Revisiting the Need of Improved Stoves: Estimating Health, Time and Carbon Benefits

Based on a survey of 400 households in Rasuwa district (Nepal) this study finds that stove improvements and a smoke hood can reduce the consumption of fuel, improve air quality and reduce the health costs burden of households. Such local interventions can also contribute to mitigating global green house gases through biomass burning. Findings show that the average indoor air pollution level in traditional stove user households is 15 times higher than the recommended safe level, which inevitably leads to higher health expenditures

Are there alternative adaptive strategies to human pro-sociality? The role of collaborative morality in the emergence of personality variation and autistic traits

Selection pressures to better understand other’s thoughts and feelings are seen as a primary driving force in human cognitive evolution. Yet might the evolution of social cognition be more complex than we assume, with more than one strategy towards social understanding and developing a positive pro-social reputation? Here we argue that social buffering of vulnerabilities through the emergence of collaborative morality will have opened new niches for adaptive cognitive strategies and widened personality variation. Such strategies include those that that do not depend on astute social perception or abilities to think recursively about other’s thoughts and feelings. We particularly consider how a perceptual style based on logic and detail, bringing certain enhanced technical and social abilities which compensate for deficits in complex social understanding could be advantageous at low levels in certain ecological and cultural contexts. ‘Traits of autism’ may have promoted innovation in archaeological material culture during the late Palaeolithic in the context of the mutual interdependence of different social strategies, which in turn contributed to the rise of innovation and large scale social networks

Amsterdam human capital

The familiar shape of western cities is changing dramatically. For long times the urban core was taken for granted as the focal point for international contacts and day-to-day activities in the region. Currently, the urban scope is transforming into multi centred forms at metropolitan scale. The transition is not just a matter of spatial form, it is reflecting social, economic and cultural processes. The question is what new identities may develop in such changing historical conditions of space and place. The book is a first attempt to analyse the process of urban transformation in an integral way. The focus is on the region of Amsterdam. All contributions are written by senior researchers of the Amsterdam studycentre for the Metropolitan Environment (AME). AME is the interdisciplinary urban research institute of the Universiteit van Amsterdam. As the urban research institute at the Universiteit van Amsterdam, the Amsterdam studycentre for the Metropolitan Environment (AME) analyses the economic, social and cultural aspects of this spatial transformation, usually in international comparative research. All contributions to this book are written by senior researchers of AME in an attempt to analyse in an integral way the present and future dilemmas out of the historical growth paths of this dynamic city

Spatial Formats under the Global Condition

Contributions to this volume summarize and discuss the theoretical foundations of the Collaborative Research Centre at Leipzig University which address the relationship between processes of (re-)spatialization on the one hand and the establishment and characteristics of spatial formats on the other hand

Blue Resilience: Is There A Need For An Alaskan Coastal Career Development Framework?

Youth career outmigration has increased in Alaska’s coastal communities in the last few decades. The ocean and ocean-adjacent industries that comprise the blue economy make up the majority of the employment options in places have experienced declines within these regions which has been attributed to the outward movement of young people. The dynamic history of Alaska has had specific impacts with regards to Alaskan coastal communities, their ocean-resource economies, and thus, the potential for young people to find career paths within them. Potential economic-resource vulnerabilities could be mapped along with the complex systems to help build resilience within those communities. Moreover, Alaska’s education and existing career programs both hint at gaps for workforce pathways. Iceland has created fisheries and aquaculture schools to help curtail these trends which could serve as an example for Alaska since they share many commonalities. The research conducted in this paper involves Alaskan community and industry subject matter experts, local businesses, and seniors in high school in coastal villages to garner insight into the potential creation of such a program. Information gathered from codified interviews and surveys of leaders and industry suggest there is a wide range of opinions regarding the current state of these communities; however all shared the belief that a youth-targeted career program would be a positive solution. The surveyed students demonstrated mixed feelings about whether or not they would participate, but do have interest in learning more about their options. Literature on Alaskan fisheries access career development suggests that generational influence and exposure may have an influence on the interest of young people which should be a key feature in program outreach. On the whole, there is a shared interest in an Alaskan “blue” career development program designed to assist young people learn more about job prospects in their coastal communities. The program should look at existing and growing opportunities, potential futures in a rapidly changing world, and meet students where they are

Limiting Anticompetitive Government Interventions that Benefit Special Interests

When government regulates, it may either intentionally or unintentionally generate restraints that reduce competition ( public restraints ). Public restraints allow a business to cloak its action in government authority and to immunize it from antitrust regulation. Private businesses may misuse the government\u27s grant of antitrust immunity to facilitate behavior that benefits businesses at consumers\u27 expense. One way is by obtaining government grants of immunity from antitrust scrutiny. A recent series of Supreme Court decisions has made this situation worse by limiting the reach of antitrust law in favor of sector regulation. This is true even though the Supreme Court refers to antitrust law as the Magna Carta of free enterprise. Yet the choice of sector regulation over antitrust regulation may have deleterious effects on consumers. This Article offers a new contribution to the extensive literature on the globalization of antitrust law. The present Article focuses both on the processes of creating public restraints, as well as upon the negative impacts of these restraints. Government can exempt a company from antitrust regulation, which allows the firm unbridled discretion to monopolize and harm consumers. Much of the literature focuses on the globalization of private anticompetitive conduct by businesses across jurisdictions. The focus of this Article, the issue of government intervention in the economy and its competitive impacts, has taken on renewed importance as the global financial crisis has led countries to provide various benefits to favored companies, which may distort competition. Distorting competition may keep the world in recession longer, as countries may retaliate with new distortions of their own, creating a downward spiral for the global economy. Thus, local solutions may cause international problems, and require international resolutions

Cross-sectional Maasai Primigravidae Dietary Habit and Pregnancy Outcome Study, Loitokitok, Kenya

The overall aim of this prospective study was to describe the dietary habits of Maasai pregnant women in relation to pregnancy and birth weight. The dietary habits of N = 451 Maasai pregnant women, n = 301 multi para and n = 125 Primigravidae (first pregnancy) were investigated over a period of 30 months between January 1993 and June 1995 in Kajiado District in the Republic of Kenya. The pregnant women initially joined at least during the fourth month of pregnancy and were followed until within 24 hours of delivery. Their food intake and weight were monitored and recorded monthly and their socioeconomic profiles as well as with height and weight were noted at the time of joining the study. The study concluded that both food avoidance and induced vomiting played a significant role in the reduction of mothers' weight and foetus birth weight among the Primigravidae at the ninth month pregnancy. Although at the time the subjects joined the study, the weight differences between Primigravidae and multi para were trivial, never the less, by the ninth month, multi para had a mean weight of 55.39 kg, as compared to the Primigravidae mean weight of 50.66 kg, showing in a significant weight gain among the multi para at childbirth: p = 0.028. Babies bom to the multi para weighed on average 2.9 (SD 0.6) kg compared to those of Primigravidae who weighed 2.6 (SD 0.6) kg (p=0.001). Significantly more Primigravidae (71.4 %) than multi para (48.5 %) had induced vomiting at the ninth of month pregnancy (p=0.001). There was some evidence suggesting that more Primigravidae than multi para had protein restricted diet during lunch (p=0.051) and supper (p=0.068) at the ninth month of pregnancy. Nearly half of Primigravidae (47.5 %) were influenced on food intakes by their mothers-in-laws. Multi para during their previous pregnancy had avoided fresh milk (45.3 %) because it would make the baby too big for a safe delivery, un slaughtered meat (46.0 %) because it would cause diseases to both the mother and unborn baby, and young animal meat (34.3%) for unspecified traditional or cultural reasons. After adjusting for husbands’ education, induced vomiting among multi para at the ninth month of pregnancy was associated with birth weight (adjusted mean baby weight difference was 0.18 with a standard error of 0.09, p<0.05). Among Primigravidae, restricted protein diet at supper at the ninth month of pregnancy was associated with baby weight (adjusted mean baby weight difference was 0.84 with a standard error of (0.21, p<0.001). The study concluded that both food avoidance and induced vomiting played a significant role in reduction of weight among the Primigravidae. This study suggests the need for a further research to assess the impact of cultural practices on the dietary habits of Maasai pregnant women and birth weight, which may or may not require subsequent intervention. A case control study has to be carried out to investigate an association between diet, pregnancy and birth weight. In addition to this, there should be a follow up of the children born to these women to their fifth birth day along with the children born to the control groups, to determine dietary impact on mother’s and birth weight and growth and development of children, which is beyond the scope of this study