Enhancing the Quality of Humanitarian Assistance: Taking Stock and Future Initiatives

During the last five years, the debate on the performance of humanitarian assistance has intensified. The motivation to "do better” has come both from within the humanitarian agencies as well as from pressure exerted by the donors and the media. Paradoxically, until now, the voice of those who are to benefit from this assistance has not been heard. This paper is an overview of the most important initiatives to increase the quality of humanitarian assistance. The introduction of the logical framework and the increasing body of knowledge made available through guidelines have improved project management by measuring process and outcomes. Increasingly, evaluations are used to give account and to learn from experiences. But, current evaluation practice must develop in a wider variety of approaches more appropriate to create change of the operations in the field. Some agencies oppose new developments like the Sphere and the Humanitarian Accountability Projects, arguing that standards and regulation would undermine necessary flexibility to adjust responses to the local context, or be a threat to their independence. Nonetheless, standards are considered to be a prerequisite as reference to assess performance. Furthermore, it is hoped that a new breakthrough will be achieved by improved accountability towards beneficiaries. An option to address some of the gaps in the current quality assessment tools was to widen the perspective on performance from projects to the organisations behind them. Quality management models may provide the required framework, and they also can be used to embed current initiatives by organisations. Humanitarian organisations may want to develop forms of self-regulation rather than waiting for accreditation by donors. Another area in which progress is needed is a system-wide approach to performance. At this level, the influence of political actors, donors, national governments, and other representatives of the parties in a conflict also should be assessed. It is their legal obligation to protect the basic right to assistance of persons affected by disasters, as enshrined in international la

Questionable Accountability: MSF and Sphere in 2003.

This article examines the relationship between Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the Sphere Project. Prior to revisiting the concerns MSF had with the project, it looks at factors that give rise to differences between NGOs and cites some reasons for why an organisation such as MSF would not embrace such a project and clarifies some key elements of MSF-style humanitarianism. The author revisits the original concerns and arguments presented by MSF when it decided not to participate beyond assisting with the establishment of technical standards and key indicators for the handbook. This is followed by a critical discussion examining these concerns and counter-criticism with reference to experiences a few years after the inception of Sphere. It concludes with MSF's perceptions and stance regarding Sphere and accountability in 2003

Single cell biochemistry to visualize antigen presentation and drug resistance

Many cellular processes are studied by biochemical techniques. Usually, this involves experiments where large number of cells are lysed, protein content is subsequently isolated and studied using antibodies to detect changes in protein levels, post-translational modifications, pairing with partner molecules, etcetera. Although informative, these mass population analyses often lack the time resolution to study rapid alterations in protein state, and do not allow the characterisation of highly dynamic processes. Moreover, analysis of millions of cells at once evidently shows the average response in the population of cells, thereby obscuring cell-to-cell variation and the dynamic range of a process. With the availability of microscopic techniques in combination with genetically encoded fluorescent probes, many of these restraints have been overcome. Highly dynamic reactions can now be studied in detail in a relatively easy manner, and in the context of a living cell, hence "single cell biochemistry". In this way, we studied two different cellular processes, antigen presentation and drug resistance in unprecedented detail. Both parts seem at first unrelated, yet are interconnected through the use of similar techniques. Assessment of individual cells using sensitive microscopic measurements, has led to important and detailed understanding of the dynamic processes involved in both topics.LEI Universiteit LeidenMoleculaire basis van immuunregulatie

"A Model Of Excellence": The Evolution Of Sensibility In The Novels Of Jane Austen

This project concerns the development of Jane Austen’s criticism of the quality of sensibility, with a focus on her implied stance pertaining to its place and validity within social and personal behavior. By investigating and comparing Lady Susan, Sense and Sensibility, and Persuasion, it seeks to identify the nature and manner of this change in authorial judgment from a wide variety of points in her literary career. Much attention is given to each novel’s implied moral standard, which this paper terms “models of excellence.” The ever changing, “ideal” balance of such distinct qualities as sense, sentiment, and sensibility – all of which are discussed here at length – lead to a mature, socially valid reconfiguration of the heroine of sensibility. Main research questions include:* What is sensibility, and what is it not? How is it distinct from sense or sentiment?* What are the historical and social contexts of such qualities?* How does Austen’s early fiction convey her judgment of sensibility? How do later novels alter this judgment?* What constitutes an ideal character in Austen’s fiction?* How are sensibility and the ideal character reconfigured in Austen’s Persuasion

Campylobacter jejuni sequence types show remarkable spatial and temporal stability in Blackbirds.

BACKGROUND: The zoonotic bacterium Campylobacter jejuni has a broad host range but is especially associated with birds, both domestic and wild. Earlier studies have indicated thrushes of the genus Turdus in Europe to be frequently colonized with C. jejuni, and predominately with host-associated specific genotypes. The European Blackbird Turdus merula has a large distribution in Europe, including some oceanic islands, and was also introduced to Australia by European immigrants in the 1850s. METHODS: The host specificity and temporal stability of European Blackbird C. jejuni was investigated with multilocus sequence typing in a set of isolates collected from Sweden, Australia, and The Azores. RESULTS: Remarkably, we found that the Swedish, Australian, and Azorean isolates were genetically highly similar, despite extensive spatial and temporal isolation. This indicates adaptation, exquisite specificity, and stability in time for European Blackbirds, which is in sharp contrast with the high levels of recombination and mutation found in poultry-related C. jejuni genotypes. CONCLUSION: The maintenance of host-specific signals in spatially and temporally separated C. jejuni populations suggests the existence of strong purifying selection for this bacterium in European Blackbirds

CmeABC multidrug efflux pump contributes to antibiotic resistance and promotes 'Campylobacter jejuni' survival and multiplication in 'Acanthamoeba polyphaga'

Campylobacter jejuni is a foodborne pathogen recognized as the leading cause of human bacterial gastroenteritis. The wide use of antibiotics in medicine and in animal husbandry has led to an increased incidence of antibiotic resistance in Campylobacter In addition to a role in multidrug resistance, the Campylobacter CmeABC RND-type efflux pump, which is associated with multidrug resistance (MDR), may also be involved in virulence. As a vehicle of pathogenic microorganisms, the protozoan Acanthamoeba is a good model for the investigation of bacterial survival in the environment and molecular mechanisms of pathogenicity. The interaction between C. jejuni 81-176 and A. polyphaga was investigated in this study by using a modified gentamicin protection assay. In addition, a possible role for the CmeABC MDR pump in this interaction was explored. Here we report that this MDR pump is beneficial for the intracellular survival and multiplication of C. jejuni in A. polyphaga, but is dispensable for biofilm formation and motility.Importance The endosymbiotic relationship between amoebae and microbial pathogens may contribute to persistence and spreading of the latter in the environment, which has significant implications to human health. In this study we found that Campylobacter jejuni was able to survive and multiply inside Acanthamoeba. polyphaga Since these microorganisms can co-exist in the same environment (e.g. in poultry farms), the latter may increase the risk of infection with Campylobacter Our data suggests that, in addition to its role in antibiotic resistance, the CmeABC MDR efflux pump also plays a role in bacterial survival within amoebae. Furthermore, we demonstrated a synergistic effect of the CmeABC MDR efflux pump and TetO on bacterial resistance to tetracycline. Due to its role both in antibiotic resistance and virulence of C. jejuni, the CmeABC MDR efflux pump could be considered as a good target for the development of antibacterial drugs against this pathogen

Campylobacter jejuni Colonization in Wild Birds: Results from an Infection Experiment

Campylobacter jejuni is a common cause of bacterial gastroenteritis in most parts of the world. The bacterium has a broad host range and has been isolated from many animals and environments. To investigate shedding patterns and putative effects on an avian host, we developed a colonization model in which a wild bird species, the European Robin Erithacus rubecula, was inoculated orally with C. jejuni from either a human patient or from another wild bird species, the Song Thrush Turdus philomelos. These two isolates were genetically distinct from each other and provoked very different host responses. The Song Thrush isolate colonized all challenged birds and colonization lasted 6.8 days on average. Birds infected with this isolate also showed a transient but significant decrease in body mass. The human isolate did not colonize the birds and could be detected only in the feces of the birds shortly after inoculation. European Robins infected with the wild bird isolate generated a specific antibody response to C. jejuni membrane proteins from the avian isolate, which also was cross-reactive to membrane proteins of the human isolate. In contrast, European Robins infected with the human isolate did not mount a significant response to bacterial membrane proteins from either of the two isolates. The difference in colonization ability could indicate host adaptations