Stakeholder perspectives on shale gas fracking: A Q-method study of environmental discourses

The rapid expansion of shale gas exploration worldwide is a significant source of environmental controversy. Successful shale gas policymaking is dependent upon a clear understanding of the dynamics of competing stakeholder perspectives on these issues, and so methods are needed to delineate the areas of agreement and conflict that emerge. This empirical study, based in the United Kingdom, examines emergent perspectives on a range of environmental, health and socio-economic impacts associated with shale gas fracking using Q- methodology: a combined qualitative-quantitative approach. The analysis reveals three typologies of perspectives amongst key industry, civil society and non-affiliated citizen stakeholders; subsequently contextualised in relation to Dryzek’s typology of environmental discourses. These are labelled A) “Don’t trust the fossil fuels industry: campaign for renewables” (mediating between sustainable development and democratic pragmatism discourses); B) “Shale gas is a bridge fuel: economic growth and environmental scepticism” (mediating between economic rationalism and ecological modernisation discourses); and C) “Take place protective action and legislate in the public interest” (reflecting a discourse of administrative rationalism). The implications of these competing discourses for nascent shale gas policy in the UK are discussed in light of recent Government public consultation on changes to national planning policy

The Local Economic Impact of Shale Gas Extraction

Advocates of UK shale gas expansion have focused upon predicted national economic benefits, but local and/or regional impact has been largely neglected. This paper seeks to address this deficit by creating a unique dataset, combining industry data with consumer and supply chain surveys, thereby overcoming the current absence of suitable secondary data. Local economic impact in the Bowland field is estimated via a simple Keynesian local income multiplier model. Results emphasize the importance of facilitating local employment opportunities, through skills initiatives, and development of regional supply chain clusters, to anchor economic benefits within the local economy. Policy implications are discussed

INTEREST OF CSF ABETA/TAU INDEX IN ALZHEIMER’S POSITIVE DIAGNOSIS.

International audienceBackground : Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative affection that is approaching epidemic proportions in the industrialized world due to aging of the populations. Recently, new revisited AD diagnosis criteria point out the major interest of CSF biomarkers. The dosage of tau, its phosphorylated form p-tau181 and amyloïd Aβ42 peptide in CSF have come to the fore. Based on Aβ42 and tau values obtained using Innogenetics ELSIA kits, a index called IATI could be calculated and seemed very interesting to discriminate AD from other dementias. Aim : To investigate the diagnostic value of CSF IATI in AD positive diagnosis. Method : CSF tau, p-tau181 and Aβ42 biomarkers were analysed in a consecutive cohort of 167 patients with neurological disease. Eighteen AD and 46 non Alzheimer’s dementias were identified in this population. The AD diagnosis was based on NINCDS/ADRDA criteria. Lombar punctures were performed after informed consent was obtained from the patient or the legal representative. The IATI was defined as Aβ42(240+1.18 x tau). The sensitivity, sensibility and ROC analysis were computed. Results : The IATI is considered pathologic if inferior to 1. The IATI sensitivity was above 90% in our series while its specificity was lower, around 60%. On the other hand, p-tau had a better specificity (>90%) but a lower sensitivity (close to 80%). Discussion : Depending on the clinical situation, the utilization of IATI, p-tau or both appears to be very interesting. The IATI<1 provides an excellent sensibility to confirm a positive diagnosis of AD in patients with strong clinical diagnostic presumption. Besides, when the diagnosis is doubtful, p-tau is a useful biomarker to identify AD from other dementias

J Agric Food Chem

Pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment is an emerging technology that is arousing increasing interest in vinification processes for its ability to enhance polyphenol extraction performance. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of PEF treatment on grape skin histocytological structures and on the organization of skin cell wall polysaccharides and tannins, which, until now, have been little investigated. This study relates to the effects of two PEF treatments on harvested Cabernet Sauvignon berries: PEF1 (medium strength (4 kV/cm); short duration (1 ms)) and PEF2 (low intensity (0.7 kV/cm); longer duration (200 ms)). Histocytological observations and the study of levels of polysaccharidic fractions and total amounts of tannins allowed differentiation between the two treatments. Whereas PEF1 had little effect on the polyphenol structure and pectic fraction, PEF2 profoundly modified the organization of skin cell walls. Depending on the PEF parameters, cell wall structure was differently affected, providing variable performance in terms of polyphenol extraction and wine quality