even though their use is correlated with potential local and systemic side effects. The objective of this study was to develop and test the topical delivery of DMA-loaded surfactant based systems in vitro; these studies could guarantee a suitable delivery and therapeutic efficacy, as well as minimize DMA's side effects. A phase diagram was constructed using polyoxypropylene (5) polyoxyethylene (20) cetyl alcohol as the surfactant (S), isopropyl myristate as the oil phase (O) and water (W). The systems were characterized using polarization light microscopy (PLM), as well as rheological and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements. Depending on the concentration of the constituents, it was possible to obtain microemulsions (MEs) and liquid crystalline mesophases (lamellar and hexagonal). These types of arrangement were verified using PLM measurements. The SAXS results revealed that increasing the W/S ratio led to ME, as well as lamellar (LAM) and hexagonal (HEX) arrangements. The MEs displayed typical Newtonian behavior while the LAM and HEX phases exhibited pseudoplasticity and plasticity, respectively. The MEs displayed excellent drug solubilization that was approximately 10-fold higher than was observed with the individual components. The in vitro cutaneous permeation studies using pig ear skin and analysis of the mechanical parameters (hardness, compressibility, cohesiveness and adhesiveness) were carried out with a HEX phase and O/W emulsion. The HEX phase achieved better drug permeation and retention in the skin while its mechanical properties were suitable for skin administration. PPG-5-CETETH-20-based systems may be a promising platform delivering DMA and other topical corticosteroids through the skin.

Development discourse in Romania: from Socialism to EU Membership

With their accession to the European Union, twelve new countries - Romania among them - (re)entered the international community of international donors. In the history of development aid this can be seen as a unique event: it is for the first time in history that such a large number of countries become international donors, with such short notice and in such a particular context that sees some scholars announcing the ‘death’ of development. But in spite of what might be claimed regarding the ‘end’ of the development era, development discourse seems to be rather vigorous and in good health: it is able to extert an undeniable force of attraction over the twelve countries that, in a matter of years, have already convinced themselves of its validity and adhered to its main tenets. This thesis collects evidence for improving our understanding of this process that sees the co-optation of twelve new countries to the dominant theory and practice of development cooperation. The evidence collected seems to show that one of the tools employed by the promoters of this co-optation process is that of constructing the ‘new’ Member States as ‘new’, inexpert donors that need to learn from the ‘old’ ones. By taking a case-study approach, this thesis gathers data that suggests that conceiving of the ‘twelve’ as ‘new’ donors is both historically inaccurate and value-ladden. On one hand, Romania’s case-study illustrates how in the (socialist) past at least one in the group of the twelve was particularly conversant in the discourse of international development. On the other hand, the process of co-optation, while being presented as a knowledgeproducing process, can also be seen as an ignorance-producing procedure: Romania, along with its fellow new Member States, takes the opportunity of ‘building its capacity’ and ‘raising its awareness’ of development cooperation along the line drawn by the European Union, but at the same time it seems to un-learn and ‘lower’ its awareness of development experience in the (socialist) past. This is one possible reading of this thesis. At a different level, this thesis can also be seen as an attempt to account of almost five decades of international development discourse in one specific country – Romania – in three different socio-political contexts: the socialist years (up to the year 1989), the ‘transition years’ (from 1989 to the pre-accession years) and the membership to the European Union. In this second reading, the thesis seeks to illustrate how – contrary to widespread beliefs – before 1989 Romania’s international development discourse was particularly vivid: in the most varied national and international settings President Ceausescu unfolded an extensive discursive activity on issues pertaining to international development; generous media coverage of affairs concerning the developing countries and their fight for development was the rule rather than the exception; the political leadership wanted the Romanians not only to be familiarized with (or ‘aware of’ to use current terminology) matters of underdevelopment, but also to prove a sense of solidarity with these countries, as well as a sense of pride for the relations of ‘mutual help’ that were being built with them; finally, international development was object of academic attention and the Romanian scholars were able not only to reflect on major developments, but could also formulate critical positions towards the practices of development aid. Very little remains of all this during the transition years, while in the present those who are engaged in matters pertaining to international development do so with a view of building Romania as an EU-compliant donor.

The porcine animal model goes through the 3Rs: development of in vitro and ex vivo system to study vascular biology

Since the publication of the book of Russell and Burch in 1959, scientific research has never stopped improving itself with regard to the important issue of animal experimentation. The European Directive 2010/63/EU “On the protection of animals used for scientific purposes” focuses mainly on the animal welfare, fixing the Russell and Burch’s 3Rs principles as the foundations of the document. In particular, the legislator clearly states the responsibility of the scientific community to improve the number of alternative methods to animal experimentation. The swine is considered a species of relevant interest for translational research and medicine due to its biological similarities with humans. The surgical community has, in fact, recognized the swine as an excellent model replicating the human cardiovascular system. There have been several wild-type and transgenic porcine models which were produced for biomedicine and translational research. Among these, the cardiovascular ones are the most represented. The continuous involvement of the porcine animal model in the biomedical research, as the continuous advances achieved using swine in translational medicine, support the need for alternative methods to animal experimentation involving pigs. The main purpose of the present work was to develop and characterize novel porcine alternative methods for cardiovascular translational biology/medicine. The work was mainly based on two different models: the first consisted in an ex vivo culture of porcine aortic cylinders and the second consisted in an in vitro culture of porcine aortic derived progenitor cells. Both the models were properly characterized and results indicated that they could be useful to the study of vascular biology. Nevertheless, both the models aim to reduce the use of experimental animals and to refine animal based-trials. In conclusion, the present research aims to be a small, but significant, contribution to the important and necessary field of study of alternative methods to animal experimentation.

Development and in vitro testing of liposomal gadolinium-formulations for neutron capture therapy of glioblastoma multiforme

For the improvement of current neutron capture therapy, several liposomal formulations of neutron capture agent gadolinium were developed and tested in a glioma cell model. Formulations were analyzed regarding physicochemical and biological parameters, such as size, zeta potential, uptake into cancer cells and performance under neutron irradiation. The neutron and photon dose derived from intracellular as well as extracellular Gd was calculated via Monte Carlo simulations and set in correlation with the reduction of cell survival after irradiation. To investigate the suitability of Gd as a radiosensitizer for photon radiation, cells were also irradiated with synchrotron radiation in addition to clinically used photons generated by linear accelerator.rnIrradiation with neutrons led to significantly lower survival for Gd-liposome-treated F98 and LN229 cells, compared to irradiated control cells and cells treated with non-liposomal Gd-DTPA. Correlation between Gd-content and -dose and respective cell survival displayed proportional relationship for most of the applied formulations. Photon irradiation experiments showed the proof-of-principle for the radiosensitizer approach, although the photon spectra currently used have to be optimized for higher efficiency of the radiosensitizer. In conclusion, the newly developed Gd-liposomes show great potential for the improvement of radiation treatment options for highly malignant glioblastoma.rn

Development of in vitro methods to test acetabular prosthetic reconstructions (messa a punto di metodi in vitro per la caratterizzazione biomeccanica di ricostruzioni acetabolari)

The revision hip arthroplasty is a surgical procedure, consisting in the reconstruction of the hip joint through the replacement of the damaged hip prosthesis. Several factors may give raise to the failure of the artificial device: aseptic loosening, infection and dislocation represent the principal causes of failure worldwide. The main effect is the raise of bone defects in the region closest to the prosthesis that weaken the bone structure for the biological fixation of the new artificial hip. For this reason bone reconstruction is necessary before the surgical revision operation. This work is born by the necessity to test the effects of bone reconstruction due to particular bone defects in the acetabulum, after the hip prosthesis revision. In order to perform biomechanical in vitro tests on hip prosthesis implanted in human pelvis or hemipelvis a practical definition of a reference frame for these kind of bone specimens is required. The aim of the current study is to create a repeatable protocol to align hemipelvic samples in the testing machine, that relies on a reference system based on anatomical landmarks on the human pelvis. In chapter 1 a general overview of the human pelvic bone is presented: anatomy, bone structure, loads and the principal devices for hip joint replacement. The purpose of chapters 2 is to identify the most common causes of the revision hip arthroplasty, analysing data from the most reliable orthopaedic registries in the world. Chapter 3 presents an overview of the most used classifications for acetabular bone defects and fractures and the most common techniques for acetabular and bone reconstruction. After a critical review of the scientific literature about reference frames for human pelvis, in chapter 4, the definition of a new reference frame is proposed. Based on this reference frame, the alignment protocol for the human hemipelvis is presented as well as the statistical analysis that confirm the good repeatability of the method.

Development and in-vitro characterization of an implantable flow sensing transducer for hydrocephalus

An implantable transducer for monitoring the flow of Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for the treatment of hydrocephalus has been developed which is based on measuring the heat dissipation of a local thermal source. The transducer uses passive telemetry at 13.56 MHz for power supply and read out of the measured flow rate. The in vitro performance of the transducer has been characterized using artificial Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) with increased protein concentration and artificial CSF with 10\% fresh blood. After fresh blood was added to the artificial CSF a reduction of flow rate has been observed in case that the sensitive surface of the flow sensor is close to the sedimented erythrocytes. An increase of flow rate has been observed in case that the sensitive surface is in contact with the remaining plasma/artificial CSF mix above the sediment which can be explained by an asymmetric flow profile caused by the sedimentation of erythrocythes having increased viscosity compared to artificial CSF. After removal of blood from artificial CSF, no drift could be observed in the transducer measurement which could be associated to a deposition of proteins at the sensitive surface walls of the packaged flow transducer. The flow sensor specification requirement of +-10\% for a flow range between 2 ml/h and 40 ml/h. could be confirmed at test conditions of 37 degrees C.

T-cell recognition of chemicals, protein allergens and drugs: towards the development of in vitro assays

Chemicals can elicit T-cell-mediated diseases such as allergic contact dermatitis and adverse drug reactions. Therefore, testing of chemicals, drugs and protein allergens for hazard identification and risk assessment is essential in regulatory toxicology. The seventh amendment of the EU Cosmetics Directive now prohibits the testing of cosmetic ingredients in mice, guinea pigs and other animal species to assess their sensitizing potential. In addition, the EU Chemicals Directive REACh requires the retesting of more than 30,000 chemicals for different toxicological endpoints, including sensitization, requiring vast numbers of animals. Therefore, alternative methods are urgently needed to eventually replace animal testing. Here, we summarize the outcome of an expert meeting in Rome on 7 November 2009 on the development of T-cell-based in vitro assays as tools in immunotoxicology to identify hazardous chemicals and drugs. In addition, we provide an overview of the development of the field over the last two decades.

Association of GWAS loci with PD in China

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified numerous single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at four loci (SNCA, PARK16, LRRK2, BST1) that can modulate the risk of Parkinson's disease (PD). The strength of these associations has yet to be clarified in Mainland China. Ethnic specific effect is an important consideration in GWAS analysis. Using a case-control methodology, we genotyped multiple SNPs at these four loci to investigate their association with risk of PD in Mainland China. A total of 1,146 study subjects comprising 636 patients with PD and 510 unrelated healthy controls were recruited. The minor alleles at SNPs rs894278, rs1994090, rs2046932, rs4698412, and rs7304279 were found to be significantly higher in cases than in controls, while the minor alleles were found to significantly reduce the risk of developing PD at SNPs rs823128, rs823156, rs6532194, rs1191532, and rs16856139. These associations remained after taking into considerations the effects of age and gender. We showed that multiple SNPs at LRRK2 and SNCA increase risk of PD, while PARK16 SNPs are associated with a lower risk of PD in China. Our study findings will contribute to further research using GWAS-linked data and research on ethnic specific effect of common variants.