Historical geography II: Digital imaginations

In my second report discussing the state of historical geography, I review some of the ways historical geographers have made use of digital technologies and digital media. I also highlight how digital data, research, and presentation are affecting related humanities disciplines and inspiring their practitioners to engage more fully with geographic concepts of space, place, and cartography. I argue that information technologies and digital media can deepen the place of historical geography in the academy and in the public’s eye.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline

A Research Agenda for Helminth Diseases of Humans: Towards Control and Elimination

Human helminthiases are of considerable public health importance in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The acknowledgement of the disease burden due to helminth infections, the availability of donated or affordable drugs that are mostly safe and moderately efficacious, and the implementation of viable mass drug administration (MDA) interventions have prompted the establishment of various large-scale control and elimination programmes. These programmes have benefited from improved epidemiological mapping of the infections, better understanding of the scope and limitations of currently available diagnostics and of the relationship between infection and morbidity, feasibility of community-directed or school-based interventions, and advances in the design of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) protocols. Considerable success has been achieved in reducing morbidity or suppressing transmission in a number of settings, whilst challenges remain in many others. Some of the obstacles include the lack of diagnostic tools appropriate to the changing requirements of ongoing interventions and elimination settings; the reliance on a handful of drugs about which not enough is known regarding modes of action, modes of resistance, and optimal dosage singly or in combination; the difficulties in sustaining adequate coverage and compliance in prolonged and/or integrated programmes; an incomplete understanding of the social, behavioural, and environmental determinants of infection; and last, but not least, very little investment in research and development (R&D). The Disease Reference Group on Helminth Infections (DRG4), established in 2009 by the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), was given the mandate to undertake a comprehensive review of recent advances in helminthiases research, identify research gaps, and rank priorities for an R&D agenda for the control and elimination of these infections. This review presents the processes undertaken to identify and rank ten top research priorities; discusses the implications of realising these priorities in terms of their potential for improving global health and achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); outlines salient research funding needs; and introduces the series of reviews that follow in this PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases collection, “A Research Agenda for Helminth Diseases of Humans.

Dendritic cells in cancer immunology and immunotherapy

Dendritic cells (DCs) are a diverse group of specialized antigen-presenting cells with key roles in the initiation and regulation of innate and adaptive immune responses. As such, there is currently much interest in modulating DC function to improve cancer immunotherapy. Many strategies have been developed to target DCs in cancer, such as the administration of antigens with immunomodulators that mobilize and activate endogenous DCs, as well as the generation of DC-based vaccines. A better understanding of the diversity and functions of DC subsets and of how these are shaped by the tumour microenvironment could lead to improved therapies for cancer. Here we will outline how different DC subsets influence immunity and tolerance in cancer settings and discuss the implications for both established cancer treatments and novel immunotherapy strategies.S.K.W. is supported by a European Molecular Biology Organization Long- Term Fellowship (grant ALTF 438– 2016) and a CNIC–International Postdoctoral Program Fellowship (grant 17230–2016). F.J.C. is the recipient of a PhD ‘La Caixa’ fellowship. Work in the D.S. laboratory is funded by the CNIC, by the European Research Council (ERC Consolidator Grant 2016 725091), by the European Commission (635122-PROCROP H2020), by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación e Universidades (MCNU), Agencia Estatal de Investigación and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) (SAF2016-79040-R), by the Comunidad de Madrid (B2017/BMD-3733 Immunothercan- CM), by FIS- Instituto de Salud Carlos III, MCNU and FEDER (RD16/0015/0018-REEM), by Acteria Foundation, by Atresmedia (Constantes y Vitales prize) and by Fundació La Marató de TV3 (201723). The CNIC is supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, the MCNU and the Pro CNIC Foundation, and is a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence (SEV-2015-0505).S

La gouvernance d’un territoire naturel face aux enjeux du tourisme sportif et des pratiques de bien-être. Le cas du Parc national du Mercantour

La société en quête de bien-être incite les concitoyens à investir les espaces de nature pour s’adonner à des pratiques de loisirs bénéfiques pour la santé. Cette mouvance incite les territoires naturellement dotés d’espaces à se tourner vers cette nouvelle manne touristique tout en préservant leur environnement dans un objectif de développement durable. Le désengagement progressif de l’État depuis la décentralisation contraint les territoires à se tourner vers des partenariats plus ou moins complexes. La gouvernance est l’un des moyens de répondre à ces problématiques dans un objectif d’efficacité collective. L’approche par écosystème préconisée par la Loi sur les parcs nationaux a permis une approche plus dynamique de la gouvernance des parcs. L’analyse de l’évolution des modes de gestion du territoire naturel aide à déterminer les critères les plus pertinents et les conditions les plus favorables permettant la mise en place d’une gouvernance qui concilie enjeux du tourisme de pratiques physiques à but de santé et préservation du territoire.The society in search of well-being encourages citizens to invest nature spaces to indulge in recreational practices beneficial to their health. This trend encourages naturally endowed territories to turn to this new tourist windfall while preserving their environment with a view to sustainable development. The progressive disengagement of the state since decentralization has forced the territories to turn to more or less complex partnerships. Governance is one of the means of answering these problems in a goal of collective efficiency. The ecosystem approach advocated by the National Parks Act has led to a more dynamic approach to park governance. Analyzing the evolution of the natural territory management methods makes it possible to determine the most relevant criteria and the most favourable conditions allowing the establishment of a type of governance that reconciles tourism issues of physical practices for health purposes and preservation of the territory

Re-gendering Chinese history: Zhao Mei's Emperor Wu Zetian

Historians who share the written Chinese language as a carrier of cultural signification have negotiated the image of female emperor Wu Zetian with the signs of the times designated by the needs of the present. The female writer Zhao Mei's new biography Woman: Wu Zetian deconstructs the historical and cultural representation of Wu Zetian as the 'bad unwoman'; links a woman's private, and subjective experiences with her public and political activities; and demonstrates that how the former influences the latter. This paper examines how the participation of contemporary biographers in knowledge production constructs, legitimises and maintains the image of Wu Zetian as a woman and a ruler. It argues that Zhao Mei's biography of Wu Zetian manages to confront the established dominance of male hierarchy, questions the 'stigmatised identity' of this historical character as being stable and universal and, consequently re-genders an important chapter in Chinese history.Xianlin Son