"Social Progress After the Age of Progressivism: The End of Trade Unionism in the West"

This essay is about trade unions, an institution that arose to play an important part in relation to the social progress characterizing much of the present century and that served as an important reference point for several varieties of normative progressivism. The past two decades of social progress in the most prosperous established nations appear to be rendering the institution obsolete. The objective of the paper is to reject all progressivist interpretations of this trend -- neither condemning the development as a regressive obstacle to progress nor welcoming it as a normal part of the developmental process. The aim is to inquire anew into the historical project of trade unions and the interplay between this project and the processes of social progress, past and prospective. The analytical thesis is that the institution has been multi-dimensional, serving in one of its dimensions as an important political response to social progress. The normative problem is whether the unions' political contribution to a socially conscious political democratization can be revived or transferred, when the unions' constitutive adaptations to past stages of social progress appear to be failing so badly in the present. After a brief overview designed to show that analytical awareness of social progress has historically been linked to critical politically-minded theoretical currents as well as to progressivist theories and that it has been the ideology-process that has tended to smudge this distinction, we briefly outline three alternative progressivist approaches to unionism. Next comes a review of the contemporary state of the problem and a proposal for an analytical approach that avoids the holistic errors of progressivist analyses and lets the political issues be properly posed. In this approach, unions are situated in the context of labor regimes, an historical concept that highlights the dual character of unions, between social progress and political constitution. The contemporary decline of unions is then analyzed in relation to both levels of analysis. The political dimension poses questions of strategy for unions, and the study closes with a critical assessment of strategic alternatives generated by the progressivist alternatives. The conclusion is skeptical and political rather than programmatic, but that illustrates the social-theoretical point of the exercise. The demise of progressivism does not automatically condemn either its contributions to social theoretical analyses of social progress or its political projects.

Association between a Specific Pneumocystis jiroveci Dihydropteroate Synthase Mutation and Failure of Pyrimethamine/Sulfadoxine Prophylaxis in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Positive and -Negative Patients

To investigate the possible association between different prophylactic sulfa drugs and the genotype of the Pneumocystis jiroveci dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS) gene, we examined DHPS polymorphisms in clinical specimens from 158 immunosuppressed patients (38 HIV-negative and 120 HIV-positive), using polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism. Fifty-seven (36.1%) of 158 patients were infected with a mutant DHPS genotype. All patients who developed P. jiroveci pneumonia (PcP) while receiving pyrimethamine/sulfadoxine (PM/SD) prophylaxis (n=14) had a strain harboring DHPS with an amino acid change at position 57 (Pro→Ser). This mutation was only present in 20 (14%) of 144 patients not receiving prophylaxis (P<.001). Hospitalization in a specific hospital was an independent risk factor for having P. jiroveci harboring the same DHPS mutation, which indirectly supports that interhuman transmission may affect the dissemination of the mutant strain

Interhuman Transmission as a Potential Key Parameter for Geographical Variation in the Prevalence of Pneumocystis jirovecii Dihydropteroate Synthase Mutations

Background. Pneumocystis jirovecii dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS) mutations are associated with failure of prophylaxis with sulfa drugs. This retrospective study sought to better understand the geographical variation in the prevalence of these mutations. Methods. DHPS polymorphisms in 394 clinical specimens from immunosuppressed patients who received a diagnosis of P. jirovecii pneumonia and who were hospitalized in 3 European cities were examined using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) single-strand conformation polymorphism. Demographic and clinical characteristics were obtained from patients' medical charts. Results. Of the 394 patients, 79 (20%) were infected with a P. jirovecii strain harboring one or both of the previously reported DHPS mutations. The prevalence of DHPS mutations was significantly higher in Lyon than in Switzerland (33.0% vs 7.5%; P<.001). The proportion of patients with no evidence of sulfa exposure who harbored a mutant P. jirovecii DHPS genotype was significantly higher in Lyon than in Switzerland (29.7% vs 3.0%; P<.001). During the study period in Lyon, in contrast to the Swiss hospitals, measures to prevent dissemination of P. jirovecii from patients with P. jirovecii pneumonia were generally not implemented, and most patients received suboptimal prophylaxis, the failure of which was strictly associated with mutated P. jirovecii. Thus, nosocomial interhuman transmission of mutated strains directly or indirectly from other individuals in whom selection of mutants occurred may explain the high proportion of mutations without sulfa exposure in Lyon. Conclusions. Interhuman transmission of P. jirovecii, rather than selection pressure by sulfa prophylaxis, may play a predominant role in the geographical variation in the prevalence in the P. jirovecii DHPS mutation

HOW UNPREJUDICED ARE THE YOUNG?

http://web.ku.edu/~starjrn

Challenges and Prospects of Community Participation in Improving Environmental Rehabilitation and Agricultural Extension: The Case of Boloso Sore Woreda, SNNPR, Ethiopia

A number of scientific research and educational system have given attention to the needs and priorities of local communities. However, utilization of community potential through integrating indigenous and modern practical knowledge to enhance agricultural extension and environmental rehabilitation has been not satisfactory. Therefore, this study has assessed the bottlenecks and opportunities of community participation in environmental rehabilitation and agricultural extension in Boloso Sore Woreda. The study has employed personal interviews, questionnaire, focus group discussions, and observation in addition to using available documents. The study was mainly based on the data obtained sample household respondents which were selected using stratified random sampling technique. Both quantitative and qualitative methods of data analysis were used for the purpose of describing different variables of the study. It was also examined the structure, mechanisms and its key problems of community participation in environmental rehabilitation and agricultural extension activities. The data analysis process was also made by making use of frequency distribution tables, percentage and pie charts. As a result, there is lack of integration, not only between the local government and community but also within communities themselves. This indicates that there existed insufficient coordination level of the Woreda administration and lack of transparency within the administrative bodies’ working procedure in the resource allocation processes. This in turn affected the commitment level of local people to participate in different activities of environmental rehabilitation and agricultural extension. Keywords: Community, Coordination, Indigenous, Integrating, Participation, Transparenc

Quercetin prevents progression of disease in elastase/LPS-exposed mice by negatively regulating MMP expression

Abstract Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by chronic bronchitis, emphysema and irreversible airflow limitation. These changes are thought to be due to oxidative stress and an imbalance of proteases and antiproteases. Quercetin, a plant flavonoid, is a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. We hypothesized that quercetin reduces lung inflammation and improves lung function in elastase/lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-exposed mice which show typical features of COPD, including airways inflammation, goblet cell metaplasia, and emphysema. Methods Mice treated with elastase and LPS once a week for 4 weeks were subsequently administered 0.5 mg of quercetin dihydrate or 50% propylene glycol (vehicle) by gavage for 10 days. Lungs were examined for elastance, oxidative stress, inflammation, and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity. Effects of quercetin on MMP transcription and activity were examined in LPS-exposed murine macrophages. Results Quercetin-treated, elastase/LPS-exposed mice showed improved elastic recoil and decreased alveolar chord length compared to vehicle-treated controls. Quercetin-treated mice showed decreased levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, a measure of lipid peroxidation caused by oxidative stress. Quercetin also reduced lung inflammation, goblet cell metaplasia, and mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and muc5AC. Quercetin treatment decreased the expression and activity of MMP9 and MMP12 in vivo and in vitro, while increasing expression of the histone deacetylase Sirt-1 and suppressing MMP promoter H4 acetylation. Finally, co-treatment with the Sirt-1 inhibitor sirtinol blocked the effects of quercetin on the lung phenotype. Conclusions Quercetin prevents progression of emphysema in elastase/LPS-treated mice by reducing oxidative stress, lung inflammation and expression of MMP9 and MMP12.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78260/1/1465-9921-11-131.xmlhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78260/2/1465-9921-11-131.pdfPeer Reviewe

Current concepts on oxidative/carbonyl stress, inflammation and epigenetics in pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a global health problem, and current therapy for COPD is poorly effective and the mainstays of pharmacotherapy are bronchodilators. A better understanding of the pathobiology of COPD is critical for the development of novel therapies. In the present review, we have discussed the roles of oxidative/aldehyde stress, inflammation/immunity, and chromatin remodeling in the pathogenesis of COPD. Imbalance of oxidant/antioxidant balance caused by cigarette smoke and other pollutants/biomass fuels plays an important role in the pathogenesis of COPD by regulating redox-sensitive transcription factors (e.g. NF-κB), autophagy and unfolded protein response leading to chronic lung inflammatory response. Cigarette smoke also activates canonical/alternative NF-κB pathways and their upstream kinases leading to sustained inflammatory response in lungs. Recently, epigenetic regulation has been shown to be critical for the development of COPD because the expression/activity of enzymes that regulate these epigenetic modifications have been reported to be abnormal in airways of COPD patients. Hence, the significant advances made in understanding the pathophysiology of COPD as described herein will identify novel therapeutic targets for intervening COPD

Theatrical scenography

Ne možemo biti sigurni kako je nastala niti kada se desila prva predstava, ali smo sigurni da otkada postoji kazalište postoji i scenografija. Na početku je to vjerojatno bilo samo ono što se slučajno našlo iza glumca. S vremenom, kako se razvijalo kazalište, tako se i scenografija mijenjala i postala sve konkretnija i sve uvjerljivija. Svako je povijesno razdoblje preslikalo svoja obilježja na kazalište pa tako i na scenografiju. Mijenjala se ideja o tome što je bitno i čemu će se posvetiti veća pozornost prilikom izrade scenografije, a što je manje bitno i što će se izostaviti. Kada nastaje kazališna predstava, nastaje i scenografija, ona je važan dio predstave. Pomoću nje publika dobiva prvi dojam o predstavi, ona pomaže glumcima da lakše i jednostavnije dočaraju radnju. Scenograf osmišljava scenografiju u dogovoru s redateljem i kostimografom te svi zajedno moraju postići skladnu cjelinu predstave. Kada studenti izrađuju scenografiju najbitnije je da oni u sebi probude maštu i kreativnost, kako bi i sami mogli jednoga dana kod djece poticati iste kompetencije. Cilj izrade scenografije s djecom je da ih naučimo kako reciklirati, približiti samu kazališnu umjetnost kroz igru i likovno izražavanje.It is not certain how and when the first theater play was made, but ever since the theater is established, the scenography is used too. In the beginnings, the scene set was probably made of objects that were unintentionally left behind the actor. Eventually the theater has developed, so the scenery also had to improve to become more specific and convincing. Every historical or artistic period left a mark on theater in general and on scenography. The focus was changed from time to time and with it the scenography as well. The scenography is made at the same time as the play, it is a significal part of it. With the use of scene set, the first impression of play is brought to audience. Moreover, it helps actors to present the play easier and more convincingly. Scenographer is the person who designs scenography in agreement with the director and the costume designer. Their cooperation provides a play that is scenic and harmonious. When students create a scenography, it is most important to awake their own imagination and creativity, thus in the future they could induce the same competences with children. The goal of creating a scenography with children is to teach them how to recycle, and to bring closer the theatrical art it self through play and artistic expression