Climate Change Policy 101

Similar to other policy issues, climate change policy proceeds in a cyclical fashion that proceeds from agenda setting, to policy development, to implementation, and finally to monitoring and review. Agenda setting involves politicians becoming convinced, usually by the science but also by politics and public opinion, that the climate issue deserves a policy response. Policy development involves a great deal of economic and policy option assessments that are winnowed down to a few options that may have “political traction” (i.e. those politicians think might succeed). Policy implementation involves turning policies into law and regulations that industry and individuals will act upon. Policy review, especially monitoring outcomes, is perhaps the most important phase, and for the climate change issue, the ongoing conclusion to date seems to be that more needs to be done, leading to the policy cycle starting over again. But there are also disturbing signs that this “top-down” approach is no longer working, and more “bottom-up” approaches, linked to the energy sector and clean technology, may become important new forces in forging action on climate change

Alien Registration- Macdonald, Donald (Eddington, Penobscot County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/10319/thumbnail.jp

Isolation of Nutritional Mutants of Aspergillus nidulans

Abstract Not Provided

The Management and Resolution of Cross Border Disputes as Canada and the U.S. Enter the 21st Century

crossborder dispute management--Canada and United State

Climate Change Strategies 101

The development of climate change action plans and strategies is usually done via the policy cycle during the first half of a government’s term.  This short-term political process is at odds with the longer-term climate change issue that requires a consistent and sustained effort.  Consequently, this often leads to conflicting and ever changing climate plans and strategies that often do not fully move to implementation. Several key strategic questions need to be considered at the policy agenda setting stage. Examples of these questions include: the real impetus for developing the plan, political will to take on policy development at a particular time, the degree of intention to actually implement it, and depth of target vs. costs to the economy.  The developmental stage of climate plans in Canada has historically involved five key components (with many variations): 1) background policy and scientific work; 2) consultation process; 3) economic/policy analysis and target setting; 4) building political support for a greenhouse gas target and policy package to meet the target; and 5) refinement and final political approval. Businesses are also responding by developing climate change strategies to either hedge their risk of being regulated, hedge their risk related to severe weather events, and/or to take advantage of climate business opportunities

A critical estimate of the writings of John Grote

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston UniversityThis dissertation is the result of an investigation of the writings of John Grote with attention being directed chiefly upon his principal works, Exploratio Philosophica (in two Parts), A Treatise on the Moral Ideals, and An Examination of the Utilitarian Philosophy. All additional writings that are available anywhere have been critically examined and treated in an Appendix. Grote's most important work in philosophy is the Exploratio Philosophica, in two volumes

Molecular mechanisms of nociception and pain

My thesis uses in vivo calcium imaging to investigate the cell and molecular mechanisms of two unusual pain states: congenital analgesia and cold allodynia. Genetic deletion of voltage-gated sodium channel NaV1.7 in mice and humans leads to profound pain insensitivity. Paradoxically, peripherally-targeted pharmacological antagonists of NaV1.7 fail to relieve pain in the clinic. To determine the mechanism of analgesia in NaV1.7 null mutants, I used optical, electrophysiological and behavioural methods to investigate the effect of peripheral NaV1.7 deletion on nociceptor function. Surprisingly, both calcium imaging and extracellular recording of NaV1.7-deficient sensory neurons in vivo found limited deficits in the response to noxious stimuli. Synaptic transmission from nociceptor central terminals in the spinal cord was however compromised following NaV1.7 deletion. Importantly, both synaptic deficits and behavioural analgesia were reversed by blocking central opioid receptors. Collectively, these data account for the failure of peripherally-targeted NaV1.7 blockers and point to a central mechanism of analgesia in NaV1.7 null mutants that requires opioid receptors. Chronic pain patients suffering from cold allodynia experience normally innocuous cooling as excruciating pain, but the cells and molecules driving cold allodynia remain elusive. I used in vivo calcium imaging to investigate how the activity of cold-sensing neurons was altered in three mouse models of neuropathic pain: oxaliplatin-induced neuropathy, peripheral nerve injury and ciguatera poisoning. In neuropathic mice exhibiting cold allodynia, a subset of cold-insensitive, large-diameter, peptidergic nociceptors became responsive to cooling. Diptheria toxin-mediated ablation of these silent cold-sensing neurons decreased neuropathic cold hypersensitivity. Voltage-gated potassium channels KV1.1 and KV1.2 were highly expressed in silent cold-sensing neurons and pharmacological inhibition of these channels rapidly induced cold responsiveness in cold-insensitive neurons. Taken together, I reveal that silent-cold sensing neurons contribute to cold allodynia in neuropathic pain and identify KV1 channel downregulation as a driver of de novo cold sensitivity, in vivo