Child and family support policies across Europe: National reports from 27 countries

Il volume ricostruisce e analizza le politiche di supporto alla famiglia e alla genitorialità in 27 Paesi europe

Towards the production of genetically modified strawberries which are acceptable to consumers

This manuscript discusses different aspects that are relevant to genetically modified strawberry plants with improved characteristics and ‘acceptable’ to consumers and growers of strawberry. It starts with a consumer acceptance survey, held in Norway, Denmark and the UK, studying public perception of genetic modification in general and specifically of genetically modified strawberries with altered properties. This study revealed that genetically modified plants are better accepted by consumers if only genes from the species itself are used for the genetic modification. Subsequently, the results of a functional analysis of the strawberry polygalacturonase inhibiting protein gene (FaPGIP) are described. This indicates that this gene is a possible candidate to induce resistance to Botrytis cinerea when upregulated in strawberry fruits. For this analysis, the FaPGIP gene was overexpressed in transgenic strawberry plants using the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S (CaMV35S) promoter. This showed that FaPGIP overexpression led to resistance to Botrytis in transgenic leaves. For the generation of intragenic (i.e. genetically modification using native genetic elements only) strawberry plants, a transformation vector was constructed in which FaPGIP was combined with a strawberry fruit-specific promoter and terminator that were isolated from a strawberry expansin gene (FaExp2). This vector also included elements that allow the elimination of (foreign) selectable marker genes after genetically modified plant lines have been established. Using this vector, genetically modified strawberry plants were produced that contained only genes from the species itself, and therefore these plants were called intragenic, rather than transgenic. Unfortunately, further evaluations of the intragenic strawberry plants could not demonstrate any enhanced level of resistance to Botrytis in fruits

Effects of Climatic Change on the Edaphic Features of Arid and Semi-Arid Lands of Western North America

A group of specialists was asked by the Environmental Protection Agency to use their judgment as to which soil variables would be most impacted by five scenarios of climatic change in deserts of North America that could occur over the next 40 years. The following soil characteristics were evaluated in terms of their potential for change: physical, chemical, and biological crusts; the vesicular layer; soil organic matter; organic C and N content; the C/N ratio; carbonate pool; inorganic N, P, and S; salinity levels; micro‐element content; microbial community composition; free‐living microbial N fixation; denitrification; ammonia volatilization; salinization rates; water infiltration; evaporation; lateral flow and leaching; wind and water erosion; and litter decomposition. The Delphi approach was used to reach consensus on expected trends. Computer modeling was used to integrate and project interactive changes. We expect physical and chemical crusting, vesicularity, ammonium volatilization, soil erosion, and salt accumulation to increase and microphytic crusts to decrease under all scenarios of climatic change. Both soil organic C and N will decline, especially under increased temperatures, whereas the C/N ratio will decline to its lowest range of possible values. Both free and symbiotic N fixation should decline unless there is a shift to greater absolute precipitation during summers. Only slight changes in soil P, S, and trace element contents are expected under any of the five scenarios of climatic change. Production of litter will change relatively little, but its chemical quality will decrease and nutrient cycling will be accelerated when the vegetation shifts from perennials to annuals. Use of the Century Model showed that soil organic matter is more sensitive to temperature changes than precipitation. Indicators of desert ecosystem “health”; that we identified are relatively low albedo, patchiness of plant cover and interspace (trend depends on context), changes in drainage patterns and microrelief, biological crusting, and ratios of microbial biomass C to total organic C. Need for further research is outlined

Interactions between Seasonal Snow Cover, Ground Surface Temperature and Topography (Andes of Santiago, Chile, 33.5 S)

International audienceThe spatial variables which affect the surface thermal regime are explored in a valley in a high-altitude catchment of the Andes of Santiago. Two one-year (2009 - 10 and 2010 - 11) ground surface temperature (GST) time series are analysed separately and linear mixed-effects models are used to quantify the effects of site characteristics on mean GST (MGST) and ground surface thermal regimes. The effect of snow cover onset and disappearance dates on MGST is further examined in a sensitivity analysis. Elevation has the strongest effect on MGST (1C/100 m), 30 additional days of snow cover suppress MGST by an estimated 0.1 to 0.6 C and openwork boulder surfaces are cooler by an estimated 0.6 to 0.8 C. The sensitivity analysis corroborates the effect of late snow cover in the linear models, which can overwhelm the spatial differences in radiative effects. A positive MGST found on active rock glaciers would suggest negative thermal offsets probably related to the presence of coarse blocky material at the surface, and which may also be present outside rock glaciers. We suggest that spatial patterns of MGST can serve as a proxy for spatial patterns in the lower limit of permafrost occurrenc

New masculinities in universities? Discourses, ambivalence and potential change

In this article, we explore forms and possible implications of new masculinities in universities, and elucidate how they relate to hegemonic masculinity. ‘New masculinities’ coins a particular tradition of naming in Nordic masculinity studies. In the Nordic context, gendered social relations are shaped by State policies and equality discourses, which are increasingly embracing father-friendly initiatives. New masculinities refers to the increased involvement of men in caring practices and especially in fathering. Our empirical study comprises in-depth interviews with young male academics in a Finnish business school. We elucidate, first, the ambivalence and struggles between masculinities in the discourses of these men and, second, how the construction of masculinities is specific to societal, sociocultural and local contexts. Relations of class, and middle-class notions of the ‘good life’ in particular, emerge as central for understanding the experiences of these men. Beyond the Nordic countries, we argue that while the change potential of caring masculinity stems from particular contexts, the concept of new masculinities is helpful in capturing the ambivalence and struggles between hegemonic and caring masculinities rather than dismissing the latter as subordinate to the former.peerReviewe