Civil Society Actors as Catalysts for Transnational Social Learning

This article explores the roles of transnational civil society organizations and networks in transnational social learning. It begins with an investigation into social learning within problem domains and into the ways in which such domain learning builds perspectives and capacities for effective action among domain organizations and institutions. It suggests that domain learning involves problem definition, direction setting, implementation of collective action, and performance monitoring. Transnational civil society actors appear to take five roles in domain learning: (1) identifying issues, (2) facilitating voice of marginalized stakeholders, (3) amplifying the importance of issues, (4) building bridges among diverse stakeholders, and (5) monitoring and assessing solutions. The paper then explores the circumstances in which transnational civil society actors can be expected to make special contributions in important problem domains in the future.This publication is Hauser Center Working Paper No. 28. The Hauser Center Working Paper Series was launched during the summer of 2000. The Series enables the Hauser Center to share with a broad audience important works-in-progress written by Hauser Center scholars and researchers

Adverse Childhood Experiences: National and State-Level Prevalence

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events that can have negative, lasting effects on health and well-being. These experiences range from physical, emotional, or sexual abuse to parental divorce or the incarceration of a parent or guardian. A growing body of research has sought to quantify the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences and illuminate their connection with negative behavioral and health outcomes, such as obesity, alcoholism, and depression, later in life. However, prior research has not reported on the prevalence of ACEs among children in a nationally representative, non-clinical sample. In this brief, we describe the prevalence of one or more ACEs among children ages birth through 17, as reported by their parents, using nationally representative data from the 2011/12 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH). We estimate the prevalence of eight specific ACEs for the U.S., contrasting the prevalence of specific ACEs among the states and between children of different age groups

Should It Stay or Should It Go?: Exploring the potential for structural reform in Milwaukee County government

Milwaukee County government faces immediate and substantial fiscal and programmatic challenges. The county's structural deficit -- defined as the gap between expenditure needs and anticipated revenues -- is projected to grow from $48 million in 2011 to more than$106 million by 2014, despite several successive years of significant expenditure and staff reductions and anticipation of significant wage and benefit concessions in 2010. This projection is the clearest indication yet that the county's finances are crumbling and that valued services in areas like parks, transit, mental health and public safety face severe degradation without prompt and concerted action. This action could take any of several forms, including the complete elimination of Milwaukee County government. This report, commissioned by the Greater Milwaukee Committee, provides detailed analysis and perspective on the complex issues surrounding that option, as well as other potential structural changes

Ciglitazone-a human PPARγ agonist-disrupts dorsoventral patterning in zebrafish.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that regulates lipid/glucose homeostasis and adipocyte differentiation. While the role of PPARγ in adipogenesis and diabetes has been extensively studied, little is known about PPARγ function during early embryonic development. Within zebrafish, maternally-loaded pparγ transcripts are present within the first 6 h post-fertilization (hpf), and de novo transcription of zygotic pparγ commences at ~48 hpf. Since maternal pparγ transcripts are elevated during a critical window of cell fate specification, the objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that PPARγ regulates gastrulation and dorsoventral patterning during zebrafish embryogenesis. To accomplish this objective, we relied on (1) ciglitazone as a potent PPARγ agonist and (2) a splice-blocking, pparγ-specific morpholino to knockdown pparγ. We found that initiation of ciglitazone-a potent human PPARγ agonist-exposure by 4 hpf resulted in concentration-dependent effects on dorsoventral patterning in the absence of epiboly defects during gastrulation, leading to ventralized embryos by 24 hpf. Interestingly, ciglitazone-induced ventralization was reversed by co-exposure with dorsomorphin, a bone morphogenetic protein signaling inhibitor that induces strong dorsalization within zebrafish embryos. Moreover, mRNA-sequencing revealed that lipid- and cholesterol-related processes were affected by exposure to ciglitazone. However, pparγ knockdown did not block ciglitazone-induced ventralization, suggesting that PPARγ is not required for dorsoventral patterning nor involved in ciglitazone-induced toxicity within zebrafish embryos. Our findings point to a novel, PPARγ-independent mechanism of action and phenotype following ciglitazone exposure during early embryonic development

Initial Measurements with the PETsys TOFPET2 ASIC Evaluation Kit and a Characterization of the ASIC TDC

For a first characterization, we used the two KETEK-PM3325-WB SiPMs each equipped with a 3x3x5 mm${}^3$ LYSO scintillation crystal provided with the PETsys TOFPET2 ASIC Evaluation Kit. We changed the lower of two discriminator thresholds (D_T1) in the timing branch from vth_t1 = 5 - 30. The overvoltage was varied in a range of 1.25 V - 7.25 V. The ambient temperature was kept at 16{\deg}C. For all measurements, we performed an energy calibration including a correction for saturation. We evaluated the energy resolution, the coincidence resolving time (CRT) and the coincidence rate. At an overvoltage of 6 V, we obtained an energy resolution of about 10% FWHM, a CRT of approximately 210 ps FWHM and 400 ps FWTM, the coincidence rate showed only small variations of about 5%. To investigate the influence of the ambient temperature, it was varied between 12{\deg}C - 20{\deg}C. At 12{\deg}C and an overvoltage of 6.5 V, a CRT of approx. 195 ps FWHM and an energy resolution of about 9.5% FWHM could be measured. Observed satellite peaks in the time difference spectra were investigated in more detail. We could show that the location of the satellite peaks is correlated with a programmable delay element in the trigger circuit.Comment: This paper is under review with IEEE TRPMS. It has been presented in a talk at the PSMR 2018. This version of the manuscript was submitted as revision 2 to TRPMS after incrporating the comments of the reviewers. Only minor textchanges were made. Results, values and figures did not chang

Risk assessment in patients with an acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction

ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. While the survival after acute STEMI has considerably improved, mortality rate still remains high, especially in high-risk patients. Survival after acute STEMI is influenced by clinical characteristics such as age as well as the presence of comorbidities. However, during emergency care increasing access to tools such as the electrocardiogram, chest x-ray and echocardiography can provide additional information helping to further risk stratify patients. In the invasive setting, this can also include coronary angiography, invasive hemodynamic recordings and angiographic assessments of coronary flow and myocardial perfusion. We outline the common investigations used in STEMI and their role in risk assessment of patients with an acute STEMI

Robotic Astronomy with the Faulkes Telescopes and Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope

We present results from ongoing science projects conducted by members of the Faulkes Telescope (FT) team and Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope (LCOGT). Many of these projects incorporate observations carried out and analysed by FT users, comprising amateur astronomers and schools. We also discuss plans for the further development of the LCOGT network.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, conference proceedings from "Workshop on Robotic Autonomous Observatories", held at Malaga, Spain from 18-21 May 2009, acccepted for publication in Advances in Astronom

2010 Annual Evidence Update on Critical Illness Rehabilitation

For this annual evidence update a detailed literature review was undertaken to retrieve any evidence published subsequent to the literature search which formed the basis for the NICE guideline. A total of 29 articles were selected for review and appraisal by a team of critical care practitioners. In this context it has to be noted that the evidence base on the subject is still relatively small. For the original guideline only 12 articles were selected as evidence which addressed the review questions. This evidence update intends to give an indication of encouraging trends within critical illness rehabilitation

Measuring Infringement of Intellectual Property Rights

© Crown Copyright 2014. You may re-use this information (excluding logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov. uk/doc/open-government-licence/ Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concernedThe review is wide-ranging in scope and overall our findings evidence a lack of appreciation among those producing research for the high-level principles of measurement and assessment of scale. To date, the approaches adopted by industry seem more designed for internal consumption and are usually contingent on particular technologies and/or sector perspectives. Typically, there is a lack of transparency in the methodologies and data used to form the basis of claims, making much of this an unreliable basis for policy formulation. The research approaches we found are characterised by a number of features that can be summarised as a preference for reactive approaches that look to establish snapshots of an important issue at the time of investigation. Most studies are ad hoc in nature and on the whole we found a lack of sustained longitudinal approaches that would develop the appreciation of change. Typically the studies are designed to address specific hypotheses that might serve to support the position of the particular commissioning body. To help bring some structure to this area, we propose a framework for the assessment of the volume of infringement in each different area. The underlying aim is to draw out a common approach wherever possible in each area, rather than being drawn initially to the differences in each field. We advocate on-going survey tracking of the attitudes, perceptions and, where practical, behaviours of both perpetrators and claimants in IP infringement. Clearly, the nature of perpetrators, claimants and enforcement differs within each IPR but in our view the assessment for each IPR should include all of these elements. It is important to clarify that the key element of the survey structure is the adoption of a survey sampling methodology and smaller volumes of representative participation. Once selection is given the appropriate priority, a traditional offline survey will have a part to play, but as the opportunity arises, new technological methodologies, particularly for the voluntary monitoring of online behaviour, can add additional detail to the overall assessment of the scale of activity. This framework can be applied within each of the IP right sectors: copyright, trademarks,patents, and design rights. It may well be that the costs involved with this common approach could be mitigated by a syndicated approach to the survey elements. Indeed, a syndicated approach has a number of advantages in addition to cost. It could be designed to reduce any tendency either to hide inappropriate/illegal activity or alternatively exaggerate its volume to fit with the theme of the survey. It also has the scope to allow for monthly assessments of attitudes rather than being vulnerable to unmeasured seasonal impacts