Assembling an Experimentalist Regime: Transnational Governance Interactions in the Forest Sector

Transnational governance initiatives increasingly face the problem of regime complexity in which a proliferation of regulatory schemes operate in the same policy domain, supported by varying combinations of public and private actors. The literature suggests that such regime complexity can lead to forum-shopping and other self-interested strategies which undermine the effectiveness of transnational regulation. Based on the design principles of experimentalist governance, this paper identifies a variety of pathways and mechanisms which promote productive interactions in regime complexes. We use the case of the EU’s Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) initiative, interacting with private certification schemes and public legal timber regulations, including those of third countries such as the US and China, to demonstrate how an increasingly comprehensive transnational regime can be assembled by linking together distinct components of a regime complex. We argue that it is the experimentalist features of this initiative and its regulatory interactions, which accommodate local diversity and foster recursive learning from decentralized implementation experience, that make it possible to build up a flexible and adaptive transnational governance regime from an assemblage of interconnected pieces, even in situations where interests diverge and no hegemon can impose its own will

CD24 Is Not Required for Tumor Initiation and Growth in Murine Breast and Prostate Cancer Models

CD24 is a small, heavily glycosylated, GPI-linked membrane protein, whose expression has been associated with the tumorigenesis and progression of several types of cancer. Here, we studied the expression of CD24 in tumors of MMTV-PyMT, Apc1572/T+ and TRAMP genetic mouse models that spontaneously develop mammary or prostate carcinoma, respectively. We found that CD24 is expressed during tumor development in all three models. In MMTV-PyMT and Apc1572T/+ breast tumors, CD24 was strongly but heterogeneously expressed during early tumorigenesis, but decreased in more advanced stages, and accordingly was increased in poorly differentiated lesions compared with well differentiated lesions. In prostate tumors developing in TRAMP mice, CD24 expression was strong within hyperplastic lesions in comparison with non-hyperplastic regions, and heterogeneous CD24 expression was maintained in advanced prostate carcinomas. To investigate whether CD24 plays a functional role in tumorigenesis in these models, we crossed CD24 deficient mice with MMTV-PyMT, Apc1572T/+ and TRAMP mice, and assessed the influence of CD24 deficiency on tumor onset and tumor burden. We found that mice negative or positive for CD24 did not significantly differ in terms of tumor initiation and burden in the genetic tumor models tested, with the exception of Apc1572T/+ mice, in which lack of CD24 reduced the mammary tumor burden slightly but significantly. Together, our data suggest that while CD24 is distinctively expressed during the early development of murine mammary and prostate tumors, it is not essential for the formation of tumors developing in MMTV-PyMT, Apc1572T/+ and TRAMP mice

Accessing the Eustachian tube: Conventional nasal spray vs. exhalation delivery system and the impact of targeted endoscopic sinus surgery on topical distribution patterns.

BACKGROUND: Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) may occur distinct from, or in conjunction with, chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS+ETD). Intranasal corticosteroid sprays are often prescribed for ETD, although ET distribution may be limited. To date, no anatomic studies compare nasopharynx (NP) distribution between conventional nasal sprays (NS) and exhalation delivery systems (EDS) after surgery. This study utilizes a cadaver model to examine topical NP delivery using EDS vs. NS before and after targeted endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). METHODS: Sixteen sinonasal cavities were administered fluorescein solution via NS and EDS before and after maxillary antrostomy and anterior ethmoidectomy, followed by nasal endoscopy of the NP and ET orifice. Seven blinded experts submitted staining ratings of endoscopy images on a 0- to 3-point scale, with ratings averaged for analysis. RESULTS: Interrater reliability was excellent (intraclass correlation, 0.956). EDS was associated with significantly greater NP staining vs. NS in a pooled cohort of nonsurgical and ESS specimens (1.19 ± 0.81 vs. 0.78 ± 1.06; p = 0.043). Using a logistic regression model, EDS significantly outperformed NS in nonsurgical (odds ratio [OR], 3.49; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.21-10.09; p = 0.021) and post-ESS (OR, 9.00; 95% CI, 1.95-41.5; p = 0.005) specimens, with the greatest relative staining observed for EDS after targeted ESS (OR, 18.99; 95% CI, 3.44-104.85; p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: EDS is more effective than NS in topical delivery to the NP and ET orifices in cadavers. Targeted ESS may facilitate greater NP penetration by EDS compared with NS, with possible synergism after ESS for augmented delivery. These findings suggest a role for EDS delivery methods for ETD management and in CRS+ETD patients undergoing sinus surgery

Predictors of Sinonasal Improvement After Highly Effective Modulator Therapy in Adults with Cystic Fibrosis

The 22-question SinoNasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) assesses chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) severity. We aimed to identify predictors of SNOT-22 score improvement following highly effective modulator therapy (HEMT) initiation and to corroborate the SNOT-22 minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in adults with cystic fibrosis (CF)

Assembling an Experimentalist Regime: Transnational Governance Interactions in the Forest Sector

Transnational governance initiatives increasingly face the problem of regime complexity in which a proliferation of regulatory schemes operate in the same policy domain, supported by varying combinations of public and private actors. The literature suggests that such regime complexity can lead to forum-shopping and other self-interested strategies which undermine the effectiveness of transnational regulation. Based on the design principles of experimentalist governance, this paper identifies a variety of pathways and mechanisms which promote productive interactions in regime complexes. We use the case of the EU\u27s Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) initiative, interacting with private certification schemes and public legal timber regulations, including those of third countries such as the US and China, to demonstrate how an increasingly comprehensive transnational regime can be assembled by linking together distinct components of a regime complex. We argue that it is the experimentalist features of this initiative and its regulatory interactions, which accommodate local diversity and foster recursive learning from decentralized implementation experience, that make it possible to build up a flexible and adaptive transnational governance regime from an assemblage of interconnected pieces, even in situations where the interests diverge and no hegemon can impose its own will

Assembling an Experimentalist Regime: Transnational Governance Interactions in the Forest Sector

Transnational governance initiatives increasingly face the problem of regime complexity in which a proliferation of regulatory schemes operate in the same policy domain, supported by varying combinations of public and private actors. The literature suggests that such regime complexity can lead to forum-shopping and other self-interested strategies which undermine the effectiveness of transnational regulation. Based on the design principles of experimentalist governance, this paper identifies a variety of pathways and mechanisms which promote productive interactions in regime complexes. We use the case of the EU’s Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) initiative, interacting with private certification schemes and public legal timber regulations, including those of third countries such as the US and China, to demonstrate how an increasingly comprehensive transnational regime can be assembled by linking together distinct components of a regime complex. We argue that it is the experimentalist features of this initiative and its regulatory interactions, which accommodate local diversity and foster recursive learning from decentralized implementation experience, that make it possible to build up a flexible and adaptive transnational governance regime from an assemblage of interconnected pieces, even in situations where interests diverge and no hegemon can impose its own will

Constructing a transnational timber legality assurance regime: Architecture, accomplishments, challenges

The emerging transnational timber legality assurance regime comprises a set of interrelated policy instruments, both public and private, aimed at controlling trade in illegally logged wood and wood products. The potentially productive interactions among these instruments in the emerging forestry regime create prospects for engendering learning, stimulating cross-fertilization, and enhancing accountability. In this article, we analyze the EU's Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) initiative, interacting with public legal timber regulations and private certification schemes, as the core of an emerging transnational experimentalist regime. An experimentalist regime of this type may provide a promising approach to addressing contentious transnational environmental issues like forest governance where there is no global hegemon to impose a single set of rules. However, experience with FLEGT implementation suggests that there are also a number of outstanding challenges to constructing an effective timber legality assurance regime, which if unresolved could undermine its promise. The argument proceeds in three steps, based on an exhaustive analysis of recent developments. First, we outline the architecture and promise of the emerging timber legality assurance regime. Then, we review key accomplishments to date. Finally, we examine the ongoing challenges facing this innovative regime as it moves forward, and consider how they might be overcome through the adoption of a more consistent experimentalist approach