Concern-Focused Evaluation for Ambiguous and Conflicting Policies: An Approach From the Environmental Field

International audienceEnvironment and sustainable development show how policies are becoming ever more complex and ambiguous. This trend calls for new evaluation approaches. They need to be more clearly focused on specific, explicit concerns. They must be driven by a strategic concept of use to overcome the vulnerability to manipulation of many integrative, essentially procedural, approaches to policy making and evaluation. This article presents a conceptual framework for such evaluations and a four-step approach: defining the focal concern; developing criteria and synthesizing observations on the extent to which the focal concern is met; identifying and assessing all policies contributing to this outcome; and complementing this with the evaluation of policies specifically aimed at meeting the focal concern. Examples are taken essentially from wetland-related policies in France and Senegal. The article discusses how this approach tackles some crucial issues in evaluation research and practice and advocates closer connections between evaluation and critical research on policies

REPRESENT recommendations: improving inclusion and trust in cancer early detection research

Detecting cancer early is essential to improving cancer outcomes. Minoritized groups remain underrepresented in early detection cancer research, which means that findings and interventions are not generalisable across the population, thus exacerbating disparities in cancer outcomes. In light of these challenges, this paper sets out twelve recommendations to build relations of trust and include minoritized groups in ED cancer research. The Recommendations were formulated by a range of stakeholders at the 2022 REPRESENT consensus-building workshop and are based on empirical data, including a systematic literature review and two ethnographic case studies in the US and the UK. The recommendations focus on: Long-term relationships that build trust; Sharing available resources; Inclusive and accessible communication; Harnessing community expertise; Unique risks and benefits; Compensation and support; Representative samples; Demographic data; Post-research support; Sharing results; Research training; Diversifying research teams. For each recommendation, the paper outlines the rationale, specifications for how different stakeholders may implement it, and advice for best practices. Instead of isolated recruitment, public involvement and engagement activities, the recommendations here aim to advance mutually beneficial and trusting relationships between researchers and research participants embedded in ED cancer research institutions

Center on Disability Studies eNewsletter, December 2023

As the year draws to a close and the holiday season is upon us, I want to extend my gratitude to our partners, collaborators, participants, students, and stakeholders on behalf of CDS. We genuinely appreciate the collective efforts that continually contribute to the success of our projects and initiatives. Looking ahead, we're gearing up for our Pac Rim Conference in February 2024, centered around the theme "Beyond Access: Building a Culture of Belonging," a concept we're deeply passionate about. This ethos guides our efforts within our unit and throughout our projects. Additionally, I encourage you to read about Dr. Steve Brown and his impactful legacy on CDS, within the AUCD network, and on Disability Culture. We celebrate his life and honor his memory

Center on Disability Studies eNewsletter, September 2023

Welcome to the September 2023 CDS Quarterly eNewsletter. Special highlights in this issue include: Maui Response Director’s Message Featured Artist Alexandra McClurg, MACL Educators Scholarship, Spark Aloha! H-PEP Inclusive First Aid/CPR/AED Upcoming Classes Nā Hōkū Newsletter Release, Project Hoʻokuʻi V Mia Ives-Rublee and Justice Shorter #PacRim 2024 Keynotes Hōkūlani Insider Newsletter Release, Project Hōkūlani Swim Safe: ASD Program Upcoming Classes Scholarships Opportunities, #PacRim2024 Sponsor and Exhibitor Invitations, #PacRim2024 Hawaiʻi Inclusive Early Childhood Professional Prep Project Soccer Classes, Wellness Matters Program Webinar with Dr. Jun Yaeda, University of Tsukuba, Japan September Events, Access to Independence Featured Film Release on KHON, The Power of Hoʻokuʻ

Center on Disability Studies eNewsletter, June 2023

Welcome to our summer newsletter. In this issue we highlight many events and happenings sponsored by CDS during June and July that you don’t want to miss out on. Disability Pride Month is also celebrated each year in July. Disability Pride initially started as a day of celebration in 1990, the year that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law. It is also an opportunity to raise awareness about improving access and inclusion. The first official Disability Pride celebration occurred in 2015 to commemorate the ADA’s 25th anniversary and the Disability Pride Flag was originally designed in 2019 by Ann Magill, who with feedback within the disabled community, refined its visual elements in 2021 to be more accessible. You can read more about how the disability pride flag helps increase the community’s visibility at https://go.hawaii.edu/qEX

Perfil epidemiológico das intoxicações por plantas tóxicas e domissaneantes notificadas em Goiás no período 2011 a 2015.

Objetivos: Busca-se discutir as intoxicações por produtos químicos, domissaneantes e plantas tóxicas notificadas no estado de Goiás no período de 2011 a 2015. Métodos:Trata-se de um estudo epidemiológico descritivo, cujos dados foram obtidos por meio de consulta à base de dados Sistema de Informações de Agravos e Notificação disponibilizada pelo Departamento de Informática do Sistema Único de Saúde. Foi utilizado o Sistema de Informação Geográfica gratuito e realizadas técnicas de geoprocessamento para visualizar, editar, criar e analisar os dados dos mapas de referência. As variáveis utilizadas foram: município de notificação, sexo, faixa etária, circunstância, zona de residência, escolaridade, tipo de exposição e evolução do quadro. Resultados: Observou-se uma prevalência das intoxicações por produtos químicos (46.16%), seguidas por domissaneantes (44.70%) e por plantas tóxicas (9.13%). As cidades que apresentaram um maior número de notificações foram Goiânia, Formosa, Anápolis, Rio Verde, Valparaíso de Goiás e Jataí. As intoxicações foram mais prevalentes em mulheres (53.23%). Os maiores índices estão nas faixas etárias de 01 a 04 anos (28.05%) e de 20 a 39 anos (38.55%). A circunstância está associada com a faixa etária, sendo de forma geral, a intoxicação acidental mais frequente. Há maior número de casos na zona urbana (91.83%). A exposição aguda-única é mais frequente e a maioria dos casos evoluíram para cura sem sequela. Conclusão: Portanto, os resultados se justificam pelo armazenamento, uso e disponibilização inadequados de produtos químicos e desconhecimento do potencial tóxico de algumas plantas. &nbsp

Perfil epidemiológico de intoxicações por agrotóxicos notificadas no Estado de Goiás entre os anos de 2011 e 2016 / Epidemiological profile of pesticide poisonings reported in the State of Goiás between the years 2011 and 2016

O Brasil se destaca no cenário mundial como o maior consumidor de agrotóxicos, respondendo na América Latina por 86% dos produtos. As intoxicações causadas por agrotóxicos resultam de uma interação complexa entre as propriedades do produto e a exposição do agricultor aos agrotóxicos.  O objetivo é estabelecer um perfil populacional epidemiológico acerca intoxicações causadas por agrotóxicos no estado de Goiás, no período de 2011 a 2016. Para tal, foi realizado um estudo retrospectivo, quantitativo, qualitativo, bibliográfico, do tipo transversal, baseado no estudo de literatura científica em bases de dados como Scielo, PubMed, Liliacs MedLine, e na busca ativa de dados epidemiológicos na base de dados DATASUS. Os resultados revelam que no estado de Goiás, os casos se concentram no território urbano – com 52% das notificações, a principal causa é por tentativa de suicídio, sobrepondo as demais como os acidentes de trabalho. A idade prevalente se deu entre a faixa etária de 20-39 anos, representando 25% dos casos e o sexo masculino corresponde a mais de 54% dos casos. Tais dados podem ser explicados pelo maior uso de agrotóxicos em trabalhadores rurais, os quais são homens adultos. Os resultados concluem que apesar das subnotificações, tanto nos casos que evoluíram para cura quanto nos óbitos constatados, para elementos agrotóxicos, existem dados que oferecem informações que traçam o perfil epidemiológico dessas intoxicações. Em geral, é o trabalhador rural do sexo masculino, jovem, com baixa escolaridade, com prováveis problemas psiquiátricos e com pouca informação quem mais se intoxica no Centro – Oeste

Chemo-Radiotherapy of Oligometastases of Colorectal Cancer With Pegylated Liposomal Mitomycin-C Prodrug (Promitil): Mechanistic Basis and Preliminary Clinical Experience

Hypo-fractionated radiotherapy and stereotactic body radiotherapy are viable options for treatment of oligometastases. A prodrug of mitomycin-C is under clinical testing as a pegylated liposomal formulation (Promitil) with an improved safety profile over mitomycin-C. Promitil was offered to two patients with oligometastases from colorectal cancer as radiosensitizer. Each derived durable clinical benefit from Promitil administered immediately prior to and following irradiation. Transient toxicity to normal tissues of moderate to severe degree was observed. Promitil appears to have potential clinical value in this setting.HIGHLIGHTS- Delivery of radio-sensitizing drugs with pegylated (long-circulating) liposomes is a pharmacologically rational approach which remains largely clinically untested.- A mitomycin-c prodrug delivered by pegylated liposomes (Promitil) is activated by thiol groups, which are produced in excess by radiation-damaged cells, thus potentiating the radio-sensitizing effect of Promitil.- Two durable clinical responses in patient with colorectal oligometastases to Promitil and radiotherapy suggest that this approach may be of value in cancer chemo-radiotherapy

JADES Initial Data Release for the Hubble Ultra Deep Field: Revealing the Faint Infrared Sky with Deep JWST NIRCam Imaging

© 2023. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/JWST has revolutionized the field of extragalactic astronomy with its sensitive and high-resolution infrared view of the distant Universe. Adding to the new legacy of JWST observations, we present the first NIRCam imaging data release from the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES), providing nine filters of infrared imaging of ∼25 arcmin2 covering the Hubble Ultra Deep Field and portions of Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey South. Utilizing 87 on-sky dual-filter hours of exposure time, these images reveal the deepest ever near-infrared view of this iconic field. We supply carefully constructed nine-band mosaics of the JADES bands, as well as matching reductions of five additional bands from the JWST Extragalactic Medium-band Survey. Combining with existing Hubble Space Telescope imaging, we provide 23-band space-based photometric catalogs and photometric redshifts for ≈47,500 sources. To promote broad engagement with JADES, we have created an interactive FitsMap website to provide an interface for professional researchers and the public to experience these JWST data sets. Combined with the first JADES NIRSpec data release, these public JADES imaging and spectroscopic data sets provide a new foundation for discoveries of the infrared Universe by the worldwide scientific community.Peer reviewe

JADES Initial Data Release for the Hubble Ultra Deep Field: Revealing the Faint Infrared Sky with Deep JWST NIRCam Imaging

JWST has revolutionized the field of extragalactic astronomy with its sensitive and high-resolution infrared view of the distant universe. Adding to the new legacy of JWST observations, we present the first NIRCam imaging data release from the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES) providing 9 filters of infrared imaging of $\sim$25 arcmin$^2$ covering the Hubble Ultra Deep Field and portions of Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS) South. Utilizing 87 on-sky dual-filter hours of exposure time, these images reveal the deepest ever near-infrared view of this iconic field. We supply carefully constructed 9-band mosaics of the JADES bands, as well as matching reductions of 5 additional bands from the JWST Extragalactic Medium-band Survey (JEMS). Combining with existing HST imaging, we provide 23-band space-based photometric catalogs and photometric redshifts for $\approx47,500$ sources. To promote broad engagement with the JADES survey, we have created an interactive {\tt FitsMap} website to provide an interface for professional researchers and the public to experience these JWST datasets. Combined with the first JADES NIRSpec data release, these public JADES imaging and spectroscopic datasets provide a new foundation for discoveries of the infrared universe by the worldwide scientific community.Comment: Several figures were modified to use better line styles. A brief comparison to IRAC Channel 1 photometry was added along with a few other clarifications. Paper has been accepted for publication in ApJ