The ecomics of ecosystems and biodiversity: scoping the scale

The G8 decided in March 2007 to initiate a “Review on the economics of biodiversity loss”, in the so called Potsdam Initiative: 'In a global study we will initiate the process of analysing the global economic benefit of biological diversity, the costs of the loss of biodiversity and the failure to take protective measures versus the costs of effective conservation. The study is being supported by the European Commission (together with the European Environmental Agency and in cooperation with the German Government. “The objective of the current study is to provide a coherent overview of existing scientific knowledge upon which to base the economics of the Review, and to propose a coherent global programme of scientific work, both for Phase 2 (consolidation) and to enable more robust future iterations of the Review beyond 2010.

REVISITING ANNA MOSCOWITZ\u27S KROSS\u27S CRITIQUE OF NEW YORK CITY\u27S WOMEN\u27S COURT: THE CONTINUED PROBLEM OF SOLVING THE PROBLEM OF PROSTITUTION WITH SPECIALIZED CRIMINAL COURTS

This article explores New York City\u27s non-traditional, judicially based response to prostitution. This article first recounts the history of New York City’s Women’s Court. It then examines the work of the Midtown Community Court, the “problem-solving court” established in 1993 to address criminal issues, like prostitution, in Midtown Manhattan. It also discusses the renewed concerns about sex work in New York and describe the movement, propelled by modern reformers, to address prostitution through specialty courts. It then contrasts the shared features and attributes of the Women’s Court and Midtown Court models. Finally, the article urges modern reformers to step back from the problem-solving court movement and their call for the creation of more such specialized criminal courts

Water Management Solution of Reservoir Storage Function Under Condition of Measurement Uncertainties in Hydrological Input Data

AbstractThe paper describes a possible procedure of the rate uncertainty implementation to the continuous water stage measurement and uncertainties of state - discharge rating curve point positions, which the stage -discharge rating curves were fitted into the uncertainties of the real discharge series members. Then the members of discharge series under uncertainty impact were tested on the calculated values of the reservoir storage volume. The next step was the implementation of the uncertainties of the real discharge series members on the generation of the artificial discharge series of mean monthly discharge using the AR and ARMA generators and the determination of their impact on the calculated values of the reservoir storage volume

Use of genetically modified bacteria for drug delivery in humans: Revisiting the safety aspect

The use of live, genetically modified bacteria as delivery vehicles for biologics is of considerable interest scientifically and has attracted significant commercial investment. We have pioneered the use of the commensal gut bacterium Bacteroides ovatus for the oral delivery of therapeutics to the gastrointestinal tract. Here we report on our investigations of the biological safety of engineered B. ovatus bacteria that includes the use of thymineless death as a containment strategy and the potential for the spread of transgenes in vivo in the mammalian gastrointestinal tract. We demonstrate the ability of GM-strains of Bacteroides to survive thymine starvation and overcome it through the exchange of genetic material. We also provide evidence for horizontal gene transfer in the mammalian gastrointestinal tract resulting in transgene-carrying wild type bacteria. These findings sound a strong note of caution on the employment of live genetically modified bacteria for the delivery of biologics

A laboratory experiment exploring the effect of chronic- and background noise on cognitive performance and motivation

Exposure to uncontrollable and unpredictable environmental stressors like noise can induce cognitive deficits. When exposed with unpredictable (changing state) background noise, children perform significantly worse on short-term memory tasks. Additionally, motivation to persist at a difficult task decreases when exposed to noise before or during a task. The latte is associated with learned helplessness. It is assumed that vulnerability to the development of learned helplessness and its motivation-altering effects are increased by chronic noise exposure, although the findings are inconsistent. Some studies have argued that the effects are due to cognitive fatigue and not necessarily learned helplessness. Age and coping mechanisms may play a role as well. This study aims to further investigate the relationships between chronic noise exposure, cognitive performance, cognitive fatigue and motivation between children in different age groups. A laboratory experiment is designed where participants perform a serial recall task and the Stroop color word test either with background noise, to increase cognitive load, or in silence as a control, followed by a motivation task in silence. Chronic noise exposure is taken into account by letting the participants indicate their current and past places of residence and education. Using noise maps, a comprehensive estimation can be made of the chronic noise exposure over their lifetime, as past exposure may affect current cognitive functioning as well. In this paper, the design and first pilot results of the study are presented

A laboratory experiment exploring the effect of chronic- and background noise on cognitive performance and motivation

Exposure to uncontrollable and unpredictable environmental stressors like noise can induce cognitive deficits. When exposed with unpredictable (changing state) background noise, children perform significantly worse on short-term memory tasks. Additionally, motivation to persist at a difficult task decreases when exposed to noise before or during a task. The latte is associated with learned helplessness. It is assumed that vulnerability to the development of learned helplessness and its motivation-altering effects are increased by chronic noise exposure, although the findings are inconsistent. Some studies have argued that the effects are due to cognitive fatigue and not necessarily learned helplessness. Age and coping mechanisms may play a role as well. This study aims to further investigate the relationships between chronic noise exposure, cognitive performance, cognitive fatigue and motivation between children in different age groups. A laboratory experiment is designed where participants perform a serial recall task and the Stroop color word test either with background noise, to increase cognitive load, or in silence as a control, followed by a motivation task in silence. Chronic noise exposure is taken into account by letting the participants indicate their current and past places of residence and education. Using noise maps, a comprehensive estimation can be made of the chronic noise exposure over their lifetime, as past exposure may affect current cognitive functioning as well. In this paper, the design and first pilot results of the study are presented