Consistent Vegetarianism and the Suffering of Wild Animals

Ethical consequentialist vegetarians believe that farmed animals have lives that are worse than non-existence. In this paper, I sketch out an argument that wild animals have worse lives than farmed animals, and that consistent vegetarians should therefore reduce the number of wild animals as a top priority. I consider objections to the argument, and discuss which courses of action are open to those who accept the argument

Radiative transfer and inversion codes for characterizing planetary atmospheres: an overview

The study of planetary atmospheres is crucial for understanding the origin, evolution, and processes that shape celestial bodies like planets, moons and comets. The interpretation of planetary spectra requires a detailed understanding of radiative transfer (RT) and its application through computational codes. With the advancement of observations, atmospheric modelling, and inference techniques, diverse RT and retrieval codes in planetary science have been proliferated. However, the selection of the most suitable code for a given problem can be challenging. To address this issue, we present a comprehensive mini-overview of the different RT and retrieval codes currently developed or available in the field of planetary atmospheres. This study serves as a valuable resource for the planetary science community by providing a clear and accessible list of codes, and offers a useful reference for researchers and practitioners in their selection and application of RT and retrieval codes for planetary atmospheric studies

Enumerating Abelian Returns to Prefixes of Sturmian Words

We follow the works of Puzynina and Zamboni, and Rigo et al. on abelian returns in Sturmian words. We determine the cardinality of the set $\mathcal{APR}_u$ of abelian returns of all prefixes of a Sturmian word $u$ in terms of the coefficients of the continued fraction of the slope, dependingly on the intercept. We provide a simple algorithm for finding the set $\mathcal{APR}_u$ and we determine it for the characteristic Sturmian words.Comment: 19page

Delphi survey on conventional conservative treatment of functional posterior shoulder instability

Background: Posterior shoulder instability is caused by structural or functional defects. While the former are mostly treated surgically, physiotherapy is considered the treatment of choice in functional shoulder instability. However, it often has limited success unless very specific and intensive training programs are applied by trained experts. Currently, there is no consensus on the treatment of functional posterior shoulder instability. Objective: To improve treatment of this pathology, a standardized treatment recommendation is required to serve as a guideline for physiotherapy. The aim of this study was to establish expert consensus for treatment recommendations for functional posterior shoulder instability. Design: The Delphi survey technique was employed. Methods: A standardized training program for treatment of functional posterior shoulder instability was developed by a local expert committee. Two rounds of an online Delphi survey were then conducted. The panel of the Delphi survey comprised nine leading scientific experts in the field of functional shoulder instability who treat patients with shoulder-related problems conservatively and operatively. Results: The response rate was 100% and there were no dropouts. The final program consists of three groups of exercises with increasing difficulty. The exercises are mostly easy to perform and focus on the scapula-retracting muscles and the muscles responsible for external rotation of the shoulder. The treatment program should be executed under the supervision of a therapist at the beginning and later may be performed by the patients themselves. Conclusion: Consensus on a new exercise guideline dedicated to the treatment of functional posterior shoulder instability was achieved. This guideline should not only help to treat this challenging pathology but also provide a starting point for further scientific research and ongoing improvement

Diet and Habitat of Mountain Woodland Caribou Inferred from Dung Preserved in 5000-year-old Alpine Ice in the Selwyn Mountains, Northwest Territories, Canada

Alpine ice patches are unique repositories of cryogenically preserved archaeological artefacts and biological specimens. Recent melting of ice in the Selwyn Mountains, Northwest Territories, Canada, has exposed layers of dung accumulated during seasonal use of ice patches by mountain woodland caribou of the ancestral Redstone population over the past ca. 5250 years. Although attempts to isolate the DNA of known caribou parasites were unsuccessful, the dung has yielded numerous well-preserved and diverse plant remains and palynomorphs. Plant remains preserved in dung suggest that the ancestral Redstone caribou population foraged on a variety of lichens (30%), bryophytes and lycopods (26.7%), shrubs (21.6%), grasses (10.5%), sedges (7.8%), and forbs (3.4%) during summer use of alpine ice. Dung palynomorph assemblages depict a mosaic of plant communities growing in the caribou’s summer habitat, including downslope boreal components and upslope floristically diverse herbaceous communities. Pollen and spore content of dung is only broadly similar to late Holocene assemblages preserved in lake sediments and peat in the study region, and differences are likely due to the influence of local vegetation and animal forage behaviour. The 5000-year legacy of summer use of alpine ice patches by mountain woodland caribou suggests that these small, long-lived features may be important for the health of caribou populations in the Selwyn/Mackenzie Mountain range.Les névés des régions alpines constituent des réserves uniques d’artefacts archéologiques et de spécimens biologiques préservés cryogéniquement. La fonte récente des glaces de la chaîne de Selwyn, dans les Territoires du Nord-Ouest, au Canada, a mis au jour des couches de déjections animales qui ont été accumulées lors de l’usage saisonnier des névés par le caribou des bois des montagnes de la population ancestrale de Redstone au cours des quelques 5 250 dernières années. Bien que les tentatives visant à isoler l’ADN des parasites connus du caribou aient échoué, les déjections ont permis de repérer de nombreux restes et palynomorphes de végétaux bien préservés et variés. Les restes de végétaux qui ont été conservés dans les déjections animales laissent croire que la population de caribou ancestrale de Redstone s’alimentait d’une variété de lichens (30 %), de bryophytes et de lycopodes (26,7 %), d’arbrisseaux (21,6 %), de graminées (10,5 %), de foin plat (7,8 %) et de plantes herbacées non graminoïdes (3,4 %) lorsqu’ils utilisaient la glace alpine pendant l’été. Les assemblages de palynomorphes provenant des déjections laissent entrevoir la croissance d’une mosaïque de peuplements végétaux au sein de l’habitat d’été du caribou, ce qui comprend des composantes boréales en pentes descendantes et des peuplements végétaux herbacés floristiquement variés en pentes ascendantes. La teneur en pollen et en spores des déjections animales est seulement largement similaire aux assemblages de l’Holocène tardif préservés dans les sédiments lacustres et dans la tourbe de la région visée par l’étude. Les différences sont vraisemblablement attribuables à l’influence de la végétation locale et au comportement alimentaire des animaux. L’utilisation estivale des névés des régions alpines par le caribou des bois des montagnes ces 5 000 dernières années laisse entrevoir que ces petites caractéristiques longévives pourraient revêtir de l’importance pour la santé des populations de caribou de la chaîne de Selwyn et des monts Mackenzie