Negotiating boundaries : (co)-managing natural and urban areas on the Cape Peninsula

Bibliography: leaves 178-189.The opportunities and constraints experienced in managing abutting urban and natural areas represent a microcosm of the issues facing future conservation practices. The focal areas for this study are Kommetjie and Ocean View -- two adjacent but insulated communities, that reflect basic socio-economic characteristics of South African cities, and situated amidst the natural areas of the Cape Peninsula. Current theoretical perspectives on natural and urban areas fail to offer a practical approach to inform integrated and equitable management of these ostensibly disparate realms of the environment. Although largely based in rural research, political ecology, which embraces a multidisciplinary perspective, promotes an integrated framework for managing adjacent urban and natural boundaries of the kind associated with the Cape Peninsula. Using conventional botanical methods, evidence in the case studies suggests that a relationship exists between environmental degradation in natural areas and the proximity of urban settlements. Moreover, the nature of environmental degradation seems contingent on the level of economic development of local communities. A social analysis of the communities reveals that co-operative management between landowners and key-players on either side of the boundary is similarly hindered by socio-economic factors. Using an adaptation of Blaikie's (1995b) "Chain of Explanation", the interactions between Kommetjie and Ocean View, and surrounding natural areas are integrated in an analysis which crosses disciplinary divides, and exposes the relationship between local environmental conditions and broader social issues. The boundary of a national park is not sufficient to manage the interactions between protected areas and neighbouring communities, but must be supported by partnerships between city and conservation authorities, NGOs, private landowners and residents in ways that address the needs of neighbouring communities. To facilitate local involvement in the management of the environment, residents, both rich and poor, must understand how the state of the environment directly affects their lives

Development of gene therapy for the treatment of inherited retinal degeneration.

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is the name given to a group of inherited retinal diseases that cause atrophy of the retina and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), and frequently lead to a progressive loss of vision. Molecular techniques have implicated a large number of gene defects as causes of RP. In general the genes in which these occur are expressed in the photoreceptor and RPE cells of the retina. Currently there is no available treatment that can alter the primary defect of these diseases. This thesis describes a programme of work that examines the potential of gene therapy in the treatment for RP. It centres on the use of recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) for the transfer of a therapeutic gene to photoreceptor cells. Vector plasmids containing a photoreceptor cell-specific promoter and a reporter gene were cloned. These were used to produce high titre rAAV using a novel method involving replicating herpes simplex amplicons. In subsequent in vivo studies these viruses and others were injected sub-retinally into normal mouse eyes. The resulting expression of the reporter gene in photoreceptor cells demonstrated the potential of rAAV in the efficient transduction of this cell type. Expression of the reporter gene did not decrease before the final time point of 1 year. The information gained from these studies was then utilised in the treatment of the Prph2Rd2/Rd2 mouse, an animal model of RP that results from a null mutation in a photoreceptor cell-specific gene. A vector plasmid encoding a wild type copy of this gene was cloned and used to produce rAAV. Sub-retinal injection of this virus into mice resulted in partial rescue of the disease phenotype by re-establishing the structural integrity of the photoreceptor cell layer. Functional tests performed on treated animals showed this was accompanied by a partial correction of electrophysiological responses

New social orders: reconceptualising family and community in utopian fiction

A study focusing on family and community as they are represented in seven utopian/dystopian fictions written for children and young adults by Australian, American, Canadian, and British writers is illustrated. These novels depict reflections of how various notions of new social orders have impacted on children\u27s literature and how this affects the utopian/dystopian strain, present in children\u27s literature.<br /

Effects on Depressive Symptoms of a Web-Based Cognitive Bias Modification-Interpretation (CBM-I) Program for Emotion Recognition: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Depression is a global problem, causing disability and economic burden. Many people currently do not obtain treatment. Development of more accessible, cost-effective treatments is essential. An identified mechanism by which depression treatments work is through modifying underlying negative cognitive biases, which mediate changes in mood. A specific negative information-processing bias in depression is a tendency to interpret ambiguous facial expressions as sad rather than happy. The emotion recognition task is a treatment paradigm developed as a cognitive bias modification intervention to target this emotion recognition bias. Previous studies showed promising signs that this novel intervention could modify biases in people with low mood outside of laboratory conditions and potential to increase positive affect within laboratory conditions. The current study built on these developments, aiming to investigate, using a randomised controlled trial with follow-up at 2 and 6 weeks, whether a web-based version of the emotion recognition task could reduce depressive symptoms in addition to modifying emotion recognition biases. An analogue sample of 124 participants with low mood was recruited. Evidence was found that the intervention modified participants’ biases, compared to the control group but there was no evidence of improvement in mood. Study limitations included a high rate of attrition and non-adherence to the intervention. Future recommendations include modifying the intervention to increase acceptability, investigating generalizability of increased positive bias to different stimuli, and identifying consistent reductions in symptoms of depression before examining its efficacy with a clinical population

Complexity in decision making: Determining university library opening hours.

Making decisions on academic library opening hours is complex with many pressures on managers. This research surveys senior academic library managers from the UK, using a questionnaire to reveal views on library opening hours, the decision making process, and the pressures which influenced their decisions. A variety of factors were found, in particular satisfying undergraduate demands. The research also revealed the sources of information important in making decisions on opening hours and the influence of ‘political’ issues in the decision making process. Some institutions remove complexity by utilising 24/7 opening, though this is not an option for many

Improved Treatment Satisfaction and Quality of Life with Insulin Glargine + Lispro compared with NPH Insulin + Regular Human Insulin in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes [Abstract P2-370]

Poster presentation at The Endocrine Society's 86th Annual Meeting, 16th - 19th June 2004, New Orleans, USA

International capacity building to achieve SDG6 : insights from longitudinal analysis of five water operator partnerships

In pursuit of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, water operator partnerships (WOPs) have grown in popularity. However, the literature supporting their effectiveness is lacking. We conducted mid-term interviews and surveys with five participating utilities in a Viet Nam–Australia WOP, followed by post-programme interviews with two managing associations and 10 utilities. We found that while partnerships initially focused on technical training, the need for broader institutional learning emerged as participants gained experience. Communication and relationship-building were consistently reported as success factors for achieving desired outcomes. Expanding the scope to involve governance and policy organizations, together with funding to collaboratively implement upgrades, could enhance future programmes

Literacity: A multimedia adult literacy package combining NASA technology, recursive ID theory, and authentic instruction theory

An important part of NASA's mission involves the secondary application of its technologies in the public and private sectors. One current application under development is LiteraCity, a simulation-based instructional package for adults who do not have functional reading skills. Using fuzzy logic routines and other technologies developed by NASA's Information Systems Directorate and hypermedia sound, graphics, and animation technologies the project attempts to overcome the limited impact of adult literacy assessment and instruction by involving the adult in an interactive simulation of real-life literacy activities. The project uses a recursive instructional development model and authentic instruction theory. This paper describes one component of a project to design, develop, and produce a series of computer-based, multimedia instructional packages. The packages are being developed for use in adult literacy programs, particularly in correctional education centers. They use the concepts of authentic instruction and authentic assessment to guide development. All the packages to be developed are instructional simulations. The first is a simulation of 'finding a friend a job.