Arguing for biodiversity in practice: a case study from the UK

With a web of different local actors, often with different perspectives and interests, turning ideas into practice for biodiversity often involves communicating, negotiating, bargaining and, therefore, argumentation. Within this process arguments are selected by actors, to achieve their goals, with varying levels of effectiveness. We examine the use of arguments in UK national biodiversity policies and at the local level from the perspective of those putting forward and receiving arguments. We assess the positive and negative framings within arguments and the effectiveness of arguments. Using interviews and formal documents as sources of data, we analyse nine argumentative interactions from a case study in the Greater Manchester area in the UK. Our findings highlight differences between arguments in national biodiversity policy and those used at the local level. We also show a link between positive framing and salient arguments that were particularly effective. In more polarised, high conflict situations the credibility of the argument, specifically how well it aligned with policy frameworks, strongly influenced its effectiveness. These findings suggest that selecting arguments that identify common ground at the local level contributes to effective outcomes by highlighting areas of mutual benefit. Where this is not possible, a strong policy framework for the conservation of biodiversity is important. A combination of bottom up and top down approaches is most likely to provide effective arguments for biodiversity.     

The Advantages of Theft over Toil: The Design Inference and Arguing from Ignorance

Intelligent design theorist William Dembski hasproposed an ``explanatory filter' fordistinguishing between events due to chance,lawful regularity or design. We show that ifDembski's filter were adopted as a scientificheuristic, some classical developments inscience would not be rational, and thatDembski's assertion that the filter reliablyidentifies rarefied design requires ignoringthe state of background knowledge. Ifbackground information changes even slightly,the filter's conclusion will vary wildly.Dembski fails to overcome Hume's objections toarguments from design.     

Arguing by analogy in the fetal tissue debate

In the debate over fetal tissue use, an analogy is often drawn between removing organs from the body of a person who has been murdered to use for transplantation, and collecting tissue from an aborted fetus to use for the same purpose. The murder victim analogy is taken by its proponents to show that even if abortion is the moral equivalent of murder, there is still no good reason to refrain from using the fetal tissue, since as a society we do not see any problem about using organs from murder victims. However, I argue that the analogy between murder victims and aborted fetuses does not hold — the two situations are not the same in all morally relevant respects. Thus the murder victim analogy does not provide an argument in favour of fetal tissue transplant. In conclusion, I point to some of the potential pitfalls of using analogies in ethical argument.     

Arguing with the KGB Archives. Archival and Narrative Memory in Post-Soviet Latvia

This paper is a sequel to my earlier work on life histories in post-Soviet Latvia. The opening of the KGB archives in Riga created the possibility of comparing archival information with recorded personal narratives. The files and the highly charged emotional responses that they evoked raise questions about the uses of language as it moves along a continuum from rigid formalisation to free poetic constructions. Excessive formalisation and institutionalisation of language preclude dialogue and rather than pin down meaning end up by destroying it. Nevertheless, informants were keen to engage in retrospective dialogue with the files, contesting facts and meanings and in the process subverting the original enterprise and reasserting themselves as moral agents.     

Membrane potential of primitive red cells from chick embryo is a proton potential

The membrane potential of primitive red cells from 4- and 6-day old chick embryos has been determined using the fluorescent dye Dis-C3-(5). At day 4 the membrane potential Em was -44 mV for pH 7.4 and 20 degrees C and -36 mV at day 6. Both values are far removed from the equilibrium potential for chloride, which is about -14 mV at day 6. Changes in the external potassium, sodium or chloride concentration were without effect on the membrane potential, except at very high potassium concentrations, where a small but significant depolarization was observed at day 6. The measurements gave the same results in the absence or presence of the anion exchange blocking agent DIDS. Three pieces of evidence indicate that the membrane potential of primitive red cells is primarily caused by an electrogenic H+ conductance: 1) The measured membrane potential of -36 mV at day 6 is close to the previously determined proton equilibrium potential (Baumann and Haller, 1983) EH + of -36 mV. 2) Addition of the electrosilent Cl-/OH- exchanger tributyltin causes a significant depolarization of about 20 mV at day 4 and about 14 mV at day 6. 3) Measurement of hydrogen ion fluxes demonstrate a potential dependent proton conductance, which increases with depolarization. These results indicate that large qualitative differences exist with regard to the mechanisms involved in the generation of membrane potential and hydrogen distribution between red cell and plasma of embryonic and adult chicken.     

Bioremediation potential of basidiomycetes isolated from compost

The potential of a consortium of three basidiomycete mycelia isolated from compost to degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) was first evaluated using a test based on decolorization of Poly R-478 dye. When pre-grown on straw, the consortium decolorized the dye by 83% in 7 days and generated a laccase activity of 663 IU l(-1). Its ability to degrade naphthalene was investigated in soil microcosms specially suited for this volatile PAH. The kinetic study was conducted at a maximal naphthalene concentration of 500 mg kg(-1) of soil. Naphthalene concentration, CO(2) evolution and phytotoxicity (germination index, GI%) on Lepidium sativum seeds were monitored. The naphthalene concentration decreased by about 70% in three weeks in the presence of metabolic activity, while the GI% increased indicating reduced phytotoxicity.     

The argument from potential: a reappraisal

Several criticisms of the argument from potential are reported. It is noted that such criticisms are inspired by two similarly wrong interpretations of potentiality, one confusing it with possibility and another with probability. A brief analysis of the original Aristotelian context in which the concept emerged shows that potentiality cannot be thought of as indicating the provision of some empirical facts in the future, but must rather be referred to the inherent ontological structure of the being in question. It is then argued that such an Aristotelian concept can be useful to express the dynamic structure of the person, as it must be understood according to contemporary phenomenological personalism. In the light of this philosophical tradition, the embryo can be vieewed as a being already possessing the human nature and actively developing its potential for personhood: it also follows that human nature must not be understood as a static and predetermined essence, but rather as the principle of becoming and movement toward further achievements.     

Biotechnological potential of antimicrobial peptides from flowers

Flowers represent a relatively unexplored source of antimicrobial peptides of biotechnological potential. This review focuses on flower-derived defense peptide classes with inhibitory activity towards plant pathogens. Small cationic peptides display diverse activities, including inhibition of digestive enzymes and bacterial and/or fungal inhibition. Considerable research is ongoing in this area, with natural crop plant defense potentially improved through the application of transgenic technologies. In this report, comparisons were made of peptide tertiary structures isolated from diverse flower species. A summary is provided of molecular interactions between flower peptides and pathogens, which include the role of membrane proteins and lipids. Research on these peptides is contributing to our understanding of pathogen resistance mechanisms, which will, given the perspectives for plant genetic modification, contribute long term to plant genetic improvement for increased resistance to diverse pathogens.     

Plant-defensive sesquiterpenoids from Senecio species with biopesticide potential

Senecio species have been used in folk medicine for treatment of wounds, as antiemetic, anti-inflammatory and their crude extract or dry powder as crop protection agents. The toxicity exhibited to livestock by these plants has been attributed to their content in pyrrolizidine alkaloids and furanoeremophilane type sesquiterpenes. Sesquiterpenoids with eremophilane, cacalol, bisabolane, silphinene, caryophillane, humulane, germacrane and benzofurane skeletons have been isolated from this genus. Here we focus on bioactive sesquiterpenoids with plant defensive properties isolated from Senecio.     

Bioactive lignans from Zanthoxylum planispinum with cytotoxic potential

Zanthoxylum planispinum Sieb. et Zucc is used in traditional oriental medicinal for preventing toothache, treating colds and expelling roundworms. Its fruit is widely used as a spice in cuisines in East Asian countries. Two previously unreported dilignans with a rare α,β-unsaturated ketone group, bizanthplanispine A and B (1–2), together with two known dilignans, zanthpodocarpins A and B (3–4), and four known lignans, fargesin (5), planispine A (6), pinoresinol-di-3,3-dimethylallyl (7), and eudesmin (8), were isolated from the roots of Z. planispinum. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by extensive NMR and MS analysis. The cytotoxic activity of the isolated compounds was evaluated on three human cancer cell lines. Compounds 1–4 significantly reduced the proliferation of Hela with IC₅₀ values ranging from 15.00 to 26.44 μg/mL. Furthermore, compound 6 showed the strongest inhibitory effect on the growth of HL-60 and PC-3 with IC₅₀ values of 4.90 and 23.45 μg/mL, respectively. These data suggested that compounds 1–4, and 6 from Z. planispinum have potential as anticancer substances.     

Ring chromosomes: from formation to clinical potential

Ring chromosomes (RCs) are circular DNA molecules, which occur rarely in eukaryotic nuclear genomes. Lilian Vaughan Morgan first described them in the fruit fly. Human embryos very seldom have RCs, about 1:50,000. Carriers of RCs may have varying degrees of symptoms, from healthy phenotype to serious pathologies in physical and intellectual development. Many authors describe common symptoms of RC presence: short stature and some developmental delay that could be described as a “ring chromosome syndrome.” As a rule, RCs arise de novo through the end-joining of two DNA double-strand breaks, telomere-subtelomere junction, or inv dup del rearrangement in both meiosis and mitosis. There are family cases of RC inheritance. The presence of RCs causes numerous secondary chromosome rearrangements in vivo and in vitro. RCs can change their size, become lost, or increase their copy number and cause additional deletions, duplication, and translocations, affecting both RCs and other chromosomes. In this review, we examine RC inheritance, instability, mechanisms of formation, and potential clinical applications of artificially created RCs for large-scale chromosome rearrangement treatment.     

Antimicrobial potential of polyphenols extracted from almond skins

Aims: To evaluate the antimicrobial properties of flavonoid‐rich fractions derived from natural and blanched almond skins, the latter being a by‐product from the almond processing industry. Methods and Results: Almond skin extracts were tested against Gram‐negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enterica, Serratia marcescens), Gram‐positive bacteria (Listeria monocytogenes, Enterococcus hirae, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus durans) and the yeast Candida albicans. Almond skin fractions were found to have antimicrobial activity against L. monocytogenes and Staph. aureus in the range 250–500 μg ml^?1, natural skins showing antimicrobial potential against the Gram‐negative Salm. enterica. The interactions between three almond skin flavonoids were also evaluated with isobolograms. Conclusions: Pairwise combinations of protocatechuic acid, naringenin and epicatechin showed both synergistic and indifferent interactions against Salm. enterica and Staph. aureus. Antagonism was observed against L. monocytogenes with all combinations tested. Further studies need to be performed to understand the mechanisms responsible for these interactions. Significance and Impact of the Study: Almond skins are a potential source of natural antimicrobials.     

The potential for protein production from green plants

Data on protein yields show that forage crops, particularly alfalfa, produce several times more protein per acre than do seed crops. Amino acid analyses and estimations of biological values by enzymatic hydrolysis and feeding trials indicate that protein concentrates from green plants have high nutritive value. The protein concentrates from 10 plant species had a similar amino acid composition and biological value which indicates that good protein might be obtained from many plant species. It is suggested that the use of the fibrous residue as a feed for ruminants and the use of the protein concentrate as a high protein feed or base for processing into new protein foods may make it possible for the production of protein from green plants to compete with other sources of protein. This would markedly increase protein production per acre and allow the use of new plant species in our agriculture. The need for more research on protein production from different types of green plants and on ways to harvest, concentrate and process their proteins into edible forms is discussed.     

Techno-economic potential of bioethanol from bamboo in China

Background

Bamboo is potentially an interesting feedstock for advanced bioethanol production in China due to its natural abundance, rapid growth, perennial nature and low management requirements. Liquid hot water (LHW) pretreatment was selected as a promising technology to enhance sugar release from bamboo lignocellulose whilst keeping economic and environmental costs to a minimum. The present research was conducted to assess: 1) by how much LHW pretreatment can enhance sugar yields in bamboo, and 2) whether this process has the potential to be economically feasible for biofuel use at the commercial scale. Pretreatments were performed at temperatures of 170-190°C for 10–30 minutes, followed by enzymatic saccharification with a commercial enzyme cocktail at various loadings. These data were then used as inputs to a techno-economic model using AspenPlus? to determine the production cost of bioethanol from bamboo in China.

Results

At the selected LHW pretreatment of 190°C for 10 minutes, 69% of the initial sugars were released under a standardised enzyme loading; this varied between 59-76% when 10–140 FPU/g glucan of commercial enzyme Cellic CTec2 was applied. Although the lowest enzyme loading yielded the least amount of bioethanol, the techno-economic evaluation revealed it to be the most economically viable scenario with a production cost of $0.484 per litre (with tax exemption and a $0.16/litre subsidy). The supply-chain analysis demonstrated that bioethanol could be economically competitive with petrol at the pump at enzyme loadings up to 60 FPU/g glucan. However, in a prospective scenario with reduced government support, this enzyme loading threshold would be reduced to 30 FPU/g glucan.

Conclusions

Bioethanol from bamboo is shown to be both technically and economically feasible, as well as competitive with petrol in China. Alternative approaches to reduce bioethanol production costs are still needed however, to ensure its competitiveness in a possible future scenario where neither tax exemptions nor subsidies are granted to producers. These measures may include improving sugar release with more effective pretreatments and reduced enzyme usage, accessing low cost bamboo feedstock or selecting feedstocks with higher/more accessible cellulose.

     

Biochar from Miscanthus: a potential silicon fertilizer

Background and aims

Silicon (Si) is largely recognized to improve plant growth subjected to various biotic and abiotic stresses. As plants accumulate Si in the form of readily-soluble phytolith, we examine the possibility of using phytolith-rich biochar as a bio-available Si source for increasing the agronomical productivity of Si high-accumulator plants while augmenting soil fertility and C sequestration.

Methods

By adding three different biochars (Miscanthus x giganteus straws, coffee husks and woody material) at two different concentrations (1 % and 3 %; w/w) to soil samples, we investigated the effects on the soil respiration, the chemical characteristics and the kinetic release of bio-available Si (CaCl₂-extractable Si).

Results

Here we show that the biochar from Miscanthus straws was the most attractive amendment. Its incorporation at a 3 % rate improved the soil fertility parameters (pH and available cations) and combined the highest mean residence time of carbon (C) in soil (MRT?=?50 years) with the highest rate of release of bio-available Si. We attribute this result to the presence of phytoliths in this biochar, as revealed by SEM-EDS analysis.

Conclusions

Not only did the biochar from Miscanthus enhance both soil C sequestration and fertility, but the results of this study suggest that it can also be considered as a potential source of bio-available Si. Although our conclusions should be substantiated in the field, we suggest that Miscanthus biochar could be used as a potential source of bio-available silicon for the culture of such crop as Si-accumulator plants growing, for instance, in highly weathered tropical soils with low content in carbon, nutrients and bio-available Si.     

Environmental toxicity potential from electricity generation in Tanzania

Purpose

Environmental toxicity potential is the potential harm of a chemical substance or a compound that is released into the environment. Such harm is present in the generation of electricity using fossil fuels that release toxins that result in environmental pollution that would certainly have serious implications on human health and the ecosystem quality. This study assessed the environmental toxicity potential of the centralized grid-connected electricity generating systems for the years 2000, 2015, 2020, 2026 and 2030, according to the Tanzania Electricity Supply Company Limited, TANESCO’s power system master plan of the year 2009.

Methods

Life cycle assessment, which is a globally and widely used tool for assessing what impact product or services have during their life cycle, from production stage to disposal stage was used to assess the electricity generating systems based on process analysis. The life cycle impact assessment was calculated using CML 2001 version 2.05.

Results and discussion

The results show that environmental toxicity potentials increase significantly for the years 2000, 2015, 2020, 2026 and 2030. In addition, the contribution of electricity generation from fossil fuels viz. coal, natural gas, heavy fuel and industrial diesel oils to the environmental toxicity potentials are high as compared to that of hydroelectricity.

Conclusions

The result suggests that increasing the share of hydroelectricity would significantly help to reduce the environmental toxicity potentials and ultimately the environmental profile of the electricity generation could be improved.     

Antitumor potential of natural products from Mediterranean ascidians

Ascidians, invertebrates belonging to the subphylum Urochordata (Tunicata), are renowned for their great chemical diversity, and during the last 25 years, they have been shown to produce an array of cytotoxic molecules. Among the first six marine-derived compounds that have reached clinical trials as antitumor agents, three are derived from ascidians, as evidence of the high potential of these organisms as a new source of antitumor compounds. Reported in this communication are some recent results on the chemistry of Mediterranean ascidians; a number of new molecules with different structural features but all endowed with antiproliferative or cytotoxic activity are discussed. These results strongly evidence the highly significant role that Mediterranean ascidians natural products could play in anticancer drug discovery and development process.     

Probiotic potential of enterococci isolated from canine feed

Enterococci isolated from 28 different commercially available feeds (10-1000 CFU/mL) were identified and their probiotic potential was determined. Species identification of 22 selected strains was performed by intergenic length-polymorphism analysis (tRNA-PCR); PCR products were analyzed using capillary electrophoresis. Six strains were allotted to the species Enterococcus faecium, four to E. faecalis, one to E. hirae; the remaining strains were not classed. The strains were sensitive to vancomycin, ampicillin, tetracycline and rifampicin. They were able to adhere to human as well as canine intestinal mucus. They produced lactic acid (0.99-1.04 mmol/L) and most of them were urease-positive with sufficient survival in 5 % Oxgall-bile. They did not show any inhibitory activity due to antimicrobial substances. Plasmid DNA was detected in 8 strains, the bands responding to small molecular size (10 kbp). Considering all probiotically important properties, E. faecium strain EE3 was suggested as potential feed additive.     

薇甘菊挥发油的化感潜力

外来植物薇甘菊 (MikaniamicranthaKunth .)已成为华南地区重要的杂草 ,其挥发油对植物、真菌和细菌均具有生物活性 ,对植物和水稻稻瘟病菌的抑制活性尤其显著 .随着薇甘菊挥发油浓度 (2 0 0、4 0 0、80 0、16 0 0mg·L-1)的增加 ,6种受试植物幼苗的生长随之明显减弱 .薇甘菊挥发油 (2 5 0 0 g·hm-2 )土壤处理 ,受试的 6种植物鲜重明显减少 ,出苗时间推迟 1～ 2d .薇甘菊挥发油在中等浓度 (40 0mg·L-1)时 ,对水稻稻瘟病菌的抑制作用最强 ,抑菌率为 5 3.38%;对香蕉枯萎病菌的抑制作用次之 ,抑菌率为2 8.6 6 %;对长春花疫病菌的抑制作用最弱 ,抑菌率为 18.6 9%.