DNA prime-protein boost based vaccination with a conserved region of leptospiral immunoglobulin-like A and B proteins enhances protection against leptospirosis

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by pathogenic spirochetes of theLeptospira genus. Vaccination with bacterins has severe limitations. Here, we evaluated the N-terminal region of the leptospiral immunoglobulin-like B protein (LigBrep) as a vaccine candidate against leptospirosis using immunisation strategies based on DNA prime-protein boost, DNA vaccine, and subunit vaccine. Upon challenge with a virulent strain ofLeptospira interrogans, the prime-boost and DNA vaccine approaches induced significant protection in hamsters, as well as a specific IgG antibody response and sterilising immunity. Although vaccination with recombinant fragment of LigBrep also produced a strong antibody response, it was not immunoprotective. These results highlight the potential of LigBrep as a candidate antigen for an effective vaccine against leptospirosis and emphasise the use of the DNA prime-protein boost as an important strategy for vaccine development.

War Signals: A Theory of Trade, Trust and Conflict

We construct a dynamic theory of civil conflict hinging on inter-ethnic trust and trade. The model economy is inhabitated by two ethnic groups. Inter-ethnic trade requires imperfectly observed bilateral investments and one group has to form beliefs on the average propensity to trade of the other group. Since conflict disrupts trade, the onset of a conflict signals that the aggressor has a low propensity to trade. Agents observe the history of conflicts and update their beliefs over time, transmitting them to the next generation. The theory bears a set of testable predictions. First, war is a stochastic process whose frequency depends on the state of endogenous beliefs. Second, the probability of future conflicts increases after each conflict episode. Third, "accidental" conflicts that do not reflect economic fundamentals can lead to a permanent breakdown of trust, plunging a society into a vicious cycle of recurrent conflicts (a war trap). The incidence of conflict can be reduced by policies abating cultural barriers, fostering inter-ethnic trade and human capital, and shifting beliefs. Coercive peace policies such as peacekeeping forces or externally imposed regime changes have instead no persistent effects.

An alternative socio-ecological strategy? International Trade Unions' engagement with climate change

In the context of a global ecological crisis, it is an important move when trade unions turn to environmentalism. Yet, the form that this environmentalism takes is often overlooked. This is especially the case with international trade unions. Based on an empirical study of international trade unions' engagement with the climate change issue, this article argues that international trade unions follow three different (and partially conflicting) strategies. I label these strategies as 'deliberative', 'collaborative growth' and 'socialist', and I examine each in turn. I argue that such analysis is important if we want to identify the potential for transforming the social relations of production that are at the root of the current climate crisis, and for identifying an alternative socio-ecological strategy.

CO2 emissions embodied in international trade: A multiregional Inputoutput model for Spain

As a result of globalization and free trade agreements, international trade is enormously growing and inevitably putting more pressure on the environment over the last few decades. This has drawn the attention of both environmentalist and economist in response to the ever growing concerns of climate change and urgent need of international action for its mitigation. In this work we aim at analyzing the implication of international trade in terms of CO2 between Spain and its important partners using a multi-regional input-output (MRIO) model. A fully integrated 13 regions MRIO model is constructed to examine the pollution responsibility of Spain both from production and consumption perspectives. The empirical results show that Spain is a net importer of CO2 emissions which is equivalent to 29% of its emission due to production. Even though the leading partner with regard to import values are countries such as Germany, France, Italy and Great Britain, the CO2 embodied due to trade with China takes the largest share. This is mainly due to the importation of energy intensive products from China coupled with Chinese poor energy mix which is dominated by coal-power plant. The largest portion (67%) of the global imported CO2 emissions is due to intermediate demand requirements by production sectors. Products such as Motor vehicles, chemicals, a variety of machineries and equipments, textile and leather products, construction materials are the key imports that drive the emissions due to their production in the respective exporting countries. Being at its peak in 2005, the Construction sector is the most responsible activity behind both domestic and imported emissions.

La protection des biotopes en droit suisse : étude de droit matériel

Introduction : Confronter les intérêts de la protection de la nature à d'autres, c'est vouloir faire passer les petites fleurs et les grenouilles avant l'Homme. Hérésie ! C'est en effet parfois l'existence même d'un régime légal de protection des biotopes qui fait sourire. L'étudier en profondeur n'en paraît que plus oiseux. Ce problème d'acceptation est sans doute propre au droit de l'environnement de manière générale : l'intérêt public défendu ici n'est pas rattachable directement à l'intérêt du plus grand nombre. On peut parfois même en être très loin. Si, malgré cela, certains domaines du droit de l'environnement sont actuellement très en vogue, la protection de la nature fait partie de ses aspects moins porteurs. Ce type de préoccupations est pour beaucoup futile, voire inutile ou même déplacé. Il apparaît ainsi important de commencer par se demander pourquoi protéger la nature, et que protéger dans cette nature (chapitre 1). Vient ensuite évidemment la question de la portée de la protection. Il convient pour cela tout d'abord de faire le point sur le droit en vigueur (chapitre 2) : l'histoire des règles topiques en matière de protection des biotopes a été particulièrement mouvementée et son analyse apporte un important éclairage à la compréhension des dispositions actuelles ; cette législation est en outre complétée par une multitude de dispositions connexes ou apparentées, de droit interne et de droit international. Ce contexte général posé, la portée de la protection s'examine plus précisément par l'analyse des articles 18 ss LPN (chapitre 3) : les biotopes protégés de manière générale par l'article 18 LPN lui-même - remarquable exemple d'un droit dynamique -, les biotopes inventoriés et la végétation des rives. Il est enfin nécessaire de se pencher sur le « comment protéger» par une étude des instruments de mise en oeuvre (chapitre 4) et des instruments auxiliaires à la protection (chapitre 5). Ce faisant, la pertinence du régime légal de protection des biotopes sera soulignée, tant sur le fond que sur la forme. En l'introduisant aux subtilités de ce régime et de son intégration dans l'ordre juridique en général, nous espérons ainsi faire passer le lecteur au-delà des idées reçues.