Priorities for realizing the potential to increase agricultural productivity and growth in Western and Central Africa:

"We identify a set of development priorities for agriculture that cut across West Africa, at both the country and the regional level, to achieve economy-wide growth goals in the region. To do this, we adopt a modeling and analytical framework that involves the integration of spatial analysis to identify yield gaps determining growth potential of different agricultural activities for areas with similar conditions and an economy-wide multimarket model to simulate ex ante the economic effects of closing these yield gaps. Results indicate that the greatest agriculture-led growth opportunities in West Africa reside in staple crops (cereals as well as roots and tubers) and livestock production. Rice is the commodity with the highest potential for growth and the one that could generate the greatest benefits for many countries. Activities contributing the most to agricultural growth in the Sahel are livestock, rice, coarse grains, and groundnuts; in coastal countries, staple crops like cassava, yams, and cereals seem to be relatively more important than the contributions of other subsectors; and livestock and root crops are the sources of growth with highest potential in Central Africa. Our results also point toward an essential range of policies and investments that are needed to stimulate productivity growth of prioritized activities. These include the following: development of opportunities for regional cooperation on technology adaptation and diffusion, strengthening of regional agricultural markets exploiting opportunities for greater regional cooperation and harmonization, diversification of traditional markets, and enhancement of linkages between agricultural and nonagricultural sectors." from authors' abstractAgricultural growth, Multi-market model, spatial analysis, Staple food crops, Yield gap, Development strategies,

Privacy Rights Versus FOIA Disclosure Policy: The Uses and Effects Double Standard in Access to Personally-Identifiable Information in Government Records

The U.S. government maintains a vast amount of personally-identifiable information on millions of American citizens. Much of this information is contained in electronic databases maintained by federal agencies. Various Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requesters, such as journalists, marketers, and union organizers seek this information for different purposes including investigative reporting and targeted solicitations. These kinds of uses are known as derivative uses because this government-compiled information is requested for purposes other than the official purposes for which the information was originally gathered. These and other derivative uses of personally-identifiable information often implicate privacy concerns. Conversely, restrictions on public access to federal agency records can pose negative public policy implications. This article explores the continuing conflict between protecting personal privacy rights and safeguarding public access rights to personally-identifiable information under FOIA

EL PROBLEMA DEL OTRO Y LA ÉTICA. LA ANTROPOLOGÍA, LOS DERECHOS HUMANOS Y LA POLÍTICA

La cuestión a dilucidar es la ética que debe prevalecer en el desempeño antropológico, un tema que si bien tiene fuentes filosóficas subyace en la antropología de la manera en que ésta se acerca al problema de estudio. El texto que se presenta intenta ubicar una posible relación entre la ética, la antropología, los derechos humanos, y la política, frente al «problema del otro», con el fin de acercarlo al contexto mexicano desde los postulados de Enrique Dussel en su Introducción a una Filosofía Latinoamericana de la Liberación. ¿Qué relación existe entre ética y antropología? ¿Cuál debe ser la conducta ética del antropólogo? ¿Es posible una ética o debemos considerar muchas éticas dada la diversidad cultural? ¿Los derechos humanos son —como propuesta de valores— universales o esto es un imposible? ¿Existe una ética para la política frente a la diversidad? ABSTRACT This text explores the question of the ethics that should prevail in anthropological pursuits, a topic which, despite philosophical undertones, is an underlining issue in anthropology, particularly in the way in which it approaches the study problem. The article attempts to identify a possible relationship between ethics, anthropology, human rights and politics, in light of «the problem of the other,» with the purpose of positioning it within the Mexican context, based on the postulates of Enrique Dussel in his Introducción a una Filosofía Latinoamericana de la Liberación. What relation exists between ethics and anthropology? What should be considered ethical behavior of an anthropologist? Is just one ethic possible or must we consider several, given cultural diversity? Are human rights—as a proposal of values—universal, or is that impossible? Do ethics exist for politics, given this diversity

IMPROVISATION AND THE CONCERT SAXOPHONIST: A SURVEY OF COMPOSITIONAL AND PERFORMANCE TECHNIQUES

Much of the contemporary concert (i.e. “classical”) saxophone literature has connections to compositional styles found in other genres like jazz, rock, or pop. Although improvisation exists as a dominant compositional device in jazz, improvisation as a performance technique is not confined to a single genre. This study looks at twelve concert saxophone pieces that are grouped into three primary categories of compositional techniques: 1) those containing unmeasured phrases, 2) those containing limited relation to improvisation but a close relationship to jazz styles, and 3) those containing jazz improvisation. In concert saxophone music, specific crossover pieces use the compositional technique of jazz improvisation. Four examples of such jazz works were composed by Dexter Morrill, Phil Woods, Bill Dobbins, and Ramon Ricker, all of which provide a foundation for this study. In addition, pieces containing varying degrees of unmeasured phrases are highlighted. As this dissertation project is based in performance, the twelve pieces were divided into three recitals that summarize a pedagogical sequence. Any concert saxophonist interested in developing jazz improvisational skills can use the pieces in this study as a method to progress toward the performance of pieces that merge jazz improvisation with the concert format. The three compositional techniques examined here will provide the performer with the necessary material to develop this individualized approach to improvisation. Specific compositional and performance techniques vary depending on the stylistic content: this study examines improvisation in the context of concert saxophone repertoire

Regulation of mRNA translation by a photoriboswitch.

Optogenetic tools have revolutionized the study of receptor-mediated processes, but such tools are lacking for RNA-controlled systems. In particular, light-activated regulatory RNAs are needed for spatiotemporal control of gene expression. To fill this gap, we used in vitro selection to isolate a novel riboswitch that selectively binds the trans isoform of a stiff-stilbene (amino-tSS)-a rapidly and reversibly photoisomerizing small molecule. Structural probing revealed that the RNA binds amino-tSS about 100-times stronger than the cis photoisoform (amino-cSS). In vitro and in vivo functional analysis showed that the riboswitch, termed Werewolf-1 (Were-1), inhibits translation of a downstream open reading frame when bound to amino-tSS. Photoisomerization of the ligand with a sub-millisecond pulse of light induced the protein expression. In contrast, amino-cSS supported protein expression, which was inhibited upon photoisomerization to amino-tSS. Reversible photoregulation of gene expression using a genetically encoded RNA will likely facilitate high-resolution spatiotemporal analysis of complex RNA processes

Searching For Patterns in the Laws Governing Access to Records and Meetings in the Fifty States by Using Multiple Research Tools

Freedom of Information (FOI) advocates, mass communication scholars, journalists, and public policymakers often have asked which public access laws are the best in the country. The answer is elusive, even using a variety of research methodologies. Prior research has focused on studying only one aspect of these laws in the fifty states or by ranking every state on a limited number of criteria considered by a scholar to be necessary for an ideal law. No study thus far has effectively and systematically attempted to rank all state public records and open meeting laws in their entirety. Assuming that the best public access law means the law that at least facially creates the highest level of government transparency, scholars can use a variety of research approaches to better understand which laws are perceived as more open than others. Indeed, by using a combination of social science and legal research approaches, scholars can achieve not only an improved understanding of how state laws compare, but also what the concept of openness means in state public record and open meetings laws. To this end, the Marion Brechner Citizen Access Project (MBCAP) has implemented a long-term research project analyzing the access laws of all states by carefully combining social science methodology and traditional legal research techniques. Although in its early stages, the MBCAP has already produced a unique methodological approach and significant data. In this Essay, the authors explain how the combination of social science and legal methodologies can effectively answer complex questions involving public access laws. Discussing the project\u27s methodology could also be useful to legal and communication scholars wishing to develop and improve state law compilations in order to identify in greater detail public policy established by state legislatures and the courts. Furthermore, although the MBCAP so far has focused on aspects of state public records laws, the methodology presented here may be replicated or modified for other areas of law where ranking and comparison of multiple jurisdictions would be useful. Now, after an overview of the problem statement set out here, the Essay provides background by reviewing the relevant literature in Part II. Part III outlines the objectives of the project and the methodology used to meet those objectives. It will also provide solutions to complex problems that arise in a study of the laws of the fifty states and the District of Columbia. Part IV presents project results to demonstrate how state public records laws are being analyzed through use of the project. Part V concludes by discussing the practical and academic applications of the project as well as its limitations

Searching for Patterns in the Laws Governing Access to Records and Meetings in the Fifty States by Using Multiple Research Tools

Freedom of Information (FOI) advocates, mass communication scholars, journalists, and public policymakers often have asked which public access laws are the best in the country. The answer is elusive, even using a variety of research methodologies. Prior research has focused on studying only one aspect of these laws in the fifty states or by ranking every state on a limited number of criteria considered by a scholar to be necessary for an ideal law. No study thus far has effectively and systematically attempted to rank all state public records and open meeting laws in their entirety. Assuming that the best public access law means the law that at least facially creates the highest level of government transparency, scholars can use a variety of research approaches to better understand which laws are perceived as more open than others. Indeed, by using a combination of social science and legal research approaches, scholars can achieve not only an improved understanding of how state laws compare, but also what the concept of openness means in state public record and open meetings laws. To this end, the Marion Brechner Citizen Access Project (MBCAP) has implemented a long-term research project analyzing the access laws of all states by carefully combining social science methodology and traditional legal research techniques. Although in its early stages, the MBCAP has already produced a unique methodological approach and significant data. In this Essay, the authors explain how the combination of social science and legal methodologies can effectively answer complex questions involving public access laws. Discussing the project\u27s methodology could also be useful to legal and communication scholars wishing to develop and improve state law compilations in order to identify in greater detail public policy established by state legislatures and the courts. Furthermore, although the MBCAP so far has focused on aspects of state public records laws, the methodology presented here may be replicated or modified for other areas of law where ranking and comparison of multiple jurisdictions would be useful. Now, after an overview of the problem statement set out here, the Essay provides background by reviewing the relevant literature in Part II. Part III outlines the objectives of the project and the methodology used to meet those objectives. It will also provide solutions to complex problems that arise in a study of the laws of the fifty states and the District of Columbia. Part IV presents project results to demonstrate how state public records laws are being analyzed through use of the project. Part V concludes by discussing the practical and academic applications of the project as well as its limitations

Successful Completion of the Largest Shipment of Russian Research Reactor High-Enriched Uranium Spent Nuclear Fuel from Czech Republic to Russian Federation

On December 8, 2007, the largest shipment of high-enriched uranium spent nuclear fuel was successfully made from a Russian-designed nuclear research reactor in the Czech Republic to the Russian Federation. This accomplishment is the culmination of years of planning, negotiations, and hard work. The United States, Russian Federation, and the International Atomic Energy Agency have been working together on the Russian Research Reactor Fuel Return (RRRFR) Program in support of the Global Threat Reduction Initiative. In February 2003, RRRFR Program representatives met with the Nuclear Research Institute in Rež, Czech Republic, and discussed the return of their high-enriched uranium spent nuclear fuel to the Russian Federation for reprocessing. Nearly 5 years later, the shipment was made. This paper discusses the planning, preparations, coordination, and cooperation required to make this important international shipment