Social entrepreneurship: pathways to scale

Creating positive and transformational change by meeting social needs is a goal of development organisations. Social entrepreneurship, characterized by the blurring of boundaries between sectors, offers innovative solutions to meet social needs and has emerged as a new developmental actor that does not centre on the state or international aid. However, the limited scope of impact of these initiatives makes reaching scale a central concern but the pathways of scaling are still poorly understood. By analyzing the case of Associação Saúde Criança this study provides insights into the tensions created by market encroachment on the social sector and the feasibility of scaling complex developmental initiatives. Findings show that scaling is not a linear process, it involves adaptation and resilience. Furthermore, market encroachment pressures organizations towards finding a balance between staying financially sustainable and socially relevant

Digestible lysine effects on gene expression by Japanese quails in the pre-laying phase

This study aimed to determine the effects of digestible lysine levels in the diets of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) on performance, blood parameters and the expression of insulin-like growth factor I, and growth hormone receptor (GHR), apolipoprotein A-I (APOA-I), acetyl-CoA-carboxylase (ACC), and fatty acid synthase (FAS) genes. A total of 288 seven-day-old female Japanese quails were randomly assigned to one of three diets that contained 0.8%, 1.10%, or 1.40% digestible lysine. The birds were slaughtered at 42 days old, and relative gene expression was evaluated in the liver by qRT-PCR using the 2-ΔCT method. Lysine supplementation had no effect on weight gain and feed conversion. Abdominal fat was lower in birds supplemented with 0.8% digestible lysine than those supplemented with 1.10% and 1.40%. Increased total cholesterol and triglycerides were elevated in quails that received supplementation of 1.10% digestible lysine compared with the other diets. High density lipoproteins were decreased in birds that received 0.8% digestible lysine. Quails fed with 1.40% digestible lysine had greater expression of GHR and APOA-I than quails fed diets with 0.8 and 1.10% (P <0.05). The greatest expressions of ACC and FAS were observed in the liver of quails fed with 0.8% digestible lysine. The current results suggest that lysine supplementation in the pre-laying phase allows birds to deposit muscle mass to reach the optimal conformation and body fatness that provides an energetic reserve for the productive phase by modulating the expression of genes related to growth and lipid metabolism. Keywords: Coturnix coturnix japonica, growth, growth hormone, lipid synthesis, lipid metabolis

Global surveillance of cancer survival 1995-2009: analysis of individual data for 25,676,887 patients from 279 population-based registries in 67 countries (CONCORD-2)

BACKGROUND: Worldwide data for cancer survival are scarce. We aimed to initiate worldwide surveillance of cancer survival by central analysis of population-based registry data, as a metric of the effectiveness of health systems, and to inform global policy on cancer control. METHODS: Individual tumour records were submitted by 279 population-based cancer registries in 67 countries for 25·7 million adults (age 15-99 years) and 75,000 children (age 0-14 years) diagnosed with cancer during 1995-2009 and followed up to Dec 31, 2009, or later. We looked at cancers of the stomach, colon, rectum, liver, lung, breast (women), cervix, ovary, and prostate in adults, and adult and childhood leukaemia. Standardised quality control procedures were applied; errors were corrected by the registry concerned. We estimated 5-year net survival, adjusted for background mortality in every country or region by age (single year), sex, and calendar year, and by race or ethnic origin in some countries. Estimates were age-standardised with the International Cancer Survival Standard weights. FINDINGS: 5-year survival from colon, rectal, and breast cancers has increased steadily in most developed countries. For patients diagnosed during 2005-09, survival for colon and rectal cancer reached 60% or more in 22 countries around the world; for breast cancer, 5-year survival rose to 85% or higher in 17 countries worldwide. Liver and lung cancer remain lethal in all nations: for both cancers, 5-year survival is below 20% everywhere in Europe, in the range 15-19% in North America, and as low as 7-9% in Mongolia and Thailand. Striking rises in 5-year survival from prostate cancer have occurred in many countries: survival rose by 10-20% between 1995-99 and 2005-09 in 22 countries in South America, Asia, and Europe, but survival still varies widely around the world, from less than 60% in Bulgaria and Thailand to 95% or more in Brazil, Puerto Rico, and the USA. For cervical cancer, national estimates of 5-year survival range from less than 50% to more than 70%; regional variations are much wider, and improvements between 1995-99 and 2005-09 have generally been slight. For women diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2005-09, 5-year survival was 40% or higher only in Ecuador, the USA, and 17 countries in Asia and Europe. 5-year survival for stomach cancer in 2005-09 was high (54-58%) in Japan and South Korea, compared with less than 40% in other countries. By contrast, 5-year survival from adult leukaemia in Japan and South Korea (18-23%) is lower than in most other countries. 5-year survival from childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is less than 60% in several countries, but as high as 90% in Canada and four European countries, which suggests major deficiencies in the management of a largely curable disease. INTERPRETATION: International comparison of survival trends reveals very wide differences that are likely to be attributable to differences in access to early diagnosis and optimum treatment. Continuous worldwide surveillance of cancer survival should become an indispensable source of information for cancer patients and researchers and a stimulus for politicians to improve health policy and health-care systems

Substituição do milho e farelo de algodão pelo milheto no concentrado da dieta de novilhos em confinamento

Objetivou-se identificar possíveis efeitos da substituição do milho e do farelo de algodão por milheto na digestibilidade dos nutrientes da dieta e no desempenho de bovinos em confinamento. As dietas, com relação volumoso:concentrado 65:35, foram compostas de silagens de milho e milheto como volumoso (50:50, com base na matéria natural) e cinco níveis de milheto em substituição ao milho e ao farelo de algodão (0; 23; 49; 80 e 96% da matéria natural) no concentrado. O delineamento de blocos ao acaso foi adotado em ambos os experimentos. Utilizaram-se cinco repetições no estudo de desempenho e quatro na avaliação do consumo e da digestibilidade in vivo. O consumo de matéria seca (MS) expresso em porcentagem do peso vivo (PV) e g/kgPV0,75, diminuiu linearmente com a introdução de milheto na dieta, registrando-se 2,91% e 108,5 g e, 2,5% e 92,53 g para dietas exclusivas de milho e milheto, respectivamente. As digestibilidades de MS, proteína bruta e carboidratos totais não foram afetadas, enquanto a digestibilidade do extrato etéreo diminuiu e a de fibra aumentou linearmente sem afetar os teores de nutrientes digestíveis totais. O ganho de peso vivo diário, o consumo de MS e a conversão alimentar também não foram afetados pela adição de milheto, portanto, é possível substituir o milho e o farelo de algodão por milheto em rações para bovinos em confinamento.The objective of the present study was to identify possible effects of replacing corn and cottonseed meal by pearl millet on digestibility of nutrients in diets and on performance of cattle in feedlots. Diets with a 65:35 roughage:concentrate ratios were composed of corn and pearl millet silages as roughage (50:50, based on natural matter) and five levels of pearl millet replacing corn and cottonseed meal (0; 23; 49; 80 and 96% natural matter) in the concentrate. It was used random block designs in both experiments. Five replicates were used to evaluate performance and four replicates for evaluating intake and in vivo digestibility. Dry matter (DM) intake, expressed in body weight (BW) percentage and g/kg BW0.75 linearly decreased when pearl millet was introduced into the diet, thus 2.91% and 108.5g and, 2.5% and 92.53 g were registered for diet exclusively with corn and pearl millet, respectively. Digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, and total carbohydrates were not affected, whereas digestibility of ether extract reduced and fiber digestibility linearly increased without affecting contents of total digestible nutrients. Daily body weight gain, dry matter intake and feed conversion were not affected by adition of pearl millet, either, therefore, it is possible to replace corn and cottonseed meal by pearl millet in rations for cattle in feedlot

Qualidade da matéria orgânica de solos sob cultivo de café consórciado com adubos verdes

O aporte de resíduos orgânicos, associado ao processo de humificação, promove melhoria dos atributos do solo e garante ao agricultor a manutenção do sistema produtivo. As leguminosas visam, além do fornecimento de nutrientes para o café, melhorar a qualidade da matéria orgânica do solo com a formação das substâncias húmicas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o impacto do uso de leguminosas, como adubo verde, na qualidade das substâncias húmicas em solos sob café em duas condições edafoclimáticas na Zona da Mata de Minas Gerais. Foram cultivados amendoim forrageiro, calopogônio, estilosantes, mucuna e espécies espontâneas durante quatro anos, em duas propriedades de agricultores familiares. Após quatro anos, realizaram-se a coleta de solo, extração e purificação das SH para obtenção dos ácidos fúlvicos (AFs) e húmicos (AHs). Foram realizadas análise elementar (CHNO), UV-visível, infravermelho e termogravimetria do material purificado. Os resultados evidenciaram que os AHs possuem maior peso molecular, hidrofobicidade, condensação, e compostos aromáticos com maior teor de C, conferindo maior estabilidade estrutural em relação aos AFs. O ambiente voltado para a face sul, com menor incidência de luz, menor temperatura e maior umidade, possui substâncias húmicas estruturalmente mais estáveis e resistentes à degradação do que as extraídas de solo voltado para o noroeste. O tratamento com calopogônio apresentou baixo teor de C e elevado teor de O na composição dos AFs, caracterizando compostos de menor estabilidade estrutural em relação aos AFs, sob os tratamentos com estilosantes, mucuna e espontâneas. Nos AHs, o uso das leguminosas apresentaram resultados semelhantes