No abstract

Hemispatial neglect following right-hemisphere stroke is a common and disabling disorder, for which there is currently no effective pharmacological treatment. Dopamine agonists have been shown to play a role in selective attention and working memory, two core cognitive components of neglect. Here, we investigated whether the dopamine agonist rotigotine would have a beneficial effect on hemispatial neglect in stroke patients. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled ABA design was used, in which each patient was assessed for 20 testing sessions, in three phases: pretreatment (Phase A1), on transdermal rotigotine for 7–11 days (Phase B) and post-treatment (Phase A2), with the exact duration of each phase randomized within limits. Outcome measures included performance on cancellation (visual search), line bisection, visual working memory, selective attention and sustained attention tasks, as well as measures of motor control. Sixteen right-hemisphere stroke patients were recruited, all of whom completed the trial. Performance on the Mesulam shape cancellation task improved significantly while on rotigotine, with the number of targets found on the left side increasing by 12.8% ( P = 0.012) on treatment and spatial bias reducing by 8.1% ( P = 0.016). This improvement in visual search was associated with an enhancement in selective attention but not on our measures of working memory or sustained attention. The positive effect of rotigotine on visual search was not associated with the degree of preservation of prefrontal cortex and occurred even in patients with significant prefrontal involvement. Rotigotine was not associated with any significant improvement in motor performance. This proof-of-concept study suggests a beneficial role of dopaminergic modulation on visual search and selective attention in patients with hemispatial neglect following stroke.

Terms like blue growth (as well as the blue economy) have become the new buzzword inscribing a new era where the seas are recognized as potential drivers for the European economy. It is nevertheless, through this same logic of limitless economic growth, marine resources have been unsustainably exploited despite numerous institutional attempts to tackle overfishing. The aim of this paper is to point at the contradictions inherent in the objectives of the blue economy, and question the belief that ecological, social and economic targets can be achieved under (blue) growth-centred policies. An analysis of the (failing) policies for a 'sustainable use of marine resources' will be conducted and exemplified through an analysis of the main tools the EU has promoted as solutions to the fisheries crisis (sustainable consumption, privatisation of fish, fishing in waters of third countries and marine aquaculture). Additionally, the sectors promoted by the EU's Blue Growth strategy (marine aquaculture, coastal tourism, marine biotechnology, ocean energy and seabed mining) will also be evaluated in order to question this new vision for the seas and the coast. Through the introduction of the concept blue degrowth, this article aims to open up a more critical discussion around the blue growth strategy by highlighting the inherent dangers which lie in such economic strategies.

1 Latouche (2015) comments on the understanding of the phrase 'decolonization of the imaginary' referencing the [philosopher Cornelius Castoriadis and his book The Imaginary Institution of the Society (1975) where a social reality is described as 'imaginary significations' meaning representations which mobilise feelings. In a social reality, therefore, in which (economic) growth has a strong imaginary signification, degrowth can only be realised once a growth-oriented imaginary is decolonized.

22A mixed-method approach was used to assess and value the ecosystem services derived from the 23 Dogger Bank, an extensive shallow sand bank in the southern North Sea. Three parallel studies were 24 undertaken that 1) identified and quantified, where possible, how indicators for ecosystem service 25 provision may change according to two future scenarios, 2) assessed members of the public's 26 willingness-to-pay for improvements to a small number of ecosystem services as a consequence of a 27 hypothetical management plan, and 3) facilitated a process of deliberation that allowed members of 28 the public to explore the uses of the Dogger Bank and the conflicts and dilemmas involved in its 29 management. Each of these studies was designed to answer different and specific research 30 questions and therefore contributes different insights about the ecosystem services delivered by the 31 Dogger Bank. This paper explores what can be gained by bringing these findings together post hoc 32 and the extent to which the different methods are complementary. Findings suggest that mixed-33 method research brings more understanding than can be gained from the individual approaches 34 alone. Nevertheless, the choice of methods used and how these methods are implemented strongly 35 affects the results obtained. 36 37 2