Investment in preventing and preparing for biological emergencies and disasters: social and economic costs of disasters versus costs of surveillance and response preparedness

Biological emergencies such as the appearance of an exotic transboundary or emerging disease can become disasters. The question that faces Veterinary Services in developing countries is how to balance resources dedicated to active insurance measures, such as border control, surveillance, working with the governments of developing countries, and investing in improving veterinary knowledge and tools, with passive measures, such as contingency funds and vaccine banks. There is strong evidence that the animal health situation in developed countries has improved and is relatively stable. In addition, through trade with other countries, developing countries are becoming part of the international animal health system, the status of which is improving, though with occasional setbacks. However, despite these improvements, the risk of a possible biological disaster still remains, and has increased in recent times because of the threat of bioterrorism. This paper suggests that a model that combines decision tree analysis with epidemiology is required to identify critical points in food chains that should be strengthened to reduce the risk of emergencies and prevent emergencies from becoming disasters.

Growth rate and physical properties of Erythrina variegata with regard to dry matter production

Erythrina variegata grown from seeds showed a great deal of variation with respect to height, diameter, density of wood and dry matter production. Statistical analysis showed that the density of wood produced by any plant was not related to its growth rate, but dry matter production was associated with plant growth rate (height and diameter) that could lead to overall increased dry matter or biomass production.

The power of NMR: in two and three dimensions

Two dimensional NMR experiments use a sequence of two or more pulses with a variable time delay to generate spectra. COSY spectra clarify where the protons are in a molecule. Two and three dimensional NMR are used to solve protein structures.

Competitive strategy revisited: contested concepts and dynamic capabilities

Strategy is a contested concept. The generic literature is characterized by a diverse range of competing theories and alternative perspectives. Traditional models of the competitive strategy of construction firms have tended to focus on exogenous factors. In contrast, the resource-based view of strategic management emphasizes the importance of endogenous factors. The more recently espoused concept of dynamic capabilities extends consideration beyond static resources to focus on the ability of firms to reconfigure their operating routines to enable responses to changing environments. The relevance of the dynamics capabilities framework to the construction sector is investigated through an exploratory case study of a regional contractor. The focus on how firms continuously adapt to changing environments provides new insights into competitive strategy in the construction sector. Strong support is found for the importance of path dependency in shaping strategic choice. The case study further suggests that strategy is a collective endeavour enacted by a loosely defined group of individual actors. Dynamic capabilities are characterized by an empirical elusiveness and as such are best construed as situated practices embedded within a social and physical context.

Carbon reduction in buildings (CaRB) - Understanding the social and technical factors that influence energy use in UK buildings

Attempts to reduce the energy consumed in UK homes have met with limited success. One reason for this is a lack of understanding of how people interact with domestic technology – heating systems, lights, electrical equipment and so forth. Attaining such an understanding is hampered by a chronic shortage of detailed energy use data matched to descriptions of the house, the occupants, the internal conditions and the installed services and appliances. Without such information it is impossible to produce transparent and valid models for understanding and predicting energy use. The Carbon Reduction in Buildings (CaRB) consortium of five UK universities plans to develop socio-technical models of energy use, underpinned by a flow of data from a longitudinal monitoring campaign involving several hundred UK homes. This paper outlines the models proposed, the preliminary monitoring work and the structure of the proposed longitudinal study.