Vloga ekonomije v gozdnem načrtovanju in ocena gozdne politike v Sloveniji

This paper explores the current status of the forest sectors in Slovenia, identifies potential issues in the management and use of the forests, and discusses a means by which policy makers can identify opportunities to enhance the role played by forests and their related goods and services in Slovenia. Specifically, a framework is proposed to assess the relationships between the economic, social, and ecological aspects of Slovenia%s forestseffects of changes in economic conditions on forest demands and useseconomic impacts of ecological, social, and business conditionseffects of current or proposed policiesand opportunities for the sustainable economic development of wood-based and forest-dependent enterprises. Such a framework is critical for managing Slovenia\u27s forests and forestry sector in such a manner to optimize the ecological and economic potential.Prispevek prikazuje raziskavo stanja gozdarskega sektorja v Sloveniji, pokaže na potencialne težave v upravljanju in rabi gozdov ter odpira razpravo o orodjih, s katerimi bi lahko pripravljavci politik opredelili priložnosti za krepitev vloge gozdov v Sloveniji in z njimi povezanih dobrin in storitev. Podan je predlog okvira za analizo: povezav med ekonomskimi, socialnimi in ekološkimi vidiki gozdov v Slovenijivplivov spremenjenih ekonomskih razmer na povpraševanje in rabo gozdnih virovekonomskih vplivov ekoloških in socialnih razmer ter poslovnega okoljaučinkov veljavnih in predlaganih politikin priložnosti za trajnostni ekonomski razvoj podjetništva v lesno-predelovalni panogi in gozdarskem podjetništvu. Tovrstni okvir je ključen za gospodarjenje z gozdovi Slovenije z vidika optimiziranja ekološkega in ekonomskega potenciala gozdarskega sektorja

Forest Certification and Nonindustrial Private Forest Landowners: Who Will Consider Certifying and Why?

Nonindustrial private forest owners in western Tennessee who own 40 or more acres of forestland were sent a mail survey to assess their awareness, acceptance, and perception of forest certification. More than eight in 10 participants indicated a willingness to consider certification. Landowners who would most likely consider certifying their forest were typically well-educated new forest owners, and had received advice or information about their forestland. They would certify for both utilitarian and environmental reasons, and they most trust the State Division of Forestry and consulting foresters as potential third-party certifiers

Public Perceptions of Values Associated with Wildfire Protection at the Wildland-Urban Interface: A Synthesis of National Findings

The wildland-urban interface (WUI) continues to transform rural landscapes as previously undeveloped areas are populated with residential and commercial structures which, in turn, impact ecosystems and create landscapes of risk. Within this context, the science of wildfire risk mitigation has experienced renewed and enhanced support among scientists and managers. However, risk mitigation measures have not found purchase in either the public’s acceptance or involvement in this new role of and for fire. This may partially result from little regard for the effects of wildfire prevention efforts on values other than protecting homes and other structures. We report findings from qualitative interviews conducted across the United States to identify and define various values at risk from wildfire. Values influencing risk mitigation emerged from the biophysical, sociodemographic, and sociocultural contexts of wildfire. Findings demonstrate how wildfire is intertwined with diverse sets of risks experienced in daily life. We provide a discussion of how this research impacts the transformation of landscapes and risk management strategies. Identifying and better understanding the effects of values associated with wildfire—and landscape change in the WUI—will allow natural resource managers and decision makers to develop more effective fuel treatment programs and land use policies

Valuing Diversity and Spatial Pattern of Open Space Plots in Urban Neighborhoods

Abstract This study evaluates the diversity, spatial configuration, and pattern of open spaces in urban neighborhoods. Empirical evidence from hedonic modeling reveals that urban residents positively value the varieties of open space but negatively value the diversity within developed land uses. Square shaped plots of open spaces with smooth, as well straight edge are preferred to those of complex and convoluted shapes with irregular edges

Očekivanja privatnih šumoposjednika od interesnih udruženja: komparativna analiza između Slovenije i Bosne i Hercegovine

Private forests in Slovenia and Bosnia-Herzegovina are important resources for national economic development. Based on differences in the proportion of private forests, the countries differ substantially with regard to the role of private forest owners, as well as the conditions of owner interest associations in the forest policy processes. Since private forest owners are so diverse, there is a need to better understand their expectation for interest associations. Surveys were conducted in 2008 on random samples of private forest owners in Slovenia and Bosnia-Herzegovina to examine the factors affecting their expectations. The study examined seven categories of expectations: silvicultural advice, harvesting advice, information about timber markets, information about legal regulations, information about strengthening entrepreneurship, support of forest road construction/maintenance and forest management training. Seven models were developed to examine the factors affecting each category of expectations. The results reveal that socio-demographic characteristics of private forest owners, ownership structure, and property conditions were associated with expectations. Three models (silvicultural advice, strengthening entrepreneurship and support of forest road construction/maintenance) were statistically significant in both countries. The strongest factor that influences the expectations for Slovenian private forest owners was education while in Bosnia-Herzegovina it was property size. Gender did not influence expectations of private forest owners in either country. Understanding the underlying factors influencing private forest owner expectations could aid in developing appropriate forest policy instruments to support owner cooperation within interest associations and improve private forest management.Zbog činjenice da je više od polovice europskih šuma u privatnom vlasništvu, problematika privatnog šumoposjeda ima značajno mjesto u europskoj šumarskoj politici. Zbog političko-ekonomskih okolnosti kroz koje su prolazile zemlje jugoistočne Europe, ovom tipu vlasništva se u prethodnom razdoblju nije pridavao odgovorajući značaj. Međutim, s političkim promjenama i procesima koji su ih pratili (privatizacija, restitucija, denacionalizacija i sl.) problematika privatnog šumoposjeda postaje sve više aktualna i u ovim zemljama. Iskustva u organiziranju privatnih šumposjednika kroz interesne asocijacije različita su u Sloveniji i Bosni i Hercegovini. U svrhu komparativne analize očekivanja privatnih šumoposjednika od interesnih asocijacija u ove dvije zemlje, kao i utjecaja različitih čimbenika na ta očekivanja, provedena su kvalitativna istraživanja primjenom metoda intervjuiranja slučajno izabranih ispitanika – privatnih šumoposjednika. U cilju ocjene veze između karakteristika šumoposjednika/šumoposjeda i njihovih očekivanja od interesnih asocijacija, korištena je multivarijantna logistička regresija. Očekivanja su grupirana u sedam kategorija (ovisnih varijabli) a rezultati multivarijantne logističke regresije su za svaku zemlju prikazani kroz odgovarajuće modele. Kao neovisne varijable korištene su socio-demografske karakteristike ispitanika (spol, dob i stupanj edukacije) te određene karakteristike njihovog šumoposjeda (veličina, fragmentiranost, tip vlasništva i stupanj korištenja šume). Rezultati istraživanja pokazuju da šumoposjednici u Sloveniji od interesnih asocijacija najviše očekuju informacije o tržištu šumskih drvnih sortimenata i različite vidove edukacije o gospodarenju šumama. Šumoposjednici u Bosni i Hercegovini su najviše zainteresirani za podršku u izgradnji i održavanju šumskih puteva te savjetima koji se odnose na uzgajanje šuma. Četiri modela (savjeti glede uzgajanja šuma, savjeti glede korištenja šuma, savjeti glede jačanja poduzetništva i podrška u izgradnji i održavanju šumskih puteva) su statistički značajni za slovenske šumoposjednike. U svim ovim mode-lima, stupanj edukacije kao neovisna varijabla je bio statistički značajan. U Bosni i Hercegovini je identificirano pet statistički zanačajnih modela (savjeti glede uzgajanja šuma, informacije o tržištu, savjeti glede jačanja poduzetništva, podrška u izgradnji i održavanju šumskih puteva i edukacija o gospodarenju šumama). Veličina šumoposjeda je statistički najznačajnija varijabla koja utječe na očekivanja šumoposjednika u Bosni i Hercegovini. Spol ispitanika nije bio statistički zanačajan ni u jednom od modela u obje zemlje. Statistički značajna zajednička očekivanja privatnih šumoposjednika u obje zemlje odnose se na savjete glede uzgajanja šuma, savjete glede jačanja poduzetništva i podršku u izgradnji i održavanju šumskih puteva. Rezultati istraživanja pokazuju da je postojanje jasnih vlasničkih pravi preduvjet za učinkovito savjetovanje glede uzgajanja šuma koje bi šumoposjednicima bilo ponuđeno od strane interesnih asocijacija. Pored toga, utvrđeno je djelovanje interesnih asocijacija važnije za sitne šumoposjednike ukoliko se želi unaprijediti gospodarenje privatnim šumama. Kad je u pitanju podrška privatnom šumoposjedu, uloga javne šumarske administracije u obje zemlje je izuzetno važna. To se posebno odnosi na Bosnu i Hercegovinu u kojoj je djelovanje interesnih asocijacija još uvijek vrlo skromno. Razumjevanje potreba i očekivanja privatnih šumoposjednika je važno za razvoj i djelovanje interesnih asocijacija. Rezultati ovih istraživanja rasvjetljavaju ta očekivanja i predstavljaju korisne informacije za ključne aktere nacionalnih šumarskih politika, javnu šumarsku administraciju i privatne šumoposjednike u Sloveniji i Bosni i Hercegovini

Economic effects of projected climate change on outdoor recreation in Tennessee.

Climate change projections from three General Circulation Models were used to adjust the temperature and precipitation in 2030 and 2080 in each of five ecological provinces in Tennessee to estimate the direct economic effects of the projected changes on recreation using the Tourism Climatic Index. The indirect effects on recreation were evaluated qualitatively, based on current demand for the unique values associated with current conditions. The results of the direct impact evaluation reveal that climate change will have variable effects on recreational activities in Tennessee. The magnitude and direction of the effects vary by the recreational activity involved, patterns of precipitation and temperature regimes, and specific location in Tennessee. Recreational activities such as rock climbing, winter activities independent of snow, and whitewater boating are likely to benefit from projected climate changes due to increased temperatures in the winter months. Summer-based activities such as lake recreation and camping are likely to decline with increasing seasonal temperatures. The indirect effects of climate change on recreation are likely to have a larger effect than the direct impacts of climatic variables

The Freshman, vol. 5, no. 1

The Freshman was a weekly, student newsletter issued on Mondays throughout the academic year. The newsletter included calendar notices, coverage of campus social events, lectures, and athletic teams. The intent of the publication was to create unity, a sense of community, and class spirit among first year students

Bisimilarity and refinement for hybrid(ised) logics

The complexity of modern software systems entails the need for reconfiguration mechanisms governing the dynamic evolution of their execution configurations in response to both external stimulus or internal performance measures. Formally, such systems may be represented by transition systems whose nodes correspond to the different configurations they may assume. Therefore, each node is endowed with, for example, an algebra, or a first-order structure, to precisely characterise the semantics of the services provided in the corresponding configuration. Hybrid logics, which add to the modal description of transition structures the ability to refer to specific states, offer a generic framework to approach the specification and design of this sort of systems. Therefore, the quest for suitable notions of equivalence and refinement between models of hybrid logic specifications becomes fundamental to any design discipline adopting this perspective. This paper contributes to this effort from a distinctive point of view: instead of focussing on a specific hybrid logic, the paper introduces notions of bisimilarity and refinement for hybridised logics, i.e. standard specification logics (e.g. propositional, equational, fuzzy, etc) to which modal and hybrid features were added in a systematic way.FC

Mendelian adult-onset leukodystrophy genes in Alzheimer´s disease. Critical influence of CSF1R and NOTCH3

Mendelian adult-onset leukodystrophies are a spectrum of rare inherited progressive neurodegenerative disorders affecting the white matter of the central nervous system. Among these, Cerebral Autosomal Dominant and Recessive Arteriopathy with Subcortical Infarcts and Leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL and CARASIL), Cerebroretinal vasculopathy (CRV), Metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD), Hereditary diffuse Leukoencephalopathy with spheroids (HDLS), Vanishing white matter disease (VWM) present with rapidly progressive dementia as dominant feature and are caused by mutations in NOTCH3, HTRA1, TREX1, ARSA, CSF1R, EIF2B1, EIF2B2, EIF2B3, EIF2B4, EIF2B5, respectively. Given the rare incidence of these disorders and the lack of unequivocally diagnostic features, leukodystrophies are frequently misdiagnosed with common sporadic dementing diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), raising the question of whether these overlapping phenotypes may be explained by shared genetic risk factors. To investigate this intriguing hypothesis, we have combined gene expression analysis 1) in 6 different AD mouse strains (APPPS1, HOTASTPM, HETASTPM, TPM, TAS10 and TAU), at 5 different developmental stages (Embryo [E15], 2 months, 4 months, 8 months and 18 months), 2) in APPPS1 primary cortical neurons under stress conditions (oxygen-glucose deprivation) and single-variant and single-gene (c-alpha and SKAT tests) based genetic screening in a cohort composed of 332 Caucasian late-onset AD patients and 676 Caucasian elderly controls. Csf1r was significantly overexpressed (Log2FC>1, adj. p-val<0.05) in the cortex and hippocampus of aged HOTASTPM mice with extensive Aβ core dense plaque pathology. We identified 3 likely pathogenic mutations in CSF1R TK domain (p.L868R, p.Q691H and p.H703Y) in our discovery and validation cohort, composed of 465 AD and MCI Caucasian patients from the UK. Moreover, NOTCH3 was a significant hit in the c-alpha test (adj p-val = 0.01). Adult onset Mendelian leukodystrophy genes are not common factors implicated in AD. Nevertheless, our study suggests a potential pathogenic link between NOTCH3, CSF1R and sporadic LOAD, that warrants further investigation

Determinants of quality of life in children with psychiatric disorders

Objective: To assess factors that, in addition to childhood psychopathology, are associated with Quality of Life (QoL) in children with psychiatric problems. Methods: In a referred sample of 252 8 to 18-year-olds, information concerning QoL, psychopathology and a broad range of child, parent, and family/ social network factors was obtained from children, parents, teachers and clinicians. Results: Poor child, parent, and clinician reported QoL was associated with child psychopathology, but given the presence of psychopathology, also with child factors, such as low self-esteem, and poor social skills, and family/social network factors, such as poor family functioning, and poor social support. In multiple linear regression analyses the importance of parent factors, such as parenting stress, was almost negligible. Conclusion: To increase QoL of children with psychiatric problems, treatment of symptoms is important, but outcome might improve if treatment is also focussed on other factors that may affect QoL. Results are discussed in relation to current treatment programs. © Springer 2005