The available evidence indicates that economic sanctions are not effective tools for achieving specific policy goals in foreign nations. New research from North Carolina State University argues that increased military spending caused by economic sanctions counterbalances the adverse impact of the sanctions – and points to Iran as a case study in how this can happen. (more…)
Hamburg, 12.05.2012: Tierische und pflanzliche Meeresbewohner stehen unter Druck: 30 Prozent der marinen Arten in deutschen Nord- und Ostseegewässern sind gefährdet. Dies geht aus der „Roten Liste“ der marinen Arten, die das Bundesamt für Naturschutz heute veröffentlichte hervor. „Diese Bestandsaufnahme verdeutlicht, dass wir unsere Meere besser schützen müssen, um die Vielfalt des marinen Lebens zu bewahren. Das Meer braucht auch Ruhezonen ohne menschliche Eingriffe wie Fischerei oder Rohstoffabbau, um sich zu erholen“, kommentiert Stephan Lutter, Meeresschutzexperte des WWF. Auch Düngemitteleintrag aus der Landwirtschaft und Verschmutzung durch Plastik oder chemische Stoffe schädigen die Lebensräume im Meer und ihre Bewohner. (more…)
Steigt die Arbeitslosigkeit, wenn sie nicht soll, dann ist auch das Wetter schuld.
»It’s the economy, stupid» (es geht um die Wirtschaft, Dummkopf). Mit diesem Slogan punktete Bill Clinton im Wahlkampf von 1992. Die Entwicklung von Bruttoinlandprodukt, Aktienkursen oder Arbeitslosenzahlen beeinflusst nicht nur Wahlkämpfe in den USA, sondern auch Volksabstimmungen in der Schweiz – und mithin die Schlagzeilen in den Medien. (more…)
ANN ARBOR — Declines of the food resources that feed lake organisms are likely causing dramatic changes in the Great Lakes, according to a new study.
The study, led by the U.S. Geological Survey and co-authored by three University of Michigan researchers, found that since 1998, water clarity has been increasing in most Great Lakes, while phytoplankton (the microscopic water organisms that feed all other animals), native invertebrates and prey fish have been declining. These food web changes fundamentally affect the ecosystem’s valuable resources and are likely caused by decreasing levels of lake nutrients, and by growing numbers of invasive species such as zebra and quagga mussels. (more…)
System to drive analytics curriculum, research and development
MARKHAM, ON & HALIFAX NS – 27 Nov 2013: IBM today announced it is contributing a multi-million dollar private cloud to a consortium of post-secondary institutions in Nova Scotia. The system, the first of its kind in Atlantic Canada, will form a shared computing platform enabling the schools to together create new curriculum and conduct research, all aimed at better equipping graduates with high-demand analytics skills to drive Nova Scotia’s economy.
The system, operational in early 2014, is being hosted at Dalhousie University but will also be accessible through a simple, single log-on process to faculty and students at Acadia University, Cape Breton University, Mount Saint Vincent University, Nova Scotia Community College, Saint Mary’s University and St. Francis Xavier University. (more…)
One of the keys to better nutrition and health for the people of Rwanda fits in the palm of a hand: legumes. But despite their nutritional punch, legumes—including common beans, cowpeas, and lima beans—are highly susceptible to drought and disease. That’s what brought MSU scientists to Rwanda, which has the world’s highest bean consumption per capita, to work on breeding heartier varieties that can sustain the people and economy of the country.
To increase yields, MSU’s Jim Kelly, a professor of crop and soil sciences who has been developing bean varieties for more than 30 years, is introducing new varieties as well as educational materials to help farmers grow them successfully. Using traditional methods that don’t require genetic manipulation, Kelly has bred climbing beans, as opposed to bush-like beans, that already have improved yields from a quarter ton per acre to four tons per acre in the country’s high-altitude, steep, hilly terrain. (more…)
The UA department of mining and geological engineering, one of only 14 U.S. schools offering mining engineering degrees and only a handful with its own student mine, is dedicated to helping fill the industry pipeline, and that includes ensuring female engineers continue to gain ground in a surging industry.
They roam the remotest corners of the world, scale the highest mountains and descend deep into the Earth.
They go places few women have ever gone. They are not afraid of getting dirty, or of much else for that matter, certainly not adversity or a good challenge. And they know, better than most, how and when to take a joke. (more…)
When blessed with a resource in overwhelming abundance it’s generally a good idea to make valuable use of that resource. Lignocellulosic biomass is the most abundant organic material on Earth. For thousands of years it has been used as animal feed, and for the past two centuries has been a staple of the paper industry. This abundant resource, however, could also supply the sugars needed to produce advanced biofuels that can supplement or replace fossil fuels, providing several key technical challenges are met. One of these challenges is finding ways to more cost-effectively extract those sugars. Major steps towards achieving this breakthrough are being taken by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI).
“Through the tools of synthetic biology, we have engineered healthy plants whose lignocellulosic biomass can more easily be broken down into simple sugars for biofuels,” says Dominique Loque, who directs the cell wall engineering program for JBEI’s Feedstocks Division. “Working with the model plant, Arabidopsis, as a demonstration tool, we have genetically manipulated secondary cell walls to reduce the production of lignin while increasing the yield of fuel sugars.” (more…)
