A genomic analysis of the archaeal system Ignicoccus hospitalis-Nanoarchaeum equitans

Sequencing of the complete genome of Ignicoccus hospitalis gives insight into its association with another species of Archaea, Nanoarchaeum equitans

Using value of statistical life for the ex ante evaluation of transport policy options: a discussion based on ethical theory

This paper aims to discuss a number of questions that are highly important for the ex ante evaluation of the safety impacts of transport policy options, from the perspective of ethical theory: (1) Is it morally OK to express prevention on acceptance of fatalities or risks in monetary terms? (2) How useful is the concept of the value of a statistical life (VOSL) for ex ante evaluations of transport policy options? (3) What are the pros and cons of pricing protection of lives or prevention of risks in ex ante evaluations? (4) Which methods are available for expressing (protection of) human lives in monetary terms, and what are the main related methodological discussions? (5) Are all safety-related costs generally included in ex ante evaluations of the safety impacts of transport policy options, and if not: what is the relevance of excluded costs categories from an ethical perspective? (6) How important is the distribution of safety effects from an ethical perspective? The answer to the first question highly depends on the ethical theory that is used. With respect to question 2 we think that the VOSL is a useful concept, but that its application is not straightforward, for several reasons. Thirdly we think that probably pricing safety improves the quality of decision making, but to the best of our knowledge there is no research to underpin this expectation. The answer to question 4 is that several methods exist to estimate the value of a statistical life (VOSL), willingness-to-pay (WTP) methods being the most common category of methods. However, several methodological issues arise that make estimates of VOSL less straightforward. With respect to question 5 we conclude that behaviour-related avoidance costs are often overlooked and that these costs are relevant from an ethical perspective because the freedom to move and the freedom to participate in activities are challenged. Finally the answer to question 6 is that from an ethical perspective, in terms of the evaluation of policy measures, it might matter which groups of the population are the victims of the transport system, or are at risk. Egalitarian theories as well as sufficientarianism are useful theories to discuss distribution effects. Different theories conclude differently. © 2012 The Author(s)

Integrated valorization of cultural heritage: A case study of the Cammino Dei Monaci route

The convergence between the concept of sustainable development and the theoretical framework of cultural-heritage preservation underlines some key issues: the tangible and intangible nature of benefits associated with cultural capital; intergenerational equity meant as the fair distribution of wealth, utility and resources among generations, in addition to the intra-generational one; the precautionary principle; and the multidimensionality of cultural heritage. As public goods, non-rival and non-exclusive, cultural resources are characterized by the presence of various categories of value that contribute to determining the Total Economic Value (V.E.T.). Given the risk of being under-supplied in the economy if these kind of goods are disregarded from appraisals, specific evaluation methodologies have been introduced with the aim of assigning a monetary value. In this context, the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) has been applied to estimate the economic benefits generated by the realization of a bicycle and pedestrian trail, considered as a non-marketed and complex good for the wide, and sometimes divergent, range of interests and values (economic, aesthetic, cultural, educational, political) attached to them. Consistently with the guidelines provided by the NOOA Panel, the CVM survey has been developed by the use of the Double Bounded Dichotomous model. In the absence of market prices that express the value of the benefits generated by this slow mobility project, respondents have shown a propensity for the implementation of the hypothetical scenario under valuation, thus demonstrating great awareness of the overall benefits associated with the project

Hurdle and Latent Class Approaches to Serial Non-Participation in Choice Models

Choice experiments, Non-participation, Hurdle, Latent class, GM,