The EU-Caribbean trade relationship post-Lisbon:the case of bananas

This article examines, from a legal perspective, the Lisbon Treaty changes over the European Union’s (EU) common agricultural policy (CAP) and their impact on developing countries. The study focuses particularly on the Caribbean region of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP group), which signed an Economic Partnership Agreement with the EU in 2008, and will use bananas as the exemplar commodity. The Lisbon Treaty which entered into force in December 2009 has brought important institutional changes within the EU and altered the distribution of responsibility over European policies. The European Parliament (EP) now exercises legislative functions ‘jointly’ with the Council over fields falling outside EU trade policy but which often have trade-related impacts. This is the case of the CAP which is now a shared rather than an exclusive competence policy area. The EU is an important market for developing countries’ export of agricultural food products. However, there is a risk that the EP positions, pressured by consumer opinion, could influence the negotiating process leading to the reinforcement of the EU’s protectionist agriculture policy. This subject is of high importance given the end of the so-called ‘banana war’ in 2009 against the EU banana import regime, allowing better access for Latin American countries’ bananas to the EU market. This article argues that ACP countries will not be affected by the EU internal changes post-Lisbon. They have managed to legally maintain special trade arrangements with the EU under the Economic Partnership Agreements, which provide them with favourable trading conditions, particularly for agricultural food products

Coastal Dunes as Meta-Ecosystems: Connecting Marine Subsidies to Dune Ecosystem Functions on the U.S. Pacific Northwest Coast

Ecological communities are connected in space and time through the transfer of energy, materials, and organisms, together known as ecological subsidies. These ecological subsidies can have substantial effects on community structure, function, and services, especially when the connections are between communities with contrasting productivity. At the ocean-land interface, low productivity coastal beaches and dunes are regularly exposed to subsidies from the ocean. These marine subsidies likely provide an important nutrient source for dune vegetation that might otherwise be nutrient-limited. Given that dune vegetation plays a key role in dune formation and stabilization, it is imperative to understand the role of marine subsidies to the nutrient dynamics and plant productivity patterns of these coastal systems. In this dissertation, I investigate the role of marine subsidies to dune ecosystem functions from local to meta-ecosystem scales along the U.S. Pacific Northwest coast. Coastal beaches and dunes make up approximately 45% of the Oregon and Washington coasts and are adjacent to many highly productive estuaries and rocky reefs. The plant communities at these sites experience variable ocean productivity, marine subsidies, and coastal sediment supply. The most common plant species are two non-native invasive grasses, the European beachgrass, Ammophila arenaria, and the American beachgrass, Ammophila breviligulata. Since their introduction in the early 1900’s, the Ammophila congeners have spread and rapidly transformed what was once an open, shifting, and sparsely vegetated habitat into one with continuous, stable, and densely vegetated foredunes. Despite this ecosystem-level transformation over the last century, little is known about the role of marine subsidies to the nutrient dynamics and primary production of dune grass communities. Here I use a combination of observations, laboratory analyses, and experiments to understand the role of ecological subsidies to dune grass production at local to regional scales along the U.S. Pacific Northwest coast. In Chapter 2, I explore the role of marine subsidies to dune grass production at 15 dune-backed beach sites in Washington and Oregon and over three years (2015-2017). Specifically, I ask 1) Is there a relationship between ocean upwelling, distance to wrack source habitat, and beach width to macrophyte wrack amount and composition across large regional (meta-ecosystem) spatial scales and over time (2015-2017)?, 2) Is there a relationship between ocean upwelling, sand supply, and/or marine macrophyte wrack and the marine nutrient dynamics at local and regional scales and over time?, and 3) Is there a relationship between marine nutrients and dune grass production at local to regional spatial scales and over time? I provide evidence that marine subsidies are common and predictable sources of nutrients to these beaches and dunes and that they influence dune grass ecosystems in significant ways. Specifically, I found that macrophyte wrack and sand nitrates, which were positively related to ocean upwelling and sand supply, were important determinants of dune grass production across sites and foredune profile locations. Beaches with more macrophyte wrack and greater sand supply had greater dune grass shoot density and biomass, especially at the toe of the dune where sand nitrate concentrations were high. Beaches with lower macrophyte wrack and sand supply had greater shoot density and biomass of dune grasses at the crest of the dune, where sand deposition and nitrate concentrations were high. Taken together, these results suggest that marine subsidies are important contributors to the nutrient dynamics and productivity of dune grasses, potentially influencing the sand capture and dune building capabilities of these ecosystem engineering grass species. In Chapter 3, I determine whether dune plant species in the U.S. Pacific Northwest use marine subsidies, and if so, how this use varies at local to regional spatial scales. In particular, I ask 1) Does the amount (%N) and marine source (δ15N) of nitrogen in four dune plant species (two non-native invasive beachgrass species Ammophila arenaria and A. breviligulata, the native dune grass, Elymus mollis, and the native shrub Cakile edentula) vary across sites (coast-scale) and foredune profile locations (dune-scale)? and 2) Does the amount (%N) and marine source (δ15N) of nitrogen of beachgrasses correlate with measures of marine subsidies (macrophyte wrack and sand nitrates) and/or beach and foredune geomorphology (beach width and foredune crest height) on coastal foredunes? I found that marine nutrients were an important source of nitrogen for dune plants in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, and that the amount and source of nitrogen in these plants varied among species, sites, and foredune profile locations. Regression analyses showed that, for the most part, macrophyte wrack biomass and sand nitrate concentrations were unrelated to %N or δ15N of the grasses. However, I did find that wider beaches and shorter foredunes had beachgrasses with slightly lower %N tissue content across foredune profile locations but the source of that nitrogen at the crest and heel had a higher marine signature. The results presented in this chapter corroborate earlier studies that beach nutrients, especially those with marine origin, are an important source of nitrogen for foredune plants. Finally, in Chapter 4, I test whether beachgrasses in the U.S. Pacific Northwest are nutrient limited and whether this potential limitation varies along foredune profile locations and sites with different sand nitrate conditions. Specifically, I used two manipulative experiments to ask: (1) How does nutrient addition affect dune grass production at sites and foredune profile locations that vary in natural sand nitrate concentrations? and (2) Does dune grass production and plant tissue elemental composition vary with increasing nitrogen additions and do dune grasses experience nitrogen and phosphorous co-limitation? I found that dune grasses were nutrient-limited, with nutrient additions positively affecting dune grass production at sites and foredune profile locations that have higher wrack deposition and background sand nitrate concentrations. I also found that increased nitrogen and phosphorous increased grass shoot density, total biomass, and plant tissue %N. However, grass shoot biomass and shoot length either did not change, or declined, with phosphorus additions suggesting that there was no phosphorus co-limitation. These results suggest that U.S. Pacific Northwest dune grasses are nutrient limited, especially at the foredune crest and heel, where background sand nitrate concentrations are lower. In summary, my dissertation fills a critical gap in our understanding of beach and dune nutrient dynamics and the role of nutrients to coastal dune plant community production from a meta-ecosystem perspective. By considering local and regional relationships, this meta-ecosystem approach provides an ideal framework to understanding the role of marine subsidies to dune grass production. This approach also allows us to better understand how coastal dune systems might change under varying climate so that we may better manage their functions and services in the future

Towards a quality-controlled and accessible Pitzer model for seawater and related systems

We elaborate the need for a quality-controlled chemical speciation model for seawater and related natural waters, work which forms the major focus of SCOR Working Group 145. Model development is based on Pitzer equations for the seawater electrolyte and trace components. These equations can be used to calculate activities of dissolved ions and molecules and, in combination with thermodynamic equilibrium constants, chemical speciation. The major tasks to be addressed are ensuring internal consistency of the Pitzer model parameters (expressing the interactions between pairs and triplets of species, which ultimately determines the calculated activities), assessing uncertainties, and identifying important data gaps that should be addressed by new measurements. It is recognised that natural organic matter plays an important role in many aquatic ecosystems, and options for including this material in a Pitzer-based model are discussed. The process of model development begins with the core components which include the seawater electrolyte and the weak acids controlling pH. This core model can then be expanded by incorporating additional chemical components, changing the standard seawater composition and/or broadening the range of temperature and pressure, without compromising its validity. Seven important areas of application are identified: open ocean acidification; micro-nutrient biogeochemistry and geochemical tracers; micro-nutrient behaviour in laboratory studies; water quality in coastal and estuarine waters; cycling of nutrients and trace metals in pore waters; chemical equilibria in hydrothermal systems; brines and salt lakes

Clinical Pathway Evaluation for Left and Sigmoid Colectomy in Abdominal Surgery

At the end of 2008, a new left colon clinical pathway was implemented in our hospital and set up by a multidisciplinary team, monitored by a clinical pathway coordinator. Our aim was to evaluate the quality of left and sigmoid colectomy management, to simplify the clinical pathway and to assess its impact on the patient, the medical and nursing staffs. A sample of 290 patients with benign or malignant disease requiring a laparoscopic of laparotomy left colon resection (mainly sigmoid) was included in this clinical pathway during the years 2009–2017. Our analysis focused particularly on the compliance with the protocol, the pain felt, the suture leak rate, the hospital stay, the re-hospitalization rate and redo surgery within 30 days. Our work leads to the conclusion that the introduction of a clinical pathway, when it is well prepared and brings together all the implicated persons with the same goal, is feasible with convincing results. These are directly beneficial to the patient and to the quality of its management

A multidimensional approach to inform family planning needs, preferences and behaviours amongst women in South Africa through body mapping

Background In recent decades there have been great improvements in the reproductive health of women in low- and middle-income countries and increases in the use of modern contraceptive methods. Nonetheless, many women are not able to access information, contraceptive technologies and services that could facilitate preventing unintended pregnancies and planning the number and timing of desired pregnancies. In South Africa, the contraceptive prevalence rate is 64.6%. However, this relatively high contraceptive prevalence rate masks problems with quality contraceptive service delivery, equitable access, and women’s ability to correctly and consistently, use contraceptive methods of their choice. This study set out to understand the specific family planning and contraceptive needs and behaviours of women of reproductive age in South Africa, through a lived experience, multisensory approach. Methods Participatory qualitative research methods were used including body mapping workshops amongst reproductive aged women recruited from urban and peri urban areas in the Western Cape South Africa. Data including body map images were analysed using a thematic analysis approach. Results Women had limited biomedical knowledge of the female reproductive anatomy, conception, fertility and how contraceptives worked, compounded by a lack of contraceptive counseling and support from health care providers. Women’s preferences for different contraceptive methods were not based on a single, sensory or experiential factor. Rather, they were made up of a composite of sensory, physical, social and emotional experiences underscored by potential for threats to bodily harm. Conclusions This study highlighted the need to address communication and knowledge gaps around the female reproductive anatomy, different contraceptive methods and how contraception works to prevent a pregnancy. Women, including younger women, identified sexual and reproductive health knowledge gaps themselves and identified these gaps as important factors that influenced uptake and effective contraceptive use. These knowledge gaps were overwhelmingly linked to poor or absent communication and counseling provided by health care providers. Body mapping techniques could be used in education and communication strategies around sexual and reproductive health programmes in diverse settings

Monomeric Tartrate Resistant Acid Phosphatase Induces Insulin Sensitive Obesity

Obesity is associated with macrophage infiltration of adipose tissue, which may link adipose inflammation to insulin resistance. However, the impact of inflammatory cells in the pathophysiology of obesity remains unclear

Photography-based taxonomy is inadequate, unnecessary, and potentially harmful for biological sciences

The question whether taxonomic descriptions naming new animal species without type specimen(s) deposited in collections should be accepted for publication by scientific journals and allowed by the Code has already been discussed in Zootaxa (Dubois & Nemésio 2007; Donegan 2008, 2009; Nemésio 2009a–b; Dubois 2009; Gentile & Snell 2009; Minelli 2009; Cianferoni & Bartolozzi 2016; Amorim et al. 2016). This question was again raised in a letter supported by 35 signatories published in the journal Nature (Pape et al. 2016) on 15 September 2016. On 25 September 2016, the following rebuttal (strictly limited to 300 words as per the editorial rules of Nature) was submitted to Nature, which on 18 October 2016 refused to publish it. As we think this problem is a very important one for zoological taxonomy, this text is published here exactly as submitted to Nature, followed by the list of the 493 taxonomists and collection-based researchers who signed it in the short time span from 20 September to 6 October 2016