The West against the rest? Democracy versus autocracy promotion in Venezuela

Venezuela provides a strong test case for the weakening of democracy and the strengthening of autocracy promotion. External actors are a key part of the domestic political game: the European Union and the United States (EUUS) promote ‘democracy by coercion’ and recognised Juan Guaidó as president, whereas China, Cuba and Russia (CCR) bolster the regime of Nicolás Maduro. A comparative foreign policy analysis argues that, firstly, EUUS sanctions have resulted in strengthening CCR's autocratic leverage and linkage; and secondly, the division ‘between the West and the Rest’ has posed an additional obstacle for a transition to democracy and national reconstructio

Caveolin 2 Regulates Endocytosis and Trafficking of the M1 Muscarinic Receptor in MDCK Epithelial Cells

Clathrin and caveolins are known for their involvement in the internalization of numerous receptors. Here we show that in polarized epithelial Madin-Darby canine kidney cells, both the clathrin machinery and caveolins are involved in the endocytosis and delivery to the plasma membrane (PM) of the M1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR). We initially localized this receptor to the lateral membrane, where it accumulates proximal to the tight junctions. From there it is internalized through the clathrin-mediated pathway. In addition, the receptor may associate on the PM with caveolin (cav) 2 or in intracellular compartments with either cav 2, or monomeric or oligomeric cav 1. Association of the PM M1 mAChR with cav 2 inhibits receptor endocytosis through the clathrin-mediated pathway or retains the receptor in an intracellular compartment. This intracellular association attenuates receptor trafficking. Expression of cav 1 with cav 2 rescues the latter's inhibitory effect. The caveolins stimulate M1 mAChR oligomerization thus maintaining a constant amount of monomeric receptor. These results provide evidence that caveolins play a role in the attenuation of the M1 muscarinic receptor's intracellular trafficking to and from the PM

Recomendaciones para el dise\uf1o y ejecuci\uf3n de programas educativos en el marco del aprendizaje a lo largo de la vida. Experiencias de las universidades socias del Proyecto TRALL (programa ALFAIII de la Comisi\uf3n Europea).

The publication contains a compilation of lifelong learning innovations. Sharing of experiences and strategies on lifelong learnings integral to UIL\u92s mission and in line with this spirit, the three year TRALL project has shown the importance of promoting synergies instead of the usual dispersion of efforts in the Latin American region. Such projects as TRALL and the resulting publicationare an important way to add value to the many learning reforms different actors are conducting in the different countries in the Latin American region. Imparting and taking on board good practices lead to common understanding and convergence in outlook. At the same time, learning from different country contexts is considered to be relevant for promoting the idea of social diversity. The report Learning to Be commissioned by UNESCO in 1972 (Faure et al., 1972) advocated lifelong education in both developed and developing countries, recognising education as universal and lifelong, and open to all. The UNESCO Report Learning: the Treasure Within (Delors et al., 1996), acknowledged lifelong learning as one of the guiding and organising principles of educational action and reform that underlines the essential role learning plays for both society and individuals.Despite the integrative understanding lifelong learning promoted since 1972, today most education systems are still not in a position to offer quality lifelong learning opportunities for all. Making it a reality implies holistic and sector-wide educational reform involving all sub-sectors and education levels of the education system to ensure the creation of learning opportunities in all settings or delivery modalities (formal, non-formal and informal) for people of all ages, and meeting a wide range of learning needs. Recent developments have reinforced the relevance of lifelong learning. These include an increasingly globalised world, the need for maintain peace and security, the introduction of new technologies, the exponential growth and changing nature of information, demographic shifts and social transformations, climate change and sustainable development, and the need of citizens to upgrade competences to meet labour market, social and environmental demands. Lifelong learning policies in the Latin American region need to be supported by broad social consensus,legislative instruments and coordination mechanism. As lifelong learning activities no longer fall exclusively within the domain of Ministries of Education, a mechanism for facilitating collaboration among various sectors and stakeholder is indispensable. Certain support structures are needed to facilitate lifelong learning. These include on the one hand, a full range of provision of education and learning opportunities, including guidance and counselling; as well as effective information and communication tools, and conducive learning environments and resources. To facilitate lifelong learning and provide incentives for learners, a learning outcomes-based qualifications framework and a coordinated approach to assessment and recognition of learning outcomes in non-formal and informal settings are required