Assessing emotions in wild animals

A new study examines indicators of mental wellbeing in wild animals to improve conservation efforts

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY SYDNEY

 

IMAGE: THE VERY SUBTLE BODY LANGUAGE OF KOALAS AND THE LONG PERIODS SPENT SLEEPING HIGH UP IN TREES PRESENTS MANY CHALLENGES IN ASSESSING INDICATORS OF THEIR EMOTIONS. view more 

CREDIT: PHOTO: PHIL LONG / FLICKR (CC BY 2.0)

A world-first holistic framework for assessing the mental and psychological wellbeing of wild animals has been developed by UTS Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr Andrea Harvey, a veterinarian and animal welfare scientist in the TD School at the University of Technology Sydney.

The significance of the study lies in its potential to revolutionise conservation efforts. Instead of focusing solely on population numbers and reproductive success, the research explores the quality of life experienced by wild animals.

This shift in perspective could provide crucial early warning signals about species challenges and population declines, leading to more effective conservation strategies.

“While research on the welfare of domestic and farm animals has been considerable, including indicators of emotional states such as stress, pain and fear, my aim is to bridge the gap by examining the individual lives, feelings and mental experiences of wild animals,” Dr Harvey said.

“A deeper understanding of the wellbeing of wild animal populations can not only enhance conservation efforts, but also provide an indication of the state of the natural environment and its recognised links to human health and wellbeing.”

The study, which was part of Andrea's PhD research at the UTS Centre for Compassionate Conservation, focuses on brumbies – free-roaming wild horses – from Australia’s alpine regions, however the framework is widely applicable for evaluating many wildlife species.

Dr Harvey chose brumbies as horse welfare has been studied in domestic environments, providing a bridge to wild animals. The paper, Mental Experiences in Wild Animals: Scientifically Validating Measurable Welfare Indicators in Free-Roaming Horses, was recently published in Animals.

Her comprehensive conceptual framework, called the ‘10 Stage Protocol’, includes physical and behavioural indicators for both negative and positive mental experiences in wild animals.

“If you have a dog, you know their usual routine, what they like, and how they behave in certain circumstances. You know if they’re happy, sad, or distressed, so this research is shifting that understanding to wild animals.

“We can never be certain what's going through an animal's mind and exactly what they're feeling. It’s also an area that scientists have traditionally shied away from. However, we know mental experiences arise from physical states, and we can directly measure these states.

“Nutrition, the physical environment, health, and behavioural interactions all provide clues to the mental experience of animals. This includes negative states such as thirst, hunger, heat and cold discomfort, pain, fatigue, anxiety and fear and positive ones such as satiety, exercising agency, physical vitality and positive social interactions.”

This holistic approach brings together different areas of scientific knowledge, including neuroscience, behaviour, and neuroethology – the study of the neural basis of an animal’s natural behaviour – to interpret the data collected and gain insights into wellbeing.

Dr Harvey is currently collaborating with researchers studying Australian water birds, such as the straw-necked ibis and pelicans. These birds serve as indicators of water quality and wetland health, which could inform management decisions in the Murray Darling Basin.

The welfare of koalas, which have been declared endangered in NSW, is also under scrutiny. Previous koala research has focused primarily on survival and disease. Dr Harvey's research aims to evaluate overall koala wellbeing to inform policy decisions around conservation and habitat protection.

Dr Harvey is also working with other researchers studying the welfare of kangaroos and dingoes at a field station in southern Queensland, focusing on the predator-prey relationship, and the impact of climate change and drought recovery.

Each species presents unique challenges, such as identifying individuals, evaluating mental experiences in large populations, and considering different environments and habitats.

Dr Harvey acknowledges the challenges of studying the mental experiences of wild animals compared to domesticated ones. The absence of close human relationships with individual animals and the difficulty in observing them for extended periods pose significant hurdles.

However, innovative methods like remote camera traps have proven valuable in collecting fine-detail data on wild animal behaviour, including body posture and facial expressions.

Dr Harvey's ground-breaking research holds immense potential in transforming the field of conservation biology, by shedding light on the mental experiences of wild and endangered animals.

“Welfare assessments need to be part of all wildlife monitoring, and ultimately all environmental policy decision making, which needs to take into account not just individual species, but also interactions between different species, and their ecosystems.”

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JOURNAL

Animals

DOI

10.3390/ani13091507 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Mental Experiences in Wild Animals: Scientifically Validating Measurable Welfare Indicators in Free-Roaming Horses

Earliest sea scorpion from China found in end-Ordovician Anji Biota in Zhejiang

Peer-Reviewed Publication

CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES HEADQUARTERS

NEWS RELEASE 16-MAY-2023

 

IMAGE: LIFE RECONSTRUCTION OF ARCHOPTERUS ANJIENSIS view more 

CREDIT: YANG DINGHUA

Eurypterids (Arthropoda: Chelicerata), normally known as sea scorpions, are an important extinct group of Paleozoic chelicerate arthropods.

Researchers led by Profs. ZHANG Haichun, WANG Bo, ZHANG Yuandong, and PhD student WANG Han from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), in collaboration with their colleagues from the UK, have described a new Ordovician eurypterid, Archopterus anjiensis n. gen. n. sp., from the latest Ordovcian (Hirnantian) Anji Biota of Zhejiang Province, South China. It represents the first unequivocal Ordovician eurypterid recorded in China as well as the oldest one ever found in the country, adding new knowledge to the early evolution of eurypterids in Gondwana.

The study was published in the Journal of Paleontology on May 10.

Eurypterids first appeared in the Ordovician, attained their maximum diversity during the late Silurian and early Devonian, and became extinct at the end of Permian. With bizarre morphology and high ecological diversity, they occupied marine, freshwater, and even terrestrial environments, becoming an important medium for us to understand the transition of ecological environments in the Paleozoic.

However, Ordovician eurypterids are extremely rare. To date, only 12 species of Ordovician eurypterids are known in the world, so any reported occurrence is of great significance to understanding their early evolutionary history. 

The current study reported a rare Ordovician eurypterid from the Wenchang Formation of Anji County, Zhejiang Province.

"Archopterus anjiensis is characterized by a parabolic carapace, Hughmilleria-type prosomal appendages, vase-shaped metastoma, and a three-segmented type A (female) genital appendage, estimated to be 15 cm long," said WANG Han, first author of the study.

Associated with diverse sponges, Archopterus anjiensis was found in a deep-water environment at a depth of several hundred meters. This occurrence, along with some Ordovician eurypterids from a normal marine environment, may indicate that some early eurypterids favored living in deeper waters than their post-Ordovician relatives.

In addition, Archopterus anjiensis represents the oldest adelophthalmid and extends the stratigraphic range of this family to the Late Ordovician (by about 10 million years), making Adelophthalmidae the longest-living eurypterid family (Ordovician to Permian), and indicates that adelophthalmids have been found in the widest range of habitats of all eurypterid groups.

This rare Ordovician sea scorpion from Zhejiang Province, along with continuous discoveries of eurypterid fossils in China, indicates that there is great potential for exploration of eurypterids in Paleozoic Gondwana areas.

Fossils of Archopterus anjiensis

CREDIT

NIGPAS

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JOURNAL

Journal of Paleontology

DOI

10.1017/jpa.2023.21 

ARTICLE TITLE

The first documentation of an Ordovician eurypterid (Chelicerata) from China

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

10-May-2023

How bending implantable medical devices can enable infectious organisms to gain a toehold

University of Toronto Engineering researchers demonstrate that bending silicone rubber medical devices creates 'microcracks' that can affect where and how potentially harmful biofilms form

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO FACULTY OF APPLIED SCIENCE & ENGINEERING

 

IMAGE: UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO ENGINEERING PROFESSOR BEN HATTON HOLDS UP SOME FLEXIBLE TUBING USED IN MEDICAL IMPLANTS. A NEW STUDY SHEDS LIGHT ON HOW SUCH MATERIALS GET COLONIZED BY BACTERIA, AND POINTS TOWARD POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS. view more 

CREDIT: PHOTO: UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO ENGINEERING / NEIL TA

A study from University of Toronto Engineering researchers shows that mechanical deformation of medically implantable materials — such as bending or twisting — can have a big impact on the formation of potentially harmful biofilms.

The study, described in a paper published in Scientific Reports, shows that even slight bending of elastomeric materials such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), also known as silicone, opens up microscopic cracks that are perfect environments for colonizing bacteria.

“These kinds of materials are used in all kinds of biomedical applications, from catheters to tracheal tubes and prosthetic breast implants,” says Professor Ben Hatton, senior author of the new study.

“The formation of microbial biofilms on these materials is common, but we were surprised by the degree to which bending silicone, and other rubber materials, causes these cracks to reversibly open and close — and how big a difference they make in terms of biofilm formation.”

Biofilms are complex communities of organisms that grow on surfaces. While individual microbial cells are susceptible both to antibiotics and the body’s natural defensive systems, the biofilm environment can shield them from these interventions, which can lead to persistent infections.

Infections associated with medical device biofilms, which sometimes develop after surgery, can be serious health risks, lengthening hospital stays, or causing patients who have been discharged to be re-admitted.

Hatton and his team are among many groups around the world developing new materials, coatings and other approaches to prevent the formation of biofilms that can lead to such infections.

But in their latest work, they chose to study something more fundamental — how do these colonizing microbial organisms gain a toehold in the first place?

“In part, this comes out of the multidisciplinary approach we take in our group,” says Hatton.

“We’re combining microbiology and materials science, but also mechanical engineering, because we’re talking about mechanical stress, strain and deformation. This bending effect is something that had not been noticed before.”

The team tested various samples of silicone, including some they synthesized themselves as well as commercial-grade medical tubing used for urinary catheters. They then subjected these samples to mechanical forces to create surface damage. Their experiments showed that the microcracks can be formed very easily.

“One thing we did was simply wipe them a bunch of times with an ordinary laboratory tissue,” says PhD candidate Desmond van den Berg, lead author on the new paper. The other two co-authors are Dr. Dalal Asker and Dr. Tarek Awad.

“Even this wiping was enough to create surface damage. By eye it still looks fine, but under the microscope, we could already see microcracks of the size that bacteria could get into. Bacteria are only a few micrometers big, so it doesn’t take much.”

Other samples were pressed with a rough, ridged pattern to create a series of regularly-spaced microcracks.

All the samples were then placed in a bacterial culture plate and seeded with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a biofilm-forming bacterium commonly used as a model organism in these types of studies. After growth, the samples were treated with a fluorescent dye, causing any attached bacteria to glow green under an optical microscope.

“What we saw was that the bacteria very clearly preferred to attach in these microscopic cracks,” says van den Berg.

“In the bent samples, there were four to five times as many bacteria on the side that was in tension versus the side that was in compression. These cells have full choice about where to grow, but they clearly love the side where all these microcracks are opened up.”

The only samples that remained relatively free of bacteria were the ones that had been synthesized in the team’s own lab, and therefore remained extremely smooth, says van den Berg.

“Even the commercially produced ones that we didn’t damage in any way already had microcracks in them, straight out of the package,” he says.

“We suspect that these are introduced via the manufacturing process, arising from the way the plastic is formed into tubes or other shapes by extrusion or injection molding.”

Hatton says that the study underlines just how easy it is to introduce surface features that encourage microbial attachment. For surgeons, one implication is that they should be looking out for situations where silicone devices, like tubing or prosthetic implants, are being bent during use, and paying particular attention to the side under tension, as this is where infections might be starting.

“Obviously it’s difficult to simply not bend a rubber tube that is meant to be bent – otherwise, why would you make it out of rubber in the first place?” says Hatton.

“But perhaps we can learn more about how to control or hide these surface cracks, so that bending is not a problem. That’s what we’re working on now: researching methods to reduce surface damage, or modifying the silicone surface to reduce the formation of such cracks.”

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JOURNAL

Scientific Reports

DOI

10.1038/s41598-023-34217-5 

ESHRE publishes recommendations to tackle environmental threats to fertility and reproductive health

Meeting Announcement

EUROPEAN SOCIETY OF HUMAN REPRODUCTION AND EMBRYOLOGY

Political and legislative action is urgently needed to respond to threats posed by the link between environmental factors and widespread infertility, says the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) today (Wednesday).

This is one of the (8) recommendations outlined in a list of statements published by ESHRE for the first time. The aim is to draw attention to the growing threat from climate change, pollutants, hormone-disrupting chemicals, toxic substances, and other related risks.

The document, drawn up by experts from various fields and aimed at policymakers, also calls for reforms including:

• More efficient policies to safeguard the public from chemicals that endanger fertility and reproductive health.
• The EU to update rapidly chemical regulations which protect human health including REACH and CLP.
• Prevention strategies that start before conception and are aimed at both men and women to prevent impact during foetal life.
• Data to be made available publicly on workplace risks from chemical exposure.
• Development of a Europe-wide digital platform to collect harmonized surveillance data and enable monitoring of environmental impacts on offspring and reproductive health.
• Reinforcement of multi-sectoral decarbonization to prevent reproductive harm and make the planet healthier for all.
• Public health campaigns across all educational levels to raise awareness of risks for reproductive health posed by environmental exposures.
• Testing of pharmaceuticals and industrial chemicals that evaluates thoroughly their impact on fertility and gametes. ESHRE says this should be done before these products are introduced into the European market.

ESHRE states that in the debate about the severe decline in child births, especially in industrialized regions, the well-established importance of declining male and female infertility is mostly overlooked.

The society says that it has serious concerns about the environmental impact, not only on men and women who may wish to become parents but also on the health of children born and future generations.

The document has been formulated at a two-day meeting in Brussels hosted by ESHRE and attended by esteemed professionals experienced in the impact of the environment on fertility and human health.

The event was held to discuss the challenges posed by environmental threats and potential ways forward.

The speakers presented evidence amongst others that soot pollution particles can cross the placenta to reach babies in the womb, that women living near busy freeways have increased infertility, and that many pharmaceuticals that could pose a risk to male and female fertility are not classified under EU regulations.

Professor Willem Ombelet said: “The EU has been proactive in limiting exposure to environmental factors such as toxic chemicals and pollution. But more measures are needed to address the alarming impact on male and female fertility”.

Current and future generations must be protected through tougher action. Prevention strategies are needed even before people consider starting families.

Members of the public also need to know the risks they face from the environments in which they live and work. They can develop awareness if this data is made widely available.”

– Please click here to read the ESHRE recommendations in full.

– ESHRE is the world’s leading society in reproductive science and medicine. The organisation promotes interest in, and understanding of, reproductive biology and medicine, and collaborates with politicians and policymakers throughout Europe.

Vegan mothers' breastmilk contains two important nutrients, Amsterdam UMC study finds

Contrary to presumptions, the breastmilk of vegans contains sufficient levels of vitamin B2 and carnitine

Reports and Proceedings

AMSTERDAM UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTERS

A vegan diet does not affect maternal breastmilk concentrations of vitamin B2 and carnitine, nutrients essential for the developing infant. These are the results of an Amsterdam UMC study, presented today at the 55th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN).   

Research has found that lactating mothers following a vegan diet compared to mothers with an omnivorous diet showed no difference in the human milk concentrations of vitamin B2 or carnitine, despite these nutrients being found in highest concentrations in animal products. 

Using a technique that separates a sample into its individual parts and analyses their mass, this study challenges assumptions that vegan diets may not be nutritionally complete and that breastfed infants of vegan mothers may be at an increased risk of developing vitamin B2 or carnitine deficiency.  

In the last four years, the number of vegans in Europe alone has doubled. Lead researcher, Dr Hannah Juncker explains, “The maternal diet greatly influences the nutritional composition of human milk, which is important for child development. With the rise of vegan diets worldwide, also by lactating mothers, there are concerns about the nutritional adequacy of their milk. […] therefore, it would be important to know if the milk concentrations of those nutrients are different in lactating women consuming a vegan diet.” 

Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) is an important co-factor for enzymes involved in many biological pathways. Previous studies have shown, that a significant shortage of vitamin B2 in infants can lead to anaemia and neurological problems.  

Carnitine’s primary biological role is in energy metabolism. Carnitine shortages in the infant can lead to low blood sugar, as well as the possibility to heart and brain dysfunction. Carnitine intake and subsequent plasma concentrations have also been previously found to be lower in those with vegan diets than with omnivorous diets. with previous studies even suggesting that certain lactating women may need to increase their animal product consumption to avoid deficiencies during breastfeeding. This study suggests that the influence of a maternal vegan diet on these two important nutrients in milk may be less significant than previously suggested. 

While the presenting study reported lower serum free carnitine and acetyl carnitine concentrations in the mothers following a vegan diet, there was notably no difference in human milk carnitine concentrations between study groups. 

Commenting on the findings, Dr Juncker summarises, “The results of our study suggest that vitamin B2 and carnitine concentrations in human milk are not influenced by consumption of a vegan diet. These results suggest that a vegan diet in lactating mothers is not a risk for the development of a vitamin B2 or carnitine deficiency in breastfed infants. This information is useful for breastfeeding mothers and also for donor human milk banks, which collect milk for provision to premature infants who do not receive sufficient mother’s own milk.” 

How well do interventions that include a case manager help individuals experiencing homelessness?

Peer-Reviewed Publication

WILEY

A recent analysis of published studies examined a wide range of interventions that include a case manager to help individuals experiencing homelessness find stable housing. The analysis, which is published in Campbell Systematic Reviews, explored components most likely to lead to improvements in housing, health, and other outcomes.

In the analysis of 64 intervention studies and 41 implementation studies mainly from the United States and Canada, investigators found that any type of case management improves homelessness outcomes for people with additional support needs. Case management increased wellbeing, at least in the short term, but there was no evidence that interventions led to improvements in employment, mental or physical health, or substance use.

Support for up to three years led to improvements in stable housing, and in-person meetings with a case manager appeared to be more beneficial than mixed (remote/in-person) meetings.

“This review confirms the effectiveness of case management in improving access to housing. It also goes further than previous research studies by exploring the specific features or components of the approach that are most likely to lead to benefits,” said corresponding author Alison L. Weightman, PhD, of Cardiff University, in the UK.  “With this additional knowledge, it should be possible to provide better support for people experiencing homelessness who have additional support needs.”

URL upon publication: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cl2.1329

 

Additional Information
NOTE: The information contained in this release is protected by copyright. Please include journal attribution in all coverage. For more information or to obtain a PDF of any study, please contact: Sara Henning-Stout, newsroom@wiley.com.

About the Journal
Campbell Systematic Reviews is an open access journal prepared under the editorial control of the Campbell Collaboration. The journal publishes systematic reviews, evidence and gap maps, and methods research papers.

About Wiley
Wiley is one of the world’s largest publishers and a global leader in scientific research and career-connected education. Founded in 1807, Wiley enables discovery, powers education, and shapes workforces. Through its industry-leading content, digital platforms, and knowledge networks, the company delivers on its timeless mission to unlock human potential. Visit us at Wiley.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

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JOURNAL

Campbell Systematic Reviews

DOI

10.1002/cl2.1329 

ARTICLE TITLE

Case management interventions improve housing stability for people experiencing homelessness and the effects may be increased with intensive support

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

17-May-2023

Unique insights into COVID-19 impact on human experience

COVID-19: Origin, Impact and Management - Bentham Books

Book Announcement

BENTHAM SCIENCE PUBLISHERS

Bentham Science’s latest book on COVID-19, COVID-19: Origin, Impact and Management, is now published, offering a comprehensive summary of recent findings on the impact of COVID-19 on various aspects of human life. The book is edited by expert scientists, and features contributions from academicians and scholars from leading institutions in India. It provides readers from science, humanities and commerce backgrounds with a valuable and interdisciplinary perspective on the pandemic.

With a focus on findings from India, the book covers a range of topics including the effects of COVID-19 on physical and psychological well-being, loss of jobs, pay cuts, education, and unpaid caregiving. The book also blends basic and applied research in biology, medicine and social science to offer readers a comprehensive view of the effects of the outbreak.

The book's key features include updated references for advanced readers, and interdisciplinary content making it useful for researchers and working professionals in industry and academia. Its blend of basic and advanced research provides general readers with a broad and insightful perspective on COVID-19's impact on the human experience.

The first part of this book includes interesting topics such as a review on organophosphates and SARS-CoV-2 in connection with severe respiratory disease, the moderating effect of government stimulus programs, psychological distress and COVID-19, the diversified impact of COVID-19 on the development of children, and more.

COVID-19 has affected the lives of people across the globe, and this book offers a valuable resource for those seeking to understand the pandemic's impact. The book is expected to be a valuable addition to the literature on COVID-19 and its effects on human life.

To learn more about COVID-19 and its impact on various aspects of human life, please visit the site.

Changes to the diagnosis and

 treatment of COVID-19 in China

 throughout the pandemic

Peer-Reviewed Publication

WILEY

An article in Health Care Science provides an in-depth analysis of the changes made to the diagnosis and treatment protocol for COVID-19 in China over the course of the pandemic.

The authors compare and summarize each of the 10 versions of the protocol issued by the National Health Commission of China over 3 years, highlighting the evolving scientific evidence and disease situation that informed these changes.

The summary provides valuable insights into the adaptive healthcare management and response to COVID-19 in China, which can inform the global response to the pandemic.

“Clinical management of emerging diseases requires constant adaptation. This review highlights China's evidence-based approach to refining diagnosis, treatment, and care protocols over time, demonstrating how these changes have effectively combated the challenges of COVID-19,” said co–corresponding author You Wu, PhD, of Tsinghua University.

URL upon publication: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hcs2.45

 

Additional Information
NOTE: The information contained in this release is protected by copyright. Please include journal attribution in all coverage. For more information or to obtain a PDF of any study, please contact: Sara Henning-Stout, newsroom@wiley.com.

About the Journal
Health Care Science is a high-quality, peer-reviewed, open access journal, which aims to provide a platform for the researchers, scholars, administrators, and innovators to share their research in the quality, evaluation, and technology of healthcare service delivery, healthcare management, and healthcare policy on a scientific basis.

About Wiley
Wiley is one of the world’s largest publishers and a global leader in scientific research and career-connected education. Founded in 1807, Wiley enables discovery, powers education, and shapes workforces. Through its industry-leading content, digital platforms, and knowledge networks, the company delivers on its timeless mission to unlock human potential. Visit us at Wiley.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

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JOURNAL

Health Care Science

DOI

10.1002/hcs2.45 

ARTICLE TITLE

Evolution and Major Changes of the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for COVID-19 Patients in China 2020 - 2023

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

17-May-2023

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M

Psychopathic traits behind the rise and fall of Madoff

New research warns firms to be wary of the risks from high-flying ‘corporate psychopaths’

Peer-Reviewed Publication

ANGLIA RUSKIN UNIVERSITY

A new academic study examining the actions of Bernie Madoff, the New York banker behind the world’s biggest Ponzi fraud, suggests companies do more to root out “corporate psychopaths” within their organisations to prevent financial ruin.

The study, published in the International Journal of Market Research, looked at Madoff’s behaviour throughout his life including during his business dealings, his trial, and his time in prison.

It warns that while people with some psychopathic personality traits tend to get ahead in corporate finance, their recklessness and greed can bring down organisations and even entire economies.

Author of the research Dr Clive R. Boddy, Associate Professor at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), is a pioneer in the field of corporate psychopathy. Around 0.6%-1.2% of the adult population are defined as psychopaths, meaning they possess no conscience, shame, guilt or ability to experience love for or feel empathy towards other people. The term corporate psychopath refers to well-performing psychopaths who work in corporate settings.

Madoff’s Ponzi fraud centred around the asset management branch of his financial firm and it defrauded thousands of investors across the world. The fraud was uncovered in December 2008 and was thought to be worth around $64billion. He was jailed for 150 years in 2009 and died in 2021 in a prison for inmates with health needs.

Madoff’s actions were examined against two established scales of psychopathy. These include personality traits such as superficial charm and apparent intelligence; lack of sincerity or truthfulness; a tendency to cheat; a lack of remorse; being emotionally shallow; a lack of self insight; calmness; and apparent rationality.

The research suggests Madoff embodied all of these behavioural traits in addition to many others. He was renowned for his bullying towards his detractors, while carefully crafting an image of rationality and competence to those whose opinion was important to him and his business. His ego reportedly remained intact even when in prison, where he showed no remorse for the victims of his crimes.

Dr Boddy said: “Highly psychopathic senior businesspeople who were quite plausibly genuine psychopaths are visible in commercial history.

“This new study aims to understand whether some corporate scandals and bankruptcies feature senior corporate officials who might be workplace psychopaths, and this has demonstrably been the case.

“People have often wondered whether Bernie Madoff was in fact a corporate psychopath, and he certainly scored highly on the two measures of psychopathy utilised within this study.

“The findings suggest that Madoff’s fraud was an outcome of his personality and that similar personalities such as Robert Maxwell and Ken Lay, have behaved in similar ways.

“There are likely to be plenty of people in the world of corporate finance with similar psychopathic traits to Bernie Madoff. The job for financial corporations and firms, if they want to give themselves the best chance of avoiding crisis, would appear to be identifying them before they ascend to power.”

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JOURNAL

International Journal of Market Research

DOI

10.1177/14707853231173260 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Insights into the bernie madoff financial market scandal which identify new opportunities for business market researchers

A comprehensive European history of violence in the 20th century

The Volkswagen Foundation provides funding for an ambitious endeavour of Pavel Kolář, professor of Eastern European history at the University of Konstanz

Business Announcement

UNIVERSITY OF KONSTANZ

"Even though the Iron Curtain fell decades ago, today's historiography often still includes a Cold War inspired East-West perspective, especially when it comes to the topic of violence. Western Europe is often presented as the norm when compared with Eastern European developments that are viewed as 'different' and 'less civilized'," observes Pavel Kolář, professor of Eastern European history at the University of Konstanz. In his new strategic concept "Violence in East and West – Towards an Integrated History of the 20th Century Europe", Pavel Kolář, aims to overcome this approach while bringing together research, teaching and international collaboration. In the context of the Momentum Initiative, the Volkswagen Foundation is funding the project with almost 800,000 euros for an initial period of four years.

With this funding, Kolář aims to correct various tendencies in the European historiography of violence. "Until now, the prevailing interpretation has been that violence in Europe has been gradually disappearing since World War II. However, I propose that violence has not continually decreased, but that its forms of manifestation have changed and become less visible. State violence has been systematically obscured or hidden and increasingly directed against marginalized social groups," Kolář explains. He sees many examples of this in Western Europe, too, including police violence, violence at countries' borders, or violence in care institutions – against children or disabled people. For a long time, these forms of violence were not publicly criticized, which helped them remain concealed. "In order to establish and maintain stability, all political systems in the last century used force in various ways – dictatorships and democracies alike," says the historian.

Pavel Kolář's work not only focuses on politically motivated large-scale violence, but also on everyday phenomena in society. He will engage in intensive exchange with other researchers studying violence in different regions of Europe in order to develop a truly comprehensive perspective on European violence. A planned fellowship programme at the University of Konstanz is one of several measures intended to facilitate this goal.

 

About the Momentum Initiative

The Volkswagen Foundation's Momentum Initiative supports recently tenured professors with strategically developing their position and pursuing new ideas. After successful evaluation of the initial funding phase, projects can receive funding for a further two years. More information is available on the Momentum website: www.volkswagenstiftung.de/momentum

 

Key facts:

• In the context of the Momentum Initiative, the Volkswagen Foundation provides funding for the strategic endeavour "Violence in East and West – Towards an Integrated History of the 20th Century Europe" led by Pavel Kolář, Professor of Eastern European history at the University of Konstanz.
• The aim is to write and teach a comprehensive European history of violence in the 20th century that critically examines both Eastern and Western Europe equally.
• Funding amount: up to 794,300 euros
• Funding period: four years (option of a two-year extension)
• This round, a total of 13 applications were selected for funding.

The predicted average annual net carbon sink of Gracilaria cultivation in China from 2021 to 2030 may double that of the last ten years

Peer-Reviewed Publication

SCIENCE CHINA PRESS

 

IMAGE: RDOC, RECALCITRANT DISSOLVED ORGANIC CARBON; POC, PARTICULATE ORGANIC CARBON; DOC, DISSOLVED ORGANIC CARBON view more 

CREDIT: ©SCIENCE CHINA PRESS

A marine research team led by Professor YAN Qingyun has proposed a method to assess the net carbon sink of marine macroalgae (Gracilaria) cultivation. Then, they calculated the net carbon sink of Gracilaria cultivation in China based on the yield of annual cultivated Gracilaria in the last ten years. Also, the net carbon sink trend of Gracilaria cultivation in the next ten years was predicted by the autoregressive integrated moving average model (ARIMA). Finally, they explored the potential carbon sink increase and methane reduction related to Gracilaria cultivation in China through a scenario analysis.

Their results suggested that the net carbon sink of Gracilaria cultivation in China was about 32.1-92.4 kilotons per year from 2011 to 2020, and showed a great annual growth trend. Specifically, the predicted average annual net carbon sink of Gracilaria cultivation from 2021 to 2030 would double that of the last ten years (i.e., increase to 77.8-191.4 kilotons per year). Thus, the Gracilaria cultivation could contribute considerably in the achievement of China’s carbon peak goal. Moreover, under a scenario of producing ruminant green feed with additional Gracilaria cultivation, each ton of macroalgae was predicted to reduce carbon emission (i.e., methane) by 0.33-0.68 tons.

In summary, marine macroalgae cultivation might form a synergistic chain of “carbon sink increase-water purification-economy-methane reduction.” A synergistic new model that operates through marine macroalgae cultivation, economic aquaculture, and green feed production was proposed in this study.

The predicted average annual net carbon sink of Gracilaria cultivation from 2021 to 2030 tend to increase continuously, might have the potential to double that of last ten years and reach 191.4 kilotons in 2030.

CREDIT

©Science China Press

See the article:

Xu Y, Liu H, Yang Y, Shen H, Zhang R, Wang C, Huang Z, He J, He Z, Yan Q. 2023. Assessment of carbon sink potential and methane reduction scenarios of marine macroalgae (Gracilaria) cultivation. Science China Earth Sciences, 66(5): 1047–1061, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-022-1053-3

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JOURNAL

Science China Earth Sciences

DOI

10.1007/s11430-022-1053-3