Non-functional immunoglobulin G transcripts in a case of hyper-immunoglobulin M syndrome similar to type 4

86% of immunoglobulin G (IgG) heavy-chain gene transcripts were found to be non-functional in the peripheral blood B cells of a patient initially diagnosed with common variable immunodeficiency, who later developed raised IgM, whereas no non-functionally rearranged transcripts were found in the cells of seven healthy control subjects. All the patient's IgM heavy-chain and κ light-chain transcripts were functional, suggesting that either non-functional rearrangements were being selectively class-switched to IgG, or that receptor editing was rendering genes non-functional after class-switching. The functional γ-chain sequences showed a normal rate of somatic hypermutation while non-functional sequences contained few somatic mutations, suggesting that most came from cells that had no functional gene and therefore were not receiving signals for hypermutation. However, apoptosis of peripheral blood lymphocytes was not impaired. No defects have been found in any of the genes currently known to be responsible for hyper-IgM syndrome but the phenotype fits best to type 4

Global Norms in Domestic Politics: Environmental Norm Contestation in Cambodia’s Hydropower Sector

This paper studies environmental norm contestation in Cambodia's hydropower sector, exemplified by the Kamchay Dam. In Cambodia we can observe different discourses in relation to hydropower. These stem directly from a local contest over the path of Cambodia's development, but use global norms as reference points: one emphasizes environmental protection, using environmental impact assessment (EIA) as point of reference; and one emphasizes the utility of the clean development mechanism (CDM) to attract large-scale investment into the energy sector while downplaying the need for environmental protection. While EIA and CDM are complementary, key actors present them as contradictory. This produces a normative fragmentation of the field of environmental protection. The paper argues that the norm diffusion literature, by presenting norm conflicts as hierarchical local–global conflicts, has paid insufficient attention to the fact that local actors actively draw on global norms to justify domestic development policies. More emphasis on this phenomenon will lead to a better understanding of the role of global norms in domestic politics and will enhance our knowledge of how domestic development policies are contested

Farmers’ Perceptions of and Adaptations to Climate Change in Southeast Asia: The Case Study from Thailand and Vietnam

The perceptions of climate change and adaptation choices made by farmers are important considerations in the design of adaptation strategies by policy makers and agricultural extension services. This paper seeks to determine these perceptions and choices by farmers in already poor environmental regions of Thailand and Vietnam especially vulnerable to climate change. Overall findings were that farmers do perceive climate change, but describe it in quite distinct ways and that location influences how farmers recognize climate change. Our 2007 and 2013 surveys show that farmers are adapting, but it is difficult to determine if specific practices are “climate smart”. Further, adaptation measures are informed by perception and, at least in the case of Vietnam, perceptions are shaped by the respondent’s characteristics, location variables and recent climate related shocks. Finally, the three climate variables of rainfall, temperature, and wind are the most important factors in explaining specific adaptation measures chosen by farmers. Farmer participation is an essential part of public actions designed to allow adaptation to climate change. Our research can also contribute to understanding farmer constraints and tailoring good overall strategies to the local heterogeneity of vulnerable locations

Assessing Communities of Practice in health policy : A conceptual framework as a first step towards empirical research

Peer reviewe

Population policies and education: exploring the contradictions of neo-liberal globalisation

The world is increasingly characterised by profound income, health and social inequalities (Appadurai, 2000). In recent decades development initiatives aimed at reducing these inequalities have been situated in a context of increasing globalisation with a dominant neo-liberal economic orthodoxy. This paper argues that neo-liberal globalisation contains inherent contradictions regarding choice and uniformity. This is illustrated in this paper through an exploration of the impact of neo-liberal globalisation on population policies and programmes. The dominant neo-liberal economic ideology that has influenced development over the last few decades has often led to alternative global visions being overlooked. Many current population and development debates are characterised by polarised arguments with strongly opposing aims and views. This raises the challenge of finding alternatives situated in more middle ground that both identify and promote the socially positive elements of neo-liberalism and state intervention, but also to limit their worst excesses within the population field and more broadly. This paper concludes with a discussion outling the positive nature of middle ground and other possible alternatives