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"This book focuses on interdisciplinary perspectives concerning the social, environmental, and economic spheres of sustainability science, emphasizing economic models, as well as mitigation policies and practices from various regions of the world"--

Vulnerability assessments performed for long term environmental changes in the global, sub global, national or local level regularly employ up-scaling and down-scaling of information. Such techniques do not always account for the interplay of the factors across the levels in different scales. As a result, the current studies may give an incomplete understanding of the dynamics of a complex adaptive system (CAS) that is responsible for shaping its vulnerability to a risk. This working paper is an attempt to understand the concepts of dynamic complexity in a CAS and reasons for complementarity and contrast when observed through different scales of analysis. Through a literature survey we arrive at a point that there is no single solution in scientific studies or management approaches for understanding and solving systemic problems in a CAS like socio-ecological system (SES). This leads us to look towards approaches that facilitate learning from different understandings of the same problem and negotiation among groups with different viewpoints. Finally, a case of an agro-ecosystem in the Brahmaputra basin in India is cited to illustrate such complexity and problems for decision making for adaptation. We pose three research questions- • How can we have an integrated model of the causal mechanisms that lead to an irreversible change in a multilevel SES? • How do we form an appropriate and acceptable strategy for adaptation when the state of a system changes? • What is the appropriate form of governance which can maintain the ecological resilience for adaptation during periods of environmental change?

With the enactment of Electricity Act 2003, competition in the Indian power sector received a new nomenclature and is considered instrumental in driving the sector in a sustainable trajectory. An exploratory analysis of the development of the electricity market is carried out to understand the finer nuances of emerging competitive paradigm of the sector, its critical aspects, evolving trends and patterns and future outlooks. The analysis reveals that competition, as it has evolved over last decade or so, manifests a growing trend of an efficient, liquid and complete market phenomenon. The article also identifies key anomalies and distortions inhibiting the seamless growth of competition in the Indian power sector. More action is required in certain directions, such as enhancing liquidity of the market, addressing transmission congestion problems and dealing with open access constraints, controlling market power, giving teeth to the electricity regulatory commissions and importantly, addressing political economy concerns. It concludes that in order to carry forward the momentum, a cautious approach needs to be adopted and necessary ancillary measures are to be undertaken.

AbstractResting-state fMRI based on analyzing BOLD signals is widely used to derive functional networks in the brain and how they alter during disease or injury conditions. Resting-state networks can also be used to study brain functional connectomes across species, which provides insights into brain evolution. The squirrel monkey (SM) is a non-human primate (NHP) that is widely used as a preclinical model for experimental manipulations to understand the organization and functioning of the brain. We derived resting-state networks from the whole brain of anesthetized SMs using Independent Component Analysis of BOLD acquisitions. We detected 15 anatomically constrained resting-state networks localized in the cortical and subcortical regions as well as in the white-matter. Networks encompassing visual, somatosensory, executive control, sensorimotor, salience and default mode regions, and subcortical networks including the Hippocampus-Amygdala, thalamus, basal-ganglia and brainstem region correspond well with previously detected networks in humans and NHPs. The connectivity pattern between the networks also agrees well with previously reported seed-based resting-state connectivity of SM brain. This study demonstrates that SMs share remarkable homologous network organization with humans and other NHPs, thereby providing strong support for their suitability as a translational animal model for research and additional insight into brain evolution across species.

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to show how typologies for environmentally induced population movement need to be understood in a contextualised manner in order to be useful.Design/methodology/approach– This study interrogates some academic discourses concerning environmentally induced population movement. By analysing key environmental factors said to contribute to population movement, in addition to considering time factors, this study uses the case of Tuvalu to demonstrate overlapping categories and the importance of contextualisation.Findings– Current typologies provide a basis for considering a wide variety of motives for environmentally induced population movement, in relation to different drivers, motivations, time scales, and space scales. Yet contextualisation is required for policy and practice relevance.Research limitations/implications– All typologies have limitations. Any typology should be taken as a possible tool to apply in a particular context, or to support decision making, rather than presenting a typology as universal or as an absolute without dispute.Practical implications– Rather than disputes over typologies and definitions, bringing together different views without reconciling them, but recognising the merits and limitations of each, can provide a basis for assisting people making migration decisions.Originality/value– None of the typologies currently available applies to all contexts of environmentally induced population movement – nor should any single typology necessarily achieve that. Instead, it is important to thrive on the differences and to contextualise a typology for use.