Climate, Conflict and Capital: Critical Issues for the MDGs and Beyond 2015

As 2015 approaches we need to take stock of how we have delivered on the MDGs. This article argues critical issues for accelerating progress on the MDGs and thinking beyond 2015, on climate, conflict and capital. Each is discussed in turn as to why it matters and what needs to be done

A Tale of Two Giants: Wilhelm G. Solheim II (1924–2014) and William A. Longacre Jr. (1937–2015)

This essay is not so much an obituary or combined obituaries as a personal appreciation of two archaeologists, Wilhelm G. Solheim II and William A. Longacre Jr., both of whom profoundly affected their home universities, Philippines studies, and the lives of many scholars. For this tale of two giants, I draw on my own and others’ memories, writings of others cited herein, and an amazingly detailed vita in my possession covering Bill Solheim’s work from 1947 through 1986. This is not a detailed accounting of their many research projects and accomplishments, but instead highlights the latter decades of their careers as they increasingly focused their research on theoretical and topical issues concerning the Philippines. I will attempt to write this accolade in the styles of both men, with the casualness of Bill Solheim and the clarity of Bill Longacre

Introduction – The MDGs and Beyond: Pro?poor Policy in a Changing World

This issue of the IDS Bulletin is dedicated to discussing and reviewing the MDGs and the global effort that grew from the UN Millennium Declaration. This article provides an overview of this IDS Bulletin and introduces the key themes

Global fetal DNA methylation and birth outcomes in obese women

Pregnant women who are obese are more likely to have gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia, macrosomia, operative vaginal delivery, and cesarean delivery. Obesity also has adverse implications for the neonate. Congenital anomalies are more common in children born to obese women. These include neural tube defects, gastroschisis, cardiovascular anomalies, and others. Although the connection between maternal obesity and chronic health conditions has been described, the mechanism by which this occurs is less well understood. Changes to the epigenetic structure of offspring DNA have been proposed as one such mechanism

Informal Communication & its Relation to Employees, Managers, & Job Satisfaction

Color poster with text, images, graphs, and tables.Past research has shown that informal communication in the workplace is associated with job satisfaction (Nielson, Jex, & Adams, 2000). There are significant gaps in research regarding how managers perceive informal communication among employees in the workplace. Furthermore, little to no research has been conducted from an employee's point of view regarding informal communication and how it affects their job satisfaction. This study focuses on how employee's job satisfaction relates to their comfort communicating informally with co-workers and with managers, and if they perceive their managers to encourage friendships within the workplace.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

Molecular Diagnostics in the Mycosphaerella Leaf Spot Disease Complex of Banana and for Radopholus similis

Mycosphaerella leaf spots and nematodes threaten banana cultivation worldwide. The Mycosphaerella disease complex involves three related ascomycetous fungi: Mycosphaerella fijiensis, M. musicola and M. eumusae. The exact distribution of these three species and their disease epidemiology remain unclear, since their symptoms and life cycles are rather similar. Diagnosing these diseases and the respective causal agents is based on the presence of host symptoms and fungal fruiting structures, but is time consuming and not conducive to preventive management. In the present study, we developed rapid and robust species-specific diagnostic tools to detect and quantify M. fijiensis, M. musicola and M. eumusae. Conventional species-specific PCR primers were developed based on the actin gene that detected as little as 100, 1 and 10 pg/µl DNA from, respectively, M. fijiensis, M. musicola and M. eumusae. Furthermore, TaqMan real-time quantitative PCR assays that were developed based on the ß-tubulin gene detected quantities as low as 1 pg/µl DNA of each species from pure cultures and 1.6 pg/µl DNA/mg of M. fijiensis from dry leaf tissue. The efficacy of the tests was validated using naturally infected banana leaves. Similar technology has been used to develop a quantitative PCR assay for the banana burrowing nematode, Radopholus similis, which is currently being validate

Introduction part 3 : Other invasive tree pathogens

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

A missing link in the chain of care?

SK 152, våren 2010Problemstilling: På kva måte kan dagtilbod vere viktig for heimebuande personar med demens? Mange stadar blir dagtilbod omtala som eit manglande leddet i omsorgskjeda. Denne litterære oppgåva prøvar å belyse korleis dagaktivitetstilbod kan vere viktig for heimebuande personar med demens. Talet på eldre mennesker er aukande og fleire får demens. I dag er det om lag 70 000 personar med demens i Norge, og minst halvparten av desse bur i eigen heim. Det å tilrettelegge for at personar med demens kan få bu heime lengst mogeleg er ei politisk målsetting, og dagtilbod kan i denne samanheng vere eit viktig supplement. Undersøkingar visar at dagtilbod er eit godt tilbod til personar med demens, samstundes som det kan verke avlastande for pårørande og dermed vere med på å utsette innlegging i institusjon. Dagtilbod som er spesialt tilrettelagt for heimebuande personar med demens er lite utbygd i Norge, kun tretti prosent av alle norske kommunar har slike tilbod. Det er naudsynt med ei betydeleg satsing på dagtilbod i åra framover for å møte behovet for behandlingstilbod utanfor institusjon. Av Demensplanen går det fram at alle kommunane i landet bør kunne tilby eit tilrettelagt dagaktivitetstilbod for personar med demens innan 2015. Eit godt tilrettelagt dagsentertilbod kan vere av stort betydning for at personar med demens og deira familiar skal oppleve kvardagen som trygg og meiningsfull

Advancing integrative “one-health” approaches to global health through multidisciplinary, faculty-led global health field courses

AbstractBackgroundSince 2003, the University of Wisconsin-Madison Global Health Institute, together with collaborating campus and in-country partners, has offered immersive, multidisciplinary, faculty-led, global health field courses in Ecuador and Thailand. These courses aim to help students to develop a working understanding of integrative one-health approaches and acquire the skills to work effectively across disciplines. That is, we aim to foster an appreciation of the role of culture in perceptions of health, disease, and health care; the complex interactions of animal-human-ecosystem health and disease; and the value of integrating cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural perspectives and skills to solve complex public health problems.MethodsStudents from various University of Wisconsin-Madison health faculties travelled, lived (accommodation included homestays in indigenous or rural communities), learnt, and engaged in community-health assessments or service-learning projects as a multidisciplinary team. We recruited students through annual presentations in each University of Wisconsin school or college and through recommendations from past participants. We recorded student reflections during the course, at course completion, and after graduation.FindingsBetween 2003 and 2014: 215 students from the University of Wisconsin have taken part in the global health field courses. Students came from the fields of human medicine (53 [25%]), veterinary medicine (35 [16%]), nursing (40 [19%]), pharmacy (41 [19%]), and other degree programs (46 [21%]). Results of the in-course and post course assessments consistently show strong student satisfaction with many aspects of the programme, including safety, faculty mentorship, the value of the multidisciplinary approach, depth of learning, and programme cost. Former participants also report use of cross-cultural skills in their professional practice, work with populations from cultures other than their own, positive effects on their decisions for career activities, and the belief that immersive cross-cultural experiences should be a required part of professional training for all health professional students. Finally, the courses undergo independent programme evaluations (including in-country observation and interviews with participants and stakeholders) approximately every 5 years.InterpretationProgramme directors continue to seek improvements related to: sustainable faculty engagement from various disciplines; development of increasingly specific course group learning objectives, competencies, and assessment tools; sustainability of impacts on community-level health and wellbeing; continuity between University of Wisconsin-Madison and in-country university and community partners; and scholarship support and other approaches so that cost does not exclude interested students from participating.FundingThe GHI is supported through a combination of university, grants, and philanthropic funding; these field courses do not have specific, separate funding. Students self-fund participation in the courses