WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE BRAIN DRAIN (?)

One of the characteristics of the relationship between the developed and developing worlds is the 'brain drain'- the phenomenon by which expertise moves towards richer countries, thereby condemning poorer countries to continued comparative and absolute poverty. It is tempting to see the phenomenon as a moral problem in its own right, such that there is a moral imperative to end it, that is separate from (and additional to) any moral imperative to relieve the burden of poverty. However, it is not clear why this should be so - why, that is, there is a moral reason to stem the flow of expertise in addition to seeking to improve welfare. In this paper, I examine three explanations of the putative moral aspect of the brain drain.     

"Wild Capitalism" and "Ecocolonialism": A Tale of Two Rivers

The development and pollution of two rivers, the Danube and Tisza, have been the site and subject of environmental protests and projects in Hungary since the late 1980s. Protests against the damming of the Danube rallied opposition to the state socialist government, drawing on discourses of national sovereignty and international environmentalism. The Tisza suffered a major environmental disaster in 2000, when a globally financed gold mine in Romania spilled thousands of tons of cyanide and other heavy metals into the river, sending a plume of pollution downriver into neighboring countries. In this article, I examine the symbolic ecologies that emerged in the two moments of environmental protest, as well as Hungarian activists' reflections on the changing political ecology of the region in their discourses of "ecocolonialism" ( ökógyarmatosítás ) and "wild capitalism" ( vadkapitaliszmus ).     

Neighboring group participation. Part 16. Stereoselective synthesis and receptor-binding examination of the four stereoisomers of 16-bromomethyl-3,17-estradiols

The four possible isomers of 3-benzyloxy-16-hydroxymethylestra-1,3,5(10)-trien-17-ol (1a-4a) with proven configurations were converted into the corresponding 3-benzyloxy-16-bromomethylestra-1,3,5(10)-triene-3,17-diols (5e-8e). Depending on the reaction conditions the cis isomers of 3-benzyloxy-16-hydroxymethylestra-1,3,5(10)-trien-17-ol (1a and 2a) were transformed into 3-benzyloxy-16-bromomethylestra-1,3,5(10)-trien-17-yl acetate (5b and 6b) or 16-bromomethyl-3-hydroxyestra-1,3,5(10)-trien-17-yl acetate (5c and 6c) on treatment with HBr and acetic acid. The mechanism of the process can be interpreted as involving front-side neighboring group participation. Under similar experimental conditions, the trans isomers (3a and 4a) yielded only 3-benzyloxy-16-acetoxymethylestra-1,3,5(10)-trien-17-yl acetates (3b and 4b) or 16-acetoxymethylestra-1,3,5(10)-triene-3,17-diyl diacetates (3d and 4d). Both the cis (1a and 2a) and the trans (3a, and 4a) isomers were transformed into 16-bromomethylestra-1,3,5(10)-trien-17-ol (5a-8a) by the Appel reaction on treatment with CBr4/Ph3P. Debenzylation of 5a-8a was carried out with HBr and acetic acid to yield 5e-8e. The debenzylation process in the presence of acetic anhydride produces the diacetates 5d-8d. The structures of the compounds were determined by means of MS, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectroscopic methods. Compounds 5c-8c and 5e-8e were tested in a radioligand-binding assay. Except for the affinity of 7e for the estrogen receptor (Ki=2.55 nM), the affinities of the eight compounds (5c-8c and 5e-8e) for the estrogen, androgen and progesterone receptors are low (Ki > 0.55, 0.52 and 0.21 microM, respectively).     

“Participating means accepting”: debating and contesting synthetic biology

This article analyses opposition to public debates. In doing so, the article builds upon the tradition of analyzing controversies by symmetrically describing the advocates and the opponents of public debates. First, the public debates on synthetic biology will be placed in their wider political and institutional context. The call for a “serene” debate by the French public authorities will be retraced and its genealogy vis-à-vis previous controversies (i.e. on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and nanotechnology) will be elucidated. The article then describes how the group Pièces et main d’?uvre (PMO) obstructed a public debate on synthetic biology, an obstruction that will be analyzed by mobilizing and extending the notion of divisible versus indivisible conflicts. But the article will also move beyond the symmetrical analysis of a controversy by discussing one of the criticisms raised by PMO, that some researchers are “sociologists of acceptability.” The notions of divisibility, indivisibility and what I call “inversibility” will be used to reflect upon the positionality of social scientists and to offer a constructive view for a sociology of acceptability.     

国外生态旅游对当地社区生计的影响研究综述

生态旅游因具备实现生物多样性保护和减轻贫困双重目标的潜力,成为全球学术界关注的焦点。鉴于生态旅游在影响社区生计方面的研究争议,论文综览国外大量相关文献,在界定生态旅游内涵的基础上,从经济影响、社区参与、能力建设、社会文化和公共设施4个方面系统梳理国外生态旅游对目的地社区生计的影响。研究发现旅游发展对目的地生计的影响存在不确定性,社区资源控制权、旅游收益规模、地方介入旅游产业供应链能力、自身能力、旅游管理等因素对旅游扶贫效应起着关键性作用。最后,对当前研究展开评述并对未来研究提出三点展望,以期为中国未来生态旅游影响研究和生态旅游开发提供借鉴和指导。     

重大工程建设区生态环境管理的公众参与——以西气东输工程陕西靖边至上海段为例

重大工程建设在给区域发展带来经济效益的同时,还会对周围生态环境和居民生活产生影响,如何兼顾工程建设及其所在地区的自然、社会和经济发展,从多尺度、多方面构建一个和谐、稳定的生态系统,对于工程建设和区域可持续发展具有重要意义,也是对工程建设区实施生态系统管理的主要目标.西气东输工程属于西部投资开发的基础性产业,对于西部地区的社会经济发展和国家的资源结构优化具有重要意义.尽管该工程本着"绿色工程"的原则在工程建设运行中开展了大量的环保工作,却由于保护工作只集中在有限的范围内,而且在实施环境保护的过程中并没有充分考虑到管道沿线不同人群的看法、愿望和需求,因此未能起到应有的效果.研究主要针对西气东输管道东段沿线的相关公众对管道建设、管道环境影响的看法以及他们的生态环境认识水平进行了调查和分析.研究发现:①大部分调查对象了解工程建设的意义,但认为工程建设"有利于本地经济的发展"的人数则有明显减少;公众的居住地、文化程度和职业背景是影响其看法的主要因素.西部经济欠发达地区的农民是对管道工程建设的意义认同度较低,因此,需要特别关注这一社会群体的想法和愿望.②西部地区的农民是对工程建设破坏的植被和土壤最为关注的群体,因此,如果在工程施工过程中对沿线的土壤、植被采取有效的保护和恢复措施,并对周边居民由此而受到的损失进行合理的赔偿,将极大的提高周边公众对管道工程的认同与支持.③多数调查对象不了解生态恢复公众参与的重要性,而更多人认为应是当地政府和工程施工单位的主要责任,反映出管道沿线公众在这方面的生态环境认识有待提高.     

基于旅游从业者的卧龙自然保护区旅游发展有效性分析:社区参与视角

以卧龙自然保护区为例,采用问卷调查的方法对旅游从业者的来源地、收入分布和职业分布特征进行了研究,以综合分析旅游发展与生物多样性保护、经济发展以及保护区管理之间的关系及面临的问题,探讨旅游发展的有效性。结果表明,尽管旅游发展对当地经济有一定的贡献,但尚存如下问题需要解决：（1）旅游与当地居民经济参与和生物多样性保护之间关系比较微弱;（2）经济漏损和收入分配不平衡;（3）当地居民进入旅游业受到启动资金及技术技能条件的限制。     

新冠疫情下“细胞生物学”课程思政教学研究

立德树人是教育事业的根本任务,课程思政是将立德树人融入教育各环节、各领域的重要手段。"细胞生物学"既是现代生命科学的前沿分支学科之一,也是高校生命科学类专业的重要课程。该文在课程思政的背景下,选择新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情(简称:新冠疫情)为载体,以"细胞生物学"课程中"病毒的特征、入侵、增殖"为主线,从"教学内容的甄选"和"实施策略"两个方面着手,开展聚焦新冠疫情下"细胞生物学"课程思政教学的深入探讨。该研究旨在引导学生在研习专业知识的基础上,提升其科学素养、树立其正确的价值观,为侧重新冠疫情的课程思政研究提供重要参考。     

以“新冠”病毒肺炎疫情为案例的问题导向式微生物学课程思政教学设计

在微生物学课程中开展思政教学有助于提升相关专业学生的思想道德修养和综合素质,是当前高校教育"立德树人"根本任务的具体要求,也是思政教育"全过程、常态化"的重要体现。案例教学法是微生物学课程思政的一种重要教学方法,主要以微生物学科发展中的一些著名学者及其事迹为案例,引导学生认识和理解这些案例的思想内涵,以提升自身思想道德水平。该教学方法在实践中获得了较为理想的教学效果,但也存在着设计不够充分、时效性不足等问题。针对这些问题,本文提出了以新型冠状病毒肺炎(COVID-19,简称"新冠"病毒肺炎)疫情为案例的问题导向式微生物学课程思政教学设计方案。该设计基于当前"新冠"病毒肺炎疫情中涌现出的诸多先进人物和事迹,以及暴露出的一些不良现象和问题,通过将这些案例与微生物学专业知识,以及微生物学科发展历史上的经典人物事迹进行有机整合和提炼,开展问题导向式教学。这些案例都是学生亲身经历过的重大事件,因此能有效地提升学生的参与感,引发学生的共鸣。使用这些案例是对微生物学课程思政经典教学案例的有益补充,能更好地引导学生在学习相关专业知识的同时,主动思考各案例所蕴含的思想道德意义并将之内化为自己的价值信念,帮助他们塑造正确的"三观",最终实现微生物学课程思政"寓思想教育于科学知识学习"的教学目标。     

思政教育在眼科学教学中的探索与实践

思想政治教育在我国高等教育体系中有着重要的意义.将思政内容融入到专业课的课堂教学过程中,注重培养学生的能力和素养,是立德树人的根本举措.在眼科学教学过程中,提倡把"课程思政"与专业课知识进行有机融合,鼓励学生由被动学习转换为主动学习,培养学生成为有灵魂、有温度的新时代医学人才.