Risk, precaution and science: towards a more constructive policy debate. Talking point on the precautionary principle

Few issues in contemporary risk policy are as momentous or contentious as the precautionary principle. Since it first emerged in German environmental policy, it has been championed by environmentalists and consumer protection groups, and resisted by the industries they oppose (Raffensperger & Tickner, 1999). Various versions of the principle now proliferate across different national and international jurisdictions and policy areas (Fisher, 2002). From a guiding theme in European Commission (EC) environmental policy, it has become a general principle of EC law (CEC, 2000; Vos & Wendler, 2006). Its influence has extended from the regulation of environmental, technological and health risks to the wider governance of science, innovation and trade (O'Riordan & Cameron, 1994)

The point of maximum curvature as a marker for physiological time series

We present a geometric analysis of the model of Stirling. In particular we analyze the curvature of a heart rate time series in response to a step like increment in the exercise intensity. We present solutions for the point of maximum curvature which can be used as a marker of physiological interest. This marker defines the point after which the heart rate no longer continues to rapidly rise and instead follows either a steady state or slow rise. These methods are then applied to find analytic solutions for a mono exponential model which is commonly used in the literature to model the response to a moderate exercise intensity. Numerical solutions are then found for the full model and parameter values presented in Stirling

The Feres doctrine: a comprehensive legal analysis

This study examines the Feres doctrine, the judicial policy that immunizes service members from civil liability when causing harm to each other. Created by the Supreme Court nearly 70 years ago, the insulation from judicial review is practically absolute, applying to nearly every variety of intra-military harm, from a negligent delivery that leaders to the mother\u27s death to intentional, abhorrent wrongdoing such as sexual assault. The doctrine bars service member suits across the board. The study traces the doctrine\u27s theoretical and philosophical roots, assessing its historical development and documenting its current state. A comprehensive legal analysis, not only is every Supreme Court decision in the Feres context considered, account is taken of most lower court decisions as well as the academic scholarship. Significant findings include the fact that the doctrine, while receiving near universal criticism, has been dramatically expanded by lower courts. Today, immunity applies to wrongdoing where the military aspect of the activity is remote, such as malfeasance during off-duty recreational activities. It was also found that the judges applying to doctrine likely sustain moral injury as a consequence. Viewing the policy as unjust, judges violate deeply held beliefs when dismissing service members\u27 claims, claims civilians in similar situations are allowed to bring. Finally, the study found that most courts also dismiss ancillary suits stemming from intra-military harm, including state-level claims filed against wrongdoers personally. The result is that military survivors of non-duty-related misconduct, such as survivors of sexual assault, are effectively denied any civil remedy against a wrongdoer who was not acting within the scope of his military employment (Day v. Massachusetts, 1999, p. 684 [italics in original]). The study concludes with a recommendation for curing the doctrine of its most objectionable aspects, a proposal intended to bring the policy into better alignment with traditional notions of justice and fair pla

A study of Neanderthal physiology, engetics and behaviour

The general context of Neanderthal existence in Europe and Southwest Asia is assessed from a physiological perspective, based on studies of living populations experiencing certain roughly analogous circumstances. Various aspects of the fossil, archaeological, and paleoenvironmental records relevant to the discussion of energy balance among the Neanderthals were investigated. Within living populations exposed to cold climate, subsisting on energy deficient diets, or participating in strenuous exercise regimes, various metabolic and physiological responses are evident. These relate to an attempt to maintain energy balance under such stresses, and are mediated by the action of thyroid hormones. It is proposed that the Neanderthals, who endured similar conditions, must have adapted to a low level of circulating active thyroid hormones in the face of an energy imbalance (negative) and sacrificed linear growth (of the legs/limbs primarily) as an energy sparing mechanism, so that other more essential body functions could be maintained to enable survival. Given that the Neanderthal physique was skeletally robust and highly muscled (and that a significant degree and frequency of trauma is evident) it logical that they were engaging in very specific and stressful activity patterns. The Neanderthal physique would have prohibited certain activities but facilitated others. It is clear that modem athletes who share these attributes take part in power and speed events, involving intermittent bursts of high intensity exercise, rather than more stamina orientated ones. This information is used, in conjunction with archaeological and paleoenvironmental evidence, to develop a theory of the daily subsistence practices of the Neanderthals, involving the ambushing of game in a closed environment. Such start-stop activities in a cold environment would have had a bearing on metabolism and energy balance, but also exerted pressure on thermoregulatory mechanisms. In light of this a new theory is developed to explain the evolution of the Neanderthals' exceptional cranial capacity and morphology. The elongated and unflexed basicranium is proposed to have arisen in order to accommodate an expanded cavernous sinus at the base of the brain. This would have provided a mechanism for regulating brain temperature under oscillating periods of heavy physical exertion and rest in a cold environment. The points outlined here are made with reference to previously suggested notions of ecogeographic patterning of body morphology and differential mobility at the time of the 'transition'. Finally, the aspects of Neanderthal existence discussed are placed in a broad ecological and evolutionary context alongside the contemporaneous Early Anatomically Modem Humans (EAMH)

Abelian Chern-Simons theory with toral gauge group, modular tensor categories, and group categories

Classical and quantum Chern-Simons with gauge group $\text{U}(1)^N$ were classified by Belov and Moore in \cite{belov_moore}. They studied both ordinary topological quantum field theories as well as spin theories. On the other hand a correspondence is well known between ordinary $(2+1)$-dimensional TQFTs and modular tensor categories. We study group categories and extend them slightly to produce modular tensor categories that correspond to toral Chern-Simons. Group categories have been widely studied in other contexts in the literature \cite{frolich_kerler},\cite{quinn},\cite{joyal_street},\cite{eno},\cite{dgno}. The main result is a proof that the associated projective representation of the mapping class group is isomorphic to the one from toral Chern-Simons. We also remark on an algebraic theorem of Nikulin that is used in this paper.Comment: 152 page