Evaluating irreversible social harms

In this paper we investigate how irreversible social harms should be evaluated from an ethical perspective. First, we define a general notion of irreversibility, drawing on discussions in ecology and economics. This notion is relational in the sense that 'irreversibility' is always 'irreversibility for a certain party'. We also note that a change may be more or less difficult to reverse, with full reversibility and irreversibility as two extremes. Second, we examine what can make an irreversible change a harm, and why these kinds of harms have particular ethical significance. Here we draw on discussions from ethics, particularly regarding the Capability Approach. We also show how our notion of irreversibility connects to, and can add to, discussions in the fields of development studies and disaster management, particularly on the concept of resilience. Third, we suggest how potentially irreversible harms can be recognised and dealt with in policy-making. Finally, we show how our framework can be applied by evaluating the land acquisition process of two biofuel producers in Tanzania

Metal-insulator transition in YHx: scaling of the sub-THz conductivity

The established scaling laws of the conductivity with temperature and doping are strong indications for the quantum nature of the metal-insulator transition in YH$_x$. Here we report the first results on the frequency scaling of the conductivity. Samples were brought from the insulating to the metallic phase by carrier doping via illumination. In the metallic phase, the sub-terahertz conductivity coincides with the dc data. These results do not agree with the simplest picture of a quantum-phase transition.Comment: 4 pages, accepted to PR

Ageing effects around the glass and melting transitions in poly(dimethylsiloxane) visualized by resistance measurements

The process of ageing in rubbers requires monitoring over long periods (days to years). To do so in non-conducting rubbers, small amounts of carbon-black particles were dispersed in a fractal network through the rubber matrix, to make the rubber conducting without modifying its properties. Continuous monitoring of the resistance reveals the structural changes around the glass and melting transitions and especially details about the hysteresis and ageing processes. We illustrate the method for the semicrystalline polymer poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS).Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Lipolytic sensitivity to catecholamines in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection

Lipolysis is higher in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) than in healthy control subjects. To evaluate whether this increase in lipolysis is related to increased beta-adrenergic sensitivity, we compared the lipolytic response to epinephrine (approximately 15 ng x kg(-1) x min(-1)) of six AIDS patients with that of six matched control subjects. Lipolysis was measured by infusion of [2H2]glycerol and [2H2]palmitate. The baseline rates of appearance of palmitate (2.06 +/- 0.21 compared with 1.45 +/- 0.07 micromol x kg(-1) x min(-1)) and glycerol (2.35 +/- 0.16 compared with 1.35 +/- 0.06 micromol x kg(-1) x min(-1)) were higher in AIDS patients (P <0.05). The absolute increase in lipolysis, an indicator of the responsiveness to epinephrine, was not different between groups for the rate of appearance of palmitate (86 +/- 14 compared with 75 +/- 7 micromol x L(-1) x min(-1)) or glycerol (79 +/- 13 compared with 59 +/- 6 micromol x L(-1) x min(-1)). Plasma concentrations of epinephrine were not different between groups. Lipolysis was higher whereas the lipolytic response to epinephrine was normal in AIDS patients. Increased lipolytic sensitivity to catecholamines is not the cause of increased lipolysis in AID

Governed by history: Institutional analysis of a contested biofuel innovation system in Tanzania

Initially hailed as a miracle crop for biofuel production, Jatropha has recently attracted criticism for competing with food production, causing adverse biodiversity impacts, and jeopardizing land access by rural populations in tropical countries. This paper analyzes the contested development of Jatropha biofuel sector in Tanzania by anchoring two new concepts of ‘organizational models’ and ‘institutional arrangements’ to the sectoral systems of innovation perspective. The notion of ‘organizational models’ brings into relief the heterogeneity of actors in an innovation system and the ways in which the actors form networks, within and across national borders, to organize innovative activities. The concept of ‘institutional arrangements’ refers to the ensemble of formal and informal institutions assembled during Tanzania’s colonial and post-colonial eras, which directly govern innovative activities in specific organizational models. Based on a location-specific and historically-grounded institutional analysis within the innovation system framework, implications are drawn for the future development of Tanzania’s Jatropha sector including its links with European markets and for the regulation of ‘next-generation’ biofuels

Purification of Parvalbumin from Carp: A Protocol That Avoids Heat Treatment

Parvalbumin from carp, a major allergen,was purified to homogeneity using ion exchange chromatography and size exclusion chromatography (estimated purity \u3e 95% to 98% based on SDS-PAGE and native PAGE) with a yield of 318 mg, and a number of basic biochemical characteristics were determined. The identity was confirmed by peptide-mass fingerprinting, and IgE-binding was demonstrated. The UV/Vis absorbance spectra were explained using the previously published amino acid sequences. Far UV-CD spectroscopy was used to confirm the folding character of parvalbumin. We conclude that parvalbumin from carp can be purified on a comparatively large (hundreds of milligrams) scale using a purification protocol that does not include denaturing steps. The purified protein resembles biochemical characteristics as were earlier published for carp parvalbumin, that is, a molecular weight of approximately 12 kDa, amino acid sequence identity and a secondary structure containing α-helices and β-structures. The described method provides a yield sufficient to produce and characterize antibodies to construct immunochemical methods to detect parvalbumin in food as well as for use as a standard calibrator for such assays. Practical Application: Parvalbumin is a major allergen from fish. Here,we have purified a comparatively large quantity from carp that can be used to develop antisera for use in an assay method to detect fish allergens

Surgical Treatment for Unexplained Severe Pain of the Thyroid Gland: Report of Three Cases and Concise Review of the Literature

Painful thyroid has a limited differential diagnosis. In rare cases, no clear cause can be found after careful clinical, biochemical, and radiological analysis. This may lead to extensive patient morbidity and frustration when symptomatic treatment proves insufficient. Hemithyroidectomy or total thyroidectomy may then be the last resort for doctor and patient. Three cases of unexplained painful thyroid which were successfully treated with hemi or total thyroidectomy are presented. In two cases extensive histological evaluation did not yield a satisfactory explanation for the extreme thyroid pain. In one case histological evaluation of the thyroid revealed Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Review of the literature does not mention surgical treatment for unexplained painful thyroid, and only 15 cases of surgical treatment for painful Hashimoto's thyroiditis are presented. Surgical therapy is a successful final option in the treatment of unexplained painful thyroid and painful Hashimoto's thyroiditis

Depairing currents in the superconductor/ferromagnet proximity system Nb/Fe

We have investigated the behaviour of the depairing current J_{dp} in ferromagnet/superconductor/ferromagnet (F/S/F) trilayers as function of the thickness d_s of the superconducting layers. Theoretically, J_{dp} depends on the superconducting order parameter or the pair density function, which is not homogeneous across the film due to the proximity effect. We use a proximity effect model with two parameters (proximity strength and interface transparency), which can also describe the dependence of the superconducting transition temperature T_c on d_s. We compare the computations with the experimentally determined zero-field critical current J_{c0} of small strips (typically 5~ \mu m wide) of Fe/Nb/Fe trilayers with varying thickness d_{Nb} of the Nb layer. Near T_c the temperature dependence J_{c0}(T) is in good agreement with the expected behaviour, which allows extrapolation to T = 0. Both the absolute values of J_{c0}(0) and the dependence on d_{Nb} agree with the expectations for the depairing current. We conclude that J_{dp} is correctly determined, notwithstanding the fact that the strip width is larger than both the superconducting penetration depth and the superconducting coherence length, and that J_{dp}(d_s) is correctly described by the model.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, submitted to PR

Pharmacological Modulation of Dopamine Receptor D2-Mediated Transmission Alters the Metabolic Phenotype of Diet Induced Obese and Diet Resistant C57Bl6 Mice

High fat feeding induces a variety of obese and lean phenotypes in inbred rodents. Compared to Diet Resistant (DR) rodents, Diet Induced Obese (DIO) rodents are insulin resistant and have a reduced dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) mediated tone. We hypothesized that this differing dopaminergic tone contributes to the distinct metabolic profiles of these animals. C57Bl6 mice were classified as DIO or DR based on their weight gain during 10 weeks of high fat feeding. Subsequently DIO mice were treated with the DRD2 agonist bromocriptine and DR mice with the DRD2 antagonist haloperidol for 2 weeks. Compared to DR mice, the bodyweight of DIO mice was higher and their insulin sensitivity decreased. Haloperidol treatment reduced the voluntary activity and energy expenditure of DR mice and induced insulin resistance in these mice. Conversely, bromocriptine treatment tended to reduce bodyweight and voluntary activity, and reinforce insulin action in DIO mice. These results show that DRD2 activation partly redirects high fat diet induced metabolic anomalies in obesity-prone mice. Conversely, blocking DRD2 induces an adverse metabolic profile in mice that are inherently resistant to the deleterious effects of high fat food. This suggests that dopaminergic neurotransmission is involved in the control of metabolic phenotype