Designing behaviourally informed policies for land stewardship: A new paradigm

This paper argues the case for a new approach to the stewardship of land resources that uses behavioural science theory to support the design and application of policies that facilitate changes in behaviour by those who develop policy and the farmers who implement it. Current approaches have: focused on legally-based expert system; and have been devised by national and international bureaucracies with little or no knowledge of how land owners and managers are motivated, and how they think, behave and operate as stewards of their natural resources. A review of current approaches from the social scientific literature is provided, with a particular focus on principles from social psychology. This is followed by an examination of how these principles can be applied to influence behaviour related to land restoration and soil conservation. Examples of the problems with traditional approaches and the evolution of new approaches with full engagement of farmers as the delivery agents are provided from within the European Union, Iceland and Scotland. In the light of these examples and emerging thinking in other parts of the world, the paper sets out the basis for a new approach based on behavioural science theory and application, reinforcing the arguments already made in the literature for a social license for farming

An Exploratory Study of Casino Customer Loyalty Programs

This study summarizes academic theories and industry applications related to customer loyalty programs, drawing on literature pertaining to reciprocity and resource theory, attitudinal loyalty, tiered loyalty programs, and reward type and timing. Specifically, this study attempts to understand aspects that have been proven successful in order to design more effective customer loyalty programs. This literature synthesis provides important professional implications for casino executives in effectively designing customer loyalty programs

Proton-coupled electron transfer at the Qo-site of the bc1 complex controls the rate of ubihydroquinone oxidation

AbstractThe rate-limiting reaction of the bc1 complex from Rhodobacter sphaeroides is transfer of the first electron from ubihydroquinone (quinol, QH2) to the [2Fe–2S] cluster of the Rieske iron–sulfur protein (ISP) at the Qo-site. Formation of the ES-complex requires participation of two substrates (S), QH2 and ISPox. From the variation of rate with [S], the binding constants for both substrates involved in formation of the complex can be estimated. The configuration of the ES-complex likely involves the dissociated form of the oxidized ISP (ISPox) docked at the b-interface on cyt b, in a complex in which Nε of His-161 (bovine sequence) forms a H-bond with the quinol OH. A coupled proton and electron transfer occurs along this H-bond. This brief review discusses the information available on the nature of this reaction from kinetic, structural and mutagenesis studies. The rate is much slower than expected from the distance involved, likely because it is controlled by the low probability of finding the proton in the configuration required for electron transfer. A simplified treatment of the activation barrier is developed in terms of a probability function determined by the Brønsted relationship, and a Marcus treatment of the electron transfer step. Incorporation of this relationship into a computer model allows exploration of the energy landscape. A set of parameters including reasonable values for activation energy, reorganization energy, distances between reactants, and driving forces, all consistent with experimental data, explains why the rate is slow, and accounts for the altered kinetics in mutant strains in which the driving force and energy profile are modified by changes in Em and/or pK of ISP or heme bL

Introducing New Guidelines on Geoheritage Conservation in Protected and Conserved Areas

The Cultural Heritage Administration, Republic of Korea, funded the design and publication of the Guidelines on which this paper is based.This paper introduces newly published guidelines on geoheritage conservation in protected and conserved areas within the “IUCN WCPA Best Practice Guidelines” series. It explains the need for the guidelines and outlines the ethical basis of geoheritage values and geoconservation principles as the fundamental framework within which to advance geoheritage conservation. Best practice in establishing and managing protected and conserved areas for geoconservation is described with examples from around the world. Particular emphasis is given to the methodology and practice for dealing with the many threats to geoheritage, highlighting in particular how to improve practice for areas with caves and karst, glacial and periglacial, and volcanic features and processes, and for palaeontology and mineral sites. Guidance to improve education and communication to the public through modern and conventional means is also highlighted as a key stage in delivering effective geoconservation. A request is made to geoconservation experts to continue to share best practice examples of developing methodologies and best practice in management to guide non-experts in their work. Finally, a number of suggestions are made on how geoconservation can be further promoted.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Can linear collocation ever beat quadratic?

Computational approaches are becoming increasingly important in neuroscience, where complex, nonlinear systems modelling neural activity across multiple spatial and temporal scales are the norm. This paper considers collocation techniques for solving neural field models, which typically take the form of a partial integro-dfferential equation. In particular, we investigate and compare the convergence properties of linear and quadratic collocation on both regular grids and more general meshes not fixed to the regular Cartesian grid points. For regular grids we perform a comparative analysis against more standard techniques, in which the convolution integral is computed either by using Fourier based methods or via the trapezoidal rule. Perhaps surprisingly, we find that on regular, periodic meshes, linear collocation displays better convergence properties than quadratic collocation, and is in fact comparable with the spectral convergence displayed by both the Fourier based and trapezoidal techniques. However, for more general meshes we obtain superior convergence of the convolution integral using higher order methods, as expected

A numerical simulation of neural fields on curved geometries

Despite the highly convoluted nature of the human brain, neural field models typically treat the cortex as a planar two-dimensional sheet of neurons. Here, we present an approach for solving neural field equations on surfaces more akin to the cortical geometries typically obtained from neuroimaging data. Our approach involves solving the integral form of the partial integro-differential equation directly using collocation techniques alongside efficient numerical procedures for determining geodesic distances between neural units. To illustrate our methods, we study localised activity patterns in a two-dimensional neural field equation posed on a periodic square domain, the curved surface of a torus, and the cortical surface of a rat brain, the latter of which is constructed using neuroimaging data. Our results are twofold: Firstly, we find that collocation techniques are able to replicate solutions obtained using more standard Fourier based methods on a flat, periodic domain, independent of the underlying mesh. This result is particularly significant given the highly irregular nature of the type of meshes derived from modern neuroimaging data. And secondly, by deploying efficient numerical schemes to compute geodesics, our approach is not only capable of modelling macroscopic pattern formation on realistic cortical geometries, but can also be extended to include cortical architectures of more physiological relevance. Importantly, such an approach provides a means by which to investigate the influence of cortical geometry upon the nucleation and propagation of spatially localised neural activity and beyond. It thus promises to provide model-based insights into disorders like epilepsy, or spreading depression, as well as healthy cognitive processes like working memory or attention

A method for examining corporate social responsibility descriptions on SME websites

There is growing IS research concerning SME use of websites and limited but growing research on corporate social responsibility (CSR) by SMEs. However, to-date these two bodies of literature have remained largely separate. This paper links these fields by presenting an SME website content analysis method. Melville in his seminal MIS Quarterly article called for such methods which provide a nexus of IS, organisations and environment (which we extend to CSR). The method involves four steps: 1) identifying sources of SME websites; 2) determining if websites are describing CSR (based on the literature CSR by SMEs); 3) archiving website content for analysis; and 4) coding the website content using a structured framework (combining the literature on IS and CSR in an SME context). The paper also provides suggestions on how IS researchers can apply the method for quantitative and qualitative/exploratory objectives for future research.<br /

Donor-side photoinhibition in photosystem II from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii upon mutation of tyrosine-Z in the D1 polypeptide to phenylalanine

AbstractWhen tyrosine-Z of the D1-polypeptide of the photosystem II from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was changed to phenylalanine, the rapid donor to P680+ was lost, and P680+ accumulated on illumination. The rapid donation from tyrosine-Z was replaced by a slow electron transfer from an endogenous donor. Spectrophotometric measurements showed that carotenoids and chlorophylls were bleached by the P680+ either directly or indirectly upon illumination. The carotenoid bleaching was inhibited in the presence of SOD or catalase, but the reaction did not require molecular oxygen as an electron acceptor. These observations led us to conclude that active oxygen radicals, possibly hydroxyl radicals, take part in the destruction of carotenoids in the Y161F mutant. Possible mechanisms for the destruction are discussed