Historians have long recognized epidemics to be a significant, though sometimes hidden, factor in the fortunes of societies and civilizations. The study of epidemics heightens our understanding of relationships between economic systems and living conditions. It illuminates the ideologies and religious beliefs of the affected community and illustrates the efforts and inadequacies of public health systems. This investigation of the history of epidemics in various parts of Peru during the twentieth century opens up a new field for Latin American studies to include health and disease. These are important areas of the past that enable us to understand better the living conditions of people, the role of state authority and the dynamics of social movement. Marcos Cueto examines five series of epidemics: the bubonic plague of 1903-1930; the fever epidemic of 1919-1922; the typhus and small pox epidemics in the Andes; attempts to control and eradicate malaria, and the cholera epidemics of 1991. In each case he studies the biological and ecological factors that caused the outbreak, and the techniques and policies applied to fight it, together with the response of the affected society. The experience of epidemics in Peru has been cyclical. Poverty breeds disease which in turn results in further poverty. One of the aims of this study is to highlight areas of success and failure in the fight against epidemics in the hope that such awareness may help break this vicious circle.

Calidad, evaluación, análisis, sitios web? ¿Qué tienen en común todas estas palabras clave para que merezcan la atención del público de esta colección? El punto que lo une todo es la necesidad de un amplio y a la vez muy diverso colectivo profesional de saber qué es lo que hace que un sitio web responda a criterios de calidad. Pongamos el ejemplo de un profesional de la web que recibe el encargo de auditar los sitios web de una empresa de comercio electrónico: quiere estar segura de que está a la altura de sus competidores internacionales; o el de un equipo de investigadores académicos que se pregunta cómo están incorporando las webs de turismo las más recientes posibilidades de interacción debidas a la web 2.0. Lo que tienen en común escenarios y objetivos tan diversos es que, en todos ellos, sus protagonistas necesitarán disponer de alguna herramienta que los ayude a determinar qué necesitan saber en relación con una web determinada o un conjunto de sitios web. Este libro intenta aportar esos instrumentos.

Advances in agricultural genomics could help address pressing global issues, such as world hunger, by improving crop yield. However, overlap and conflict in intellectual property and biosafety regimes – known collectively as the “Intellectual Property–Regulatory Complex” – create significant barriers to innovation. In this collection, leading legal, policy, and economics experts analyze the impact of the Complex on agricultural genomics. They reveal how it impacts scientific advancement in ways that are underappreciated when intellectual property and biosafety regimes are examined in isolation. After identifying how the interplay between multiple regimes impedes research, development, and product distribution, they propose solutions that would further the aims of the current intellectual property and biosafety regimes while enabling growth and innovation in agricultural genomics.