170 research outputs found
Verplicht of vrijwillig? Draagvlak bij agrariërs voor gebiedsbescherming in het kader van Natura 2000
The conservation of areas with special nature and landscape values by Natura 2000 (Birds Directive and Habitats Directive) may have major consequences for farmers in or near special protected areas (SPAs) or special areas of conservation (SACs). Natura 2000 obliges membership countries to protect certain types of habitats or habitats of certain species, whereas farmers have always been participating in agri-environmental schemes on a voluntary base. How should national governments implement the directives in areas where farmers have been managing nature voluntarily since decades? The compulsory character of the directives may undermine the willingness of farmers to participate in agri-environmental schemes that are connected to the directives. In this study, the possible implications for farmers from the Birds and Habitats Directives are reviewed. Next, the present willingness of farmers in the SPA/SAC Ilperveld, Oostzanerveld, Varkensland and Het Twiske to participate in nature management is examined. Furthermore, the effect of the probable compulsory character of the directives on this willingness is explored, including the factors influencing it. Finally, recommendations are given for maintaining or increasing the willingness to participate in agri-environmental schemes that are connected with the Birds and Habitats Directive
The Development of Novel Organotin Anti-Tumor Drugs: Structure and Activity
An overview of the development of anti-tumor organotin derivatives in selected classes of
compounds is presented and discussed. High to very high in vitro activity has been found,
sometimes equaling that of doxorubicin. Solubility in water is an important issue, dominating
the in vivo testing of compounds with promising in vitro properties.
The cytotoxicity of the compounds was increased by the presence of a bulky group, an active substituent or one or
more polar substituents. Polar substituents may also improve the water solubility. Although
organotin derivatives constitute a separate class of compounds, the comparison with cisplatin
is inevitable. Among the observed toxicities, neurotoxicity, known from platinum cytostatics,
and gastrointestinal toxicity, typical for many oncology drugs, have been detected. Further
research to develop novel, useful organotin anti-tumor compounds should be carried out
Effects of Landscape Structure on Movement Patterns of the Flightless Bush Cricket Pholidoptera griseoaptera
Because the viability of a population may depend on whether individuals can disperse, it is important for conservation planning to understand how landscape structure affects movement behavior. Some species occur in a wide range of landscapes differing greatly in structure, and the question arises of whether these species are particularly versatile in their dispersal or whether they are composed of genetically distinct populations adapted to contrasting landscapes. We performed a capture-mark-resight experiment to study movement patterns of the flightless bush cricket Pholidoptera griseoaptera (De Geer 1773) in two contrasting agricultural landscapes in France and Switzerland. The mean daily movement of P. griseoaptera was significantly higher in the landscape with patchily distributed habitat (Switzerland) than in the landscape with greater habitat connectivity (France). Net displacement rate did not differ between the two landscapes, which we attributed to the presence of more linear elements in the connected landscape, resulting in a more directed pattern of movement by P. griseoaptera. Significant differences in the movement patterns between landscapes with contrasting structure suggest important effects of landscape structure on movement and dispersal success. The possibility of varying dispersal ability within the same species needs to be studied in more detail because this may provide important information for sustainable landscape planning aimed at maintaining viable metapopulations, especially in formerly well-connected landscape
Expert Elicitation on Wind Farm Control
Wind farm control is an active and growing field of research in which the
control actions of individual turbines in a farm are coordinated, accounting
for inter-turbine aerodynamic interaction, to improve the overall performance
of the wind farm and to reduce costs. The primary objectives of wind farm
control include increasing power production, reducing turbine loads, and
providing electricity grid support services. Additional objectives include
improving reliability or reducing external impacts to the environment and
communities. In 2019, a European research project (FarmConners) was started
with the main goal of providing an overview of the state-of-the-art in wind
farm control, identifying consensus of research findings, data sets, and best
practices, providing a summary of the main research challenges, and
establishing a roadmap on how to address these challenges. Complementary to the
FarmConners project, an IEA Wind Topical Expert Meeting (TEM) and two rounds of
surveys among experts were performed. From these events we can clearly identify
an interest in more public validation campaigns. Additionally, a deeper
understanding of the mechanical loads and the uncertainties concerning the
effectiveness of wind farm control are considered two major research gaps
Long-term research challenges in wind energy – a research agenda by the European Academy of Wind Energy
The European Academy of Wind Energy (eawe), representing universities and institutes with a significant wind energy programme in 14 countries, has discussed the long-term research challenges in wind energy. In contrast to research agendas addressing short- to medium-term research activities, this eawe document takes a longer-term perspective, addressing the scientific knowledge base that is required to develop wind energy beyond the applications of today and tomorrow. In other words, this long-term research agenda is driven by problems and curiosity, addressing basic research and fundamental knowledge in 11 research areas, ranging from physics and design to environmental and societal aspects. Because of the very nature of this initiative, this document does not intend to be permanent or complete. It shows the vision of the experts of the eawe, but other views may be possible. We sincerely hope that it will spur an even more intensive discussion worldwide within the wind energy community
Passive movement therapy in patients with moderate to severe paratonia; study protocol of a randomised clinical trial (ISRCTN43069940)
Contains fulltext :
65492.pdf ( ) (Open Access
Gevolgen van COVID-19 voor de rechtspraak en kwetsbare rechtzoekenden: een onderzoek naar maatregelen en de positie van rechtzoekenden binnen het straf-, civiele jeugdbeschermings-, en vreemdelingenrecht
NWO10430032010019Criminal Justice: Legitimacy, accountability, and effectivit
Coordinated Activity of Ventral Tegmental Neurons Adapts to Appetitive and Aversive Learning
Our understanding of how value-related information is encoded in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) is based mainly on the responses of individual putative dopamine neurons. In contrast to cortical areas, the nature of coordinated interactions between groups of VTA neurons during motivated behavior is largely unknown. These interactions can strongly affect information processing, highlighting the importance of investigating network level activity. We recorded the activity of multiple single units and local field potentials (LFP) in the VTA during a task in which rats learned to associate novel stimuli with different outcomes. We found that coordinated activity of VTA units with either putative dopamine or GABA waveforms was influenced differently by rewarding versus aversive outcomes. Specifically, after learning, stimuli paired with a rewarding outcome increased the correlation in activity levels between unit pairs whereas stimuli paired with an aversive outcome decreased the correlation. Paired single unit responses also became more redundant after learning. These response patterns flexibly tracked the reversal of contingencies, suggesting that learning is associated with changing correlations and enhanced functional connectivity between VTA neurons. Analysis of LFP recorded simultaneously with unit activity showed an increase in the power of theta oscillations when stimuli predicted reward but not an aversive outcome. With learning, a higher proportion of putative GABA units were phase locked to the theta oscillations than putative dopamine units. These patterns also adapted when task contingencies were changed. Taken together, these data demonstrate that VTA neurons organize flexibly as functional networks to support appetitive and aversive learning
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