The HIV/AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa has been addressed and perceived predominantly through the broad perspectives of social and economic theories as well as public health and development discourses. This volume however, focuses on the micro-politics of illness, treatment and death in order to offer innovative insights into the complex processes that shape individual and community responses to AIDS. The contributions describe the dilemmas that families, communities and health professionals face and shed new light on the transformation of social and moral orders in African societies, which have been increasingly marginalised in the context of global modernity
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The increasing number of human biomonitoring (HBM) studies undertaken in recent decades has brought to light the need to harmonise procedures along all phases of the study, including sampling, data collection and analytical methods to allow data comparability. The first steps towards harmonisation are the identification and collation of HBM methodological information of existing studies and data gaps. Systematic literature reviews and meta-analyses have been traditionally put at the top of the hierarchy of evidence, being increasingly applied to map available evidence on health risks linked to exposure to chemicals. However, these methods mainly capture peer-reviewed articles, failing to comprehensively identify other important, unpublished sources of information that are pivotal to gather a complete map of the produced evidence in the area of HBM. Within the framework of the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU) initiative-a project that joins 30 countries, 29 from Europe plus Israel, the European Environment Agency and the European Commission-a comprehensive work of data triangulation has been made to identify existing HBM studies and data gaps across countries within the consortium. The use of documentary analysis together with an up-to-date platform to fulfil this need and its implications for research and practice are discussed. ; HBM4EU has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 733032. ; Sí
Converting assemblages of marine protected areas (MPAs) into functional MPA networks requires political will, multidisciplinary information, coordinated action and time. We developed a new framework to assist planning environmental representativity in a network across the marine space of Portugal, responding to a political commitment to protect 14% of its area by 2020. An aggregate conservation value was estimated for each of the 27 habitats identified, from intertidal waters to the deep sea. This value was based on expert-judgment scoring for environmental properties and features relevant for conservation, chosen to reflect the strategic objectives of the network, thus providing an objective link between conservation commitments and habitat representativity in space. Additionally, habitats' vulnerability to existing anthropogenic pressures and sensitivity to climate change were also scored. The area coverage of each habitat in Portugal and within existing MPAs (regionally and nationally) was assigned to a scale of five orders of magnitude (from 10%) to assess rarity and existing representation. Aggregate conservation value per habitat was negatively correlated with area coverage, positively correlated with vulnerability and was not correlated with sensitivity. The proposed framework offers a multi-dimensional support tool for MPA network development, in particular regarding the prioritization of new habitats to protect, when the goal is to achieve specific targets while ensuring representativity across large areas and complex habitat mosaics. It requires less information and computation effort in comparison to more quantitative approaches, while still providing an objective instrument to scrutinize progress on the implementation of politically set conservation targets. ; Agência financiadora Número do subsídio Oceanic Observatory of Madeira M1420-01-0145-FEDER-000001-OOM national funds through FCT UID/BIA/00329/2013 UID/Multi/04326/2013 Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia ...
EXECUTIVE Summary This brief outlines simplified Open Science Learning Objectives for the main stakeholders in the Research Ecosystem. Learning Objectives are structured by Open Science Topics according to a functional Open Science Taxonomy (Pontica et al., 2015), that accompany the main responsibilities of each stakeholders along the Research Lifecycle. The ultimate objective is to support the integration of Open Science best practices into the daily routine of performing and supporting research, to underpin implementation of Horizon 2020 Mandate on Access to Scientific Information, and augment the "societal impact" and uptake of research, for the benefit of all stakeholders in the knowledge creation process (ultimately underpinning "co-creation"). Specific Learning Objectives are structured in increasing level of competence, frequently ending with successful integration of Open Science best practices in the daily research routine, facilitating self-assessment of the personal workflow. The Learning Objectives can provide a backbone for a structured learning plan for Doctoral Schools with the ambition to train future researchers in optimizing their societal impact, alongside research excellence training, as well as preparing graduates for new and emerging research impact measures and criteria. Support with relevant training content will be provided in parallel through the FOSTER Portal and accompanying e-Learning and self-learning modules. The brief draws on FP7 FOSTER Work Packages 2 Content, WP3 Portal (Open Science Taxonomy, and learning portal infrastructure) and WP4 Training (Deliverable D4.5 Training ToolKit). RATIONALE: The political drive for Open Science from the funding agency (EC[1]) point of view is mainly Return On Investment (ROI), ethics (taxpayer access to public funded research), and stimulating Open Innovation[2] through free-flow of ideas in order to boost economic growth through transfer of knowledge to the knowledge-based Small/Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The Open Science community of ...
Autozygosity is associated with an increased risk of genetic rare disease, thus being a relevant factor for clinical genetic studies. More than 2400 exome sequencing data sets were analyzed and screened for autozygosity on the basis of detection of >1 Mbp runs of homozygosity (ROHs). A model was built to predict if an individual is likely to be a consanguineous offspring (accuracy, 98%), and probability of consanguinity ranges were established according to the total ROH size. Application of the model resulted in the reclassification of the consanguinity status of 12% of the patients. The analysis of a subset of 79 consanguineous cases with the Rare Disease (RD)-Connect Genome-Phenome Analysis Platform, combining variant filtering and homozygosity mapping, enabled a 50% reduction in the number of candidate variants and the identification of homozygous pathogenic variants in 41 patients, with an overall diagnostic yield of 52%. The newly defined consanguinity ranges provide, for the first time, specific ROH thresholds to estimate inbreeding within a pedigree on disparate exome sequencing data, enabling confirmation or (re)classification of consanguineous status, hence increasing the efficiency of molecular diagnosis and reporting on secondary consanguinity findings, as recommended by American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics guidelines. ; Supported by European Union projects RD-Connect, Solve-RD, and European Joint Programme of Rare Diseases (EJP-RD) grants FP7 305444, H2020 779257, and H2020 825575; Instituto de Salud Carlos III grants PT13/0001/0044 and PT17/0009/0019; Instituto Nacional de Bioinformática; ELIXIR Implementation Studies; European Union projects BBMRI-LPC EU FP7 313010, NeurOmics EU FP7 305121, and Undiagnosed Rare Disease Program of Catalonia (Departament de Salut, Generalitat de CatalunyaSLT002/16/00174); Canadian Institutes of Health Research Foundation grant FDN-167281 (H.L.); the European Research Council309548 (R.H.); the Wellcome Investigator Award 109915/Z/15/Z (R.H.); the Medical Research Council (United Kingdom) MR/N025431/1 (R.H.); the Wellcome Trust Pathfinder Scheme 201064/Z/16/Z (R.H. and H.L.); the Newton Fund (United Kingdom/Turkey) MR/N027302/1 (R.H. and H.L.); the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness to the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) partnership; the Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa; the Centres de Recerca de Catalunya (CERCA) Program/Generalitat de Catalunya; the Generalitat de Catalunya through the Department of Health and Department of Business and Knowledge; the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness with funds from the European Regional Development Fund corresponding to the 2014 to 2020 Smart Growth Operating Program.
"Just as rhetoric is founded in culture, culture is founded in rhetoric" - the first half of this central statement from the International Rhetoric Culture Project is abundantly evidenced. It is the latter half that this volume explores: how does culture emerge out of rhetorical action, out of seemingly dispersed individual actions and interactions? The contributors do not rely on rhetorical "text" alone but engage the situational, bodily, and often antagonistic character of cultural and communicative practices. The social situation itself is argued to be the fundamental site of cultural creation, as will-driven social processes are shaped by cognitive dispositions and shape them in turn. Drawing on expertise in a variety of disciplines and regions, the contributors critically engage dialogical approaches in their emphasis on how a view from rhetoric changes our perception of people's intersubjective and conjoint creation of culture
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To meet the need for regular and reliable data on the prevalence of overweight andobesity among children in Europe, the World Health Organization (WHO) EuropeanChildhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) was established in 2007. Theresulting robust surveillance system has improved understanding of the public healthchallenge of childhood overweight and obesity in the WHO European Region. For the past decade, data from COSI have helped to inform and drive policy action onnutrition and physical activity in the region. This paper describes illustrative examplesof how COSI data have fed into national and international policy, but the real scopeof COSI's impact is likely to be much broader. In some countries, there are signs thatpolicy responses to COSI data have helped halt the rise in childhood obesity. As thecountries of the WHO European Region commit to pursuing United Action for BetterHealth in Europe in WHO's new European Programme of Work, COSI provides anexcellent example of such united action in practice. Further collaborative action willbe key to tackling this major public health challenge which affects children through-out the region ; The authors gratefully acknowledge support through a grant from the Russian government in the context of the WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of NCDs. The Ministries of Health of Austria, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Malta, Norway, and the Russian Federation provided financial support for the meetings at which the protocol, data collection procedures, and analyses were discussed. Data collection in the countries featured in this paper was made possible through funding from: Bulgaria: Ministry of Health, National Center of Public Health and Analyses, WHO Regional Office for Europe; Croatia: Ministry of Health, Croatian Institute of Public Health, and WHO Regional Office for Europe; Georgia: WHO; Ireland: Health Service Executive; Italy: Ministry of Health and Italian National Institute of Health; Latvia: Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Ministry of Health, Latvia; Malta: Ministry of Health; North Macedonia: funded by the Government of North Macedonia through National Annual Program of Public Health and implemented by the Institute of Public Health and Centers of Public Health. WHO country office provides support for training and data management; Portugal: Ministry of Health Institutions, the National Institute of Health, Directorate General of Health, Regional Health Directorates and the kind technical support from the Center for Studies and Research on Social Dynamics and Health (CEIDSS); Turkey: Turkish Ministry of Health and World Bank. ; info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
The Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) routinely measures height andweight of primary school children aged 6–9 years and calculates overweight andobesity prevalence within the World Health Organization (WHO) European Regionusing a standard methodology. This study examines the trends in the prevalence ofoverweight and obesity from the first round of COSI carried out in 2007/2008 to thelatest of 2015/2017 in 11 European countries in which data were collected for atleast three rounds. In total 303,155 children were measured. In general, the preva-lence of overweight and obesity among boys and girls decreased in countries withhigh prevalence (Southern Europe) and remained stable or slightly increased in North-ern European and Eastern European countries included in the analysis. Among boys, the highest decrease in overweight (including obesity) was observed in Portugal (from40.5% in 2007/2008 to 28.4 in 2015/2017) and in Greece for obesity (from 30.5% in2009/2010 to 21.7% in 2015/2017). Lithuania recorded the strongest increase in theproportion of boys with overweight (from 24.8% to 28.5%) and obesity (from 9.4% to12.2%). The trends were similar for boys and girls in most countries. Several countriesin Europe have successfully implemented policies and interventions to counteract theincrease of overweight and obesity, but there is still much to be done. ; The authors gratefully acknowledge support through a grant from the Russian Government in the context of the WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of NCDs. The Ministries of health of Austria, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Malta, Norway, and the Russian Federation provided financial support for the meetings at which the protocol, data collection procedures, and analyses were discussed. Data collection in the countries included in this study was made possible through funding from: Bulgaria: Ministry of Health, National Center of Public Health and Analyses, and WHO Regional Office for Europe; Czechia: WHO grants AZV MZČR 17-31670 A MZČR-RVO EÚ 00023761, World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, and WHO country office; Greece: International Hellenic University and Hellenic Medical Association for Obesity; Ireland: Health Service Executive; Italy: Ministry of Health and Italian National Institute of Health; Latvia: Ministry of Health and Centre for Disease Prevention and Control; Lithuania: Science Foundation of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Lithuanian Science Council, and WHO; Norway: Ministry of Health and Norwegian Institute of Public Health; Portugal: Ministry of Health Institutions, the National Institute of Health, Directorate General of Health, Regional Health Directorates, and the kind technical support from the Center for Studies and Research on Social Dynamics and Health (CEIDSS); Slovenia: Ministry of Education and Science and Sport of the Republic of Slovenia within the SLOfit surveillance system; and Spain: Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN). ; info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
Background One of the hallmarks of cancer is the disruption of gene expression patterns. Many molecular lesions contribute to this phenotype, and the importance of aberrant DNA methylation profiles is increasingly recognized. Much of the research effort in this area has examined proximal promoter regions and epigenetic alterations at other loci are not well characterized. Results Using whole genome bisulfite sequencing to examine uncharted regions of the epigenome, we identify a type of far-reaching DNA methylation alteration in cancer cells of the distal regulatory sequences described as super-enhancers. Human tumors undergo a shift in super-enhancer DNA methylation profiles that is associated with the transcriptional silencing or the overactivation of the corresponding target genes. Intriguingly, we observe locally active fractions of super-enhancers detectable through hypomethylated regions that suggest spatial variability within the large enhancer clusters. Functionally, the DNA methylomes obtained suggest that transcription factors contribute to this local activity of super-enhancers and that trans-acting factors modulate DNA methylation profiles with impact on transforming processes during carcinogenesis. Conclusions We develop an extensive catalogue of human DNA methylomes at base resolution to better understand the regulatory functions of DNA methylation beyond those of proximal promoter gene regions. CpG methylation status in normal cells points to locally active regulatory sites at super-enhancers, which are targeted by specific aberrant DNA methylation events in cancer, with putative effects on the expression of downstream genes. ; The research leading to these results received funding from: the European Research Council (ERC), grant EPINORC, under agreement number 268626; MICINN Projects–SAF2011-22803 and BFU2011-28549; Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO), co-financed by the European Development Regional Fund, 'A way to achieve Europe' ERDF, under grant number SAF2014-55000-R; the Cellex Foundation; AGAUR Catalan Government Project #2009SGR1315; the Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII), under the Spanish Cancer Research Network (RTICC) number RD12/0036/0039, the Integrated Project of Excellence number PIE13/00022 (ONCOPROFILE) and the research grant PI11/00321; the Sandra Ibarra Foundation, under IV ghd Grants for breast cancer research; the Olga Torres Foundation; the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013), grant HEALTH-F5-2011-282510 – BLUEPRINT, and the Health and Science Departments of the Generalitat de Catalunya. H.H. is a Miguel Servet (CP14/00229) researcher funded by the Spanish Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII). D.T. and M.E. are ICREA Research Professors. ; Peer Reviewed ; Postprint (author's final draft)
Background One of the hallmarks of cancer is the disruption of gene expression patterns. Many molecular lesions contribute to this phenotype, and the importance of aberrant DNA methylation profiles is increasingly recognized. Much of the research effort in this area has examined proximal promoter regions and epigenetic alterations at other loci are not well characterized. Results Using whole genome bisulfite sequencing to examine uncharted regions of the epigenome, we identify a type of far-reaching DNA methylation alteration in cancer cells of the distal regulatory sequences described as super-enhancers. Human tumors undergo a shift in super-enhancer DNA methylation profiles that is associated with the transcriptional silencing or the overactivation of the corresponding target genes. Intriguingly, we observe locally active fractions of super-enhancers detectable through hypomethylated regions that suggest spatial variability within the large enhancer clusters. Functionally, the DNA methylomes obtained suggest that transcription factors contribute to this local activity of super-enhancers and that trans-acting factors modulate DNA methylation profiles with impact on transforming processes during carcinogenesis. Conclusions We develop an extensive catalogue of human DNA methylomes at base resolution to better understand the regulatory functions of DNA methylation beyond those of proximal promoter gene regions. CpG methylation status in normal cells points to locally active regulatory sites at super-enhancers, which are targeted by specific aberrant DNA methylation events in cancer, with putative effects on the expression of downstream genes. ; The research leading to these results received funding from: the European Research Council (ERC), grant EPINORC, under agreement number 268626; MICINN Projects–SAF2011-22803 and BFU2011-28549; Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO), co-financed by the European Development Regional Fund, 'A way to achieve Europe' ERDF, under grant number SAF2014-55000-R; the Cellex Foundation; AGAUR Catalan Government Project #2009SGR1315; the Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII), under the Spanish Cancer Research Network (RTICC) number RD12/0036/0039, the Integrated Project of Excellence number PIE13/00022 (ONCOPROFILE) and the research grant PI11/00321; the Sandra Ibarra Foundation, under IV ghd Grants for breast cancer research; the Olga Torres Foundation; the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013), grant HEALTH-F5-2011-282510 – BLUEPRINT, and the Health and Science Departments of the Generalitat de Catalunya. H.H. is a Miguel Servet (CP14/00229) researcher funded by the Spanish Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII). D.T. and M.E. are ICREA Research Professors. ; Peer Reviewed ; Postprint (author's final draft)
The statement builds on the Galway Statement on Atlantic Ocean Cooperation1 and defines Ocean Literacy2 objectives in the context of that cooperation and societal challenges The statement is drafted by participants of the Transatlantic Ocean Literacy Workshop, 5th-6th September 2013, Plymouth, UK. 1 Galway Statement on Transatlantic Cooperation, http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-459_en.htm 2 Ocean Literacy, http://oceanliteracy.wp2.coexploration.org/
