Crisis in the habitat of the economic growth monster

Purpose– The purpose of the paper is to offer a new view on economic growth and use this view to add to the explanation of economic growth as a powerful agent that determines policies regarding urgent issues such as climate change, loss of biodiversity and pollution.Design/methodology/approach– The study is based on analysis of scholarship and media, interviews and observations in a multi-sited ethnography of economic growth.Findings– The article argues that the circulation of economic growth has contributed to a shaping of institutions and language to an extent where environmental policy proposals framed as harmful to economic growth can easily be rejected. Furthermore, the article offers an operationalisation of the termecologisationby promoting a new inclusive language in decision-making.Originality/value– The paper fills a gap in literature by offering an empirical philosophical take on economic growth and by offering a suggestion for the operationalisation of the termecologisation.</jats:sec

Seismic Moment Tensor Report for the 06 Aug 2007, M3.9 Seismic Event in Central Utah

We have performed a complete moment tensor analysis (Minson and Dreger, 2007) of the seismic event, which occurred on Monday August 6, 2007 at 08:48:40 UTC, 21 km from Mount Pleasant, Utah. The purpose of this report is to present our scientific results, making them available to other researchers working on seismic source determination problems, and source type identification. In our analysis we used complete, three-component seismic records recorded by stations operated by the USGS, the University of Utah and EarthScope. The results of our analysis show that most of the seismic wave energy is consistent with an underground collapse, however the cause of the mine collapse is still unknown

Family and Population-Based Studies of Variation within the Ghrelin Receptor Locus in Relation to Measures of Obesity

The growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR) is mediating hunger sensation when stimulated by its natural ligand ghrelin. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that common and rare variation in the GHSR locus are related to increased prevalence of obesity and overweight among Whites.In a population-based study sample of 15,854 unrelated, middle-aged Danes, seven variants were genotyped to capture common variation in an 11 kbp region including GHSR. These were investigated for their individual and haplotypic association with obesity. None of these analyses revealed consistent association with measures of obesity. A -151C/T promoter mutation in the GHSR was found in two unrelated obese patients. One family presented with complete co-segregation, but the other with incomplete co-segregation. The mutation resulted in an increased transcriptional activity (p<0.02) and introduction of a specific binding for Sp-1-like nuclear extracts relative to the wild type. The -151C/T mutation was genotyped in the 15,854 Danes with a minor allele frequency of 0.01%. No association with obesity in carriers (mean BMI: 27+/-4 kg/m(2)) versus non-carriers (mean BMI: 28+/-5 kg/m(2)) (p>0.05) could be shown.In a population-based study sample of 15,854 Danes no association between GHSR genotypes and measures of obesity and overweight was found. Also, analyses of GHSR haplotypes lack consistent associations with obesity related traits. A rare functional GHSR promoter mutation variant was identified, yet there was no consistent relationship with obesity in neither family- nor population-based studies

How big is big enough? Toward a sustainable future by examining alternatives to the conventional economic growth paradigm

This study addresses how the sustainability crisis may be overcome by using alternatives to the conventional economic growth paradigm. Based on a literature review, the paper identifies and discusses three alternatives, namely negative, zero and positive economic growth. These alternatives are compared from a feasibility and policy perspective in relation to the transition toward sustainable development. The three alternatives are associated with very far‐reaching sets of policies that have different focal points with regard to how the paradigm shift from the conventional growth paradigm can be realized. All these alternatives, however, challenge the effectiveness of market forces. The shortcomings of the alternatives (resistance to voluntary transition with negative or zero growth, no proper consideration of the rebound effect for positive growth) hinder the transition and must be further addressed by policy‐makers in public and private sectors, as well as by civil society

Four novel UCP3 gene variants associated with childhood obesity: effect on fatty acid oxidation and on prevention of triglyceride storage

The objective of the study was to look for uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3) gene variants in early-onset severe childhood obesity and to determine their effect on long-chain fatty acid oxidation and triglyceride storage