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In this paper, we provide a historical account of the contribution of a single line of research to our current understanding of the structure of cis-regulatory regions and the genetic basis for morphological evolution. We revisit the experiments that shed light on the evolution of larval cuticular patterns within the genus Drosophila and the evolution and structure of the shavenbaby gene. We describe the experiments that led to the discovery that multiple genetic changes in the cis-regulatory region of shavenbaby caused the loss of dorsal cuticular hairs (quaternary trichomes) in first instar larvae of Drosophila sechellia. We also discuss the experiments that showed that the convergent loss of quaternary trichomes in D. sechellia and Drosophila ezoana was generated by parallel genetic changes in orthologous enhancers of shavenbaby. We discuss the observation that multiple shavenbaby enhancers drive overlapping patterns of expression in the embryo and that these apparently redundant enhancers ensure robust shavenbaby expression and trichome morphogenesis under stressful conditions. All together, these data, collected over 13 years, provide a fundamental case study in the fields of gene regulation and morphological evolution, and highlight the importance of prolonged, detailed studies of single genes.

Background Health profession regulatory colleges in Canada are comprised of public and professional members working collaboratively to regulate a profession and protect the public. Though this general structure has inhered for decades, British Columbia recently amalgamated several colleges into larger agencies that represent multiple professions. This study investigates the landscape of health profession regulation in Ontario with the aim of guiding policymakers, professionals, and the public as they navigate both existing structures and potential changes. Methods Senior-level staff from each of the 26 colleges in Ontario (regulating 30 distinct professions) were invited to participate in a 28-question online survey and semi-structured interviews in 2022. The survey and interviews explored structures, practices, and perceptions within Ontario’s health profession regulatory bodies. Results Forty-six survey responses were received, with participants representing 22/26 health profession regulators in Ontario. 5 of these participants were engaged in follow-up interviews. Results showed that Ontario colleges range in size, with a mean of 47.4 staff and 16.3 board members (53.8% professional, 46.2% public), that they regulate an average of 8994.6 health professionals, and that they maintain a variety of committees. They receive a minimum of 5 complaints annually and a maximum of 550, with a minimum of 0 and maximum of 25 leading to disciplinary action. Complaints range from sexual assault (< 10% of total complaints) to breach of standards of practice (> 50%). Policy infrastructure is consistent amongst colleges, with most maintaining policies for code of conduct (94.7%) and fewer for speaking and writing engagements (23.7%). Finally, participants felt their colleges were “very effective” in public protection (62.9%), “very ethical” in their activities (68.6%), and with “very functional or functional” (88.8%) councils. 94.2% indicated that a mixture of professional and public members should run councils (the status quo) and 62.9% agreed with the current model of self-regulation. Conclusions Health profession regulatory systems benefit from a current picture of existing regulatory bodies. Input and perceptions from college staff—individuals embedded in the everyday operation of these institutions—should be considered to guide potential changes to the structure of health profession regulation in Ontario.

The article discusses the results of numerical studies of the flow movement with a sharp change in the parameters of the channel. Basically, the results of the study using the system of two-dimensional equations of hydrodynamics-Saint-Venant are analyzed. The divergent form of two-dimensional equations describing the movement of a water stream at a site of regulation of a channel by protective and regulatory dams is given. The influence of the length step on the results of numerical experiments is investigated numerically. Graphs of the time variation of the longitudinal velocity component behind the sudden double expansion of the channel are compiled. The flow was unsteady all the time and had the character of stationary pulsations, and the finer the grid, the richer the spectrum of these pulsations. It was noted that in numerical calculations, the time step in the calculations was always much less than the minimum pulsation period, therefore, these pulsations were not associated with difference oscillations that can arise when approximating by central differences. It is concluded that, according to the authors from the following and the present work, they collectively show that the pulsations on different grids differ significantly, the average values of the velocities are close, and thereby the solution for the average values is well converged, this shows that the pulsations are a property source equations of Saint-Venant. The applicability of the numerical model, consisting of two-dimensional shallow water equations, the vector equation of momentum conservation and the scalar equation of mass conservation, in description the flow with the presence of circulation zones, which is typical when water flows are constrained by protective-regulatory structures. In this case, the solution pulsates around a certain average value, and the average length of the circulation zone behind the sudden expansion of the open flow is in good agreement with the laboratory experiments of G.L. Mazhbits.

Literature devoted to party organizations rarely relies on Organization Theory. With the exception of the fundamental contribution by Panebianco, which dates back to 1982, limited efforts have been made towards a mutual contamination between the study of party organizational development and the vast body of theories, approaches and analytical frameworks that crowd Organization Theory. Moreover, while Organization Theory has recently paid attention to the study of political parties, party scholars are still committed to accumulating empirical knowledge or, at best, elaborating ideal-typical models. The aim of this contribution is to favour a cross-fertilization between these two literatures, by building on the premises of organizational institutionalism and on the organizations as multi-dimensional rational open systems perspective. Despite our effort is primarily conceptual, our arguments are conceived to be properly translated into empirical observations.

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the current practices and deficiencies in the legal and regulatory structure of public–private partnerships (PPPs) in Sri Lanka and explore recommended practices by international model laws and guidelines addressing such deficiencies.Design/methodology/approachFirstly, a desk study review was conducted to explore the current practices of PPP in Sri Lanka. Secondly, nine expert interviews were conducted to comprehend further current PPP practices and identify the deficiencies of legal and regulatory structure of PPP in Sri Lanka, and content analysis was used to analyse the interviews findings. Finally, international model laws and guidelines were reviewed to explore recommended best practices.FindingsThe research explored non-existence of a national PPP policy, lack of clarity of executing a project’s preliminary affordability, and lack of guidance on risk assessment and feasibility studies as current major deficiencies of PPP legal and regulatory structure in Sri Lanka. Further, findings showed that setting-up two project governance structures, a steering committee and a project team, and develop clear guidelines and standard forms can be adapted to strengthen the PPP legal and regulatory structure.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of this study may be useful to policy makers in tracing essential reforms to PPP legal and regulatory structure. This study is limited to legal and regulatory structure of first three phases of the PPP project life cycle: project identification, project preparation and project procurement.Originality/valueThis paper establishes a novel framework to visualise the current practices and deficiencies in the PPP legal and regulatory framework in Sri Lanka, and the way of incorporating recommended practices by international model laws and guidelines for its future reformations.

We study the relationship between international REIT regulatory structures and real estate returns and find that the legal requirements that REITs face in each country represent an important determinant of market performance and risk-adjusted returns. Specifically, minimum capital, minimum payout requirement, and taxation of undistributed ordinary income are consistently positively related to past and future risk-adjusted performance. In addition, strength of shareholder rights protection, leverage and development restrictions and the widely held requirement are also related to significantly higher future returns. In contrast, the strength of credit rights protection, restrictions on concentration of ownership, and the requirements for distribution of capital gains are related to a reduced risk-adjusted performance. These effects are generally stronger in explaining future returns and for larger firms. We also create a REIT regulation index and show that it is consistently positively related to returns and is a more significant determinant of returns than shareholder and creditor rights protection indices. Our results have important implications for REIT regulation across the world.

Water reuse is one of the most sustainable water augmentation option to cope up with the high water demands of the developing communities globally. It has several additional benefits such as nutrient recovery, economic gains and environmental benefits. Even though, water reuse is economical and sustainable, its practical implementation at a wide scale has many technical, social, institutional and regulatory challenges, especially in developing countries like India. In India, there is a scarcity of stringent national regulations and guidelines for the safe implementation of wastewater reuse systems. In this study, the assessment of the existing regulatory framework for treated wastewater reuse is done to understand the need of current and future policy interventions and recommendations are made based on expert consultation. The legal assessment highlights the importance of consultation, communication and education in the development of an effective regulatory structure. The analysis of the expert reviews suggests inclusion of policy directives based on funding sources and technical infrastructure to support the growth of water reuse in India.

We analyze the relationships between country culture and country regulatory structure pertaining to information privacy concerns (IPC) in the context of social media applications. Drawing on prior research we develop a framework that integrates country culture and country regulatory structure and use it as the basis for a study that contrasts samples of 1086 professionals drawn from four countries – United States, United Kingdoms, India and Hong Kong – to assess effects of national culture and of a nation’s regulatory structure on IPC, attitudinal beliefs about information privacy and professionals’ behavioral reactions to IPC. We find that country culture has a strong bearing on explaining differences in individuals’ IPC concerns, attitudinal beliefs about privacy, and behavioral reactions to privacy much more than does country regulatory structure. Country culture remains a significant factor in the management of information privacy. The results also show that country regulatory structure remains deficient in allaying individuals’ concerns pertaining to information privacy.

In May 2008, the Commission released the growth report: strategies for sustained growth and inclusive development. At that time, the financial systems of the United States and Europe were under stress. Commodity prices were also spiking, posing particular difficulties for developing countries because of the impact on the poor and on potential future inflation. But no one foresaw the full magnitude of the crisis that erupted in the fall of 2008, more than a year ago. The crisis was a destructive malfunction of the financial sectors of the advanced economies, which spread rapidly to the real economy and to the rest of the globe. Even countries far from the source of the crisis had to cope with capital volatility, tight credit, and rapidly falling trade. At the request of several members of the Commission, Commission held a workshop on the crisis and its implications for developing countries. Commission followed standard procedure of asking for help and insight from a distinguished group of scholars, analysts, and practitioners. This report is an outgrowth of that process. It is an attempt to look at the crisis and its aftermath from the point of view of developing countries. Commission wanted to assess the impact of these events, and determine if the growth strategies recommended needed major revision, or some adaptive fine tuning. Commission also wanted to think more carefully about resilience, and what it might mean for successful sustained growth. The report that follows is a summary of thinking on these and related questions.

Registered Nurses (RNs) influence the health of individual patients and populations. RNs provide the most value for the healthcare system when they work collaboratively with other healthcare team members, work to their full scope of practice, and when they are engaged and accountable. In 2011, the Institute of Medicine report on the future of nursing made the call to achieve the full value of nursing care. Creation of this future state requires both a vision of the “to be” as well as removal of existing barriers. In this article, we present a description of this future state in the context of a team based culture that utilizes collaboration to achieve the full scope of practice, accountability to deliver healthcare based on a discrete body of knowledge, and accountability to provide value and measure effectiveness of nursing care. This proposed future vision focuses on patient advocacy for nurses working in healthcare systems. Barriers that currently exist, such as overlaps in professional scopes of practice, organizational policy and structure, and a lack of the ability to grant privileges to nurses based upon their education and skills are discussed. We offer recommendations to remove barriers and contribute to creation of a new future state of nursing, and conclude that the removal of barriers to inhibit the fullest scope of nursing practice will continue to require focus in purpose and persistence in action.