The Australian Research Quality Framework: A live experiment in capturing the social, economic, environmental, and cultural returns of publicly funded research

Copyright @ 2008 Wiley Periodicals Inc. This is the accepted version of the following article: Donovan, C. (2008), The Australian Research Quality Framework: A live experiment in capturing the social, economic, environmental, and cultural returns of publicly funded research. New Directions for Evaluation, 2008: 47–60, which has been published in final form at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ev.260/abstract.The author regards development of Australia's ill-fated Research Quality Framework (RQF) as a “live experiment” in determining the most appropriate approach to evaluating the extra-academic returns, or “impact,” of a nation's publicly funded research. The RQF was at the forefront of an international movement toward richer qualitative, contextual approaches that aimed to gauge the wider economic, social, environmental, and cultural benefits of research. Its construction and implementation sent mixed messages and created confusion about what impact is, and how it is best measured, to the extent that this bold live experiment did not come to fruition

The Impact of Brazil’s Bolsa Familia Program on Food Security in Santo Antônio de Jesus, Bahia

The purpose of this research project is to evaluate the impact that the Bolsa Família Program has on the level of food security within an impoverished community of Santo Antônio de Jesus. The issue of food security is important because a person’s overall health worsens as a result of not having access to a healthy and well balanced diet. As a result of these negative health aspects, one’s capacity to do work, learn, and take care of one’s family are all affected. This relationship between nutrition and social situations is the focus of this study, which will be used to present the ways in which a proper diet can lead to a better quality of life. The research project will examine the following questions: What type of dietary trends does the community have? How was the situation of food security before the implementation of the Bolsa Familia Program? What are the ways in which the Bolsa Familia Program help establish a higher level of food security within the adolescent population? This study’s focus is on adolescents within the age range of 10 to 15 that attend school. The age group is important because these students are possible applicants for the Bolsa Familia Program and fall within an age that is vulnerable to unhealthy eating practices. In addition to that, an adolescent of this age needs a nutritious diet to promote a healthy rate of mental and physical development. The results for this project were obtained by means of participant observations, a questionnaire with the students, and interviews with program coordinators and local community members. The combination of these methods of research have proved that the benefits from the Bolsa Familia Program are being used in such a way that promotes both food security and adolescent development

Bentgrass response to K fertilization and K release rates from eight sand rootzone sources used in putting green construction.

There is a lack of plant response to fertilizer K in some sandy soils even though routine soil tests for soil available K are shown to be low. This lack of plant response to K fertilizer application may be explained by K release from nonexchangeable forms. Greenhouse and laboratory experiments were conducted to evaluate (a) response of bentgrass (Agrostis palustris [Agrostis stolonifera var. palustris]) cv. Pencross grown in rootzones with different sand sources to K fertilizer application and (b) K release from nonexchangeable forms from the different sand sources as an index to K availability. Experimental variables in the greenhouse were 2 K levels (0 and 250 mg K/kg soil) and 8 sand rootzone sources. Rootzone soils were sub-irrigated to ensure no K loss from leaching. Two laboratory methods (boiling 1 M HNO3 extraction and continuous leaching with 0.01 M HCl) and total K uptake by the bentgrass were employed to index K release from nonexchangeable forms for each rootzone source. K fertilizer application significantly increased bentgrass yield growing in one rootzone source and root weight in 3 rootzone sources. K uptake by bentgrass and the 2 laboratory methods showed important differences in K release from the sand rootzones. The K removed by the 2 laboratory methods was closely related to leaf tissue K and K uptake, with the 1 M HNO3 extraction method providing the closest fit. The release of K from primary minerals in some rootzones with high sand content is proceeding at rates to satisfy bentgrass requirements for K. The 1 M HNO3 extraction method may provide an alternative to the routine laboratory procedures presently being used to measure the extractable K in sand-based constructed putting greens by measuring K contributed by nonexchangeable forms

The Land Conservation Plan for Maine’s Piscataqua Region Watersheds

The Piscataqua River/Great Bay estuary is a shared coastal embayment that forms the southernmost boundary between the states of Maine and New Hampshire. This rich coastal bay provides critical ecological, economic, and social benefits to the southern Maine and coastal New Hampshire region. The Great Bay estuary is such an important coastal resource that it is officially recognized as a coastal area of national significance by both the federal National Estuary Program and the federal National Estuarine Research Reserve program. The Piscataqua River/Great Bay estuary is fed by many rivers in New Hampshire, and by the Salmon Falls River, Great Works River, and Spruce Creek water- sheds in Maine. Collectively, the land area that contributes water flow to this treasured bi-state estuarine system is referred to as the “Piscataqua Region.” Within Maine, this region includes portions or all of ten Maine communities: Acton, Berwick, Eliot, Kittery, Lebanon, North Berwick, Sanford, South Berwick, Wells, and York

Irréparable : Résistance et politiques de respectabilité en Colombie

In every era the attempt must be made anew to wrest tradition away from a conformism that is about to overpower it. Rumeurs et Hummers Dans une salle de conférence située à quelques rues de la Maison Blanche, une fonctionnaire de l'ambassade de Colombie déclara que la victime défendait les trafiquants de drogue et était connu pour conduire dans un Hummer autour de Cali . La personne en question - Hernan Darío Escobar, un avocat colombien - avait été visée par une fusillade en voiture en mai 2..

Irreparable: Resistencia y políticas de respetabilidad en Colombia

En toda época ha de intentarse arrancar la tradición al respectivo conformismo que está a punto de subyugarla. Rumores y Hummers Estábamos en una sala de conferencias a unas cuadras de la Casa Blanca. Una funcionaria de la Embajada de Colombia destacó a propósito de la víctima que defendió a narcotraficantes y que andaba por Cali en una Hummer”. La persona a quién se refería – Hernán Darío Escobar, abogado colombiano – fue abaleada desde un auto en mayo de 2011. La funcionaria de la Embajada ..

Pemanfaatan Biji Mangga Arum Manis (Mangifera indica L.) Sebagai Media Alternatif Pertumbuhan Candida albicans dan Aspergillus sp

Non-synthetic media is an alternative medium that utilizes ingredients found in nature. The chemical content of these ingredients is not known in detail but can be used because they are abundant in nature, easy to prepare and inexpensive. Several research results used alternative media from natural ingredients such as cassava starch for the growth of Aspergillus niger and Fusarium oxysporum , cowpeas, green beans, black soybeans, and soybean, ganyong, gembili and arrowroot , cereals, and beans . Purpose This study was to determine the seeds of mango arum sweth (Mangifera indica L.) can be used as an alternative growth medium for Candida albicans and Aspergillus sp. This research was conducted using an in vitro laboratory experimental method. The results showed that the medium mango seed (Mangifera indica L.) which had an average number of Candida albicans colonies was 1.12 x 106 cfu / ml while the medium mango seed arum sweet (Mangifera indica L.) in 72 hours incubation, the best diameter was obtained, namely 35 mm So it can be concluded that mango seed media (Mangifera indica L.) can be used as an alternative growth medium for Candida albicans and Aspergillus sp

“Desencantarse del estado”: confrontando los límites del multiculturalismo neoliberal en Colombia

The Colombian government’s embrace of multicultural policies in the 1990’s had far-reaching implications for black and indigenous struggles for self-determination and autonomy. In the context of widespread violence associated with the armed conflict, multicultural policies seemed to offer a semblance of protection. However, after nearly three decades of multicultural reforms, black and indigenous communities continue to face disproportionate violence and dispossession at the hands of the state, multinational corporations, drug traffickers, and other armed groups. This article explores the autonomy/inclusion dialectic in order to understand why some black and indigenous social movements are turning away from the state’s recognitionpolicies.La adopción de las políticas multiculturales por parte del estado colombiano en la década de los noventa tuvo implicaciones de largo alcance para las luchas de comunidades negras e indígenas por la autodeterminación y la autonomía. En un contexto de violencia generalizada asociada con el conflicto armado, las políticas multiculturales parecían ofrecer una aparente protección. Sin embargo, después de casi tres décadas de reformas multiculturales, las comunidades negras e indígenas continúan enfrentando la violencia y el despojo a manos del estado, las corporaciones multinacionales, los narcotraficantes y otros grupos armados. Este artículo explora la dialéctica de autonomía/inclusión con el fin de entender por qué algunos movimientos sociales negros e indígenas se están apartando de las políticas del reconocimiento estatal

Higher-Order Chromatin Structures of Chromosomally Integrated HHV-6A Predict Integration Sites

Human herpesvirus -6A and 6B (HHV-6A/B) can integrate their genomes into the telomeres of human chromosomes. Viral integration can occur in several cell types, including germinal cells, resulting in individuals that harbor the viral genome in every cell of their body. The integrated genome is efficiently silenced but can sporadically reactivate resulting in various clinical symptoms. To date, the integration mechanism and the subsequent silencing of HHV-6A/B genes remains poorly understood. Here we investigate the genome-wide chromatin contacts of the integrated HHV-6A in latently-infected cells. We show that HHV-6A becomes transcriptionally silent upon infection of these cells over the course of seven days. In addition, we established an HHV-6-specific 4C-seq approach, revealing that the HHV-6A 3D interactome is associated with quiescent chromatin states in cells harboring integrated virus. Furthermore, we observed that the majority of virus chromatin interactions occur toward the distal ends of specific human chromosomes. Exploiting this finding, we established a 4C-seq method that accurately detects the chromosomal integration sites. We further implement long-read minION sequencing in the 4C-seq assay and developed a method to identify HHV-6A/B integration sites in clinical samples