Croatia: accession negotiations with the EU overshadowed by parliamentary elections. OSW Commentary No. 48, 2011-02-29

In 2011 Croatia entered the final stage of its accession negotiations with the EU. The completion of these negotiations will probably coincide with the parliamentary elections which should be held in November or December this year. The elections are likely to bring about a change of government, as public support for Jadranka Kosor's cabinet and her party, the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) has been declining; the left-wing opposition is likely to take power. Therefore, the government’s main goal is to complete the accession negotiations in the first half of the year, in order to sign the accession treaty and hold the EU membership referendum before the parliamentary elections. The HDZ believes that only the successful completion of the accession negotiations could increase its chances of a good result in the upcoming elections. At the same time, fearing a further fall in support, the government will avoid any decisions and reforms that would be controversial for the public, especially in the sphere of the economy; such decisions could also increase Euroscepticism among the Croatian public, and result in the rejection of EU accession in the referendum. The government in Zagreb hopes that the currently implemented anti-corruption strategy and reform of the judiciary, as well as the advanced process of adaptation to EU conditions, will be enough to complete the negotiations. This strategy has a serious chance of success, considering that there is considerable support for Croatia's membership among the EU countries and institutions. Another reason is that further prolongation of the negotiations could aggravate hostility towards the EU among the Croatian public, and would be a bad sign for other Balkan states with membership aspirations. However, subordinating Croatian policies to the completion of negotiations in the first half of the year could prove to be adverse for Croatia itself in the longer term, as it would put off the necessary structural reforms.

A new federalism. : Hearings, Ninety-third Congress, first session.

Volume 2 contains text of the Office of Economic Opportunity's National anti-poverty plan, fiscal years 1968-72.

Polymerizable Peptide Monomers for the Targeted and Intracellular Delivery of Cancer Therapeutics

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-06

State Social Safety Net Programs and the Great Recession: The First Line of Defense and the Last Resort for the Economically Disadvantaged

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-06

Do Peers Affect Student Achievement in China's Secondary Schools (Working Paper 35)

Peer effects have figured prominently in debates on school vouchers, desegregation, ability tracking and anti-poverty programs. Compelling evidence of their existence remains scarce for plaguing endogeneity issues such as selection bias and the reflection problem. This paper is among the first to firmly establish the link between peer performance and student achievement, using a unique dataset from China. We find strong evidence that peer effects exist and operate in a positive and nonlinear manner; reducing the variation of peer performance increases achievement; and our semi-parametric estimates clarify the tradeoffs facing policymakers in exploiting positive peers effects to increase future achievement.

Towards an Asynchronous Cinema: how can the asynchronous use of sound in artists' moving image underpin the creation of dialectic tension between the audio, the visual and the audience?

This PhD by publication examines selected practice-based audio-visual works made by the author over a ten-year period, placing them in a critical context. Central to the publications, and the focus of the thesis, is an exploration of the role of sound in the creation of dialectic tension between the audio, the visual and the audience. By first analysing a number of texts (films/videos and key writings) the thesis locates the principal issues and debates around the use of audio in artists’ moving image practice. From this it is argued that asynchronism, first advocated in 1929 by Pudovkin as a response to the advent of synchronised sound, can be used to articulate audio-visual relationships. Central to asynchronism’s application in this paper is a recognition of the propensity for sound and image to adhere, and in visual music for there to be a literal equation of audio with the visual, often married with a quest for the synaesthetic. These elements can either be used in an illusionist fashion, or employed as part of an anti-illusionist strategy for realising dialectic. Using this as a theoretical basis, the paper examines how the publications implement asynchronism, including digital mapping to facilitate innovative reciprocal sound and image combinations, and the asynchronous use of ‘found sound’ from a range of online sources to reframe the moving image. The synthesis of publications and practice demonstrates that asynchronism can both underpin the creation of dialectic, and be an integral component in an audio-visual anti-illusionist methodology.

Apresentação de trabalho profissional

Trabalho de natureza profissional para a atribuição do Título de Especialista do Instituto Politécnico do Porto, na área de Recursos Humanos, defendido a 15-07-2016.

Optimizing the Anti-VEGF Treatment Strategy for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration: From Clinical Trials to Real-Life Requirements.

NlmCategory="UNASSIGNED">This Perspective discusses the pertinence of variable dosing regimens with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) with regard to real-life requirements. After the initial pivotal trials of anti-VEGF therapy, the variable dosing regimens pro re nata (PRN), Treat-and-Extend, and Observe-and-Plan, a recently introduced regimen, aimed to optimize the anti-VEGF treatment strategy for nAMD. The PRN regimen showed good visual results but requires monthly monitoring visits and can therefore be difficult to implement. Moreover, application of the PRN regimen revealed inferior results in real-life circumstances due to problems with resource allocation. The Treat-and-Extend regimen uses an interval based approach and has become widely accepted for its ease of preplanning and the reduced number of office visits required. The parallel development of the Observe-and-Plan regimen demonstrated that the future need for retreatment (interval) could be reliably predicted. Studies investigating the observe-and-plan regimen also showed that this could be used in individualized fixed treatment plans, allowing for dramatically reduced clinical burden and good outcomes, thus meeting the real life requirements. This progressive development of variable dosing regimens is a response to the real-life circumstances of limited human, technical, and financial resources. This includes an individualized treatment approach, optimization of the number of retreatments, a minimal number of monitoring visits, and ease of planning ahead. The Observe-and-Plan regimen achieves this goal with good functional results. Translational Relevance: This perspective reviews the process from the pivotal clinical trials to the development of treatment regimens which are adjusted to real life requirements. The article discusses this translational process which- although not the classical interpretation of translation from fundamental to clinical research, but a subsequent process after the pivotal clinical trials - represents an important translational step from the clinical proof of efficacy to optimization in terms of patients' and clinics' needs. The related scientific procedure includes the exploration of the concept, evaluation of security, and finally proof of efficacy.

Coordination of nitro-thiosemicarbazones to ruthenium(II) as a strategy for anti-trypanosomal activity improvement

Complexes [RuCl(H4NO(2)Fo4M)(bipy)(dppb)]PF(6) (1), [RuCl(H4NO(2)Fo4M)(Mebipy)(dppb)]PF(6) (2), [RuCl(H4NO(2)Fo4M)(phen)(dppb)]PF(6) (3), [RuCl(H4NO(2)Ac4M)(bipy)(dppb)]PF(6) (4), [RuCl(H4NO(2)Ac4M)(Mebipy)(dppb)]PF(6) (5) and [RuCl(H4NO(2)Ac4M)(phen)(dppb)]PF(6) (6) with N(4)-methyl-4-nitrobenzalde hyde thiosemicarbazone (H4NO(2)Fo4M) and N(4)-methyl-4-nitroacetophenone thiosemicarbazone (H4NO(2) Ac4M) were obtained from [RuCl(2)(bipy)(dppb)], [RuCl(2)(Mebipy)(dppb)], and [RuCl(2)(phen)(dppb)], (dppb = 1,4-bis(diphenylphospine)butane; bipy = 2,2`-bipyridine: Mebipy = 4,4`-dimethyl-2,2`-bipyridine: phen = 1,10-phenanthroline). In all cases the thiosemicarbazone is attached to the metal center through the sulfur atom. Complexes (1-6), together with the corresponding ligands and the Ru precursors were evaluated for their ability to in vitro suppress the growth of Trypanosoma cruzi. All complexes were more active than their corresponding ligands and precursors. Complexes (1-3) and (5) revealed to be the most active among all studied compounds with ID(50) = 0.6-0.8 mu M. In all cases the association of the thiosemicarbazone with ruthenium, dppb and bipyridine or phenanthroline in one same complex proved to be an excellent strategy for activity improvement. (C) 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

The UK government's approach to monitor its strategy to tackle poverty and social exclusion: opportunity for all

Includes bibliography

Implementation strategy for poverty eradication in Belize

Summary This document identifies the component of the implementation strategy. These include: the attainment of productive employment and sustainable livelihood; social protection and reduced vulnerability; health; education; the environment; management and resources for social development programmes; institutional mechanisms; measurement and monitoring instruments; and foreign affairs. In this tabular presentation, the issues associated with each component are identified, priority actions outlined, and time frame, cost, source of funds and institutional responsibility included.

An assessment of social vulnerability and resilience in poverty reduction strategy papers (PRSPS/I-PRSPS) of selected Caribbean SIDS

The study undertakes a review of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs), and Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (I-PRSPs) of four selected Caribbean SIDS from the Eastern Caribbean. The countries had participated in the Poverty Reduction Strategy initiative formulated by the World Bank. The country papers reviewed were the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The review assesses and provides a comparative analysis of the general awareness of the notions of vulnerability and the inclusion and use of strategies that address the reduction of vulnerability and the strengthening of resilience by the countries reviewed. It also explores how vulnerability reduction strategies were applied to differing groups, as elaborated through the PRSPs.

Nanostructured lipid system as a strategy to improve the anti-Candida albicans activity of Astronium sp

The genus Astronium (Anacardiaceae) includes species, such as Astronium fraxinifolium, Astronium graveolens, and Astronium urundeuva, which possess anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcerogenic, healing, and antimicrobial properties. Nanostructured lipid systems are able to potentiate the action of plant extracts, reducing the required dose and side effects and improving antimicrobial activity. This work aims to evaluate a nanostructured lipid system that was developed as a strategy to improve the anti-Candida albicans activity of hydroethanolic extracts of stems and leaves from Astronium sp. The antifungal activity against C. albicans (ATCC 18804) was evaluated in vitro by a microdilution technique. In addition to the in vitro assays, the Astronium sp. that showed the best antifungal activity and selectivity index was submitted to an in vivo assay using a model of vulvovaginal candidiasis infection. In these assays, the extracts were either used alone or were incorporated into the nanostructured lipid system (comprising 10% oil phase, 10% surfactant, and 80% aqueous phase). The results indicated a minimal inhibitory concentration of 125.00 µg/mL before incorporation into the nanostructured system; this activity was even more enhanced when this extract presented a minimal inhibitory concentration of 15.62 µg/mL after its incorporation. In vivo assay dates showed that the nanostructure-incorporated extract of A. urundeuva leaves was more effective than both the unincorporated extract and the antifungal positive control (amphotericin B). These results suggest that this nanostructured lipid system can be used in a strategy to improve the in vitro and in vivo anti-C. albicans activity of hydroethanolic extracts of Astronium sp.