Situational and Emotional Influences on the Acceptability of Wolf Management Actions

Abstract This article examined the effectiveness of situational and emotional variables in predicting the acceptability of wolf management actions in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Three hypotheses were advanced: (a) both situational and emotional variables will influence acceptability ratings, (b) emotions will explain the largest proportion of variance for the lethal management action, and (c) this pattern of findings will be the same for residents and visitors. Data were obtained from a survey of local residents and a survey of visitors to Grand Teton National Park. Two situational variables (location of encounter, wolf status) and three emotional variables (sympathy for ranchers, sympathy for wolves, anger about wolves) were included as independent variables. The dependent variables were acceptability of non-lethal and lethal management. Regression analyses supported the hypotheses. While debates regarding wolves are likely to continue, these findings highlight the role that emotion plays in evaluating the acceptability of management actions

Premature fruit drop in mango (Mangifera indica L.) in Northern Vietnam

Mango production in Northern Vietnam is mainly organized in farmer-owned, small-scale orchard operations. However, the production is limited due to excessive fruit drop presumably caused by unfavourable climatic conditions in combination with plant stresses during the fruit set period. There is a general belief that this phenomenon is caused by different combinations of stressing factors which may vary between regions and sites. In the mountainous area of Northern Vietnam, fruit drop of two main local cultivars ?Hôi? and ?Tròn? may be caused by environmental cues occurring particulary during fruit set. Environemntal stress factors may include excessive air temperature, low relative humidity, strong prevailing winds and little rainfall. These multiple stressors are likely associated with a time dependent change of the endogenous plant hormone auxin (indole-3-acetic acid, IAA) exported from fruit and within the pedicel. Field trials revealed, that fruit shedding could be reduced by irrigation and plant growth regulator (PGR) application throughout the 3-year experiment study; however, it remains unclear how climatic conditons might induce hormonal response and thus enhance fruit shedding at different stages of fruit development. The present research project consists of three studies. First it was to determined which single or multiple climatic cues trigger fruit shedding in mango. Second, it was attempted to alleviate fruit abscission by PGR spray application at post-bloom and early developmental stages of the fruit in comparison with regular irrigation scheduling to reduce extensive fruit abscission. Third, the morphological changes in the abscission zone of mango pedicel during fruit abscission were studied. The timely changes of plant tissue IAA concentration and its key role in the abscission process was also evaluated. The research work was conducted in a commercial orchard near the township of Yen Chau in 2007, 2008 and 2009. The experimental design consisted of 20 randomly selected 10-year-old mango trees of each of the cultivars ?Hôi? and ?Tròn?. Half of the trees were irrigated at 3-day-intervals by mircospinkler and the remaining trees served as non-irrigated controls. For the PGR applications, 3 trees of each cultivar in 2008, and 6 trees of each cultivar in 2009 were used. In both experiments, 10 randomly selected inflorescences per tree were labelled and counted twice per until end of the fruit drop period. Fruit tissue was collected on-site from irrigated and non-irrigated trees. The fruit export of the endogenous indole-3-acetic acid was analyzed by Radio-Immuno-Assay (RIA). Further, to clarify the morphological changes within the abscission zone (AZ) of mango pedicels, samples of irrigated and control trees were collected, fixed and embedded, using a modified dehydration and embedding technique by vacuum infiltration. The results of the first part of this study indicate that the onset of the hot, dry prevailing winds induced the fruit drop. Whether fruit drop was reduced by irrigation seems to depend on the level of soil water deficiency, hence the reduction of plant water potentials. The results of the second part of the study showed that PGR applications reduced excessive fruit drop. Although all chemical treatments indicated significant effects, a single spray application of N-(2-chloro-4-pyridyl)-N-phenylurea (CPPU) and 1-naphtaleneacetic acid (NAA) effectively improved fruit retention. Furthermore, those spray applications led to a greater fruit set per inflorescennce than irrigation. However, IAA-export was not clearly affected by irrigation or PGR applications. The results of the third part of the study indicate positive effect of irrigation on fruit retention in both cultivars, which might be influenced by increased pedicel thickness thus increased carbon/nutrient availability to the fruit during critical environmental periods. Moreover, shortage of carboydrate supply to the fruit may be associated with a reduction of IAA-export out of the fruit and this in turn triggers the abscission process. In conclusion, this research proved that prevailing environmental conditons, particulary hot, dry winds, induce premature fruit drop in mango in Northern Vietnam. The identification of the physiological basis of premature fruit drop allowed the development of effective crop management strategies (e.g. PGR applications, irrigation) to overcome unfavourable environmental conditions and to reduce or even inhibit plant responses associated with premature fruit drop. The presented results suggest, that setting up an irrigation system increased fruit retention, which; however, is a great investment for farmers. It was shown that the ease of PGR application and the efficiency of the treatment is a promising alternative to irrigation in oder to prevent excessive fruit drop in mango. The development of effective, fruit drop reducing crop management strategies may also optimized crop loads and enhanced financial returns to growers.Die Mangoproduktion in Nordvietnam ist überwiegend in bäuerlichen Kleinbetrieben organisiert. Der Anbau ist jedoch stark eingeschränkt durch einen übermäßigen Fruchtfall, vermutlich verursacht durch örtlich vorherrschende ungünstige klimatische Bedigungen. Es wird allgemein angenommen, dass dieses Fruchtfall-Phänomen durch eine Kombinationen verschiedener Stressfaktoren verursacht wird, die je nach Region und Lage variieren. In der Bergregion von Nordvietnam, genauer der Son La Provinz, kann der Fruchtabfall von ungünstigen Umwelteinflüssen verursacht werden, die zumeist während des Fruchtansatzes auftreten. Zu diesen negativen Umweltfaktoren zählen sowohl extrem hohe Lufttemperaturen, eine niedrige relative Luftfeuchtigkeit, aber auch die vorherrschenden heißen Winde mit wenigen Niederschlägen. Ein Zusammenwirken dieser multiplen Stressoren kann vermutlich eine Reduzierung des Auxins Indol-3-Essigsäure (IAA) Exports durch den Fruchtstiel bewirken. Feldversuche zeigten, dass das Muster und die Intensität des Fruchtfalls bei Mango während der gesamten 3-jährigen Versuchsperiode durch Bewässerung sowie die Anwendung von Pflanzenwachtumsregulatoren verändert, respektive vermindert werden konnten. Es bleibt jedoch unklar, wie die Klimabedingungen eine hormonelle Reaktion hervorrufen könnten, und folglich den Fruchtfall in verschiedenen Stadien der Fruchtentwicklung verstärken. Das vorliegende Forschungsprojekt besteht aus drei Studien. Das Ziel der ersten Studie war es, die einzelnen bzw. kombinierten klimatischen Faktoren, die den vorzeitigen Fruchtfall bei Mango induzieren, zu bestimmen, bzw. durch den Einsatz von regelmäßiger Bewässerung diesen Stressoren entgegenzuwirken und somit den Fruchtfall zu reduzieren. Ziel der zweiten Studie befasste sich mit den möglichen Auswirkungen der Behandlung mit Pflanzenwachtumsregulatoren und deren Potential den vorzeitigen Fruchtfall kurz nach der Blüte und während des frühen Entwicklungsstadiums der Mangofrüchte zu vermindern, bzw. deren Effekte mit den Ergebnissen des Bewässerungsexperiments zu vergleichen. Im dritten Teil des vorliegenden Forschungsprojekts wurden die morphologischen Veränderungen in der Abszissionszone von Mangostielen während des Fruchtfalls untersucht. Die Untersuchungen des Auxins-Exports der zweiten und dritten Studie dienten hauptsächlich dem genaueren Verständnis über den Auxinfluß aus der sich entwickelnden Frucht und somit der endogenen Hormonkonzentration im Trenngewebe über die kritische Zeit des Fruchtfalls und deren Schlüsselrolle im Abszissionsprocess, besonders in Abhängigkeit von der Bewässerung. Die entsprechenden Forschungsarbeiten wurden in einer Plantage in der Nähe der Stadt Yen Chau in den Jahren 2007, 2008 und 2009 durchgeführt. Der Versuchsaufbau beinhaltete jeweils 20 zufällig ausgewählte 10-jährige Mangobäume der Sorten 'Hôi' und 'Trôn'. Für das Beregnungsexperiment wurden jeweils die Hälfte der Bäume in 3-tägigen Abständen mittels Mikrosprinklern bewässert, wobei die verbliebenden Bäume als nicht-bewässerte Kontrolle dienten. Zur Evaluiering der Sprühapplikation der Pflanzenwachstumsregulatoren wurden separat 3 Bäume in 2008 bzw. 6 Bäume im Versuchsjahr 2009 ausgewählt. In beiden Experimenten wurden 10 Infloreszenzen zufällig über den Baum verteilt etikettiert und zweimal pro Woche über die Fruchtfallperiode hinweg ausgezählt. Für die hormonellen Untersuchungen wurden Früchte ab stecknadelgröße von bewässerten und nicht-bewässerten Bäumen eingesammelt und auf Diffusionspuffer gesetzt. Die Bestimmung der diffusiblen IAA-Konzentration erfolgte mittels radioimmunologischer Methoden. Ferner, um die morphologischen Veränderungen innerhalb der Abszissionszone der Mangofruchtstiele zu verfolgen, wurde entsprechendes Probenmaterial von bewässerten sowie Kontrollbäumen gesammelt, in einer Formalin-Essigsäure-Alkohol Lösung fixiert und unter Anwendnung einer modifizierten Dehydrierungs- und Einbettungstechnik mittels Vakuuminfiltration in Glykolmethacrylat-Methylmethacrylat eingebettet. Die Ergebnisse der ersten Studie zeigten, dass der Beginn des vorzeitigen Fruchtfalls zeitgleich mit dem Aufkommen der heißen, trockenen, Winde ausgelöst wurde. Die Auswirkung der Bewässerung auf den Fruchtfall scheint von der vorhandenen Bodenfeuchtigkeit, bzw. dem verfügbaren Bodenwasserpotential abzuhängen. In der zweiten Studie konnte nachgewiesen werden, dass durch Anwendung von Pflanzenwachstumsregulatoren der vorzeitige Fruchtfall in Mango reduziert werden konnte. Zwar wurden druch alle chemischen Behandlungen der Fruchtfall signifikant reduziert, die vorliegenden Ergebnisse zeigten jedoch deutlich, dass eine einmalige Applikation von N-(2-chloro-4-pyridyl)-N-phenylurea (CPPU) sowie 1-Naphtylessigsäure (NAA) den vorzeitigen Fruchtabfall am effektivsten verringerte und den Fruchtbehang bis unmittelbar vor dem Erntezeitpunkt am positivsten beeinflusste. Darüber hinaus zeigten die einmaligen chemischen Applikationen einen im Vergleich zum Bewässerungsexperiment gesteigerten durchschnittlichen Fruchtbehang pro Infloreszenz. Dennoch konnten die über die Fruchtfallperiode hinweg festgestellten Veränderungen des IAA-Exports die positive Wirkung der Bewässerung auf die Fruchtretention nicht erklären. Die mikroskopischen Ergbnisse der dritten Studie lassen darauf schliessen, dass dickere Fruchtstiele die bedarfsgerechte Kohlenhydratversorgung der Früchte während umweltbedingter kritischer Temperatur- und Wasserdampfdefizitbedingungen positiv beeinflussen. Darüberhinaus dürfte eine Kohlenhydratunterversorgung der Frucht möglicherweise in Kombination mit einem reduzierten IAA-Export aus der Frucht als Startsignal für den pflanzenphysiologischen Prozess der Ausbildung eines Abszissions-gewebes dienen. Zusammenfassend lässt sich feststellen, dass die vorherrschenden Umweltbedingungen im Norden von Vietnam, insbesondere die heißen, trockenen Winde während der frühen Fruchtentwicklungsphase einen vorzeitigen Fruchtfall bei Mango verursachen. Die hier beschriebenen fruchtphysiologischen Arbeiten zum vorzeitigen Fruchtfall bei Mango führten zu der Entwicklung wirksamer Fruchtbehandlungsstrategien wie dem Aufbau eines Bewässerungssystems und/oder dem Einsatz von Pflanzenwachstumsregulatoren, um ungünstige Umweltbedingungen zu überwinden, und um die Reaktionen der Planzen zu reduzieren oder sogar zu unterbinden, die mit dem verfrühtem Fruchtfall in Verbindung stehen. Die vorgelegten Ergebnisse legen nahe, dass der erntenahe Fruchtbehang durch die Errichtung eines Bewässerungssystems gesteigert werden kann; wobei solche Systeme für Bauern in den Anbaugebieten eine große Investition darstellen. Eine Behandlung mit Pflanzenwachtumsregulatoren, bedingt durch die Einfachheit der Applikation in Kombination mit der chemischen Wirksamkeit, stellt eine vielversprechende Alternative dar, um den exzessiven vorzeitigen Fruchtbfall beim Mango zu verhindern. Diese könnte einen Beitrag dazu leisten, einen ökonomisch rentableren Anbau von Mango in dieser Region zu ermöglichen

Axiomatic Bargaining Theory on Opportunity Assignments

This paper discusses issues of axiomatic bargaining problems over opportunity assignments. The fair arbitrator uses the principle of "equal opportunity" for all players to make the recommendation on re- source allocations. A framework in such a context is developed and several classical solutions to standard bargaining problems are reformulated and axiomatically characterized. Working Paper 06-4

Towards an Ontological Modelling of Preference Relations

Preference relations are intensively studied in Economics, but they are also approached in AI, Knowledge Representation, and Conceptual Modelling, as they provide a key concept in a variety of domains of application. In this paper, we propose an ontological foundation of preference relations to formalise their essential aspects across domains. Firstly, we shall discuss what is the ontological status of the relata of a preference relation. Secondly, we investigate the place of preference relations within a rich taxonomy of relations (e.g. we ask whether they are internal or external, essential or contingent, descriptive or nondescriptive relations). Finally, we provide an ontological modelling of preference relation as a module of a foundational (or upper) ontology (viz. OntoUML). The aim of this paper is to provide a sharable foundational theory of preference relation that foster interoperability across the heterogeneous domains of application of preference relations

Securing circulation pharmaceutically: antiviral stockpiling and pandemic preparedness in the European Union

Governments in Europe and around the world amassed vast pharmaceutical stockpiles in anticipation of a potentially catastrophic influenza pandemic. Yet the comparatively ‘mild’ course of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic provoked considerable public controversy around those stockpiles, leading to questions about their cost–benefit profile and the commercial interests allegedly shaping their creation, as well as around their scientific evidence base. So, how did governments come to view pharmaceutical stockpiling as such an indispensable element of pandemic preparedness planning? What are the underlying security rationalities that rapidly rendered antivirals such a desirable option for government planners? Drawing upon an in-depth reading of Foucault’s notion of a ‘crisis of circulation’, this article argues that the rise of pharmaceutical stockpiling across Europe is integral to a governmental rationality of political rule that continuously seeks to anticipate myriad circulatory threats to the welfare of populations – including to their overall levels of health. Novel antiviral medications such as Tamiflu are such an attractive policy option because they could enable governments to rapidly modulate dangerous levels of (viral) circulation during a pandemic, albeit without disrupting all the other circulatory systems crucial for maintaining population welfare. Antiviral stockpiles, in other words, promise nothing less than a pharmaceutical securing of circulation itself

To what extent do fiscal regimes equalize opportunities for income acquisition among citizens?.

This paper employs the theory of equality of opportunity, described in Roemer’s book (Equality of Opportunity, Harvard University Press, 1998), to compute the extent to which tax-and-transfer regimes in 11 countries equalize opportunities among citizens for income acquisition. Roughly speaking, equality of opportunity for incomes has been achieved in a country when it is the case that the distributions of post-fisc income are the same for different types of citizen, where a citizen’s type is defined by the socio-economic status of his parents. Intuitively, a country will have equalized opportunity if the chances of earning high (or low) income are equal for citizens from all family backgrounds. Of course, pre-fisc income distributions, by type, will not be identical, as long as the educational system does not entirely make up for the disadvantage that children, who come from poor families face, but the tax-and-transfer system can play a role in rectifying that inequality. We include, in our computation, two numbers that summarize the extent to which each country’s current fiscal regime achieves equalization of opportunities for income, and the deadweight loss that would be incurred by moving to the regime that does.Fiscal regimes; Equal opportunities; Income acquisition;

The fate of the homoctenids (Tentaculitoidea) during the Frasnian-Famennian mass extinction (Late Devonian)

The homoctenids (Tentaculitoidea) are small, conical-shelled marine animals which are amongst the most abundant and widespread of all Late Devonian fossils. They were a principal casualty of the Frasnian-Famennian (F-F, Late Devonian) mass extinction, and thus provide an insight into the extinction dynamics. Despite their abundance during the Late Devonian, they have been largely neglected by extinction studies. A number of Frasnian-Famennian boundary sections have been studied, in Poland, Germany, France, and the United States. These sections have yielded homoctenids, which allow precise recognition of the timing of the mass extinction. It is clear that the homoctenids almost disappear from the fossil record during the latest Frasnian “Upper Kellwasser Event”. The coincident extinction of this pelagic group, and the widespread development of intense marine anoxia within the water column, provides a causal link between anoxia and the F-F extinction. Most notable is the sudden demise of a group, which had been present in rock-forming densities, during this anoxic event. One new species, belonging to Homoctenus is described, but is not formally named here

What is Socialism Today? Conceptions of a Cooperative Economy

Socialism is back on the political agenda in the United States. Politicians and some economists who identify as socialists, however, do not discuss property relations, a topic that was central in the intellectual history of socialism, but rather limit themselves to advocacy of economic reforms, funded through taxation, that would tilt the income distribution in favor of the disadvantaged in society. In the absence of a more precise discussion of property relations, the presumption must be that ownership of firms would remain private or corporate with privately owned shares. This formula is identified with the Nordic and other western European social democracies. In this article, I propose several variants of socialism, which are characterized by different kinds of property relation in the ownership of society’s firms. In addition to varying property relations, I include as part of socialism a conception of what it means for a socialist society to possess a cooperative ethos, in place of the individualistic ethos of capitalist society. Differences in ethea are modeled as differences in the manner in which economic agents optimize. With an individualistic ethos, economic agents optimize in the manner of John Nash, while under a cooperative ethos, many optimize in the manner of Immanuel Kant. It is shown that Kantian optimization can decentralize resource allocation in ways that neatly separate issues of income distribution from those of efficiency. In particular, remuneration of labor and capital contributions to production need no longer be linked to marginal-product pricing of these factors, as is the key to efficiency with capitalist property relations. I present simulations of socialist income distributions, and offer some tentative conclusions concerning how we should conceive of socialism today

Role of Bax in resveratrol-induced apoptosis of colorectal carcinoma cells

BACKGROUND: The natural plant polyphenol resveratrol present in some foods including grapes, wine, and peanuts, has been implicated in the inhibition, delay, and reversion of cellular events associated with heart diseases and tumorigenesis. Recent work has suggested that the cancer chemoprotective effect of the compound is primarily linked to its ability to induce cell division cycle arrest and apoptosis, the latter possibly through the activation of pro-apoptotic proteins such as Bax. METHODS: The expression, subcellular localization, and importance of Bax for resveratrol-provoked apoptosis were assessed in human HCT116 colon carcinoma cells and derivatives with both bax alleles inactivated. RESULTS: Low to moderate concentrations of resveratrol induced co-localization of cellular Bax protein with mitochondria, collapse of the mitochondrial membrane potential, activation of caspases 3 and 9, and finally, apoptosis. In the absence of Bax, membrane potential collapse was delayed, and apoptosis was reduced but not absent. Resveratrol inhibited the formation of colonies by both HCT116 and HCT116 bax -/- cells. CONCLUSION: Resveratrol at physiological doses can induce a Bax-mediated and a Bax-independent mitochondrial apoptosis. Both can limit the ability of the cells to form colonies