Rio+20: accountability and implementation as key goals

This repository item contains a single issue of Sustainable Development Insights, a series of short policy essays that began publishing in 2008 by the Boston University Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future. The series seeks to promote a broad interdisciplinary dialogue on how to accelerate sustainable development at all levels.Over the past two decades, the Global Environmental Governance (GEG) system has grown and evolved, making much progress in incorporating sustainable development as the central goal of environmental governance, and delivering scores of new international institutions, legal instruments, declarations and financial mechanisms. However, the GEG system lacks the crucial components of accountability and implementation as part of its core operating system. The authors argue that the upcoming Rio + 20 meeting provides the perfect opportunity to help bring about these much needed changes to strengthen the GEG and help achieve its ultimate goals. The authors propose a set of four accountability-enabling mechanisms: 1. Improved metrics and reporting mechanisms. 2. Transparency mechanisms. 3. Compliance mechanisms. 4. Capacity building. The authors also propose a set of four enabling institutional arrangements: 1. Compendium of best (and worst) practices. 2. Registry of commitments. 3. Renewed focus for CSD. 4. A global “Aarhus” instrument

Global environmental governance: the challenge of accountability

This repository item contains a single issue of Sustainable Development Insights, a series of short policy essays that began publishing in 2008 by the Boston University Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future. The series seeks to promote a broad interdisciplinary dialogue on how to accelerate sustainable development at all levels.This issue argues that accountability – or lack thereof- is a fundamental challenge in confronting improved global environmental governance (GEG) and that success must be measured not simply by the vitality of the negotiation process but by the robustness of implementation. States as well as institutions must be judged not by their statements of good intentions but by measurable implementation of their commitments and achievement of goals. The authors provide five reasons for GEG’s culture of unaccountability and seven related ideas for GEG reform

Connecting the dots: information visualization and text analysis of the Searchlight Project newsletters

This report is the product of the Pardee Center’s work on the Searchlight:Visualization and Analysis of Trend Data project sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation. Part of a larger effort to analyze and disseminate on-the-ground information about important societal trends as reported in a large number of regional newsletters developed in Asia, Africa and the Americas specifically for the Foundation, the Pardee Center developed sophisticated methods to systematically review, categorize, analyze, visualize, and draw conclusions from the information in the newsletters.The Rockefeller Foundatio

Rio+20: another world summit?

This repository item contains a single issue of Sustainable Development Insights, a series of short policy essays that began publishing in 2008 by the Boston University Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future. The series seeks to promote a broad interdisciplinary dialogue on how to accelerate sustainable development at all levels.This issue explores the possibility of holding a Sustainable World Summit in 2012 and three possible options to support such an event . The paper concludes, “The world may not choose any of our three options as the grand purpose for a 2012 World Sustainability Summit. But whatever goal is chosen for a summit needs to be not only grand, but truly meaningful. If it is, then future generations will remember that event like we remember Stockholm and Rio. If it is not, then another summit is not what the world needs right now.

Mapping the complexity of higher education in the developing world

This repository item contains a single issue of Issues in Brief, a series of policy briefs that began publishing in 2008 by the Boston University Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future.On October 27 and 28, 2009, a workshop of experts on higher education in developing countries was convened by the Boston University Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future. The meeting was supported by a grant from the National Academies Keck Futures Initiative with additional support from the Pardee Center and the Office of the Boston University Provost. The meeting brought together experts in economics, public policy, education, development, university management, and quantitative modeling who had rich experiences across the developing world. These experts offered a variety of conceptual tools with which to look at the particular complexities associated with higher education in developing countries. The meeting was convened by the authors of this paper. This policy brief builds upon and reflects on the discussion at this meeting, but is not a meeting report, per se

Developing countries in global environmental negotiations

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2001.Includes bibliographical references (p. 331-361).This study explores the collective negotiation behavior of the developing countries of the South in international environmental politics. The so-called 'South'-represented in global negotiations by Group of 77 (G77)-is an unwieldy and unlikely collective made up of over 130 countries displaying dramatically different economic conditions, ideological persuasions, political systems and geographic features and environmental endowments. Yet, for over 30 years now, the collective has demonstrated remarkable resilience in the face of internal divisions as well as external threats. Although sometimes described as an economic collective 'of the poor', the South is, in fact, a political collective 'of the marginalized'. Its resilience stems from its member's strongly shared sense of exclusion from the international system and their collective desire to change the 'rules of the game'. This resilience, however, has often come at the cost of having to slip into 'lowest common denominator' positions. In following an 'asymmetrically prescriptive-descriptive' research approach, this study seeks to explore the nature of the 'South' as a negotiating collective and understand why it tends to slip into lowest common denominator positions. The study uses the case of global negotiations on the Desertification Convention and twelve experimental runs of a simulation-game (The Chlorine Game; conducted in four countries, with 191 players of 59 different nationalities).(cont.) The case-experience and the experimental results are analyzed using a heuristic framework developed to explore and explain strategic options available to collectives in international multilateral negotiations. Descriptively, the study concludes that the South tends to negotiate as a 'behavioral alignment' maintaining a relatively broad issue focus and investing relatively little in the internal organization. While this explains its 'lowest common denominator' tendency, it is nonetheless an understandable strategy given the South's chronic lack of resources and diversity. Prescriptively, the study suggests that the most desirable results for the South are likely to be in 'coalition mode' where the collective moves towards increased internal coordination and a more specific issue-focus. This will require concerted investment in more meaningful South-South negotiation prior to North-South negotiations and in the internal organization of the G77.by Adil Najam.Ph.D

Developing countries and the politics of sustainable development

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 1996.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 173-188).by Adil Najam.M.S

Primary Hepatic Carcinoid Tumor with Poor Outcome

Primary Hepatic Carcinoid Tumor (PHCT) represents an extremely rare clinical entity with only a few cases reported to date. These tumors are rarely associated with metastasis and surgical resection is usually curative. Herein, we report two cases of PHCT associated with poor outcomes due to late diagnosis. Both cases presented late with non-specific symptoms. One patient presented after a 2-week history of symptoms and the second case had a longstanding two years symptomatic interval during which he remained undiagnosed and not properly worked up. Both these cases were diagnosed with hepatic carcinoid tumor, which originates from neuroendocrine cells. Case 1 opted for palliative care and expired in one month’s time. Surgical resection was advised to the second case, but he left against medical advice

In vitro evaluation of mutagenicity and genotoxicity of sitagliptin alone and in combination with artificial sweeteners

Purpose: To determine the in vitro genotoxicity and mutagenicity of sitagliptin alone and in combination with three commonly used artificial sweeteners (saccharin, aspartame and acesulfame-k).Methods: The in vitro genotoxicity and mutagenicity of Sitagliptin alone and in combination with three popular artificial sweeteners (saccharin, aspartame and acesulfame-k) were evaluated by Comet and Ames assays, respectively.Results: Sitagliptin demonstrated mutagenic potential only to TA 98 with S9 mix at a concentration of 3040 μg/plate. The mutagenicity of sitagliptin was enhanced when tested in combination with the artificial sweeteners. Furthermore, sitagliptin also caused pronounced DNA fragmentation at higher doses compared with negative control.Conclusion: At higher doses, sitagliptin showed both mutagenicity and genotoxicity. Thus, long-term use of artificial sweeteners with sitagliptin may lead to increase in both mutagenicity and genotoxicity.Keywords: Sitagliptin, Artificial sweeteners, Comet assay, DNA damage, Ames assay, Genotoxicity, Mutagenicit

Evaluating Unenhanced Multidetector Computed Tomography of Kidneys, Ureters and Bladder (CT KUB) as the Initial Imaging Service in Suspected Acute Renal Colic Patients

Objective: To assess the role of unenhanced multidetector computed tomography (CT) of kidneys, ureters and bladder (KUB) in the initial imaging of suspected acute renal colic. Study Design: Retrospective longitudinal study. Place and Duration of Study: Combined Military Hospital, Kharian Pakistan, from Jan 2020 to Jan 2021. Methodology: One hundred and thirty-eight cases of suspected acute renal colic underwent CT-KUB. The demographic,radiological, clinical, and follow-up data were recorded for each patient. Results: There were 88(51.8%) males and 82(48.2%) females in the present study, with a mean age of 50.86±18.57 years. Out of 170 patients, only 138(81.17%) were indicated with acute findings, whereas 32(18.82%) individuals showed no acute findings.The mean stone size was found to be 4.77±0.98mm. Most of the stones had a location near the pelvic brim (n=47; 34.15%). Conclusion: The use of CT KUB should be encouraged for the evaluation of renal colic. Keywords: Acute renal colic, Computed tomography (CT), Computed tomography of Kidneys, ureter and bladder (CT-KUB)