F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies Are Failing in America, 2006

Examines national and state obesity rates and government policies. Offers recommendations to check the obesity crisis, including a twenty-step action plan for addressing the healthcare burdens and financial costs associated with the epidemic

Restructuring the Eurozone

This paper suggests that there should be a realignment of the current Eurozone. There has been research to argue that the Eurozone does not fit the Optimum Currency Area (OCA) criteria. This might be a contributing factor to the current economic crisis in Europe. I propose, based on results from k-means data clustering, that the Eurozone be divided into three separate regions under the European Central Bank (ECB). The division would allow for enhanced stabilization and efficiency due to better fitting of the OCA criteria and policy implications

Globalization a disservice to human development in Africa: the impact of ICT

Published ArticleLibraries in Africa are a product of the underdevelopment of the continent. To understand the current state of libraries in Africa it is important to appreciate the broader ramifications of global machinations and, in particular, the impact of globalization on the African continent. Rather than concentrate on libraries per se the paper attempt to demonstrate how globalization has diminished prospects for human development in Africa. The paper expounds on inequalities that have emanated from the integration of world economies but focuses on how adoption of ICT has failed to make meaningful contributions to uplift the social and economic circumstances of the majority of the population in Africa. In the same light diffusion of ICT in libraries has only produced half measures, at best. In many instances it has been a flop

LIBRARIES RE-LOADED IN SERVICE OF THE MARGINALIZED

Published ArticleFrom inception the journey of public libraries in Africa has been very bumpy for reasons well documented in literature. Some of the key issues are discussed. The main thrust of this article is that public libraries as we know them today have failed the cause of the majority of Africans who are disadvantaged and marginalised. A radical shift to the general principles underpinning public library practice is proposed to give way to a recipe of an ‘African public library’: A model which is essentially based on relationship building and networking

F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies Are Failing in America, 2005

Examines national and state obesity rates and government policies. Challenges the research community to focus on major research questions to inform policy decisions, and policymakers to pursue actions to combat the obesity crisis

Hyphoderma romeroae sp. nov., a valid name for “Mutatoderma brunneocontextum” (Basidiomycota, Polyporales)

Hyphoderma romeroae sp. nov. es propuesto para la especie “Mutatoderma brunneocontextum” C.E. Gómez que fuera inválidamente publicada previamente.Hyphoderma romeroae sp. nov. is proposed for the species previously invalidly named as “Mutatoderma brunneocontextum” C.E. Gómez.Fil: Baltazar, Juliano M.. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; BrasilFil: Rajchenberg, Mario. Centro de Investigación y Extensión Forestal Andino Patagónico; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Prevention for a Healthier California: Investments in Disease Prevention Yield Significant Savings, Stronger Communities

Estimates how much the state and the nation could save in healthcare costs by investing in disease prevention through community programs that increase physical activity, improve nutrition, and reduce tobacco use. Provides examples of prevention efforts

Geographic variation in adult survival and reproductive tactics of the mosquito Aedes albopictus

Climate differences across latitude can result in seasonal constraints and selection on life history characters. Since Aedes albopictus (Skuse) invaded North America in the mid-1980s, it has spread across a range of approximate to 14 degrees latitude and populations in the north experience complete adult mortality due to cold winter temperatures that are absent in the south. Life table experiments were conducted to test for differences in the adult survival and reproductive schedules of Ae. albopictus females from two populations from the northern (Bloomington, IN [BL] and Manassas, VA [VA]; approximate to 39 degrees N) and southern (Tampa, FL and Fort Myers, FL; approximate to 27-28 degrees N) extremes of the species distribution in North America. Regardless of population origin, age-specific hazard rate increased with reproductive output and decreased with number of bloodmeals. Larger females took fewer bloodmeals, and they had greater hazard rates than did smaller females. There were no consistent differences between northern versus southern populations in resource allocation between reproduction and maintenance, reproduction over time, and reproductive investment among offspring, suggesting that latitudinal variation in climate is probably not a main selective factor impinging on adult mortality and reproductive schedules. One possible effect of climate on geographic differences in life history was detected. BL had lower survivorship, lower lifetime reproductive output, and lower adult reproductive rate than did all other populations. This result may be an indirect result of lower egg survivorship due to the severity of winter in BL compared with other populations, including VA at approximately the same latitude. Such a scenario may make the BL population more prone to extinction, irregularly recolonized from more favorable sites, and thus more susceptible to founder effects, genetic drift, and inbreeding, resulting in lower mean values of fitness-related traits