23 DC Fellowships awarded

19 February 2003

WOTRO manages a PhD fund for researchers from developing countries (DC) and a follow-up post doctoral fund. Some twenty to twenty-five new WOTRO DC Fellowships are awarded each year in the Humanities, Social Sciences, Earth and Life Sciences and Medical and Health Sciences. In December 2002, the WOTRO Board decided to award the following 23 projects:

Humanities and Social Sciences:

Supervisor: Dr. N.G. Schulte Nordholt, University of Twente
Researcher: M. Lim
Cyber democracy: the internet and identity politics in Indonesia
This project is concerned with society-technology interaction as manifested in the ways in which the internet interplays with political change and reform in Indonesia. The project looks at two periods: the years surrounding the overthrow of the Suharto regime in 1998 and the current situation which can be characterised by a weakened government and the emergence of sectarian ‘communes’ of resistance.

Supervisor: Prof. A.H.J. Helmsing, Institute of Social Studies
Researcher: G.M. Gomez
Community currency systems in Argentina: an innovation in poverty alleviation?
Community currency systems (CCS) function as not-for-profit associations whose members trade goods and services priced in a local, non-state, interest-free unit of exchange. This simple scheme presents a solution for people who possess time and skills and have needs for a living, but no money to pay for them.

Supervisor: Prof.dr. W.L. Wetzels, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Researcher: V. Martins
The reconstruction of proto eastern Makú (Brazil)
This project intends to reconstruct the Proto-language of the Brazilian branch of the Makú linguistic family, Proto Eastern Makú, through the methods of internal and comparative reconstruction.Through the reconstruction of the Eastern Makú proto-language, the project wishes to contribute to a better understanding of the (pre)history of the South-American indigenous languages and peoples.

Supervisor: Prof.dr. F. Hüsken, University of Nijmegen
Researcher: Dr. P. Semedi
Tea for Europe: Social structure and economic organisation of a Javanese tea plantation, 1870s-2000
This historical ethnographic study of the Jolotigo tea plantation in Central Java, Indonesia, addresses social and ecological transformations, which occurred in rural Java after the introduction of plantations during the heydays of colonialism.

Supervisor: Prof. L. Vincent, Wageningen University
Researcher: P. Bushan Udas
Gendered participation in water management in Nepal: discourses, policies and practices
This is an in-depth study of policy attempts to improve the visibility and participation of women in formal water management decision making bodies in Nepal. The study consists of a comparison of water management realities in three different sectors: drinking water, irrigation and watershed.

Supervisor: Prof.dr. R. Vos, Institute of Social Studies
Researcher: V. Bayangos
Dealing with global financial instability in east Asia: does inflation targeting help? (South Korea and Thailand)
Some developing countries have adopted inflation targeting (IT) in the conduct of monetary policy. This research will question whether IT will, in the long run, contribute to stable and sustainable growth in a volatile and globalized environment. A premise of this research is that the relationship between IT and the exchange rate is the crucial issue in understanding the outcomes of IT in developing countries.

Supervisor: Prof.dr. W.H.M. Jansen, University of Nijmegen
Researcher: A.O.A. Abdelmoneium
The rights of children: non governmental organisations and social practice in Sudan
This research looks at the work and effects of non-government organisations (NGOs) for displaced children in Sudan. The goal of the research is to analyse whether and how NGOs apply the convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), how the children experience and evaluate the work of these NGOs what are the achievements, constraints and future visions of these NGOs.

Supervisor: Prof.dr. W.T. de Groot, Leiden University
Researcher: A.A. Ojwang
Reorganising forestry in post-apartheid South Africa: New challenges for government, companies and communities
This project examines the process of forestry restructuring in South Africa within the new forest policy of the African National Congress (ANC) government. While the government transfers its assets to private entities to improve the sector's economic performance, it is through the same privatisation that it hopes to contribute to the social and economic empowerment of local black communities. The question is how these policy ideals work out in practice, and how the key actors solve their dilemmas between short-term economic efficiency, long-term sustainability, bussiness alliances and ethnic solidarity.

Supervisor: Prof.dr. L. Visser, Wageningen University
Researcher: E. Ontita
Multiple activities, novelty and identity: a social analysis of rural livelihood transformation in Nyamira District, Kenya
The study will be carried out in Nyamira District, Kenya and focuses on several case studies to generate qualitative data capturing the place of networks of social relationships, identity formation, novelty or improvisation and actors’ encounters with development initiatives and discourses, in the construction of livelihoods.

Supervisor: Prof. J. Abbink, Leiden University
Researcher: B. Tasew
Metaphors of peace and violence in the folklore discourse of south-western Ethiopia: a comparative study
The project analyses the cultural discourses on conflict generation and peace-making among five peoples in the Ethio-Sudan border area. Research questions are: 1) how do notions and practices of conflict/violence and peacemaking figure in the folkloric traditions of the groups, and 2) how do the cultural traditions involved cognitively and practically (re)produce group difference and channel violence/conflict into creative and productive actions within and among the groups?

Earth, Life and Medical Sciences:

Supervisor: Prof.dr. G.S. de Hoog, CBS
Researcher: M. Sudhadham
The origin of pathogenicity of black yeasts: animal-associated natural life cycle and host shift of Exophiala dermatitidis in Thailand
Exophiala dermatitidis is an opportunistic black yeast occasionally involved in brain infections in. What is the origin of the pathogenic potential of this fungus? The spectrum has led to a hypothetical natural life cycle involving fruits and fruit-eating animals, such as birds or bats, in the tropical forest. This association will be analyzed by selective isolation from supposed habitats of the fungus, including tropical fruits and animals.

Supervisor: Prof.dr. H. Hooghiemstra, Universiteit van Amsterdam
Researcher: C.T. Mumbi
Late quaternary vegetation dynamics of the eastern Arc Mountains, Tanzania
One surprising outcome from the study of Quaternary environments has been the responsive nature of tropical ecosystems to climate change. Our research will apply multi-proxy analysis (pollen, macrofossil and charcoal) to sediments abstracted from peat accumulating sedimentary basins at six highland locations along the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania.

Supervisor: Prof.dr. M. Scheffer, Wageningen University
Researcher: C. Kruk
A new way of predicting and managing nuisance algae in Uruguayan lakes
Shallow lakes are crucial for biodiversity conservation but also have important socio-economical functions. The main threats to these lakes are related to excessive growth of phytoplankton. The aim of the research is to allow water-quality managers to predict how changes in hydrology, land-use and climate translate into risks of harmful algal blooms, and to explore which management measures may be used to combat these problems.

Supervisor: Prof.dr.ir. J. van Arendonk, Wageningen University
Researcher: O.D. Koudandé
Evaluation of genetic diversity of taurine cattle in Benin (West Africa): a contribution to genetic conservation
This project aims at identifying indigenous African taurine Bos taurus cattle populations in Benin with low or no zebu introgression and evaluating markers alleles frequency in relation to trypanotolerance QTL. The overall goal is to contribute to the characterisation and the conservation of these invaluable populations of cattle.

Supervisor: Dr. A. Thomas, BPRC
Researcher: Dr. H. Ozwara
Immunopotentiated cytokine expressing Plasmodium knowlesi as a component of attenuated malaria parasite vaccines (Kenya)
Vaccines based upon one or few malaria proteins are currently being developed and tested. To date they have not yet induced the protection levels that are required in order to manufacture a vaccine. This project presents a strategy to evaluate targeted genetic modifications to malaria parasites in order to create an attenuated and immunopotentiated live asexual blood stage vaccine that presents a broad target repertoire to the host.

Supervisor: Dr. A.E. Heuvelink, KVW
Researcher: M. Aminul Islam
Molecular analysis of Shiga toxinproducing Escherichia coli (STEC) isolated from patients with diarrhoea and from farm animals (Bangladesh)
The main objective of the project is to gain insight in the epidemiology of Shiga toxinproducing Escherichia coli (STEC) in the food chain in Bangladesh in order to formulate recommendations to eventually reduce STEC infections in humans.

Supervisor: Prof.dr. H. Hooghiemstra, Universiteit van Amsterdam
Researcher: Dr. J.C. Berrio
Extreme-resolution Eemian climate variability of the tropics (Colombia); a search for driving forces and mechanisms at work
This project aims to generate a pollen-based record of climate variability from Lake Fuquene of the last interglacial period with extreme temporal resolution (20-yr over a period of 17,000 yr > 850 data points). The well-known problem of obtaining chronological control for the sediments of this period (ca. 113,000-130,000 yr ago) will be based on precise correlation with pollen record Funza-2A, U-Th dating, and TL-dating of expected intercalated sands.

Supervisor: Prof.dr. J.W.M. van der Meer, KUN-AZU
Researcher: I. Parwati
Mycobacterium tuberculosis Beijing genotype strains in Indonesia; transmission, drug resistance, clinical significance
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) isolated from areas with a high incidence of TB revealed a much higher degree of genetic conservation than the ones from low-incidence countries. These strains were designated the 'Beijing'-genotype. The genetic conservation of the Beijing genotype strains suggests that these strains may have selective advantages over other M. tuberculosis strains in their ability to resist antituberculous treatment or to interact with the host-defense system. The purpose of this project is to test the hypothesis that such advantages exist in Beijing genotype strains.

Supervisor: Prof.dr. K. Giller, Wageningen University
Researcher: T.C. Mubeteneh
Sink simulation of photosynthesis by leguma-modulating bacteria (rhizobia) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi: interactions between nitrogen, phophorus, and carbon budgets (Cameroon, Kenya)
Nitrogen fixation by legumes, due to nodulating bacteria (rhizobia), and enhanced uptake of phosphorus through mycorrhizal associations are important components of biological soil fertility management. Both kinds of beneficial associations can bear substantial carbon costs for the plants, potentially leading to reduced productivity. The project focuses in detail on different effects of this proces on plant growth and productivity.

Supervisor: Dr. J. de Leeuw, ITC
Researcher: Wu Guofeng
Impact of the three gorges dam (China) on the distribution along the lower Yangtze of wetland biotopes and habitat of over-wintering bird species
The Yangtze three gorges dam will be operational in 2009. Downstream, the flood plains of the Yangtze provide crucial wintering habitat for rare migratory bird species. Among these are four crane species, one is endangered and two others are at risk. The research aims to map the biotopes used by these crane species and will develop an empirical model relating the distribution of cranes to vegetation type, hydrology and human disturbance.

Supervisor: Prof.dr. J.A.J. Verreth, Wageningen University
Researcher: Tran Duy An
Oxygen as a determinant of fish production in aquaculture systems (Vietnam)
In developing countries, many people depend on fish or fish products for their nutrition and livelihoods. Therefore aquaculture development should be planned carefully. For planning of aquaculture development, a general model that predicts fish production on the basis of environmental factors, food amount and composition, and fish species is needed. In this project, such a Fish Growth Simulator (FGS) will be developed.

Supervisor: Prof.dr. C.E. West, Wageningen University
Researcher: Abdullah Firmansah
Effect of zinc and fat intake on absorption and conversion of ingested beta-carotene to vitamin A in lactating Indonesian women
Vitamin A deficiency is widespread in developing countries. We have developed a stable isotope technique to estimate the bioavailability and bioefficacy of provitamin A carotenoids in food. This technique provided the most reliable data on the bioefficacy of carotene in oil. It can now be extended to quantify the effect of changing the nutrient content of diets on bioefficacy of provitamin A carotenoids in food. This project assesses the effect of two important factors influencing bioefficacy of carotene, namely fat intake and zinc intake/status.

Supervisor: Prof.dr. E.R. de Kloet, LUMC
Researcher: Yanina Revsin
Stress hormones and cognitive performance: study on animal models for comorbidity of depression and diabetes (Netherlands, Argentina)
Depression shows large co-morbidity with diabetes and cardiovascular disease, in particular under conditions that profoundly activate glucocorticoid stress hormones. The overall aim is to test in animal models the hypothesis that a dysregulation of the glucocorticoid stress system increases the incidence of diabetes and causes concomitant cognitive disturbances.

source: ANP