Педагогіко-валеологічні аспекти захисту здоров’я учнів і студентської молоді від негативного впливу комп’ютерної техніки

У статті розглядаються актуальні питання захисту учнів і студентської молоді від негативних чинників комп’ютерної техніки у валеологічному аспекті. В статье рассматриваются актуальные вопросы защиты учащихся и студенческой молодежи от неблагоприятных факторов при работе с персональными компьютерами в педагогико-валеологическом аспекте. Important questions of yong generetions protection from personal computers harmful factors from the point of view of valeology science has been considered in this article

Effects of adaptation, chance, and history on the evolution of the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium minutum under selection of increased temperature and acidification

The roles of adaptation, chance, and history on evolution of the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium minutum Halim, under selective conditions simulating global change, have been addressed. Two toxic strains (AL1V and AL2V), previously acclimated for two years at pH 8.0 and 20◦C, were transferred to selective conditions: pH 7.5 to simulate acidification and 25◦C. Cultures under selective conditions were propagated until growth rate and toxin cell quota achieved an invariantmean value at 720 days (ca. 250 and ca. 180 generations for strains AL1V and AL2V, respectively). Historical contingencies strongly constrained the evolution of growth rate and toxin cell quota, but the forces involved in the evolution were not the same for both traits. Growth rate was 1.5–1.6 times higher than the one measured in ancestral conditions. Genetic adaptation explained two-thirds of total adaptation while one-third was a consequence of physiological adaptation. On the other hand, the evolution of toxin cell quota showed a pattern attributable to neutralmutations because the final varianceswere significantly higher than thosemeasured at the start of the experiment. It has been hypothesized that harmful algal blooms will increase under the future scenario of global change. Although this study might be considered an oversimplification of the reality, it can be hypothesized that toxic blooms will increase but no predictions can be advanced about toxicity.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de excelencia internacional. Andalucia Tech. Financially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation by the grant CGL2008-00652/BOS, and Junta de Andalucía Research Group RNM-115

Conflictive management of small mammals considered as pests: A long way to evidence-based policy making

This paper discusses the controversial management decisions made by policy-makers worldwide regarding poisoning campaigns aimed to control small mammal populations, often considered harmful economic pests. Aside from considerations regarding the biological consequences of these campaigns, we argue that when society rejects all values of science and expertise then only badly supported and negligent decisions will be made about conservation and management issues. The extermination of small mammal species, some of which play crucial ecological roles in several regions of the world, is just an example of such discredit and misinformation. Without a strong commitment towards evidence-based policy-making, economic investments in research and development could be entirely compromised.C. Ferreira is supported by a PhD grant (Ref. SFRH/BD/22084/2005) funded by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia of the Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior, Portuguese government and M. Delibes Mateos was supported by a Juan de la Cierva research contract, awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the European Social Fund.Peer Reviewe

CRIMINAL ACTS IN THE FIELD OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Law Number 11 of 2019 concerning the National System of Science and Technology (UU Sisnas Iptek) is a law that is fundamental in the field of science and technology as well as monumental because it replaces Law Number 18 of 2002 concerning the National System for Research, Development and Application of Science Knowledge and Technology that has been valid for 17 (seventeen) years in the midst of very dynamic and unstoppable developments in science and technology. The replacement of the law contains consequences for changes in content material including regulations regarding criminal acts regulated therein. The National System and Technology Law itself provides arrangements regarding criminal sanctions, which means that it also regulates actions that are classified as criminal offenses.Using normative legal research methods with a statutory regulation approach (statute approach), this article intends to describe the development of the regulation of sanctions and analyze the construction of criminal acts and the sanctions that surround them as regulated in the Science and Technology National System Law and the laws that were previously in effect. Based on the research conducted, it can be concluded that there has been a development of criminal acts in the field of science and technology, namely the addition of types of offenses, additional types of additional punishments and ballast punishments. This development is a change for the better because it provides clarity and certainty for actions that are considered dangerous and potentially harmful in a more comprehensive manner

Uncertainty in Law and Science: The International Legal Status of Scrubber Wash Water

This article argues in favor of stricter regulation to the wash water resulting from the Exhaust Gas Cleaning System aboard ships. These systems are also known as scrubbers. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has required the shipping industry to reduce the fuel oil sulfur limit to 0.5%, and in emission control areas to 0.1%. To achieve this reduction, ship owners use scrubbers to comply with this regulation, which essentially cleans the fuel. However, the current legal framework of scrubber wash water lacks certainty due to two reasons. The first reason is uncertainty in the law, because it is not clear from the IMO Guidelines whether scrubber wash water is considered as pollution by vessel operation under MARPOL or pollution by dumping under the London Convention. The second reason is uncertainty in science. It is also not clear whether the current levels of materials allowed to be discharged in scrubber wash water are harmful to the environment. This is demonstrated in contradictory scientific reports submitted to the IMO. This article attempts to answer two interrelated questions. First, how does the law deal with legal uncertainty? Second, how does the law deal with the questions related to scientific uncertainty? Hence, this article is divided into four main parts. The first part presents the legal problems raised regarding scrubber wash water. This includes uncertainty in the law, uncertainty in science, and how they overlap. The second part tackles the solution for uncertainty in the law. It resorts to the general rules of marine pollution and argues that pollution by dumping is the applicable regime. The third part presents a solution for the uncertainty in science from the legal perspective, which includes both policy and judicial solutions. For the policy solution, this article argues in favor of adopting the precautionary principle. As for the judicial solution, this article adopts guidance from a case decided by the International Court of Justice to set the borders between law and science. This article concludes by presenting a hypothesis for addressing the uncertainty in the law and uncertainty in science surrounding the issue of scrubber wash water and whether it is harmful to the environment

Ranking the harm of non-medically used prescription opioids in the UK

A panel of nine experts applied multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) to determine the relative overall harm to users and harms to others of street heroin (injected and smoked) and eleven non-medically used prescription opioids. The experts assessed harm scores for each of the 13 opioids on each of 20 harm criteria, weighted the criteria and explored the resulting weighted harm scores for each opioid. Both forms of heroin scored very high: overall harm score of 99 for injected heroin and 72 for smoked heroin on a scale of 0–100. The main feature that distinguishes both forms of street heroin use is that their harm to others is more than five times that of the other eleven opioids. The overall harm score of fentanyl (including injection of fentanyl extracted from patches) and diamorphine (medically prescribed form of heroin) was 54 and 51, respectively, whereas that of orally used opioids ranged from 32 (pethidine) to 11 (codeine-containing pharmaceuticals). Injected street heroin, fentanyl and diamorphine emerged as most harmful to users, with the latter two very low in harm to others. Pethidine, methadone, morphine and oxycodone are also low in harm to others, while moderate in harm to users. We conclude that the overall harms of non-medically used prescription opioids are less than half that of injected street heroin. These data may give a basis for precautionary regulatory measures that should be considered if the rising trend in non-medical use of prescription opioids were to become evident in the UK

Tracing the early development of harmful algal blooms with the aid of Lagrangian coherent structures

Several theories have been proposed to explain the development of harmful algal blooms (HABs) produced by the toxic dinoflagellate \emph{Karenia brevis} on the West Florida Shelf. However, because the early stages of HAB development are usually not detected, these theories have been so far very difficult to verify. In this paper we employ simulated \emph{Lagrangian coherent structures} (LCSs) to trace the early location of a HAB in late 2004 before it was transported to an area where it could be detected by satellite imagery, and then we make use of a population dynamics model to infer the factors that may have led to its development. The LCSs, which are computed based on a surface flow description provided by an ocean circulation model, delineate past and future histories of boundaries of passively advected fluid domains. The population dynamics model determines nitrogen in two components, nutrients and phytoplankton, which are assumed to be passively advected by the simulated surface currents. Two nearshore nutrient sources are identified for the HAB whose evolution is found to be strongly tied to the simulated LCSs. While one nutrient source can be associated with a coastal upwelling event, the other is seen to be produced by river runoff, which provides support to a theory of HAB development that considers nutrient loading into coastal waters produced by human activities as a critical element. Our results show that the use of simulated LCSs and a population dynamics model can greatly enhance our understanding of the early stages of the development of HABs.Comment: Submitted to JGR-Ocean

The nutritional and toxicological value of organic vegetables : consumer perception versus scientific evidence

Purpose - The present study aims to explore and compare consumer perception and scientific evidence related to food quality and food safety aspects of organic versus conventional vegetables. Design/methodology/approach - Primary data on consumer perception were gathered in 2006-2007 through a consumer survey with Flemish adults (n = 529) and compared with scientific evidence from literature. Consumers of organic and conventional vegetables were selected by means of a convenience sampling procedure. Subjects were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire concerning the perception of the nutritional and toxicological value of organic relative to conventional vegetables. Data processing and analysis included descriptive analysis (frequency distributions), data reduction (Cronbach's alpha test, factor analysis), bivariate analysis (correlations, t-test, ANOVA) and multivariate analysis (stepwise multiple regression). Findings - It was found that organic vegetables are perceived as containing less contaminants and more nutrients, and as such, being healthier and safer compared to conventional vegetables. However, not enough evidence is currently available in the literature to support or refute such a perception, indicating a certain mismatch between consumer perception and scientific evidence. The gap between perception and evidence is larger among older consumers with children. The perception is stronger when the consumption frequency is higher, but is independent of gender, place of residence (rural or urban), education and income level. Also non-users, on average, perceive that organic vegetables have a nutritional and toxicological advantage over conventional vegetables. Research limitations/implications - A non-probability convenience sampling method was applied which limits generalisation of the findings beyond the sample characteristics. Originality/value - This paper is original in comparing consumer perception and scientific facts related to both nutritional and safety aspects of organic versus conventional vegetables

Amelioration vs. Perversion

Words change meaning, usually in unpredictable ways. But some words’ meanings are revised intentionally. Revisionary projects are normally put forward in the service of some purpose – some serve specific goals of inquiry, and others serve ethical, political or social aims. Revisionist projects can ameliorate meanings, but they can also pervert. In this paper, I want to draw attention to the dangers of meaning perversions, and argue that the self-declared goodness of a revisionist project doesn’t suffice to avoid meaning perversions. The road to Hell, or to horrors on Earth, is paved with good intentions. Finally and more importantly, I want to demarcate what meaning perversions are. This, I hope, can help us assess the moral and political legitimacy of revisionary projects

Image processing for smarter browsing of ocean color data products: investigating algal blooms

Remote sensing technology continues to play a significant role in the understanding of our environment and the investigation of the Earth. Ocean color is the water hue due to the presence of tiny plants containing the pigment chlorophyll, sediments, and colored dissolved organic material and so can provide valuable information on coastal ecosystems. We propose to make the browsing of Ocean Color data more efficient for users by using image processing techniques to extract useful information which can be accessible through browser searching. Image processing is applied to chlorophyll and sea surface temperature images. The automatic image processing of the visual level 1 and level 2 data allow us to investigate the occurrence of algal blooms. Images with colors in a certain range (red, orange etc.) are used to address possible algal blooms and allow us to examine the seasonal variation of algal blooms in Europe (around Ireland and in the Baltic Sea). Yearly seasonal variation of algal blooms in Europe based on image processing for smarting browsing of Ocean Color are presented