Marine Protected Areas: Smart Investments in Ocean Health

Expanding ocean protection could return an increase in jobs, resources and services that far outweigh the costs, according to an analysis of new research commissioned by WWF on marine protected areas. The analysis comes months before governments make critical decisions that will direct the fate of the ocean for generations to come.The analysis shows that every dollar invested to create marine protected areas – commonly known as MPAs – is expected to be at least tripled in benefits returned through factors like employment, coastal protection, and fisheries.The new analysis is based on a WWF-commissioned study produced by Amsterdam's VU University, modelling MPA expansion at both the 10 per cent and 30 per cent target levels. The report found that increased protection of critical habitats could result in net benefits of between US$490 billion and US$920 billion accruing over the period 2015-2050. WWF recommends 30 per cent global coverage of MPAs by 2030 in order to secure the most complete benefits for people and the ocean

C. Tourrette. Évaluer les enfants avec déficiences ou troubles du développement

Cet ouvrage sera sans doute apprécié d’abord par la « boîte à outils » (selon l’expression de l’auteur) qu’il présente dans deux de ses parties, la deuxième et la troisième : pas moins de 460 épreuves (tests ou échelles) conçues pour l’évaluation d’enfants ayant des déficiences ou des troubles du développement. Ces épreuves sont présentées dans la deuxième partie de l’ouvrage. Elles sont classées en fonction de l’objectif qu’elles se proposent : évaluation du développement et des troubles du ..

Ensaio de análise da distinção «psicologia em laboratório», «psicologia no terreno»

I. Pode-se tentar resumir, no fim deste ciclo de estudos, as principais características a partir das quais diversos contribuintes propuseram, implícita ou explicitamente, distinguir uma psicologia em laboratório de uma psicologia no terreno (mesmo quando esta distinção foi apresentada com críticas e reservas, o que foi frequentemente o caso). Poder-se-á a seguir questionar se as características distintivas são compatíveis com uma diferenciação numa só dimensão definida pelos polos «laboratóri..

N2O, CH4 und CO2 – Flüsse aus anthropogen genutzten organischen Böden in der Rheinebene – erste Ergebnisse

Als Unterzeichnerstaat mehrerer internationaler Vereinbarungen zum Klimaschutz hat sich Deutschland zur Klimaberichterstattung verpflichtet, was die Verbesserung des jährlichen nationalen Emissionsinventars zu Treibhausgasen impliziert. Um der Qualität der geforderten Standards in den Berichtskategorien Landwirtschaft und Landnutzungsänderungen zu entsprechen, ist eine Aktualisierung bzw. erstmalige Erhebung von Aktivitätsdaten und Emissionsfaktoren erforderlich. So fehlen beispielsweise bislang Grundlagen für die Klimabericht-erstattung „organischer Böden“, welche in Deutschland einen hohen Flächenanteil einnehmen. Ein 2009 initiiertes Verbundprojekt „Klimaberichterstattung „organische Böden“ – Ermittlung und Bereitstellung von Methoden, Aktivitätsdaten und Emissionsfaktoren“ soll diese Lücke schließen. Im Tagungsbeitrag sollen erste Ergebnisse aus dem Testgebiet ‚Rheinebene – Graben-Neudorf’ vorgestellt werden. Hier werden die Flüsse klimarelevanter Spurengase CO2, N2O und CH4 intensiv und extensiv genutzter Grünlandstandorte auf Niedermooren und Anmooren, Acker- und Waldstandorte auf Niedermooren erfasst. Die Ergebnisse sollen im Vergleich zu natürlichen Standorten diskutiert werden

'Magic coins' and 'magic squares': the discovery of astrological sigils in the Oldenburg Letters

Enclosed in a 1673 letter to Henry Oldenburg were two drawings of a series of astrological sigils, coins and amulets from the collection of Strasbourg mathematician Julius Reichelt (1637–1719). As portrayals of particular medieval and early modern sigils are relatively rare, this paper will analyse the role of these medals in medieval and early modern medicine, the logic behind their perceived efficacy, and their significance in early modern astrological and cabalistic practice. I shall also demonstrate their change in status in the late seventeenth century from potent magical healing amulets tied to the mysteries of the heavens to objects kept in a cabinet for curiosos. The evolving perception of the purpose of sigils mirrored changing early modern beliefs in the occult influences of the heavens upon the body and the natural world, as well as the growing interests among virtuosi in collecting, numismatics and antiquities

Bonamia infection in native oysters (Ostrea edulis) in relation to European restoration projects

1. There is a growing effort throughout Europe to restore populations of native oysters (Ostrea edulis), with the ecological objective of enhancing ecosystem biodiversity and resilience. 2. The introduced parasite, Bonamia ostreae, caused catastrophic mortalities during the 1980s, furthering the decline of this species, and is now present throughout much of the natural range of O. edulis. It is therefore important that restoration attempts avoid further introduction and spread of this parasite, which can cause lethal infections of O. edulis. 3. This article presents a comprehensive overview of the scale and distribution of current infection, transmission pathways, and preventive measure guidelines, focusing on the seas, inlets, and estuaries of north‐west Europe, where most ecological restoration attempts for the native European oyster have occurred so far. 4. This is critical information for restoration project planning in which the risk of Bonamia infection must be taken into account

Inter-individual variability in sensory weighting of a plantar pressure-based, tongue-placed tactile biofeedback for controlling posture

The purpose of the present experiment was to investigate whether the sensory weighting of a plantar pressure-based, tongue-placed tactile biofeedback for controlling posture could be subject to inter-individual variability. To achieve this goal, 60 young healthy adults were asked to stand as immobile as possible with their eyes closed in two conditions of No-biofeedback and Biofeedback. Centre of foot pressure (CoP) displacements were recorded using a force platform. Overall, results showed reduced CoP displacements in the Biofeedback relative to the No-biofeedback condition, evidencing the ability of the central nervous system to efficiently integrate an artificial plantar-based, tongue-placed tactile biofeedback for controlling posture during quiet standing. Results further showed a significant positive correlation between the CoP displacements measured in the No-biofeedback condition and the decrease in the CoP displacements induced by the use of the biofeedback. In other words, the degree of postural stabilization appeared to depend on each subject's balance control capabilities, the biofeedback yielding a greater stabilizing effect in subjects exhibiting the largest CoP displacements when standing in the No-biofeedback condition. On the whole, by evidencing a significant inter-individual variability in sensory weighting of an additional tactile information related to foot sole pressure distribution for controlling posture, the present findings underscore the need and the necessity to address the issue of inter-individual variability in the field of neuroscience

Does the Integration of Haptic and Visual Cues Reduce the Effect of a Biased Visual Reference Frame on the Subjective Head Orientation?

The selection of appropriate frames of reference (FOR) is a key factor in the elaboration of spatial perception and the production of robust interaction with our environment. The extent to which we perceive the head axis orientation (subjective head orientation, SHO) with both accuracy and precision likely contributes to the efficiency of these spatial interactions. A first goal of this study was to investigate the relative contribution of both the visual and egocentric FOR (centre-of-mass) in the SHO processing. A second goal was to investigate humans' ability to process SHO in various sensory response modalities (visual, haptic and visuo-haptic), and the way they modify the reliance to either the visual or egocentric FORs. A third goal was to question whether subjects combined visual and haptic cues optimally to increase SHO certainty and to decrease the FORs disruption effect.Thirteen subjects were asked to indicate their SHO while the visual and/or egocentric FORs were deviated. Four results emerged from our study. First, visual rod settings to SHO were altered by the tilted visual frame but not by the egocentric FOR alteration, whereas no haptic settings alteration was observed whether due to the egocentric FOR alteration or the tilted visual frame. These results are modulated by individual analysis. Second, visual and egocentric FOR dependency appear to be negatively correlated. Third, the response modality enrichment appears to improve SHO. Fourth, several combination rules of the visuo-haptic cues such as the Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE), Winner-Take-All (WTA) or Unweighted Mean (UWM) rule seem to account for SHO improvements. However, the UWM rule seems to best account for the improvement of visuo-haptic estimates, especially in situations with high FOR incongruence. Finally, the data also indicated that FOR reliance resulted from the application of UWM rule. This was observed more particularly, in the visual dependent subject. Conclusions: Taken together, these findings emphasize the importance of identifying individual spatial FOR preferences to assess the efficiency of our interaction with the environment whilst performing spatial tasks