Challenge and co-operation: civil society activism for access to HIV treatment in Thailand.

Civil society has been a driving force behind efforts to increase access to treatment in Thailand. A focus on HIV medicines brought civil society and non-governmental and government actors together to fight for a single cause, creating a platform for joint action on practical issues to improve care for people with HIV/AIDS (PHA) within the public health system. The Thai Network of People with HIV/AIDS, in partnership with other actors, has provided concrete support for patients and for the health system as a whole; its efforts have contributed significantly to the availability of affordable generic medicines, early treatment for opportunistic infections, and an informed and responsible approach towards antiretroviral treatment that is critical to good adherence and treatment success. This change in perception of PHA from 'passive receiver' to 'co-provider' of health care has led to improved acceptance and support within the healthcare system. Today, most PHA in Thailand can access treatment, and efforts have shifted to supporting care for excluded populations

Outbreaks of Disease: Current European Reporting

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Designing labeled graph classifiers by exploiting the R\'enyi entropy of the dissimilarity representation

Representing patterns as labeled graphs is becoming increasingly common in the broad field of computational intelligence. Accordingly, a wide repertoire of pattern recognition tools, such as classifiers and knowledge discovery procedures, are nowadays available and tested for various datasets of labeled graphs. However, the design of effective learning procedures operating in the space of labeled graphs is still a challenging problem, especially from the computational complexity viewpoint. In this paper, we present a major improvement of a general-purpose classifier for graphs, which is conceived on an interplay between dissimilarity representation, clustering, information-theoretic techniques, and evolutionary optimization algorithms. The improvement focuses on a specific key subroutine devised to compress the input data. We prove different theorems which are fundamental to the setting of the parameters controlling such a compression operation. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the resulting classifier by benchmarking the developed variants on well-known datasets of labeled graphs, considering as distinct performance indicators the classification accuracy, computing time, and parsimony in terms of structural complexity of the synthesized classification models. The results show state-of-the-art standards in terms of test set accuracy and a considerable speed-up for what concerns the computing time.Comment: Revised versio

Password Based a Generalize Robust Security System Design Using Neural Network

Among the various means of available resource protection including biometrics, password based system is most simple, user friendly, cost effective and commonly used. But this method having high sensitivity with attacks. Most of the advanced methods for authentication based on password encrypt the contents of password before storing or transmitting in physical domain. But all conventional cryptographic based encryption methods are having its own limitations, generally either in terms of complexity or in terms of efficiency. Multi-application usability of password today forcing users to have a proper memory aids. Which itself degrades the level of security. In this paper a method to exploit the artificial neural network to develop the more secure means of authentication, which is more efficient in providing the authentication, at the same time simple in design, has given. Apart from protection, a step toward perfect security has taken by adding the feature of intruder detection along with the protection system. This is possible by analysis of several logical parameters associated with the user activities. A new method of designing the security system centrally based on neural network with intrusion detection capability to handles the challenges available with present solutions, for any kind of resource has presented

No. 13: The State of Food Insecurity in Harare, Zimbabwe

Harare is at the epicentre of the economic meltdown and political crisis that has devastated Zimbabwe over the last decade and led to a mass exodus from the country. Those who remained in Zimbabwe’s largest city and capital endured unprecedented hardship as the formal economy collapsed, unemployment soared and poverty deepened. Household surveys conducted in Harare with official sanction between 2003 and 2009 appear to demonstrate that food insecurity was not a particularly serious problem, a conclusion sharply at odds with reality. In 2008, at the height of the crisis, AFSUN therefore implemented its own baseline food security survey in Harare using a well-tested and reliable methodology. This paper presents and discusses the results of that survey and shows that Harare had become the most food insecure city in the SADC region by 2008. Levels of food insecurity were extraordinarily high as poor households struggled to find the income to purchase what little food was available in the shops and informal markets. The paper demonstrates that participation in the informal food economy was the major response to the crisis, providing poor households with a modicum of food and income. Urban agriculture for home consumption also grew in importance as a crisis response. While the political and economic situation in Zimbabwe has stabilised somewhat since 2008, the long-term impact of many years of enforced food insecurity on the city population is incalculable. This paper concludes with the recommendation that ongoing monitoring of the urban food security situation in Harare is essential in order to begin to develop national and municipal policies that could ensure a food secure future for the city

The Status of Health Information Delivery in the United States: The Role of Libraries in the Complex Health Care Environment

published or submitted for publicatio

Innovations in Compassion - The Faith-Based and Community Initiative: A Final Report to the Armies of Compassion

[Excerpt] This Final Report to the Armies of Compassion prepared by the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives offers an account of President Bush’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative (FBCI or Initiative) to the dedicated faith-based and other community organizations (FBCOs) that have joined in the battles against poverty, disease, and other social ills. The report emphasizes what matters most about the FBCI: measurable results achieved for millions in need across America and around the world through vibrant partnerships with the “armies of compassion” – the thousands of FBCOs that have partnered with government to serve their neighbors in need. It also offers a look at key government reforms and innovations that made these results possible. The report finishes with a glimpse toward the future of the FBCI and the foundation upon which the next generation of government and community leaders can build to achieve even greater good in the decades to come. Changing Lives highlights twelve areas of critical human need that have been particularly affected through expanded Federal partnerships with faith-based and other frontline nonprofits. The chapter highlights key results across these wide-ranging areas of need and stories revealing the deeper impact of the FBCI for individual organizations and the people they serve. Transforming Government explains how reforms led by the FBCI have secured a level playing field for faith-based organizations and reduced barriers to help small FBCOs or those new to partnering with government compete for Federal funds. The chapter also highlights some of the innovative funding models advanced by the FBCI that enable more effective partnerships between government and grassroots nonprofits, such as vouchers, mini-grants, and intermediary model grants. Strengthening Partners describes the Initiative’s diverse methods for building the capabilities of nonprofit organizations and the social entrepreneurs who lead them. These efforts range from technology-based instruction and in-person training events to the hundreds of millions of dollars invested in capacity- building and technical assistance grants. Volunteerism and Private Giving highlights President Bush’s efforts to expand volunteer service and private financial support for America’s FBCOs. Taking Root in States and Cities reveals how the principles of the FBCI are being replicated outside of Washington. Governors and mayors across America are embracing the vision championed by the FBCI as a practical way to engage the toughest challenges faced by their communities. These “laboratories of innovation” will play a key role in the future of the FBCI

A Civil Society Review of Progress Towards the Millennium Development Goals in Commonwealth Countries National Report: Ghana

This summary presents perspectives from civil society in Ghana on progress made and challenges experienced in relation to the national efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and the extent to which MDG processes have provided opportunities to enhance participatory governance and civil society relations with government. Based on their reflections Ghanaian civil society organisations (CSOs) made a number of recommendations to accelerate