AEGIS, the Virtual European Genebank: Why It Is Such a Good Idea, Why It Is Not Working and How It Could Be Improved

Europe is very active in terms of conserving plant genetic resources, with hundreds of genebanks and thousands of dedicated people involved. However, the resulting infrastructure is, along with being very expensive, far from efficient and not very reliable. In this opinion paper, the authors describe how this situation arose, and why the European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR), the collaborative umbrella organization of the European countries involved, has not been able to improve this situation so far significantly. The principles of the decentralized virtual genebank (AEGIS) are described, and an analysis is made of the reasons for its lack of success. Possible changes for making AEGIS a success, or at least steps in the right direction, are proposed. These changes center around the creation of a system of certified genebanks with proper quality management, guaranteeing the long-term conservation of, and immediate access to the plant genetic resources conserved in it.

Mission (Im)possible? Determining Organizational Ideology by Examining Mission Statements

This paper is part of a larger project investigating the relative roles of ideology and gender composition in determining organizational structure and behavior. The project’s genesis arose from a study by Meinhard and Foster (2003) that found that Canadian women’s voluntary organizations (WVOs) differed from gender-neutral and men’s organizations on many different measures. Women’s organizations were less likely to adopt a business orientation or pursue new revenue strategies, but were more likely to collaborate with other organizations and more likely to downsize. They also tended to be more pessimistic in their outlook and engaged in more advocacy and political action. Meinhard and Foster (2003) also found that among women’s organizations, those that were members of the Canadian National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC), an umbrella organization for feminist groups, were more extreme in their differences. In other words, although both NAC and non-NAC organizations differed significantly from gender-neutral organizations, NAC organizations differed the most. Keywords: CVSS, Centre for Voluntary Sector Studies, Working Paper Series,TRSM, Ted Rogers School of Management Citation:

L’homme Nikita

This chapter cites the Sixth Congress of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (CPY) that took place in Zagreb, where the party was renamed the League of Communists of Yugoslavia (LCY). It details how the LCY was modernized and federalized as the umbrella organization of six separate territorial parties. It also mentions Milovan Đilas, chief of agitprop that went much further in the iconoclasm. The chapter analyzes Đilas' articles, in which he argued that Joseph Stalin's ideas had nothing to do with Marxism and that they were much closer to Adolf Hitler's. It discusses how Đilas went to the opposite extreme by proclaiming Stalinism to be fascist in nature while Joseph Stalin was still alive and well in the Kremlin.

The Role of Patient Support Groups in Neuroendocrine Neoplasms

Purpose of Review The purpose of this review is to establish the role patient support groups play in NENs. Recent Findings Published data on the role and work done by these groups is extremely sparse, so the review references publications in the wider cancer advocacy context. For the purposes of the review, a survey was carried out among the members of a global umbrella organization to ascertain the level of activities undertaken in support of the NEN patient community. Summary The concept of “support groups” has changed significantly, as these groups have evolved from patient peer-to-peer support provision to a strategic focus on improving awareness and education among all stakeholders, generating patient evidence to influence policies for access to optimal diagnostics, treatment, and care, and setting the research agenda. Today, NEN patient organizations have an instrumental role of catalysts of change across the healthcare spectrum—especially relevant in a setting of less common and not well-understood diseases, where clear pathways and guidelines are still a challenge.

The Dutch Seaborne Empire

In the course of the seventeenth century Dutch merchants created a seaborne empire that provided them with the primacy in world trade. This chapter focuses on the defining traits of the Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC, or Dutch East India Company, 1602–1799) and the West Indische Compagnie (WIC, or Dutch West India Company, 1621–1674, 1674–1791), both limited liability joint stock companies with monopoly rights on the navigation to, respectively, Asia and the American continent. Both companies were founded as “companies of the ledger and the sword” in the middle of the Dutch Eighty Years’ War (1568–1648) with the Spanish crown, and collapsed in the final years of the ancien régime. The VOC developed with leaps and bounds into an island empire in Southeast Asia that after the demise of the VOC survived into the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, first as the Netherlands East Indies and today as the Republic of Indonesia. The WIC never succeeded to wrestle itself loose from close state intervention and, facing the challenges of independent merchants, had to give up its monopolies and simply survived as an umbrella organization for the plantations in Suriname and a couple of islands in the Caribbean. Compared to their neighbors in Europe, the relatively affluent Dutch never felt a strong urge to emigrate and as a result none of their overseas possessions, with exception of the Cape Colony, developed into a settler colony.

Overcoming Barriers to Clinical Trials Cooperation: The Breast International Group Example

Clinical trials cooperation is not a luxury; it is a necessity, now more than ever, first in light of the segmentation of tumors according to their molecular targets—which are being matched to an increasing number of competitive drugs—and second because it is the only chance to maintain academic research centered on addressing patients’ needs. In its 21 years of existence, the Breast International Group, an umbrella organization supporting the activities of 54 member groups across six continents, has been confronted with challenges that include (1) keeping trust and motivation within the network; (2) improving the interface between academia and industry; (3) improving patient involvement and trust in clinical trials; and (4) fundraising for noncommercial research. We describe how these challenges have been addressed so far, with the hope of empowering the next generation of clinical investigators.

The Development of a Stakeholder Member Organization to Advocate for Geriatrics Education

The National Association of Geriatric Education Centers organization was established in 1990, to promote interdisciplinary geriatric education and to provide a unified voice for Geriatric Education Centers (GECs). In 2005, the GECs voted to form two non-profit organizations due to restrictions related to lobbying activities. An umbrella organization was created, the National Association for Geriatric Education, that includes all geriatric related education programs, and maintain a lobbyist in Washington DC to protect the GECs interests. It was a pivotal time, as we had a year (2006) without federal funding that summarily dismantled the DHHS-HRSA geriatrics programs, including the entire GEC network, the geriatric fellowship program, and Geriatric Academic Career Awards. This resulted in a GEC-wide and national geriatrics movement that succeeded in restoring the geriatrics line item in the President’s budget. Our advocacy efforts not only had the line item restored, but obtained an increase in funding for geriatrics.

Report of Alliance of International Science Organizations on Disaster Risk Reduction (ANSO-DRR) Conference 2020

This article summarizes the proceedings of the four-session meeting (webinar) conducted by the Alliance of International Science Organizations on Disaster Risk Reduction (ANSO-DRR) on 18 May 2020. ANSO-DRR is an international, nonprofit and nongovernmental scientific alliance bringing together academies of science, research organizations and universities which share a strong interest in disaster risk reduction in the regions along the land-based and maritime routes of the Belt and Road Initiative. ANSO-DRR convenes an annual meeting to review its work progress and discuss its scientific programs. The first session was the opening statements and was followed by the introduction and updates on ANSO-DRR in the second session. The third session was the depiction of the big picture of ANSO, the umbrella organization of ANSO-DRR, led by the Assistant Executive Director of ANSO, while the fourth session was a presentation of perspectives on the strategic development of ANSO-DRR. One of ANSO-DRR’s key strategies is to enhance disaster mitigation and response through multidisciplinary cooperation among disaster and healthcare sciences (i.e., health emergency and disaster risk management (Health-EDRM)). It aims to enhance DRR efforts by performing as an instrument in connecting people along the Belt and Road regions, focusing on DRR resource and database development, involving higher education institutions in DRR efforts and increasing disaster resilience in built infrastructures.

Biomarker testing in oncology – Requirements for organizing external quality assessment programs to improve the performance of laboratory testing: revision of an expert opinion paper on behalf of IQNPath ABSL

In personalized medicine, predictive biomarker testing is the basis for an appropriate choice of therapy for patients with cancer. An important tool for laboratories to ensure accurate results is participation in external quality assurance (EQA) programs. Several providers offer predictive EQA programs for different cancer types, test methods, and sample types. In 2013, a guideline was published on the requirements for organizing high-quality EQA programs in molecular pathology. Now, after six years, steps were taken to further harmonize these EQA programs as an initiative by IQNPath ABSL, an umbrella organization founded by various EQA providers. This revision is based on current knowledge, adds recommendations for programs developed for predictive biomarkers by in situ methodologies (immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization), and emphasized transparency and an evidence-based approach. In addition, this updated version also has the aim to give an overview of current practices from various EQA providers.