1,354,523 research outputs found
SIRCA III Annual Report 2017 : Ten years of excellence
No full textDriven by a passion for social change through the application of ICT in developing countries, with a focus on digitally-enabled openness, SIRCA scholars have demonstrated outstanding influence, shifting ICT4D discourses, and providing leadership roles within their institutions. This Annual Report reviews impacts of Strengthening Information Society Research Capacity Alliance (SIRCA) ten years’ of projects, culminating in the book publication, “Critical Perspectives on Open Development” whose individual chapters are reviewed here. At the end of SIRCA’s third iteration (Phase III), the alliance moves forward on gender mainstreaming practices and the role of ICT in the intersections of technology development and gender
Strengthening ICTD Research Capacity in Asia (SIRCA) Program : mentorship model evaluation
No full textThe evaluation found a lack of communication between mentors and Principal Investigators (PIs) from the very early stages of the relationship, where ideally they should have first met and discussed their backgrounds, interests, motivations, expectations, and practical issues such as time commitment and scheduling. In addition to providing a deliberate space for clarification and preliminary conversation to occur, SIRCA can develop sharper definitions of the roles and duties of the Mentor and PI in the agreement Terms of Reference and the Memorandum of Understanding. Co-authorship should not be mandated but is a desirable outcome
Case study : SIRCA; building evaluation capacity - a review of awarding, mentoring and conferences
No full textIn Utilization Focused Evaluation (UFE) evaluators facilitate a learning process with attention on how real people in the real world apply evaluation findings and experiences. The focus is on “intended use by intended users.” This case study is one of five test cases in the application of the UFE process towards strengthening research capacity, while introducing UFE as part of the work process. Singapore internet Research Centre (SiRCA) has developed broad based high quality, multidisciplinary social science research in ICT4D in Asia. Using the 12 steps outline of UFE, SiRCA analyzed its organizational gaps, developing a “theory of change.
Strengthening Information Society Research Capacity Alliance (SIRCA II) : programme evaluation report
No full textThis document presents the results of SIRCA II’s final evaluation amongst emerging scholars. A short electronic survey was sent to all 15 emerging scholars and 11 responses were received (73%). The survey consisted of three sections: 1) quality of the SIRCA mentorship programme; 2) outcomes attributable to participation in the workshops and conferences; and 3) self-reported capacity building outcomes related to the individual. This report summarises the results according to each of these sections. The appendix contains the questionnaire circulated
Antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, and herbal remedies in tinnitus therapy
No full textThe use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is very popular in western countries and several CAM products are often used by individuals with tinnitus with or without medical guidance. CAM pharmacological approach to tinnitus today is mainly based on vitamins and minerals (dietary supplements), antioxidants, and herbal medications. Despite the popularity of CAM products, the evidence regarding their efficacy against tinnitus is in general scarce and their potential toxic effects are often underestimated or even neglected. In this paper the available literature on the efficacy of dietary supplements, antioxidants, and herbal medications against tinnitus is reviewed, and some of the major potential toxic effects are discussed. It is concluded that the use of CAM products in tinnitus therapy in general lack substantial scientific support, and that these substances are probably not clinically effective either. However, it is difficult to draw clear-cut conclusions regarding CAM pharmacological approach to tinnitus. In fact, the subjective nature of tinnitus and the reported variability in patient's response to therapy indicate that several non-pharmacological factors may be influencing drug effects, with the placebo effect playing a major role. Nevertheless, in view of the potential harm that may occur from inappropriate use of CAM products, physicians need to be aware of their principal characteristics with particular emphasis on toxicity and possibilities of interaction with prescription drugs
A robust, state-of-the-art amperometric microbiosensor for glutamate detection
No full textScientific knowledge of glutamate (GLU) neurobiology is severely hampered by the inadequacy of the available in vivo brain sampling techniques. Due to the crucial role of GLU in central nervous system function and pathology, the development of a reliable sampling device is mandatory. GLU biosensor holds potential to address many of the known issues of in vivo GLU measurement. We report here on the development and test of a labor- and cost-effective micro biosensor, suitable to be applied for measuring brain GLU. A glycerol-based cryopreservation method was also tested. Needle type Pt biosensors were coated with a permselective Nafion-Poly(o-phenylenediamine) layer and cross-linked to L-glutamate oxidase with poly(ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether. Tested in vitro, the device shows high sensitivity and specificity for GLU, while being poorly influenced by common interfering substances such as ascorbate, dopamine and dihydroxyphenylacetic acid. Further, the cryopreservation procedure kept sensitivity unaltered for 30 days and possibly longer. We conclude that a highly efficient GLU biosensor of minimal dimensions can be consistently and affordably constructed with relative ease. Together with the possibility of cryopreservation this shall foster diffusion and exploitation of GLU biosensors technology
Soil organic carbon in Italian forests and agroecosystems: Estimating current stock and future changes with a spatial modelling approach
No full textThe soil organic carbon (SOC) is the largest carbon pool in the terrestrial biosphere, second only to oceans, containing twice as much carbon as the atmosphere and three times that stored in global vegetation. Climate change (CC) is expected to impact this carbon pool. To date, large uncertainties still persist on the effects of CC on SOC stocks. In addition, a shortage of data related to regional SOC quantities of tree-covered areas and future changes under CC conditions is recognized. In this work, we used a spatial-explicit modelling approach to estimate the current SOC stock (at 2005) and future changes (at 2095) under CC conditions of the whole forest, tree crop, grassland, and pasture covered areas of Italy. A methodology was preliminarily implemented to obtain spatialized SOC estimates at a regional scale by using the CENTURY 5 model coupled with spatialized vegetation, soil, and climate data. We ran both moderate (RCP4.5) and extreme (RCP8.5) climatic scenarios, and used three Global Circulation Models for each one of the four ecosystems described above. The current SOC stock estimates range from 51.3 (orchards) to 129.5 Mg carbon ha−1 (coniferous forests) and we found an overall SOC stock in Italy ranging from 1320.1 to 1425.1 Tg. SOC projections under CC showed a moderate carbon loss suggesting that forest, grassland, and permanent crop soils could provide an important contribution to climate change mitigation
A detailed description of flowering stages in olive tree in relation to side tree crown exposure
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