Review of NATO\u27s Conventional Defenses and Review of The Politics of European Defense Cooperation: Germany, France, Britain, and America

Robert B. Charlick reviews NATO\u27s Conventional Defenses by Stephen J. Flanagan; The Politics of European Defense Cooperation: Germany, France, Britain, and America by David Garnham

Erodium control of doubtful proposition

Erodium is a common pasture plant in Western Australia, which can be very useful although it brings its own set of problems for wool production. Here we look at the value of trying to control this plant

‘The Integration of Women into the Development Process’: Some Conceptual Problems

SUMMARY An account of the author's experience with Animation Féminine programmes in Niger, and how the concept of integration was applied and developed. It is argued that an imperfect understanding of household and gender relations obscured both women's subordinate position and their real needs. Inputs designed for women were often simply taken over by men, while the notion that the benefits of development could be redistributed through participation in the market ignored the fact that the bulk of women's labour was already committed to unpaid household production. RESUMEN La integración de las mujeres en el proceso de desarrollo: algunos problemas conceptuales Una relación de la experiencia del autor con programas de Animación femenina en el Niacute;ger, y la manera en que se aplicó y desarrolló el concepto de la integración. Se alega que una comprensión imperfecta de las relaciones familiares y entre los géneros oscureció tanto la posición subordinada de las mujeres como sus necesidades auténticas. Con frecuencia, los hombres se aprovecharon de oportunidades concebidas para las mujeres, en tanto la noción de que las ventajas de desarrollo podrían redistribuirse mediante la participación en el mercado ignoraba el hecho de que la mayoría de la mano de obra femenina ya estaba comprometida en la producción familiar sin remuneración. RÉSUMÉ ‘L'intégration de la femme dans le processus du développement’: des problèmes d'ordre conceptuel Récit de l'expérience, vécue par l'auteur, de programmes d'animation féminine au Niger, avec une explication de la façon dont le concept de l'intégration a été appliqué et développé. La thèse de l'auteur est qu'une mauvaise compréhension des rapports dans le ménage et entre les genres a conduit à une méconnaissance de la position subordonnée de la femme et aussi de ses besoins réels. Dans bien des cas, des apports s'adressant aux femmes étaient tout simplement repris par les hommes; par ailleurs, la notion de redistribution des produits du développement par le biais de la participation de la femme au marché ne tenait aucun compte du fait que la majeure partie du travail féminin se trouvait déjà engagée dans la production ménagère non rémunérée

Amerikanske uspomene

Predavanje održano na 1. red. mjes. skupštini Zbora 23. veljače 1934. Kada sam se pred kojih desetak godina dao na studij medicinskih nauka, oblikovalo je bilo tu moju odluku pri izboru zvanja uvjerenje, da je medicina univerzalna nauka, svuda na svijetu jednaka, koja po svojim zadacima i metodama rada nadilazi uske teritorijalne granice, povučene od jurista — u kratko, da je liječniku svijet otvoren. Od onog sam vremena taj nazor morao podvrgnuti znatnoj reviziji. Medicina, naročito u svojoj praktičnoj primjeni je danas izrazito borbeno nacijonalna. Ona je kao što i jezik zaseban proizvod kulture jednog naroda, najbolje prilagođena duševnim i tjelesnim kvalitetama onog soja ljudi iz čije je sredine izrasla. Zagranični reprezentant medicinske nauke je nepodnosiv za domaći svijet bolesnika. U njegovo se znanje sumnja, njegovi recepti se ne honoriraju

Yourtime: The development and pilot of a perinatal mental wellbeing digital tool using a co-design approach

IntroductionMaternal anxiety and depression are major public health issues with prevalence as high as one in five women. There is a need to focus on preventative strategies to enable women to self-monitor their mental health status during pregnancy and postnatally.AimTo co-design and test a perinatal mental health digital tool to enable women to self-monitor their mental wellbeing during pregnancy and early parenting and promote positive self-care strategies.Methods and ethicsA sequential mixed methods study utilising two stages 1) co-design workshops; 2) fit for purpose pilot with women through a purpose designed survey to evaluate acceptability, useability, functionality, and satisfaction.FindingsMothers, midwives, design researchers and students, participated in co-designing a digital tool and prototype application, YourTime. Fourteen participants engaged in the pilot, with all women agreeing that the tool would be beneficial in alerting them to changes in mental wellbeing. Seventy-seven percent agreed that this prototype had the potential to positively affect wellbeing during the perinatal period.DiscussionThe need to develop a perinatal mental health digital tool that enables women to self-monitor their wellbeing was identified. Women reported the YourTime app offered an acceptable and effective means to self-assess and monitor their wellbeing.ConclusionThe YourTime app responds to the growing agenda for digital approaches to address perinatal mental health challenges. The pilot study demonstrated that the app offered potential to alert women to changes in mental wellbeing, but functionality need further development

Taxation in Niger: Problems and proposals

The tax structure in Niger depends heavily on uranium mining and the rest of the formal sector. The slump in uranium prices has reduced tax revenues to 9% of GNP, which is not enough to finance an adequate level of public services. In this paper, tax reforms are considered which will raise more revenue while respecting criteria of equity, efficiency, and growth. The reforms mostly involve extending taxation into the informal sector, such as using external indicators of income in the administration of the income tax, and making greater use of taxes on buildings and motor vehicles.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/30725/1/0000374.pd

National deployment of domestic geothermal heat pump technology: Observations on the UK experience 1995-2013

Uptake of geothermal heat pump technology in the UK and corresponding development of a domestic installation industry has progressed significantly in the last decade. This paper summarizes the growth process and reviews the research that has been specifically concerned with conditions in the UK. We discuss the driving forces behind these developments and some of the supporting policy initiatives that have been implemented. Publically funded national trials were completed to assess the performance and acceptance of the technology and validate design and installation standards. We comment on both the technical and non-technical findings of the trials and the related academic research and their relevance to standards development. A number of technical issues can be identified-some of which may be particular to the UK-and we suggest a number of research and development questions that need to be addressed further. Current national support for the technology relies solely on a tariff mechanism and it is uncertain that this will be effective enough to ensure sufficient growth to meet the national renewable heat target in 2020. A broader package of support that includes mandatory measures applied to future housing development and retrofit may be necessary to ensure long-term plans for national deployment and decarbonization of heat are achieved. Industry needs to demonstrate that efficiency standards can be assured, capital costs reduced in the medium-term and that national training schemes are effective

Point-of-care testing in paediatric settings in the UK and Ireland: A cross-sectional study

Background: Point-of-care testing (POCT) is diagnostic testing performed at or near to the site of the patient. Understanding the current capacity, and scope, of POCT in this setting is essential in order to respond to new research evidence which may lead to wide implementation. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey study of POCT use was conducted between 6th January and 2nd February 2020 on behalf of two United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland-based paediatric research networks (Paediatric Emergency Research UK and Ireland, and General and Adolescent Paediatric Research UK and Ireland). Results: In total 91/109 (83.5%) sites responded, with some respondents providing details for multiple units on their site based on network membership (139 units in total). The most commonly performed POCT were blood sugar (137/139; 98.6%), urinalysis (134/139; 96.4%) and blood gas analysis (132/139; 95%). The use of POCT for Influenza/Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) (45/139; 32.4%, 41/139; 29.5%), C-Reactive Protein (CRP) (13/139; 9.4%), Procalcitonin (PCT) (2/139; 1.4%) and Group A Streptococcus (5/139; 3.6%) and was relatively low. Obstacles to the introduction of new POCT included resources and infrastructure to support test performance and quality assurance. Conclusion: This survey demonstrates significant consensus in POCT practice in the UK and Ireland but highlights specific inequity in newer biomarkers, some which do not have support from national guidance. A clear strategy to overcome the key obstacles of funding, evidence base, and standardising variation will be essential if there is a drive toward increasing implementation of POCT