The Complexity of the Practice of Ecosystem-Based Management.

In the United States, there are more than 20 federal agencies that manage over 140 ocean statutes (Crowder et al., 2006). A history of disjointed, single sector management has resulted in a one-dimensional view of ecosystems, administrative systems, and the socio-economic drivers that affect them. In contrast, an ecosystem-based approach to management is inherently multi-dimensional. Ecosystem-based approaches to management (EBM) are at the forefront of progressive science and policy discussions. Both the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy (USCOP, 2004) and the Pew Oceans Commission (POC, 2003) reports called for a better understanding of the impact of human activities on the coastal ocean and the result was President Obama’s National Policy for the Stewardship of the Ocean, our Coasts, and the Great Lakes (2010). EBM is holistic by seeking to include all stakeholders affected by marine policy in decision-making. Stakeholders may include individuals from all levels of government, academia, environmental organizations, and marine-dependent businesses and industry. EBM processes require decision-makers to approach marine management differently and more comprehensively to sufficiently require a more sophisticated conceptual understanding of the process and the people involved. There are implicit cognitive, interpersonal, and intra-personal demands of EBM that are not addressed by current literature. This research seeks to understand the mental demands of EBM. A constructive developmental framework is used to illuminate how decision-makers reason or make sense of the ideals and values underlying EBM, the mutual relationships that must be built among natural resource management agencies, and the personal experiences and emotions that accompany change

Follow-up in the field of reproductive medicine : an ethical exploration

Research question: What ethical implications, issues and concerns play a role in conducting follow-up studies of children born after assisted reproductive technologies (ART)? Design: Literature study and relevant experiences of academic medical centres in Brussels, Belgium, and Maastricht, the Netherlands were used to identify and analyse the most pertinent ethical implications, issues and concerns. Results: According to recommendations from the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, follow-up (ideally long term) of children conceived through medically assisted reproduction (MAR) should be an integral part of introducing new ART. With potentially risky new ART on the horizon, these recommendations need to be taken more seriously. Apart from practical barriers, such as funding, challenges for follow-up include securing active involvement of families of children conceived through MAR, starting with parents of young children, and ideally involving consenting adolescents and adults during a large part of their lives, possibly even into the next generation. Conclusions: From an ethical viewpoint, the most pertinent issues include the proportionality of the inevitable burdens and risks for families of children conceived through MAR, and the implications of the principle of respect for autonomy. The proportionality requirement is most critical when it concerns incompetent children, who should not be included in research with more than minimal burdens and risks if there is no reasonable expectation of benefit for themselves. With respect for autonomy, we argue that, when seeking voluntary consent for participating in followup studies that meet the condition of proportionality, professionals may encourage members of families of children conceived through MAR to partake in follow-up research

Effects of Sensitive Electrical Stimulation-Based Somatosensory Cueing in Parkinson's Disease Gait and Freezing of Gait Assessment

International audienceThis study aims to investigate the effect of a somatosensory cueing on gait disorders in subjects with Parkinson's disease (PD). After having performed stepping in place and timed up and go assessing tasks, 13 participants with PD were equipped with an electrical stimulator and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) located under the lateral malleolus on the sagittal plane. Electrodes were positioned under the arch of the foot and electrical stimulation (ES) parameters (five 500 ms/phase charge-balanced biphasic pulses delivered at 200 Hz, repeated four times at 10 Hz) adjusted to deliver a sensitive signal. Online IMU signal was processed in order to trigger ES at heel off detection. Starting from a quiet standing posture, subjects were asked to walk at their preferred speed on a path including 5 m straight line, u-turn, and walk around tasks. Three situations were considered: no stimulation baseline precondition (C0), ES condition (C1), and no stimulation baseline post-condition (C0bis), for eliminating a learning effect possibility. In ES condition (C1) the time to execute the different tasks was globally decreased in all the subjects (n 5 13). Participants' results were then grouped regarding whether they experienced freezing of gait (FOG) or not during C0 no stimulation baseline precondition. In " freezer " subjects (n 5 9), the time to complete the entire path was reduced by 19%. FOG episodes occurrence was decreased by 12% compared to baseline conditions. This preliminary work showed a positive global effect on gait and FOG in PD by a somatosensory cueing based on sensitive electrical stimulation

Co-evaluación y autoevaluación a través de Moodle-UA para asignaturas de lenguas y literaturas extranjeras

La implementación de la evaluación formativa en asignaturas del Departamento de Filologías Integradas desde hace ya cinco años, cuando iniciamos nuestra investigación en este campo, nos ha llevado a plantearnos la utilización de nuevos instrumentos y herramientas de evaluación. La plataforma virtual Moodle-UA 2 disponía de utilidades a las que podían adaptarse perfectamente las asignaturas de lenguas y literaturas extranjeras que impartimos desde del departamento de Filologías Integradas. Nuestro principal propósito ha sido el de formarnos en la utilización y conocimiento de las posibilidades que esta plataforma virtual ofrecía en materia de evaluación. Nos hemos centrado sobre todo en la adaptación de los cuestionarios de autoevaluación y coevaluación vinculados a las actividades formativas evaluables de nuestras asignaturas, a las herramientas de la plataforma. En este sentido, hemos trabajado en la manera de vincular todos los aspectos de la evaluación formativa a través de la plataforma Moodle- UA para así optimizar y agilizar el proceso, tanto para el docente como para el discente

Néandertaliens et hommes modernes anciens du musée des Confluences

Several human remains belonging to the Upper Pleistocene are curated at the Centre de Conservation et d'Etude des Collections du musée des Confluences in Lyon. These remains come from the French sites of La Quina (Charente) and Badegoule (Dordogne) and are of Neandertals and anatomically modern humans. Discovered in the first part of the 20th century and sometimes somewhat forgotten, the La Quina remains have recently been reanalyzed. We present here these remains and the results of these new studies. A virtual reconstruction of the La Quina 9 mandible using CT Scans data yields new information regarding its morphology. The specimens from La Quina, although fragmentary, highlight interesting questions about the biology and behaviour of Upper Pleistocene populations. One cranial fragment was used to retouch lithic tools, and is the earliest evidence for the use of human bone as tool. In addition, a fragment of mandible found in 1933, but never published, supports the interpretation that anatomically modern humans were the makers of the Early Aurignacian in Western Europe, and is one of the oldest modem human specimens in France. Finally, the chronological age of the Badegoule mandible is unclear, and we suggest that a direct dating of this specimen would be necessary to address this question.Le Centre de Conservation et d'Etude des Collections du musée des Confluences comprend dans ses collections plusieurs restes humains attribués au Pléistocène supérieur. Découverts dans les sites de La Quina (Charente) et de Badegoule (Dordogne), ils appartiennent aux Néandertaliens et aux hommes anatomiquement modernes. Découverts dans le premier tiers du XXe siècle et parfois un peu oubliés, les restes de La Quina ont récemment fait l'objet de nouvelles études. Nous présentons ces restes humains et les résultats obtenus par ces nouveaux travaux. L'utilisation des outils récents de l'imagerie virtuelle (images 3D obtenues par tomodensitométrie) a ainsi permis de répondre à certaines questions concernant la morphologie de la mandibule néanderta-lienne La Quina 9. En outre, les nouveaux travaux ont permis d'identifier parmi ces restes le plus vieil outil en os humain connu et une mandibule d'enfant qui représente l'un des plus anciens hommes modernes français. L'âge chronologique de la mandibule de Badegoule est en revanche incertain, et seule une datation directe de ce spécimen permettrait de préciser son ancienneté.Verna Christine. Néandertaliens et hommes modernes anciens du musée des Confluences. In: Les Cahiers du Musée des Confluences. Etudes Scientifiques, tome 3, 2012. pp. 21-27

Néandertaliens et hommes modernes anciens du musée des Confluences

Several human remains belonging to the Upper Pleistocene are curated at the Centre de Conservation et d'Etude des Collections du musée des Confluences in Lyon. These remains come from the French sites of La Quina (Charente) and Badegoule (Dordogne) and are of Neandertals and anatomically modern humans. Discovered in the first part of the 20th century and sometimes somewhat forgotten, the La Quina remains have recently been reanalyzed. We present here these remains and the results of these new studies. A virtual reconstruction of the La Quina 9 mandible using CT Scans data yields new information regarding its morphology. The specimens from La Quina, although fragmentary, highlight interesting questions about the biology and behaviour of Upper Pleistocene populations. One cranial fragment was used to retouch lithic tools, and is the earliest evidence for the use of human bone as tool. In addition, a fragment of mandible found in 1933, but never published, supports the interpretation that anatomically modern humans were the makers of the Early Aurignacian in Western Europe, and is one of the oldest modem human specimens in France. Finally, the chronological age of the Badegoule mandible is unclear, and we suggest that a direct dating of this specimen would be necessary to address this question.Le Centre de Conservation et d'Etude des Collections du musée des Confluences comprend dans ses collections plusieurs restes humains attribués au Pléistocène supérieur. Découverts dans les sites de La Quina (Charente) et de Badegoule (Dordogne), ils appartiennent aux Néandertaliens et aux hommes anatomiquement modernes. Découverts dans le premier tiers du XXe siècle et parfois un peu oubliés, les restes de La Quina ont récemment fait l'objet de nouvelles études. Nous présentons ces restes humains et les résultats obtenus par ces nouveaux travaux. L'utilisation des outils récents de l'imagerie virtuelle (images 3D obtenues par tomodensitométrie) a ainsi permis de répondre à certaines questions concernant la morphologie de la mandibule néanderta-lienne La Quina 9. En outre, les nouveaux travaux ont permis d'identifier parmi ces restes le plus vieil outil en os humain connu et une mandibule d'enfant qui représente l'un des plus anciens hommes modernes français. L'âge chronologique de la mandibule de Badegoule est en revanche incertain, et seule une datation directe de ce spécimen permettrait de préciser son ancienneté.Verna Christine. Néandertaliens et hommes modernes anciens du musée des Confluences. In: Les Cahiers du Musée des Confluences. Etudes Scientifiques, tome 3, 2012. pp. 21-27