bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A case-control study of the effects of nephrolithiasis in cats with chronic kidney disease
Authors: Ross Sheri J. , Osborne Carl A. , Lekcharoensuk Chalermpol , Koehler Lori A. , Polzin David J.
Published: June 2007

Objective—To determine whether nephrolithiasis was associated with an increase in mortality rate or in the rate of disease progression in cats with naturally occurring stage 2 (mild) or 3 (moderate) chronic kidney disease.

Design—Retrospective case-control study.

Animals—14 cats with stage 2 (mild) or 3 (moderate) chronic kidney disease (7 with nephroliths and 7 without).

Procedures—All cats were evaluated every 3 months for up to 24 months. Possible associations between nephrolithiasis and clinicopathologic abnormalities, incidence of uremic crises, death secondary to renal causes, and death secondary to any cause were evaluated.

Results—There were no clinically important differences in biochemical, hematologic, or urinalysis variables between cats with and without nephroliths at baseline or after 12 and 24 months of monitoring. No associations were detected between nephrolithiasis and rate of disease progression, incidence of uremic crises, or death.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Results suggested that in cats with mild or moderate chronic kidney disease, nephrolithiasis was not associated with an increase in mortality rate or in the rate of disease progression. Findings support recommendations that cats with severe kidney disease and nephrolithiasis be managed without surgery.
Use of the ventrodorsal myelographic view to predict lateralization of extruded disk material in small-breed dogs with thoracolumbar intervertebral disk extrusion: 104 cases (2004–2005)
Authors: Bos Alexandra Squires , Brisson Brigitte A. , Holmberg David L. , Nykamp Stephanie G.
Published: June 2007

Objective—To determine whether the ventrodorsal myelographic view can be used to accurately predict the circumferential location of extruded disk material in dogs with thoracolumbar intervertebral disk extrusion (IVDE) and to describe paradoxical contrast obstruction (PCO).

Design—Retrospective case series.

Animals—104 dogs with Hansen type I IVDE.

Procedures—Ventrodorsal myelographic views were reviewed, and contrast patterns were categorized according to 8 predetermined patterns. Agreement among observers was compared, and the predicted location of extruded disk material was compared with surgical findings.

Results—Agreement regarding myelographic pattern and location of extruded disk material was moderate (κ = 0.74 and 0.80, respectively) among the 4 observers. Ninety-three (89%) dogs had myelographic evidence of lateralized extrusion, and in 83 of the 93 (89%), predicted location of extruded disk material matched the surgically confirmed location. In 33 of the 40 (83%) dogs with bilateral contrast column gaps of unequal length, disk material was found to be located on the side with the shorter, rather than the longer, contrast gap, a phenomenon described as PCO.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Results suggested that the ventrodorsal myelographic view could be used to predict the circumferential location of extruded disk material in dogs with thoracolumbar IVDE more often than previously reported. The PCO phenomenon may be useful in determining the side of lateralization when contrast material does not outline the extruded disk material.
Lomustine and prednisone as a first-line treatment for dogs with multicentric lymphoma: 17 cases (2004–2005)
Authors: Sauerbrey Michele L. , Mullins Marie N. , Bannink Erin O. , Van Dorp T. E. Renate , Kaneene John B. , Obradovich Joyce E.
Published: June 2007

Objective—To assess response rate, median duration of response, adverse effects, and prognostic factors associated with concurrent administration of lomustine and prednisone as a first-line treatment for dogs with multicentric lymphoma.

Design—Retrospective case series.

Animals—17 dogs.

Procedures—Medical records were reviewed. Information obtained included signalment, physical examination findings, results of diagnostic testing, stage and substage, initial lomustine and prednisone dosages, and total number of lomustine doses administered.

Results—Lomustine was administered at a median starting dosage of 67 mg/m2, PO, every 21 days until 5 doses were given or disease progression was observed. Prednisone was administered at a median starting dosage of 1.8 mg/kg/d (0.82 mg/lb/d), PO, with dosage tapered during the first month of treatment. Six dogs had a complete response, and 3 had a partial response. Mean and median durations of response were 48.8 and 39.5 days, respectively. Median survival time was 111.2 days. In multivariate analyses, female sex and higher total lomustine dose were significantly associated with a longer disease-free inter-val. Neutropenia was the dose-limiting factor, with 4 dogs developing clinically important neutropenia 1 week after administration of a dose of lomustine.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Results suggest that concurrent treatment with lomustine and prednisone was well tolerated in dogs with multicentric lymphoma, but findings did not support the use of this combination for first-line treatment of affected dogs.
Samarium Sm 153 lexidronam for the palliative treatment of dogs with primary bone tumors: 35 cases (1999–2005)
Authors: Barnard Sandra M. , Zuber R. Max , Moore Antony S.
Published: June 2007

Objective—To evaluate survival times and palliative effects associated with the use of samarium Sm 153 lexidronam in dogs with primary bone tumors.

Design—Retrospective case series.

Animals—35 dogs with primary appendicular (n = 32) or axial (3) bone tumors.

Procedures—1 to 4 doses of samarium Sm 153 lexidronam were administered at a rate of 37 MBq/kg (16.8 MBq/lb), IV. Response to treatment, measured by lameness improvement, and survival time were determined.

Results—Of the 32 dogs with appendicular tumors, 20 (63%) had an improvement in the severity of lameness 2 weeks after administration of the first dose of radioactive samarium, 8 (25%) had no change in the severity of lameness, and 4 (12%) had a worsening. Overall median survival time was 100 days, with 3 dogs (8.6%) alive after 1 year. Median survival time for the 32 dogs with appendicular tumors was 93 days, with 3 (9.4%) alive after 1 year. This was not significantly different from the median survival time of 134 days for a historical cohort of 162 dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma that underwent amputation as the only treatment.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Results suggest that samarium Sm 153 lexidronam may be useful in the palliation of pain in dogs with primary bone tumors that are not candidates for curative-intent treatment.
Morphology of bony tissues and implants uncovered by high-resolution tomographic imaging
Authors: Müller Bert , Bernhardt Ricardo , Weitkamp Timm , Beckmann Felix , Bräuer Rolf , Schurigt Uta , Schrott-Fischer Annelies , Glueckert Rudolf , Ney Michael , Beleites Thomas , Jolly Claude , Scharnweber Dieter
Published: June 2007

Synchrotron radiation-based micro computed tomography contributes to the increasing demand for uncovering non-destructively the microscopic morphology of bony tissues and their interface regions with implants using isotropic spatial resolution in three-dimensional space. Using the microscopic ring structure of otoliths, the coherence-related interplay between density resolution and spatial resolution is demonstrated. The monochromatised, highly intense synchrotron radiation allows analysis of the morphology of arthritic joints without significant beam-hardening artefacts in a quantitative manner. It further enables intensity-based segmentation of metallic implants within bone and thereby to quantitatively study the bone morphology around different kinds of middle and inner ear implants. This knowledge permits improving medical interventions and optimising the implant's design with respect to surface modification, mechanical properties, and shape.
The effects of metal implants on inflammatory and healing processes
Authors: Tsaryk Roman , Peters Kirsten , Unger Ronald E. , Scharnweber Dieter , Kirkpatrick C. James
Published: June 2007

Metal implants are known for their superior mechanical properties. However, cases of implant failure mainly due to aseptic loosening do occur. The formation of particulate wear debris and corrosion products, such as metal ions and reactive oxygen species, are considered to be crucial factors leading to the failure of metal implants. These metal degradation and corrosion products can induce inflammatory responses, mediated among others by neutrophils, macrophages and endothelial cells. Furthermore, these degradation products may affect blood vessel formation, one of the central processes in wound healing after implantation. Such events can lead to the aseptic loosening of implants culminating in the necessity for revision surgery.
Magnesium sponges as a bioabsorbable material – attributes and challenges
Authors: Bach Friedrich-Wilhelm , Bormann Dirk , Kucharski Rafael , Meyer-Lindenberg Andrea
Published: June 2007

The aim of the present article is to make a contribution to establishing magnesium as a temporary reabsorbing implant material. With regard to its mechanical properties, magnesium shows very similar behaviour to that of bone; nevertheless no clinical applications for load bearing implants in osteosynthesis exist. Magnesium sponges with an open porous structure exhibit, apart from a mechanical similarity, a geometrical similarity to bone and therefore possess great potential for use as an osteosynthetic material. The structural and mechanical properties of magnesium sponges will be presented as well as possibilities for adjusting the mechanical properties.
Drug-eluting stent technologies for vascular regeneration
Authors: Schmitz Klaus-Peter , Grabow Niels , Löbler Marian , Behrend Detlef , Schmidt Wolfram , Sternberg Katrin
Published: June 2007

Currently, first generation drug-eluting stents are widely used in clinical practice to revascularize stenotic arterial vessel segments, and to prevent in-stent restenosis and other shortcomings of conventional bare metal stents. However, clinically relevant risks associated with current drug-eluting stents, such as delayed healing, late thrombosis and hypersensitivity, as well as the permanent nature of the stents represent challenges for further development in this field.

This paper reviews current drug-eluting stent technology, and describes recent advances towards a second generation of drug-eluting stents. Particular emphasis is put on the development of stents from bioabsorbable materials as a temporary alternative to permanent stent implants.
Fiber structures for the regenerative medicine
Authors: Planck Heinrich , Doser Michael
Published: June 2007

Regenerative medicine is a very promising field of research, which claims to heal damaged tissue instead of replacing it with artificial spare parts. Due to the mechanical behavior of fibers, similar to the fibrous structures most of our body tissues are made of, fibers are very biocompatible and suitable as carrier materials for cells and for the guided regeneration of tissues, mainly if the mechanical load is limited. Three examples demonstrate that for every tissue different properties of textiles and fibers are necessary. In liver regeneration the cell carrier must allow the attachment of the hepatocytes to one another for the formation of aggregates, otherwise the functionality of the cells is low. In cartilage regeneration the main challenge is the optimal degradation properties of the matrix for single cells allowing the unrestricted formation of a new matrix by the cells. In nerve regeneration structured fibers allow a faster outgrowth of new axons.
Novel biomimetically based ice-nucleating coatings
Authors: Zwieg Thomas , Cucarella Victor , Kauffeld Michael
Published: June 2007

Ice nucleation and ice repellence are properties which appear to be contradictory. Both are of great importance: The former for ice generation in the food and cooling industry and the latter for avoiding the adhesion of ice to structures. By mimicking a peculiar survival mechanism of some cold-adapted organisms a new type of coating system, able to both nucleate and repel the ice was developed. A heterogeneous surface containing locally isolated nucleation points in a low surface energy matrix were synthesised by a sol-gel process. The ice nucleating and ice releasing performance of the new ice nucleating coatings (INC) has been tested in a specially designed crystallisation chamber in comparison to commercial low surface energy coating systems. A mixture of demineralised water and a water freezing point depressant was used in the experiments. Compared to the commercial coatings, the INC surfaces showed a much higher ice nucleation rate but also a distinctly better ice releasing ability. Obviously the novel concept of local embedded nucleation points improves the ice repellent properties of surfaces.
Biomimetically inspired hybrid materials based on silicified collagen
Authors: Heinemann Sascha , Ehrlich Hermann , Knieb Christiane , Hanke Thomas
Published: June 2007

Starting from a natural example, several hybrid materials based on silicified collagen were synthesised under ambient conditions. The biomimetic approach and further steps allowed the production of porous as well as dense constructs whose structural assembly was similar to that observed microscopically in the natural glass fibres made by sponges. Chemical analyses showed the collagen used serving as an organic template that binds silicic acid whose condensation results in local silicification and strengthening of the hybrid. This effect was emphasised by mechanical testing. Compressive strength of the porous scaffolds has been increased by about four times and splitting tensile strength of the xerogels by up to six times due to hybridisation. As the hybrid materials additionally show proper biocompatibility, they seem to be suitable for medical applications, especially as a base material for load-bearing implants.
Justice, Health, and Status
Authors: Courtwright Andrew M.
Published: June 2007

Philosophical and political discussions of health inequalities have largely focused on questions of justice. The general strategy employed by philosophers like Norman Daniels is to identify a certain state of affairs—in his case, equality of opportunity—and then argue that health disparities limiting an individual's or group's access to that condition are unjust, demanding intervention. Recent work in epidemiology, however, has highlighted the importance of socioeconomic status in creating health inequalities. I explore the ways in which theories of justice have been expanded in light of this data, suggesting that more work is required if such theories are to provide an adequate framework for addressing health disparities. I conclude by sketching an alternative possibility for thinking about health disparities outside of the context of justice.
Doing Queer Love
Authors: Diedrich Lisa
Published: June 2007

In this essay, I utilize the concept of the echo, as formulated in the historical and methodological work of Michel Foucault and Joan W. Scott, to help theorize the historical relationship between health feminism and AIDS activism. I trace the echoes between health feminism and AIDS activism in order to present a more complex history of both movements, and to try to think through the ways that the coming together of these two struggles in a particular place and time—New York City in the 1980s—created particular practices that might be effective in other times and places. The practice that I focus on here is one that I call 'doing queer love'. As I hope to show, 'doing queer love' both describes a particular history of health activism and opens up the possibility of bringing into being a different future than the one a conventional history of AIDS seems to predict. It is an historical echo that I believe we must try to hear now, not just in order to challenge a particular history of AIDS activism in the United States, but also in order to provide a model that can be useful for addressing the continuing problem of AIDS across the globe.
Normalizing Testing--Normalizing AIDS
Authors: Cameron Edwin
Published: June 2007

Judge Edwin Cameron (South African Supreme Court of Appeal) makes a plea for a radical change of approach and of formal health policy in relation to HIV/AIDS in South Africa. Cameron delivered this lecture at the University of KwaZulu-Natal Forum on 4 May 2006 as part of the Ronald Louw Memorial Campaign, 'Get Tested, Get Treated'. Ronald Louw was a Professor of Law at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, an AIDS treatment activist and co-founder of the Durban Gay and Lesbian Community Centre. He died of AIDS in 2005. Cameron, who was appointed by Nelson Mandela to the high court in 1994, is a high profile AIDS activist and gay rights advocate. He has written about the experience of his decision to make public his own HIV positive status in the book, Witness to AIDS (Tafelberg).
Book Reviews
Authors: Beck Simon , Segell Glen M. , Hook Derek , Kusina Jeanne Marie
Published: June 2007

Daniel Dennet by Matthew Elton
Simon Beck

Globalization and Justice by Kai Nielsen
Glen M. Segell

The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature by Steven Pinker
Deborah Roberts

Georges Bataille by Michel Surya
Derek Hook

Thinking after Heidegger by David Wood
Jeanne Marie Kusina
Non-timber Forest Products in Nam Dong District, Central Vietnam: Ecological and Economic Prospects
Authors: Wetterwald Olivier , Zingerli Claudia , Sorg Jean-Pierre
Published: June 2007

This article analyses the ecological and economic prospects of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) and examines the importance of NTFPs for the livelihoods of local forest dwellers. It gives a brief review of NTFPs and the expectations and limitations associated with their use and extraction from natural forests. It argues that when looking at wild NTFPs only, they offer only limited opportunities for the development of local rural livelihoods. The empirical part of the article draws on a case study of NTFP extraction in Nam Dong district, central Vietnam. It provides insights into local NTFP use patterns and the importance of NTFPs for local households. Finally, it assesses the ecological and economic prospects of NTFPs in Nam Dong district. The article concludes that the supply of primary NTFPs in the natural forest is usually insufficient to meet market demands and ecological and economic requirements. If the primary aim is to develop rural households, it is necessary to enrich NTFPs in the natural forest or to cultivate them in manmade systems.
Stand der überbetrieblichen forstlichen Planung in den Kantonen Ende 2003 | Situation regarding regional forestry planning in the Cantons at the end of 2003
Authors: Horat Sandra , Bachmann Peter
Published: June 2007

The level of implementation of the forestry developmentplanning programme (WEP) was ascertained by the means of a written questionnaire sent to the pertinent Cantonal offices. In comparison with the previous questionnaire, in 2000, most of the Cantons have made progress. However, the forestry development plans have not come into force in their entirety in any Canton, with the exception of Geneva. The current plans have several weak points. Frequent defects are the missing or inadequate guidelines for the use of funding destined for the introduction or implementation of the plans, a lack of prioritisation and insufficient levels of controlling. In view of the introduction of the new federal financial redistribution rules a majority of Cantons would be prepared to accept the WEP as the basis for a performance agreement between federal and cantonal levels of government.
Die Bedeutung von Wäldern für die Erlebniskultur. Lern-, Seelen- und Sinnespfade in der Schweiz | The importance of forests for today's event culture - instructive, contemplative, and sensory-building paths in Switzerland
Authors: Scherer Mirco
Published: June 2007

Educational theory is an important instrument to teach environmentally friendly behaviour in nature and the environment. By using positive natural experiences both adults and children build up a relationship with their natural surroundings and learn to appreciate them. The study shows that the modern event paths are especially suitable to achieve this. Although a walk along a learning path does not always lead to a change in an individual's personal view of the forest and the environment, it does provide people – apart from the possibility of acquiring knowledge – with both fun and spiritual well-being and makes them more sensitive to nature. In addition such forest event paths are still an appropriate method to inform visitors about the forest and its management.
Il Sud delle Alpi: una regione ricca di boschi ma povera di legname? | South of the Alps: a region rich in forests but poor in timber?
Authors: Giudici Fulvio , Celio Franco , Mattei Germano
Published: June 2007

Half of the Swiss Canton Tessin is covered with forest. «Ticino»,to give it its Italian name, is therefore Switzerland's most «forested» Canton. The natural annual increase is estimated to be above 500 000 cubic meters, of which a little over 10% is harvested. The situation in the past was very different. Until the mid-19th century Tessin exported lumber to Italy. Following the devastating floods of 1868 cutting came to be strictly regulated and a period of gradual afforestation commenced. Nevertheless,intense harvesting continued for almost a century. Since 1950 the progressive abandonment of agriculture and the depopulation of the valleys have led to the current situation. It would be desirable today to effect a reversal of this trend. The «Federlegno» and other organizations are engaged in promoting the use of wood from Tessin for construction and heating. Despite encountered difficulties there are indications of success.
Evoluzione della copertura vegetale in aree alpestri del Canton Ticino nel periodo 1971–2001 | Evolution of Vegetation Cover in the Alpine Regions of Canton Tessin: 1971–2001
Authors: Stanga Pietro , Zbinden Niklaus
Published: June 2007

The retrospective study based on aerial photos (1971–2001) of the Canton Tessin made it possible to measure and analyze the evolution of the vegetation of eleven Alpine zones. The analysis shows a strong expansion of the arborescent vegetation and, at the same time, a decrease in other forms of ground cover (bush, shrub, meadow and unproductive spaces). Analysis of the data gives rise to the conjecture that the strong evolutionary dynamism evidenced by the areas under investigation is a result of the vast clearings carried out in past centuries to create pastures. Following the subsequent decrease in human pressure, nature today is attempting to rebalance the level of the biomass. These processes manifest themselves in different ways and with various intensity, depending on the interaction of numerous factors (e.g. climatic conditions, site fertility, initial conditions, evolution of anthropological pressure, etc.).
Studium und berufliche Situation junger Forstingenieurinnen und Forstingenieure in der Schweiz: Ergebnisse einer Befragung der ETH-Diplomjahrgänge 1993 bis 2001 | Curriculum evaluation and professional situation of forest engineers in Switzerland: Results of a survey of ETH alumni of classes 1993–2001
Authors: Hansmann Ralph , Zimmermann Willi , Holdenrieder Ottmar
Published: June 2007

The forest engineers, who graduated between 1993 and 2001 in Switzerland, were surveyed about their vocational situation, their further education and training, their retrospective evaluation of the forest science curriculum,and its further development. On the whole alumni's evaluation of both their current vocational situation and their studies in forest science during their time at university is positive. The results are discussed with reference to the development of the forest and landscape curriculum at ETH Zurich.
Zum Interesse an einer Versicherung von Sturmschäden im Schweizer Wald | On the demand for an insurance against storm damage in Swiss forests
Authors: Holthausen Niels , Baur Priska
Published: June 2007

We investigated the potential demand for insurance against storm damage in Swiss forests, drawing on theories of insurance economics and behavioural economics. Data were collected by the means of a postal survey of forest owners and in expert interviews. The results show that, at present, there is little demand for such insurance. However,under altered legal and economic conditions, insurance could be conducive to the management of damaging storm events.
Wie oft brannte der Walliser Wald im 20. Jahrhundert? | Forest fire occurrences in Canton Valais in the 20th century
Authors: Gimmi Urs , Bürgi Matthias , Wohlgemuth Thomas
Published: June 2007

In August 2003, a disastrous fire destroyed some 300 ha of forest near Leuk in the Swiss Canton of Valais. This extreme event heightened, for a time at least, public awareness of forest fires and triggered various research activities. Forest fires play an important part in the forest dynamics of the Valais. In this article we present a historical database, which contains data on outbreaks of fire over the past 100 years. The temporal variability of forest fires is analysed and possible relations to climate change and changes in forest use discussed. Three of the largest fires are presented as case studies (Ochsenboden in July 1921, Aletschwald/Riederhorn in May 1944 and Pfynwald in July 1962). Although wide areas of forest have been burnt in past fires, no outbreak in the last 100 years reached the extent of the forest fire of Leuk in 2003.
Zur Natürlichkeit von Laubwäldern des Schweizer Mittellands: Hemerobie und Biodiversität von Buchenwäldern bei Zürich und Zofingen | On the naturalness of the beech forests in the Swiss central plains
Authors: Burga Conradin A. , Beer Pascal C.
Published: June 2007

In two beech forest areas of Zurich and Zofingen, AG (situated in the central plains), a partly new method to quantify their degree of naturalness has been investigated with the help of 41 plots. The assessment is based on the modified vegetational survey according to Braun-Blanquet and on the comparison between the actual and potential natural vegetation. The method can be employed with a reasonable use of time and money. In addition, plant diversity was recorded. 51% of the plots are more or less in their natural state, while 10% of the plots show a strong anthropogenic influence. Very few differences in the beech forests were recorded between the two test areas of Zurich and Zofingen. While foresters are mainly responsible for the maintenance and improvement of the state of forests, much can also be contributed by members of the public.
Ausmass und Auswirkungen der Waldbrände auf die Vegetation der Schweiz im Laufe der Jahrtausende | Relevance and effects of fire disturbance on vegetation in Switzerland during the past millennia
Authors: Tinner Willy , Allgöwer Britta , Ammann Brigitta , Conedera Marco , Gobet Erika , Lotter André F. , Stähli Markus
Published: June 2007

New palaeoecological investigations (pollen, macrofossil, and charcoal analyses) provide important evidence on the fire history and the long-term fire ecology of different regions of Switzerland. The results from the Swiss plateau, the Northern and Central Alps and Southern Switzerland suggest that fire played a different role for the long-term vegetational development in the different regions. In the Northern Alps and Southern Switzerland anthropogenic fires led to the disappearance of entire forest communities. These fires especially affected the fire-sensitive speciesAbies alba. On the Swiss Plateau fire frequencies were markedly lower than in the Southern Alps. Nevertheless, fires probably led to a decline in the occurrence of fire-sensitive taxa such as Ulmus,Fraxinus excelsior or Tilia at lower altitudes (Fagus silvatica-Quercusbelt). First evidences from the Central Alps suggest that forest fires were naturally more frequent in this continental region and that the vegetation might be better fire-adapted than the original(partly or completely vanished) plant communities of the Swiss Plateau, the Northern Alps and Southern Switzerland.
Valutazione del rischio di incendi boschivi a livello locale: una proposta metodologica | Fire risk assessment on a local scale: a methodological approach
Authors: Conedera Marco , Roth Patrick , Corti Gabriele , Ryser Daniele
Published: June 2007

Fire-services are often unable to obtain a rapid overview of problems connected with wildfire fighting. In the last few decades the ideology for fire fighting has shifted from fire control(basically fire suppression) to fire management (including prevention,planning, and simulating). As a result, fire management is now included in landscape planning processes. The preliminary step in fire management is fire risk analysis, which takes into account fire hazard (probability and expected severity of a fire) and the outcome (total impact on the affected environment). In this contribution we present an approach for assessing fire risk on local levels in southern Switzerland.
Ecologia degli incendi nella Svizzera sudalpina: effetti su suolo, vegetazione e fauna | Fire ecology on the southern side of the Alps in Switzerland: Effect on soil, vegetation and fauna
Authors: Moretti Marco , Conedera Marco
Published: June 2007

The region on the southern side of the Alps in Switzerland is the region most often affected by forest fires. Understanding the effect of the fire on the main components of the ecological system (soil, vegetation, fauna) is extremely important in order to plan possible countering measures and provide correct information for specialists and the public. The present contribution provides a synthesis of all that is known today of forest fire ecology in southern Switzerland.

At ground level, fire eliminates the biomass on the surface of the soil creating a level of ash, which changes the chemical and physical characteristic of the soil and renders it temporarily impermeable. Subsequent precipitation, especially during the first year following the fire, flows off the surface and increases water erosion. After an initial temporary increase in the number of species, the diversity of the vegetation becomes impoverished for long periods, especially in cases where fires occur repeatedly. If, on the other hand, surface fires occur at only isolated intervals, the vegetation cover experiences no great changes.

The fires have diverse effects on invertebrates: following a single occurrence, species diversity remains constant and the community regenerates itself after 6–14 years. The situation is different if repeated fires occur: the number of species increases and is maintained over a period of 17–24 years after the event. The forest invertebrates that profit most from fires are those that live in openings where sunlight can enter: pollinators and predators that find abundant food on the burnt surfaces. In addition, 12 pyrophile species of plants, fauna and fungi have been recorded on the southern side of the Alps,which depend on fire in their reproductional or life cycles.

From a practical point of view, the results show that fires threaten the protective function of forests. In order to generate positive effects of the fire on biodiversity, specific management measures are conceivable that promote the various development stages of the forest and thus its diversity. The discussion with regard to pyrophile species remains open in view of their inseparable union with fire.
Humean Nature
Authors: Carter Alan
Published: June 2007

It has been argued that there is an irreconcilable difference between those advocating animal liberation or animal rights, on the one hand, and those preferring a wider environmental ethic, which includes concern for non-sentient life-forms and species preservation, on the other. In contrast, I argue that it is possible to provide foundations for both seemingly environmentalist positions by exploring some of the potential of a ‘collective-projectivist’ reading of Hume – one that seems more consistent with Hume's texts than other readings. In short, this article seeks to advance our understanding of some of the possibilities within Humean moral theory, while simultaneously providing new foundations for both animal welfare and a wider environmental ethic.
Does the Convention on Biodiversity Safeguard Biological Diversity?
Authors: Müller Frank G.
Published: June 2007

This paper attempts to assess and evaluate some of the economic implications of the Convention on Biological Diversity. After outlining the main principles and the scope of this Convention, the following issues are addressed: the determination of the ‘optimal’ level of biodiversity loss, the meaning of incremental costs, and monetary evaluation problems of ecological resources and the problems it poses for the funding mechanism (GEF). The paper concludes with a discussion of the issues of commercialisation and access to genetic resources.
The Birth of a Research Animal: Ibsen's The Wild Duck and the Origin of a New Animal Science
Authors: Zwart H.A.E.
Published: June 2007

What role does the wild duck play in Ibsen's famous drama? I argue that, besides mirroring the fate of the human cast members, the duck is acting as animal subject in a quasi-experiment, conducted in a private setting. Analysed from this perspective, the play allows us to discern the epistemological and ethical dimensions of the new scientific animal practice (systematic observation of animal behaviour under artificial conditions) emerging precesely at that time. Ibsen's play stages the clash between a scientific and a romantic understanding of animals that still constitutes the backdrop of most contemporary debates over animals in research. Whereas the scientific understanding reduces the animal's behaviour, as well as its environment, to discrete and modifiable elements, the romantic view regards animals as being at one with (or violently disconnected from) their natural surroundings.
The Ethicist Conception of Environmental Problems
Authors: Dickson Barnabas
Published: June 2007

Ethicist assumptions about the causes and solutions of environmental problems are widely held within environmental philosophy. It is typically assumed that an important cause of problems are the attitudes towards the natural environment held by individuals and that problems can be solved by getting people to adopt a more ethical orientation towards the environment. This article analyses and criticises these claims. Both the highly mediated nature of the relationship between individuals and the natural environment and the pervasive pressure on firms in market economies to reduce their costs provide reasons to question the ethicist assumptions.
The Disvalue of ‘Contingent Valuation’ and the Problem of the ‘Expectation Gap’
Authors: Westra Laura
Published: June 2007

‘Contingent Valuation’ is a method often used to make decisions about environmental issues. It is used to elicit citizens’ preferences at the location of a specific facility, new road and the like. I argue that even if we could elicit a truly informed and ‘free’ choice, the method would remain flawed, as 1) all ‘local’ activity also has far-reaching environmental consequences; 2) majority decisions may support chices that adversely affect minorities; 3) even with full information, consenting to harms like significant alterations of our normal functioning or health, or genetic mutations, may not be morally acceptable.
Environmental Justice through Improved Efficiency
Authors: Wenz Peter S.
Published: June 2007

Environmentalists can convince others to adopt nature-friendly policies through appeal to commonly-held values. Efficiency and justice are such values in industrial societies, but these values are often considered at odds with each other and with policies that preserve land and reduce pollution. The present paper analyses the notion of efficiency and argues that transportation policies that environmentalists favour – substitution of intercity rail and urban mass transit for most automotive forms of transport – are both efficient and just.
Immigration and Environment: Settling the Moral Boundaries
Authors: Chapman Robert L.
Published: June 2007

Large populations fuelled by immigration have damaging effects on natural environments. Utilitarian approaches to immigration (whether restrictive or permissive) are inadequate, since they fail to draw the appropriate boundaries between people, as are standard rights approaches buttressed by sovereignty concerns because they fail to include critical environmental concerns within their pantheon of rights. A right to a healthy environment is a basic/subsistence right to be enjoyed by everyone, resident and immigrant alike. Current political-economic arrangements reinforced by familiar ethical positions that support property rights and preference satisfaction favours (privileged) residents while directly or indirectly denying basic rights to potential immigrants and should be abandoned and a basic rights procedure adopted.
Environmental Economics: The Meaning of an ‘Objective’ Policy Science
Authors: Deblonde Marian K.
Published: June 2007

Environmental economics is a policy science. Environmental economists, however, find that their policy recommendations are often neglected by political officials. Some of them react to this neglect by reproaching public authorities with lack of efficiency: this so-called inefficiency is considered to be a manifestation of government failure. Others propose a redefinition of environmental economics in order to make it fit better with actual political objectives. After briefly outlining the case for an economic paradigm that differs from conventional (i.e. neo-classical welfare) environmental economics, I argue that an alternative paradigm demands a different interpretation of economic ‘objectivity’. I claim that economic ‘objectivity’ ultimately comes down to a non-neutral common consent within a particular community of economic scientists. This interpretation leaves room for a multiplicity of ‘objective’, but non-neutral economic theories. The fact that the inevitable value ideas underlying a particular theory cannot be made fully transparent, urges us to accept a different conception of the theory's political relevance. Environmental economic theory should be considered not so much a provider of political ‘instruments’, as of scientific ‘insights’. It should not simply be considered a theory that responds to actual political objectives, but one that inspires political objectives. These two latter suggestions of mine are only preliminary recommendations, which require further conceptual analysis.
Nature, Purity, Ontology
Authors: Stephens Piers H.G.
Published: June 2007

Standard defences of preservationism, and of the intrinsic value of nature more generally, are vulnerable to at least three objections. The first of these comes from social constructivism, the second from the claim that it is incoherent to argue that nature is both 'other' and something with which we can feel unity, whilst the third links defences of nature to authoritarian objectivism and dangerously misanthropic normative dichotomies which set pure nature against impure humanity. I argue that all these objections may be answered by recasting the relationship between man and nature into a tripartite spectrum of ontological form between nature and artifact, with the key question being the extent to which nature has been humanised in accordance with certain modes of strongly instrumental rationality, these in turn being defined by reference to the split between abstract reason and natural feeling which was exacerbated by specific elements in the Enlightenment period. This new model may grant normative force by linking external nature to a broader conception of human psychological wellbeing than that offered by the quantitatively orientated models of human rationality and agency.
Sustainable Development and Social Justice: Expanding the Rawlsian Framework of Global Justice
Authors: Langhelle Oluf
Published: June 2007

This article makes two arguments. First, that social justice constitutes an inherent part of the conception of sustainable development that the World Commission on Environment and Development outlined in Our Common Future (1987). The primary goal of the Commission was to reconcile physical sustainability, need satisfaction and equal opportunities, within and between generations. Sustainable development is what defines this reconciliation.

Second, it is argued that this conception of sustainable development is broadly compatible with liberal theories of justice. Sustainable development, however, goes beyond liberal theories of justice in many respects. It is based on three assumptions, which are for the most part ignored in liberal theories: an accelerating ecological interdependence, historical inequality in past resource use, and the 'growth of limits'. These assumptions create a conflict between intra- and intergenerational justice, which is ignored in liberal theories, but which sustainable development tries to solve. It does so by imposing duties on developed countries that goes beyond liberal demands, and by abandoning the focus 'solely on protection' that dominates non-anthropocentric approaches to environmental sustainability.
Sustainability, Systems and Meaning
Authors: Schuetz Joachim
Published: June 2007

Sustainability calls for the globe as a relevant unit of analysis, and systems thinking is an appropriate theoretical framework for this task. Yet systems thinking is employed in two contrary ways. The 'accommodating' systems approach is closely linked to the classical concept of science. It bases its credibility on the exclusion of values or any other subjective elements. The 'creative' way explicitly requires a subjectively recognised leading principle, according to which the system organises itself. Following the 'creative' approach, the paper argues that sustainability should be interpreted as a quest for conscious adoption of a global systems identity. It is this assigned system purpose that gives single actions and judgements within systems their meaning. Since subjective elements will always remain antagonistic in any classical approach, only a 'creative' approach offers possibilities for integrating cybernetic systems thinking, giving rise to a concept of systems guided by meaning.
Ethical Motives and Charitable Contributions in Contingent Valuation: Empirical Evidence from Social Psychology and Economics
Authors: Spash Clive L.
Published: June 2007

Contingent valuation of the environment has proven popular amongst environmental economists in recent years and has increased the role of monetary valuation in public policy. However, the underlying economic model of human psychology fails to explain why certain types of stated behaviour are observed. Thus, good scope exists for interdisciplinary research in the area of economics and psychology with regard to environmental valuation. A critical review is presented here of some recent research by social psychologists in the US attempting to explain stated behaviour in contingent valuation. Attitudinal scales have been used to analyse the role of ecocentric, biocentric and altruistic motives for giving. However, the research is shown to draw some potentially misleading conclusions and be unrepresentative of contingent valuation. Two recent economic studies using contingent valuation are then reported and shown to have identified non-economic motives for WTP. The complexity of value formation and expression is found to go far beyond that generally accepted by economic models. Greater consideration of the role played by attitudes and ethical considerations then becomes relevant to the interpretation of results being used in standard cost-benefit analysis and environmental policy.
The Environment as a Commodity
Authors: Vatn Arild
Published: June 2007

This paper addresses problems related to transferring market concepts to non-market domains. More specifically it is about fallacies following from the use of the commodity concept in environmental valuation studies. First of all, the standard practice tends to misconstrue the ethical aspects related to environmental choices by forcing them into becoming ordinary trade-off problems. Second, the commodity perspective ignores important technical interdependencies within the environment and the relational character of environmental goods. These are all properties that have made many such goods escape the commoditisation pressure of markets in the first place. Further, it is shown that these interdependencies are the source of some of the ethical dilemmas observed. Finally, inherent characteristics of the environment tend to make the concept of the margin, so indispensable to economic calculus, either difficult or irrelevant to define. The commodity 'fiction' twists the perception of the environment from systems preservation to items use or transformation. This is a problem of increased importance as we approach potential systems perturbations.
Is Valuing Nature Contributing to Policy Development?
Authors: Burney Jonathan
Published: June 2007

This paper examines technical, ethical and ecological science perspectives on environmental valuation, and discusses problems in terms of the implications for practical policy-making. It suggests that all these perspectives raise legitimate concerns about the use of stated preference methods, but concludes that such methods still have a role to play in policy making for nature conservation provided they are applied in the right circumstances, designed very carefully, and used in conjunction with other decision-making tools.
Conceptions of Value in Environmental Decision-Making
Authors: O'Neill John , Spash Clive L.
Published: June 2007

Environmental problems have an ethical dimension. They are not just about the efficient use of resources. Justice in the distribution of environmental goods and burdens, fairness in the processes of environmental decision-making, the moral claims of future generations and non-humans, these and other ethical values inform the responses of citizens to environmental problems. How can these concerns enter into good policy-making processes?

Two expert-based approaches are commonly advocated for incorporating ethical values into environmental decision-making. One is an 'economic capture' approach, according to which existing economic methods can be successfully extended to include ethical concerns. For example, stated preference methods, especially contingent valuation, have been developed to try and capture ethical responses as 'non-use values' of the environment, in particular 'existence values'. The other is a 'moral expert' approach which confines economic methods to the analysis of welfare gains, and assumes committees of ethical experts will complement economic expertise.

Both approaches face problems in terms of addressing many widely held ethical values about the environment. Furthermore, both face problems concerning the democratic legitimacy of their procedures. How can policy-making be made responsive to different ethical values? What role is there for new deliberative and participatory methods? How far do existing decision-making institutions have the capacities to incorporate different modes of articulating environmental values?

This policy brief examines the limitations of current attempts to capture ethical values within existing economic instruments and considers how these limitations might be overcome. Section 1 examines the assumptions that standard economic theory makes about individuals when they express values and make choices about the environment. The current models of agents that inform policy-making are seen to be ill-suited to incorporating the ethical responses of agents and this reveals some of the policy failures that may result. Section 2 shows how the physical and social properties of many environmental goods prevent their being treated as commodities. Section 3 considers the problems surrounding conceptions of fairness and legitimacy in processes for environmental valuation. Section 4 raises questions concerning the capacities of policy-making institutions to take cognisance of the results of different methods for articulating environmental values.