Voluntary Environmental Agreements when Regulatory Capacity Is Weak

Voluntary agreements (VAs) negotiated between environmental regulators and industry are increasingly popular. However, little is known about whether they are likely to be effective in developing and transition countries, where local and federal environmental regulatory capacity is typically weak. We develop a dynamic theoretical model to examine the effect of VAs on investment in regulatory infrastructure and pollution abatement in such countries. We find that under certain conditions, VAs can improve welfare by generating more private-sector investment in pollution control and more public-sector investment in regulatory capacity than the status quo.voluntary environmental regulation, developing country

An integrated approach to restoring grassland function to working landscapes

Nearly all of what was historically tallgrass prairie has been lost due to conversion to agriculture and increasing urbanization. This thesis focuses on strategies to restore native species diversity to working (i.e., agricultural) landscapes in the American Midwest. The practicality and efficacy of restoration of prairie function to working lands has been demonstrated for some taxa in the short-term (i.e., years 1-5), but the effects of continuing consistent management in the medium- and long-term are less studied. I focus here on butterflies and floral resources due to (1) the well-known sensitivity of butterflies to habitat changes (2) the likely concordant response between insect pollinators and floral resources due to their tight ecological relationship and (3) the ecosystem services provided by pollinators and the need to manage lands for such a service. Taken together, this body of work seeks to integrate empirical and modeling approaches to create a more holistic understanding of how grassland restoration strategies affect insect pollinators. Management strategies are frequently recommended on the basis of only a few years of field sampling, after which, research often ceases and is replaced by opportunistic sampling by managers without a formal experimental framework. The first chapter of this thesis examines the effect of a continuous decade of consistent management with pyric-herbivory (i.e., various combinations of fire and grazing) on butterfly and floral resource plant communities. The management methods being considered here are burn-only (i.e., no grazing with the whole site burned once every three years) graze and burn (i.e., cattle grazing the entire site with a full-site burn once every three years), and patch-burn grazing (i.e., cattle grazing the entire site with a burn on one third of the site every year). We find that not only do butterfly and floral resource communities vary in terms of abundance, species richness, and diversity among management strategies; they do so in a way that is not consistent with what is typically observed in studies conducted over a shorter time period (as will be more fully discussed in that chapter). Additionally, while the community composition of butterflies varies significantly among management types in three of the five study years, floral resource community composition does not vary significantly in any study year. This may be indicative of an effect of management on larval (i.e., caterpillar) resources that is not as impactful on the nectar resources upon which adult butterflies depend. The community composition variation in butterflies appears to be primarily driven by the hyper-abundance of particular families of butterflies in each of the three management types. These results demonstrate that short-term responses may not match long-term responses and thus indicate that field studies should take place–where feasible–over more sampling seasons such that management recommendations are more fully informed. When restoring prairie function to working landscapes, one must plan for the effects of anthropogenic climate change. In the second chapter of this thesis, I focus on the potential changes in bioclimatic suitability to plant species included in a restoration seed-mix used to jump-start the reintroduction of a particular community of native plants. Using Species Distribution Modeling (SDM), I correlate occurrence records of a particular species with a suite of climatic variables to predict where suitable bioclimatic conditions might be in the future. Given that SDMs can function well on publicly available data and are relatively intuitive in terms of how they infer changes to predicted distribution, they can be a powerful tool. However, the sheer number of distribution maps generated (one per species per climatic scenario) can be unwieldy in the context of restoration of entire plant communities. We sought therefore to assess whether modeled species exhibited conserved responses to climate change within functional groups. Our results indicate that for forbs, warm-season grasses, and legumes, species within a functional group tend to respond similarly to one another. Cool-season grasses, on the other hand, did not vary in a synchronous fashion, which may be indicative of more variable suitable conditions among species within this group. In addition, some functional groups tended to be much more sensitive (i.e., they demonstrated substantial changes between currently suitable areas and those predicted to be suitable in the future) to climate change conditions than others. Given that forbs tended to exhibit the most dramatic response to climate change, and other groups tended to exhibit more similar current and future distributions, managers interested in restoring flowering plant communities should consider either more southerly ecotypes or congeners to species of interest that are more tolerant of warmer and relatively drier conditions. One important caveat to the use of SDMs in restoration, however, is that such models are best applied at the continental scale (due to problematic assumptions of the role of microhabitat at small spatial scales), whereas land managers are likely interested in the regional or local spatial scale. More spatially precise estimates of the impact of climate change should consider microhabitat, with the SDM outputs presented here and elsewhere informing the areas of interest. Restoration of grassland function must occur in the immediate future if threatened prairie taxa are to be conserved. Such conservation may most profitably focus on increasing the ecological value of agricultural land because such lands occupy a majority of much of the American Midwest. The first chapter of this thesis indicates that the traditional length of field studies may be insufficient in capturing the full consequences of management for butterflies and floral resource. Additionally, single metrics for community response, though informative, are unlikely to be enough in quantifying the full scope of ecologically-meaningful community response and multivariate community composition methods must be included. The second chapter of this thesis suggests that plant species within a functional group generally demonstrate conserved responses to climate change and that functional groups respond differently to potential future conditions. This also serves as evidence that modeling approaches are a useful complement to field methods and can provide an added dimension in creating restoration plans effective in the short-and long-terms. Collectively, the insights presented in this work demonstrate the need for restoration strategy to include many different approaches and emphasize ways in which management can be more likely to be successful in the long term

Does Disclosure Reduce Pollution? Evidence from India's Green Rating Project

Public disclosure programs that collect and disseminate information about firms’ environmental performance are increasingly popular in both developed and developing countries. Yet little is known about whether they actually improve environmental performance, particularly in the latter setting. We use detailed plant-level survey data to evaluate the impact of India’s Green Rating Project (GRP) on the environmental performance of the country’s largest pulp and paper plants. We find that the GRP drove significant reductions in pollution loadings among dirty plants but not among cleaner ones. This result comports with statistical and anecdotal evaluations of similar disclosure programs. We also find that plants located in wealthier communities were more responsive to GRP ratings, as were single-plant firms.public disclosure, pollution control, India, pulp and paper

Water Shortages, Development, and Drought in Rockland County, New York

Knowledge of the historical variability of regional climate is an essential element of successful water resource planning. Lacking such perspective, planners and managers can be deceived as to the severity of a recent climate extreme, such as drought, and place a disproportionate blame on the climate, not the integrity of the supply system should water restrictions become necessary to avoid shortages. Presented here is a vivid example of how development, a lack of adequate planning, and climate variability have converged to produce three water emergencies in Rockland County, New York, since 1995. An examination of climate data over the past century indicates that the severity of the recent droughts was well within the range of past variability. Rather than climate alone, the recent water emergencies have highlighted a significant mismatch between supply and demand that has been developing in Rockland County over the past three decades. Substantial development, largely in the form of single-family homes, has not been matched with a corresponding enhancement of the county's water system. Realistic plans for meeting current water demand will require cooperation among all stakeholders, beginning with an acknowledgement that climate variations are inevitable, not the sole source of blame when water shortages arise

Historical sociology and great power vulnerability: The end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

This thesis examines the collapse of Soviet state power from an international perspective. It assesses the extent to which the Soviet Union's international confrontation with the capitalist West, and the end of that confrontation, contributed to the strengthening and weakening of the Soviet state. It shows that the state's international stance of hostility, in both social-systemic and geopolitical terms, became a central component of Soviet state power. Central to this study is the assumption that the continuation of state power is contingent on the successful reproduction of the institutions of political rule. To this end, the thesis develops a historical sociological theory of the state which builds on a critique of neo-Weberian institutional-functional theories of the modem state. Using this theory, the thesis examines the development of Soviet state power and draws out the ways in which the international confrontation with the West reinforced the Soviet state and came to develop and shape its structures and institutions. Following an examination of the end of the Cold War, the thesis considers the way in which the change in international policy undermined elements of Soviet power, particularly in terms of ideology, legitimacy and material-organisational structures. The retreat from this posture, undertaken by Gorbachev through the 1980s, removed the conflict as a structure of the state, contributed to its weakening and helped make the state vulnerable to the challenges of the 1990-91 period. The thesis concludes that the international confrontation played an important ideational and material role in the development and undermining of Soviet state power. Moreover, the international confrontation was a vital part of the architecture of the Soviet state which helped make the state's claim to rule a more robust and effective socio-political mechanism

PLASMA-SURFACE INTERACTIONS DURING REACTIVE PLASMA PROCESSING OF HYDROCARBON FILMS

Reactive plasma interactions with hydrocarbon-based surfaces play a critical role in future biological-plasma applications and for microelectronic device manufacture. As device dimensions get smaller and we require fine control of surfaces during plasma processing we will need to develop more understanding of fundamental plasma surface interactions. Through the use of plasma-deposited amorphous carbon films interacting inert/reactive plasmas (Ar/H2 plasmas) we explored etch rates and the formation of modified layers. Facing Ar and H2 plasmas mixtures, hydrocarbon surfaces can exhibit widely different properties, depending on plasma composition (ions, reactive species, fast neutrals) and initial film composition (graphitic, polymeric). Ar plasmas cause densification of hydrocarbon surface by selectively sputtering H atoms, while H2 plasmas cause incorporation/saturation of H atoms within the film surface. For hard amorphous carbon, we find that small amounts of H2 added to Ar plasma can completely negate ion-induced densification. Plasmas are also drastically changed by small impurities of H2 atoms. We investigated the plasma property effects of adding H2, D2, CH4, and surface derived hydrocarbon gases. We find that small amounts (as low as 1%) of H2/D2 in Ar cause a large decrease in electron density, increase in electron temperature, Ar metastable atoms, and radically different ion mass distributions. These effects are intensified at higher pressures, as neutral molecule-ion interactions in the plasma increase. These changes can be related to the surface modification caused by the plasma. Surface derived impurities into inert plasmas were also investigated. Hydrocarbon flow from the surface causes changes to plasma properties similar to the addition of CH4 gas. We applied the learning from these fundamental plasma-surface interaction studies to an applied problem of plasma-assisted shrink of asymmetric photoresist features. Using fluorocarbon-based plasmas, we successfully shrink asymmetric pattern features and find that lower concentrations of C4F8 in plasmas and shorter deposition thicknesses lead to more uniform shrink in L and W dimensions. To improve future plasma-assisted shrink processes, careful tuning of plasma composition and feature dimensions is critical

Evaluating the Utility of Species Distribution Models in Informing Climate Change-Resilient Grassland Restoration Strategy

Tallgrass prairie ecosystems in North America are heavily degraded and require effective restoration strategies if prairie specialist taxa are to be preserved. One common management tool used to restore grassland is the application of a seed-mix of native prairie plant species. While this technique is effective in the short-term, it is critical that species\u27 resilience to changing climate be evaluated when designing these mixes. By utilizing species distribution models (SDMs), species\u27 bioclimatic envelopes–and thus the geographic area suitable for them–can be quantified and predicted under various future climate regimes, and current seed-mixes may be modified to include more climate resilient species or exclude more affected species. We evaluated climate response on plant functional groups to examine the generalizability of climate response among species of particular functional groups. We selected 14 prairie species representing the functional groups of cool-season and warm-season grasses, forbs, and legumes and we modeled their responses under both a moderate and more extreme predicted future. Our functional group “composite maps” show that warm-season grasses, forbs, and legumes responded similarly to other species within their functional group, while cool-season grasses showed less inter-species concordance. The value of functional group as a rough method for evaluating climate-resilience is therefore supported, but candidate cool-season grass species will require more individualized attention. This result suggests that seed-mix designers may be able to use species with more occurrence records to generate functional group-level predictions to assess the climate response of species for which there are prohibitively few occurrence records for modeling

Evaluating the Utility of Species Distribution Models in Informing Climate Change-Resilient Grassland Restoration Strategy

Tallgrass prairie ecosystems in North America are heavily degraded and require effective restoration strategies if prairie specialist taxa are to be preserved. One common management tool used to restore grassland is the application of a seed-mix of native prairie plant species. While this technique is effective in the short-term, it is critical that species' resilience to changing climate be evaluated when designing these mixes. By utilizing species distribution models (SDMs), species' bioclimatic envelopes–and thus the geographic area suitable for them–can be quantified and predicted under various future climate regimes, and current seed-mixes may be modified to include more climate resilient species or exclude more affected species. We evaluated climate response on plant functional groups to examine the generalizability of climate response among species of particular functional groups. We selected 14 prairie species representing the functional groups of cool-season and warm-season grasses, forbs, and legumes and we modeled their responses under both a moderate and more extreme predicted future. Our functional group “composite maps” show that warm-season grasses, forbs, and legumes responded similarly to other species within their functional group, while cool-season grasses showed less inter-species concordance. The value of functional group as a rough method for evaluating climate-resilience is therefore supported, but candidate cool-season grass species will require more individualized attention. This result suggests that seed-mix designers may be able to use species with more occurrence records to generate functional group-level predictions to assess the climate response of species for which there are prohibitively few occurrence records for modeling

A translational framework for public health research

<p><b>Background</b></p> <p>The paradigm of translational medicine that underpins frameworks such as the Cooksey report on the funding of health research does not adequately reflect the complex reality of the public health environment. We therefore outline a translational framework for public health research.</p> <p><b>Discussion</b></p> <p>Our framework redefines the objective of translation from that of institutionalising effective interventions to that of improving population health by influencing both individual and collective determinants of health. It incorporates epidemiological perspectives with those of the social sciences, recognising that many types of research may contribute to the shaping of policy, practice and future research. It also identifies a pivotal role for evidence synthesis and the importance of non-linear and intersectoral interfaces with the public realm.</p> <p><b>Summary</b></p> <p>We propose a research agenda to advance the field and argue that resources for 'applied' or 'translational' public health research should be deployed across the framework, not reserved for 'dissemination' or 'implementation'.</p&gt

Speech and language therapy for aphasia following stroke

Background  Aphasia is an acquired language impairment following brain damage that affects some or all language modalities: expression and understanding of speech, reading, and writing. Approximately one third of people who have a stroke experience aphasia.  Objectives  To assess the effects of speech and language therapy (SLT) for aphasia following stroke.  Search methods  We searched the Cochrane Stroke Group Trials Register (last searched 9 September 2015), CENTRAL (2015, Issue 5) and other Cochrane Library Databases (CDSR, DARE, HTA, to 22 September 2015), MEDLINE (1946 to September 2015), EMBASE (1980 to September 2015), CINAHL (1982 to September 2015), AMED (1985 to September 2015), LLBA (1973 to September 2015), and SpeechBITE (2008 to September 2015). We also searched major trials registers for ongoing trials including ClinicalTrials.gov (to 21 September 2015), the Stroke Trials Registry (to 21 September 2015), Current Controlled Trials (to 22 September 2015), and WHO ICTRP (to 22 September 2015). In an effort to identify further published, unpublished, and ongoing trials we also handsearched theInternational Journal of Language and Communication Disorders(1969 to 2005) and reference lists of relevant articles, and we contacted academic institutions and other researchers. There were no language restrictions.  Selection criteria  Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing SLT (a formal intervention that aims to improve language and communication abilities, activity and participation) versus no SLT; social support or stimulation (an intervention that provides social support and communication stimulation but does not include targeted therapeutic interventions); or another SLT intervention (differing in duration, intensity, frequency, intervention methodology or theoretical approach).  Data collection and analysis  We independently extracted the data and assessed the quality of included trials. We sought missing data from investigators.  Main results  We included 57 RCTs (74 randomised comparisons) involving 3002 participants in this review (some appearing in more than one comparison). Twenty-seven randomised comparisons (1620 participants) assessed SLT versus no SLT; SLT resulted in clinically and statistically significant benefits to patients' functional communication (standardised mean difference (SMD) 0.28, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.06 to 0.49, P = 0.01), reading, writing, and expressive language, but (based on smaller numbers) benefits were not evident at follow-up. Nine randomised comparisons (447 participants) assessed SLT with social support and stimulation; meta-analyses found no evidence of a difference in functional communication, but more participants withdrew from social support interventions than SLT. Thirty-eight randomised comparisons (1242 participants) assessed two approaches to SLT. Functional communication was significantly better in people with aphasia that received therapy at a high intensity, high dose, or over a long duration compared to those that received therapy at a lower intensity, lower dose, or over a shorter period of time. The benefits of a high intensity or a high dose of SLT were confounded by a significantly higher dropout rate in these intervention groups. Generally, trials randomised small numbers of participants across a range of characteristics (age, time since stroke, and severity profiles), interventions, and outcomes.  Authors' conclusions  Our review provides evidence of the effectiveness of SLT for people with aphasia following stroke in terms of improved functional communication, reading, writing, and expressive language compared with no therapy. There is some indication that therapy at high intensity, high dose or over a longer period may be beneficial. HIgh-intensity and high dose interventions may not be acceptable to all