Deux maisons, égales en dignité : une approche anthropologique des déterminants du développement durable en contexte amazonien ' traditionnel '

Disponible en ligne : http://developpementdurable.revues.org/index8173.htmlLes populations traditionnelles de l'Amazonie brésilienne sont soumises, de la part des organes institutionnels et de l'opinion publique, à une double injonction : préserver la forêt tout en se pliant à des expériences de développement durable destinées à améliorer leurs conditions d'existence et leur formation. Deux études concomitantes menées en Amapá, l'une à Vila Velha do Cassiporé, l'autre à Vila de São Francisco do Iratapuru, nous permettent de dégager quelques principes conditionnant le succès ou l'échec des projets implantés. Ces principes concernent essentiellement la cohésion communautaire, et la disponibilité d'une main d'œuvre faiblement qualifiée, permettant ainsi le maintien d'activités qui pour être traditionnelles n'en sont pas moins pénibles. The traditional populations of the Brazilian Amazon are subject to a double bind by institutional bodies and public opinion: these populations must preserve the forest while they act as subjects for sustainable development experiments intended to improve their living conditions and formal educational level. Two studies conducted in the State of Amapá, one in Vila Velha do Cassiporé, the other in Vila de São Francisco do Iratapuru; provide us with a few principles influencing the success or failure of these projects. These principles mainly concern community cohesion and the availability of an under-skilled workforce, which thus enable these populations to maintain activities that albeit traditional are nonetheless unpleasant

Transparency in Nigeria's public pharmaceutical sector: perceptions from policy makers

Abstract Background Pharmaceuticals are an integral component of health care systems worldwide, thus, regulatory weaknesses in governance of the pharmaceutical system negatively impact health outcomes especially in developing countries [1]. Nigeria is one of a number of countries whose pharmaceutical system has been impacted by corruption and has struggled to curtail the production and trafficking of substandard drugs. In 2001, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) underwent an organizational restructuring resulting in reforms to reduce counterfeit drugs and better regulate pharmaceuticals [2]. Despite these changes, there is still room for improvement. This study assessed the perceived level of transparency and potential vulnerability to corruption that exists in four essential areas of Nigeria's pharmaceutical sector: registration, procurement, inspection (divided into inspection of ports and of establishments), and distribution. Methods Standardized questionnaires were adapted from the World Health Organization assessment tool and used in semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders in the public and private pharmaceutical system. The responses to the questions were tallied and converted to scores on a numerical scale where lower scores suggested greater vulnerability to corruption and higher scores suggested lower vulnerability. Results The overall score for Nigeria's pharmaceutical system was 7.4 out of 10, indicating a system that is marginally vulnerable to corruption. The weakest links were the areas of drug registration and inspection of ports. Analysis of the qualitative results revealed that the perceived level of corruption did not always match the qualitative evidence. Conclusion Despite the many reported reforms instituted by NAFDAC, the study findings suggest that facets of the pharmaceutical system in Nigeria remain fairly vulnerable to corruption. The most glaring deficiency seems to be the absence of conflict of interest guidelines which, if present and consistently administered, limit the promulgation of corrupt practices. Other major contributing factors are the inconsistency in documentation of procedures, lack of public availability of such documentation, and inadequacies in monitoring and evaluation. What is most critical from this study is the identification of areas that still remain permeable to corruption and, perhaps, where more appropriate checks and balances are needed from the Nigerian government and the international community

Asymmetric particles for pulmonary drug delivery

Targeted drug delivery and controlled release are current challenges in pulmonary drug delivery. The deposition pattern and clearance from deposition site are two key parameters for drug delivery carrier design. Asymmetric particles allow an increase in peripheral drug delivery compared to spherical particles and furthermore, affect particle clearance mechanisms from the lung. Therefore, the main aim of this thesis was to develop new synthesis strategies to produce well-dispersible, biocompatible, biodegradable microfibers with a variety of aspect ratios and porosities. The macrophage response to the resulting microfibers was investigated. The aerosolization properties of the resulting microfibers were examined. From the obtained results it can be concluded that: 1. A new template-assisted synthesis strategy to produce monodisperse microfibers with defined dimensions has been developed. 2. The technique has been extended to various materials and process parameters for cell testing, drug loading and aerosolization tests. 3. Microfibers were successfully taken up by macrophages, only when they were approached from the pointy end. 4. Aerosolization studies showed good dispersion properties of microfibers with relatively high fine particle fractions. In summary, this new technique may allow to produce microfibers for pulmonary drug delivery, which will lead to a better understanding of their in vivo behaviour such as mucoadhesion, macrophage interaction and deposition behaviour.Die aktuellen Herausforderungen der inhalativen Therapie sind die gezielte Wirkstoffdeposition und die kontrollierte Wirkstofffreisetzung in der Lunge. Asymmetrische Partikel haben dabei durch ihre erhöhte tiefe Lungendeposition und ihren Einfluss auf die Clearance-Mechanismen erhöhtes Interesse gefunden. Ziel dieser Arbeit war daher die Entwicklung einer neuen Herstellungsmethode, um gut vereinzelte, biokompatible, bioabbaubare Mikrofasern mit variablen Aspektverhältnissen und Porositäten zu generieren. Weiteres Ziel war die Testung der Makrophagen-Mikrofaser-Interaktion und des Aerosolisierungsverhaltens. Die gewonnenen Ergebnisse führen zu folgenden Aussagen: 1. Es wurde eine neue Methode zur Herstellung monodisperser Mikrofasern mit definierten Maßen entwickelt. 2. Mikrofasern aus diversen Materialien wurden in späteren Versuchen für Zelltests, Wirkstoffbeladung und Aerosolisierungsstudien verwendet. 3. Die Aufnahme von Mikrofasern durch Makrophagen zeigte eine Korrelation zum Faserdurchmesser, wobei diese nur vom spitzen Ende her aufgenommen wurden. 4. Aerosolisierungsstudien zeigten eine gute Dispergierung der Mikrofasern mit hohen Fine-Particle-Fractions. Die entwickelte Methode kann zu einer Optimierung der pulmonalen Wirkstoffapplikation und einem besseren Verständnis des Verhaltens asymmetrischer Partikel im Körper beitragen. Die Mukoadhesion, die Makrophagen-Interaktion und das Depositionsverhalten in der Lunge können mittels dieser Fasern weiter untersucht werden

Smart City : Leitfaden zur Umsetzung von Smart-City-Initiativen in der Schweiz

Dieser Leitfaden zur Umsetzung von Smart-City-Initiativen in der Schweiz wurde im Rahmen des Programmes EnergieSchweiz für Gemeinden konzipiert. Das Bundesamt für Energie (BFE) fördert damit die Umsetzung der nationalen Energiepolitik in den Bereichen Energieeffizienz und erneuerbare Energie. Mit dem Programm EnergieSchweiz für Gemeinden unterstützt das BFE gezielt Projekte auf kommunaler Ebene

L'entreprise face à la biodiversité : le cas de l'entreprise brésilienne NATURA et son partenariat avec les extraxtivistes de la " réserve de développement durable du fleuve Iratapuru " dans la region de Jarí , Amazonie brésilienne

Les actes de la conférence sont en attente d'apparition. L'ouvrage est coordonné par Sylvie Daviet, Université de Provence (Aix-Marseille).International audienceLa " réserve de développement durable " du fleuve Iratapuru est exploitée par la communauté de São Francisco. Du fait de ses efforts pour s'organiser et pour améliorer les conditions de vie de ses habitants, ce village est petit à petit devenu un symbole des efforts de développement réalisés auprès des " communautés traditionnelles " amazoniennes, en particulier à partir de 2004, suite à l'établissement novateur d'un partenariat avec l'entreprise de cosmétiques Natura. Associant les intérêts économiques de l'entreprise et ceux de la communauté, cette relation est riche de conséquences sur le plan géographique, mais pose également des questions, sur la légitimité de chaque entité dans la gestion de la RDS. Pour faire le point sur ces questions, nous proposons dans un premier temps une présentation du village de São Francisco et de sa principale activité économique, la collecte de la noix du Brésil. Nous montrons ensuite comment le partenariat avec la Natura est l'ultime étape d'un cheminement déjà ancien parmi de très nombreux modèles de développement, et en quoi il diffère des expériences précédentes. Nous verrons enfin que sous le vernis d'une exploitation économique raisonnée et d'un partenariat tourné vers la durabilité, de nombreuses questions se posent sur les relations avec la Natura, tant avec la coopérative des producteurs, qui est son partenaire économique, qu'avec la communauté locale, qui est l'objet de son investissement en terme d'image

Single cell imaging of Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase using an irreversible inhibitor

A number of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors are currently in development, yet it has been difficult to visualize BTK expression and pharmacological inhibition in vivo in real time. We synthesized a fluorescent, irreversible BTK binder based on the drug Ibrutinib and characterized its behavior in cells and in vivo. We show a 200 nM affinity of the imaging agent, high selectivity, and irreversible binding to its target following initial washout, resulting in surprisingly high target-to-background ratios. In vivo, the imaging agent rapidly distributed to BTK expressing tumor cells, but also to BTK-positive tumor-associated host cells

Experiences and perceptions regarding clinical breast exam screening by trained laywomen in Malawi

Despite the increasing burden, breast cancer control in sub-Saharan Africa is insufficient. Late diagnosis and lack of early detection and screening services contribute to high mortality. Clinical breast exam (CBE) screening can be valuable in low-income countries, including use of community health workers and non-health professionals to conduct exams. We assessed experiences of women who underwent CBE screening by trained laywomen in Lilongwe, Malawi, as part of a pilot program

Supporting the Transformation Process to Smart Sustainable Cities in Switzerland: Implementation Guidelines and Promising Practices

Challenges such as the digitalisation of administration, the change of cities through urbanisation, climate change and the restructuring of infrastructure systems in the energy and mobility sector require a rethinking of the existing urban development approaches. The Smart City concept enables cities to tackle these challenges in the sense of a holistic development approach across departments, networked with partners and supported by digital technologies. In Switzerland's view, the Smart City concept goes far beyond internal administrative e-government and digitisation strategies. The overriding goal is to develop efficient and resource-saving solutions while at the same time increasing the quality of life and the attractiveness of the location. The overall aim is to create an innovative urban environment that involves the inhabitants and the economy and opens up new design possibilities

Improving Access to COVID-19 Vaccines: An Analysis of TRIPS Waiver Discourse among WTO Members, Civil Society Organizations, and Pharmaceutical Industry Stakeholders

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, international access to COVID-19 vaccines and other health technologies has remained highly asymmetric. This inequity has had a particularly deleterious impact on low- and middle-income countries, engaging concerns about the human rights to health and to the equal enjoyment of the benefits of scientific progress enshrined under articles 12 and 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. In response, the relationship between intellectual property rights and public health has reemerged as a subject of global interest. In October 2020, a wholesale waiver of the copyright, patent, industrial design, and undisclosed information sections of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS Agreement) was proposed by India and South Africa as a legal mechanism to increase access to affordable COVID-19 medical products. Here, we identify and evaluate the TRIPS waiver positions of World Trade Organization (WTO) members and other key stakeholders throughout the waiver’s 20-month period of negotiation at the WTO. In doing so, we find that most stakeholders declined to explicitly contextualize the TRIPS waiver within the human right to health and that historical stakeholder divisions on the relationship between intellectual property and access to medicines appear largely unchanged since the early 2000s HIV/AIDS crisis. Given the WTO’s consensus-based decision-making process, this illuminates key challenges faced by policy makers seeking to leverage the international trading system to improve equitable access to health technologies

Fungal ecological strategies reflected in gene transcription - a case study of two litter decomposers.

Microbial communities interplay with their environment through their functional traits that can be a response or an effect on the environment. Here, we explore how a functional trait-the decomposition of organic matter, can be addressed based on genetic markers and how the expression of these markers reflect ecological strategies of two fungal litter decomposer Gymnopus androsaceus and Chalara longipes. We sequenced the genomes of these two fungi, as well as their transcriptomes at different steps of Pinus sylvestris needles decomposition in microcosms. Our results highlighted that if the gene content of the two species could indicate similar potential decomposition abilities, the expression levels of specific gene families belonging to the glycoside hydrolase category reflected contrasting ecological strategies. Actually, C. longipes, the weaker decomposer in this experiment, turned out to have a high content of genes involved in cell wall polysaccharides decomposition but low expression levels, reflecting a versatile ecology compare to the more competitive G. androsaceus with high expression levels of keystone functional genes. Thus, we established that sequential expression of genes coding for different components of the decomposer machinery indicated adaptation to chemical changes in the substrate as decomposition progressed