Risk Governance and the Precautionary Principle: Recent Cases in the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) Committee

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jo Leinen

As parliamentarians it is our job to represent the people of Europe and to make laws that are in the people's best interest. This sounds simple at a first glance, but it is not as simple when you think about it twice. A law might be in the interest of the people now, because it has known positive effects in the short term. But sometimes the very same law might bear a risk in the long-term, especially for future generations, and sometimes we can't even tell yet how big that risk is. If we would follow a short-sighted approach which only aims at the expected positive effects without taking into account actual and potential adverse effects that might occur in the future, we would act irresponsibly towards the generations of our children and grandchildren. That is why risk governance and the precautionary principle rightfully play a major role in the daily work of the legislator.

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1019
Author(s):  
Barbara Frączek ◽  
Aleksandra Pięta ◽  
Adrian Burda ◽  
Paulina Mazur-Kurach ◽  
Florentyna Tyrała

The aim of this meta-analysis was to review the impact of a Paleolithic diet (PD) on selected health indicators (body composition, lipid profile, blood pressure, and carbohydrate metabolism) in the short and long term of nutrition intervention in healthy and unhealthy adults. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials of 21 full-text original human studies was conducted. Both the PD and a variety of healthy diets (control diets (CDs)) caused reduction in anthropometric parameters, both in the short and long term. For many indicators, such as weight (body mass (BM)), body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference (WC), impact was stronger and especially found in the short term. All diets caused a decrease in total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides (TG), albeit the impact of PD was stronger. Among long-term studies, only PD cased a decline in TC and LDL-C. Impact on blood pressure was observed mainly in the short term. PD caused a decrease in fasting plasma (fP) glucose, fP insulin, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in the short run, contrary to CD. In the long term, only PD caused a decrease in fP glucose and fP insulin. Lower positive impact of PD on performance was observed in the group without exercise. Positive effects of the PD on health and the lack of experiments among professional athletes require longer-term interventions to determine the effect of the Paleo diet on athletic performance.


Author(s):  
Valentina Tocchioni ◽  
Alessandra Petrucci ◽  
Alessandra Minello

In the last years, there has been a large increase in high-educated and high-skilled people’s mobility as a consequence of the internationalization and globalization, the weakening of research and university systems of sending countries (the “brain drain” process), the increase in skilled demand and improvements in higher education of host countries (the “brain gain” process). At the micro-level, academic mobility has positive consequences on occupational prospects and careers of researchers, both in the short- and long- run. Nevertheless, numerous research studies have demonstrated the challenges of engaging in international academic mobility for people with caring responsibilities, particularly women. Using Italian data on occupational conditions of PhDs collected in 2018 by Istat and modelling multinomial logistic regression analyses, we intend to verify if female researchers are associated with a lower international mobility irrespective their field of study, and the extent to which gender interacts differently in the various fields of study in affecting the probability of moving abroad after PhD qualification. Also, the distinction between long-term and short-term mobility, which has been mainly neglected in the literature concentrating on longer stays, has taken into account. In this respect, short-term mobility is a potentially high-value investment that may be pursued also by those researchers and scientists who cannot move for longer periods, such as women with caring responsibilities. In the literature, it is acknowledged that an experience abroad during early career may have positive effects on future occupational prospects. With our work, we intend to shed light on potential disparities on moving abroad that may exist among researchers in their early career by gender, and which could contribute to leave behind women in academia.


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-197
Author(s):  
Mitchell B. Lerner

The election of Donald J. Trump unsettled many areas of U.S. foreign policy, but few more than the nation’s relationship with Korea. This article argues that the Trump administration’s vision for the world represents a stark break from the tradition of liberal internationalism and instead seeks to take the United States down a path that reflects the modern business practices of giant American corporations. A suitable label for this vision, as the following pages will show, is “Walmart unilateralism.” This framework abandons the traditional American policies of nation building and alliances based on shared ideological values. Instead, it embraces a more short-term approach rooted in financial bottom lines, flexible alliances and rivalries, and the ruthless exploitation of power hierarchies. This new approach, this article concludes, may dramatically transform the American relationship with Korea. Walmart unilateralism in Korea almost certainly will have some short-time positive ramifications for the United States, but its larger failure to consider the history and values of the people living on the Korean Peninsula may generate serious long-term problems for the future experience of the United States in the region.


Author(s):  
Salem M. Bin Qadhi ◽  
Saeed Y. Bashir ◽  
Taha O. Assaggaf

This paper presents an existing problem of drinking water pollution for a small project and one of the model projects of drinking water in Yemen, designed to save and preserve good quality water for the present and future generations in the area. The paper gives the details of the project and explains the problem of bacteriological pollution and the steps undertaken to solve the problem. Some of the results for short-term solutions and recommendation for the long-term solutions are also given. 


Author(s):  
Dhani Ichsanuddin Nur

Background: The research purpose to analyzing impacts of funding source changes on pharmacy company profits that went public on Indonesian Stock Exchange, with analysis period of 2008 to 2013. Methods: The research applied analysis means in line with requirements of change variable measurements of funding sources in its interconnectedness with company profits; the applied model was Auto-regressive. Results: The research results indicated that changes of the last one-period short term debts had negative effects insignificantly on company profits, the last two-period short term debts had positive effects significantly on company profits, changes of the last one-period and two-period long term debts had negative effects insignificantly on company profits, equity changes of the last period had positive effects significantly on company profits, the last period profit changes had negative effects significantly on company profits. Conclusion: Last one-period short term, last one-period long term, last two-period long term debt changes, and last period profit have negative insignificant effect on company profit. Last two-period short term debt changes, last one-period equity changes, and last two-period equity changes have positive significant effect on company profit.


2020 ◽  
Vol 182 (4) ◽  
pp. 405-411
Author(s):  
S H Donze ◽  
L Damen ◽  
E F Mahabier ◽  
A C S Hokken-Koelega

Objective Children with Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) have mild to moderate cognitive impairment. Short-term studies showed positive effects of growth hormone (GH) on cognitive development. This study investigated the effects of 8 years of GH on cognitive development in children with PWS. We also investigated whether starting GH during infancy results in higher cognitive functioning after 8 years of GH. Design Longitudinal study in 43 children with PWS during 8 years of GH (median age at GH start 8.1 years). Cognitive functioning after 8 years was compared to another group of 22 children with PWS (median age at GH start 1.4 years). Methods Cognitive functioning was measured by Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. Vocabulary, Similarities and Block Design subtests were expressed as standard deviation scores (SDS) and total IQ (TIQ) calculated. Results Estimated mean (95%CI) Block Design SDS changed from −2.2 (−2.6; −1.8) at GH start to −1.8 (−2.2; −1.4) after 8 years of GH (P = 0.18), similarly SDS from −1.5 (−2.1; −0.9) to −1.3 (−1.9; −0.7, P = 0.66) and TIQ from 66 (60; 72) to 69 (63; 75, P = 0.57). Vocabulary SDS remained similar, being −1.9 (−2.3; −1.4) at GH start and −1.9 (−2.4; −1.5) after 8 years (P = 0.85). After 8 years of GH Vocabulary, SDS and TIQ were higher in the children who started GH during infancy, compared to those who started GH later in childhood (P < 0.01, P = 0.04, respectively). Conclusions Cognitive functioning in children with PWS remains similar during long-term GH and develops at the same pace as healthy peers.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL4) ◽  
pp. 1714-1718
Author(s):  
Radhika Tyagi ◽  
Sangrila Singh ◽  
Anjali Joshi ◽  
Vishali Chopra ◽  
Priyank Vyas ◽  
...  

As per the literature, humans ingest a comprehensive range of food materials including drugs along with dietary supplements which are mainly derived through medicinal plant products and modifying the purpose of the central nervous system (CNS). These psychoactive based properties are mainly attributable to the existence of plant-derived secondary metabolites. Most of the cases or studies showed the effects of these phytochemicals derived from secondary metabolites on the human CNS might be linked either to their ecological roles or molecular along with biochemical based properties are reported in case of plants along with higher animals. One of the mental health disorders, psychosis where person losses its capacity of critical thinking, they perceive things differently as compared to the people around. They see or hear things that other people cannot see or hear (hallucination) or even believe things that are not true (delusion). There are so many synthetic psychosis inducer synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) as well as semi-synthetic and natural. Psychosis is a disorder which shows the effect for long-term or sometimes for the short term on an individual. In this review we will mainly look for natural psychosis inducers like Salvia divinorum and this plant may produce some secondary metabolites. Still, many of these are found to show an effect on human health in some or the other way which may range from hallucination to organ failure. These secondary metabolites affect the hippocampus region of the human brain, which is linked with memory. It is interesting to note how one chemical is used for an organism for protection and that one chemical act as a mind-altering chemical for the higher class of organism – the humans.


Author(s):  
Erika dos Santos Souza ◽  
Albertina P. Lima ◽  
William E. Magnusson ◽  
RICARDO ALEXANDRE KAWASHITA-RIBEIRO ◽  
Rodrigo Ferreira Fadini ◽  
...  

Ecological succession in tropical savannas is limited by seasonal fire, which affects habitat quality. Although fire may cause negligible or positive effects on animals occupying savannas, most short-term studies (months to a few years) are based on a single temporal sampling snapshot, and long-term studies (decades) are rare. We sampled four lizard species in Amazonian savannas to test the effects of fire and vegetation cover on lizard densities at two temporal scales. In the short-term, we use three sampling snapshots to test the effects of fire and vegetation cover on estimated lizard densities over the subsequent 1–5 years. In the long-term, we test the effects of fire and changes in vegetation cover over 21 years on current lizard density differences. In the short-term, species responses were usually consistent with foraging and thermoregulation modes. However, the results were not consistent among species and years, although the variances in species density explained by year as a random factor were generally low. In the long-term, the main effects of fire and vegetation cover show that lizard densities may change spatially, but not necessarily temporarily. Wildfire is a natural resource of savannas and apparently have little impact on resident lizards of that ecosystem.


Sports ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadja Walter ◽  
Lucie Nikoleizig ◽  
Dorothee Alfermann

(1) Background: Self-talk (ST) is used to influence athletes’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Samples of squad and competitive athletes are underrepresented, although research has proven the positive effects of ST in the context of sports. Thus, the present study focused on the impact of ST on psychological and performance outcomes of junior sub-elite athletes. (2) Methods: N = 117 athletes (55 females, 62 males; M = 16.0 years) were randomly assigned to either one of two experimental groups or to a control group (n = 30). The experimental groups received an ST intervention for either one week (n = 36) or eight weeks (n = 38), and the control group received no ST training. The dependent variables (competitive anxiety, volitional skills, self-efficacy, and coaches’ performance ratings) were assessed three times before and after the intervention. It was expected that (a) an ST intervention would reduce the competitive anxiety and increase volitional skills, self-efficacy, and performance; and, (b) long-term training would lead to higher effects than short-term training. (3) Results: As expected, ST training led to (less) somatic state anxiety and (higher) state self-confidence, self-optimization, self-efficacy, and performance. Additionally, long-term training was more effective than short-term training. (4) Conclusions: Targeted ST interventions may help to improve junior athletes’ psychological states and performance.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 581-581
Author(s):  

The growing threat of thermonuclear war and the continued development and proliferation of nuclear weapons have compelled us as physicians to examine in detail the consequences such a war would have on the people of our nations and of the world, whose health and survival are our professional commitment. During the past several days, physicians and scientists from 31 countries have gathered to consider relevant data on the immediate and long term effects of a nuclear conflict. We were unanimous in concluding that: . . . The growth in sheer numbers of nuclear weapons and the increasing complexity and sophistication of delivery systems increase the possibility that a nuclear conflict may be triggered by tragic accident. Physicians are aware from their daily work that technologic systems are liable to malfunction and that human performance may fail because of mental derangement or even simple error. Whereas such failures in medicine may jeopardise a single life, the malfunctioning of military systems may now endanger the existence of humanity....


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