Businesses from the Rising Powers: Traditional or Progressive Development Partners for Africa?

Expectations about the role of businesses as development actors have become almost unrecognisable from the ones summarised by Milton Friedman: ‘The only social responsibility of business is to increase its profits’ (Friedman 1970). Despite Friedman’s relative abruptness, the role of business in contributing to the overall economic growth of a given country cannot be overstated. Businesses create employment, a taxation base for the state, generate innovation and provide goods and services for the population. No country has been able to develop (including the BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – and other rising powers) without a vibrant and competitive business sector. However, there is growing pressure on businesses nowadays to go well beyond their contribution to overall economic growth (which may be called the ‘traditional’ role of business in development) and become directly involved in poverty alleviation schemes, environmental regeneration activities and even the promotion of human rights. This second set of expectations depicts a more ‘progressive’ role for businesses in development. It may have begun with the more general term ‘corporate social responsibility’ but this progressive role keeps on evolving and can take many different forms, including business models such as the ‘Base of the Pyramid’ approach (first espoused by C.K. Prahalad), which proposes that business can involve the poorest inhabitants of a country both as consumers and as producers for their economic benefit as well as for the improvement of the businesses’ bottom line (Prahalad 2004). Other such business models are ‘inclusive business’ (ensuring that businesses include poor people within their core operations and not only as charity activities which do not challenge the companies’ business model), ‘making markets work for the poor’ (tackling the systemic market failures that exclude the poor from productive activities), and ‘pro-poor value chains’ (removing inefficiencies that prevent the poor from getting greater shares of the profits generated in a given chain). As globalisation of business has spread around the world, these expectations about the role of businesses in development extend to the operation of business in developing countries and particularly in low-income countries in Africa. There are, however, concerns about the capacity and intent of any foreign business operating in Africa and claiming to be a responsible corporate citizen. Businesses from the global North have been the usual targets of these concerns but as firms from the BRICS increase their presence beyond their ‘near abroad’ and venture into African markets, their role as true progressive partners in development has been increasingly scrutinised.UK Department for International Developmen

Telpochcalli Irma Guerra, La Escuela Preparatoria Progresiva

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Do Businesses from the BRICS Contribute to Development in Africa?

As businesses from emerging economies become more globalised, expectations are raised about their role as responsible corporate citizens and development actors when operating in low-income countries. While businesses from the global North have been the usual targets for praise or criticism with regards to their contributions (or lack thereof) to African development, little is known about the development contribution of firms from the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). It is important to explore a variety of activities of these firms in Africa, which they consider to be developmental, and the justification behind them. In this context, there is a need to ask and understand how these firms view their own role as development partners for Africa.UK Department for International Developmen

Multiply Folded Graphene

The folding of paper, hide, and woven fabric has been used for millennia to achieve enhanced articulation, curvature, and visual appeal for intrinsically flat, two-dimensional materials. For graphene, an ideal two-dimensional material, folding may transform it to complex shapes with new and distinct properties. Here, we present experimental results that folded structures in graphene, termed grafold, exist, and their formations can be controlled by introducing anisotropic surface curvature during graphene synthesis or transfer processes. Using pseudopotential-density functional theory calculations, we also show that double folding modifies the electronic band structure of graphene. Furthermore, we demonstrate the intercalation of C60 into the grafolds. Intercalation or functionalization of the chemically reactive folds further expands grafold's mechanical, chemical, optical, and electronic diversity.Comment: 29 pages, 10 figures (accepted in Phys. Rev. B

“Anti-Michael addition” of Grignard reagents to sulfonylacetylenes: synthesis of alkynes

In this work, the addition of Grignard reagents to arylsulfonylacetylenes, which undergoes an “anti-Michael addition”, resulting in their alkynylation under very mild conditions is described. The simplicity of the experimental procedure and the functional group tolerance are the main features of this methodology. This is an important advantage over the use of organolithium at −78 °C that we previously reported. Moreover, the synthesis of diynes and other examples showing functional group tolerance in this anti-Michael reaction is also presentedFinancial support from the Spanish Government CTQ2012- 35957 (MINECO) and CTQ2015-64561-R (MINECO/FEDER) is gratefully acknowledged. F. E. is thankful to the Spanish government for a FPI fellowship, and L. B. is thankful to the Université Badji Mokhtar Annaba for a predoctoral stay gran

Intraoperative OCT in Lamellar Corneal Transplants (DALK, DSAEK, DMEK)

An explanation of this new technology, consisting of optical coherence tomography integrated to the microscope in both anterior and posterior lamellar corneal transplants (DALK, DSAEK, DMEK). The advantages of visualizing the different layers of the host and donor cornea, with specific emphasis in the Descemet-stroma interphase, are explained in the written work and captured in the intraoperative images. This technology makes the procedure safer, increases the surgery success rate and consequently improves the postoperative results in the patient. The surgical technique of the lamellar transplants and its benefits are explained. The advantages of this new technology are analyzed, including visualizing the corneal planes, checking the tissue orientation and ensuring the correct execution of critical surgical steps; all of these help in reducing the technical difficulty of the procedure. Likewise, it is explained that by providing direct transurgical visualization in a screen, there is a potential teaching and academic advantage

Inclusive Masculinity and Facebook Photographs Among Early Emerging Adults at a British University

Central to debates about the construction of masculinity in sociology is the influence of culture and what constitutes acceptable displays of masculinity. This article adopts a novel approach in examining this question. It adopts a summative content analysis, combined with a semiotic analysis, of 1,100 Facebook photographs, in order to explore the underlying meanings within the photos and the performances of masculinity. Facebook photographs from 44, straight, White, male, early emerging adults attending the same university are used as a representation of an individual’s ideal self. These are then analyzed in order to determine the behaviors endorsed by peer culture. It was found that the sample overwhelmingly adopted inclusive behaviors (including homosocial tactility, dancing, and kissing each other), and inclusive masculinity theory was utilized to contextualize participants’ constructions of masculinity. Thus, this research shows that emerging adult males at this university construct their masculine identities away from previous orthodox archetypes. It is argued that the reducing importance of gendered behavior patterns may represent an adoption of what are perceived as wider cultural norms and act as a symbol of adulthood to these early emerging adults

The London Charter and the Seville Principles as sources of requirements for e-archaeology systems development purposes

[EN] Requirements engineering (RE) is a discipline of critical importance in software development. This paper provides a process and a set of software artefacts to help in the production of e-archaeology systems with emphasis on requirements reuse and standards. In particular, two important guidelines in the field of earchaeology, the London Charter and the Principles of Seville, have been shown as two sources of requirements to be considered as a starting point for developing this type of systems.[ES] La Ingeniería de Requisitos (IR) es una disciplina de importancia crítica en el desarrollo de software. Este artículo proporciona un proceso y un conjunto de artefactos software para ayudar en la producción de sistemas de e-arqueología con énfasis en reutilización de requisitos y estándares. En particular, dos guías relevantes en el campo de la e-arqueología, la Carta de Londres y los Principios de Sevilla, se han mostrado como dos fuentes de requisitos a tener en cuenta como punto de partida para el desarrollo de este tipo de sistemas.This research is part of the project PEGASO-PANGEA (TIN2009-13718-C02-02), financed by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (Spain).Carrillo Gea, JM.; Toval, A.; Fernández Alemán, JL.; Nicolás, J.; Flores, M. (2013). The London Charter and the Seville Principles as sources of requirements for e-archaeology systems development purposes. Virtual Archaeology Review. 4(9):205-211. https://doi.org/10.4995/var.2013.4275OJS20521149CH'NG, E. et al. (2011): "From sites to landscapes: how computing technology is shaping archaeological practice", en Computer, vol. 44, n. 7, pp. 40-46.COS, J.A. et al. (2012): "Internationalization requirements for e-learning audit purposes", en Proceedings of the 3rd IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference, EDUCON 2012, pp. 90-95. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/educon.2012.6201027GLASS, R.L. (2002): Software engineering: facts and fallacies. Addison-Wesley. Boston.GREENFIELD, J. and SHORT, K. (2004): Software factories: assembling applications with patterns, models, frameworks, and tools. Wiley. Indianapolis.KÄKÖLÄ, T. and DUEÑAS, J.C. (Eds.) (2006): Software Product Lines. Research issues in engineering and management. Springer. Berlin Heidelberg. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-33253-4TOVAL, A. et al. (2002): "Requirements reuse for improving information systems security: a practitioner's approach", en REJ Requirements Engineering Journal, vol. 6, n. 4, pp. 205-219.TOVAL, A. et al. (2008): "Eight key issues for an effective reuse-based requirements process", en IJCSSE International Journal of Computer Systems Science and Engineering, vol. 23, n. 6, pp. 373-385.TOVAL, A. et al. (2011): "Learning systems development using reusable standard-based requirements catalogs", en Proceedings of the 2nd IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference, EDUCON 2011, pp. 907- 912. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/educon.2011.577325

Phenolic Compounds in Maize Grains and Its Nixtamalized Products

Among the cereals most consumed by humans, maize grain is in the third position, surpassed only by rice and wheat. In several countries, maize grain is the main source of carbohydrates and proteins. Maize grain is ranked as one of the cereals with the highest content of phenolic compounds. The importance for human health of the consumption of phenolic compounds is due to their proved antioxidant activity. Diets with high amount of antioxidants have been associated with a reduced probability of suffering degenerative chronic diseases. In maize grain, the phenolic acids predominate, among which the main is ferulic acid, followed by p‐coumaric acid, which are highly abundant in their bound forms. However, other phenolics such as anthocyanins, flavonols, and flavanols have been identified in colored maize grains. Additionally, the processing of maize grain into different products for human consumption incorporates changes both in quantity and quality of some phenolic compounds. In the present chapter, we present the most recent information available regarding phenolic compounds in maize grain and their nixtamalized products

Brazil's Engagement in International Development Cooperation: The State of the Debate

The international development cooperation architecture has changed dramatically over the last decade. The global context, characterised by a lingering financial crisis and the emergence of new powers, has brought South–South Development Cooperation (SSDC) to the core of international development debate. The growing influence of emerging countries, such as the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), as development cooperation providers requires a deeper understanding of how and to what extent these countries are promoting sustainable and inclusive development by cooperating with partners in the global South. To be able to answer these questions, the national dynamics need to be unpacked by mapping institutions, ideas, and interests informing decision-making processes, and shaping, not only policy priorities, but also the effectiveness of development cooperation. Brazil is in the spotlight and Brazilian cooperation, in all its different modalities (from technical, scientific and technological, educational, and humanitarian cooperation to contributions to international organisations, refugee support and protection, and peace operations), has risen to unprecedented levels in recent years. According to official data, Brazilian development cooperation increased from US$160 million in 2005 to more than US$900 million in 2010. In that period, the country’s technical cooperation disbursements grew almost fourfold and its humanitarian cooperation expanded from less than half a million dollars in 2005 to US$161 million in 2010. However, interviews and the current budget freeze on the Brazilian Cooperation Agency’s (ABC) activities indicate that the upward trend may have changed in the last three years.UK Department for International Developmen