Valuing nature

A recurring conversation at Timber Festival, either in the big tent, bars or campsite, has been how do we reverse the dramatic decline in wildlife and the loss and degradation of natural habitats. We know that the global climate system is changing on an unprecedented scale. We have created a society which struggles to reconcile its impacts and dependencies on the natural environment. Our inability to properly understand and account for the costs of our impacts, or the value the environment provides to us, has led to a systematic omission of the environment from our decision-making processes. The result is a short-term focus on immediate economic development at the expense of our long-term wellbeing. The impacts of such thinking are exemplified by the growing threat of catastrophic climate breakdown and a sixth mass extinction event

House Rules: Designing the Scoring Algorithm for Cyber Grand Challenge

The key driving force behind any capture-the-flag competition is the scoring algorithm; the Cyber Grand Challenge (CGC) was no di erent. In this article, we describe design considerations for the CGC events, how these algorithms intended to incentivize competitors, and e ects these decisions had on the resulting gameplay

Lynx UK Trust: a national stakeholder consultation: an interim consultation document

The Lynx UK Trust CIC (the "Trust") is seeking licences to conduct a highly regulated scientific trial, studying the effects of Eurasian lynx on a selected site or sites in Scotland and England. This will involve a time limited trial reintroduction of lynx to those sites in order to observe, measure and analyse the effects of lynx on various aspects of the United Kingdom's social, economic and natural environments. Public consultation is a key element of our trial reintroduction proposal. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Reintroduction Guidelines (the "IUCN Guidelines"), Directive 92/43/EEC Conservation of Natural Habitats, Wild Flora and Fauna (the Habitats Directive) (the "Directive") Article 22 and The Scottish Code for Conservation Translocations (2014) (the "Scottish Code") state that an introduction should only take place after proper consultation with the public concerned. Our consultation process has been designed to address the criteria contained within the IUCN Guidelines and the Scottish Code

Application to Natural England for the trial reintroduction of lynx to England

England contains extensive areas of beautiful and wild natural landscapes of which the English public are justifiably proud. A highly controlled and scientific trial reintroduction of Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) (herein referred to as lynx) to a specifically selected wild area of England is the first step in a process that could see the lynx return to the nation after 1300 years of absence – a vital part of England's natural heritage. This document represents the first stage in the consultation of the national stakeholders in a trial reintroduction of lynx to England (the "Project"). The Project will bring millions of pounds of economic benefits to the English economy, improve the health of natural environments in England and, above all else, will be a symbol for the pride that the English public have in their nation's wild places. We are keen to understand your thoughts as our proposals develop over the coming months

Cost-benefit analysis for the reintroduction of lynx to the UK: main report

The EU Habitats Directive requires Member States to assess the potential and desirability of reintroducing species which have been lost, and to look at other Member States’ experiences to support such assessments. In light of these requirements, the Lynx UK Trust is proposing to undertake a trial reintroduction programme of Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) at several potential sites in the UK. As part of the preparation for any translocation or reintroduction programme, guidelines prepared by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) state that an assessment of the anticipated costs and benefits of a reintroduction should be incorporated into planning for such programmes. On the basis of these guidelines, AECOM have been asked by the Lynx UK Trust to undertake an impartial and independent analysis of the potential economic costs and benefits to the proposed lynx reintroduction scheme in the UK based on a combination of modelling and data collected from European lynx studies. The analysis draws on the guidance for undertaking cost-benefit analysis set out by the UK government. In particular, it follows the framework set out in The Green Book which states that a cost-benefit analysis should quantify as many of the costs and benefits of a proposal in monetary terms as is feasible, including impacts for which the market does not provide a satisfactory measure of economic value. The Green Book further states that in the early stages of identifying and appraising a proposal only summary data is normally required, while at the later stages of an assessment data should be refined to become more specific and accurate. The analysis in this report is therefore proportionate to the resources involved, outcomes at stake, and the time available. As such, the results should be taken as an initial indicative estimate of the potential costs and benefits of the lynx reintroduction scheme. This approach should provide a proportionate study for the purposes of licensing a trial of the effects of the reintroduction of lynx to the UK, with further studies of the economic impact being undertaken if the trial is adopted

Community consultation report: Kielder

This report is based on consultation work completed on behalf of the Lynx UK Trust (LUKT) in and around the Kielder area from August 2016 to May 2017, and was requested by the LUKT to fit with their timeline for a licence submission to trial a reintroduction of Eurasian lynx (lynx lynx) to the UK. As the planned consultation activities are incomplete, this is presented as an interim report, and conclusions should be considered as tentative. Nevertheless, initial findings point towards a reasonably divided community, with most residents still undecided or unsure regarding the proposed reintroduction of lynx and a small minority either firmly supporting or opposing the project. This position is similar to the results of an independent national omnibus survey conducted as part of a national public survey in respect of the proposed trial lynx reintroduction (Smith et al., 2015). At this point in the local consultation process there has been insufficient communication with those groups likely to be most affected by the project: primarily from the farming and forestry sector (IUCN, 2013:11). This is one of the IUCN’s key social feasibility guidelines (Social Feasibility 5.3.3) and for key areas of project policy, for example around livestock predation compensation schemes and mitigation measures, we would expect to see genuine co-development of policy and protocols with the farming community. This work has started in Kielder but given the controversial nature of this project it will take considerable time and effort to establish a trusting relationship with some of the human communities in and around the Kielder area. As the IUCN (2013:11) indicates, understanding the ‘extreme and internally contradictory attitudes of such key stakeholders provides the basis for developing public relations…orienting the public in favour of a translocation.’ It is our view that any licence application at this stage would be premature and would threaten the longer-term viability of the project

Relationship Between Operator Volume and Adverse Outcome in Contemporary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Practice An Analysis of a Quality-Controlled Multicenter Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Clinical Database

ObjectivesThe aim of our study was to evaluate the volume-outcome relationship in a large, quality-controlled, contemporary percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) database.BackgroundWhether the relationship between physician volume of PCI and outcomes still exists in the era of coronary stents is unclear.MethodsData on 18,504 consecutive PCIs performed by 165 operators in calendar year 2002 were prospectively collected in a regional consortium. Operators' volume was divided into quintiles (1 to 33, 34 to 89, 90 to 139, 140 to 206, and 207 to 582 procedures/year). The primary end point was a composite of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) including death, coronary artery bypass grafting, stroke or transient ischemic attack, myocardial infarction, and repeat PCI at the same site during the index hospital stay.ResultsThe unadjusted MACE rate was significantly higher in quintiles one and two of operator volume when compared with quintile five (7.38% and 6.13% vs. 4.15%, p = 0.002 and p = 0.0001, respectively). A similar trend was observed for in-hospital death. After adjustment for comorbidities, patients treated by low volume operators had a 63% increased odds of MACE (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.63, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.29 to 2.06, p < 0.0001 for quintile [Q]1; adjusted OR 1.63, 95% CI 1.34 to 1.90, p < 0.0001 for Q2 vs. Q5), but not of in-hospital death. Overall, high volume operators had better outcomes than low volume operators in low-risk and high-risk patients.ConclusionsAlthough the relationship between operator volume and in-hospital mortality is no longer significant, the relationship between volume and any adverse outcome is still present. Technological advancements have not yet completely offset the influence of procedural volume on proficiency of PCIs

Naval Postgraduate School - Cyber Summit

2009 CyberSecurity Summit, Naval Postgraduate Schoo

Evaluation of expressive writing for postpartum health: A randomized controlled trial

Pregnancy, birth and adjusting to a new baby is a potentially stressful time that can negatively affect the health of women. There is some evidence that expressive writing can have positive effects on psychological and physical health, particularly during stressful periods. The current study aimed to evaluate whether expressive writing would improve women’s postpartum health. A randomized controlled trial was conducted with three conditions: expressive writing (n=188), a control writing task (n=213), or normal care (n=163). Measures of psychological health, physical health and quality of life were measured at baseline (6-12 weeks postpartum), 1 month and 6 months later. Ratings of stress were taken before and after the expressive writing task. Intent-to-treat analyses showed no significant differences between women in the expressive writing, control writing and normal care groups on measures of physical health, anxiety, depression, mood or quality of life at 1 and 6 months. Uptake and adherence to the writing tasks was low. However, women in the expressive writing group rated their stress as significantly reduced after completing the task. Cost analysis suggest women who did expressive writing had the lowest costs in terms of healthcare service use and lowest cost per unit of improvement in quality of life. Results suggest expressive writing is not effective as a universal intervention for all women 6-12 weeks postpartum. Future research should examine expressive writing as a targeted intervention for women in high-risk groups, such as those with mild or moderate depression, and further examine cost-effectiveness