De inspecteur over de effecten van het toezicht

Inleiding. In de afgelopen decennia is bij de rijksinspecties de bewustwording over het belang van het meten van de effecten van toezicht sterk toegenomen. Rijksinspecties kregen steeds vaker te maken met de wens vanuit de politiek en het publiek om zich te verantwoorden over hun meerwaarde. Evidence based inzicht in de effecten van het toezicht maken het voor inspecties makkelijker om zich extern, maar ook intern, te verantwoorden. Rijksinspecties zijn zelf verantwoordelijk voor het aantonen van hun effect. Sinds 2009 heeft de Inspectieraad, het samenwerkingverband van tien rijksinspecties, het meerjarenprogramma ‘Effecten van toezicht’ in uitvoering. Het meerjarenprogramma stimuleert en ondersteunt inspecties bij het aantonen van hun effect...

De Bestuurskunde Tweedaagse

Elk jaar organiseert de Introducti ecommissie in samenwerking met het Insti tuut de Bestuurskunde Tweedaagse. Deze vond dit jaar plaats op 31 januari tot en met 1 februari. Het is belangrijk om middelbare scholieren een goed beeld te geven van de studie Bestuurskunde. Tijdens deze twee dagen worden dan ook zowel formele als informele acti viteiten georganiseerd

Security governance and networks: New theoretical perspectives in transatlantic security

The end of the Cold War has not only witnessed the rise of new transnational threats such as terrorism, crime, proliferation and civil war; it has also seen the growing role of non-state actors in the provision of security in Europe and North America. Two concepts in particular have been used to describe these transformations: security governance and networks. However, the differences and potential theoretical utility of these two concepts for the study of contemporary security have so far been under-examined. This article seeks to address this gap. It proposes that security governance can help to explain the transformation of Cold War security structures, whereas network analysis is particularly useful for understanding the relations and interactions between public and private actors in the making and implementation of national and international security policies

Effects of the Invasive Freshwater Mussel Limnoperna fortunei on Sediment Properties and Accumulation Rates

Since its introduction into South America around 1990, the freshwater bivalve Limnoperna fortunei (the golden mussel) has spread rapidly and is now a dominant component of the benthic and periphytic fauna in many rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. Sizable impacts of this nonindigenous species on nutrient recycling, plankton abundance and composition, and trophic relationships with fishes have been reported, but its effects on the sediments have received little attention. In this work, we use eighteen 20-L flow-through experimental units with and without mussels where changes in the mass and characteristics of the sediments accumulated throughout a yearly cycle in monthly, biannual, and annual intervals are analyzed. Experimental units with mussels yielded almost 2 times more sediments than units without mussels and contained significantly higher loads of organic matter and total N. Total P was not affected by the presence of mussels. Sediments accumulated in the biannual and annual experimental units agreed well with the yields of the monthly units, but the vertical stratification of organic matter, N, and P was unpatterned. Seasonal changes in the volume of total sediments, biodeposits, and their organic matter and N contents were positively associated with ambient water temperature and with intermediate (~150–250 NTU, nephelometric turbidity units) turbidity. Our results suggest that ecosystem-wide modifications in the living conditions of the benthic epifaunal and infaunal organisms in waterbodies invaded by the mussel are likely significant, although variable locally, regionally, and across taxa.Fil: Tokumon, Romina Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Boltovskoy, Demetrio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Cataldo, Daniel Hugo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; Argentin

Real-time PCR for diagnosing and quantifying co-infection by two globally distributed fungal pathogens of wheat

Co-infections – invasions of a host-plant by multiple pathogen species or strains – are common, and are thought to have consequences for pathogen ecology and evolution. Despite their apparent significance, co-infections have received limited attention; in part due to lack of suitable quantitative tools for monitoring of co-infecting pathogens. Here, we report on a duplex real-time PCR assay that simultaneously distinguishes and quantifies co-infections by two globally important fungal pathogens of wheat: Pyrenophora tritici-repentis and Parastagonospora nodorum. These fungi share common characteristics and host species, creating a challenge for conventional disease diagnosis and subsequent management strategies. The assay uses uniquely assigned fluorogenic probes to quantify fungal biomass as nucleic acid equivalents. The probes provide highly specific target quantification with accurate discrimination against non-target closely related fungal species and host genes. Quantification of the fungal targets is linear over a wide range (5000–0.5 pg DNA µl-1) with high reproducibility (RSD = 10%). In the presence of host DNA in the assay matrix, fungal biomass can be quantified up to a fungal to wheat DNA ratio of 1 to 200. The utility of the method was demonstrated using field samples of a cultivar sensitive to both pathogens. While visual and culture diagnosis suggested the presence of only one of the pathogen species, the assay revealed not only presence of both co-infecting pathogens (hence enabling asymptomatic detection) but also allowed quantification of relative abundances of the pathogens as a function of disease severity. Thus, the assay provides for accurate diagnosis; it is suitable for high-throughput screening of co-infections in epidemiological studies, and for exploring pathogen–pathogen interactions and dynamics, none of which would be possible with conventional approaches

Phyllosphere microbiology with special reference to diversity and plant genotype

The phyllosphere represents the habitat provided by the aboveground parts of plants, and on a global scale supports a large and complex microbial community. Microbial interactions in the phyllosphere can affect the fitness of plants in natural communities, the productivity of agricultural crops, and the safety of horticultural produce for human consumption. The structure of phyllosphere communities reflects immigration, survival and growth of microbial colonists, which is influenced by numerous environmental factors in addition to leaf physico-chemical properties. The recent use of culture-independent techniques has demonstrated considerable previously unrecognized diversity in phyllosphere bacterial communities. Furthermore, there is significant recent evidence that plant genotype can play a major role in determining the structure of phyllosphere microbial communities. The main aims of this review are: (i) to discuss the diversity of phyllosphere microbial populations; (ii) to consider the processes by which microbes colonize the phyllosphere; (iii) to address the leaf characteristics and environmental factors that determine the survival and growth of colonists; (iv) to discuss microbial adaptations that allow establishment in the phyllosphere habitat and (v) to evaluate evidence for plant genotypic control of phyllosphere communities. Finally, we suggest approaches and priority areas for future research on phyllosphere microbiology

Making civic initiatives last: Ecosystems, technologies, approaches and challenges

Civic initiatives aim to create impact, often beyond the initial (design) activity or process. HCI practice and research has turned toward exploring methods, technologies, processes, to work toward lasting initiatives that can continue effectively beyond the project or grant timeline. Nonetheless, there is a growing need to create a forum where researchers and practitioners can share their approaches so as to shed light on opportunities and challenges of supporting lasting civic initiatives moving forward. This workshop aims to bring together researchers and practitioners interested in how to make civic initiatives have lasting impact: either by supporting and sustaining such initiatives or by focusing on how their outcomes increase people’s capacity to act on their ideas and wishes

Effect of the irrigation regime on the susceptibility of pepper and tomato to post-harvest proliferation of Salmonella enterica

Raw produce is increasingly recognized as a vehicle of human gastroenteritis. Non-typhoidal Salmonella, pathogenic Escherichia coli, and other human pathogens have been isolated from fruits and vegetables in the field and in the marketplace, which led to the hypothesis that these microbes can use plants as alternate hosts. However, environmental and physiological factors that facilitate persistence of these bacteria in the crop production environment and make produce more vulnerable to post-harvest contamination have not been fully delineated. This study tested the effect of irrigation regimes on the susceptibility of peppers and tomatoes to post-harvest proliferation of Salmonella. The experiments were carried out over three experimental seasons in two locations using seven strains of Salmonella. The irrigation regime per se did not affect susceptibility of tomatoes and peppers to post-harvest proliferation of Salmonella; however, in some of the seasons, irrigation regime-dependent differences were observed. Red peppers and tomatoes were more conducive to proliferation of Salmonella than green fruit in all seasons. Inter-seasonal differences were the strongest factors affecting proliferation of Salmonella in peppers