Editorial overview : theoretical traditions in social values for sustainability

This special feature provides an impression of the plurality of social values for sustainability, taking into account theoretical traditions within mainstream and heterodox economics; positive, social and environmental psychology; human geography; anthropology; sociology; religious and indigenous studies and business management. Papers in this issue respond to questions of: how do we conceptualise social values; how do we integrate or share social values; what are processes for learning about and mechanisms for forming and changing social values; and what are the associations between social values and behaviour or well-being? Consistent with post-normal science, we suggest that there is no one correct way of conceptualising, assessing, integrating or activating social values for sustainability. We present five arguments: (1) the plurality of social values can be conceptualised along many different dimensions, with reference to value, epistemic and procedural lenses; (2) values are nested in different hierarchies, resulting in the potential for different forms of value articulations and pathways of value expression; (3) not all social values are pre-formed and readily drawn upon, instead needing pathways of deliberation or intervention to be activated; (4) social values may change through different processes or pathways of intervention, and; (5) power matters in the formation and assessment of social values. We discuss the tensions that arise when attempting to integrate different perspectives and introduce the notion of ‘navigation’ to begin to address these tensions. Navigation requires scholars to adopt a more critical and reflexive approach to value enquiry than is currently espoused in sustainability science and practice.Non peer reviewe

Parents’ perceptions of oral health, general health and dental health care for children with Down syndrome in Sweden

Aim To describe parental perceptions of general health, oral health and received dental health care in Swedish children with Down syndrome (DS). Methods Online questionnaire, quantitative data analysis (Chi-square test). Results Parents of 101 children with DS (52 boys, 49 girls, mean age: 9.6 years) participated. Seventy percent rated their child's general health and 74% their child's oral health as good or very good. Parents, who rated their child's oral health as poor (8%), also reported that dental procedures were difficult. Children received dental care at general (55%) and specialist clinics (53%). Ninety-four percent of parents of children receiving specialist dental health care were satisfied compared to 70% of parents with children in general clinics. The parents most valued characteristics of dental professionals were patience (63%) and their ability to engage the child (68%). Parents wanted multidisciplinary collaboration. Conclusion Most parents rated their child's general and oral health as good or very good. Children with poor oral health were also reported to have difficulties coping with dental procedures. Parents wanted dental care to be tailored to meet their child's unique needs. They wanted dental professionals to have knowledge about children with a need for special care. Lastly, they requested multidisciplinary collaboration

ROSAT HRI Observations of the Crab Pulsar: An Improved Temperature upper limit for PSR 0531+21

ROSAT HRI observations have been used to determine an upper limit of the Crab pulsar surface temperature from the off-pulse count rate. For a neutron star mass of 1.4 \Mo and a radius of 10 km as well as the standard distance and interstellar column density, the redshifted temperature upper limit is\/ $T_s^\infty \le 1.55\times 10^6$ K $(3\sigma)$. This is the lowest temperature upper limit obtained for the Crab pulsar so far. Slightly different values for $T_s^\infty$ are computed for the various neutron star models available in the literature, reflecting the difference in the equation of state.Comment: 5 pages, uuencoded postscript, to be published in the Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Insitute on "Lives of the Neutron Stars", ed. A. Alpar, U. Kiziloglu and J. van Paradijs ( Kluwer, Dordrecht, 1995 )

Social learning as a link between the individual and the collective: evaluating deliberation on social values

The role of social learning in deliberative processes is an emerging area of research in sustainability science. Functioning as a link between the individual and the collective, social learning has been envisioned as a process that can empower and give voice to a diverse set of stakeholder viewpoints, contribute to more adaptive and resilient management decisions and foster broader societal transformations. However, despite its widespread use in the context of participatory management of natural resources, the empirical properties of social learning remain understudied. This paper evaluates the role of social interaction and social capital in achieving transformative learning in discussions about social values. We employ a longitudinal design involving three consecutive surveys of 25 participants of an expert workshop focused on social values, as well as approximately 12 hours of transcribed audio and video recordings of participant interactions. Our mixed methods approach demonstrates the potential of using changes in social networks and definitions of social values that emerge from qualitative coding as indicators of social learning. We find that individuals with a weaker conceptual understanding of social values are more likely to change their definitions of the concept after deliberation. Though slight, these changes display a shift towards definitions more firmly held by other group members.Peer reviewe

The Occurrence of the Hall--Instability in Crusts of Isolated Neutron Stars

In former papers we showed that during the decay of a neutron star's magnetic field under the influence of the Hall--drift, an unstable rise of small--scale field structures at the expense of the large--scale background field may happen. This linear stability analysis was based on the assumption of a uniform density throughout the neutron star crust, whereas in reality the density and all transport coefficients vary by many orders of magnitude. Here, we extend the investigation of the Hall--drift induced instability by considering realistic profiles of density and chemical composition, as well as background fields with more justified radial profiles. Two neutron star models are considered differing primarily in the assumption on the core matter equation of state. For their cooling history and radial profiles of density and composition we use known results to infer the conductivity profiles. These were fed into linear calculations of a dipolar field decay starting from various initial configurations. At different stages of the decay, snapshots of the magnetic fields at the equator were taken to yield background field profiles for the stability analysis. The main result is that the Hall instability may really occur in neutron star crusts. Characteristic growth times are in the order of \lesssim 10^4 ... 10^6 yrs depending on cooling age and background field strength. The influence of the equation of state and of the initial field configuration is discussed.Comment: 16 pages, 16 figures, PS, submitted to A&A. Justification/discussion slightly changed/extended in replying to the referee. Changes on p. 3, 11, 13, framed by XXX mark

Torque Decay in the Pulsar (P,P_dot) Diagram. Effects of Crustal Ohmic Dissipation and Alignment

We investigate the evolution of pulsars in the (P,P-dot) diagram. We first present analytical formulae to follow the evolution of a pulsar using simple exponential models for magnetic field decay and alignment. We then compare these evolutionary tracks with detailed model calculations using ohmic decay of crustal neutron star magnetic fields. We find that, after an initial phase with a small braking index, n, pulsars evolve with enhanced torque decay (n >> 3) for about 1 Myr. The long term evolution depends on the impurity parameter of the crust. If impurities are negligible in older isolated pulsars we expect their true age to be approximately equal to their observed characteristic age, tau = P/(2*P-dot). It is not possible from data to constrain model parameters of the neutron star crust.Comment: A&A in press, 10 pages, 9 figures, extended discussion of the braking inde

Geography of Spring Landbird Migration Through Riparian Habitats in Southwestern North America

Migration stopover resources, particularly riparian habitats, are critically important to landbirds migrating across the arid southwestern region of North America. To explore the effects of species biogeography and habitat affinity on spring migration patterns, we synthesized existing bird abundance and capture data collected in riparian habitats of the borderlands region of the U.S. and Mexico. We determined the importance of geographic factors (longitude and latitude) in explaining variation in abundances and capture rates of 32 long-distance and three short-distance migrant species. Abundances and capture rates of 13 and 11 species, respectively, increased with increasing longitude, and four species\u27 abundance and capture rates decreased with increasing longitude. Riparian associates, but not nonriparian species, were more abundant in western sites. Their abundance patterns were only weakly influenced by species biogeography. In contrast, biogeography did influence abundance patterns of nonriparian birds, suggesting that they choose the shortest, most direct route between wintering and breeding areas. We hypothesize that riparian obligate birds may, to some degree, adjust their migration routes to maximize time spent in high-quality riparian zones, but they are able to find suitable habitat opportunistically when crossing more hostile landscapes. In contrast, nonriparian birds adhere more closely to a hierarchical model in which the migratory route is determined by biogeographic constraints. Conservation of riparian habitats is necessary to meet future habitat stopover requirements of many western Neotropical migrant birds. We advocate a coordinated research effort to further elucidate patterns of distribution and habitat use so that conservation activities can be focused effectively

Experienced Burden of and Adherence to Smartphone-Based Ecological Momentary Assessment in Persons with Affective Disorders

(1) Background: The use of smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) questionnaires in affective disorder research has rapidly increased. Though, a thorough understanding of experienced burden of and adherence to EMA is crucial in determining the usefulness of EMA. (2) Methods: Persons with current affective disorders (n = 100), remitted persons (n = 190), and healthy controls (n = 94) participated in a smartphone-based EMA two-week monitoring period. Our primary outcomes were (momentary) perceived burden of and adherence to EMA. (3) Results: In the whole sample, lower positive and higher negative affect were associated with slightly higher levels of perceived momentary burden (B = -0.23 [95%CI = -0.27-0.19], B = 0.30 [95%CI = 0.24-0.37], respectively). The persons with current affective disorders reported slightly higher levels of experienced momentary burden (Mdn = 1.98 [IQR = 1.28-2.57]), than the remitted persons (Mdn = 1.64 [IQR = 1.11-2.24]) and healthy controls (Mdn = 1.28 [IQR = 1.04-1.92]). Nevertheless, the persons with current affective disorders still showed very high adherence rates (Mdn = 94.3% [IQR = 87.9-97.1]), at rates on a par with the remitted persons (Mdn = 94.3% [IQR = 90.0-97.1]) and healthy controls (Mdn = 94.3% [IQR = 90.0-98.6]). (4) Discussion: Frequent momentary questionnaires of mental well-being are slightly more burdensome to the persons with current affective disorders, but this does not seem to have a negative impact on adherence. Their high rate of adherence to EMA-which was similar to that in remitted persons and healthy controls -suggests that it is feasible to apply (short-duration) EMA

Taqman Real-Time PCR Detects Avipoxvirus DNA in Blood of Hawaìi `Amakihi (Hemignathus virens)

Margaret E. M. Farias et al...Background Avipoxvirus sp. is a significant threat to endemic bird populations on several groups of islands worldwide, including Hawaìi, the Galapagos Islands, and the Canary Islands. Accurate identification and genotyping of Avipoxvirus is critical to the study of this disease and how it interacts with other pathogens, but currently available methods rely on invasive sampling of pox-like lesions and may be especially harmful in smaller birds. Methodology/Principal Findings Here, we present a nested TaqMan Real-Time PCR for the detection of the Avipoxvirus 4b core protein gene in archived blood samples from Hawaiian birds. The method was successful in amplifying Avipoxvirus DNA from packed blood cells of one of seven Hawaiian honeycreepers with confirmed Avipoxvirus infections and 13 of 28 Hawaìi `amakihi (Hemignathus virens) with suspected Avipoxvirus infections based on the presence of pox-like lesions. Mixed genotype infections have not previously been documented in Hawaìi but were observed in two individuals in this study. Conclusions/Significance We anticipate that this method will be applicable to other closely related strains of Avipoxvirus and will become an important and useful tool in global studies of the epidemiology of Avipoxvirus.Funding for this study was provided by: U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center (biology.usgs.gov/pierc/); U.S. Geological Survey Wildlife (biology.usgs.gov/wter/) and Invasive Species (biology.usgs.gov/invasive/) Programs; National Science Foundation (DEB0083944, www.nsf.gov); NIH/NCRR IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE), P20RR016467 (http://www.ncrr.nih.gov/research_infrast​ructure/institutional_development_award/​idea_networks_of_biomedical_research_exc​ellence/). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewe