Quantitative Assessment of Environmental Sensitivity to Desertification Using the Modified MEDALUS Model in a Semiarid Area

Iran is mainly located in the arid and semiarid climate zone and seriously affected by desertification. This is a severe environmental problem, which results in a persistent loss of ecosystem services that are fundamental to sustaining life. Process understanding of this phenomenon through the evaluation of important drivers is, however, a challenging work. The main purpose of this study was to perform a quantitative evaluation of the current desertification status in the Segzi Plain, Isfahan Province, Iran, through the modified Mediterranean Desertification and Land Use (MEDALUS) model and GIS. In this regard, five main indicators including soil, groundwater, vegetation cover, climate, and erosion were selected for estimating the environmental sensitivity to desertification. Each of these qualitative indicators is driven by human interference and climate. After statistical analysis and a normality test for each indicator data, spatial distribution maps were established. Then, the maps were scored in the MEDALUS approach, and the current desertification status in the study area from the geometric mean of all five quality indicators was created. Based on the results of the modified MEDALUS model, about 23.5% of the total area can be classified as high risk to desertification and 76.5% classified as very high risk to desertification. The results indicate that climate, vegetation, and groundwater quality are the most important drivers for desertification in the study area. Erosion (wind and water) and soil indices have minimal importance.

The Provision of Private Healthcare Services in European Countries: Recent Data and Lessons for Universal Health Coverage in Other Settings

Universal Health Coverage (UHC) exists in all of the countries of Europe, despite variation on the ownership structure of health delivery systems. As countries around the world seek to advance UHC and manage the private sector within their health systems, the European experiences can offer useful insights. We found four different models for the provision of healthcare, with the private sector predominant in some countries, and of minimal importance in others. The European experiences indicate that UHC can be effectively provided with, or without, large-scale private sector provision in hospital, specialty, and primary care services, and that moreover it can be provided with high levels of patient satisfaction. These findings offer regulatory models for countries in other regions to review as they advance UHC.

Raakpunte in die ontwikkeling van ekumene in die wêreld met ekumeniese ontwikkelinge in die gereformeerde kerke in Suid-Afrika (1990–2020)

Points of communality in the development of ecumenism worldwide with reformed churches in South Africa (1990–2020)This historic-critical study analyses the development of ecumenism from 1990 to 2020 within the traditional Afrikaans speaking reformed churches in South Africa. The study attempts to determine whether the so-called change or shift in ecumenism within reformed churches and ecumenical bodies worldwide, influenced the theology and practice of ecumenism in Afrikaans-speaking churches in South Africa (1990 to 2020). Afrikaans-speaking reformed churches not only face political and social challenges in South Africa, but also face other major challenges brought about by a postmodern society and theological developments from 1990 to 2020. The development of ecumenism in reformed churches in the world, as described by Plaatjies-Van Huffel (2011:1–11) consists of a shift from conciliar ecumenism to transformative receptive ecumenism. In the past 30 years conciliar ecumenism took its stance in absolute certainties derived from a specific viewpoint on Scripture. Conciliar ecumenism partially failed because some reformed churches excluded other reformed churches from church unity, based on a particular interpretation of Scripture. These exclusions were claimed to be based upon the “authority” derived from Scripture. This ecumenical practice did not lead to significant church unity. The transformative receptive ecumenism, on the other hand, tends to reach out to the marginalised people of God, and not only try to transform the unrighteousness in the lives of people, but also tends to learn from and accommodate the needy in the understanding of ecumenism. If the developments in worldwide ecumenism influenced ecumenical thought among reformed Afrikaans-speaking churches, the question arises: to what extent was transformative receptive ecumenism able to contribute to a better understanding of ecumenism and church unity – especially in the development of an African transformative receptive ecumenism. Also, if a shift in ecumenical practise took place, does that mean that the conciliar ecumenism of the past was of minimal importance? Is a new understanding of ecumenism (as in transformative receptive ecumenism) the alpha and omega of ecumenism in theory and practice? Shouldn’t transformative receptive ecumenism be further discussed by all churches in South Africa and the world to bring forth an ecumenical model that suits the South African situation as part of worldwide ecumenism?This chapter attempts to understand recent developments and issues within the reformed ecumenical societies and agencies in the world, after which the Afrikaans-speaking historic-reformed churches will be viewed in terms of the understanding of their calling to ecumenism. The developments and issues in the reformed world will be compared with the latest developments and issues within the Afrikaans-speaking reformed churches. A conclusion based on a comparison between ecumenism in the world and in South Africa will be drawn before some remarks on the future of ecumenical understanding concludes this study.

The Role of Party Autonomy in Choosing Procedural Law in Arbitration: the rules of the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Centre

While the role of parties’ autonomy is of minimal importance when discussing procedures in cases including foreign element presented before the courts, it plays an important role in the choice of applicable law in arbitration procedures. The reason for this is that an arbitrator is not subject to law of jurisdiction, in the same way as a national judge. In response to the development of protection of intellectual property, the World Intellectual Property Organization “WIPO” organization has established an arbitration and Mediation centre, described as the first institutional international center specialized in settling intellectual property disputes, and has given the parties freedom to choose the law applicable to procedure. The study concludes that it is essential to introduce amendments to the WIPO arbitration rules to guarantee legal clarity and prevent confusion, such as imposing characterization to the law of the selected seat of arbitration, the need for explicit choice on the law governing the arbitration procedures, and clarification about what is meant by the law of the seat of arbitration in the absence of choice.

Genetic and environmental contribution to the overlap between ADHD and ASD trait dimensions in young adults: a twin study

BackgroundTraits of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are strongly associated in children and adolescents, largely due to genetic factors. Less is known about the phenotypic and aetiological overlap between ADHD and ASD traits in adults.MethodsWe studied 6866 individuals aged 20–28 years from the Swedish Study of Young Adult Twins. Inattention (IA) and hyperactivity/impulsivity (HI) were assessed using the WHO Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale-V1.1. Repetitive and restricted behaviours (RRB) and social interaction and communication (SIC) were assessed using the Autism-Tics, ADHD, and other Comorbidities inventory. We used structural equation modelling to decompose covariance between these ADHD and ASD trait dimensions into genetic and shared/non-shared environmental components.ResultsAt the phenotypic level, IA was similarly correlated with RRB (r = 0.33; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.31–0.36) and with SIC (r = 0.32; 95% CI 0.29–0.34), whereas HI was more strongly associated with RRB (r = 0.38; 95% CI 0.35–0.40) than with SIC (r = 0.24; 95% CI 0.21–0.26). Genetic and non-shared environmental effects accounted for similar proportions of the phenotypic correlations, whereas shared environmental effects were of minimal importance. The highest genetic correlation was between HI and RRB (r = 0.56; 95% 0.46–0.65), and the lowest was between HI and SIC (r = 0.33; 95% CI 0.23–0.43).ConclusionsWe found evidence for dimension-specific phenotypic and aetiological overlap between ADHD and ASD traits in adults. Future studies investigating mechanisms underlying comorbidity between ADHD and ASD may benefit from exploring several symptom-dimensions, rather than considering only broad diagnostic categories.

When and why does the name of the brand still matter?

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to fill a current gap in the literature, through the development of theory concerned with changes that occur over time to the functions and importance of the brand name element of a branded entity. Design/methodology/approach An initial theoretical conceptualisation was developed from the existing literature. Study participants whose behaviour was found not to conform to this initial conceptualisation were included in subsequent research to obtain greater understanding. The study method used was a series of interviews, with the obtained qualitative data analysed using template analysis. This resulted in the development of a revised theoretical conceptualisation. Findings Various functions of the brand name element, identified as connotation, denotation, linking and branded entity constancy, are ongoing important providers of brand equity to some consumers for established branded entities. This challenges a position obtained from existing literature that the brand name element of an established branded entity becomes of minimal importance over time. Originality/value Value-generating functions of the brand name element that persist over time were identified, leading to the development of a theoretical conceptualisation of the change in the importance of brand name equity over time.

Romans czy rodzina? Małżeństwo urfi a wyobrażenia o nim zachodnich turystek w Egipcie

Unofficial marriage (Arabic nikah ‘urfi, zawag ‘urfi) is an innovation used primarily in Egypt. In view of the high cost of marriage, ‘urfi’s role is instrumental in religiously legitimising a relationship. At the same time it is a step to enter the true, i.e. official, marriage. The ‘urfi institution has been applied over the last few years to relationships between Western female tourists and local men within so-called sex tourism or romance. The article analyses ways of understanding and perception of ‘urfi marriage by Western female tourists. The source material consists of the women’s online posts on forums devoted to intimate touristic contacts between European women and Arabs. Several types of the narrative can be specified, such as the partner’s sexual potential, urfi as the tool of discrediting Western women engaged in the model, legitimacy for having sex, or impure intentions of habib (‘lover’). Family affairs are of minimal importance in the discourse, which emphasises instrumental nature of the relationship.

Characterization of the xenobiotic response of Caenorhabditis elegans to the anthelmintic drug albendazole and the identification of novel drug glucoside metabolites

Knowledge of how anthelmintics are metabolized and excreted in nematodes is an integral part of understanding the factors that determine their potency, spectrum of activity and for investigating mechanisms of resistance. Although there is remarkably little information on these processes in nematodes, it is often suggested that they are of minimal importance for the major anthelmintic drugs. Consequently, we have investigated how the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans responds to and metabolizes albendazole, one of the most important anthelmintic drugs for human and animal use. Using a mutant strain lacking the β-tubulin drug target to minimize generalized stress responses, we show that the transcriptional response is dominated by genes encoding XMEs (xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes), particularly cytochrome P450s and UGTs (UDP-glucuronosyl transferases). The most highly induced genes are predominantly expressed in the worm intestine, supporting their role in drug metabolism. HPLC-MS/MS revealed the production of two novel glucoside metabolites in C. elegans identifying a major difference in the biotransformation of this drug between nematodes and mammals. This is the first demonstration of metabolism of a therapeutic anthelmintic in C. elegans and provides a framework for its use to functionally investigate nematode anthelmintic metabolism.

From internationalisation to globalisation

In recent years, much has been made in the media and in academic circles of the risk that the world is heading towards linguistic convergence. But as internationalisation gives way to globalisation, as the emphasis shifts from mere contact between states to pressures for homogeneity, there is a paradoxical tendency towards cultural divergence. Economic-inspired theories of globalisation seem to have underestimated the power of identity, which has contributed to nationalist revivals around the globe. This paper therefore seeks to make identity considerations more central to the current debate on language and globalisation, by focusing on the lesser-known context of Sweden. The minimal importance attributed to national and linguistic identity in Sweden during the era of internationalisation is contrasted with the renewed sense of national identity that has arisen in the more advanced era of globalisation. This nationalist revival could provide the necessary support amongst the general public for the protective language planning measures for Swedish currently proposed. With its traditionally positive attitudes towards English, the case of Sweden thus offers a unique opportunity to examine whether it is possible to establish a stable diglossic relationship between English and a national language, thereby reducing the risk of language shift that globalisation is so often claimed to pose.