207 research outputs found
Spectacle and adventure philanthropy
While humanitarian tourism is increasingly examined from critical theory perspectives (see Ingram, 2011; Mostafanezhad, 2013, 2104; Simpson, 2004), less attention has been given to the role of media and spectacle in the enactment of this type of tourism. This research note aims to expose the social power of spectacle in humanitarian tourism, broadly, by arguing that the production of spectacle is necessary to adventure philanthropy, specifically. Adventure philanthropy combines altruism and humanitarianism with adventure travel (Lyons & Wearing, 2008) and is part of broader trends in philanthropy that employ alternative means of fund-raising (Coghlan & Filo, 2013; Goodwin, McCombes, & Eckardt, 2009). In adventure philanthropy, individuals partner with charitable organizations to set travel goals while engaging social media to raise awareness and funds for specific causes â for example, trekking the Silk Road to raise funds for womenâs health initiatives or kayaking to Guatemala to support childrenâs education in the country. However, the spectacle of travelling towards destinations where aid recipients wait commodifies both the recipientsâ poverty and the philanthropistsâ adventure stories. This effect, in turn, depoliticizes the structural causes of poverty, ultimately normalizing inequality and reproducing the status quo, which raises questions as to the effectiveness and the results of humanitarian tourism. Such questions are relevant to a number of stakeholders: tourists/participants, audiences, recipient communities, corporate sponsors, and humanitarian organizations
Self-stabilizing Overlays for high-dimensional Monotonic Searchability
We extend the concept of monotonic searchability for self-stabilizing systems
from one to multiple dimensions. A system is self-stabilizing if it can recover
to a legitimate state from any initial illegal state. These kind of systems are
most often used in distributed applications. Monotonic searchability provides
guarantees when searching for nodes while the recovery process is going on.
More precisely, if a search request started at some node succeeds in
reaching its destination , then all future search requests from to
succeed as well. Although there already exists a self-stabilizing protocol for
a two-dimensional topology and an universal approach for monotonic
searchability, it is not clear how both of these concepts fit together
effectively. The latter concept even comes with some restrictive assumptions on
messages, which is not the case for our protocol. We propose a simple novel
protocol for a self-stabilizing two-dimensional quadtree that satisfies
monotonic searchability. Our protocol can easily be extended to higher
dimensions and offers routing in hops for any search
request
El papel social del militar en el postconflicto colombiano
En el presente ensayo se pretende argumentar diferentes dinĂĄmicas del conflicto interno en Colombia que llevĂł a que de manera temprana las Fuerzas Militares del paĂs asumieran funciones de seguridad civil, desarrollando su estructura y doctrina en torno a las necesidades de la lucha contra los grupos armados al margen de la ley y en defensa de la sociedad y las instituciones, de esta manera relegĂł a un segundo plano su rol clĂĄsico de defensa de las fronteras nacionales frente a potenciales amenazas externas. AsĂ pues es necesario mirar en primera instancia como El ordenamiento constitucional, legal y jurĂdico del Estado moderno prevĂ© y justifica la creaciĂłn y existencia de las fuerzas militares FFMM- cuya misiĂłn fundamental es la defensa de la soberanĂa con respecto y frente a otras naciones del mundo (defensa nacional externa). AsĂ mismo, la defensa nacional interna estĂĄ asignada al cuerpo de policĂa, al margen y de manera totalmente separada de las FFMMPregrad
Efficient use of water for irrigation in the upper midwest
The objectives of this multidisciplinary interinstitutional regional study on the efficient use of water for irrigation in the upper Midwest were: (1) to determine parameters needed for existing or improved models of crop response; (2) to relate yield response to costs and revenues by assessing the water demand for irrigation; and (3) to study the demand for irrigation, present and projected, and its availability as related to public allocation decisions. From this series of studies it was concluded that: (1) There are many areas of the Midwest with sufficient groundwater and surface water resources to support the development of irrigation. (2) Soil moisture models indicate that only moderate yield response to irrigation can be expected on high moisture soils; on lighter soils and claypan soils, yield response is significant, even in regions with relatively high precipitation. (3) Irrigation and drainage on claypan soils can dramatically increase corn yields. (4) It appears economically worthwhile for the individual farmer operating on moderate soils or on claypan soils to evaluate capital investments in irrigation along with other capital investments. (5) Increases in yields and persistence of alfalfa due to irrigation appear to be insignificant when compared to conventional management practices; further research is needed. A potential, however, appears to exist for improving adaptation of a1 fa1 fa varieties to soil water deficits.U.S. Geological SurveyU.S. Department of the InteriorOpe
New paradigms for understanding and step changes in treating active and chronic, persistent apicomplexan infections
Toxoplasma gondii, the most common parasitic infection of human brain and eye, persists across lifetimes, can progressively damage sight, and is currently incurable. New, curative medicines are needed urgently. Herein, we develop novel models to facilitate drug development: EGS strain T. gondii forms cysts in vitro that induce oocysts in cats, the gold standard criterion for cysts. These cysts highly express cytochrome b. Using these models, we envisioned, and then created, novel 4-(1H)-quinolone scaffolds that target the cytochrome bc1 complex Qi site, of which, a substituted 5,6,7,8-tetrahydroquinolin-4-one inhibits active infection (IC50, 30 nM) and cysts (IC50, 4 ÎŒM) in vitro, and in vivo (25 mg/kg), and drug resistant Plasmodium falciparum (IC50, <30 nM), with clinically relevant synergy. Mutant yeast and co-crystallographic studies demonstrate binding to the bc1 complex Qi site. Our results have direct impact on improving outcomes for those with toxoplasmosis, malaria, and ~2 billion persons chronically infected with encysted bradyzoites
Author Correction: New paradigms for understanding and step changes in treating active and chronic, persistent apicomplexan infections
Correction to: Scientific Reports https://doi.org/10.1038/srep29179, published online 14 July 201
Challenging the Moral Status of Blood Donation
The World Health Organisation encourages that blood donation becomes voluntary and unremunerated, a system already operated in the UK. Drawing on public documents and videos, this paper argues that blood donation is regarded and presented as altruistic and supererogatory. In advertisements, donation is presented as something undertaken for the benefit of others, a matter attracting considerable gratitude from recipients and the collecting organisation. It is argued that regarding blood donation as an act of supererogation is wrongheaded, and an alternative account of blood donation as moral obligation is presented. Two arguments are offered in support of this position. First, the principle of beneficence, understood in a broad consequentialist framework obliges donation where the benefit to the recipient is large and the cost to the donor relatively small. This argument can be applied, with differing levels of normativity, to various acts of donation. Second, the wrongness of free riding requires individuals to contribute to collective systems from which they benefit. Alone and in combination these arguments present moral reasons for donation, recognised in communication strategies elsewhere. Research is required to evaluate the potential effects on donation of a campaign which presents blood donation as moral obligation, but of wider importance is the recognition that other-regarding considerations in relation to our own as well as othersâ health result in a range not only of choices but also of obligations
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