The voracious appetites of public versus private property: a view of intellectual property and biodiversity from legal pluralism

"This paper argues, from the perspective of legal pluralism, that both private and public properties are voracious. In recent western developments, they each expand by trying to 'eating the other up'. Western property theory promotes this dualistic game of voracious property types. In exporting this game world wide through privatization, international agreements and regulations many other more balanced approaches to property, which fall between the public/private divide, are being consumed as well (as in kin group corporate property, cultural property etc.) Such a dualistic model of property limits our understanding of the ways in which the property rights of different claimants are interdependent. This interdependence arises not only from legal institutions that mediate property rights, but also from social institutions that determine and distribute rights, and how these legal and social institutions interface. The three-tiered model presented in this paper ideological, legal, and social reveals the systemic nature of property rights. Issues concerning 'new' forms of intellectual property, as well as the management of natural resources, highlight the limitations of the ideological approach to property rights, which largely ignores the legal and social relationships embedded in these forms of property. This paper explores the implications of such voracious property for biodiversity. " Author's AbstractProperty, intellectual property, Biodiversity, Natural resources, Legal pluralism, Institutions,

The Orbital Period of the Ultraluminous X-ray Source in M82

The ultraluminous x-ray source (ULX) in the galaxy M82 has been identified as a possible intermediate-mass black hole. We have found that the x-ray flux from M82 is modulated with a peak-to-peak amplitude corresponding to an isotropic luminosity of 2.4x10^40 erg/s in M82 and a period of 62.0 +/- 2.5 days, which we interpret as the orbital period of the ULX binary. This orbital period implies that the mass-donor star must be a giant or supergiant. Large mass-transfer rates, sufficient to fuel the ULX, are expected for a giant-phase mass donor in an x-ray binary. The giant phase has a short lifetime, indicating that we see the ULX in M82 in a brief and unusual period of its evolution.Comment: 3 pages, appeared in Scienc

Note on improvement precision of recursive function simulation in floating point standard

An improvement on precision of recursive function simulation in IEEE floating point standard is presented. It is shown that the average of rounding towards negative infinite and rounding towards positive infinite yields a better result than the usual standard rounding to the nearest in the simulation of recursive functions. In general, the method improves one digit of precision and it has also been useful to avoid divergence from a correct stationary regime in the logistic map. Numerical studies are presented to illustrate the method.Comment: DINCON 2017 - Conferencia Brasileira de Dinamica, Controle e Aplicacoes - Sao Jose do Rio Preto - Brazil. 8 page

Transforming Sustainability thru Adaptive Co-Management: A Critique of Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan

To achieve true sustainability, planners must balance the interests of environmental protection, economic development, and social equity. In a critically changing, complex ecosystem such as Louisiana’s coast, challenges to achieve the perfect equilibrium are further compounded. Following the logic of emerging adaptive co-management literature, the planning framework for Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan could be transformed into a more collaborative, democratic process. Adaptive co-management is a regime which provides power to local citizens, often in possession of invaluable traditional ecological knowledge. In general, it focuses on constant learning and collaboration. Through power-sharing and participatory action, we embrace science, but step back from technocracy. We utilize local knowledge, and combine it with expertise

Marketing Acceptance and Its Relationship to Selected Institutional Characteristics in Higher Education Institutions

This study examined the level of acceptance of marketing by colleges and universities in the United States. It was based upon the Four Stage Model Reflecting the Acceptance of Marketing in Higher Education Institutions developed by Simmons and Laczniak (1992). The primary purposes of this study were to validate the model and to identify the operational level of marketing acceptance at colleges and universities. Secondary purposes were to determine if the level of acceptance differed according to source of control/affiliation (public v. private), highest level of degree awarded (associate, baccalaureate, master\u27s, doctors), regional location, urban location, and institutional size. Variables were measured through a survey instrument developed by the researcher. A pilot test was conducted for reliability and validity testing of the instrument. It was then sent to a random sample of institutions which was chosen from the population of all nonproprietary colleges and universities in the United States. Responses from 243 institutions were used for data analysis. Major findings include: (1) stage completion was associated with the source of control (public v. private), a greater percentage of private institutions have completed each stage; (2) source of control/affiliation should be controlled for when comparing marketing of institutions; (3) most colleges have completed Stage One (marketing as promotion), with fewer than half completing Stage Two (marketing as market research), and about a quarter completing Stages Three (marketing as enrollment management), and Four (strategic marketing management); (4) there were no differences in stage scores based on the highest level of degree awarded, regional location, urban location, and institutional size when controlling for the source of control/affiliation; (5) the Four Stage Model has some validity, but more research is needed, particularly regarding the latter stages. Several recommendations were made. They primarily focus on the model, sampling and measurement, and future research needed on marketing acceptance

Body size changes in passerine birds introduced to New Zealand from the UK

One feature of global geographic variation in avian body sizes is that they are larger on isolated islands than on continental regions. Therefore, this study aims to assess whether there have been changes in body size following successful establishment for seven passerine bird species (blackbird Turdus merula, song thrush T. philomelos, house sparrow Passer domesticus, chaffinch Fringilla coelebs, greenfinch Chloris chloris, goldfinch Carduelis carduelis, yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella) introduced from the continental islands of the UK to the more isolated oceanic landmass of New Zealand in the middle of the nineteenth century. Measures of tarsus length were taken from individuals from contemporary UK and New Zealand populations of these species, and from historical specimens collected around the time that individuals were translocated from the UK to New Zealand. Analysis of Variance was used to test for size differences between contemporary UK and New Zealand populations, and between historical UK and contemporary UK and New Zealand populations. Historical UK populations have longer tarsi, on average, than 12 (7 UK and 5 New Zealand) of the 14 contemporary populations. Significant decreases in tarsus length relative to the historical populations have occurred in the UK for blackbird, chaffinch and greenfinch, and in the New Zealand blackbird population. Contemporary New Zealand house sparrows have significantly longer tarsi, on average, than both historical and contemporary UK populations. Exposure to novel environments may be expected to lead to changes in the morphology and other traits of exotic species, but changes have also occurred in the native range. In fact, contrary to expectations, the most common differences we found were between contemporary and historical UK populations. Consideration of contemporary populations alone would underestimate the true scale of morphological change in these species over time, which may be due to phenotypic plasticity or genetic adaptation to environmental changes experienced by all populations in the last 150 years