The introduction, testing, promotion and release of a rice variety, BG 1442, in Nepal were examined in relation to existing policies governing these procedures and to how more participatory approaches could benefit food security. From 1998 to 2006, participatory varietal selection (PVS) was used to test BG 1442 and other candidate rice varieties in the spring (Chaite) rice-growing season (February to June) and in the main season (June to November). The testing of BG 1442 commenced 11 years after it was first introduced into Nepal in 1987 by the national rice research programme (NRRP). Following its initial acceptance by farmers, it was widely disseminated from 1998 by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the low altitude region of Nepal called the terai in projects funded by the Depart...

This paper explores how a decision support system (DSS) can be developed that complies with the critical success factors of such systems. A participatory approach is used to develop Pigs2win, a DSS for Flemish pig farms. Pigs2win uses frontier analysis for comparative farm analysis. The participatory approach influences the selection of stakeholders, objective setting and evaluation of Pigs2win. Outcomes of the participatory approach result in features of Pigs2win that positively influence its compliance with critical success factors. Based on our experience with Pigs2win, we put forward points that need attention when a participatory approach is organized.

Participatory approaches and computerised tools such as decision support systems (DSS) represent conflicting tendencies in state-of the-art sustainable forest management. As a result, there may be considerable tension between these two developments in practice. The objective of this paper is to explore how participatory approaches and DSS could be brought together to improve planning processes and to explore how DSS could be adapted in their use or combined with other tools to enable successful participatory planning. From a review of the literature, we identified criteria related to successful participatory planning. From these criteria, we selected those a DSS can influence and created a short list of the criteria that could be used to evaluate participatory processes where DSS are appli...

Environmental education is considered an appropriate intervention for creating awareness of, and an understanding of the challenges of environmental degradation. The introduction of EE into the Nigerian school curricular creates a challenge of how to teach it. A majority of the teachers still employ the old, traditional "chalk and talk" method. This study experimented with two modes of participatory strategies, the full and quasi participatory modes in teaching secondary school students in Nigeria some EE concepts. Three hundred and sixty students were randomly selected and assigned to the three treatment groups. Five hypotheses were tested at P less than 0.05 and data was collected using a test instrument measuring students' understanding of the EE concepts taught. Findings from the study indicate that generally students taught using the participatory modes performed better than their counterparts in the conventional lecture group. However, between the two participatory modes examined, it was noted that students in the quasi participatory mode performed better than their colleagues in the full participatory group. An explanation of this could be that the quasi mode offers the learners a unique opportunity to work together in a more flexible way, to read, accept and internalize the basic environmental concepts. The implications of the findings for classroom practice were discussed in the paper. (Contains 4 tables.)

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and the Uganda National Banana Research Programme tested and evaluated selected cultural management options for the banana weevil through on-farm farmer participatory research in Ntungamo district, Uganda between 1996 and 003. A farmer adoption stu...

Background An evaluation of progress with participatory approaches for improvement of health knowledge and health experiences of disadvantaged people in eight Districts of Eastern Nepal has been undertaken. Methods A random selection of Village Development Committees and households, within the eight Districts where participation and a Rights-based Approach had been promoted specifically by local NGOs were compared with similar villages and households in eight Districts where this approach had not been promoted. Information was sought by structured interview and observation by experienced enumerators from both groups of householders. Health knowledge and experiences were compared between the two sets of households. Adjustments were made for demographic confounders. Results Complete data sets were available for 628 of the 640 households. Health knowledge and experiences were low for both sets of households. However, health knowledge and experiences were greater in the participatory households compared with the non-participatory households. These differences remained after adjustment for confounders. Conclusions The study was designed to evaluate progress with participatory processes delivered by non-governmental organisations over a five year period. Improvements in health knowledge and experiences of disadvantaged people were demonstrated in a consistent and robust manner where interventions had taken place. PMID:21967380

Clonal selection is the most worldwide spreading method to improve the performance of wine grapevine (Vitis vinifera) cultivars. In the special case of autochthonous varieties with only local interest, such as Manto Negro, Callet and Moll in Majorca (Spain), good knowledge of their genotypic resources is helpful to assess the development of viticultural and enological potentialities. In this study, 94 vines (including Manto Negro, Callet, Moll and wrongly identified samples) were analysed by means of genetic markers. Several varietal identification mistakes related to the clonal selection in Majorca were detected by the amplification of 33 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) or microsatellite loci, mainly because of the close genetic relationships between Manto Negro, Callet, Moll and other var...

This study was conducted to assess the dynamics of on-farm management of varietal diversity, i.e. continued cultivation of different varieties in their farms, determine socio-economic and cultural variables influencing varietal maintenance and seed sources, and determine the level and potential for on-farm conservation of traditional rice in the central Cordillera, Philippines. Results showed that rice is not only a basic staple but also an economic product for barter and trade; a raw material for traditional foods and beverages; and a commodity for social, cultural, and religious uses. Almost 90% of the 466 recorded varieties were traditional types, with non-glutinous varieties accounting for 77%. Farmers considered adaptation to local agro-ecological conditions, good eating qualities, agriculturally desirable plant characteristics, panicle and grain characteristics, and satisfactory yield performance as desirable traits of local landraces. Negative characteristics were late maturity, slow biomass decomposition, and low yield potential. Seed selection, variety selection, seed exchange and certain gender roles on seed and variety selection can be associated with continued maintenance of traditional varieties on-farm.The level of on-farm conservation of rice diversity was found to be moderate to slightly high, while the potential for conservation was moderate. Respondents have discarded or lost varieties due to low yield, susceptibility to pests and disease, replacement by a new variety, and loss of seed stocks. The level and potential for on-farm conservation of varieties can be related with cultural and demographic variables, such as number of years in farming, gender, affinity to ethnic customs, and traditions and religious practices. A significant amount of varietal diversity is still maintained through on-farm conservation across the central Cordillera. Agro-ecological, socio-economic, and cultural factors, as well as traditional agricultural practices, influence the continuing conservation and utilization of these diverse varieties. However, modern farming influences and changing preferences threaten the on-farm diversity of landraces. Ways by which this diversity can be maintained and effectively sustain the needs of highland rice farming in the central Cordillera should be explored.   

As a result of the lack of reliable data on the fiber content of African foodstuffs, a study to determine the dietary fiber contents (soluble, insoluble and total) on a dry weight basis of a selected variety of major Cameroonian foods was conducted. The influence of processing and preparation methods on the fiber content was also assessed. Vegetables were found to be the richest source of total dietary fiber (57%), followed by legumes and seeds (30%) and fruits (16.5%). Okro (Hibiscus esculenta), plantain (Musa paradisiaca) and beans (Phaseolus spp) showed varietal differences in their soluble and insoluble fiber content, while methods of processing and preparation significantly influenced the fiber content of cassava (Manihot esculenta), corn (Zea mays) and beans. PMID:9629860

A methodology is presented which solves local management problems by combining a timber procurement model with decision analysis and heuristic optimization. A hierarchical participatory method resolves the difficulties of the timber-flow model based on dynamics and system balance theories applying to the tactical management process of policy selection. The methodology was developed for team group decision-making on the assumptions of bounded rationality, imperfect mill service information and lagged inventory adjustment. The experiments analyze the logistics of timber-flow changes. Although the most important objective of the tactical policy of an organization has been to satisfy the timber demand of the mills at minimum cost, the work group in this study was also able to decide utilizing the criteria of the mill service: (1) local managers responsible for transportation preferred a larger roadside inventory stock; and (2) a manager responsible for supervision of logistics preferred a higher level of aggregate inventory turnaround. In the first participatory stage of the method, the criteria for aspiration levels, which determined the group managers' goal as a combined aspiration point, were described. In the second stage, to avoid problems, participatory inventory models and a decision boundary were used in the management process. In this tradeoff analysis, heuristics provided equal hierarchical consideration and commensurate goals. Since the experiments showed that consideration of local managers' needs in predicting feasible buffer stocks may reduce possible conflicts in decision-making, the applied theories and the methodology of this study were useful in establishing balanced policies for tactical management situations.

This paper reports on an exploratory participatory design process aimed at supporting citizen deliberation in municipal planning. It presents the main outcomes of this process in terms of selected prototypes and an approach to the use setting. We support and discuss different ways for citizens to act and reflect on proposed plans: in-situ, while physically close to the planning object, and ex-situ, when citizens are remote from this. The support of in-situ and ex-situ participation allows citizens to engage in continuous reflection-in and on-action as a collaborative activity with other citizens, hereby inspiring citizens to increase their democratic engagement.

SummaryIndigenous land owners of the Tiwi Islands, Northern Territory Australia have begun the first formal freshwater allocation planning process in Australia entirely within Indigenous lands and waterways. The process is managed by the Northern Territory government agency responsible for water planning, the Department of Natural Resources, Environment, The Arts and Sport, in partnership with the Tiwi Land Council, the principal representative body for Tiwi Islanders on matters of land and water management and governance. Participatory planning methods (`tools') were developed to facilitate community participation in Tiwi water planning. The tools, selected for their potential to generate involvement in the planning process needed both to incorporate Indigenous knowledge of water use and ...

The emergence of community-based conservation across the world has been associated with ecological, political and socio-economic benefits. However, lack of active involvement in planning and limited access to conservation areas makes the economic prospects of initiatives like the Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) rather questionable. This study was undertaken in the Mbarang'andu WMA in Namtumbo District, Tanzania to assess the contribution of community-based conservation approaches such as WMAs in enhancing conservation of wildlife resources and poverty alleviation around protected areas. The study methods used included participatory rural appraisal, key informant interviews, direct field observations and household survey. A sample of 10% of the village households was selected for interview...

Abstract in portuguese A cultivar de mandioca de mesa BRS Japonesa foi selecionada pelo programa de melhoramento de mandioca da Embrapa Cerrados em 25 provas participativas conduzidas na região do Distrito Federal. A cultivar revelou elevada aceitação pelos produtores, apresentando 80 % de probabilidade de ser classificada entre as quatro melhores cultivares. Abstract in english The sweet cassava cultivar BRS Japonesa was selected by the cassava breeding program of Embrapa Cerrados in 25 participatory evaluations conducted in the region of the Distrito Federal, Brazil. The cultivar was well-accepted by producers, and the probability of being ranked among the top four cultivars is 80 %.

CLAY AND CLAY-SUPPORTED REAGENTS HAVE BEEN USED EXTENSIVELY FOR SYNTHETIC ORGANIC TRANSFORMATIONS. THIS OVERVIEW DESCRIBES THE SALIENT STRUCTURAL PROPERTIES OF VARIOUS CLAY MATERIALS AND EXTENDS THE DISCUSSION TO PILLARED CLAYS AND REAGENTS SUPPORTED ON CLAY MATERIALS. A VARIET...

Dormant seeds (with 13% water content) of 49 wheat varieties (Triticum aestivum L.) were irradiated with (60)Co- gamma ray of various doses, and the varietal radiosensitivities and the genetical effects were studied in experimental plots and laboratories....

EFL/ESL departments periodically face the problem of textbook selection. Cogent issues are that non-native speakers will use L2 English mainly to communicate with other non-native English speakers, so an American accent is becoming less important. L2 English will mainly be used in computer-mediated communication, hence the importance of L2 Digital Literacy. The convergence of Information Communication Technologies is radically impacting Second Language Acquisition, which is integrating web-hosted Assessment and Learning Management Systems. EFL/ESL textbooks need to be compatible with blended learning, prepare students for a globalized world, and foster autonomous learning. I summarize five papers on EFL/ESL textbook evaluation and selection, and include relevant material for adaptation. Textbooks are major sources of contact with the target language, so selection is an important decision. Educators need to be systematic and objective in their approach, adopting a selection process that is open, transparent, accountable, participatory, informed and rigorous.

Abstract in spanish Se estudió durante un año una colección de Teramnus spp. con el objetivo de evaluar y seleccionar las accesiones más sobresalientes de este germoplasma. Se trabajó en parcelas de 3 x 1 m, con separación en las calles de 2 m, cuyas plantas estaban establecidas de un estudio previo. Para obtener la variabilidad y la relación entre las variables, se realizó un análisis de componentes principales (ACP); mientras que para agrupar los tratamientos con características (more) semejantes, en función de las variables medidas y estimadas, se graficó mediante el resultado del ACP. Se constató la existencia de un 76,85% de variabilidad total, sobre la base de la altura de la planta, la hojosidad, la cobertura, el vigor y el rendimiento, y se identificó la formación de siete grupos. Se concluye que hubo un comportamiento aceptable de las accesiones y sobresalieron las del grupo II, principalmente T. labialis CIAT-926, CIAT-21197 y CIAT-9128, por lo que sería recomendable insertarlas en el flujo varietal y compararlas con las accesiones comerciales. Abstract in english A Teramnus spp. collection was studied for a year with the objective of evaluating and selecting the most outstanding accessions of this germplasm. The work was done in 3 x 1 m plots, with space between rows of 2 m, which plants had been established since a previous study. In order to obtain the variability and the relationship among variables, a principal component analysis (PCA) was performed; while for grouping the treatments with similar characteristics, regarding the (more) measured and estimated variables, a graphic was made through the result of the PCA. The existence of 76,85% of total variability was observed, based on plant height, leafiness, cover, vigor and yield, and the formation of seven groups was identified. It is concluded that there was an acceptable performance of the accessions and those in group II stood out, mainly T. labialis CIAT-926, CIAT-21197 and CIAT-9128, for which it would be advisable to insert them in the varietal flow and compare them to commercial accessions.

Higher-quality Touriga Nacional (TN) wines are characterized by a fruity-citric aroma described as sweet and fresh citrus evoking the bergamot fruit (Citrus bergamia). In fact, "bergamot-like" descriptor is currently employed to rate higher quality TN wines. The aim of this work was to identify among volatile compounds present in bergamot fruit extracts (mainly terpenes) which of them contributes the most to the bergamot overall perception, and relate these data with the volatile composition of TN wines. The identification of the most important descriptors was done by sensory analysis. Among 18 descriptors 3 were selected: bergamot-like aroma, orange like, and violet. A GCO of a typical TN wine extract allows the identification of 3 related odorant zones ZO1, ZO2, and ZO3 related with bergamot-like aroma. Using AEDA, ZO2 was confirmed to be one of the most important odorant zones. Using AEDA the presence of linalool and linalyl acetate was confirmed. A similarity test was performed with a non-TN wine added with linalool and linalyl acetate alone or in combinations. The highest similarity value was observed when linalool (SV = 5.9) was added. In fact, results obtained from the analysis of several red wines from different varieties show that terpenols are present in higher amounts in wines coming from TN variety, which proves that these compounds can be the clue to the varietal aroma of TN wines. PMID:17995696

Pineapple (Ananas comosus L., Merr.) is a commercially important crop, grown in the tropical and subtropical regions. However, the crop is faced with postharvest damage and poor varietal and nutritional improvement. Being a vegetatively propagated crop, conventional breeding programs take longer time for genetic improvement, which may not necessarily successfully develop an improved cultivar. Hence, the genetic modification of pineapple is an alternative handy approach to improve pineapple. We have established an Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system using leaf bases from in vitro-grown pineapple plants. Being a monocot, acetosyringone is added to the culture medium for overnight growth of Agrobacterium and transformation to transfer a gene of interest MSI99 soybean ferritin. Leaf bases isolated from in vitro shoot cultures are treated with Agrobacterium suspension at two dilutions, 10× and 20×, for 30 min. Explants are subsequently blot dried and cultured on gelrite solidified hormone-free Pin1 medium for 2 days (cocultivation). Periodic transfer is first done to the regeneration medium (Pin1) containing cefotaxime for the suppression of Agrobacterium growth. The transformants are selected by culturing on Pin1 medium containing cefotaxime and kanamycin. Multiple shoots, regenerated in leaf bases, are further multiplied and individually rooted in the liquid RM medium amended with antibiotics to recover plants. Putative transformants are analyzed for transgene integration and expression using standard molecular biological methods of PCR, RT-PCR, and genomic Southern. PMID:23179718

In this paper, we identify key challenges faced by computer-based assessment (CBA) in secondary education and we put forward a framework of design considerations: design with the students and teachers, select the most appropriate media platform and plan an evolution rather than a revolution of prior practices. We present the CBA application "MyTest" which was developed using the participatory methodology We!Design, with the collaboration of 31 students and teachers. The application is targeted for the Tablet PC platform, provides "digital ink" capabilities and supports both closed-type and open questions, facilitating the transfer of traditional assessment practices to CBA. Both students and teachers were excited about the design sessions, and they asserted that they would rely more on educational software designed using this approach. The comparison of the "MyTest" application with an assessment application developed with the same participatory methodology and the involvement of 40 undergraduate students revealed dissimilar expectations and needs of high school and undergraduate students that are often disguised or misinterpreted. A pilot evaluation of the application in real learning conditions was conducted with 31 students using Tablet PCs and with 37 students using traditional PCs. Interestingly, the Tablet PC platform rendered the "MyTest" application more useful and usable to the students, validating our claims. (Contains 2 tables and 3 figures.)

Wine quality and market value greatly depend on the grapevine varietal composition, which may be characteristic of specific regions. In order to defend the distinct regions, Denominations of Origin were defined to protect against fraudulent practices. In this study, we evaluated the efficiency of two microsatellite-based systems (microsatellite (SSR) and intermicrosatellite (ISSR)) for must varietal composition determination and their potential role in certification purposes. Eleven Vitis vinifera L. varieties from leaf and monovarietal must DNA samples were screened with six SSR and 14 ISSR primers to discriminate polymorphisms. Principal coordinates analysis was performed with DCENTER on the resultant data using unweighted pair group mathematical average and revealed that ISSRs markers w...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Food security is an issue that has come under renewed scrutiny amidst concerns that substantial yield increases in cereal crops are required to feed the world's booming population. Wheat is of fundamental importance in this regard being one of the three most important crops for both human consumption and livestock feed; however, increase in crop yields have not kept pace with the demands of a growing world population. In order to address this issue, plant breeders require new molecular tools to help them identify genes for important agronomic traits that can be introduced into elite varieties. Studies of the genome using next-generation sequencing enable the identification of molecular markers such as single nucleotide polymorphisms that may be used by breeders to identify and follow genes when breeding new varieties. The development and application of next-generation sequencing technologies has made the characterisation of SNP markers in wheat relatively cheap and straightforward. There is a growing need for the widespread dissemination of this information to plant breeders. DESCRIPTION: CerealsDB is an online resource containing a range of genomic datasets for wheat (Triticum aestivum) that will assist plant breeders and scientists to select the most appropriate markers for marker assisted selection. CerealsDB includes a database which currently contains in excess of 100,000 putative varietal SNPs, of which several thousand have been experimentally validated. In addition, CerealsDB contains databases for DArT markers and EST sequences, and links to a draft genome sequence for the wheat variety Chinese Spring. CONCLUSION: CerealsDB is an open access website that is rapidly becoming an invaluable resource within the wheat research and plant breeding communities. PMID:22943283

Purpose of the study: Previous research found that "fun on line" is the most dominant content in seniors' online communities. The present study aimed to further explore the fun culture in these communities and to discover its unique qualities. Design and Methods: The study applied an online ethnography (netnography) approach, utilizing a full year's data from 6 leading seniors' online communities. The final database included about 50,000 posts. Results: The majority of posts were part of online social games, including cognitive, associative, and creative games. The main subjects in all contents were sex, gender differences, aging, grandparenting, politics, faith, and alcohol. Main participatory behaviors were selective timing, using expressive style, and personalization of the online chara...

The aim of this paper is to identify and explore the role of objects in participatory ergonomics design processes. The question in focus is: What characterizes objects in PE processes? First the concept of boundary objects is introduced as a starting point for investigating the role of objects. Second, findings of a search to identify objects in PE processes are reported. Third, objects fulfilling the requirements for boundary objects are placed in one of five categories. Fourth, empirical findings from two PE case studies in which objects played an important role are presented. Finally, based on a grounded theory approach, a characterization of objects in PE design processes is developed and a framework for how the use of objects in PE processes could be conceptualized is proposed. In conclusion, the concept of objects in PE processes is contextual, and the ergonomist or other design actor needs to actively consider their selection and the stage at which they are to be used.

An accurate estimate of the evapotranspiration (ET) and crop water productivity (WP) at the regional scale plays a significant role in managing water-saving irrigation in the dry region. Three sites in the Gezira scheme representing research field (Gezira Research Station, GRS), farmers' fields with participatory water management approach (Abdelhakam block) and ordinary farmers' fields (Madina block) were selected to estimate spatial ET, crop yield and WP of wheat using remote sensing data coupled with ground observations. The methodology is based on surface energy balance to estimate sensible and latent heat fluxes by combining remotely sensed data from Landsat 7 ETM+ and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) with common meteorological data. A comparison between Surface En...

Six young deafblind adults took a 1-week course on civic engagement and advocacy, which provided the focus for a participatory action research study with a collective case study design. They selected advocacy topics, were briefed on these policy issues, and were paired with experienced mentors for meetings with legislators in Washington, DC. Eight themes were identified from constant comparative and in vivo analysis of classroom discussion notes, interviews, and journals: (a) defining "advocacy" and "advocate", (b) rights and equality, (c) expectations, (d) role of education in change, (e) deafblind expertise, (f) characteristics of effective change agents, (g) advocacy is teamwork, (h) future advocacy. In the classroom, the participants learned about policy issues, communication considerations, and leadership, then applied this knowledge in the legislative arena. Through the advocacy process, they learned to apply their personal strengths as advocates and experienced the importance of teamwork in advocacy. (Contains 1 table.)

In this contribution, the design game as a method in Participatory Design is discussed. The focus lies on the organizational design game. For using the design game relations of power, socio-technical textures and forms of work and organization are treated as concerns that need to be addressed carefully. Cases from student projects are used as illustrating examples; work environments were redesigned and design games played. It turns out that degrees of freedom are present for the choice of (gaming) method as well as the ways of using the selected method. These degrees of freedom should be used in a way that will be labeled as »interested«, rather than in a way labeled as »taking for granted«. It is not possible to guarantee an interested and beneficial approach; yet the paper argues on the grounds that reflective gaming practice can be supportive in this direction.

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is one of the most produced and consumed food crops in the Republic of Congo. To assess the diversity and understand the traditional management of its cultivars in the department of Bouenza, twenty-one villages randomly selected from nine ethnic zones were surveyed using participatory rural appraisal. Altogether, 86 land races cultivars were recorded and further grouped into 36 types based on their agronomic and culinary characteristics. The number of cultivars accessed varied from 6 to 21 per village (13 on average) and from 1 to 11 (4 on average) per household. Their distribution and extent analysis revealed some worrying rates of cultivar loss in the range of 7.41???66.67% (32.06% on average) per village. The reasons of cultivars abandonment, the folk ...

Drawing data from the ?Ghanaian Gerontological Social Work Research Project,? this case study examines the impact of the organizational network of HelpAge Ghana on its roles in eldercare in Ghana. Using an organizational network framework and survey, participatory observation, and document review data collection strategies, it was discovered that Helpage Ghana had provided alternative eldercare when older people face declining family eldercare and inadequate governmental elderly services. A four-level analysis reveals that the selected organization network not only ensures resources and public recognition necessary for organization birth and survival, but also creates independence from long-term partners like HelpAge International and the Government of Ghana. The study concludes that the o...

The spatio-temporal changes in the land cover states of the Nyando Basin were investigated for auxiliary hydrological impact assessment. The predominant land cover types whose conversions could influence the hydrological response of the region were selected. Six Landsat images for 1973, 1986, and 2000 were processed to discern the changes based on a methodology that employs a hybrid of supervised and unsupervised classification schemes. The accuracy of the classifications were assessed using reference datasets processed in a GIS with the help of ground-based information obtained through participatory mapping techniques. To assess the possible hydrological effect of the detected changes during storm events, a physically based lumped approach for infiltration loss estimation was employed wit...

Abstract in portuguese Os parâmetros genéticos vinculados ao complexo de patógenos causadores da queima-das-folhas de cenoura foram determinados utilizando famílias de meio-irmãos oriundas de populações do grupo varietal 'Brasília'. Ainda, verificou-se quais populações eram capazes de proporcionar maior ganho para este caráter. O experimento foi conduzido em Brasília entre novembro/06 e fevereiro/07. Foram avaliadas cinco populações em fase final de melhoramento (processamento 1 ( (more) P1), processamento 2 (P2), mesa 3 (M3), mesa 4 (M4) e mesa 5 (M5), utilizando delineamento em blocos ao acaso com duas repetições (parcelas de 2 m²). A avaliação da severidade da queima-das-folhas foi feita aos 90 dias após semeio e os dados foram submetidos à análise de variância para estimar os parâmetros genéticos e o ganho direto esperado com a seleção. O caráter resistência à queima-das-folhas apresentou-se significativo em diferenciar as populações. A população P1 mostrou os maiores valores dos parâmetros genéticos e ganhos esperados com a seleção, ao passo que a população M3 mostrou-se a menos promissora na obtenção de ganhos para níveis mais elevados de resistência. Os valores da relação entre os coeficientes de variação genética e ambiental e de herdabilidade foram baixos. Estes dados podem ser explicados pela ausência de variabilidade genética nas populações, mas também podem indicar a necessidade de um maior refinamento nos processos de avaliação e de inoculação em condições de campo, de forma a garantir o estabelecimento de epidemias mais uniformes da queima-das-folhas nas parcelas experimentais. Abstract in english The genetic parameters associated with resistance to the carrot leaf blight disease complex were evaluated using half-sib families derived from the varietal group 'Brasília'. We also evaluated which populations would provide larger gains for this character. Field assay was carried out in Brasília during the summer season (from November 2006 to February 2007). Five advanced breeding populations (processing 1 (P1), processing 2 (P2), table 3 (M3), table 4 (M4) and table 5 (more) (M5), were evaluated using an experimental design of completely randomized block with two replicates. The total area per plot was of 2 m². Evaluation for leaf blight symptom severity was done 90 days after sowing. ANOVA was used to estimate genetic parameters and the genetic gain from selection. Leaf blight resistance levels were significant and allowed the discrimination of the populations under evaluation. According to the genetic parameters and the expected gains with selection, the population P1 was the most and M3 was the less promising genetic material aiming to improve leaf blight resistance levels in Brasília-type carrots. The values of the relationship among the genetic and environmental variation coefficients and heritability were low. Apparently, genetic variability for leaf blight resistance in the populations under study is already depleted. On the other hand, it might also indicate the need for refinement in both the evaluation system as well as in the inoculation technique, which are crucial to allow uniform epidemics of the leaf blight complex across field plots.

The postharvest evolution of Penjar tomatoes has been studied in four accessions representative of the variability of the varietal type. The long-term shelf life of these materials, which carry the alc allele, was confirmed with 31.2–59.1% of commercial fruits after 6 months of effective conservatio...

Recent theoretical advances in elimination theory use non-classical data structures to represent multivariate polynomials. We present the {\\em Projective Noether Package\\/} which is a Maple implementation of a series of these new algorithms for the computation of the dimension of a projective variet...

Thermal niches although widespread are not uniform as they vary in pH, salinity, temperature and degree of oxygen. This has allowed the evolution of microorganisms with different tolerences and adaptive traits. Many of these thermophiles are unculturable but the ones that are have revealed a variet...

Summary: We describe the features and implementation of a web application tool named MAVEN—for Management, Analysis, Visualization and rEsults shariNg of genome-wide association data using cutting edge technologies. Main capabilities include user data uploading and management, queries using a variet...

This research aims at accompanying farmers in building a collective management of their subsidence cereals varietal diversity. Seed management and its impact on biodiversity dynamics are driven by farmers' individual choices and strategies on the one hand, and by the seed system functioning on the o...

The composition of wine varietal volatiles (terpenes, norisoprenoids, etc.), expressions of distinctive vine genetic characteristics, was determined in some southern Italian wines. The aim was to tentatively identify specific quality and shelf-life molecular tracers, among compounds related to the g...

This paper summarizes the status of biotechnology with emphasis on molecular techniques for plant breeding in the Philippines. Several molecular and in-vitro culture techniques are integrated in plant breeding for crop improvement at PNRI, UPLB, IRRI and PhilRice. At IRRI, PCR techniques, RFLP and RAPD, PCR techniques, RFLP and RAPD were developed to establish high density molecular maps, determine breadth and diversity of germplasm and characterize alien introgression. The molecular maps have identified DNA sequence of resistance genes of HYVs and NPTs to abiotic and biotic stresses, the major achievement is the development of high density molecular maps in rice with at least 2000 markers. The biotechnology program at PhilRice for varietal improvement includes: (1) utilization of molecular marker technology such gene mapping of desired traits in rice, analysis of genetic relationships of germplasm materials and breeding lines through DNA fingerprinting and genetic diversity studies and development and application of marker aided selection for disease resistance (RTD and BLB); (2) application of in-vitro techniques in the development of lines with tolerance to adverse conditions; (3) molecular cloning of important genes for RTD resistance; (4) genetic transformation for male sterility and resistance to sheath blight and stem borers; and (5) transfer of disease resistance from wild species to cultivated varieties. In IPB, molecular markers:microsatellites or SSR, AFLP and RGA are being used for mapping and diversity studies in coconut, mango, banana, mungbean, corn and tomato. Mutation breeding at PNRI using gamma radiation has resulted in the development of crop varieties with desirable traits. The use of AFLP coupled to PCR is being used to study polymorphism in plant variants of radiation-induced mutants of rice, pineapple and ornamentals. (author)

DNA markers are powerful tools for verifying the varietal identity and genetic homogeneity of F1 hybrid seeds. F1 varieties are becoming increasingly prevalent in bunching onion (Allium fistulosum L.) production in Japan because of the high uniformity of agronomic traits. However, bunching onion is an allogamous crop and suffers from severe inbreeding depression when selfed. It is considered that not only open-pollinated varieties but also the parental lines of F1 hybrids should maintain a certain degree of average heterozygosity and hence genetic heterogeneity. In the present study, the genetic homogeneity of eight bunching onion varieties, including six F1 hybrids, was evaluated using 14 SSR markers. Two or more polymorphic alleles were detected at all of the SSR loci examined in each variety. The number of alleles detected in the eight varieties ranged from 3 to 7 among the 14 SSR loci, and the polymorphism information content from 0.41 to 0.76. All the varieties examined displayed very low degrees of uniformity at all of these polymorphic loci. Based on these results, it may be impossible to determine an appropriate genotypic identity for any of the existing bunching onion varieties. To facilitate and enhance the accuracy of variety identification, we proposed here an “SSR-tagged breeding” scheme in which the plants homozygous at a few SSR loci would be selected out of a foundation seed field. This scheme may enable to achieve efficient variety identification and purity determination of F1 seeds not only in bunching onion but also in any allogamous crops exhibiting severe inbreeding depression.   

Recurrent issues in applying CA results to change in institutional practices concern the degree to which the CA researcher is involved and what aspects of the change process CA researchers is involved in. This paper presents a methodology from innovation studies called User Centered Design (Buur and Bagger, 1999) and, more recently, Participatory Innovation (Buur and Matthews, 2008) which is uniquely compatible with conversation analysis. Designers following this approach study how a ‘user’ of goods or services interacts with products and other interaction partners in order to derive ideas for innovation. Although this methodological convergence of disciplines is rooted in different traditions, it augurs well for successful cooperation. This paper reports on such a collaboration carried out within a federally funded research center for innovation. We present principles of the interdisciplinary collaboration, as well as successes and pitfalls. In particular we focus on the role of conversation analysistsboth from the perspective of the designers and the conversation analysts. To illustrate this, we have selected a project on hearing aid fitting. To understand the perspective of the users (the person with hearing loss and the hearing aid fitter is imperative because the compliance rate for hearing aid use is staggeringly low. One of the barriers of hearing aid use lies in problematic encounters between the person with hearing loss and audiologists. Buur, J and Matthews, B. (2008) ‘Participatory Innovation’ International Journal of Innovation Management. vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 255-273. Buur, J. and Bagger, K. (1999). ‘Replacing usability testing with user dialogue’ Communications of the ACM 42(5), pp. 63-66.

This paper investigates a resettlement program for communities impacted by volcanic hazards from Mayon volcano in the Philippines. Two resettlement sites are selected, the first FVR-FNM village (named after President Fidel V. Ramos and Mayor Florencio N. Munoz) was settled after the 1993 eruption. The second, Bungkaras Village, was settled after the 2006 eruption and associated typhoon Reming lahar event. These two sites were selected in order to explore the process of relocation over the short and longer term, although the main focus of the study is in the more recently settled Bungkaras Village. The overall aim is to determine if exposure to volcanic hazards has decreased without adding to vulnerability through loss of livelihood, community and culture, and exposure to new risks. A mixed method qualitative approach was utilized including semistructured interviews, participant observations, and a participatory workshop. This enabled an in-depth understanding of life and the challenges faced at the resettlement sites vis-à-vis the original settlements. In order to document the process of site selection, planning, and building, semistructured interviews were conducted with key government officials, emergency managers, and donors of the resettlement projects. This research demonstrates that a volcanic resettlement program must be directed by meaningful consultation with the impacted community who also share in the decision making. Successful resettlement must consider aspects of livelihood security, house design, and the availability of public and lifeline facilities.

Participatory research methods have helped scientists to understand how farmers experiment and to seek partnerships with farmers in developing technologies with enhanced relevance and adoption. This paper reports on the development of a participatory methodology to systematize long-term experimentation with agroforestry systems carried out in a hotspot of biodiversity by non-governmental organizations and local farmers. A methodological guide for systematization and techniques used for Participatory Rural Appraisal formed the basis of our work. We propose an analytical framework that recognizes systems of reflexive and learning interactions, in order to make the learned lessons explicit. At the process level, the main lessons and recommendations are as follows. It is important to establish...

Backcasting is an established approach to assess the creation and realisation of desirable futures, being especially suitable for complex issues where a radical change is required. A variety of methods is used to execute backcasting exercises with broad stakeholder participation. However, due to certain group inefficiencies it is a challenge to execute backcasting exercises in a participatory and yet rigorous and trustworthy way. We present an innovative participatory backcasting approach, integrating a Delphi survey and semi-structured interviews for electric mobility in Germany. As a major contribution, we demonstrate how to increase trustworthiness in participatory backcasting, by allowing for continuous stakeholder participation in a structured and transparent manner: from the creation...

Battelle is endeavoring to be a catalyst for sustainable positive change in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education on a national scale. Battelle wants to change the way children are educated by immersing them in cross-curricular, projectbased learning delivered by teachers trained to do so. Participatory Space Exploration holds great potential for engaging many thousands of students in hands-on space exploration projects that immerse the students in activities that both educate and inspire them. Seeing the tremendous potential for STEM education initiatives within NASA's Participatory Space Exploration framework, Battelle coordinated with NASA to plan and host the inaugural Participatory Space Exploration & Education Workshop.

This paper discusses a participatory design approach developed by Design med Omtanke in V??????¤stra Gotaland, Sweden that has been successfully used for public sector building projects. The approach uses participatory design techniques alongside sustainable design, to design public spaces that meet stakeholder requirements, using sustainable products and materials. The paper reviews participatory design literature and positions the work described in relation to this. The context of the work is discussed and examples show the scalability of the approach. The conclusion is that the approach described can overcome problems frequently experienced by novice clients and can successfully be used to achieve sustainability objectives in a wide range of settings.

The spatio-temporal changes in the land cover states of the Nyando Basin were investigated for auxiliary hydrological impact assessment. The predominant land cover types whose conversions could influence the hydrological response of the region were selected. Six Landsat images for 1973, 1986, and 2000 were processed to discern the changes based on a methodology that employs a hybrid of supervised and unsupervised classification schemes. The accuracy of the classifications were assessed using reference datasets processed in a GIS with the help of ground-based information obtained through participatory mapping techniques. To assess the possible hydrological effect of the detected changes during storm events, a physically based lumped approach for infiltration loss estimation was employed within five selected sub-basins. The results obtained indicated that forests in the basin declined by 20% while agricultural fields expanded by 16% during the entire period of study. Apparent from the land cover conversion matrices was that the majority of the forest decline was a consequence of agricultural expansion. The model results revealed decreased infiltration amounts by between 6% and 15%. The headwater regions with the vast deforestation were noted to be more vulnerable to the land cover change effects. Despite the haphazard land use patterns and uncertainties related to poor data quality for environmental monitoring and assessment, the study exposed the vast degradation and hence the need for sustainable land use planning for enhanced catchment management purposes. PMID:20963484

Penjar tomato is a varietal type cultivated in northeast Spain that characteristically has a long shelf life, small fruit, and wide morphological variability among cultivars. To determine the genetic basis for the long shelf life in the Penjar varietal type and to describe the genetic background and agromorphologic characteristics of the group, we studied 27 Penjar accessions representative of the entire range of variation in traits related to agronomic behavior, fruit morphology, and sensory quality. We found that the long shelf life of Penjar (mean: 126.8?days) is due to the ripening mutant alcoba?a (alc), and the molecular basis of this mutation is the replacement of thymine by adenine in position 317 of the coding sequence of the NAC.NOR gene; thus, alcoba?a (alc) is an allele of non-r...

Much of the worlds' annual harvest loss to pests and diseases occurs as a consequence of crops grown in monocultures, or cultivated varieties with uniform resistance. This uniform resistance is met by the continuing evolution of new races of pests and pathogens that are able to overcome resistance genes introduced by modern breeding, creating the phenomenon of boom and bust cycles. One of the few assets available to small-scale farmers in developing countries to reduce pests and diseases damage is their local crop varietal diversity, together with the knowledge to manage and deploy this diversity appropriately. Local crop varietal diversity of banana and plantain (Musa spp.) and common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) was measured at the community and household levels within farmers' fields in fo...

Resume Soit g une metrique pseudo-riemannienne non definie de type Einstein telle que la metrique conformement equivalente Formula Not Shown soit aussi dEinstein. Nous montrons que si la metrique g est lumiere-complete, i.e. ses geodesiques isotropes sont completes, alors le coefficient est constant. Si la variete est fermee, lhypothese de completude peut etre omise (ce dernier resultat est du a Mikes-Radulovich et Kuhnel, mais notre demonstration est plus courte). La demonstration est basee sur letude du comportement de la fonction le long des geodesiques de type lumiere. Si Formula Not Shown est une telle geodesique, alors : Formula Not Shown . Comme la fonction est non-nulle, la lumiere-completude implique Formula Not Shown . Si la variete est fermee, la fonction prend sa valeur maximal...

We conducted an experiment in Gejiu, Yunnan Province of China during the wet season of 2002 to examine the importance of resource complementarity and prevention of lodging in the fast-spreading practice of growing rice varietal mixtures in China to suppress rice blast disease and its associated damage. The hybrid rice variety Shanyou 63 and the glutinous or sticky rice variety Huangkenuo were used to study intra- and inter-varietal competition in the rice intercropping system. The experiment was laid out as a randomized complete block design in four replications with pure stands and mixtures of both varieties at different total planting densities and mixing ratios. In half of the pure stand treatments of glutinous rice a metal frame was installed to prevent lodging. The results showed that...

(On the fundamental group of rationnally connected varieties.) I show that the fundamental group of a normal variety which is rationally chain connected is finite. The proof holds in non-zero characteristic. Je d\\'emontre que le groupe fondamental d'une vari\\'et\\'e normale rationnellement connexe par cha\\^{\\i}nes est fini. La d\\'emonstration est valable en caract\\'eristique diff\\'erente de z\\'ero.

Keywords: Agro-biodiversity, farmer varieties, indigenous knowledge, farmer-participatory research, genetic diversity, genotype-by-environment interaction, germplasm collection, Ipomoea batatas , specific adaptation, yield stability, sweetpotato, variance component estimates.

This inherently transparent, participatory, and collaborative approach is ... such as the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, governance, and risk assessments. ... Innovation In Government: Open Source Software and Electronic Health ...

Stakeholder participation is becoming increasingly important in water resources management. In participatory processes, stakeholders contribute by putting forward their own perspective, and they benefit by enhancing their understanding of the factors involved in decision making. A diversity of model...

Participatory evaluation provides for the active involvement in the evaluation process of those with a stake in the program: providers, partners, beneficiariies, and any other interested parties. Participation takes place throughout all phases of the evalution. This document describes the characteristics of participatory evaluation, and explains why and how to use this approach. This resource is intended for use by novice evaluators and professional evaluators in a workshop or conference.

Abstract in spanish Se ha demostrado que la transformación de papa (Solanum tuberosum) mediada por Agrobacterium tumefaciens es dependiente del genotipo y que la mayoría de protocolos de transformación reportados son ineficientes al aplicarlos en la subespecie andigena. En esta propuesta se manejaron los procesos iniciales de mejoramiento genético de la nueva variedad colombiana de papa Pastusa suprema (Solanum tuberosum sp. andigena) que es altamente androestéril, característica de gr (more) an importancia para los organismos modificados genéticamente. Esta variedad resultó de la hibridación interespecífica de tres especies de papa (Solanum stoloniferum, Solanum phureja var. Yema de huevo y Solanum tuberosum sp. andigena var. Parda pastusa). Se transformaron explantes internodales mediante el vector pCambia2301 que posee un gen reportero de la ?-glucoronidasa y un gen de resistencia a la kanamicina. Se obtuvo un porcentaje de transformación inicial de 31 ± 2,5%, que se expresó mediante formación de callo sobre medios de selección y una frecuencia final con base en el ensayo GUS de 30%. Este es el primer reporte de transformación de un híbrido interespecífico de tres especies diferentes. Abstract in english It has been demonstrated that Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated-transformation of potato (Solanum tuberosum) was depended upon the genotype. In addition, most of the proposed protocols were inefficient to transform the andigena subspecies. In this proposal, the initial processes of genetic improvement of the new Colombian variety Pastusa suprema, which highly andro-sterile characteristic is of great importance for genetically modified organisms, were handled. This variet (more) y was produced across the inter-specific hybridization of three different species of potato (Solanum stoloniferum, Solanum phureja var. Yema de huevo y Solanum tuberosum sp. andigena var. Parda pastusa). Stem explants was transformed using the vector pCambia 2301, which has the gene reporter of ?-glucoronidase and the gene of resistance to kanamycin. Percentage initial transformation was expressed as formation of callus on a selection medium of 31 ± 2.5% with a final 30% frequency using GUS assay. It is the first report of a transformation process of an inter-specific hybrid derived from three different species.

Abstract in portuguese Tomando-se como base o nível crescente de exigência do consumidor por frutas de mesa, as características de qualidade das uvas 'Itália', 'Festival' ('Superior Seedless'), 'Benitaka' e 'Isabel', expostas à venda em três redes de supermercados, na cidade de João Pessoa - Paraíba - Brasil, foram avaliadas em dezembro de 2007. Inicialmente, foram selecionados e treinados julgadores que estabeleceram e definiram os seguintes atributos sensoriais de importância: tonali (more) dade e uniformidade de cor, aroma, firmeza, presença de sementes, suculência, doçura, acidez, sabor e qualidade global. Os diâmetros, comprimentos e pesos das bagas estavam condizentes com os parâmetros comerciais ou varietais. Os conteúdos de sólidos solúveis (SS), com exceção da uva 'Benitaka', apresentaram-se em conformidade com os padrões comerciais. Apenas a cultivar Festival, com a menor acidez titulável (AT), apresentou relação SS/AT aceitável. Foram realizadas três sessões de análises descritivas quantitativas (ADQ), nas quais a uva 'Itália' foi a de melhor sabor e, em conjunto com a apirênica 'Festival', apresentou maiores doçuras e qualidade global. A cultivar Isabel apresentou a cor mais forte , enquanto a Festival foi a melhor no atributo semente. Aplicou-se o Teste de Preferência por Ordenação, no qual as uvas 'Itália' e 'Festival' foram as preferidas. Abstract in english Taking into account the increasing demand by table fruits consumers, the quality characteristics of the grapes 'Italy', 'Festival' ('Superior Seedless'), 'Benitaka', and 'Isabel' exposed for sale in three supermarket chains from the city of João Pessoa - Paraíba - Brazil, were evaluated in December, 2007. Initially, it was selected and trained judges that established and defined the following sensorial attributes of importance: tonality and color, uniformity, aroma, fir (more) mness, presence of seeds, succulence, sweetness, acidity, flavor, and global quality. Diameters, lengths, and weight of berries were in accordance with the commercial or varietals parameters. The contents of soluble solids (SS), except for the 'Benitaka' grape, were in conformity with the commercial standards. Festival cultivar, the one presenting the lowest titratable acidity (TA), was the only one showing acceptable SS/TA ratio. Three sessions of quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) were performed, in which 'Italy' grape was the one of better flavor and, together with the seedless 'Festival', presented higher sweetness and global quality. Isabel cultivar presented the best color, while Festival was the best for the attribute seed. The test of preference by ordering was applied, in which 'Italy' and 'Festival' grapes were preferred.

Participatory budgeting is a reasonably well-established governance practice, particularly in South America. It is information and communication rich - making it well suited for modern technology support; in addition, the widespread participation of many citizens is difficult to achieve without this support. Participatory budgeting is associated with eParticipation, where much is already known about the kinds of technologies supporting citizen participation and how they are used. This paper identifies (from the existing literature) basic processes which are common to most participatory budgeting initiatives and couples them together in a generic process model. Two cases studies are examined for different purposes. The well known Porto Alegre case is analysed to show how the generic process model is implemented in a practical example. The more recent Berlin-Lichtenberg initiative, however, is integrated with a purpose-built internet platform; here we use the analysis to understand how the internet-based technologies are used to support the various participatory budgeting processes. We identify a range of these technologies which are currently used to support different eParticipation activities and match them to the generic participatory budgeting processes. This results in a comprehensive picture of how known eParticipation technologies can be used to support participatory budgeting. The next research question (unfortunately beyond the scope of this article) is how to choose - which technologies fit which local circumstances and conditions?

Originally presented at a forum on participatory research, these theoretical papers and case studies represent an effort to place the overall work of participatory research within the larger theoretical context of research methods, education, and structural change. In the first paper Orlando Fals Borda explores the relationship between science and the masses. Covered in a paper by Ted Jackson, Greg Conchelos, and Al Vigoda are the dynamics of participation in participatory research. Also included in the collection are the following papers: "The Socio-political Implications of Participatory Research," by Francisco Vio Grossi; "Science as Human Behavior: On the Epistemology of the Participatory Research Approach," by Jan de Vries; and "The Methodology of the Participatory Research Approach," by Deborah Bryceson and others. Five case studies are presented. Their titles are "The Struggle in Dhulia: A Women's Movement in India," by Vijay P. Kanhare; "Land Ownership in Appalachia, USA: A Citizens' Research Project," by John Gaventa; "Rural Training in Traditional Communities of Peru," by Ton de Wit and Vera Gianotten; "The Role of Culture in Development: Jipemoyo Project Tanzania," by Kemal Mustafa; and "A Trade Union and the Case of Automation (Norway)," by Morten Levin. (MN)

Abstract in portuguese Este artigo busca analisar o padrão de relação mantido pelo governo Lula com os movimentos e as organizações da sociedade civil (OSCs) no péríodo de 2003 a 2006. O objetivo é investigar se e quais janelas de oportunidades foram criadas para o estabelecimento de uma "sinergia positiva" entre o Estado e a sociedade civil durante esse mesmo período. A hipótese da qual partimos é de que a criação de novos espaços participativos, embora seja condição importante (more) para assegurar uma dinâmica inclusiva efetiva, não é suficiente. A análise empreendida mostra que apesar de o governo Lula ter construído as bases de um novo pacto com a sociedade civil organizada por meio da criação, ampliação e institucionalização de novos espaços participativos, tal prática não se transformou em uma política de governo majoritariamente sustentada. Desta forma, os esforços empreendidos até aqui para a construção e o aperfeiçoamento da participação das organizações da sociedade civil nas políticas públicas do governo Lula tornam-se marginais e seletivos, comprometendo, assim, as potencialidades inclusivas que estes mesmos esforços poderiam gerar. Abstract in english This article seeks to analyze the relational pattern that the Lula government has maintained with movements and organizations of civil society (OSCs) in the period spanning 2003 to 2006. Its goal is to inquire as to whether and what kind of opportunities were created for the establishment of a "positive synergy" between State and civil society during this period. We start from the hypothesis that the creation of new participatory spaces, although an important condition to (more) guarantee a truly inclusive dynamic, is in and of itself insufficient. Our analysis shows that notwithstanding the fact that the Lula government created a new pact with organized civil society through the creation, widening and institutionalization of new participatory spaces, this practice did not become a government policy that rallied majority support. Thus, the efforts that have been carried out for constructing and perfecting the participation of civil society organizations in Lula administration public policies have become marginal and selective, and thus undermine the inclusive potential that they themselves could be generating.

The 'hydrogen economy' has the potential to provide a sustainable and secure energy system, and there is a wide and growing literature promoting and exploring different possible hydrogen futures. However, despite broad agreement that hydrogen could make a significant contribution to energy policy goals, the literature exhibits strong disagreements about the form that a future hydrogen economy should take. Visions of the future select, combine and reconfigure individual hydrogen generation, storage, transport and end-use technologies into more or less mutually compatible energy and transportation systems, which embody deeply contested and conflicting views of sustainability. This paper describes the application of a novel foresight methodology, which combined participatory scenario development, using a backcasting approach, with an expert-stakeholder multi-criteria mapping (MCM) process, in order to provide an integrated, transparent assessment of the environmental, social and economic sustainability of six possible future hydrogen energy systems for the UK. The findings suggest that: hydrogen has the potential to deliver substantial sustainability benefits over the status quo, or, business as usual, futures, but that hydrogen is not automatically a sustainable option; carbon emissions are the single most important dimension of sustainability, but that issues other than carbon and cost need to be considered if hydrogen is truly to deliver greater sustainability. Furthermore, there was significant disagreement about which visions were considered more or less sustainable. These findings reflect two important sources of divergence in the final sustainability rankings: uncertainties and contested views of sustainability. (author)

At present stakeholder involvement in RWM in Belgium focuses solely on siting a LILW-repository, engaging primarily local citizen-stakeholders. If accepting the value of participation in this programme, which NIRAS/ONDRAF explicitly states, the biggest future challenge for the agency will be to match the efforts in its LILWprogramme with similar efforts for the whole of its management operations, both short-term and long-term; and both site specific as well as on a general policy level. The local partnerships (in particular STORA and MONA) today have become NIRAS/ONDRAF's most important stakeholders. Their insisting on opening up a HLW-debate (but without the intention of turning it into a site selection process) might therefore be just the leverage needed to move from a declaration of intent to the setting up of an active participatory programme. Although some might regret it, the introduction of the partnership approach has opened up a Pandora's box, creating self-awareness and self-identification among a particular group of stakeholders who clearly are not prepared to be backing out of their new role in the immediate future.

As natural resource management agencies and conservation organizations seek guidance on responding to climate change, myriad potential actions and strategies have been proposed for increasing the long-term viability of some attributes of natural systems. Managers need practical tools for selecting among these actions and strategies to develop a tailored management approach for specific targets at a given location. We developed and present one such tool, the participatory Adaptation for Conservation Targets (ACT) framework, which considers the effects of climate change in the development of management actions for particular species, ecosystems and ecological functions. Our framework is based on the premise that effective adaptation of management to climate change can rely on local knowledge of an ecosystem and does not necessarily require detailed projections of climate change or its effects. We illustrate the ACT framework by applying it to an ecological function in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho, USA)—water flows in the upper Yellowstone River. We suggest that the ACT framework is a practical tool for initiating adaptation planning, and for generating and communicating specific management interventions given an increasingly altered, yet uncertain, climate.

Purpose: Participatory extension, specifically farm discussion groups, has become a very popular form of agricultural extension in Ireland. The purpose of this article is to assess its effectiveness in promoting the adoption of new technologies and improving farm profit. Design/Methodology/Approach: Following a review of the background and theory of discussion groups, statistical analyses are conducted. Two discrete choice models are estimated. The first assesses the factors associated with participation in discussion groups. The second model controls for these factors while testing the effect of discussion group membership on technology adoption. A multiple regression is used to estimate the effect of group membership on farm profit. Findings: The results of the analysis show that selection bias is an issue with this form of extension. Typically discussion group members tend to have larger farming operations in more advantaged regions than those not participating in the groups. Even when these advantages are controlled for, discussion group membership still has a positive impact on technology adoption and profit levels. Practical Implications: The results of this analysis have implications for those involved in designing and delivering discussion groups. There is evidence to support that discussion group membership increases technology adoption and farm profit, however, greater efforts could be made to include more diverse cohorts of farmers into these groups. Originality/Value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first article that aims to empirically estimate the effect of discussion group membership on technology adoption and farm profit. (Contains 1 figure, 7 tables and 2 notes.)

The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) initiated a research program in 1999 to study the response of spent nuclear fuel transportation casks to extreme accident conditions. This confirmatory research program is called the Package Performance Study (PPS) and is founded on an enhanced public participatory process that is used to obtain public comments throughout all project phases. The study objectives are to: 1) assess the analysis tools and methods used to predict spent nuclear fuel transportation cask response to extreme mechanical and thermal environments, and 2) demonstrate the inherent safety in spent fuel cask design. Public outreach is a significant element in both of these objectives. The NRC Commission recently approved the full-scale testing of a single NRC certified spent nuclear fuel rail transportation cask. To satisfy Commission direction, NRC staff has developed, for Commission approval, detailed test plans for conducting a full-scale demonstration test on a spent fuel rail transportation cask. The staff proposes to perform a demonstration test involving the collision of a locomotive with a rail cask attached to a conveyance (i.e., railcar) and a subsequent fire test. Further, the staff plans to conduct detailed pre and post -test analysis to compare numerical calculations with data obtained from the test. This paper discusses the process for selection of this scenario and the uncertainties associated with demonstration testing and analysis predictions. The staff's proposal is currently under review by the Commission.

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) encourages active involvement during its implementation, although no specific participatory methods are suggested, whilst implementing the target-oriented Directive will require detailed agri-environmental data at catchment and farm level. The paper is a case study of the Danish AGWAplan project, which actively involved farmers in the selection of measures to reduce diffuse nutrient pollution at farm and catchment level, thereby providing an example of how active involvement might be operationalised. Active involvement has been identified as being of central importance to the success of the WFD. The project also entailed the accumulation of extensive agri-environmental data. The aim of the paper is to evaluate AGWAplan to establish the extent to which its expected objectives have been achieved and how, and to determine whether the project approach might facilitate WFD goals if implemented in forthcoming river basin management plans (RBMPs). AGWAplan resulted in advantageous outcomes, including win-win solutions to reduce nutrient leaching and greater acceptance of policy, although the original reduction targets where not fully reached. The paper concludes that actively involving farmers in a similar manner in RBMPs may make an important contribution to the implementation of the WFD, although caveats regarding its potential for transfer to other areas are identified. PMID:20453337

Does worker participation in design enhance the integration of working environment and work life aspects into design? The interrelation between worker participation in design and the integration of working environment or work life aspects have been studied for decades within different traditions. I have departed in some of these traditions, i.e. the participatory ergonomics approach, the collective resource approach and participatory design. Empirically I have studied two cases that differ from the participatory ergonomics approach, the collective resource approach and participatory design even though I have departed in these three traditions. Contrary to the collective resource approach both participatory design processes have been initiated by the management in the two companies. Contrary to the participatory design tradition it is the workers not the future users that have participated in the design process and the object of design have not been computer artefacts or systems but workplace design and redesign of product series. The design process in the two cases has included physical working environment aspects but contrary to participatory ergonomics, psychosocial working environment and work life aspects have been included in the participatory design processes. Perhaps the most important difference between the participatory design process in the two cases and the three traditions is that working environment and work life aspects were implicit at the agenda of the participatory design processes and that other subjects were important in the cases as well. The search for an answer to the overall question 'Does worker participation in design enhance the integration of working environment and work life aspects into design?' has gone through several questions related to the processes of design, and through questions related to learning processes in design. I have found it interesting to examine why and when working environment and work life issues are raised in participatory design processes. I have also found that it is interesting to examine who put the working environment and work life aspects at the agenda in the participatory design processes. Another interesting aspect is when and why working environment and work life issues leave the agenda in the participatory design processes. I have also examined whether the learning processes, which occur in participatory design processes, enhance or limit the integration of working environment and work life. Rather than searching for an integration of different theoretical approaches I have chosen Morgan's methodology i.e. to analyse the same cases within different theoretical perspectives. Theoretically the search for an answer has been based upon theories of learning and design processes. Learning processes can be conceptualised in many different ways. I have chosen two different conceptualisations namely the interrelation between reflection and action and individual behaviour and organisational constraints, and another based upon learning as participation in practice. Design processes have been studied as processes of interaction between the designer and the materials of design and as negotiation between various groups involved in the design process. The perspective 'Organisational learning - changing behavioural models' provides an analysis of individual and organisational learning as either single-loop or double-loop learning processes. The perspective also provides an analysis of the organisational constraints and the behavioural models, which influence the possible learning processes. The difficulties of changing individual behavioural models, when the organisation does not change, are shown in both cases. In both cases the participants were engaged in design processes and single-loop learning processes. However, the process consultants/ action researchers were not able to support double-loop learning processes in any of the participatory design processes. Some of the participants did get engaged in double-loop learning processes but it was not due to the support of the process consultants/action researchers. The perspective 'Learning in and between communities of practice' conceptualises learning as participation in a community of practice or between communities of practice. The analysis within this perspective points at how important the transference is from daily practice to a new context of action i.e. the workshops. The transformation between daily practice and the workshops initiates learning processes, which extend the understanding of the daily practice. The choice of boundary objects to enhance learning across boundaries between communities of practice is also very important. The last perspective 'Design - a process of negotiation and interaction' provides an analysis of the interaction between the designer and the objects of design. This analysis describes that design seldom is fully conceptualised at the beginning of the design process. The perspective also provides an analysis of how different actors in the design process negotiate and how these actors depend upon their background, schooling etc. i.e. their object worlds. However, none of the perspectives can explain the impact of the political processes in the organisation upon the participatory design processes. The concept of the social constitution of the company shows some of the limitations within a changing organisation and some of the possibilities provided. The concept of the social constitution can explain why certain working environment and work life issues were raised in the participatory design process while others were not. The last theoretical perspective combines theories of learning processes with theories of political processes. This perspective focuses upon three different spheres which define the learning space: the work and the work organisation; the formal system of negotiation and cooperation; the informal social relations and values. The perspective provides an excellent explanation of the interrelationship between the three spheres in the daily work and how these spheres have influence on the possibilities of learning. The role of technology is dismissed in this perspective and as I find that technology is an important factor in the learning space, I extend the perspective to include technology. The analysis of the two cases within the different perspectives proved in both cases that although the espoused theory of management was that the workers should be able to influence their new workplace, the cases showed that the workers were not involved in the important decisions related to the design of the new workplaces. There was not always consistency between the managements' theory-in-use and espoused theory. The process consultants or action researchers' difficulties with supporting double-loop learning processes or learning processes that extended the local theories of working environment and work life pointed at yet another problem. This problem is closely related to process consultants or action researchers' role in participatory design processes i.e. what role should an action researcher or a process consultant chooses in participatory design processes. The process consultants or action researchers' role in participatory design processes raises yet other question related to the planning of participatory design processes. I raise the question: 'How would an idealised but realistic participatory design process be planned and how would the process evolve?' This question I answer through a description of an idealised but realistic participatory design process at Danfoss as I would imagine it. There is no simple answer to the question 'Does worker participation in design enhance the integration of working environment and work life aspects into design?' The outcome of the participatory design processes is dependent upon those who plan and support them e.g. process consultant, action researchers or change agents and the support of management. The planning and conceptualisation of the participatory design process itself is also very important for the integration of working environment andwork life aspects into design. And the political processes in the organisation, in which the participatory design process is initiated, influence the possibilities and limitations of articulation of working environment and work life issues in the participatory design process. Though it is difficult to establish participatory design processes which focus upon working environment and work life aspects, working environment and work life issues are articulated in the participatory design processes. In the two cases some of these working environment and work life aspects were integrated if not into the physical design then into the work organisation.

The performance of the EU long-term management plan for cod stocks, in force since 2009, is analysed focusing on the human and institutional factors. The plan operates through landings quotas (TACs) and effort restrictions following a Harvest Control Rule, and deploys a novel instrument allowing Member States to 'buy back' or increase fishing effort for fleet segments engaged in cod-avoidance measures. The stipulated fishing mortality reductions have not been achieved. On the positive side, the 'buy-back' instrument has led to increased uptake of selective gear and implementation of permanent and real-time temporary closures. On the negative side, ignoring the dimension of fishers as reactive agents in the design, the impact assessment, and the annual implementation of the measures has contributed to the failure to adequately implement the plan and achieve its objectives. The main problem is that the landings quotas taken in a mixed fishery did not limit catches because fishers were incentivised to continue fishing and discard overquota catch while quota for other species was available. The effort limitations intended to reduce this effect were insufficient to adequately limit fishing mortality in targeted fisheries, although fishers experienced them as prohibiting the full uptake of other quotas. Recommendations for future plans include (i) management through catch rather than landings quotas, (ii) the internalisation of the costs of exceeding quotas, (iii) use of more selective gear types, (iv) the development of appropriate metrics as a basis for regulatory measures and for evaluations, (v) participatory governance, (vi) fishery-based management, (vii) flexibility in fishing strategy at vessel level

The participatory research model used by the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center at the University of Wisconsin-Stout is discussed, with a focus on the value added to the research process and relevance of research applications when research is rehabilitation-need based and the research-to-applications process model is used. Information is included on: what makes the Center work setting unusual for participatory approaches, how the participatory model came about at the Center, the two components of the model, constituencies and constituent involvement, relevance and involvement in the stages of research-to-applications, three examples from the Center's use of the model, guidance for making participatory models work, and some of the promises and potential pitfalls of participatory models. The three examples of the model's use involve community-based rehabilitation needs of American Indians residing on reservations, development of a vocational assessment protocol for use with persons with traumatic brain injuries, and development of a state rehabilitation plan for Ohio. (Contains 16 references.) (SW)

This book, consisting of a series of discussion papers and case studies, is a compilation of the papers presented at a region 1 workshop on participatory research in Africa. Included in the volume are the following discussion papers: "The Concept of Development in the Social Sciences," by Kemal Mustafa and Deborah Bryceson; "The Politics of Research Methodology in the Social Sciences," by Marjorie Mbilinyi, Ulla Vuorela, Yusuf Kassam, and Yohana Masisi; "The Methodology of the Participatory Research Approach," by Deborah Bryceson, Linzi Manicom, and Yusuf Kassam; and "Participatory Research: Redefining the Relationship Between Theory and Practice," by Deborah Bryceson and Kemal Mustafa. Several case studies are also presented, including: "Participatory Research as an Instrument for Training: The Youth Development Project in the Coast Region of Tanzania," by Marja-Liisa Swantz; "Rural Vocational Education in Tanzania: An Exploratory Research," by R. Mshana and T. Bita; "The Use of Popular Theatre for Adult Education in Botswana and its Relation to the Concept of Participatory Research," by Ziki Kraai, Bob MacKenzie, and Frank Youngman; "Demystifying Research: A Case Study of the Chiwanda Nutrition Education Project," by Y. K. C. Masisi; "Appropriate Technology for Grain Storage at Bwakira Chini Village," by E. K. Mduma; "The Jipemoyo Project," by Kemal Mustafa; and "On Literacy Content," by Ngugi wa Mirii. (MN)

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to assess access to and use of agricultural knowledge and information in the rural areas of Tanzania. Design/methodology/approach - Mixed quantitative, qualitative and participatory methods were deployed. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect qualitative and quantitative data from 181 farmers in six districts of Tanzania. Focus groups and participatory techniques (i.e. information mapping and linkage diagrams) were also used to collect qualitative data from 128 farmers in the same districts. Findings - The results showed that deep, rich and complete data can be collected through the mixed quantitative, qualitative and participatory techniques. The findings demonstrated that the knowledge and information needs, and information-seeking pattern...

Within large integrative scenario studies, it is often problematic to fully link narrative storylines and quantitative models. This paper demonstrates the potential use of a highly participatory scenario development framework that involves a mix of qualitative, semi-quantitative and quantitative methods. The assumption is that the use of semi-quantitative methods will structure the participatory output, which provides a solid base for quantification. It should further facilitate the communication between stakeholders and modellers. Fuzzy Cognitive Maps is the main semi-quantitative method and has a central place in the proposed framework. The paper provides a detailed description of its implementation in participatory workshops, also because of a lack of documented testing of its implement...

Using participatory scenario-making has become increasingly common in environmental assessments that aim for policy impact. In this development, 'social work' - i.e., construction and usage of the scenarios - has received only a little analytical interest. In this paper, we contribute to filling this gap of knowledge by focusing on the construction of scenarios and asking what kind of policy relevant knowledge these kinds of participatory experiments can provide for the resolution of environmental problems. We draw on experiences gained from a SCENES scenario-making experiment wherein a comprehensive set of scenarios for the future management of European freshwater resources was developed in a highly participatory manner. The SCENES work aimed at providing policy-relevant knowledge for imp...

Altered volcanics dredge SE of Cheshire Seamount Woodlark Basin are essentailly polymictic and monomictic crackle, mosiac and chaotic breccias with atleast 30%clast being precipitation of gold from a Hg-bearing fluid. EMPA analysis of pyrite from this variety indicates the presence of arsenian pyrite. On a multielement varietion diagram it shows very high U concentration with respect to the other samples. Normalized REE plots show a negative Eu anomaly but for the sulphide sample which shows a slightly positive Eu anomaly. Volcanics are enriched in LREE with an almost flat HREE pettern. Keywords, Volcanics ,SE cheshire Seamount, alteration, arsenian pyrite.

Some well-known varieties of pomegranate, including Wonderful and Mollar de Elche, were used for the elaboration of varietal pomegranate wines as an interesting alternative to employ secondary quality and over-ripe fruit. The evolution of quality parameters with a technical relevance and the phytochemical composition of these fruit wines throughout the different winemaking stages were monitored. Noticeable changes occurred during wine elaboration, especially over the fermentation period. In addition, a significant role of the cultivar used in the phenolics profile was noted. Anthocyanins were the main bioactives conditioning both antioxidant capacity and colour parameters. Results pointed out that the elaboration of pomegranate wine from different varieties is a suitable means of industria...

Co-inoculation of commercial yeast strains with a bacterial starter culture at the beginning of fermentation of certain varietal grape juices is rapidly becoming a preferred option in the global wine industry, and frequently replaces the previously dominant sequential inoculation strategy where bacterial strains, responsible for malolactic fermentation, are inoculated after alcoholic fermentation has been completed. However, while several studies have highlighted potential advantages of co-inoculation, such studies have mainly focused on broad fermentation properties of the mixed cultures, and no data exist regarding the impact of this strategy on many oenologically relevant attributes of specific wine yeast strains such as aroma production. Here we investigate the impact of co-inoculation...

In this paper we describe how ongoing work with ethnographic material in a participatory innovation sets the scene for innovation to happen. We elaborate on how actionable formats of ethnographic material have been mediated to industrial partners with a stake in an innovation project. We illustrate how the stakeholders engaged in activities such as sense-making, co-analysis, and cross-comparison of the ethnographic materials, and the specification and mapping of innovation opportunities. We argue that these activities served to establish a shared understanding and ownership of the participatory research, design material.

This paper describes a 16-month health education pilot program based on diffusion of innovation and social network theories. The program was implemented by volunteer community liaisons for the purposes of increasing awareness of and support for HIV vaccine research in minority populations. This theoretically driven pilot program allowed the liaisons to integrate delivery of the HIV vaccine research messages created for the program into their existing activities and routines. Through training in participatory engagement, volunteers were able to tailor and adapt an HIV prevention message for their communities. Process evaluation data showed that the acceptance of participatory engagement and HIV vaccine message dissemination far exceeded expectations. The anticipated number of community memb...

Research conducted over the past decade has shown that community-based interventions can improve the survival and health of mothers and newborns in low- and middle-income countries. Interventions engaging women's groups in participatory learning and action meetings and other group activities, for example, have led to substantial increases in neonatal survival in high-mortality settings. Participatory interventions with women's groups work by providing a forum for communities to develop a common understanding of maternal and neonatal problems, as well as locally acceptable and sustainable strategies to address these. Potential partners for scaling up interventions with women's groups include government community health workers and volunteers, as well as organizations working with self-help ...

The article explored systemic tendencies for state-led development projects in Nigeria, such as the recently concluded Lower Niger River dredging, to compromise indigenous livelihoods. Development research methods were sensitized with James Ferguson?s antipolitics machine critique and used to elicit participants? perspectives of the structuring role of the Niger River on their livelihoods, their evaluation of the participatory content of the project and potential project effects on their livelihoods. Participants claimed the Niger River system singularly structures their livelihoods by facilitating recession farming and fishing. In relation to the participatory content and (un)anticipated effects of the dredging project, key informants insisted that it was undemocratically conceived and ex...

This paper gives a personalised account of our attempts to develop creative participatory methods with challenging pupils within the context of ethnographic research carried out in UK inner city secondary schools. During the course of our fieldwork, we drew on a variety of innovative and arts-based activities, designed to help us build relationships with the pupils and gain an understanding of their experience from their perspectives. We discuss the ways in which the emergent methodology facilitated this process but also some of the complexities and issues that arise in relation to conducting creative participatory research.

Participatory research with a Rajasthani (India) drinking water supply project indicates that women's participation has generated an ongoing struggle inside the implementing nongovernmental organization (NGO) and in villages. A Bakhtinian analysis of the project's women's participation program can illuminate the micropolitics of dialogic struggles surrounding women's participation and its related spaces. Bakhtin's concepts of utterance, dialogic process, and chronotope offer geographers a framework for analyzing the constant, simultaneous production of meaning and space. A Bakhtinian analysis of NGO fieldworkers' speech accesses the micropolitics within social relations, which construct gendered spaces. Gendered participatory approaches need reevaluation because dialogues about women's par...

The extensive literature on community participation in the targeting and management of humanitarian food assistance suggests that participatory approaches work best in slow-onset emergencies with no conflict or displacement. Yet the policies of many agencies-and compliance with Sphere minimum standards-require that the recipient community participate in decisions about the assistance they receive including targeting, regardless of the causes of the emergency. This paper analyzes current practice in the targeting and management of humanitarian food assistance in complex emergencies, the constraints to recipient communities' participation, and the possibilities for participatory approaches to improve targeting.Access and security considerations, limited staff time and capacity, and other con...

This paper presents research on participatory design of interactive systems for emergency response. We present the work by going through the design method with a focus on the new elements that we developed for the participatory design toolkit, in particular we emphasize the use of challenges and visions as ways to bridge between fieldwork and literature studies on the one hand and the emerging computer based prototypes on the other. Our case concerns design of innovative interactive systems for support in emergency response, including patient identification and monitoring as well as construction and maintenance of a situational overview.

Background: African Americans are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease and cancer morbidity and mortality. Physical activity and healthy dietary practices can reduce this risk. The church is a promising setting to address health disparities, and community-based participatory research is a preferred approach. Objectives: Using a community-based participatory approach and the social ecologic model, the FAN trial aims to increase self-reported moderate-intensity physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption and reduce blood pressure in African American church members. Secondary aims are to increase objectively measured moderate-intensity physical activity and fiber/whole grain consumption and reduce fat consumption. Design: FAN is a group randomized trial (GRT) with two levels...

Abstract This article addresses definitory problems concerning participatory budgeting (PB), the purpose being to underline the governance nature of this instrument. More specifically, considering PB as a particular type of participatory governance arrangement, it focuses on the democratic outcomes of concrete experiences. Adopting the Dahlian process-oriented concept of democracy, three Italian cases are depicted and analysed, according to four critical variables: inclusion, participation, the role of the opposition, and transparency. This enables full description of how PB affects local democracy, both positively and negatively. The article concludes by highlighting two variables that give account of the democratic implications of these practices: the role of the political leadership, an...

Abstract in spanish Se realizó un estudio de intervención educativa para modificar los conocimientos sobre la conservación del medioambiente en 16 jóvenes del Laboratorio de Anticuerpos y Biomodelos Experimentales de Santiago de Cuba, seleccionados mediante un muestreo aleatorio simple desde abril hasta junio del 2008. Para lograr ese objetivo, la población escogida participó en un programa de clases con 4 sesiones de trabajo, luego de las cuales se comprobó que la insuficiente o err? (more) ?nea información que poseían sobre la necesidad de cuidar responsablemente el entorno por su influencia sobre la salud y calidad de vida, fue modificada favorablemente mediante técnicas participativas y discusiones grupales, de modo que hubo una gran diferencia entre lo que sabían antes del estudio y lo que aprendieron en favor del ambiente después de su ejecución. Abstract in english A study on educational intervention was conducted to modify the knowledge of the environment conservation in 16 young people from Laboratory of Antibodies and Experimental Biomodels in Santiago de Cuba, selected by means of a simple random sampling from April to June, 2008. To achieve that goal the chosen population participated in a program of classes with 4 working sessions, after which it was verified that their inadequate or erroneous information about the necessity o (more) f taking care of the environment responsibly because of its influence on the health and quality of life, was modified favorably by means of participatory techniques and group discussions, so that there was a great difference between what they knew before the study and what they learned in favor of the enviroment after it.

Participatory processes for obtaining residents' input about community impacts of proposed environmental management actions have long raised concerns about who participates in public involvement efforts and whose interests they represent. This study explored methods of broad-based involvement and the role of deliberation in social impact assessment. Interactive community forums were conducted in 27 communities to solicit public input on proposed alternatives for recovering wild salmon in the Pacific Northwest US. Individuals identified by fellow residents as most active and involved in community affairs ("AE residents") were invited to participate in deliberations about likely social impacts of proposed engineering and ecological actions such as dam removal. Judgments of these AE participants about community impacts were compared with the judgments of residents motivated to attend a forum out of personal interest, who were designated as self-selected ("SS") participants. While the magnitude of impacts rated by SS participants across all communities differed significantly from AE participants' ratings, in-depth analysis of results from two community case studies found that both AE and SS participants identified a large and diverse set of unique impacts, as well as many of the same kinds of impacts. Thus, inclusion of both kinds of residents resulted in a greater range of impacts for consideration in the environmental impact study. The case study results also found that the extent to which similar kinds of impacts are specified by AE and SS group members can differ by type of community. Study results caution against simplistic conclusions drawn from this approach to community-wide public participation. Nonetheless, the results affirm that deliberative methods for community-based impact assessment involving both AE and SS residents can provide a more complete picture of perceived impacts of proposed restoration activities.

Perceived levels of cost-benefit of adoption of Mamta Stove (MS) was investigated on a sample of 390 beneficiaries of National Programme on Improved Cookstoves (NPIC) drawn through multistage random sampling technique from 3 villages in Gujarat State, viz., Kanjari, Vadadla, and Sindhrot. A standardized cost-benefit scale that exhibited a reliability coefficient of 0.92 was used in the study. The main cooks revealed a mean age of 36 years. Regarding perception on available sources of cooking fuel and accessibility to those, a wide disparity was observed, not only with reference to commercial sources and fuel forms but also with reference to free fuels gathered from forest land and waste land. MSs were installed in rural kitchens with the active involvement of about 50% of the main cooks. Majority of the cooks in Sindhrot village attended user education camps. The mean perceived cost-benefit ratio (PCBR) was computed to be 0.14. However, PCBR of the cooks from Sindhrot village was 0.51 while those of Vadadla and Kanjari were 0.09 and {minus}0.19 respectively. The correlation coefficient computed between PCBR and selected variables revealed that there existed a significant positive correlation between PCBR of the cook and their participation in NPIC and quality of installation of MS. The observation of the highest PCBR in Sindhrot village, a model smokeless village developed by TBU Baroda, could be attributed to the implementation of NPIC in a systematic manner adopting participatory model. The paper discusses at length the implications of the study and outlines the strategies for achieving widespread adoption of MS by beneficiaries of NPIC.

As the world economy continues to evolve, businesses and industries must adopt new practices and processes in order to survive. Quality and cost control, work teams and participatory management, and an infusion of technology are transforming the way people work and do business. Employees are now expected to read, write, and communicate effectively; think creatively, solve problems, and make decisions; and interact with each other and the technologies in the workplace. Career-technical programs must also adopt these practices in order to provide graduates who can enter and advance in the changing work world. The curriculum framework in this document reflects these changes in the workplace and a number of other factors that impact local career-technical programs. The Occupational Therapy Assistant curriculum is a two-year program of study that prepares an individual to work under the direction of a certified Occupational Therapist to administer treatment pertinent to restorative, preventive, and maintenance programs. The focus is on the development and maintenance of capacity to perform those tasks essential to productive living and to the mastery of self and the environment. This program prepares the graduate to practice in a variety of health care and community settings as a member of a professional team. Opportunities for employment are varied and extensive. Admission to the program is selective and competitive. An associate's degree is granted upon successful completion of the program. Industry standards referenced are based on the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education of the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.'s "Standards for an Accredited Educational Program for the Occupational Therapy Assistant." Appended are: (1) Standards for an Accredited Educational Program for the Occupational Therapy Assistant; (2) Related Academic Standards; and (3) 21st Century Skills. A list of suggested references is provided for each unit. (Contains 3 footnotes.)

Abstract in portuguese O presente trabalho objetivou a aplicação de uma abordagem antropológica de diagnóstico rápido da percepção de riscos no trabalho rural. O estudo foi realizado na região da Microbacia do Córrego do São Lourenço, Nova Friburgo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. A metodologia aplicada esteve baseada em: observações participantes na localidade; entrevistas semi-estruturadas com 24 informantes-chave, selecionados entre os produtores rurais da região (aproximadamente 120); (more) e avaliação do processo de trabalho local. A análise dos dados desvelou uma série de questões relacionadas com a percepção de riscos da população estudada, incluindo o desenvolvimento de estratégias de defesa frente aos perigos vivenciados no trabalho, a importância da comunicação na construção dos referenciais de risco entre os trabalhadores, as respostas subjetivas frente a situações de potencial dano à saúde e o papel da percepção individual e coletiva dos riscos na determinação da exposição a produtos químicos perigosos, sobretudo os agrotóxicos. Os resultados apontaram para a importância das análises de percepção de riscos no processo de construção de estratégias de intervenção no meio rural, sobretudo políticas e campanhas educativas e de comunicação de riscos. Abstract in english The present study applies the risk perception analytical methodology based on rapid surveys. It took place in the micro-basin of the São Lourenço Creek in Nova Friburgo, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. The methodological approach was based on participatory observation, semi-structured interviews with 24 key informants selected among local farmers (N = 120), and evaluation of local work processes. Field data analysis revealed some issues related to the risk perception prof (more) ile in the study population, including the development of defensive strategies to deal with work hazards, the importance of communication in developing workers' risk perceptions, the subjective responses to potentially hazardous situations, and the role of individual risk perception as a determinant of human exposure to pesticides. The results evoked the importance of systematically incorporating risk perception analyses into intervention strategies, especially in educational risk communication campaigns.

Abstract in portuguese No presente trabalho são relatados os efeitos determinados; por diferentes combinações copa-cavalo, na composição mineral das fôlhas de citros. O material para o presente estudo foi retirado de dois ensaios de cavalos para laranja pêra e laranja baianinha (Citrus sinensis Osbeck) instalados na Estação Experimental de Limeira, do Instituto Agronômico. Amostras de fôlhas foram colhidas em diferentes estágios de crescimento e correspondentes o dois ciclos vegetat (more) ivos, e a composição estudada separadamente para árvores de mesma idade. Os resultados obtidos permitiram concluir que além dos efeitos na composição das folhas devidos à variedade e ao porta-enxêrto, outros fatôres como longevidade e moléstias de vírus devem ser considerados pora o julgamento dos efeitos da adubação pela análise foliar. Abstract in english The influence of five different combinations scion-rootstock for two scion varieties on the percentage of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium in citrus leaves is reported. Leaves from fruiting shoots of two spring flushes were taken from Baianinha and Pêra oranges trees (Citrus sinensis Osbeck) on two experimental orchards located in the Experiment Station of Limeira, State of Sao Paulo. The rootstocks On which they are budded and used for this study (more) were: Pêra orange, and sweet orange (C. sinensis Osb.), Rangour lime (C. reticulata Blanco X C- aurantifolia Swing (?)), rough lemon (C. limon Burm. f. X (?)), and Cleopatra mandarin (C. reticulata Blanco). In the spring of 1957 when the leaf sampling was started the trees on sweet orange, Rangpur lime and rough lemon rootstocks were 21 years old and those an Pêra and mandarin rootstocks 7 years old, but only plants of the same age were compared. Fertilization was uniform in all plots and the soil apparently very uniform. Confidence limits for the mean results of inorganic composition of leaves 3 to 6 months old of two flushes are presented. Seasonal changes in nutrient composition of leaves ore olso shown. The leaves of both scion varieties differed in their principal mineral constituents. The major difference was found in the potassium content. Leaves of Baianinha orange trees contained relatively more potassium than Pêra orange leaves. The composition of leaves changed according to the rootstock species. Differences in potassium, calcium, and magnesium levels in leaves of the some scion variety were found to be significant when Pêra orange and Cleopatra mandarin were the rootstocks. Variations in the composition of scion leaves in the older combinations could be associated with virus disease tolerance and longevity of species. In view of the results obtained, other factors such as virus diseases, longevity, etc. besides varietal effects and selectivity of rootstocks to absorb nutrients, must be taken into account in attempting to associate the results of foliar analysis with fertilizer utilization by citrus trees.

The concept of 'Sustainable Communities' is taking an increasingly strong hold in discourses on civil society and sustainability. A basic tenet of the sustainability paradigm is that a community should be empowered to participate in the decision making process on issues that affect the well-being and continual development of the community. Meaningful participation in such a process requires that stakeholders have unrestricted and easy access to all relevant information regarding the issue at hand and that they have an effective means for communicating with one another without the barriers often posed by spatial, temporal, skill and financial constraints. The controversial nature of, and the intense emotion associated with nuclear waste disposal make it especially important that the principles of 'right-to-know' and 'participatory decision making' be upheld for communities engaged in any aspect of, or during any phase of, a site selection process. Whether a community is being considered as a potential host site, located along the route for transport of the waste material, or simply within a general region in which the siting may affect the economic and environmental well-being of the community, they all share, to varying degrees, a common concern: 'how will it affect me, my family, and my community?' Answering this question to the satisfaction of all stakeholders is one of the most challenging tasks in a site selection process. More than three decades of research has clearly demonstrated that addressing this concern goes far beyond simply 'supplying enough information' or even the 'appropriate information'. Experience has shown that no amount of public information programs, education programs, public hearing etc., will satisfy all parties involved. There are at least two major reasons for this: The different values held by people affect how they perceive even fundamental issues such as fairness, justice, morals, ethical behaviour, our relationship with, and obligations to fellow human beings, animals, and the environment. People perceive that information travels essentially one way in the processes and the voices of the community and its members are not heard. Subsequently, they feel excluded from the actual decision making process and even from being able to participate meaningfully in the process. Recent advances in informatics and geomatics technology, such as the Internet, web-based software and geographic information systems (GIS), have made it possible to address these issues more effectively. We believe that the combined features of two software developed at the York Centre for Applied Sustainability can facilitate access to information, provide a virtual forum for discussion and debate, and it possible for individuals to participate in decision making process, and to infer peoples' values from their choice criteria selection.

The deployment of genetic markers is of interest in crop assessment and breeding programmes, due to the potential savings in cost and time afforded. As part of the internationally recognised framework for the awarding of Plant Breeders' Rights (PBR), new barley variety submissions are evaluated using a suite of morphological traits to ensure they are distinct, uniform and stable (DUS) in comparison to all previous submissions. Increasing knowledge of the genetic control of many of these traits provides the opportunity to assess the potential of deploying diagnostic/perfect genetic markers in place of phenotypic assessment. Here, we identify a suite of 25 genetic markers assaying for 14 DUS traits, and implement them using a single genotyping platform (KASPar). Using a panel of 169 UK barley varieties, we show that phenotypic state at three of these traits can be perfectly predicted by genotype. Predictive values for an additional nine traits ranged from 81 to 99 %. Finally, by comparison of varietal discrimination based on phenotype and genotype resulted in correlation of 0.72, indicating that deployment of molecular markers for varietal discrimination could be feasible in the near future. Due to the flexibility of the genotyping platform used, the genetic markers described here can be used in any number or combination, in-house or by outsourcing, allowing flexible deployment by users. These markers are likely to find application where tracking of specific alleles is required in breeding programmes, or for potential use within national assessment programmes for the awarding of PBRs. PMID:22898724

Abstract in english Cobalt (Co) affords both beneficial as well as toxic effects to plants. The present study was performed with an aim to find out the varietal differences among five tomato cultivars against the Co induced changes in growth, photosynthesis, nitrate reductase (E.C.1.6.6.1), carbonic anhydrase (E.C.4.2.1.1), antioxidative enzymes i.e. peroxidase (E.C.1.11.1.7), catalase (E.C.1.11.1.6), superoxide dismutase (E.C.1.15.1.1) and that of proline content. Seeds of tomato (varieties (more) , K-25, NTS-9, NBR-Uday, Sarvodya, and Malti) were soaked in 0, 100, 200 or 300 µM CoCl2 for 0, 4, 8, 12 h (shotgun approach) and sampled at 30 days after sowing. All the varieties showed significantly different response to different treatment combinations. Despite substantial varietal difference, increased Co concentration caused concomitant decrease in growth, photosynthesis and the activity of nitrate reductase and carbonic anhydrase. However, the activity of antioxidant enzymes and that of proline content increased with the increased concentration of Co as well as duration of soaking in all the varieties. Out of the varieties, K-25 possessed maximum antioxidative enzyme and proline content that represent its most resistant nature against the toxic effect of Co. The order of susceptibility/sensitivity was K-25 > NTS-9 > NBR-Uday > Sarvodya > Malti.

The major objective of the study is to develop a framework allowing for the systematic investigation of the institutionalised varieties and performance varieties of English (also known as learner Englishes). This involves a detailed description of the forms of English spoken in India and in Russia as well as discussion of sociolinguistic histories and cultural background. Relying on evidence obtained for Indian English and English spoken in Russia, this paper argues that learner Englishes are self-contained forms of English that reflect order and structure within the grammar and need to be documented and studied systematically in analogy to indigenised forms of English. Moreover, the description of both varietal types should take into account various factors relating to the extra-linguistic setting and sociolinguistic history of the variety in question. Finally, the study shows how systematic accounts of a learner variety can provide a sound basis for--and a useful source of--differentiated cross-varietal comparisons with other forms of English. (Contains 3 tables and 4 notes.)

Abstract in spanish La degradación mundial de la calidad del suelo y el agotamiento de las reservas de fertilizantes hechos a base de petróleo amenazan la seguridad alimentaria global. A pesar de que la investigación científica ha desarrollado soluciones técnicas para el mejoramiento del suelo con bajos insumos, los agricultores que producen a pequeña escala no adoptan dichas prácticas frecuentemente. Con la meta de aumentar la implementación de prácticas que mejoran el suelo, un es (more) tudio de caso en la comunidad de San Andrés, Cuba, probó una metodología participativa para explorar el conocimiento local, identificar las tecnológicas que podían satisfacer las necesidades de la comunidad, e impulsar la innovación campesina con las tecnologías seleccionadas. A través de una investigación cualitativa, el estudio exploró el corpus, la praxis, y el kosmos que la comunidad tiene para conceptualizar, manejar y tomar decisiones sobre sus suelos. El análisis de etnopedología indicó que aunque los productores reconocen que la calidad de sus suelos está empeorando y que comparten una meta general sobre el mejoramiento de sus tierras a largo plazo, las estrategias existentes del manejo de la fertilidad son inadecuadas para satisfacer la demanda de los cultivos. Los resultados sugieren que la introducción de nuevas tecnologías a la comunidad podría acelerar la formación de una praxis más adecuada. Para satisfacer las necesidades de manejo de nutrientes, se seleccionaron abonos verdes y compost como las tecnologías más adecuadas para los sistemas de producción existentes. Es por ello que la “feria de fertilidad del suelo” reunió a investigadores y miembros de la comunidad, para experimentar con diferentes tipos de abonos verdes y compost, así como evaluar su comportamiento en contextos locales. El trabajo considera que la feria es una puerta de entrada al manejo sostenible del suelo por medio de la innovación campesina. Para guiar el futuro diseño del mejoramiento participativo del suelo, el trabajo expone las lecciones aprendidas de una experiencia que integró la etnopedología y las ferias del suelo. Abstract in english The degrading quality of soils worldwide and an uncertain supply of petroleum-based fertilizers are a threat to global food security. Although research has developed low-input technical solutions to improve soil resource, such technologies are rarely adopted by small farmers in the global south. With the goal of increasing farmer adoption of soil building practices, a case study in the community of San Andrés, Cuba, tested a participatory methodology to explore local kno (more) wledge, identify research technologies to meet community needs, and catalyze farmer innovation on the selected technologies. Through qualitative research, the study explored the corpus, praxis, and kosmos that the community held to conceptualize, manage, and make decisions about their soils. Analysis of ethnopedology indicated that although individuals recognized the degrading quality of their soils, and shared a wider goal of long-term land improvement, existing nutrient management strategies were inadequate to satisfy crop needs. Results suggested that introducing new technologies to the community could accelerate the formation of a more appropriate praxis. To satisfy nutrient management needs, green manures, and compost were identified as the technologies best suited to existing production systems. Then, a “soil fertility fair” joined researchers and community members, to experiment with green manures and compost, and evaluate the types most feasible to local conditions. The paper considers the fair as a gateway to sustainable soil management through farmer innovation. To help guide the future design of participatory soil improvement, the paper expounds lessons learned from the research experience with ethnopedology and soil fairs

The author analyzes the growing use of referenda in local politics in France and Germany. If participatory instruments are promoted in both countries, the Reunification in Germany helped to implement referenda and popular initiatives at local level whereas in France the decentralisation is not neces...

This dissertation offers a full understanding of the extent of participatory planning in Thai municipalities within the context of a highly centralized state and dominance of local business people in public decision determination. In this ‘alternative’ mode of planning, various interests groups dete...

Research on successful change often leads to a normative model. What was an empirical outcome becomes a prescription for action. In water management, research on platforms for decision-making, multi-stakeholder processes, social learning, and participatory interventions seems to have made this step ...

The aim of this paper is to examine to what extent environmental assessment policies and its associated participatory devices could be a tool for achieving a shift from a dualist model based on a strict separation between nature and culture to an integrated or hybrid one where nature is brought back...

Scenario planning is increasingly recognized as a useful tool for exploring change in social-ecological systems on decadal to centennial time horizons. In environmental decision making, scenario development tends to include participatory methods for engaging stakeholders and is conducted at multiple...

We present paper substrates, interactive paper components that support the creation and manipulation of complex musical data. Substrates take different forms, from whole pages to movable strips, and contain or control typed data representations. We conducted participatory design sessions with five p...

This article presents the variety of different active citizens and participants involved in a collaborative and participatory planning process within an urban regeneration project in Denmark. In much of the literature on planning and citizen participation citizens are often regarded as a homogenous group. This article argues that there are no `ordinary´ citizens, and claims that citizens are very different and participate in various ways. A criticism raised in relation to participatory processes is that these often tend to favour certain modes of communication based on an implicit ideal of the citizen as being resourceful, mastering political skills and know-how and time. However, many citizens do not `fit´ this stereotype, and thus there is a risk that many citizens are biased by the way the institutional settings for participation are designed. A characterization of active citizens in participatory processes could be useful for practitioners in order to be aware that their choices of techniques and involvement are part of shaping the nature of the participatory process and their overall inclusiveness and representativeness.

The aim of this paper was to demonstrate how participatory strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis can be used to identify relevant economic, ecological and societal (EES) issues for the assessment of sustainable development. This is illustrated by the case of egg production...

Recent years have seen a shift from expert-driven methods for biodiversity conservation to more participatory community-based approaches. While the former - and by far dominant position - propagates a policy of spatial zoning based on the view that local people constitute the main threat to nature, ...

Describes two examples (in France and in the US) of replication of the Danish procedure of the consensus conference for public participation in nanotechnology, and argues that emphasis on the evaluation of the participatory procedure should not be made at the expense of richer analysis of the proble...

Participatory Crop Improvement (PCI) has developed over the past decade as an alternative and complementary breeding approach to Formal Crop Improvement (FCI). In that context, PCI principally aims at more effectively addressing the needs of farmers in marginal areas in developing countries. This pa...

Introduction Beside (cost-)effectiveness, the feasibility of an intervention is important for successful implementation in daily practice. This study concerns the process evaluation of a newly developed participatory return-to-work (RTW) program for workers without an employment contract, sick-liste...

This study concerns the simulation game for organisation development focusing on the development, use and evaluation of the Work Flow Game (WFG). It is a method for participatory improvement of work processes and knowledge work. The WFG is tailor-made and based on the simplified model of the real wo...

This thesis explores potential participatory approaches suitable for a municipal energy planning context. It also analyses the possibility of using those approaches in energy planning processes in ten Swedish municipalities. Swedish municipal energy plans display differences in terms of quality, com...

Pilot implementations of new technology in organizations have been proposed as a promising approach to uncover emergent knowledge and learning of the specific work practices in which they are implemented. In this research proposal I will discuss how a participatory approach to evaluating CSCW applications may support mutual learning.

Learning is essential for local innovation and enhancing the ability of the rural clients to discover new solutions to prevailing challenges. Equally, the growing complexities of the challenges in the theatre of agriculture and rural development require multi-actor learning process. Participatory co...

Abstract in portuguese Este artigo propõe o debate a respeito dos principais paradigmas a partir dos quais, usualmente, vêm sendo estudadas as propostas de ampliação dos canais de participação dos cidadãos na gestão das políticas públicas, análises que investigam os processos participativos ou desde o prisma dos "arranjos neocorporativos", ou por meio de uma perspectiva baseada na concepção de "democracia deliberativa". Visando este objetivo, o presente texto centra seus interesses (more) na trajetória de duas das principais instâncias participativas que, nas últimas décadas, foram desenvolvidas no Brasil: os orçamentos participativos e os conselhos de políticas públicas. Estas instâncias foram avaliadas levando em consideração, especialmente, quatro elementos a) relações institucionais com os governos; b) perfil dos participantes; c) âmbito decisório e, d) dinâmicas de funcionamento. A partir do estudo destas características, os autores discutem sobre a capacidade dos paradigmas neocorporativo e deliberativo constituírem um modelo analítico consistente para a investigação de estruturas participativas dessemelhantes. Abstract in english This paper introduces a debate on the main paradigms that usually base the studies concerning proposals for expanding the channels for citizen participation in public policies administration - analyses which examine participatory processes either from the perspective of "neo-corporatist" arrangements or from the view of "deliberative democracy". To this purpose, the article focus on the trajectory of the two main participatory spheres developed in Brazil over the last dec (more) ades: participatory budgeting and the public policy councils. These participatory bodies were assessed especially through the analysis of four elements: a) institutional relations with governments; b) participants profile; c) scope of decision-making; and d) working dynamics. Based on the analysis of these characteristics, the authors discuss on the capability of two paradigms, neo-corporatism and deliberation, to provide a consistent model for the analysis of dissimilar participatory structures.

The aim of this primer is to support technology transfer initiatives related to mitigation of emissions of greenhouse gases and adaptation to climate change in developing countries and economies in transition. It is meant to provide guidance to all parties involved in the transfer of climate relevant technologies, micluding government, business organisations and other non-governmental organizations representing all sectors relevant for climate change. The emphasis in this primer is on strategic and organisational issues related to the transfer of climate relevant technologies, in particular with a view to utilise climate-relevant technologies in the development process of developing countries and countries in economic transition. It builds upon insight gained in National Needs Assessments regarding the Transfer of Enviromentally Sound Technologies to developing countries. Chapter 2 deals with the technology transfer process for climate relevant technologies. It provides a framework for co-ordinated action of the stakeholders involved in the technology transfer process, with a view to improve the utilisation of climate relevant technologies in the development process of developing countries. It therefore proposes three main `pillars` for climate relevant technology transfer, i.e. creating an enabling environment for stakeholders` participation, assessing mitigation and adaptation needs and opportunities, and implementing and evaluating mitigation and adaptation actions. Chapter 3 elaborates on creating an enabling environment for stakeholders` participation. It deals in particular with the selection of priority sectors and obtaining involvement of stakeholders representing these prioritised sectors, in order to start a roundtable process for the preparation of mitigation and adaptation actions. Chapter 4 covers the second pillar `assessing mitigation and adaptation needs and opportunities`. This encompasses several assessment tasks including: identification and selection of needs and opportunities for climate relevant technologies; assessment of capacities for adoption and implementation of climate relevant technologies and the setting of priorities for mitigation and adaptation actions. Chapter 5 continues with the third pillar `implementing and evaluating mitigation and adaptation actions`. Particular emphasis is given to implementing and operating climate relevant technologies and to sustaining the dialogue among stakeholders regarding mitigation and adaptation needs and opportunities. The final chapter (chapter 6) contains closing remarks regarding likely success factors for the proposed participatory approach to enhance climate relevant technology transfer initiatives. 28 refs.

Abstract in portuguese O objetivo desta pesquisa é desenvolver uma ferramenta para a Análise Multi Critério como apoio para a seleção da comunidade alvo do Programa de Social da Faculdade de Engenharia (PROSOFI) da Pontificia Universidad Javeriana de Bogotá (Colômbia). Esta ferramenta utiliza a Análise Multi Critério (AMC), a qual se baseia em modelos de decisão contendo diferentes soluções possíveis. Para a avaliação de cada uma das alternativas (dezenove cidades e dois municíp (more) ios) foram propostos sete critérios: localização geográfica, presença prévia na comunidade, necessidades básicas não atendidas, apoio de instituições, marginalidade, organizacional social e elementos culturais. As alternativas e os fatores de ponderação foram definidos a partir de um trabalho participativo da Faculdade. Os resultados indicam que as comunidades com mais opções são Usme e Ciudad Bolívar. Abstract in spanish El objetivo de esta investigación es desarrollar una herramienta para el Análisis Multi-Criterio como soporte para la selección de la comunidad objetivo del Programa Social de la Facultad de Ingeniería (PROSOFI) de la Pontificia Universidad Javeriana de Bogotá (Colombia). Esta herramienta utiliza el Análisis Multi-Criterio (AMC), el cual se basa en modelos de decisión que contienen diferentes posibles soluciones. Para la evaluación de cada una de las alternativas (more) (diecinueve localidades y dos municipios) se propusieron siete criterios: ubicación geográfica, presencia previa en la comunidad, necesidades básicas insatisfechas, apoyo de instituciones, marginalidad, organizaciones sociales y elementos culturales. Las alternativas y los factores de ponderación se definieron a partir de un trabajo participativo de la Facultad. Los resultados indican que las comunidades con mayor opción son Usme y Ciudad Bolívar. Abstract in english This document aims to develop a multi-criteria analysis tool as support for the selection of the target community of the social outreach program (PROSOFI, because of its Spanish acronym) of the School of Engineering at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá (PUJB). This tool uses multi-criteria analysis (MCA) based on decision models that provide different possible solutions. For evaluating each of the multiple alternatives (19 urban districts and 2 towns), seven cri (more) teria were proposed, including, location, marginality, and unsatisfied basic needs, among others. Both alternatives and weighting factors were defined based on the participatory work of the School. The results show that communities which are most likely to be selected are Usme and Ciudad Bolivar.

Abstract in portuguese Este artigo analisa políticas participativas criadas pelo Estado sob a perspectiva da "autoridade", isto é, a capacidade de novos fóruns decisórios de solucionar problemas, fazer valer decisões e ter impacto no mundo externo. A partir do exemplo de dois tipos de políticas participativas comitês de bacia hidrográfica e orçamentos participativos , argumenta-se que a construção da autoridade é mais provável nos casos em que tanto atores de Estado quanto da socie (more) dade percebem que o novo processo decisório pode beneficiar seus interesses. De um lado, o artigo mostra como os atores envolvidos em experiências bem-sucedidas formulam políticas participativas em torno de interesses compartilhados. De outro lado, são examinados os fatores cognitivos que facilitam ou, ao contrário, dificultam a identificação de tais interesses. Mostra-se, ainda, que idéias técnicas, tais como os modelos de participação, podem ajudar os atores a perceber a criação de fóruns participativos como sendo de seu próprio interesse; entretanto, quando esses modelos são seguidos cegamente, eles podem tornar-se "cadeados cognitivos", dificultando assim a capacidade de adaptar idéias às condições locais. Abstract in english This article analyzes participatory policies created by the State from the perspective of "authority", the capacity of these new decision-making forums to solve problems, enforce decisions and have an impact on the external world. Based on examples from two types of participatory policy river basin committees and participatory budgets it argues that the construction of authority is more likely to occur when both State and society actors perceive the new decision-making pr (more) ocess as beneficial to their interests. On the one hand, the article shows how, in successful cases, actors design participatory policy around shared interests. On the other hand, it examines how cognitive factors can both facilitate and make more difficult the identification of such interests. The article argues that technical ideas, such as participatory models, can help actors to perceive the creation of participatory forums as in their interest. However, when models are followed blindly, they can become "cognitive locks", making it more difficult for actors to adapt the ideas to local conditions.

Abstract in spanish Se realizó un diagnóstico específico de los cultivos agrícolas y su comportamiento espacial y temporal en agroecosistemas campesinos de la comunidad de Zaragoza en San José de Las Lajas, durante el período comprendido entre mayo del 2004 y diciembre del 2006. Para ello se seleccionaron 15 fincas, que representaban el 20 % de los sistemas campesinos de la comunidad. La toma de datos se realizó mediante el conteo directo y empleo de técnicas participativas, como enc (more) uestas formales y entrevistas con los productores. Las especies inventariadas fueron clasificadas taxonómicamente y ubicadas en grupos creados de acuerdo con su uso y valor utilitario. Se encontraron un total de 104 especies vegetales, distribuidas en 39 familias; de estas, 86 son manejadas por los campesinos y 18 son especies asociadas, principalmente arvenses. Se calcularon los valores medio de riqueza, diversidad y similitud a través de los índices ecológicos. La riqueza específica se consideró de media a baja en un rango de 5 a 34 especies y un índice de diversidad general bajo. El índice de similitud mostró valores muy bajos con un promedio de 0.41, lo cual indica que hubo una gran variación de las especies que se cultivan en cada agroecosistema. Los grupos de cultivos predominantes fueron frutales, hortalizas y granos, con 25, 12 y 10 especies respectivamente. Abstract in english A specific diagnosis on agricultural crops and their spatial and temporary behavior was conducted in farmer agroecosystems from Zaragoza community in San José de las Lajas, during the period between May, 2004 and December, 2006. Thus, 15 farms representing 20 % of farmer community systems were selected. Data were collected by direct counting and participatory techniques, such as formal surveys and growers’ interviews. Inventoried species were taxonomically classifi (more) ed and arranged into groups according to their use and profitable value. A total of 104 plant species were found, distributed in 39 families; 86 of them are managed by farmers and 18 are associated species, mainly weeds. Mean values of richness, diversity and similarity were calculated through ecological indexes. Specific richness within a range from 5 to 34 species was considered mid to low and a low general diversity index. Similarity index showed very low values with an average of 0.41, indicating a great variation of species cultivated in each agroecosystem. Predominating crop groups were fruit trees, horticultural and grain crops with 25, 12 and 10 species, respectively.

Abstract in portuguese A ocorrência de sucessivas epidemias de dengue no Brasil ressalta a importância da divulgação de informações pela mídia, pois, como esfera de mediação das sociedades contemporâneas, a mídia produz, amplifica e faz circular informações e significados que afetam as decisões das pessoas. Com o objetivo de contribuir nessa discussão, analisou-se a cobertura do principal jornal diário de Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil, sobre as epidemias de dengue naquela (more) capital entre 1996 e 2000, buscando-se avaliar a prioridade do noticiário para a doença e os enfoques privilegiados. Foram selecionadas 446 notícias, classificadas segundo o tema abordado nos títulos e nos textos das matérias. Verificou-se que o número de notícias guardou estreita relação com o número de casos de dengue registrados, com "picos" de cobertura coincidindo com a ocorrência de epidemias. A prioridade jornalística na cobertura das epidemias e o pouco espaço destinado à prevenção observados neste estudo apontam a necessidade de se considerar, no campo de atuação dos serviços de vigilância, estratégias de divulgação de informação nos meios de comunicação, visando propiciar intervenções mais participativas e, assim, mais eficientes para a prevenção de epidemias. Abstract in english The occurrence of successive dengue epidemics in Brazil highlights the importance of information dissemination by the media. As a sphere for mediation in contemporary societies, the news media produce, expand, and circulate information and meanings that affect people's decisions. In order to contribute to the discussion, this study analyzes coverage by the main daily newspaper in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, on dengue epidemics in that State capital from 1996 to (more) 2000, assessing the priority ascribed to the epidemics as news and the various approaches to the disease. Some 446 news stories were selected, classified according to the themes approached in the titles and in the body of the articles. There was a close relationship between the number of news stories and the number of reported dengue cases, with "peaks" in coverage coinciding with outbreaks. According to this study, the news priority for epidemics and the limited space reserved for prevention highlight the need for epidemiological surveillance services to consider strategies to disseminate information through the mass media, aimed at fostering more participatory interventions that would thus be more efficient in the prevention of epidemics.

In this study on the production of novel varietal hop aromas by supercritical fluid extraction of hop pellets we aim at fractionated extraction of hop oil essences by density programmed supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of hop pellets T90 using carbon dioxide. For that purpose, SFE is performed in two steps. In the first step, the most volatile compounds from hop essential oil are isolated by extracting pellets T90 applying a carbon dioxide density of 0.29g/mL (90atm, 50^oC). Subsequent fractionation of the crude extract from this first SFE step via solid phase extraction (SPE) using octadecylsilica and ethanol/water mixtures, results in flavour-active single variety hop oil essence, highly enriched in 'floral' compounds of total hop essential oil. When added to a non-aromatised pilot l...

A new esterase isozyme locus, Est10, with 6 alleles including the null form, has been found in rice by using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Thirty F2 populations of all possible combinations between 5 different band morphs were studied. The segregation pattern indicated that bands 1, 2, 3, 4, and the null form (0) were allelic with each other. The alleles of Est10 were distributed at different frequencies among different varietal groups of rice and also between cultivated rice and its wild relatives (Oryza rufipogon Griff.). Alleles 1 and 2 were frequently found in Japonica and Indica types, respectively. Allele 3 showed a high frequency in Aus and Boro, both Indica types cultivated in South Asia. Allele 4 was frequent in wild rice O. rufipogon. Judging from the linkage between Est10 and RFLP marker RG220 and isozyme marker Est5, Est10 is located on chromosome 1. The importance of this locus in evolutionary studies of rice is discussed.   

Abstract in portuguese A cárie-do-arroz (Tilletia barclayana), doença considerada secundária na cultura do arroz irrigado, vem ganhando importância nos últimos anos devido aos níveis elevados de infestação e à redução do rendimento. A doença é favorecida por temperatura e umidade do ar elevadas, doses altas de nitrogênio e semeadura tardia. Para o manejo, recomenda-se uso de resistência varietal, semeadura na época recomendada e adubação equilibrada. Abstract in english The rice kernel smut (Tilletia barclayana), which is considered as a secondary disease, lately has been growing in importance due to its high infestation levels and effects in seed yield. This disease is favored by elevated air temperatures and humidity; high nitrogen fertilizer rates a late sowing. In order to control it, the use or resistant varieties, appropriate sowing dates and balanced fertilization of the soil, are recommended practices.

Abstract In rice (Oryza sativa L.), cadmium (Cd), a toxic heavy metal, is found in phloem sap and eventually accumulates in the grains. To further characterize phloem transported Cd, the chemical forms of Cd and other metals and varietal differences in phloem sap Cd concentrations were investigated in young rice plants. The size exclusion chromatography elution times for Cd bound compounds indicated that phloem Cd in cv. Nipponbare exists mainly as an approximately 13 kDa complex. Protease digestion of rice phloem sap reduced the bound Cd content from 92 to 19%. The remaining Cd may bind to low molecule SH compounds. An experiment examining in vitro addition of Cd2+ to phloem sap from non Cd treated plants revealed that rice phloem sap constitutively contains Cd chelators. The major Cd pea...

Abstract in portuguese Na classificação das maçãs para o comércio doméstico, uma parcela de até 30% pode ser descartada. As frutas de descarte, também chamadas de industriais, apresentam potencial tecnológico e podem ser aproveitadas na fabricação de diversos produtos, como sucos e fermentados alcoólicos. Cerca de 90% da produção brasileira de maçãs correspondem as cultivares Fuji e Gala, que apresentam baixa aptidão industrial, entretanto outras cultivares podem apresentar car (more) acterísticas que tornem o produto final com qualidade superior. Assim, foi avaliado o potencial tecnológico da cultivar Joaquina para a fabricação de suco clarificado e de vinho de maçã em comparação com as cultivares Fuji e Gala. Maçãs das cultivares Fuji e Gala foram obtidas no comercio local e da cultivar Joaquina, colocadas à disposição pela Estação Experimental de São Joaquim (Epagri). O suco clarificado e o vinho de maçã foram obtidos em bancada de laboratório com protocolos definidos. O suco varietal da Joaquina, quando comparado físico-quimicamente com os da Fuji e da Gala não diferiu significativamente, porém os julgadores em avaliação sensorial atribuíram-lhe as menores notas (3,78), com alto grau de rejeição (64%). O vinho varietal da maçã Joaquina, físico-quimicamente idêntico aos da Fuji e da Gala, foi considerado de aceitação semelhante ao da Gala (4,52) sendo o da Fuji (3,80) absolutamente rejeitado, com 67%. Assim, a maçã da variedade Joaquina pode ser usada com parcimônia no processamento de suco e com segurança na produção de vinho. Abstract in english The classification process of apples to domestic market, around 30% can be considered as a sub-product, but still with some economical value: they are the so-called industrial fruits. They have a very high technological potential and can be used in the processing of many food products, as apple juices and alcoholic beverage. Around 90% of the apple production are related to Fuji and Gala varieties, that by themselves show very low industrial appeal. However, there are som (more) e other apple cultivars with better industrial profile and that can be used to obtain products with high quality. The objective was to evaluate the technological potential of fruits from Joaquina cultivar concerning clarified juice and wine production and quality, comparing them with the products obtained from apples of Fuji and Gala varieties. Fuji and Gala apple cv. were acquired in local market and Joaquina cv. were received from Experimental Station of São Joaquim (Epagri). The clarified juice and the wine were processed in a laboratory scale, with an appropriate protocol. The varietal juice of the Joaquina did not differ significantly from the juices from Fuji and Gala, considering physico-chemical parameter; however, in sensorial analysis the judges gave lower scores to Fuji (3.78), with a high rejection index (64%). The varietal dry wine of the Joaquina, also identical to the reference wines of Fuji and Gala in physico-chemical terms, was considered of similar acceptance to the wine of Gala (4.52), but the wine from Fuji (3.80) was absolutely rejected (67%). The apple from Joaquina variety can be use with parsimony in the processing of juice but with confidence in the production of wine.

The non-edible plant Jatropha curcas L. is one of the most promising feedstock for sustainable biodiesel production as it is not a source of edible vegetable oils, produces high amounts of oil (approx. 30?60% in dry seeds) and does not require high-cost maintenance. However, as with other undomesticated crops, the cultivation of J. curcas presents several drawbacks, such as low productivity and susceptibility to pests. Hence, varietal improvement by genetic engineering is essential if J. curcas is to become a viable alternative source of biodiesel. There is to date no well-established and efficient transformation system for J. curcas. In this study, we tested various physical wounding treatments, such as sonication and sand-vortexing, with the aim of developing an efficient Agrobacterium-m...

This paper pursues a line of enquiry regarding employment laws which promulgate standards (rather than rules), the legitimacy of which is premised on the need to scrutinise managerial autonomy pursuant to a norm-setting, rather than norm-reflecting agenda. Insights will be offered in relation to the expectations about the exercise of the managerial prerogative which the law transmits through such standards. The argument is advanced that a by-product of the common law and statutory policy initiatives lying at the heart of the regulation of managerial autonomy has been the emergence of differing behavioural standards in the employment relationship. In order to satisfy the common law and statutory obligations which they owe towards their employees, employers are expected to discharge a variet...

The objective of this paper is to develop a rapid, objective, and easy method for recognizing wheat varieties, which is important for breeding, milling and marketing. The method can be used in place of the existing procedures to remove subjectivity from wheat variety recognition. In contrast to previous work, most of which has focused on wheat morphological characteristics, the features utilized in this paper are based mainly on kernel color. Varietal classification is performed by using Support Vector Machines (SVMs) method. More than 96% correct recognition rates are achieved with bulk samples involving 16 varieties representing a wide range of wheat varieties, wheat class, and kernel types. The proportion of single wheat kernels correctly recognized ranges from 87% to 93%. The results were encouraging since the method proposed here can be easily conducted in routine inspection.

Abstract Deoxynivalenol (DON) content and Fusarium spp. (Fusarium graminearum, Fusarium culmorum, Fusarium avenaceum, Microdochium nivale and Fusarium poae) of mycotoxin-producing Fusarium species in winter wheat in Belgium (Flanders) were determined. Field trials were set up in the varietal testing network of Flanders Agricultural Centre for Small Grains (Roeselare - Beitem, Belgium) and followed up during growing seasons 2001-2002, 2002-2003, 2003-2004 and 2004-2005. Fusarium infection and DON contamination were mainly influenced by location and environmental parameters. Mean DON levels ranged from 0 to 15 mg/kg. Over the period of four growing seasons cvs Deben, Ordeal and Napier had the highest DON contamination. Seasonal and local weather conditions before and during flowering togethe...

The current status of research on the use of ionizing radiation for shelf life improvement and disinfestation of fresh tropical fruits like bananas, mangoes, and papayas are reviewed. The aspects covered are influence of maturity and physiological state of the fruits on delayed ripening and tolerance to radiation; varietal responses; changes in chemical constituents, volatiles, respiration, and ethylene evolution; biochemical mechanisms of delayed ripening and browning of irradiated fruits; and organoleptic quality. The efficacy of the combination of hot water dip and radiation treatments for control of postharvest fungal diseases are considered. The immediate potential of radiation as a quarantine treatment, in place of the currently used chemical fumigants, for disinfestation of fruit flies and mango seed weevil are discussed. Future prospects for irradiation of tropical fruits are discussed in the light of experience gained from studies conducted in different countries.146 references.

In autumn, winter wheat and temperate forage grasses, such as orchardgrass, timothy, and perennial ryegrass, accumulate fructan, which is a kind of fructose-based oligo- and polysaccharide. The fructan content in their crown tissue reaches more than 30% of their dry weight before snow cover, and this increase in fructan content is associated with both the freezing tolerance and the snow mold resistance of winter crops in the northern region of Japan. These crops mainly accumulate the ?(2,6)-linked levan type of fructan, and their structure and composition vary among wheat and grasses. We cloned several kinds of genes encoding fructosyltransferase and fructan exohydrolase from these plants, and analysis of the expression of fructosyltransferase revealed varietal differences in wheat under field conditions and low-temperature responses in grasses. Further investigation of the control of fructan metabolism through molecular biology and genetics should lead to the development of methods for improving the over-wintering ability of these crops.   

In developing grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) berries, precursor volatile organic compounds (PVOCs) are largely stored as glycosides which may be hydrolyzed to release VOCs during fruit ripening, wine making, or aging. VOCs can be further transformed by yeast metabolism. Together, these processes contribute to complexity of wine aromas. Floral and citrus odors of many white wine varietals are attributed to monoterpenes and monoterpene alcohols, while phenolic compounds, norisoprenoids, and other volatiles also play important roles in determining aroma. We present an analysis of PVOCs stored as glycosides in developing Gew?rztraminer berries during the growing season. We optimized a method for PVOC analysis suitable for small amounts of Muscat grapevine berries and showed that the amount of P...

Rojal, Moravia Dulce and Tortosi are three red minority grape varieties grown in La Mancha region (Spain). In this work, wines from these grape varieties were elaborated across four harvests (2006-2009). The aroma of wines was studied by instrumental and sensory analysis to determine their typicality and quality. Free and glycosidically-bound aroma compounds were isolated by solid phase extraction (SPE) and analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). GC-MS analysis of wines identified 75, 78 and 80 free aroma compounds and 59, 62 and 62 bound aroma compounds in Moravia Dulce, Rojal and Tortosi wines, respectively. C6 and benzenic compounds were the major components of free varietal aroma. Bound aroma fraction was characterised by a larger concentration of benzenic and C13-...

The evolution of the varietal thiol 3-mercaptohexanol acetate (3MHA) and other key aroma compounds has been monitored in New Zealand Sauvignon blanc wines stored for 1 year at three different temperatures (5, 10 and 18 °C). The main processes that occurred in the Sauvignon blanc wines during bottle ageing were hydrolysis of 3MHA and other acetate esters, hydrolysis of ethyl esters of fatty acids, and the formation of ethyl esters of branched acids. The kinetic parameters of ester hydrolysis, including reaction rate constants and activation energies, were determined, which allow prediction of future wine composition based upon storage temperature and time. It was found that 3MHA had the highest reaction rate constant, meaning that this compound is the most unstable, particularly at higher storage temperatures, and that it disappeared very fast during wine storage. PMID:22868118

Proteins from the Omp85 family have roles in membrane biogenesis, and the archetypal protein of this family is the bacterial outer membrane protein BamA. Through evolution, BamA has acquired membrane protein partner subunits, but distinct partner subunits are evident in the various bacterial lineages. As a result, experimental work on several species of bacteria has revealed varietal forms of the ?-barrel assembly machinery (BAM complex). This scenario extends even into mitochondria and plastids, organelles of eukaryotic cells that evolved from intracellular bacterial ancestors. In addition to the BAM complex, other molecular machines, namely the two-partner secretion system (TPS) and the translocation and assembly module (the TAM), probably evolved from gene duplication events involving BamA. We discuss what is known about the diverse composition of the BAM complex in various bacterial lineages, and how this diversity impacts on our understanding of the mechanism underlying the assembly of bacterial outer membranes. PMID:22959613

Le(s) interferon(s) (IFN) sont des cytokines ubiquitaires produites par toute cellule mononucleee en reponse a une infection virale a ADN ou ARN. Les interferons sont classes en trois types : le type I non immun regroupant les interferons alpha leucocytaires, l'interferon beta fibroblastique et d'autres varietes, plus accessoires ; le type II ou immun constitue de l'interferon gamma est produit par les cellules NK et T essentiellement ; le type III regroupant les interferons lambda. A chaque type correspond un recepteur particulier et une voie de transduction du signal. Virus et microorganismes sont reconnus par les recepteurs Toll (TLR) membranaires et endosomaux. La fixation d'ADN ou d'ARN aux TLR endosomaux declenche un signal qui chemine, par des voies de transduction, jusqu'a des mole...

Aims This study aimed to assess varietal differences of quinoa???s tolerance to salinity and to investigate physiological mechanisms conferring these differences. Methods Production of biomass in fourteen varieties grown under saline conditions was analysed in a pot experiment. For two contrasting varieties, the Danish variety Titicaca and the Bolivian variety Utusaya gas exchange, chlorophyll content index (CCI), fluorescence and ion relations were studied. Results Responses to salinity differed greatly among the varieties; least affected were two varieties from the Bolivian altiplano and a variety from Peru. Titicaca and Utusaya both had substantially increased K+ concentrations in the leaf sap. But, Utusaya was much more efficient in restricting xylem Na+ loading. Xylem Na+ and K+ loadi...

BACKGROUND: High erucic acid oilseed rape (HEAR) was tested as a source crop for estimates of regional geneflow. Two methods to detect HEAR in low erucic acid oilseed rape (LEAR) were compared: real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) and gas chromatography (GC). RESULTS: Fields (2.5 ha) of a LEAR variety (0.028% EA) in Tayside and Hertfordshire were juxtaposed adjacent to and 1 km distant from a HEAR (44% EA) field. The LEAR variety was a varietal association to ensure high cross-pollination (CP). The methods were highly correlated, measuring between 30% and 0.5% CP. However, the qPCR method became unreliable below 0.5% CP, whereas GC was robust enough to detect raised EA equivalent to one F1 seed in 500 (0.2%). A statistical mixture model was fitted to the distributions of EA in samples in orde...

The perception of wine flavor and aroma is the result of a multitude of interactions between a large number of chemical compounds and sensory receptors. Compounds interact and combine and show synergistic (i.e., the presence of one compound enhances the perception of another) and antagonistic (a compound suppresses the perception of another) interactions. The chemical profile of a wine is derived from the grape, the fermentation microflora (in particular the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae), secondary microbial fermentations that may occur, and the aging and storage conditions. Grape composition depends on the varietal and clonal genotype of the vine and on the interaction of the genotype and its phenotype with many environmental factors which, in wine terms, are usually grouped under the c...

Abstract in portuguese Avaliaram-se as características sensoriais dos vinhos Bordô varietalmente puros e elaborados segundo a tecnologia própria a cada vinícola. A avaliação sensorial foi conduzida por um grupo de nove painelistas devidamente treinados. Os resultados revelaram que, dos 26 descritores avaliados, nove caracterizaram o vinho Bordô como sensorialmente marcante. Os descritores analisados foram a cor relativamente intensa e matiz violeta; aromas foxado e frutado; corpo relativ (more) amente pouco estruturado, mais ou menos ácido, sabores foxado e frutado predominantes e forte tipicidade. Abstract in english Varietal wines made according to the technology used in each winery were evaluated and their sensory characteristics were determined. A panel of nine experimented painelists performed sensory analysis. The results show that out of the 26 descriptors analyzed, nine markedly characterized this wine, i.e., they presented intense color and violet hue; foxy and fruity aroma; body with a medium structure, somewhat acid, foxy and fruity flavor, and strong tipicity.

In Part 1 of a planned series of articles on preservation of foods of plant origin by gamma irradiation, the current state of research on the technological, nutritional, and biochemical aspects of sprout inhibition of potatoes and other tuber crops are reviewed. These include varietal responses, dose effects, time of irradiation, pre- and postirradiation storage, and handling requirements; postirradiation changes in carbohydrates, ascorbic acid, amino acids, and other nutrients; respiration; biochemical mechanisms involved in sprout inhibition; wound healing and microbial infection during storage; formation of wound and light-induced glycoalkaloids and identification of irradiated potatoes. The culinary and processing qualities with particular reference to darkening of boiled and processed potatoes are discussed. The prospects of irradiation on an industrial scale as an alternative to chemical sprout inhibitors or mechanical refrigeration are considered.

Non-Saccharomyces yeasts are microorganisms that play an important role in the fermentation dynamics, compositions and flavour of wine. The aromatic compounds responsible for varietal aroma in wine are mainly terpenes, of which the most important group are the monoterpenes because of their volatility and odour if present in a free form. In fact, some terpenyl-glycosides do not contribute to the aroma unless they are hydrolysed. The glycosylated form of terpenes can be converted by hydrolysis with ?-glycosidases produced by yeasts during the winemaking process, into aromatic compounds. In this study we utilized a non-Saccharomyces yeast, with a high extra-cellular glycosidase activity, isolated from grapes of cultivars typical of Irpinia region. This strain, identified as a Rhodotorula muci...

ABSTRACT:- The major objective of the study is to develop a framework allowing for the systematic investigation of the institutionalised varieties and performance varieties of English (also known as learner Englishes). This involves a detailed description of the forms of English spoken in India and in Russia as well as discussion of sociolinguistic histories and cultural background. Relying on evidence obtained for Indian English and English spoken in Russia, this paper argues that learner Englishes are self-contained forms of English that reflect order and structure within the grammar and need to be documented and studied systematically in analogy to indigenised forms of English. Moreover, the description of both varietal types should take into account various factors relating to the extr...

The flavour of fermented beverages such as beer, cider, saké and wine owe much to the primary fermentation yeast used in their production, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Where once the role of yeast in fermented beverage flavour was thought to be limited to a small number of volatile esters and higher alcohols, the discovery that wine yeast release highly potent sulfur compounds from non-volatile precursors found in grapes has driven researchers to look more closely at how choice of yeast can influence wine style. This review explores recent progress towards understanding the range of 'flavour phenotypes' that wine yeast exhibit, and how this knowledge has been used to develop novel flavour-active yeasts. In addition, emerging opportunities to augment these phenotypes by engineering yeast to produce so-called grape varietal compounds, such as monoterpenoids, will be discussed. PMID:22940803

This study compared the behaviour of six autochthonous pear millet ecotypes collected through the Tunisian territory under salt stress from germination to maturity. It showed that salt has little effect on germination rate and coleoptile emergence. However, this effect is more significant for radicular growth and between ecotypes. Salinity did not influence plant height, which seems to be a varietal characteristic, but revealed a positive effect on the foliar expansion. On the productivity level, salinity did not exert a prejudicial effect over the length of the principal candle, but improved the yield component. This adaptation to salinity is mainly due to its root system. This effect varied according to stress intensity and ecotype. Vegetative growth and yield of high-straw ecotypes was ...

A two-year field experiment was conducted with japonica type high-yielding variety “Fukuhibiki, indica type high-yielding variety “Takanari, large grain type high-yielding variety “Bekoaoba and conventional japonica type varieties “Akitakomachi and “Hitomebore in the Tohoku region (colder area of Japan). The panicles of Takanari and Bekoaoba located lower in the canopy, and the flag leaf of those varieties intercept more solar radiation, because the flag leaf was long and the first internode of panicle did not emerge above the lamina joint of the flag leaf in Takanari and the panicle hung lower in Bekoaoba. The three high-yielding varieties produced a large sink size, due to the large potential sink size in Takanari, the very large grain size in Bekoaoba and the rather large number of spikelets per panicle and somewhat large grain size in Fukuhibiki. Based on dry matter production, the three high-yielding varieties had a high harvest index, although there were little varietal differences in top dry weight at maturity. Unhulled rice weight of the three high-yielding varieties was heavier than that of other varieties at 30 days after heading (30 DAH). However, there were no varietal differences in the increase in unhulled rice weight from 30 DAH to maturity (later than 50 DAH), probably due to the continual growth of the grains located lower until the late ripening period in all varieties. In conclusion, the traits related to high yield varied greatly among varieties. However, the three high-yielding varieties had a large sink size, heavy unhulled rice weight at 30 DAH and high harvest index.   

To clarify the inter- and intraspecific variations of floral traits in rice, we investigated eleven traits related to pistil, stamen and glume using 128 Asian cultivated rice (Oryza sativa L.) accessions including 72 Indica and 56 Japonica type accessions, and 53 wild rice (O. rufipogon Griff.) accessions including 32 perennial and 21 annual ecotype accessions. We examined the results from three specific levels: intraspecific variation between perennial and annual ecotypes of wild rice, interspecific variation between cultivated rice and wild rice, and intraspecific variation between Indica and Japonica type cultivars. The annual wild rice accessions exhibited a shorter stigma and anther than the perennial wild rice ones. The cultivated rice accessions showed a lower stigma exsertion, shorter stigma, shorter anther, and thicker and wider lemma and palea than the wild rice accessions. These floral traits of cultivated rice are considered to play an important role in selfing and high seed production. None of the floral traits showed distinct differences between the Indica and Japonica type accessions in cultivated rice, although the Indica type accessions tended to display a slenderer stigma and glume than the Japonica type accessions. It is suggested that the varietal differentiation into the Indica and Japonica types is not likely to be related to genetic variations of floral traits. We clarified the differences in floral traits between annual and perennial ecotypes of wild rice, between cultivated rice and wild rice, and between the Indica and Japonica type cultivars, and discussed the relationship between genetic variations of floral traits and domestication and varietal differentiation in rice.   

Low temperature decreases biomass production and yield in rice through a number of physiological and morphological changes. We evaluated biomass production in 22 high-yielding genotypes and four commercial japonica cultivars early after transplanting under field conditions for 2 years. The seedlings were transplanted on 30 April or 1 May (early transplanting, ET) and 4 weeks later (late transplanting, LT). The mean air temperature during the 18 days after transplanting in ET was about 4ºC lower than that in LT in both years. The seedling length was greater in high-yielding japonica varieties than in indica genotypes, whereas the seedling character index (SCI), which is the product of plant age in leaf number and the ratio of the seedling weight to its length, was the highest in the indica genotypes. Varietal differences in biomass production were greater in ET than in LT in all rice genotypes. The biomass at 18 days after transplanting was largest in the japonica high-yielding varieties Kusayutaka and Beko-aoba in both ET and LT. The biomass production of the indica genotypes was found to decrease severely after transplanting at low temperatures although the indica genotypes with high SCIs showed faster leaf emergence than the high-yielding japonica varieties. There was a strong positive correlation between the varietal differences in biomass production and shoot length at 18 days after transplanting in ET in both years. Our study suggests that superior shoot elongation in the high-yielding japonica varieties with large biomass allocation to the stems may be advantageous in maintaining biomass productivity at low temperatures.   

Abstract Objectives This research aimed to look in depth at the factors affecting the ability of four Sure Start local programmes, based in a multicultural Midlands city, to engage with `hard-to-reach' populations. Methods A variety of research strategies and methods were employed. Geographical information systems, participatory research methods and interviews were used in order to understand the extent of the challenge, and hear first hand, why parents may not get involved with Sure Start. The mapping exercise involved collation and mapping of postcode data with respect to boundaries and potential and actual users of Sure Start services. This made possible the identification of any geographical patterning in the distribution of service users and non-users. Participatory research methods w...

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) has been widely used in public health research in the last decade as an approach to develop culturally centered interventions and collaborative research processes in which communities are directly involved in the construction and implementation of these interventions and in other application of findings. Little is known, however, about CBPR pathways of change and how these academic-community collaborations may contribute to successful outcomes. A new health CBPR conceptual model (Wallerstein N, Oetzel JG, Duran B et al. CBPR: What predicts outcomes? In: Minkler M, Wallerstein N (eds). Communication Based Participatory Research, 2nd edn. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Co., 2008) suggests that relationships between four components: context, grou...

Mind Mapping has predominantly been used by individuals or collaboratively in groups as a paper-based or computer-generated learning strategy. In an effort to make Mind Mapping kinesthetic, collaborative, and three-dimensional, an innovative pedagogical strategy, termed Physical Webbing, was devised. In the Physical Web activity, groups collaboratively build concrete (physical) representations of content using kinesthetic or participatory manipulatives. The theoretical underpinnings of the Physical Web include the scientific findings on the physicality of learning and Papert's constructionist theory. A case study example of the implementation of the Physical Webbing process delineates a specific application and provides procedures for replication and expansion of the strategy. Qualitative analysis of the attitudinal surveys following the activity provided data regarding students' preference for the Physical Webbing activity over the traditional lecture, acceptance of participatory manipulatives, perceived learning and attitudes towards collaborative kinesthetic three-dimensional Mind Mapping. (Contains 5 figures.)

Musical enculturation is a complex, multifaceted process that includes the development of perceptual processing specialized for the pitch and rhythmic structures of the musical system in the culture, understanding of esthetic and expressive norms, and learning the pragmatic uses of music in different social situations. Here, we summarize the results of a study in which 6-month-old Western infants were randomly assigned to 6 months of either an active participatory music class or a class in which they experienced music passively while playing. Active music participation resulted in earlier enculturation to Western tonal pitch structure, larger and/or earlier brain responses to musical tones, and a more positive social trajectory. Furthermore, the data suggest that early exposure to cultural norms of musical expression leads to early preferences for those norms. We conclude that musical enculturation begins in infancy and that active participatory music making in a positive social setting accelerates enculturation. PMID:22524350

Interdisciplinary research with stakeholders and users challenge the research methodologies to be used. These have to provide a shared language for all the participants, to build up trust, and to offer insights into the diverse perspectives of the participants. Further more it challenge ways to discuss and validate contributions from each others - across different criteria for each discipline, and crosswise different agendas for stakeholders, politicians, practitioners and researchers. Participatory research and social experiments are methodologies which have been developed to cope with this kind of complexity in regards to technology development and design projects. Based on experiences and lessons learned from the project "The Digital North Denmark (DDN), the chapter reflects on participatory research in a complex organizational setting of researchers, stakeholders and users emphasising practice-based methods where "social experiments with technology" and "dialogue research" are the key-words. 

Community-based natural resources management (CBNRM) was introduced in Benin in the early 1990s. Because of the initially positive results, the Forest Department decided to continue and scale up this participatory approach to all Benin's protected areas. Focusing on the relationships between the actors involved, this paper seeks to explain the dynamics of the participatory management process in the Oueme Superieur and N'Dali forests in Northern Benin. The analysis is based on data gathered from interviews with the different actors involved. The study shows that social cohesion between people involved in CBNRM, the Forest Rangers and local communities was built at the beginning of the process, but then disappeared and was followed by conflict. Stakeholders interpreted and made sense of form...

Participation is of high relevance to the CHI Design community. Participatory work has been performed with very different intentions: to democratize the design process; to better inform the design of new systems; to engage the public in the construction of their own futures; or simply to appease funding commitments. Whilst this increased attention has lead to a large amount of methodological innovation, very little effort has been spent reflecting on when and why certain participatory approaches should, or should not be, used. This SIG will bring together an invited panel of experts who have explored participation to vary degrees within their past work. The aim of this SIG is to provide an opportunity for discussion and reflection on how and why participative methods are used in HCI research and practice.

Abstract Following the increasing calls for a more skeptical analysis of web 2.0 and the empowerment of learners' voices in formulating upcoming technologies, this paper elaborates on the participatory design of a web learning environment. A total of 117 undergraduate students from two Greek Informatics Departments participated in 25 participatory design sessions, employing two needs' elicitation techniques, with the aim of envisioning a learning platform that meets their learning particularities and needs, incorporates and exploits their new technological habits, and can be harmoniously situated in their daily routine. Overall, 773 needs were elicited, proving that students had refined views about the elements that can render the next wave of e-learning applications successful. They convi...

This article examines the relationship between the women's movement and the government over the two women-friendly administrations in South Korea (1997-2007), a period marked by flourishing civil society activism and participatory democracy. As the Korean government transformed from a military dictatorship to a participatory democracy, the women's movement became increasingly involved in policy making and formulating legal changes. By the end of 2007, the Korean government had established or rewritten numerous far-reaching laws in order to rectify gender inequality. However, many feminist activists and scholars are asking whether the very success of Korean gender policy resulted in the institutionalization and demobilization of the women's movement. This study will focus on the dynamics of...

Job satisfaction can be conceptualized as a function of situational conditions, personal characteristics, and interactions between both groups of variables. The authors compared the relative predictive power of these determinants in 3 samples of professionals (total N = 1,065). Perceived job characteristics (qualification possibilities, social support, stress, autonomy, participatory leadership) uniquely explained 7-22% of the variance in job satisfaction, and dispositional factors (Big Five, occupational self-efficacy, work centrality, mastery goals) uniquely explained 8-12% of the variance. Dispositional influences were partially mediated by perceived job characteristics. Interactions between situational and dispositional factors were of little significance. The authors concluded that perceived job characteristics (especially autonomy and participatory leadership) are important determinants of job satisfaction, and neuroticism is an important determinant as well. Highly educated professionals' job satisfaction also seems to be driven by qualification possibilities. PMID:16967742

Collaboratively, the nutritional health problems of the Lower Mississippi Delta (LMD) region were examined and opportunities identified for conducting research interventions. To combat the nutritional health problems in the LMD, community residents yielded to a more comprehensive and participatory approach known as community-based participatory research (CBPR). Community residents partnered with academic researchers and other organizational entities to improve the overall quality of diet and health in their respective communities using CBPR. The collaborative work in the LMD focused on interventions conducted in each of three specific communities across three states: Marvell, Arkansas (Marvell NIRI), and its surrounding public school district; Franklin Parish in Louisiana (Franklin NIRI); and the city of Hollandale, Mississippi (Hollandale NIRI). This paper examined some of the research interventions conducted in Franklin, Hollandale, and Marvell NIRI respectively, how leadership emerged from each of these communities, and lessons learned as a result of the CBPR model. PMID:22073526

It is not possible to develop guidelines on how to involve communities in nature conservation in countries with no experience in this area without drawing on the experience of experts in public participation and the human dimension, especially where changes in environmental management must be made in a relatively short time and in the most effective manner. This paper presents the results of a study on the practical application of the public participatory approach in nature, particularly biodiversity conservation, conducted among American decision-makers with expertise in providing consultation and involving communities in the management of natural resources. A critical presentation of the functioning of the public participatory approach has been related to the need for its application in ...

Introduction Within the labour force workers without an employment contract represent a vulnerable group. In most cases, when sick-listed, these workers have no workplace/employer to return to. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness on return-to-work of a participatory return-to-work program compared to usual care for unemployed workers and temporary agency workers, sick-listed due to musculoskeletal disorders. Methods The workers, sick-listed for 2?8 weeks due to musculoskeletal disorders, were randomly allocated to the participatory return-to-work program (n = 79) or to usual care (n = 84). The new program is a stepwise procedure aimed at making a consensus-based return-to-work plan, with the possibility of a temporary (therapeutic) workplace. Outcomes were me...

The term P4 medicine is used to denote an evolving field of medicine that uses systems biology approaches and information technologies to enhance wellness rather than just treat disease. Its four components include predictive, preventive, personalized, and participatory medicine. In the current paper, it is argued that in order to fulfill the promise of P4 medicine, a “fifth P” must be integrated—the population perspective—into each of the other four components. A population perspective integrates predictive medicine into the ecologic model of health; applies principles of population screening to preventive medicine; uses evidence-based practice to personalize medicine; and grounds participatory medicine on the three core functions of public health: assessment, ...

ABSTRACT Working with usability techniques, with focus on how a given technique enables data capture made us ask the question: What kind of information is it an HCI expert want from the user when conducting a usability test? We answer the question by discussing two techniques both relying on concurrent data. Think Aloud is one of the most frequently used techniques and almost an institution in itself. Eye-tracking is new in usability testing and still at an experimental level in HCI. We reflect critically upon the two obtrusive techniques. We discuss the usability of concurrent data capture, suggesting participatory analysis and retrospective verbalisation as a possible step in usability testing. Keywords Concurrent data, usability test, Think Aloud, Eye-tracking, mind, participatory analysis and retrospective verbalisation

Purpose - This paper aims to explore a case of customer and user participation in an agile software development project, which produced a tailor-made information system for workplace support as a step towards a theory of participatory design in agile software development. Design/methodology/approach - Based on an integrated framework for user participation derived from the participatory design literature the research was performed as a case study and semi-structured, open-ended interviews were conducted with about a third of the development team and with a representative sample of key players and future users in the customer organization. The interview data were supplemented with company and project documents. Findings - The paper found genuine customer and user participation carried out b...

According to the National Service Framework, children have a right to participate in the development of healthcare services and yet research suggests that young children are at risk of exclusion from user involvement initiatives. This paper outlines the findings of a participatory action research project conducted with families attending a health visitors' parent-baby group. A combination of participatory research methods were used to ascertain the infants' perspectives of the service and this led to a number of changes in terms of professional attitudes, service provision and working practices. Changes in professional attitudes included acknowledging the importance of social interaction to the children, recognising young children's views as embodied and produced within social interactions, and respecting children as active contributors and not simply as passive recipients of healthcare services. Changes in service provision resulted in redistributing resources, structures and spaces to take account of children's perspectives. Finally, reciprocity and responsiveness were seen as key components in enhancing young children's participation. PMID:20722326

Background: An outcome of globalization and internationalization in higher education in the health professions has been increasing global health placements. There is, however, a lack of literature on debriefing and support following these placements. The authors undertook a participatory project to develop peer support and debriefing in a global health nursing elective, during which this gap in literature was addressed. Aims: The purpose of the project was to develop a peer support component of the course and revise the debriefing component based on results of a previous course evaluation. Methods: The methods were guided by a participatory approach involving course alumni and included a scoping review and focus groups. Results: The project resulted in development of: (1) a peer support statement and (2) a debriefing framework. Conclusions: Key lessons about the obligation of appropriate debriefing for students returning from global health placements include importance of affective learning, a pedagogy of discomfort, and global health ethics. PMID:23102161

The economic and social impacts of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) for livestock owners of developed countries have been extensively documented over the past few years. In developing countries such as Cambodia, this evaluation is often lacking due to the scarcity of accurate data. In the present study, we used a range of participatory tools to infer farmers' knowledge and perception, and the relative incidence of FMD from January 2009 to June 2010 in fifty-one villages of Svay Rieng province, Cambodia. In addition, the detection of non-structural protein at village level was used to cross-validate the results from the participatory epidemiology (PE) study. A quantitative assessment using Bayesian modeling was carried out to assess the ability of PE to retrospectively determine the FMD-infecte...

Under the label 'participatory ergonomics' the idea of establishing changes in working conditions through participatory approaches has been a central issue within ergonomics. Tools and procedures have been developed and demonstrated beneficial. But how this approach can be established as the way changes are made in firms have only had limited attention. In the Scandinavian countries legislation has, through mandatory joint working environment committees, tried to establish an organizational unit promoting direct participation. Several studies have showed that the intentions of the legislators are not automatically fulfilled, and they have reviled preconditions for more successful achievement. This opens for many supplementary regulatory strategies to improve activities in firms, but one has been in focus: establishing formalized management systems within occupational health and safety. This strategy may be contrary to the general intentions in the laws. Some of the conditions which must be taken into consideration are discussed.

Abstract in english In the present work, we provide some considerations about the role of scientific communication in Chemistry Education. Such considerations may subsidize the development of communication in scientific language by Chemistry students. These considerations are based on information collected during a participatory research for the production of didactic material about scientific communication. The meetings were audio recorded and the contents of the participants' speeches were divided into categories. The category analysis supported the elaboration of the considerations.

Research traditions serve as a blueprint or guide for a variety of design decisions throughout qualitative inquiry. This article presents 6 qualitative research traditions: grounded theory, phenomenology, consensual qualitative research, ethnography, narratology, and participatory action research. For each tradition, the authors describe its purpose and key characteristics, outline commonly associated fieldwork activities, describe analytic approaches within the tradition, and then discuss strengths and challenges of the approach.

Some societal issues raised by science and technology are examined in participatory processes that engage the public as a whole. Yet other, apparently similar issues are handled with little public involvement. Looking at two specific issues, we tried to explain this contrast — to say why initiatives to involve the public were so much more energetic in one case than they were in the other. The issues were GM foods and functional foods.

Discusses the eight areas identified by the South African Union of Mineworkers as requiring new rules to improve safety and conditions in the South African mining industry. The areas are: improved health and safety; the elimination of racism; fair wages; decent living conditions; proper training; care for workers and areas affected by the downscaling of mining; development of an economically viable mining sector; and a mining sector run on a humane and participatory manner.

The overall goal of the South Carolina Cancer Disparities Community Networks (SCCDCN) at the University of South Carolina1 is to develop and increase capacity to support community-based participatory research, education, and training to reduce cancer health disparities among African Americans in South Carolina. Multidisciplinary investigators and collaborative partners, including individual members of the community, will determine research priorities using a faith-based approach.

Abstract in portuguese O presente ensaio tem como objetivo analisar e discutir como a pesquisa-ação participante pode ganhar espaço como estratégia metodológica em administração. Esta análise enfoca em especial o campo do empreendedorismo, e mais especificamente o campo do empreendedorismo social, ressaltando as vantagens e limitações da aplicação dessa estratégia de pesquisa. Procede-se, inicialmente, à análise dos principais paradigmas de pesquisa em administração e define-se (more) a pesquisa-ação participante como modalidade de pesquisa crítica, inserida no paradigma humanista radical. A seguir, passa-se à identificação das características da pesquisa participante e ao seu contraste com outras modalidades de pesquisa, em especial com a observação participante e a pesquisa-ação. Os conceitos da pesquisa-ação participante são apresentados e os autores prosseguem apresentando uma revisão dos mais recentes trabalhos em que essa foi usada para apoiar pesquisas na área do empreendedorismo social. Concluem com a proposta de que a avaliação desses trabalhos se dê por outros conceitos que não os da pesquisa tradicional. Abstract in english This essay aims to analyze and discuss how participatory action research can be applied as a methodological strategy in business administration. This analysis focuses mainly on the field of entrepreneurship and, more specifically, social entrepreneurship, highlighting the advantages and limitations of this research strategy. Firstly, the main research paradigms in business administration are analyzed and participatory-action research is defined as a research modality set (more) within the radical humanist paradigm. Then, the characteristics of participatory research are identified and it is contrasted with other research modalities, specially with participant observation and action research. Participatory action research is then presented and the authors proceed with the presentation of a review of recent researches which it was used. They finish the work proposing that avaliation of works with this kind of methodology must be different then those used for traditional research.

This paper examines theoretical linkages between Anzaldua's borderland scholarship, in particular the notion of mestiza consciousness, and participatory action research. Two studies with high school and college co-researchers falling along different points of the PAR spectrum are described to illustrate these conceptual linkages. Points in the process including critical decisions in crafting questions and conducting actions, reflections on who are the knowledge holders and producers, and struggles with responsibilities and vulnerabilities doing this work, are discussed through a lens of mestiza consciousness.

The metaphor of "art waitressing" is a valuable tool for educators who seek guidance in enacting many of the new roles in museums, particularly the role of facilitator in an open-ended interactive gallery. Though this metaphor provides a valuable model for engaging visitors, the question quickly arises of how educators can go beyond "serving" an arts experience to a museum visitor. By drawing upon the author's own experience as an interactive gallery educator, as well as reviewing the literature for examples of techniques and approaches that museums and educators have used to move beyond art waitressing, three strategies for visitor engagement emerge. First, participatory practice is essential to the reorientation of museums. Participatory methods grounded in dialogical models of interaction, collaborative practice, and acknowledgement of the museum context are particularly relevant to interactive art gallery practice. Second, visitors' understanding of original works of art is deepened through engaging the processes that artists utilize, particularly contemporary artists. Finally, a culture of experimentation is vital to support educators who seek to engage visitors in a relationship with their organization. These three strategies--participatory and dialogical practice, engaging in artistic process, and experimentation--provide means through which museum educators can move beyond art waitressing in interactive art galleries. In this article the author illustrates art waitressing through a short narrative, explains key components of the art waitressing process, and discusses the three strategies. (Contains 3 figures and 2 endnotes.)

Environmental threats and progressive degradation of natural resources are considered critical impediments to sustainable development. This paper reports on a participatory impact assessment of alternative soil and water conservation (SWC) scenarios in the Oum Zessar watershed, Tunisia. The first objective was to assess the impact of three SWC scenarios on key social, economic and environmental land use functions. The second objective was to test and evaluate the applicability of the `Framework for Participatory Impact Assessment (FoPIA)' for assessing scenario impacts in the context of a developing country, in this case Tunisia. The assessed scenarios included: the originally planned SWC policy implementation at 85 % coverage of arable land of the watershed, the current implementation (70 %), and a hypothetical expansion of SWC measures to the entire watershed (100 %). Our results suggest that implementation of the SWC policy at 100 % coverage of arable land achieves the maximum socioeconomic benefit. However, if stakeholders' preferences regarding land use functions are taken into account, and considering the fact that the implementation of SWC measures also implies some negative changes to traditional landscapes and the natural system, SWC implementation at 85 % coverage of arable land might be preferable. The FoPIA approved to be a useful tool for conducting a holistic sustainability impact assessment of SWC scenarios and for studying the most intriguing sustainability problems while providing possible recommendations towards sustainable development. We conclude that participatory impact assessment contributes to an enhanced regional understanding of key linkages between policy effects and sustainable development, which provides the foundation for improved policy decision making.

Abstract in portuguese Este artigo pretende analisar, a partir de uma experiência recente de governo no âmbito estadual - a gestão de Olívio Dutra (1999-2002) no Rio Grande do Sul -, o impacto da implantação de um conjunto de fóruns participativos na relação entre os poderes executivo e legislativo neste estado, bem como no aprimoramento dos mecanismos de controle público sobre os mesmos. O objetivo é, especificamente, analisar os efeitos dos fóruns participativos promovidos pelo Or (more) çamento Participativo estadual (OP-RS) - uma iniciativa do executivo estadual - e pelo Fórum Democrático - uma iniciativa do legislativo estadual - sobre a prática democrática no Rio Grande do Sul. Abstract in english This article intends to analyze the impact of a set of participatory forums at state level in the relation between executive and Legislative powers at Rio Grande do Sul, as well as in the improvement of the mechanisms of public control on the same ones. The objective is, therefore, to analyze the participatory effects of the forums promoted by Participatory Budgeting (OP-RS) - a state Executive initiative - and by the Democratic Forum - a state Legislative initiative - on democratic practice in the Rio Grande do Sul.

Interest in participatory action research (PAR) is rising among academics, researchers, families, and youth themselves who are involved in the system of care. PAR combines systematic research and professional guidance with the development of a practical intervention tailored to the user population in collaboration with the user population. We designed our research to sample and assess the level of interest in PAR for adolescents, gathering qualitative data about the level of understanding of, and expectations for, youth participatory action research. We present the results of a pilot study and then a survey, administered to two different conference populations during 2008. Our data offers insight into the world of service providers, beneficiaries, and advocates for children with mental health disorders. Based on the responses to our questionnaire, we identify four major themes and their underlying issues concerning the benefits and drawbacks of PAR for a young population. We also examine the concerns of each of the self-identified group to determine whether there were dominant characteristics for each group. We conclude that stakeholders do have reasonable expectations of participatory action research as a process and of the youth who could be empowered to bring about change in their system of care. Finally, we make recommendations for future research.

Although a growing number of projects have been implemented using the community-based participatory research method known as photovoice, no known systematic review of the literature on this approach has been conducted to date. This review draws on the peer-reviewed literature on photovoice in public health and related disciplines conducted before January 2008 to determine (a) what defines the photovoice process, (b) the outcomes associated with photovoice, and (c) how the level of community participation is related to photovoice processes and outcomes. In all, 37 unduplicated articles were identified and reviewed using a descriptive coding scheme and Viswanathan et al.'s quality of participation tool. Findings reveal no relationship between group size and quality of participation but a direct relationship between the latter and project duration as well as with getting to action. More participatory projects also were associated with long-standing relationships between the community and outside researcher partners and an intensive training component. Although vague descriptions of project evaluation practices and a lack of consistent reporting precluded hard conclusions, 60% of projects reported an action component. Particularly among highly participatory projects, photovoice appears to contribute to an enhanced understanding of community assets and needs and to empowerment. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)

Abstract in spanish OBJETIVO: Analizar las opiniones sobre la participación comunitaria entre los residentes de un municipio de Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba, con el fin de identificar los criterios clave para elaborar una estrategia participativa de control de Aedes aegypti. MÉTODOS: El estudio se realizó de septiembre a octubre de 1999 en el municipio Playa de Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba. En una primera fase se realizaron entrevistas abiertas a informantes clave de la comunidad (brigadistas s (more) anitarios y activistas de higienización con más de cinco años de residencia en la zona) seleccionados aleatoriamente de las nueve áreas de salud del municipio. Mediante la técnica de análisis de contenido cualitativo se identificaron términos, expresiones comunes y conceptos clave relacionados con la participación comunitaria en el área y se elaboró un cuestionario con escala de Líkert que fue aplicado en una segunda fase a una muestra poblacional del municipio. Se calcularon los índices de posición y los intervalos de confianza para cada enunciado, según la opinión de los encuestados, y se identificaron los criterios más relevantes entre la población, tanto por su connotación positiva como negativa. RESULTADOS: De las entrevistas a informantes clave surgieron como variables más importantes a explorar: 1) la participación comunitaria en la higienización ambiental, 2) el papel e imagen de los líderes y las organizaciones comunitarias, y 3) la participación comunitaria, en sentido general, en la solución de cualquier problema de la comunidad. Los resultados de la encuesta a la población reflejaron que los miembros de la comunidad reconocieron la utilidad de la participación comunitaria en la solución de problemas locales y, en particular, en el control de A. aegypti.Entre las opiniones en favor de la participación comunitaria se identificaron la valoración del trabajo en grupos, el conocimiento por parte de las autoridades locales de los problemas comunitarios y el reconocimiento de la obligación de los ciudadanos de tomar parte en el desarrollo de su comunidad. Resultaron más desfavorables las opiniones acerca de la imagen de los líderes y del tipo de beneficio que podría traer consigo la participación comunitaria. CONCLUSIONES: Las opiniones de la población acerca de la participación comunitaria obtenidas en este estudio sirvieron de base para el diseño de nuevas estrategias para el control de A. aegypti. La metodología utilizada puede servir para planificar procesos participativos locales, tanto en Cuba como en otros países, y puede aplicarse a otros problemas cuya solución requiera de la participación comunitaria. Abstract in english OBJECTIVE: To analyze opinions on community participation held by residents of one section of the city of Havana, Cuba, in order to identify key criteria to use in preparing a participatory strategy for controlling the Aedes aegypti mosquito. METHODS: The study was conducted from September to October 1999 in Playa, one of the 15 municipios (districts) that make up the city of Havana, Cuba. In the first phase of the study, interviews were carried out with key informants, i (more) ncluding health brigade members and sanitation activists, who had lived in Playa for more than five years. The key informants were selected randomly from the nine health areas that the Playa municipio has. Qualitative content analysis was used to identify terms, common expressions, and key concepts related to community participation in the area. In the study's second phase a questionnaire using a Likert scale was prepared for application with a population sample from Playa. Based on the answers from the respondents, a point score with a confidence interval was calculated for each of the 30 statements on the questionnaire. The point scores for those statements were used to identify the population's most relevant criteria, that is, the statements producing the strongest agreement and the ones producing the strongest disagreement. RESULTS: In the first phase, from the interviews with key informants, the three most important variables to explore were identified as: (1) community participation in environmental cleanup, (2) the role and image of community leaders and of community organizations, and (3) community participation, in a general sense, in solving any problem in the community. In the second phase, the population survey indicated that the members of the community recognized the usefulness of community participation in solving local problems, especially for controlling A. aegypti. Among the statements on the questionnaire that had the highest levels of agreement were ones dealing with the value of working together as a team, the knowledge that local authorities had of community problems, and recognition of the obligation that citizens have to take part in developing the community. The statements that had the lowest level of agreement had to do with the need to reward-with more than just words of thanks-residents who regularly serve the community and with the view that the majority of community leaders were more concerned with their personal well-being than with the problems of the community. CONCLUSIONS: The opinions on community participation identified among the population in Playa served as the basis for designing new strategies for controlling A. aegypti. The methodology utilized in this study could be used to plan local participatory processes, both in Cuba and in other countries, and could be applied to other problems whose solution requires community participation.

Abstract in portuguese A avaliação de concessão legal de poder foi adotada pela Escola de Medicina da Universidade de Stanford para participar da reforma curricular. Também foi usada para preparar um credenciamento em um site de visita. A avaliação de concessão legal de poder é uma forma guiada de autoavaliação. Ela foi selecionada, pois os princípios e práticas de avaliação legal de poder correspondem harmoniosamente à natureza colaborativa e participativa da reforma curricular (more) na escola. Este artigo destaca uma das mais importantes características da avaliação de concessão legal de poder: o amigo crítico. Este indivíduo possui experiência em avaliação, porém serve como instrutor, conselheiro e guia em vez de "o perito". A avaliação está nas mãos das pessoas do programa, porém o amigo crítico ajuda a manter o bom caminho e a rigorosidade. Como um indicador da importância desse papel, as avaliações dos alunos nas escalas de residência selecionadas, onde um amigo crítico foi solicitado para responder às preocupações dos alunos, resultou em um aumento significante na classificação dos alunos. Abstract in spanish La evaluación de concesión legal de poder fue adoptada por la Escuela de Medicina de la Universidad de Stanford para participar de la reforma curricular. También fue usada para preparar un credenciamento en un site de visita. La evaluación de concesión legal de poder es una forma guiada de autoevaluación. Los principios y prácticas de evaluación legal de poder corresponden harmoniosamente a la naturaleza colaboradora y participativa de la reforma curricular en la (more) escuela. Este artigo destaca una de las más importantes características de la evaluación de concesión legal de poder: el amigo crítico. Este individuo tiene experiencia en evaluación, pero sirve como instructor, consejero y guía en lugar del "perito". La evaluación esta en las manos de las personas del programa, pero el amigo crítico ayuda a mantener el bueno camino y la precisión. Como un indicador de la importancia de ese papel, las evaluaciones de los alumnos en las escalas de residencia seleccionadas, donde un amigo crítico fue solicitado a responder a las preocupaciones de los alumnos, resultó en aumento significante en la clasificación de los alumnos. Abstract in english Empowerment evaluation was adopted by Stanford University's School of Medicine to engage in curricular reform. It was also used to prepare for an accreditation site visit. Empowerment evaluation is a guided form of self-evaluation. It was selected because the principles and practices of empowerment evaluation resonated with the collaborative and participatory nature of the curricular reform in the School. This article highlights one of the most important features of an em (more) powerment evaluation: a critical friend. This individual has evaluation expertise but serves as a coach, advisor, or guide, rather than "the expert". The evaluation is in the hands of the people in the program, but a critical friend helps to keep it on track and rigorous. As one indication of the importance of this role, student ratings on selected clerkship rotations, where a critical friend was requested to respond to student concerns, resulted in significant increases in student ratings.

Renewable Energy Technologies (RETS) have over the years become an integral part of the energy supply chain in most developed countries. Recent projections show that 13.5% of the world's primary energy supply comes from renewable and this figure has an aggregated annual growth rate of 16%. Wind has the highest annual growth rate of 22% while the least annual growth rate of 2% is for hydropower. The main push for renewable like wind in the OECD countries are environmental concerns and the business aspect in power generation. The situation is however completely different in Africa, where the thrust for RETs is developmental based. Although the continent has abundant renewable energy resources like solar, biomass, wind and hydro potential, they have remained largely unexploited. Several efforts have been made to help African countries like Zimbabwe to exploit such resources. The main objectives of this country study included review of Zimbabwe's development of past RETs, establish barriers related lessons learnt from such projects and currently running RETs projects, identify barriers experienced by other projects and then select a few barrier removal projects and then develop them with the help of all stake holders in the country. The methodology of this study involved a review of past RETs projects to establish barriers faced and barriers related lessons learnt. An examination of the policy instruments related to RETs was done to establish how they promote the dissemination of the technologies as well as their adequacy. A survey of all possible RETs projects in the country was carried out and in this survey the end-users were visited and interviewed by the research team. An initial workshop, which was attended by all stake holders, was held in November 1999. An Advisory committee on RETs in Zimbabwe was then set up comprising of various stake holders from government, the private sector, research institutions, interviewed end-users and the NGO community. The committee was tasked with the responsibility of coming up with recommendations to barrier removal and promotion of RETs. After interested stake holders had presented their candidate projects proposals, the committee started the process of identifying barriers to the projects and selecting feasible projects. A final workshop was then held in August 2000 where the findings of the whole process were presented to all stake holders for discussion and analysis. The problem of barriers was found to be very complex. A good number of RETs projects in the country were successfully implemented. The success of such projects was underpinned by the following factors, addressing the immediate and basic needs of the people, participatory approach, awareness creation and enabling income generation activities. Some projects were also not very successful as they faced a lot of barriers like poor institutional framework, limited financial resources, lack of appreciation of associated benefits and technology failure. A close analysis of barriers revealed that there are two classes of barrier namely primary barriers and secondary barriers. Primary barriers are the real barriers while secondary barriers are more of the effects of primary barriers. (BA)

Abstract in spanish La ergonomía participativa es una estrategia de intervención sobre los riesgos por carga física en los lugares de trabajo escasamente conocida en España, aunque en otros países se cuenta con numerosas experiencias y evidencias en este campo. Son varias las razones que justifican su interés. En primer lugar, aborda una de las categorías de riesgos laborales que mayor impacto tiene sobre la salud de los trabajadores en la mayoría de países, tanto en términos de in (more) cidencia, como de prevalencia o incapacidad. En segundo lugar, el principio básico de la ergonomía participativa es la capacitación de los trabajadores para que participen tanto en la identificación de los riesgos y daños a la salud derivados de las exposiciones a carga física en el trabajo como en la propuesta y evaluación de las medidas de corrección adecuadas a cada situación. En tercer lugar, permite el tratamiento y la solución de muchos problemas sin necesidad de complicados protocolos técnicos. Desde el punto de vista de la salud pública, la ergonomía participativa es un modelo muy ensayado de empoderamiento (empowerment) de la población para controlar los determinantes del entorno (laboral) que afectan a su salud y bienestar. En este trabajo se revisan algunos de los principios básicos de los programas de ergonomía participativa, se comentan las claves relacionadas con el éxito o fracaso de los programas y se presentan algunos resultados principales de las experiencias de ergonomía participativa que se vienen desarrollando desde hace años en países como Canadá, Reino Unido, Holanda o Finlandia. Abstract in english Participatory ergonomics is an intervention strategy acting on physical load exposures occurring in occupational settings, scarcely known in Spain but with a number of experiences and evidences coming from other countries. There are several reasons justifying the interest of this approach. First, participatory ergonomics focuses on one of the categories of occupational exposures with the largest impact on workers' health in a majority of countries all over the world, in t (more) erms of incidence, prevalence and disability. Secondly, basic principle in participatory ergonomics is empowerment of workers for them to participate identifying risks and injuries caused by physical exposures at work as well as proposing and evaluating proper control measures for each situation. Thirdly, it allows dealing and solving a number of problems without the use of complex technical protocols. From a public health perspective, participatory ergonomics is a largely tried model of community empowerment for the control of (occupational) factors affecting health and wellbeing. In this paper we revise some basic principles of participatory ergonomics, we comment on the keys leading to success or failing of the interventions and we present some main results coming from participatory ergonomics experiences developed for a long time in countries such as Canada, United Kingdom, Netherlands or Finland.

Abstract in spanish La escaldadura de la hoja, causada por la bacteria Xanthomonas albilineans, es una de las principales enfermedades de la caña de azúcar (Saccharum sp.), localizándose en 65 países del mundo. La resistencia varietal es considerada un factor de suma importancia dentro del manejo de esta enfermedad. Con el objetivo de evaluar el comportamiento de la caña de azúcar a Xanthomonas albilineans, fueron inoculadas las variedades C26670, RB74454, CP742005, CC8592, SP724928, C (more) 32368, CR74250, RB855536, RB855113, RB855546, SP701284 empleando una suspensión bacteriana de 10(8) células·mL-1 y el testigo fue tratado con agua destilada estéril. Se utilizaron dos métodos de inoculación: inyección de la suspensión bacteriana en el nudo del esqueje, o colocación de un algodón impregnado de suspensión bacteriana en uno de los extremos del esqueje. Se utilizó un diseño completamente al azar. El método de inoculación del algodón impregnado con suspensión bacteriana resultó ser el más efectivo. El análisis estadístico detectó diferencias altamente significativas en cuanto al comportamiento de las variedades. Las variedades CC8592 y RB 855546 presentaron los mayores niveles de susceptibilidad seguida por las variedades RB 855113 y C32368. La variedad CP742005 resultó ser la menos susceptible. Abstract in english Leaf scald, caused by the bacterium Xanthomonas albilineans, is a major diseases of sugarcane (Saccharum sp.) and has been found in 65 countries worldwide. Varietal resistance is a factor of great importance in the management of the disease. In order to evaluate the response of sugarcane to Xanthomonas albilineas the varieties C26670, RB74454, CP742005, CC8592, SP724928, C32368, CR74250, RB855536, RB855113, RB855546, and SP701284 were inoculated using a bacterial suspensi (more) on of 10(8) cell·mL-1; the control was treated with sterile distilled water. Two methods of inoculation were employed: injecting the bacterial suspension in a node of the stem or placement of a cotton swab impregnated with bacterial suspension at one end of the stem. A completely randomized design was used. The method of inoculation by the impregnated cotton swab proved to be the most effective. Highly significant differences were found among the behavior of the varieties, being CC8592 and RB 855546 the ones with the highest levels of susceptibility followed by RB 855113 and C32368. The variety CP742005 was the least susceptible.

Abstract in spanish La caracterización varietal, la certificación y la protección intelectual se establecen por una serie de descriptores morfológicos, químicos y fisiológicos, los cuales permiten el cumplimiento de los requisitos de los ensayos de distinguibilidad, uniformidad y estabilidad. El arroz, Oryza sativa L., es un cereal de importancia en Venezuela, al cual se realizan continuos planes de mejoramiento+ en búsqueda de variedades con mejores características. En este trabajo (more) se caracterizaron 45 materiales de arroz venezolanos sembrados en campo en un ensayo alfa lattice, con dos repeticiones, en la localidad de Araure, en la época febrero a julio de 2005, se incluyeron 13 variedades comerciales y 32 líneas élites de los programas nacionales de mejora­miento, determinando que de los 41 descriptores sugeridos por la Unión de Protección de Obtentores Vegetales (UPOV) y el Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), durante las etapas de floración, maduración y poscosecha (calidad de semilla, culinaria y de molinería) sólo 16 carac­teres: longitud del limbo, días a floración, número de panículas por planta, longitud de panícula, longitud, ancho y espesor del grano, peso de 1 000 granos, color de cariópside, número de granos llenos y vanos por panícula, resistencia al acame, porcentaje de grano entero, grano yesoso y grano panza blanca y contenido de amilosa, aportan mayor peso en la varianza total para identificar los materiales bajo las condiciones ambientales estudiadas. Abstract in english Varietal characterization, certification and intellectual property rights are established by a series of morphological, chemical and physiological descriptors, which allow the fulfillment of the requirements of distinction, uniformity and stability tests. Rice is an important cereal in Venezuela permanently undergoing genetic improvement in search of varieties with better qualities. In this work, 45 Venezuelan rice materials were characterized. They were planted in Araure (more) during February to July 2005 using an alpha lattice design with two replications. Plant materials included 13 commercial varieties and 32 elite lines from the National Breeding Programs. It was determined that among the 41 descriptors suggested by the Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) and International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), during the stages of flowering, maturation and post harvesting (seed, culinary and milling quality), only 16 characters contribute with greater weight to the total variance in order to discriminate the materials under the studied environmental conditions; these were limb length; days to flowering; number of panicles per plant; panicle length; width, thickness and length of the grain; weight of 1 000 grains; color of caryopsides; number of full and vain grains per panicle; culm strength; whole grain, chalky grain and white belly grain percentages; and amylose content.

Abstract in portuguese A alface é considerada a principal hortaliça folhosa no Brasil. Nas ultimas décadas, houve muitas mudanças quanto aos tipos varietais predominantes no país bem como para a preferência do uso de semente peletizada. O domínio do cultivo da alface lisa foi até a década de 90 com as cultivares do tipo 'manteiga' e 'Regina'. Posteriormente, houve uma mudança para o tipo crespa e que, atualmente, corresponde ao principal segmento cultivado no Brasil. A ausência de fo (more) rmação de cabeça aliada à presença de folhas flabeladas conferiram a esse tipo de alface uma melhor adaptação no cultivo de verão com altas temperaturas e índices de pluviosidade. A preferência brasileira pela alface crespa é um fato único na alfacicultura mundial. A alface americana vem apresentando maiores índices de crescimento e aceitação pelo mercado consumidor. Apesar de apresentar formação de cabeça e que tem limitado seu cultivo no verão, na ausência de cultivo protegido, suas folhas mais espessas têm conferido melhor sabor, crocância e durabilidade pós-colheita na alface americana. Alface com folha espessa é mandatória para o mercado de processamento que apresenta alta tendência de crescimento. Considerações sobre o melhoramento genético para contribuir, pelo menos em parte, com essa situação são discutidas com o surgimento de novos tipos varietais tropicalizados, com a tendência de segmentação de mercado e da necessidade de uma cadeia pós-colheita mais eficiente. Abstract in english Lettuce is considered the main leafy vegetable crop in Brazil. In recent decades, many changes occurred towards the varietal types as well as in the preference for pelleted seeds. Until mid 90 decade, the dominant varieties of looseleaf lettuce were the type 'White Boston' and 'Regina'. Later, there was a change toward the Grand Rapids type which represents the main varietal segment grown in Brazil. The non-head Grand Rapids type with its earliness performed better adapta (more) tion for hot and high rainfall summer season. Brazilian preference for the Grand Rapids type is a unique event in the world market of lettuce. Crisp head lettuce had increased its preference, but there are many limitations to grow this type outdoors in our rainy hot summer. Thicker leaves of iceberg have a better flavor, crispness and long shelf live under refrigeration for its post-harvest management. Crispness is an important and mandatory quality for the fresh cut market which is a growing tendency. Considerations on breeding focus to get tropical-adapted varieties with crispness and resistance to specific Brazilian diseases which are limiting to lettuce are discussed.

Strong arguments for participatory modelling in hydrology can be made on substantive, instrumental and normative grounds. These arguments have led to increasingly diverse groups of stakeholders (here anyone affecting or affected by an issue) getting involved in hydrological research and the management of water resources. In fact, participation has become a requirement of many research grants, programs, plans and policies. However, evidence of beneficial outcomes of participation as suggested by the arguments is difficult to generate and therefore rare. This is because outcomes are diverse, distributed, often tacit, and take time to emerge. In this paper we develop an evaluation framework for participatory modelling focussed on learning outcomes. Learning encompasses many of the potential benefits of participation, such as better models through diversity of knowledge and scrutiny, stakeholder empowerment, greater trust in models and ownership of subsequent decisions, individual moral development, reflexivity, relationships, social capital, institutional change, resilience and sustainability. Based on the theories of experiential, transformative and social learning, complemented by practitioner experience our framework examines if, when and how learning has occurred. Special emphasis is placed on the role of models as learning catalysts. We map the distribution of learning between stakeholders, scientists (as a subgroup of stakeholders) and models. And we analyse what type of learning has occurred: instrumental learning (broadly cognitive enhancement) and/or communicative learning (change in interpreting meanings, intentions and values associated with actions and activities; group dynamics). We demonstrate how our framework can be translated into a questionnaire-based survey conducted with stakeholders and scientists at key stages of the participatory process, and show preliminary insights from applying the framework within a rural pollution management situation in the UK.

Public, Private, Partnership, Participatory, Polycentric, Poor, Perfect, Purveyor, Planner, Positive, Plural, Practical, Political, Process, Pervasive, Phase, Physical, Passive, Progressive, Paradigm? As the world stands at the crossroads of a water scarcity crisis, many wonder whether the "well developed" central planner paradigm of water resources planning, management, investment and regulation that emerged in the last century has served us well. The negative impacts of centralized projects and their management are routinely decried. Service metrics of publicly managed systems continue to deteriorate as the ability to recover operational and maintenance costs continue to be weak. The political processes that portend to protect the access of the disadvantaged are said to contribute to the poor performance of the systems, especially for the disadvantaged. The institutionalization of "well formed" policies that prove inflexible in an environment where supply, demand and societal goals change calls for adaptive management. Stakeholder driven participatory processes and public private partnerships are touted as potential paradigms for progressive solutions that span the political domain and could help achieve positive water balance recognizing the dimensions of supply and demand at local or regional scales. This talk presents a proposed framework that postulates the prospective roles that different actors could play to provide an effective and practical strategy for securing water resources while promoting active allocation strategies, improving access and reliability while promoting profitability for private operators, including progressive farmers who given their usage patterns can make the most prolific contribution to water security. We label this the many P Paradigm. To develop this framework, we draw initial insights from the literature on participatory and decentralized watershed governance. We then apply findings from field experiments on water management reforms in India and Brazil to extend this literature and demonstrate the benefits of the framework to scholars and practitioners alike.

Abstract in spanish OBJETIVO: describir el proceso de adaptación de una estrategia comunitaria integrada para la prevención del dengue en condiciones específicas de una localidad. MÉTODOS: la estrategia, implementada en la Lisa, incluye la organización, capacitación, vigilancia integrada, trabajo comunitario y evaluación de acciones. Se realizaron entrevistas a informantes claves y una encuesta poblacional de conocimientos, percepciones y prácticas. El análisis de contenido de los d (more) ocumentos producidos desde abril de 2004 hasta abril de 2007 permitió la descripción de la contextualización de la estrategia. Se utilizó la prueba chi cuadrado de comparación de proporciones para detectar diferencias entre consejos populares. RESULTADOS: Versalles-Coronela, Alturas de la Lisa y Balcón Arimao resultaron los consejos populares de alto riesgo de transmisión, estos fueron seleccionados para implementar la estrategia. Se identificaron necesidades de aprendizaje tanto para el grupo coordinador municipal como para los grupos de trabajo comunitario en las circunscripciones. Se desarrollaron talleres de capacitación y asesoría directa al personal involucrado. Los grupos de trabajo comunitario estuvieron integrados por las organizaciones y actores con mayor influencia en la población. La implementación de la estrategia fue diferente en cada consejo popular teniendo en cuenta las características y capacidades existentes. CONCLUSIONES: las estrategias comunitarias requieren ser contextualizadas a las condiciones locales. La participación de los actores en su adaptación es clave para la aceptabilidad, factibilidad, la apropiación y para asumir responsabilidades en su ejecución. La documentación participativa permite monitorear las modificaciones de la estrategia en el proceso de implementación. Abstract in english OBJECTIVE: Describe the process of adapting a comprehensive community-based strategy for dengue prevention under the specific conditions of a municipality. METHODS: The strategy was implemented in Lisa and included organization, training, surveillance, community-wide work and action assessment. Key informants were interviewed and the general population was surveyed to learn about their knowledge, perceptions and practices. The analysis of the documents produced from April (more) 2004 to April 2007 allowed describing the contextualization of this strategy. Chi square test was used to compare ratios to detect differences among various people´s councils making up this municipality. RESULTS: The people´s councils which exhibited the highest risks of dengue transmission were Versalles-Coronela, Alturas de la Lisa and Balcón Arimao so they were selected for the strategy implementation. It was detected that the municipal coordinating group as well as the community-based working groups at the constituencies were in need of expanding their knowledge. Training and advisory workshops were held to assist the involved staff. The community working groups were made up by the most influential organizations and actors in the community. The strategy implementation was different in each people´s council since it took into account the existing local characteristics and capacities. CONCLUSIONS: The community-based strategies are required to be contextualized and adapted to local conditions. The involvement of the main actors in this process is essential for acceptability, feasibility, empowerment and responsibility for its implementation. The participatory documentation makes it possible to monitor changes in the strategy in the course of its implementation.

Abstract in spanish OBJETIVO: Determinar en qué medida el enfoque de dirección por la comunidad utilizado para combatir la oncocercosis en África podría aprovecharse para implantar efectiva y eficientemente la prestación integrada de otras intervenciones sanitarias. MÉTODOS: Se llevó a cabo un estudio experimental de tres años en 35 distritos de salud entre 2005 y 2007 en siete lugares del Camerún, Nigeria y Uganda. En cada sitio se seleccionaron al azar cuatro distritos de ensayo y (more) un distrito de comparación. Todos los distritos habían establecido programas de tratamiento con ivermectina, y en los distritos de ensayo se incorporaron progresivamente otras cuatro intervenciones de reconocida eficacia -suplementos de vitamina A, uso de mosquiteros tratados con insecticida, tratamiento domiciliario de la malaria y tratamiento breve bajo observación directa de los pacientes con tuberculosis- en un proceso de intervenciones dirigido por la comunidad (IDC). Al final de cada uno de los tres años de estudio se realizaron evaluaciones cuantitativas de la cobertura de las intervenciones y los costos relacionados con los proveedores, así como evaluaciones cualitativas del proceso de IDC. RESULTADOS: Mediante la estrategia de IDC se logró una cobertura significativamente mayor que con otras fórmulas de prestación de servicios en todas las intervenciones a excepción del tratamiento breve bajo observación directa. La cobertura de las intervenciones contra la malaria se más que duplicó. Los costos a nivel distrital de la aplicación de las cinco intervenciones fueron inferiores en los distritos de IDC, pero no se hallaron diferencias de costos en el nivel de los servicios de salud de primera línea. La evaluación del proceso reveló que: (i) el aspecto participativo era importante, (ii) los problemas que afectaron reiteradamente al suministro de material de intervención fueron un gran obstáculo para la aplicación; (iii) las comunidades y los ejecutores de cada comunidad mostraron un firme compromiso con el proceso de IDC; y (iv) los ejecutores de las comunidades estaban más motivados por incentivos intangibles que por incentivos financieros externos. CONCLUSIÒN: La estrategia de IDC, basada en los principios básicos de la atención primaria, es un modelo eficaz y eficiente para la prestación integrada de determinadas intervenciones sanitarias a nivel comunitario en África. Abstract in english OBJECTIVE: To determine the extent to which the community-directed approach used in onchocerciasis control in Africa could effectively and efficiently provide integrated delivery of other health interventions. METHODS: A three-year experimental study was undertaken in 35 health districts from 2005 to 2007 in seven research sites in Cameroon, Nigeria and Uganda. Four trial districts and one comparison district were randomly selected in each site. All districts had establis (more) hed ivermectin treatment programmes, and in the trial districts four other established interventions - vitamin A supplementation, use of insecticide-treated nets, home management of malaria and short-course, directly-observed treatment for tuberculosis patients - were progressively incorporated into a community-directed intervention (CDI) process. At the end of each of the three study years, we performed quantitative evaluations of intervention coverage and provider costs, as well as qualitative assessments of the CDI process. FINDINGS: With the CDI strategy, significantly higher coverage was achieved than with other delivery approaches for all interventions except for short-course, directly-observed treatment. The coverage of malaria interventions more than doubled. The district-level costs of delivering all five interventions were lower in the CDI districts, but no cost difference was found at the first-line health facility level. Process evaluation showed that: (i) participatory processes were important; (ii) recurrent problems with the supply of intervention materials were a major constraint to implementation; (iii) the communities and community implementers were deeply committed to the CDI process; (iv) community implementers were more motivated by intangible incentives than by external financial incentives. CONCLUSION: The CDI strategy, which builds upon the core principles of primary health care, is an effective and efficient model for integrated delivery of appropriate health interventions at the community level in Africa.