Debriefing with teachers after the Marmara earthquake: an evaluation study1

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the debriefing meetings conducted after the 1999 earthquakes in Marmara, Turkey. The sample consisted of 265 teachers, 223 of whom attended the debriefing meetings. The personal satisfaction ratings of the teachers who attended the meetings revealed that they found the sessions satisfactory. The results of the comparison between those who reported that they benefited from the meetings and those who felt they did not indicated that the first group had lower scores on all of the psychopathology measures. A comparison between 42 teachers who did not attend the meetings and a randomly chosen group of 45 teachers who did attend revealed that the two groups differed significantly in terms of their post‐traumatic stress symptom scores. The findings of the study suggest that, in general, the teachers' debriefing sessions were satisfactory.     

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Speed of call delivery is related to context and caller identity in Campbell’s monkey males

Call rate can be a salient feature in animal communication. Depending on the species, different psychological variables appear to influence call rates but the exact nature of these relationships remains poorly explored. Here, we demonstrate for free-ranging Campbell’s monkeys that the call rates of four different alarm series (termed H, K, K₊, and B series) vary systematically as a function of context, associated behaviour, and identity of the caller. K₊ series were given more rapidly to predation than non-predation events, K₊ and K series more rapidly to visual than auditory predator detection, and H series more rapidly while counterattacking an eagle than staying put. Finally, there were individual differences in B series, suggesting that call rate potentially provides listeners with cues about the caller’s anti-predator behaviour, event type experienced, and his identity.     

Integrated pollution prevention and control in large industrial installations on the basis of best available techniques – The Sevilla Process

With respect to emissions from industry, the IPPC Directive is one of the key instruments of the environmental legislation of the European Union. The purpose of this Directive is to achieve integrated pollution prevention and control from large industrial installations. The conditions of required permits have to be based on Best Available Techniques (BAT). In 1997, the so-called Sevilla Process was established to develop these BAT. Since then, 33 Best Available Techniques REFerence Documents (BREFs) were drafted, adopted and published. This Sevilla Process with its actors is described. The BREFs are unique documents containing ambitious consumption and emission levels which cannot be found anywhere else.     

Systems of innovation, the urban order and sustainable development.

Innovative cities are essential for the economic growth and development of countries. At the same time, however, social and environmental problems related to city growth can be serious threats to the full realisation of the socio-economic contribution that cities can make. City environments thus often provide both new problems and the creative and diverse environments, which make it possible to solve them. The question of whether or not sustainable development is possible largely will be answered in cities. This is also the case for problems related to waste management. Landfills may be located in the countryside, but if a country is to reduce environmental costs, the results will rest on the innovation power of cities. In this paper it is argued that the notion of a 'system of innovation' is helpful in understanding the factors that shape the processes of innovation and that determine the extent to which environmental problems may be solved. In this context, institutional innovation and political innovation as compared to technical innovation are of special importance.     

Occurrence of Human Enteric Viruses in Commercial Mussels at Retail Level in Three European Countries

In this study, the prevalence of different enteric viruses in commercial mussels was evaluated at the retail level in three European countries (Finland, Greece and Spain). A total of 153 mussel samples from different origins were analysed for human norovirus (NoV) genogroups I and II, hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis E virus (HEV). Human adenovirus (HAdV) was also tested as an indicator of human faecal contamination. A full set of controls (such as sample process control, internal amplification controls, and positive and negative controls) were implemented during the process. The use of a sample process control allowed us to calculate the efficiencies of extraction, which ranged from 79 to 0.5?%, with an average value of 10?%. Samples were positive in 41?% of cases, with HAdV being the most prevalent virus detected (36?%), but no significant correlation was found between the presence of HAdV and human NoV, HAV and HEV. The prevalences of human norovirus genogroup II, HEV and human NoV genogroup I were 16, 3 and 0.7?%, respectively, and HAV was not detected. The estimated number of PCR detectable units varied between 24 and 1.4?×?10³?g^?1 of digestive tract. Interestingly, there appeared to be a significant association between the type of mussel species (M. galloprovincialis) and the positive result of samples, although a complete overlap between country and species examined required this finding to be confirmed including samples of both species from all possible countries of origin.