Capacity building of sea level and climate monitoring in the Pacific region： Fiji case study

In order to enhance capacity building in the Pacific region, and to raise awareness on climate change and sea level issues, teaching and training modules were made available to the Pacific community through the ＂South pacific sea level and climate monitoring project＂ funded by AusAID. Numerous training workshops have been conducted through the project since its inception in 1991 and the project is now in its fourth and final phase. It was hoped that the goals of capacity building for the stakeholders on correct information of climate change and sea level have been understood and taken heed of. In addition, ＂The scientific educational resources and experience associated with the deployment of Argo＂ （SEREAD） project was also set up especially for ocean science in the Pacific island schools in 2001. However, it has been realized that the data from this project is more relevant to tertiary level rather than to secondary level students. Consequently, a survey was carried out to gauge the students＇ outlook towards the physical side of marine science. The survey revealed that more than 80% of both tertiary level and high school non-physical science students decided not to take the physical aspect of marine science sighting reasons that it is either a difficult subject, boring, too hard to understand or difficult to pass in the examination. Even amongst students taking physical science, only about 50% believe that the physical aspect of marine science is enjoyable. A minority of students at USP and high school take science as a subject and a small proportion from them take the physical science. From this scenario, it can be predicted that there will be a shortage of physical science graduates in the future. The confidence of the Pacific community in the work of scientists is built on faith. They appreciate the effect of science on their lives and support it but are unaware of the scientific methods involved. Therefore, for the sustainability of physical aspect of marine science in the future for the Pacific region, public awareness of climate change and sea level is vitally important and it should be widely promoted in the community as a matter of urgency.     

Bad math: calculating bodily capacity in Cassils’s Cuts: A Traditional Sculpture

This article reads Cassils’ 2011 durational performance piece Cuts: A Traditional Sculpture alongside the messy arithmetic of Karl Marx’s Grundrisse in order to ask after the place of measurement within theories of bodily capacity and living labor.     

African biomedical scientists and the promises of “big science”

Abstract

An ongoing genomic revolution in biology has exponentially increased the rate, possibilities, scope and cost of biological research. Infectious disease genomics are often justified by the potential they have to ameliorate Africa’s disease burden. The molecular biology revolution that preceded genomic science widened the gap between the skill sets of many African biologists and their contemporaries elsewhere. Gap closure through genomics and the application of genomic data to health problems requires participation of, and leadership from, African scientists. However, few African scientists participate in genomics, and providing biological samples is their predominant contribution. Health-related applications are emerging from genomic activity for some infectious diseases that are endemic in Africa but not for many others. This article argues that the arrival of next-generation diagnostics, surveillance tools, drugs and vaccines could be accelerated by improving the nature and degree of participation of African scientists in genomic and post-genomic inquiry.     

“Scientific independence”, capacity building,and the development of UNESCO’s science and technology agenda for Africa

Abstract

This article analyses the shifting rationales for scientific collaboration in the work of the United Nations Economic, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in the science sector in Africa from the late colonial period through to the era of capacity building. Focusing on the late colonial period and the post-independence decades of “national science” in Africa, it analyses UNESCO’s role in science policy, engineering training, and natural resources research. It demonstrates that in the era of national science UNESCO’s activities were couched in the language of independence: developing capacities in the sciences was regarded as the key to obtaining “scientific independence” to match the recently obtained political independence. This marked a significant change from the 1950s when UNESCO based its operations in Africa on collaborations with the European colonial powers. The article argues that the link between scientific independence and political self-determination gave way as UNESCO rebranded scientific capacity-building activities as efforts in the pursuit of an unclearly-defined common good.     

从“中国之制”到“中国之治”——论推进国家治理能力现代化的着力点和关键点

党的十八大以来,国家治理体系和治理能力现代化建设进入崭新的阶段,开辟了我们党治国理政的新境界。从治理实践看,制度建设稳步推进,但是有了制度不意味着万事大吉。推进国家治理体系和治理能力现代化,应把握好推进国家治理能力现代化的着力点和关键点,要警惕制度主义,防止出现制度绝对化、制度僵化、制度效能弱化等风险,推动相关制度的完善和发展,最大限度上发挥制度优势,最高程度上提升治理能力实效性。     

公共图书馆的文化治理性与治理能力提升策略

文化治理现代化是国家治理体系和治理能力现代化的重要组成部分。公共图书馆是公共文化服务机构,也是实现文化治理功能的重要方式与手段。基于相关理论分析公共图书馆的文化治理性和文化治理目标,阐释公共图书馆文化治理的作用机制,提出提升我国公共图书馆文化治理能力的主要策略,对实现文化治理体系和治理能力现代化具有重要的理论价值和实践意义。     

关于我国刑事责任能力理论的探析

刑事责任能力是刑法理论中重要概念之一。对于刑事责任能力的定义,我国学界主要有刑事责任能力是犯罪能力、刑事责任能力是承担刑事责任的能力和刑事责任能力是犯罪能力和刑事责任能力的统一三种观点。本文在对相关观点进行分析与反思的基础之上,提出我国的刑事责任能力概念应当是犯罪能力和影响刑事责任能力的统一。     

依法治国首先必须依宪治国——纪念1999年宪法修改三周年

宪法是国家的根本法,具有最高的法律效力。我们必须正确理解宪法的崇高地位和作用,在宪法依法治国的光辉照耀下,我国的法制进程不断有所推进。     

The impact of recidivism and capacity on prison populations

Prison crowding currently poses a serious problem for society. This problem is attributable to a failure to anticipate and plan for the increased numbers of individuals sentenced to prison over the last decade. Crowded prisons have forced many jurisdictions to release prisoners earlier than would have been the case with unlimited prison capacity and to initiate expensive prison construction programs. In this paper, we develop a prison population projection model that extends previous work by considering the impact of limited prison capacity on time served, releases, and future admissions. The model was demonstrated for the State of North Carolina. Results suggest the tradeoffs that exist between prison capacity and punitiveness as measured by time served in prison.Points of view are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the U.S. Department of Justice.     

提高党构建和谐社会能力的思考

中国共产党执政后必须尽最大努力构建和谐社会.和谐社会,既是重大的社会问题,也是重大的政治问题.提高党构建社会主义和谐社会的能力,具有非常重要的现实意义和长远的历史意义.