Valuing the recreational benefits from the creation of nature reserves in Irish forests

Data from a large-scale contingent valuation study are used to investigate the effects of forest attributes on willingness to pay for forest recreation in Ireland. In particular, the presence of a nature reserve in the forest is found to significantly increase the visitors' willingness to pay. A random utility model is used to estimate the welfare change associated with the creation of nature reserves in all the Irish forests currently without one. The yearly impact on visitors' economic welfare of new nature reserves approaches half a million pounds per annum, exclusive of non-recreational values. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

British Society of Haematology, Slide Session presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting, Brighton 2009

P>Seven cases were discussed by an expert panel at the 2009 Annual Scientific Meeting of the British Society of Haematology. These cases are presented in a similar format to that adopted for the meeting. There was an initial discussion of the presenting morphology, generation of differential diagnoses and then, following display of further presenting and diagnostic information, each case was concluded with provision of a final diagnosis.

Cheap and expensive alternatives in stated choice experiments: are they equally considered by respondents?

When analysing choice experiments respondents are assumed to attend all attributes and alternatives in the same way. However, because of the important role that the price of the alternatives can play in the decision-making process, the level of price of a specific alternative may have consequences on the level of consideration given to the remaining attributes of the alternative. In this article, we propose the use of a discrete mixtures logit approach to accommodate respondents ignoring alternatives in stated choice experiments. Our results indicate a higher propensity for respondents to ignore attributes when they face cheap rather than expensive alternatives. We also find that allowing for this leads to substantial improvements in the model performance.

A Family of Helminth Molecules that Modulate Innate Cell Responses via Molecular Mimicry of Host Antimicrobial Peptides

Over the last decade a significant number of studies have highlighted the central role of host antimicrobial (or defence) peptides in modulating the response of innate immune cells to pathogen-associated ligands. In humans, the most widely studied antimicrobial peptide is LL-37, a 37-residue peptide containing an amphipathic helix that is released via proteolytic cleavage of the precursor protein CAP18. Owing to its ability to protect against lethal endotoxaemia and clinically-relevant bacterial infections, LL-37 and its derivatives are seen as attractive candidates for anti-sepsis therapies. We have identified a novel family of molecules secreted by parasitic helminths (helminth defence molecules; HDMs) that exhibit similar biochemical and functional characteristics to human defence peptides, particularly CAP18. The HDM secreted by Fasciola hepatica (FhHDM-1) adopts a predominantly alpha-helical structure in solution. Processing of FhHDM-1 by F. hepatica cathepsin L1 releases a 34-residue C-terminal fragment containing a conserved amphipathic helix. This is analogous to the proteolytic processing of CAP18 to release LL-37, which modulates innate cell activation by classical toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We show that full-length recombinant FhHDM-1 and a peptide analogue of the amphipathic C-terminus bind directly to LPS in a concentration-dependent manner, reducing its interaction with both LPS-binding protein (LBP) and the surface of macrophages. Furthermore, FhHDM-1 and the amphipathic C-terminal peptide protect mice against LPS-induced inflammation by significantly reducing the release of inflammatory mediators from macrophages. We propose that HDMs, by mimicking the function of host defence peptides, represent a novel family of innate cell modulators with therapeutic potential in anti-sepsis treatments and prevention of inflammation.

Ultra-fast spin dynamics in the 2s2p^2 configuration of C^+ studied by time-dependent R-matrix theory

We employ time-dependent R-matrix theory to study ultra-fast dynamics in the doublet 2s2p(2) configuration of C+ for a total magnetic quantum number M = 1. In contrast to the dynamics observed for M = 0, ultra-fast dynamics for M = 1 is governed by spin dynamics in which the 2s electron acts as a flag rather than a spectator electron. Under the assumption that m(S) = 1/2, m(2s) = 1/2 allows spin dynamics involving the two 2p electrons, whereas m(2s) = -1/2 prevents spin dynamics of the two 2p electrons. For a pump-probe pulse scheme with (h) over bar omega(pump) = 10.9 eV and (h) over bar omega(probe) = 16.3 eV and both pulses six cycles long, little sign of spin dynamics is observed in the total ionization probability. Signs of spin dynamics can be observed, however, in the ejected-electron momentum distributions. We demonstrate that the ejected-electron momentum distributions can be used for unaligned targets to separate the contributions of initial M = 0 and M = 1 levels. This would, in principle, allow unaligned target ions to be used to obtain information on the different dynamics in the 2s2p(2) configuration for the M = 0 and M = 1 levels from a single experime

Interference between Competing Pathways in Atomic Harmonic Generation

We investigate the influence of the autoionizing 3s3p6nl resonances on the fifth harmonic generated by 200–240 nm laser fields interacting with Ar. To determine the influence of a multielectron response we develop the capability within time-dependent R-matrix theory to determine the harmonic spectra generated. The fifth harmonic is affected by interference between the response of a 3s electron and the response of a 3p electron, as demonstrated by the asymmetric profiles in the harmonic yields as functions of wavelength.

Peroxiredoxin: a central player in immune modulation:a central player in immune modulation

Peroxiredoxins (Prx) are a family of anti-oxidants that protect cells from metabolically produced reactive oxygen species (ROS). The presence of these enzymes in the secretomes of many parasitic helminths suggests they provide protection against ROS released by host immune effector cells. However, we recently reported that helminth-secreted Prx also contribute to the development of Th2-responses via a mechanism involving the induction of alternatively activated macrophages. In this review, we discuss the role helminth Prx may play in modulating the immune responses of their hosts.

Do focus groups contribute anything to the contingent valuation process?

The qualitative aspects of the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) are largely ignored by (environmental) economists. This paper aims to instigate a discussion on (a) the usefulness of qualitative data to the contingent valuation process in general; and (b) the use and applicability of the focus group method in particular. We consider the range and uses of focus groups within the CVM and highlight problems with their analysis that have, to date, largely been ignored. A potential solution to circumvent the problem of non-independence of group data is suggested. While there are several distinct and worthwhile uses for qualitative data, focus groups should not automatically be taken as the only or best method to produce these insights even though they are the major one considered in this article. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.