bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predicting and improving the novel process parameters involved in deep drawing process of Inconel 718 sheet at room temperature using hybrid DNN-SSO approach
Authors: Ganesan Kanmani , Sambasivam Saravanan , Ramadass Rajesh
Published: June 2023

The deep drawing technique is an important metal forming processes, and it is rarely used in the Inconel 718 sheet. The main purpose of this study is to perform a deep drawing process using the Inconel 718 alloy. In this research article, the Inconel 718 alloy sheet of 1 mm thickness is drawn into sheet metal cups, and defects such as thinning, and earing are controlled using selected input parameters such as Blank Holding Force (BHF) Blank Diameter (BD), and Punch Nose Radius (Rpn). A Box Behnken design (BBD) is used to evaluate the effects of output parameters. The hybrid Deep Neural Network (DNN) is used to predict the experimental outcomes obtained from the deep drawing process. For deep drawing process blank holding force is favorable for both thinning and earing. The minimum thinning value obtained during experimentation is 0.033 mm. During experimentation less earing value is 2.47 mm. Hybrid Deep Neural Network based Sparrow Search Optimization (DNN-SSO) gives the prediction model, where the values are much closer to the experimented model than RSM and non-Hybrid DNN. The minimum thinning obtained in the prediction model such as RSM, SSO-DNN, and DNN are 0.030, 0.0304, and 0.023 mm. Likewise, the minimum earing obtained from the predictive model is 2.65, 2.49, and 2.51 mm respectively. The minimum error is found in the hybrid DNN and the average RMSE for thinning is 0.002 and earing is 0.0024. The regression coefficient of thinning and earing is 99% which proves the experimental outcomes matches with RSM validation.
Integrating Autonomous Busses as Door-to-Door and First-/Last-Mile Service into Public Transport: Findings from a Stated Choice Experiment
Authors: Klinkhardt Christian , Kandler Kim , Kostorz Nadine , Heilig Michael , Kagerbauer Martin , Vortisch Peter
Published: June 2023

Autonomous busses and on-demand (OD) services have the potential to improve the public transport system. However, research on potential traffic impacts is still ongoing, mainly because of a lack of existing use cases of autonomous driving as part of public transport. The availability of revealed preference data for mode choice decisions is thus very limited. Therefore, we conducted a stated choice experiment to assess mode choice preferences with regard to use cases as the main mode of transport and as the solution for the first and last mile. We also distinguished between OD and schedule-based (sched.) services. The target population of the survey is the population of Baden-Württemberg, a state in southwestern Germany. The responses of 1,434 people were analyzed using a nested logit approach. On this basis, we established exemplary utility functions and descriptively derived recommendations for efficient forms of deploying autonomous busses in addition to already existing well-developed public transport systems. It was found that, under the given conditions, public transport pass owners without a car in their household would be the most interested in using autonomous busses. Car owners without a smartphone see less benefit. It was also shown that the recruiting method of the respondents is crucial. Those reached via social media were significantly more positive than those contacted via an online panel. Further evaluations show that autonomous busses are rated similarly to existing public transport and consequently have particularly high potential on medium distances, especially if their deployment leads to shorter access routes.
Determinants of Helmet Use Intention Among E-Bikers in China: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior, the Health Belief Model, and the Locus of Control
Authors: Tang Tianpei , Guo Yuntao , Wang Hua , Li Xinghua , Agrawal Shubham
Published: June 2023

Nearly half of electric biker (e-biker)-related crashes caused head injuries that could be preventable by wearing a helmet. This study proposes an integrated Theory of Planned Behavior, Health Belief Model, and locus of control framework to investigate the underlying psychological factors influencing helmet use intention using survey data in Shanghai. Structural equation model estimation and multiple group analyses were conducted to understand these heterogeneous impacting factors. Health motivation, perceived behavioral control, attitude, cues to action, and internality were identified as five key factors affecting the intention to use a helmet. Subgroups of e-bikers based on their age, education, income, and driver’s license were more susceptible to targeted helmet use strategies for some psychological factors compared to their counterparts. Study insights shed light on the one-size-fits-all strategy limitations and may assist policymakers in designing behavioral interventions and safety education schemes to promote helmet use among e-bikers in China.
Association of Severe Histological Degeneration of the Torn Supraspinatus Tendon and Retear After Arthroscopic Repair of Full-Thickness Rotator Cuff Tears Using the Suture Bridge Technique
Authors: Tokunaga Takuya , Karasugi Tatsuki , Tanimura Shuntaro , Miyamoto Takeshi
Published: June 2023

Background:

Previous studies have demonstrated several prognostic factors for retear after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR). However, studies that histologically evaluate the quality of the torn rotator cuff (RC) tendon and its association with postoperative outcomes are limited.

Purpose:

To investigate factors associated with retear after ARCR using the suture bridge (SB) technique, including the degree of histological degeneration of the RC tendon edge.

Study Design:

Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

The authors retrospectively evaluated 187 patients who underwent ARCR for full-thickness tears using the SB technique; intraoperative biopsy samples were taken to assess the degree of histological degeneration using the Bonar score. The cohort was divided into healed (n = 165) and retear (n = 22) groups according to magnetic resonance imaging results obtained ≥6 months postoperatively. The evaluation included preoperative patient data (age, sex, symptom duration, trauma history, history of heavy manual work, smoking habit, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hyperlipidemia) and radiological data (Hamada classification, Patte classification, Goutallier classification, and global fatty degeneration index [GFDI]). Additionally, intraoperative data (anteroposterior tear size, Lafosse classification for concomitant subscapularis tendon tear, and long head of biceps injury) and preoperative and postoperative clinical findings (active range of motion, University of California, Los Angeles [UCLA], score) were evaluated.

Results:

The retear rate was 11.8%. The retear group had a higher percentage of men ( P = .031), higher Bonar score ( P < .001), higher mean GFDI value ( P = .002), higher rate of tear retraction degree ( P = .010), and larger anteroposterior tear size ( P = .020) than the healed group. The retear group had lower postoperative internal rotation ( P = .031) and lower UCLA score ( P < .001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis with a stepwise variable selection revealed anteroposterior tear size (odds ratio [OR], 2.4; 95% CI, 1.3-4.5; P = .004) and Bonar score (OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.3-2.4; P < .001) as independent predictors for a retear.

Conclusion:

The results indicate that end-stage severe tendon degeneration might affect retear. Therefore, further investigation on the progression mechanisms of tendon degeneration and development of methods to assess degenerative tissue might improve clinical outcomes after ARCR.
Impact of positive surgical margins (PSMs) after robotic prostatectomy on biochemical recurrence (BCR): Multicenter analysis
Authors: Fiorello Nicolò , Di Benedetto Andrea , Brizzi Luca , Mogorovich Andrea , Summonti Daniele , Silvestri Giuseppe , Benvenuti Sandro , Sepich Carlo Alberto
Published: June 2023

Objective:

To study and analyze any correlations between positive surgical margins after RARP and biochemical recurrence.

Methods:

We enrolled 105 patients who underwent robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) from 2016–2020 with PSMs on final pathology, all performed or supervised by a senior surgeon in two tertiary referral center. Pathology has been described indicating also the area (apical, base, mediolateral, anterior, or multiple) and the extent of PSMs: focal (≤3 mm) or extensive (>3 mm). Cox univariable and multi-variable regression models were used to find the correlation between clinico-pathologic factors: age, local staging, PSA, grading, area, and size of PSMs).

Results:

We found a good correlation between PSA and grading and between PSA and local staging (T) ( p < 0.001). There was no clear correlation between the PSM area with grading nor with T staging. There is a statistically significant correlation between extensive PSM and the worsening of grading and local staging ( p < 0.001). BCR rate also has a strong correlation with the worsening of grading and local staging (T) ( p < 0.001). A relevant fact is the difference between the BCR rate in the apical and base PSM (34.88%vs 62.5%; p < 0.001) which are the most frequent locations of PSMs.

Discussion:

PSMs remain a predictor of BCR but which may have controversial significance. The likelihood of BCR increases as grading or local staging gets worse. However, apical PSM is a relatively less powerful predictor of postoperative BCR. This can help to better select patients for subsequent RT, which still causes important side effects.
Career-Related Teacher Support in Turkey: Scale Adaptation and Validation
Authors: Küçükaydın Menşure Alkış
Published: June 2023

The aim of this study was to adapt the Career-related Teacher Support Scale to Turkish and to carry out validity and reliability studies. Data were collected from a total of 752 high school students studying in Turkey. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the scale had an excellent fit. Students’ perceptions of career-related teacher support were also examined in terms of demographic variables. The findings showed that female students perceived teacher support more. Also, students with a high socioeconomic level had a higher perception of support.
The Pathway of Urban Planning AI: From Planning Support to Plan-Making
Authors: Peng Zhong-Ren , Lu Kai-Fa , Liu Yanghe , Zhai Wei
Published: June 2023

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly gaining prominence as a crucial technology to transform and reshape the field of urban planning. However, several unanswered questions persist regarding the potential impacts of AI on urban and regional planning research and practice, as well as the issues involved and the appropriate responses and plans. This paper aims to address these concerns in the AI-enabled planning process and accordingly create a typology of urban planning AI to categorize and outline the progression of AI in urban planning, ranging from AI-assisted and AI-augmented planning to AI-automated and eventually AI-autonomized planning, based on a scoping literature review.
Impact of Light Schedules and Model Parameters on the Circadian Outcomes of Individuals
Authors: Mayer Caleb , Walch Olivia , Forger Daniel B. , Hannay Kevin
Published: June 2023

Key differences exist between individuals in terms of certain circadian-related parameters, such as intrinsic period and sensitivity to light. These variations can differentially impact circadian timing, leading to challenges in accurately implementing time-sensitive interventions. In this work, we parse out these effects by investigating the impact of parameters from a macroscopic model of human circadian rhythms on phase and amplitude outputs. Using in silico light data designed to mimic commonly studied schedules, we assess the impact of parameter variations on model outputs to gain insight into the different effects of these schedules. We show that parameter sensitivity is heavily modulated by the lighting routine that a person follows, with darkness and shift work schedules being the most sensitive. We develop a framework to measure overall sensitivity levels of the given light schedule and furthermore decompose the overall sensitivity into individual parameter contributions. Finally, we measure the ability of the model to extract parameters given light schedules with noise and show that key parameters like the circadian period can typically be recovered given known light history. This can inform future work on determining the key parameters to consider when personalizing a model and the lighting protocols to use when assessing interindividual variability.
Chronotype, Social Jetlag, and Nicotine Use
Authors: Ghotbi Neda , Rabenstein Andrea , Pilz Luísa K. , Rüther Tobias , Roenneberg Till
Published: June 2023

Late chronotype, which often leads to higher social jetlag (SJL), is strongly associated with the prevalence of smoking. Any circadian disruption, strain, or misalignment, results in people not being able to live according to their biological time as is described by SJL, which we will therefore use as umbrella term. We hypothesized two scenarios potentially explaining the association between smoking and SJL: (A) If smoking delays the clock, circadian phase should advance upon quitting. (B) If people smoke more to compensate the consequences of SJL, circadian phase should not change upon quitting. To distinguish between these two hypotheses, we accompanied participants of a smoking cessation program (not involving nicotine replacement products) across the cessation intervention (3 weeks prior and 6 weeks after) by monitoring their circadian behavior, sleep quality, and daytime sleepiness via questionnaires and actimetry. Our results show no effects of cessation on SJL, chronotype, sleep quality, or daytime sleepiness, thereby favoring scenario (B). Thus, smoking may be a consequence of rather than a cause for SJL. Daytime sleepiness was a significant predictor for the outcome in our model but did not improve with cessation.
Development and testing of a stationary dynamometer using cross-beam-type force-sensing elements for three-axis cutting force measurement in milling operations
Authors: Rizal Muhammad , Ghani Jaharah A , Usman Husni , Dirhamsyah Muhammad , Mubarak Amir Zaki
Published: June 2023

This study focused on the development and testing of a stationary dynamometer using force-sensing elements capable of measuring three axes of cutting force during milling operations. The force-sensing element was based on the Maltese cross-beam concept but has been improved and modified to increase sensitivity and reduce interference or cross-talk error. A Finite element analysis was conducted to study strain distribution and determine sensor positions in the force-sensing element. By using four force-sensing elements and several piezoresistive strain sensors, a stationary dynamometer prototype was constructed. A series of calibration tests were performed to evaluate the dynamometer’s sensitivity, linearity, hysteresis, and repeatability over three orthogonal axes. The dynamometer’s dynamic features and functionality for milling applications were examined through modal analysis and real milling tests. Additionally, the end-milling and slot-milling cutting force values were compared to those of a reference dynamometer (Kistler 9129AA). Overall, the experimental results indicated that the proposed stationary dynamometer is a reliable and accurate alternative for measuring cutting force during machining operations and other force measurements.
Increasing prevalence of gonorrhoea and chlamydia among female sex workers in northern Sydney, 2005–2019
Authors: Cotter J , McManus H , Vickers T , Lee C , Davies SC
Published: June 2023

Background

Recent reports indicate increasing gonorrhoea and chlamydia among female sex workers (FSWs) in Australia, with decreasing condom use for oral sex.

Methods

We determined trends in prevalence and positivity of gonorrhoea and chlamydia among FSWs attending our clinic from 2005 to 2019, by analysing data from medical and pathology records. We conducted a sensitivity analysis by using an alternative prevalence definition of first test result only per calendar year.

Results

Prevalence of gonorrhoea (all sites: pharynx, genital, rectal) increased from 1/130 (0.8%) in 2005 to 14/166 (8.4%) in 2012, to 31/257 (12.1%) in 2019; rate ratio (RR) 1.19, 95%CI 1.14–1.24, ptrend < 0.001. There were rising trends for pharyngeal (RR 1.11, 95% CI 1.05–1.17, ptrend = 0.001) and genital gonorrhoea (RR 1.17, 95% CI 1.08–1.26, ptrend < 0.001). Prevalence of chlamydia (all sites) increased from 4/130 (3.1%) in 2005 to 8/166 (4.8%) in 2012, to 20/257 (7.8%) in 2019; RR 1.05, 95%CI 1.01–1.09, ptrend = 0.006. This rise reflected predominately pharyngeal chlamydia (RR 1.16, 95%CI 1.04–1.29, ptrend = 0.004). Qualitatively similar trends with similar significant results, were seen for gonococcal and chlamydial infections in the sensitivity analyses, indicating robustness of results to potential changes in testing frequency. Gonorrhoea and chlamydia were significantly associated with FSWs born in China. Chlamydia was significantly associated with age group 18–25. In the 2015–2019 period, of 89 women with gonococcal infections, 56 (62.9%) were pharyngeal-only; of 93 with chlamydial infections, 32 (34.4%) were pharyngeal-only infections.

Conclusions

FSWs require screening for pharyngeal as well as genital infections. Enhanced and sustainable health promotion is required.
Sexual exposure to HIV in Angolan men who have sex with men immigrants: A cross-sectional study in Portugal and Brazil
Authors: Araújo Telma Maria Evangelista de , Lulendo Eduardo , Brito Magalhães Rosilane de Lima , Valle Andréia Rodrigues Moura da Costa , Borges Paulo de Tarso Moura , Almeida Priscilla Dantas , Almeida Malena Gonçalves , Oliveira Layze Braz de , Mendes Isabel Amélia Costa , Sousa Alvaro Francisco Lopes de
Published: June 2023

Background

In different contexts, international migrants are vulnerable to health disparities that increase the risk of HIV/AIDS exposure and continue to bear a significant burden of new virus infections in developed and developing countries. In this study, we sought to examine sexual practices and factors linked to HIV exposure among a sample of Angolan men who have sex with men (MSM) immigrants.

Methods

The study was conducted in two Portuguese-speaking countries, Brazil and Portugal, and involved 250 Angolan MSM immigrants between September 2020 and February 2021, using sampling methods to constitute the sample and the HIV Incidence Risk Index (HIRI) to define virus exposure risk. Odds ratio (OR) and adjusted odds ratio (aOR) were used to calculate the chances of higher HIRI index in the sample.

Results

Our results showed that 76.8% of participants presented a high HIRI index, influenced by the practice of chemsex (aOR: 4.26), having a known/repeated partner (aOR: 4.59), and engaging in passive sex without a condom in the last 30 days (aOR: 1.29) or 6 months (aOR: 1.98).

Conclusions

It is crucial to focus on this vulnerable population and implement sexual health policies that integrate combined HIV prevention measures aimed at immigrant MSM.
Re-enchanting Conservation Work: Reflections on the Australian Experience
Authors: Mulligan Martin
Published: June 2023

The Australian nature conservation movement is effectively entering its second century of existence and this transition has prompted a degree of reflection about the strategies used hitherto. After going through boom years – as part of a broader environmental movement – from the 1970s until the early 1990s, a more difficult political environment in the second half of the 1990s has sparked a semi-public discussion about priorities and future strategies. This article argues that the debate about future conservation strategies needs to tackle two important legacies that have become increasingly problematic: a lingering ‘frontier mentality’ that fosters a separation between people and ‘pristine nature’; and a heavy reliance on scientific expertise and rational arguments for conservation. This dual legacy has blinded the movement to the aesthetic appeal of the romantic philosophical tradition in ecology and the importance of sensuous, embodied experiences of the ‘more than human’ world. In rethinking the legacy of the romantic philosopher Henry David Thoreau, the article argues for a shift of emphasis from wilderness to wildness in order to bring conservation home to more people. It suggests that we can learn from the ability of Australian Aborigines to listen to the land in order to ‘sing up’ the stories that are embedded in landscapes. Learning to read and create landscape stories provides creative ways of building more affective bonds between people and the land. Non-rational approaches to nature conservation can help to re-enchant conservation ‘work’.
How to Prepare for the Unknown? On the Significance of Future Generations and Future Studies in Environmental Policy
Authors: Boersema Jan J.
Published: June 2023

The core question of this article is: how can we take account of the future and future generations if our knowledge of the future is so sparse? The importance of the future is discussed within the framework of our (linear) concept of time. After that it is argued that future generations do not constitute a new, let alone unique, element in the debate on the future. Two different routes to acquire knowledge about the future and prepare for the future are described. Both reflect facts and values of the present and the past instead of giving an accurate picture of the future. Finally the view is defended that future-focused activity should be based to a greater extent on durable principles. Some of these durable principles are presented and discussed.
What Silence Knows – Planning, Public Participation and Environmental Values
Authors: Davies Anna
Published: June 2023

While fraught with ambiguities, support for greater public participation in environmental policy making is experiencing a renaissance amongst sections of government and academia, particularly within the field of land-use planning. There is concern within this cohort that the planning system silences public voices through its current mechanisms for community involvement. Proponents of participation often presuppose that more public participation will produce both ‘better’ decisions and environmental benefits, but to date research has focused on the front-end, or ‘processes’, of participation rather than the ‘products’ that result. While procedural aspects of public participation are important it is imperative that critical consideration is also given to what emerges from the participation that is being exalted. This paper addresses this concern by focusing on the products of a public participation exercise conducted in Luton, South-east England in order to consider what it is that ‘silence knows’.
The Morality of Ecosabotage
Authors: Young Thomas
Published: June 2023

Environmental ethicists rarely discuss the morality of using illegal tactics to protect the environment. Yet ecosabotage (or monkeywrenching) is the topic of numerous articles and books in the popular press. In this paper I examine what I consider to be the three strongest arguments against destroying property as a means of defending the environment: the social fabric argument, the argument for moral consistency, and the generalisation argument. I conclude that none of them provides an a priori obstacle to a consequentialist justification of particular acts of ecosabotage. Then I sketch a version of constrained utilitarianism, which is capable, at least in principle, of justifying some acts of strategic ecosabotage in a democratic society.
Evaluating Callicott's Attack on Stone's Moral Pluralism
Authors: Domsky Darren
Published: June 2023

J. Baird Callicott is well known in environmental philosophy for his attack on Christopher D. Stone's moral pluralism. Although his attack has drawn attention from critics and has been labelled problematic for various reasons, I argue that it fails entirely. Each of Callicott's three distinct criticisms proves to be not only weak on its own terms, but, perhaps surprisingly, as effective against Callicott's own communitarian position as it is against Stone's pluralist one. I show that Callicott's attack is not only wholly ineffective in targeting Stone, but that even if it were so effective it would on every count be just as effective in targeting its own originator.
Insuring the Future
Authors: Lynch Tony , Wells David
Published: June 2023

Environmental politics needs more than piecemeal institutional efforts and more than calls for a set of ‘new’ values. It needs a realistic, comprehensive, and effective policy programme. Such a programme can be derived from a conjunction of Hardin's work on the ‘tragedy of the commons’ and Beck's analysis of the ‘risk society’, and involves exploiting the possibilities for the internalisation of risk provided by the insurance and reinsurance industries. Such exploitation requires tailored changes to the politico-legal environment, enforcing strict liability for the production of risk, permitting any and all agents adversely effected by such negative externalities to initiate action for damages. The aim is not to clog up social and economic life with endless legal disputation, but through such a threat to ensure that environmentally significant investment and productive strategies are actively constrained by actuarially calculated strategies for risk internalisation.
The Goat-stag and the Sphinx: The Place of the Virtues in Environmental Ethics
Authors: Chapman Robert L.
Published: June 2023

Standard virtue ethics approach to environmental issues do not go far enough because they often lack significant attachment to local environments. Place provides the necessary link that enlarges the arena of moral action by joining human well-being to a place-based goal of wildness (Thoreau) or biotic harmony (Leopold). Place defines a niche for human activity as part of nature. Virtuous action, then, is understood as deliberation from a position of being in and of the natural world; respect and gratitude are examples of this type of deliberation.
Ethics in Wildlife Management: What Price?
Authors: Curtis John A.
Published: June 2023

This paper argues that there may be instances where assessing wildlife for monetary valuation might be quite reasonable and useful for public policy, even when there are strong arguments against valuation of wildlife and nature. A case of deer population management is considered where continued growth of the deer population will lead to more property damage and habitat loss. However, deer population control raises ethical questions on the rights of animals to exist and on the rights of humans to arbitrarily interfere. The contingent valuation methodology (CVM) is used to value preferences for deer management for the purpose of guiding public policy. The valuation estimates show that ethical concerns about killing deer affect the level of willingness to pay in a quite a logical manner. However, for individuals with rights-based preferences, CVM is not appropriate. The survey results also show that individuals with rights-based preferences are a small minority in this particular example.
Anthropocentrism, Artificial Intelligence, and Moral Network Theory: An Ecofeminist Perspective
Authors: Davion Victoria
Published: June 2023

This paper critiques a conception of intelligence central in AI, and a related concept of reason central in moral philosophy, from an ecological feminist perspective. I argue that ecofeminist critique of human/nature dualisms offers insight into the durability of both problematic conceptions, and into the direction of research programmes. I conclude by arguing for the importance of keeping political analysis in the forefront of science and environmental ethics.
Valuing Birds in the Bush: For Pluralism in Environmental Risk Assessment
Authors: Lucas Peter
Published: June 2023

It is now widely acknowledged that social theorists can make an important contribution to our understanding of environmental risk. There is however a danger that the current ascendancy of social theory will encourage a tendency to assimilate issues around environmental risk to those at stake in entrenched debates between realist and constructivist social theorists. I begin by citing a recent example of this trend, before going on to argue that framing the issues in terms of a monism/pluralism dichotomy would make for a more informative analysis. Noting that realists and constructivists can make common cause against risk monism, I turn, in the second half of the paper, to setting out a positive case for risk pluralism. Citing some fictional examples of risk behaviour, I show how different individuals might rationally adopt different perspectives on the same risk. I conclude by exploring some implications of the truth of risk pluralism for two current approaches to environmental decision-making (which I term, respectively, the ‘teleological-pluralistic’ approach, and the ‘economic-monistic’ approach). I argue that the importance of risk pluralism lies in its capacity to highlight the shortcomings of the latter approach.
The Role of Customary Institutions in the Conservation of Biodiversity: Sacred Forests in Mozambique
Authors: Virtanen Pekka
Published: June 2023

Recently the role of customary local institutions in the conservation of biological diversity has become a topic of widespread interest. In this paper the conservation value of one such institution, traditionally protected forest, is studied with regard to its ecological representativity and institutional persistence. On the basis of a case study from Mozambique the paper concludes that traditionally protected forests do have a practical conservation value, especially as fire refuges and in the preservation of metapopulations of endangered species. However, it is also important to recall their spiritual aspect, which is crucial for their continuing appreciation and upholding. Even though customary institutions are still strong in the study area, they are subject to power struggles at both local and national levels. In the present context of political transition, any outside interventions regarding such local institutions as sacred forests, which have high symbolic value, should be considered carefully.
Talking about the Birds and the Bees: Biodiversity Claims Making at the Local Level
Authors: Morris Carol , Wragg Amanda
Published: June 2023

This paper adopts a social constructionist perspective to examine how the biodiversity ‘claim’ is constructed and contested at local level. A framework is deployed which is based on Hannigan's (1995) ideas that certain factors need to be present for an environmental claim to be legitimised within the international arena (i.e. scientific authority; popularisers; media coverage; symbolic and visual dramatisation; economic incentives and institutional sponsorship). Empirical research into the production and implementation of Oxfordshire's Biodiversity Action Plan and Farm Biodiversity Action Plans in England and Scotland is used as a vehicle to explore the legitimisation of the biodiversity claim at the local scale. The two strands of research highlight the current importance of biodiversity as a focus for environmental planning partnerships (although the extent of public ‘buy-in’ to the claim is unclear) and the way in which biodiversity as a ‘buzzword’ has been adopted by farmers with some reluctance and mainly for financial reasons. There is strong evidence that the scientific basis of the claim is crucial in terms of engendering support, and that the rhetoric employed at the local level is positive rather than a ‘rhetoric of loss’. However, the need for further popularisation of the biodiversity issue is identified. Potential future lines of research enquiry are also outlined.
Is Singer's Ethics Speciesist?
Authors: Fjellstrom Roger
Published: June 2023

To show favouritism toward humans has been considered a prejudice, otherwise known as ‘human chauvinism’, ‘anthropocentrism’ or ‘speciesism’. Peter Singer is one philosopher in particular who holds this view. In this paper I argue that there is a lack of coherence between his ethical ideology and his actual ethical theory. Singer's ethics in crucial respects exhibits favouritism toward humans, which is something he fails to justify non-partially and plausibly. It would thus be an instance of speciesism, in a sense of this term that he probably would accept. This, however, does not mean that his ethics should be rejected or is impossible to defend.
In Truth We Trust: Discourse, Phenomenology, and the Social Relations of Knowledge in an Environmental Dispute
Authors: Carolan Michael S. , Bell Michael M.
Published: June 2023

In this age of debate it is not news that what constitutes ‘truth’ is often at issue in environmental debates. But what is often missed is an insight that the speakers of Middle English understood a millennium ago: that truth comes from trust, which, is the central theoretical position of this paper. Our point is that truth depends essentially on social relations – relations that involve power and knowledge, to be sure, but also identity. Thus, challenges to what constitutes the ‘truth’ are equally challenges to identities and the social networks of trust in which that truth is embedded. We therefore attempt to move beyond Foucaultian discursive theory by reintroducing the subject as both the product and producer of discourse. For Foucault, the subject is reduced to the discursive relations of power/knowledge. In his effort to free us from the Cartesian cogito and the modernist absolutisms that eventually followed, Foucault lapses into a kind of postmodern functionalism. We argue that we should not speak of power/ knowledge, as Foucault suggested, but of power/knowledge/identity, recovering the actors and concrete social relations that produce discourse, and are not only produced by it. We then argue that these social relations become constituted (and reconstituted) in particular moments of phenomenological challenge – discursive moments that confront the existing social relations of knowledge and their dialogue of trust and truth. We illustrate the implications of a threat to the social relations of environmental knowledge through an analysis of one such moment of phenomenological challenge: a dispute over whether or not the power plant in the community where we used to live, Ames, Iowa, is producing dioxin.
Intrinsic Value: A Modern Albatross for the Ecological Approach
Authors: Morito Bruce
Published: June 2023

The idea and use of the concept of intrinsic value in environmental ethics has spawned much debate in environmental ethics/axiology. Although for many, it seems fundamental and necessary for formulating an ethic for environmental protection, it seems to confuse and even undermine such efforts. ‘Intrinsic value’ is, I argue, a concept born in the Western intellectual tradition for purposes of insulating and isolating those to whom intrinsic value can be attributed from one another and their environmental context. This is especially true from the Modern period onward. When used as a basis for determining moral considerability, these Modern foundations engender contradictory and self-defeating ways of thinking about the individual/ecosystem relationship. As a result, formulations of moral sensibilities and principles become self-defeating and, vis-à-vis the ecological context, incoherent. On the critique of this Modern residue, an alternative axiological framework is built, using Anthony Weston's idea of interdepending values as a preparation for a more ecologically coherent approach to environmental protection. This approach is dialectical and attempts to formulate an ecological foundation for moral considerability.
What's in a Name? Pragmatism, Essentialism, and Environmental Ethics
Authors: Michael Mark A.
Published: June 2023

Essentialists like J. Baird Callicott have argued that one cannot have an environmental ethic unless one adopts the nonanthropocentric principle, which holds that things other than humans can be morally considerable in their own right, typically because they are thought to be intrinsically valuable. Pragmatists like Bryan Norton reject this; they claim that environmental ethics has no core or essence, and hence that the nonanthropocentric principle is not essential to an environmental ethic. Norton advances as an alternative the Convergence Hypothesis, which says that there are many different ways of justifying environmental principles and policies. In this paper I show that pragmatists and essentialists are arguing past one another because they fail to note two crucial points. First, they often propose different accounts of which principles constitute an environmental ethic and so they disagree about which principles must be justified. The nonanthropocentric principle may be required to justify the principles that Callicott believe to be constitutive of an environmental ethic, but it may be unnecessary to justify those principles that pragmatists think are constitutive. Second, essentialists and pragmatists often overlook the distinction to be made between the adequacy of a justification and its epistemic or rhetorical preferability. The nonanthropocentric principle may not be needed to provide an adequate justification of the constitutive principles and judgements, but a justification that contains the nonanthropocentric principle might nevertheless be epistemically preferable.
Re-negotiating Science in Environmentalists’ Submissions to New Zealand's Royal Commission on Genetic Modification
Authors: Rogers-Hayden Tee , Campbell John R.
Published: June 2023

The debate about genetic modification (GM) can be seen as characteristic of our time. Environmental groups, in challenging GM, are also challenging modernist faith in progress, and science and technology. In this paper we use the case of New Zealand's Royal Commission on Genetic Modification to explore the application of science discourses as used by environmental groups. We do this by situating the debate in the framework of modernity, discussing the use of science by environmental groups, and deconstructing the science discourses evident within environmental groups’ submissions to the Commission. We find science being called into question by the very movement that has relied on it to fight environmental issues for many years. The environmental groups are challenging the traditional boundaries of science, for although they use science they also present it as a culturally embedded activity with no greater epistemological authority than other knowledge systems. Their discourses, like that of the other main actors in the GM debate, are thus part of the constant re-negotiation of the cultural construct of ‘science’.
The Misbegotten Child of Deep Ecology
Authors: Avery Stephen
Published: June 2023

This paper offers a critical examination of efforts to use Heidegger's thought to illuminate deep ecology. It argues that deep ecology does not entail a non-anthropocentric or ecocentric environmental ethic; rather, it is best understood as offering an ontological critique of the current environmental crisis, from a perspective of deep anthropocentrism.
Concepts of Nature as Communicative Devices: The Case of Dutch Nature Policy
Authors: Keulartz Jozef , Van Der Windt Henny , Swart Jacques
Published: June 2023

The recent widespread shift in governance from the state to the market and to civil society, in combination with the simultaneous shift from the national level to supra-national and sub-national levels has led to a significant increase in the numbers of public and private players in nature policy. This in turn has increased the need for a common vocabulary to articulate and communicate views and values concerning nature among various actors acting on different administrative levels. In this article, we will examine the role of concepts of nature as communicative devices in public debates and political decision-making. We try to show that the now dominant functionalist approach to concepts of nature, due to its focus on interests, threatens to narrow public and political communications to purely strategic negotiations. Instead of this functionalist approach we put forward a structuralist approach, which focuses not on interests but on values.
The Lack of Clarity in the Precautionary Principle
Authors: Turner Derek , Hartzell Lauren
Published: June 2023

The precautionary principle states, roughly, that it is better to take precautionary measures now than to deal with serious harms to the environment or human health later on. This paper builds on the work of Neil A. Manson in order to show that the precautionary principle, in all of its forms, is fraught with vagueness and ambiguity. We examine the version of the precautionary principle that was formulated at the Wingspread Conference sponsored by the Science and Environmental Health Network in 1998. That version fails to indicate who must bear the cost of precaution; what constitutes a threat of harm; how much precaution is too much; and what should be done when environmental concerns and concern for human health pull in different directions. Whether this vagueness is a strength or weakness of the principle depends on what purpose(s) the precautionary principle is supposed to serve.
The Precautionary Principle and the Concept of Precaution
Authors: Sandin Per
Published: June 2023

The precautionary principle is frequently invoked in environmental law and policy, and the debate around the principle indicates that there is little agreement on what ‘taking precautions’ means. The purpose of the present paper is to provide an improved conceptual foundation for this debate in the form of an explication of the concept of precaution. Distinctions between precaution and two related concepts, prevention and pessimism, are briefly discussed. The concept of precaution is analysed in terms of precautionary actions. It is argued that precautionary actions are implicitly assumed to be precautionary with respect to something, and that this assumption should be made explicit. A definition of a precautionary action involving three necessary and jointly sufficient conditions (intentionality, uncertainty and reasonableness) is proposed, and the implications of this analysis for the debate on the precautionary principle are discussed.
Climate Change, Economic Analysis and Sustainable Development
Authors: Padilla Emilio
Published: June 2023

This paper discusses the limitations, omissions and value judgements of the application of conventional economic analysis in the evaluation of climate change mitigation policies. It is argued that these have biased the result of the assessment models towards the recommendation of less aggressive mitigation strategies. Consequently, this paper questions whether they provide appropriate policy recommendations. The unequal distribution of rights implicitly assumed in conventional economic analyses applied to climate change is questioned and an alternative approach considering a distribution of rights consistent with sustainable development is put forward. Finally, the points that an analysis consistent with sustainable development should take into account are presented.
‘The World Must be Romanticised …’: The (Environmental) Ethical Implications of Schelling's Organic Worldview
Authors: Miller Elaine P.
Published: June 2023

This essay addresses the implications of German Idealism and Romanticism, and in particular the philosophy of Schelling as it is informed by Kant and Goethe, for contemporary environmental philosophy. Schelling's philosophy posits a nature imbued with freedom which gives rise to human beings, which means that any ethics, insofar as ethics is predicated upon freedom, will be an ‘environmental ethic’. At the same time, Schelling's organismic view of nature is distinctive in positing a fundamental gap between nature and human beings. Without this absolute alterity, there could be no real ethical relationship between human beings and nature. I conclude by briefly gesturing toward Schelling's role in the development of an ethics of alterity (which I apply to environmental ethics) in continental philosophy through Heidegger, Derrida, and Levinas.
Wildness as a Critical Border Concept: Nietzsche and the Debate on Wilderness Restoration
Authors: Drenthen Martin
Published: June 2023

How can environmental philosophy benefit from Friedrich Nietzsche's radical critique of morality? In this paper, it is argued that Nietzsche's account of nature provides us with a challenging diagnosis of the modern crisis in our relationship with nature. Moreover, his interpretation of wildness can elucidate our concern with the value of wilderness as a place of value beyond the sphere of human intervention. For Nietzsche, wild nature is a realm where moral valuations are out of order. In his work, however, we can discern a paradoxical moral concern with this wildness. Wildness is a critical moral concept that reminds us of the fact that our moral world of human meanings and goals ultimately rests on a much grander, all-encompassing natural world. Nietzsche's concept of wildness acknowledges the value of that which cannot be morally appropriated. Wild nature confronts us with the limits of human valuing. Wildness as a concept thus introduces the ‘beyond’ of culture into the cultural arena of values.
Disciplining Nature: The Homogenising and Constraining Forces of Anti-Markets on the Food System
Authors: Carolan Michael S.
Published: June 2023

To understand the changing patterns within agriculture, it is important to look not only at social relations and organisational configurations. Also salient to such an analysis is an examination of how those formations give shape to non-humans. Much attention has been placed recently on the political economy of agriculture when speaking of these emergent patterns. Yet in doing this, the natural environment is all too often relegated to the backdrop; where the agro-economy is viewed as something that manoeuvres within the environment but never through it. The conceptual groundwork for this paper draws from two often unconnected scholars: Michel Foucault and Fernand Braudel. In Foucault, we find a framework, with a little conceptual development, through which to talk about how the economy (of both discipline and capital) enters into nature. Specifically, the argument is made that through the embodiment of discipline, nature too becomes disciplined. Yet in Foucault we find a discursive conception of socio-economic history; where capitalism is discussed, but always as an effect of the discursive structures of power/knowledge. Enter the work of Braudel, to provide us with a materialist counterweight to Foucault's theorising. In Braudel, we find a detailed analysis on the emergence of capitalism, out of which then comes his distinction between markets and anti-markets. In short, when both accounts of history are overlaid, interesting connections between the emergence of Braudelian anti-markets and Foucaultian discipline are revealed. Two brief case studies are then examined to add further depth to the discussion: the first focusing on corn; the second centring on the cow. The paper then concludes speaking on the issue of resistance.
Nature Connoisseurship
Authors: Greenbaum Allan
Published: June 2023

Environmentalists who seek to protect wild nature, biodiversity and so on for its own sake manifest a disposition to value the interesting at least on par with the useful. This disposition toward the interesting, which provides the affective and cognitive context for the discovery of intrinsic values in nature and the elaboration of ecocentric ethics, does not arise simply from learning about nature but is part of a more general socially inculcated cultural system. Nature connoisseurship exhibits formal parallels with art connoisseurship. The abstraction-oriented cultural system which prizes ‘disinterested interest’ is characteristic of culturally rich fractions (or subdivisions) of the middle class in modern Western societies. Valuing nature for its own sake (like valuing, for its own sake, the domination of nature) is not a ‘natural’ response to nature but a disciplined cultural accomplishment.