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Compulsory (health) service contracts have recently received considerable attention in the normative literature. The service contracts are considered and offered as a permissible and liberal alternative to emigration restrictions if individuals relinquish their right to exit via contract in exchange for the state-funded tertiary education. To that end, the recent normative literature on the service programmes has particularly focused on discussing the circumstances or conditions in which the contracts should be signed, so that they are morally binding on the part of the skilled workers. However, little attention is devoted to the relevance of the right to exit for the debate on compulsory service programmes. In this paper, I argue that even if the service contracts are voluntary, and thus the would-be medical students voluntarily relinquish their right to exit, the reasons behind the right should be taken into account for the contracts to be morally valid. A clear understanding of the right to exit is a must in order not to breach its basic components and for the service contracts to be morally binding. To that end, I provide two accounts of the reasons to value the right to exit by presenting Patti Lenard’s discussion of the right and by reconstructing James Griffin’s account of human rights. I conclude by offering brief ethical considerations for compulsory health service programmes grounded in the reasons to value the right to exit.

The global methane (CH4) budget is becoming an increasingly important component for managing realistic pathways to mitigate climate change. This relevance, due to a shorter atmospheric lifetime and a stronger warming potential than carbon dioxide, is challenged by the still unexplained changes of atmospheric CH4 over the past decade. Emissions and concentrations of CH4 are continuing to increase, making CH4 the second most important human-induced greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide. Two major difficulties in reducing uncertainties come from the large variety of diffusive CH4 sources that overlap geographically, and from the destruction of CH4 by the very short-lived hydroxyl radical (OH). To address these difficulties, we have established a consortium of multi-disciplinary scientists under the umbrella of the Global Carbon Project to synthesize and stimulate research on the methane cycle, and producing regular (similar to biennial) updates of the global methane budget. This consortium includes atmospheric physicists and chemists, biogeochemists of surface and marine emissions, and socio-economists who study anthropogenic emissions. Following Kirschke et al. (2013), we propose here the first version of a living review paper that integrates results of top-down studies (exploiting atmospheric observations within an atmospheric inverse-modelling framework) and bottom-up models, inventories and data-driven approaches (including process-based models for estimating land surface emissions and atmospheric chemistry, and inventories for anthropogenic emissions, data-driven extrapolations). For the 2003-2012 decade, global methane emissions are estimated by top-down inversions at 558 TgCH(4) yr(-1), range 540-568. About 60% of global emissions are anthropogenic (range 50-65 %). Since 2010, the bottom-up global emission inventories have been closer to methane emissions in the most carbon-intensive Representative Concentrations Pathway (RCP8.5) and higher than all other RCP scen, Funding Agencies|Swiss National Science Foundation; NASA [NNX14AF93G, NNX14AO73G]; National Environmental Science Program - Earth Systems and Climate Change Hub; European Commission [283576, 633080]; ESA Climate Change Initiative Greenhouse Gases Phase 2 project; US Department of Energy, BER [DE-AC02-05CH11231]; FAO member countries; Environment Research and Technology Development Fund of the Ministry of the Environment, Japan [2-1502]; ERC [322998]; NERC [NE/J00748X/1]; Swedish Research Council VR; Research Council of Norway [244074]; NSF [1243232, 1243220]; National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC); Chinas QianRen Program; CSIRO Australia; Australian Bureau of Meteorology; Australian Institute of Marine Science; Australian Antarctic Division; NOAA USA; Meteorological Service of Canada; National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) [NAG5-12669, NNX07AE89G, NNX11AF17G, NNX07AE87G, NNX07AF09G, NNX11AF15G, NNX11AF16G]; Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC, UK) [GA01081]; Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO Australia); Bureau of Meteorology (Australia); Joint DECC/Defra Met Office Hadley Centre Climate Programme [GA01101]

The global methane (CH4) budget is becoming an increasingly important component for managing realistic pathways to mitigate climate change. This relevance, due to a shorter atmospheric lifetime and a stronger warming potential than carbon dioxide, is challenged by the still unexplained changes of atmospheric CH4 over the past decade. Emissions and concentrations of CH4 are continuing to increase, making CH4 the second most important human-induced greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide. Two major difficulties in reducing uncertainties come from the large variety of diffusive CH4 sources that overlap geographically, and from the destruction of CH4 by the very short-lived hydroxyl radical (OH). To address these difficulties, we have established a consortium of multi-disciplinary scientists under the umbrella of the Global Carbon Project to synthesize and stimulate research on the methane cycle, and producing regular (similar to biennial) updates of the global methane budget. This consortium includes atmospheric physicists and chemists, biogeochemists of surface and marine emissions, and socio-economists who study anthropogenic emissions. Following Kirschke et al. (2013), we propose here the first version of a living review paper that integrates results of top-down studies (exploiting atmospheric observations within an atmospheric inverse-modelling framework) and bottom-up models, inventories and data-driven approaches (including process-based models for estimating land surface emissions and atmospheric chemistry, and inventories for anthropogenic emissions, data-driven extrapolations). For the 2003-2012 decade, global methane emissions are estimated by top-down inversions at 558 TgCH(4) yr(-1), range 540-568. About 60% of global emissions are anthropogenic (range 50-65 %). Since 2010, the bottom-up global emission inventories have been closer to methane emissions in the most carbon-intensive Representative Concentrations Pathway (RCP8.5) and higher than all other RCP scen, Funding Agencies|Swiss National Science Foundation; NASA [NNX14AF93G, NNX14AO73G]; National Environmental Science Program - Earth Systems and Climate Change Hub; European Commission [283576, 633080]; ESA Climate Change Initiative Greenhouse Gases Phase 2 project; US Department of Energy, BER [DE-AC02-05CH11231]; FAO member countries; Environment Research and Technology Development Fund of the Ministry of the Environment, Japan [2-1502]; ERC [322998]; NERC [NE/J00748X/1]; Swedish Research Council VR; Research Council of Norway [244074]; NSF [1243232, 1243220]; National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC); Chinas QianRen Program; CSIRO Australia; Australian Bureau of Meteorology; Australian Institute of Marine Science; Australian Antarctic Division; NOAA USA; Meteorological Service of Canada; National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) [NAG5-12669, NNX07AE89G, NNX11AF17G, NNX07AE87G, NNX07AF09G, NNX11AF15G, NNX11AF16G]; Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC, UK) [GA01081]; Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO Australia); Bureau of Meteorology (Australia); Joint DECC/Defra Met Office Hadley Centre Climate Programme [GA01101]

The global methane (CH4) budget is becoming an increasingly important component for managing realistic pathways to mitigate climate change. This relevance, due to a shorter atmospheric lifetime and a stronger warming potential than carbon dioxide, is challenged by the still unexplained changes of atmospheric CH4 over the past decade. Emissions and concentrations of CH4 are continuing to increase, making CH4 the second most important human-induced greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide. Two major difficulties in reducing uncertainties come from the large variety of diffusive CH4 sources that overlap geographically, and from the destruction of CH4 by the very short-lived hydroxyl radical (OH). To address these difficulties, we have established a consortium of multi-disciplinary scientists under the umbrella of the Global Carbon Project to synthesize and stimulate research on the methane cycle, and producing regular (similar to biennial) updates of the global methane budget. This consortium includes atmospheric physicists and chemists, biogeochemists of surface and marine emissions, and socio-economists who study anthropogenic emissions. Following Kirschke et al. (2013), we propose here the first version of a living review paper that integrates results of top-down studies (exploiting atmospheric observations within an atmospheric inverse-modelling framework) and bottom-up models, inventories and data-driven approaches (including process-based models for estimating land surface emissions and atmospheric chemistry, and inventories for anthropogenic emissions, data-driven extrapolations). For the 2003-2012 decade, global methane emissions are estimated by top-down inversions at 558 TgCH(4) yr(-1), range 540-568. About 60% of global emissions are anthropogenic (range 50-65 %). Since 2010, the bottom-up global emission inventories have been closer to methane emissions in the most carbon-intensive Representative Concentrations Pathway (RCP8.5) and higher than all other RCP scen, Funding Agencies|Swiss National Science Foundation; NASA [NNX14AF93G, NNX14AO73G]; National Environmental Science Program - Earth Systems and Climate Change Hub; European Commission [283576, 633080]; ESA Climate Change Initiative Greenhouse Gases Phase 2 project; US Department of Energy, BER [DE-AC02-05CH11231]; FAO member countries; Environment Research and Technology Development Fund of the Ministry of the Environment, Japan [2-1502]; ERC [322998]; NERC [NE/J00748X/1]; Swedish Research Council VR; Research Council of Norway [244074]; NSF [1243232, 1243220]; National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC); Chinas QianRen Program; CSIRO Australia; Australian Bureau of Meteorology; Australian Institute of Marine Science; Australian Antarctic Division; NOAA USA; Meteorological Service of Canada; National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) [NAG5-12669, NNX07AE89G, NNX11AF17G, NNX07AE87G, NNX07AF09G, NNX11AF15G, NNX11AF16G]; Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC, UK) [GA01081]; Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO Australia); Bureau of Meteorology (Australia); Joint DECC/Defra Met Office Hadley Centre Climate Programme [GA01101]

The global methane (CH4) budget is becoming an increasingly important component for managing realistic pathways to mitigate climate change. This relevance, due to a shorter atmospheric lifetime and a stronger warming potential than carbon dioxide, is challenged by the still unexplained changes of atmospheric CH4 over the past decade. Emissions and concentrations of CH4 are continuing to increase, making CH4 the second most important human-induced greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide. Two major difficulties in reducing uncertainties come from the large variety of diffusive CH4 sources that overlap geographically, and from the destruction of CH4 by the very short-lived hydroxyl radical (OH). To address these difficulties, we have established a consortium of multi-disciplinary scientists under the umbrella of the Global Carbon Project to synthesize and stimulate research on the methane cycle, and producing regular (similar to biennial) updates of the global methane budget. This consortium includes atmospheric physicists and chemists, biogeochemists of surface and marine emissions, and socio-economists who study anthropogenic emissions. Following Kirschke et al. (2013), we propose here the first version of a living review paper that integrates results of top-down studies (exploiting atmospheric observations within an atmospheric inverse-modelling framework) and bottom-up models, inventories and data-driven approaches (including process-based models for estimating land surface emissions and atmospheric chemistry, and inventories for anthropogenic emissions, data-driven extrapolations). For the 2003-2012 decade, global methane emissions are estimated by top-down inversions at 558 TgCH(4) yr(-1), range 540-568. About 60% of global emissions are anthropogenic (range 50-65 %). Since 2010, the bottom-up global emission inventories have been closer to methane emissions in the most carbon-intensive Representative Concentrations Pathway (RCP8.5) and higher than all other RCP scen, Funding Agencies|Swiss National Science Foundation; NASA [NNX14AF93G, NNX14AO73G]; National Environmental Science Program - Earth Systems and Climate Change Hub; European Commission [283576, 633080]; ESA Climate Change Initiative Greenhouse Gases Phase 2 project; US Department of Energy, BER [DE-AC02-05CH11231]; FAO member countries; Environment Research and Technology Development Fund of the Ministry of the Environment, Japan [2-1502]; ERC [322998]; NERC [NE/J00748X/1]; Swedish Research Council VR; Research Council of Norway [244074]; NSF [1243232, 1243220]; National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC); Chinas QianRen Program; CSIRO Australia; Australian Bureau of Meteorology; Australian Institute of Marine Science; Australian Antarctic Division; NOAA USA; Meteorological Service of Canada; National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) [NAG5-12669, NNX07AE89G, NNX11AF17G, NNX07AE87G, NNX07AF09G, NNX11AF15G, NNX11AF16G]; Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC, UK) [GA01081]; Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO Australia); Bureau of Meteorology (Australia); Joint DECC/Defra Met Office Hadley Centre Climate Programme [GA01101]

The global methane (CH4) budget is becoming an increasingly important component for managing realistic pathways to mitigate climate change. This relevance, due to a shorter atmospheric lifetime and a stronger warming potential than carbon dioxide, is challenged by the still unexplained changes of atmospheric CH4 over the past decade. Emissions and concentrations of CH4 are continuing to increase, making CH4 the second most important human-induced greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide. Two major difficulties in reducing uncertainties come from the large variety of diffusive CH4 sources that overlap geographically, and from the destruction of CH4 by the very short-lived hydroxyl radical (OH). To address these difficulties, we have established a consortium of multi-disciplinary scientists under the umbrella of the Global Carbon Project to synthesize and stimulate research on the methane cycle, and producing regular (similar to biennial) updates of the global methane budget. This consortium includes atmospheric physicists and chemists, biogeochemists of surface and marine emissions, and socio-economists who study anthropogenic emissions. Following Kirschke et al. (2013), we propose here the first version of a living review paper that integrates results of top-down studies (exploiting atmospheric observations within an atmospheric inverse-modelling framework) and bottom-up models, inventories and data-driven approaches (including process-based models for estimating land surface emissions and atmospheric chemistry, and inventories for anthropogenic emissions, data-driven extrapolations). For the 2003-2012 decade, global methane emissions are estimated by top-down inversions at 558 TgCH(4) yr(-1), range 540-568. About 60% of global emissions are anthropogenic (range 50-65 %). Since 2010, the bottom-up global emission inventories have been closer to methane emissions in the most carbon-intensive Representative Concentrations Pathway (RCP8.5) and higher than all other RCP scen, Funding Agencies|Swiss National Science Foundation; NASA [NNX14AF93G, NNX14AO73G]; National Environmental Science Program - Earth Systems and Climate Change Hub; European Commission [283576, 633080]; ESA Climate Change Initiative Greenhouse Gases Phase 2 project; US Department of Energy, BER [DE-AC02-05CH11231]; FAO member countries; Environment Research and Technology Development Fund of the Ministry of the Environment, Japan [2-1502]; ERC [322998]; NERC [NE/J00748X/1]; Swedish Research Council VR; Research Council of Norway [244074]; NSF [1243232, 1243220]; National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC); Chinas QianRen Program; CSIRO Australia; Australian Bureau of Meteorology; Australian Institute of Marine Science; Australian Antarctic Division; NOAA USA; Meteorological Service of Canada; National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) [NAG5-12669, NNX07AE89G, NNX11AF17G, NNX07AE87G, NNX07AF09G, NNX11AF15G, NNX11AF16G]; Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC, UK) [GA01081]; Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO Australia); Bureau of Meteorology (Australia); Joint DECC/Defra Met Office Hadley Centre Climate Programme [GA01101]

Background. It is well known that web-based interventions can be effective treatments for depression. However, dropout rates in web-based interventions are typically high, especially in self-guided web-based interventions. Rigorous empirical evidence regarding factors influencing dropout in self-guided web-based interventions is lacking due to small study sample sizes. In this paper we examined predictors of dropout in an individual patient data meta-analysis to gain a better understanding of who may benefit from these interventions. Method. A comprehensive literature search for all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of psychotherapy for adults with depression from 2006 to January 2013 was conducted. Next, we approached authors to collect the primary data of the selected studies. Predictors of dropout, such as socio-demographic, clinical, and intervention characteristics were examined. Results. Data from 2705 participants across ten RCTs of self-guided web-based interventions for depression were analysed. The multivariate analysis indicated that male gender [relative risk (RR) 1.08], lower educational level (primary education, RR 1.26) and co-morbid anxiety symptoms (RR 1.18) significantly increased the risk of dropping out, while for every additional 4 years of age, the risk of dropping out significantly decreased (RR 0.94). Conclusions. Dropout can be predicted by several variables and is not randomly distributed. This knowledge may inform tailoring of online self-help interventions to prevent dropout in identified groups at risk.