Intersections of Local and Global Processes in African Communities: On Multivocality and Context

Taxi to Timbuktu. 1994. 50 minutes. Directed by Christopher Walker. Produced by Faction Films. First Run/Icarus Films, 153 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10014. (212) 727-1711. Available in video.
Have. Problem, Madam. 1995. 59 minutes. Directed by Maarten Schmidt and Thomas Doebele. Produced by Bernard Neuhaus. First Run/Icarus Films, 153 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10014. (212) 727-1711. Available in video and 16 mm.     

Memory Pieces and Footprints: Multivocality and the Meanings of Ancient Times and Ancestral Places among the Zuni and Hopi

The notion of the "contested past" has grown to be an important topic in anthropological research in recent decades, linking such themes as nationalism, identity, museology, tourism, and war. In North America, these discussions have largely centered on archaeology's shifting relationship with native peoples. As scholars give new attention to how research methodologies and representation of cultural histories affect indigenous peoples, it is critical to understand the unique ways in which Native Americans view their past. Contemporary Zuni and Hopi interpretations of ancestral landscapes in the San Pedro Valley of Arizona are used to explore how indigenous worldviews imbue ancient places with deep cultural and individual meanings. This research, based on a three-year collaborative ethnohistory project, argues for resolution to the "contested past" by incorporating a perspective of multivocality, which will enable the creation of alternative histories that do not eschew scientific principles while respecting native values of history.     

Empowering marine science through genomics

Marine scientists in Europe summarize their successes with genome technologies in the marine sciences and make a plea for a concerted international effort to raise greater public education for support.     

Empowering GPs as purchasers.

FHSAs have defined their role in purchasing primary care FHSAs have also found themselves intermediaries between district health authorities and general practitioners All of the purchasing authorities recognise the need to educate general practitioners on how to use their influence in the purchasing process General practitioners should be involved in the purchasing process as they purchase the bulk of health care; are the first point of contact for the users of the health service; need to have input on what is purchased; and need to be able to manage the changes resulting from the shift in the balance of power towards primary care The involvement of general practitioners in the purchasing process at present varies considerably among health authorities. Several district health authorities have developed models of purchasing that enable different levels of involvement     

Empowering patients with point-of-care testing

Point-of-care testing (POCT) is becoming a major force in the future evolution of healthcare. It has the potential to expand further by increasing the accessibility, speed and accuracy of results. New developments in POCT technology will predictably occur in four areas: scope, connectivity, non-invasiveness and miniaturization. POCT test menus will continue to grow, wireless connectivity with automatic data capture will become the norm and non-invasive POCT will evolve into a wide range of sizes, shapes and functionalities.     

Children and Place: A Natural Connection

One of the main objectives of this activity is to introduce students to dissection, which is an important part of scientific discovery. The students not only gain an understanding of anatomy but also develop a sense of responsibility and respect for the animal that they are using as a learning tool. The students prepare and cook the edible parts of the squid to cut down on waste and to emphasize the importance of squid as a food source worldwide.     

Empowering international canine inherited disorder management

The mapping of the canine genome and the study of canine breed genomic architecture has revolutionized the discovery of genetic tests for inherited disorders in dogs. As the genetics underlying complex disorders are revealed, canine breeders and their registering organisations will be required to understand genetics in a much more sophisticated way. To facilitate the management of genetic disorders in the era of new complex information, we consider how best to apply the results of new research and analytical techniques to benefit the wider canine breeding community with the aims of improving canine health and maintaining benevolent genetic diversity. If this is not done, there is a serious risk that expensive and valuable genetic research will remain unused or be misused to the detriment of breeds. In this review, we make a case for the formation of an international organisation that will exist as a central repository for breed-based genetic analysis and information sharing. This organisation ("Inter-Dog") could be modelled on a similar organisation that is monitoring genetic improvement of dairy cattle. The formation of such an organisation will require the collaboration of international kennel management organisations, researchers, and agencies offering genetic testing services.     

Belonging: Australians, Place and Aboriginal Ownership

Belonging: Australians, Place and Aboriginal Ownership. Peter Read. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000. 248 pp.     

Contested Landscapes: Movement, Exile and Place

Contested Landscapes: Movement, Exile and Place. Barbara Bender and Margot Winer, eds. Oxford: Berg Publishers, 2001. 320pp.     

Empowering dendritic cell cancer vaccination: the role of combinatorial strategies

Dendritic cells (DCs) are bone marrow–derived immune cells that play a crucial role in inducing the adaptive immunity and supporting the innate immune response independently from T cells. In the last decade, DCs have become a hopeful instrument for cancer vaccines that aims at re-educating the immune system, leading to a potent anti-cancer immune response able to overcome the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Although several studies have indicated that DC-based vaccines are feasible and safe, the clinical advantages of DC vaccination as monotherapy for most of the neoplasms remain a distant target. Recently, many reports and clinical trials have widely used innovative combinatorial therapeutic strategies to normalize the immune function in the TME and synergistically enhance DC function. This review will describe the most relevant and updated evidence of the anti-cancer combinatorial approaches to boost the clinical potency of DC-based vaccines.     

A Place Containing Many Places: Museums and the Use of Objects to Represent Place in Melanesia

In this paper I discuss a number of incompatible ways of comprehending object meanings, contrasting western ethnographic museum practice with indigenous, specifically ni-Vanuatu, understandings. I discuss these differences as a way of looking analytically at some of the practices of museum ethnography and material culture studies. There are several aspects to this contrast: here I concentrate on ideas about place. Place is a centrally important concept in Vanuatu, but is not privileged in relation to objects. Western museums, however, use provenance as any ethnographic object's defining characteristic, and have developed a sophisticated, though largely unexamined, set of principles and practices for the attribution of provenance on stylistic grounds. On the basis of provenance identification, museums attribute meaning to objects. When enshrined as professional museum practice, such approaches pose dilemmas for Melanesian museums, and are the subject of debate among Pacific region museum professionals. For ni-Vanuatu, the significance of objects on display may represent not places, but the performance of the skills that reveal the maker's place-based identity.     

Empowering the inventor--the case of monoclonal antibodies

Academic ownership of intellectual property facilitated wide dissemination and commercialization of antibody technology. Moves at the University of Cambridge to reclaim institutional IP rights should thus be treated with caution.     

Empowering African genomics for infectious disease control

At present, African scientists can only participate minimally in the genomics revolution that is transforming the understanding, surveillance and clinical treatment of infectious diseases. We discuss new initiatives to equip African scientists with knowledge of cutting-edge genomics tools, and build a sustainable critical mass of well-trained African infectious diseases genomics scientists.     

Bear's Hiding Place: Ishi's Last Refuge

Bear's Hiding Place: Ishi's Last Refuge. 1998. 18 minutes, color. video by Jed Riffe. For more information, contact University of California Extension, Center for Media and Independent Learning, 2000 Center Street. Fourth Floor, Berkeley. CA 94704.