Individuals' (re-)action in the face of global warming

Climate change remains a major challenge for today’s and future societies due to its immense impacts on human lives and the natural environment. This thesis investigates the extent to which individuals are willing and prepared to voluntarily contribute to climate protection and to adjust to new climatic conditions in order to cope with the consequences of climate change and reduce the severity of potential negative impacts. The thesis thereby combines research in the fields of the private provision of environmental public goods and adaptation to climate change, which is still widely unconnected in the existing literature. The six contributions of this thesis mainly focus on microeconometric analyses using data from international surveys in China, Germany, and the USA. The main findings are: (i) A substantial share of individuals is willing to voluntarily contribute to climate protection and to adapt to climatic change. The engagement in both strategies is positively interrelated at the individual level and the analyses reveal hardly any evidence that adaptation activities crowd out individuals’ incentives to engage in climate protection. (ii) The main determinants of individuals’ adaptation activities seem to be the subjective risk perception as well as socio-economic and socio-demographic characteristics like age, gender, education, and income, while their climate protection efforts are found to be broadly motivated by financial advantages from these activities and additional immaterial benefits. (iii) The empirical findings also suggest a significantly positive relationship between certain climate protection activities. Substitutions are found to occur merely if one measure is perceived to be more effective in providing climate protection or if individuals have high environmental preferences. (iv) This thesis further reveals a common understanding of a (normatively) fair burden-sharing in international climate policy across citizens in China, Germany, and the USA. The highest preferences are found for the accountability principle.

Influence of farmers educational level on comprehending, acting-upon and sharing of agro advisories

Although short messaging service (SMS) through mobile phones has quickly gained popularity among most other sectors in India, its potential is not fully realised in the agriculture sector as a cost effective service to reach farmers and elicit desirable action. Despite the cost effectiveness, mobile messaging has remained a challenge in the farming sector in terms of its end use and action as far as extension systems are concerned. While there could be many influencing factors affecting the utility of mobile messages, this study assumed that educational level of farmers could be a major factor. A telephone survey was conducted to ascertain the influence of farmers’ education on the level of utilisation of mobile-based advisories. Farmers with higher education level showed better comprehension of advisories, actedupon the advisories more promptly and shared the information with fellow farmers more often than those with lower education level. There was a significant association between comprehending, sharing and acting upon advisories. This has implications to achieve enhanced extension reach with higher efficiency in terms of cost and time.

Citizen safety at local level: fieldwork notes on performance and perception of the ‘Quadrant Plan’ in Cali (Colombia)

This article summarizes field notes related to the study of the actions performed by the Metropolitan Police of Santiago de Cali in the context of its ‘Plan Cuadrante’ (a micro-local security action plan) and the citizen’s perception towards it. Taking an ethnographic approach, it places special emphasis on the actions that imply identifying the main criminal and violent actors and activities. The study focuses on four local districts of the city: El Cortijo, Mariano Ramos, Terrón Colorado y Villa del Lago.

Los ochenta en Espa??a : la movida madrile??a : unidades de secundaria y A-level

Unidades did??cticas sobre aspectos ling????sticos y culturales para estudiantes de espa??ol de ense??anza secundaria en los sistemas educativos brit??nicos e irland??s, elaboradas por grupos de trabajo de auxiliares de conversaci??n de espa??ol.

Los movimientos migratorios en la Europa de los 28 : unidades de secundaria y A-level

Unidades did??cticas sobre aspectos ling????sticos y culturales para estudiantes de espa??ol de ense??anza secundaria en los sistemas educativos brit??nicos e irland??s, elaboradas por grupos de trabajo de auxiliares de conversaci??n de espa??ol.

??Jugamos? Juegos tradicionales del mundo hispano : unidades de secundaria y A-level

Unidades did??cticas sobre aspectos ling????sticos y culturales para estudiantes de espa??ol de ense??anza secundaria en los sistemas educativos brit??nicos e irland??s, elaboradas por grupos de trabajo de auxiliares de conversaci??n de espa??ol.

Los Juegos Ol??mpicos como recurso para la clase de ELE : unidades de secundaria y A-level

Unidades did??cticas sobre aspectos ling????sticos y culturales para estudiantes de espa??ol de ense??anza secundaria en los sistemas educativos brit??nicos e irland??s, elaboradas por grupos de trabajo de auxiliares de conversaci??n de espa??ol.

??Te lo cuento por el camino! : rutas culturales espa??olas : unidades de secundaria y A-level

Unidades did??cticas sobre aspectos ling????sticos y culturales para estudiantes de espa??ol de ense??anza secundaria en los sistemas educativos brit??nicos e irland??s, elaboradas por grupos de trabajo de auxiliares de conversaci??n de espa??ol.

El encanto de M??xico : pueblos m??gicos : unidades de secundaria y A-level

Unidades did??cticas sobre aspectos ling????sticos y culturales para estudiantes de espa??ol de ense??anza secundaria en los sistemas educativos brit??nicos e irland??s, elaboradas por grupos de trabajo de auxiliares de conversaci??n de espa??ol.

MEASUREMENT AND MODELING OF THE TOXICITY OF BINARY MIXTURES IN THE NEMATODE CAENORHABDITIS ELEGANS-A TEST OF INDEPENDENT ACTION

Ecological risk assessments must increasingly consider the effects of chemical mixtures on the environment as anthropogenic pollution continues to grow in complexity. Yet testing every possible mixture combination is impractical and unfeasible; thus, there is an urgent need for models that can accurately predict mixture toxicity from single-compound data. Currently, two models are frequently used to predict mixture toxicity from single-compound data: Concentration addition and independent action (IA). The accuracy of the predictions generated by these models is currently debated and needs to be resolved before their use in risk assessments can be fully justified. The present study addresses this issue by determining whether the IA model adequately described the toxicity of binary mixtures of five pesticides and other environmental contaminants (cadmium, chlorpyrifos, diuron, nickel, and prochloraz) each with dissimilar modes of action on the reproduction of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. In three out of 10 cases, the IA model failed to describe mixture toxicity adequately with significant or antagonism being observed. In a further three cases, there was an indication of synergy, antagonism, and effect-level-dependent deviations, respectively, but these were not statistically significant. The extent of the significant deviations that were found varied, but all were such that the predicted percentage effect seen on reproductive output would have been wrong by 18 to 35% (i.e., the effect concentration expected to cause a 50% effect led to an 85% effect). The presence of such a high number and variety of deviations has important implications for the use of existing mixture toxicity models for risk assessments, especially where all or part of the deviation is synergistic.

Observed trends and teleconnections of the Siberian high: A recently declining center of action

This study investigates variability in the intensity of the wintertime Siberian high (SH) by defining a robust SH index (SHI) and correlating it with selected meteorological fields and teleconnection indices. A dramatic trend of -2.5 hPa decade(-1) has been found in the SHI between 1978 and 2001 with unprecedented (since 1871) low values of the SHI. The weakening of the SH has been confirmed by analyzing different historical gridded analyses and individual station observations of sea level pressure (SLP) and excluding possible effects from the conversion of surface pressure to SLP. SHI correlation maps with various meteorological fields show that SH impacts on circulation and temperature patterns extend far outside the SH source area extending from the Arctic to the tropical Pacific. Advection of warm air from eastern Europe has been identified as the main mechanism causing milder than normal conditions over the Kara and Laptev Seas in association with a strong SH. Despite the strong impacts of the variability in the SH on climatic variability across the Northern Hemisphere, correlations between the SHI and the main teleconnection indices of the Northern Hemisphere are weak. Regression analysis has shown that teleconnection indices are not able to reproduce the interannual variability and trends in the SH. The inclusion of regional surface temperature in the regression model provides closer agreement between the original and reconstructed SHI.

CAFS in action

For those few readers who do not know, CAFS is a system developed by ICL to search through data at speeds of several million characters per second. Its full name is Content Addressable File Store Information Search Processor, CAFS-ISP or CAFS for short. It is an intelligent hardware-based searching engine, currently available with both ICL's 2966 family of computers and the recently announced Series 39, operating within the VME environment. It uses content addressing techniques to perform fast searches of data or text stored on discs: almost all fields are equally accessible as search keys. Software in the mainframe generates a search task; the CAFS hardware performs the search, and returns the hit records to the mainframe. Because special hardware is used, the searching process is very much more efficient than searching performed by any software method. Various software interfaces are available which allow CAFS to be used in many different situations. CAFS can be used with existing systems without significant change. It can be used to make online enquiries of mainframe files or databases or directly from user written high level language programs. These interfaces are outlined in the body of the report.

Reactions of artemisinin and arteether with acid: Implications for stability and mode of antimalarial action

The currently accepted mechanism of trioxane antimalarial action involves generation of free radicals within or near susceptible sites probably arising from the production of distonic radical anions. An alternative mechanistic proposal involving the ionic scission of the peroxide group and consequent generation of a carbocation at C-4 has been suggested to account for antimalarial activity. We have investigated this latter mechanism using DFT (B3LYP/6-31+G* level) and established the preferred Lewis acid protonation sites (artemisinin O5a >> O4a approximate to O3a > O2a > O1a; arteether O4a >= O3a > O5b >> O2a > O1a; Figure 3) and the consequent decomposition pathways and hydrolysis sites. In neither molecule is protonation likely to occur on the peroxide bond O1-O2 and therefore lead to scission. Therefore, the alternative radical pathway remains the likeliest explanation for antimalarial action.

Identification of hepatic molecular mechanisms of action of alpha-tocopherol using global gene expression profile analysis in rats

The recent discovery that vitamin E (VE) regulates gene activity at the transcriptional level indicates that VE may exert part of its biological effects by mechanisms which may be independent of its well-recognised antioxidant function. The objective of this study was the identification of hepatic vitamin E-sensitive genes and examination of the effects of VE on their corresponding biological endpoints. Two groups of male rats were randomly assigned to either a VE-sufficient diet or to a control diet deficient in VE for 290 days. High-density oligonucleotide microarrays comprising over 7000 genes were used to assess the transcriptional response of the liver. Differential gene expression was monitored over a period of 9 months, at four different time-points, and rats were individually profiled. This experimental strategy identified several VE-sensitive genes, which were chronically altered by dietary VE. VE supplementation down-regulated scavenger receptor CD36, coagulation factor IX and 5-alpha-steroid reductase type 1 mRNA levels while hepatic gamma glutamyl-cysteinyl synthetase was significantly up-regulated. Measurement of the corresponding biological endpoints such as activated partial thromboplastin time, plasma dihydrotestosterone and hepatic glutathione substantiated the gene chip data which indicated that dietary VE plays an important role in a range of metabolic processes within the liver. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Antipsychotic drug action: antagonism, inverse agonism or partial agonism

The positive, psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia can be treated by antipsychotic drugs and it has been assumed that these are antagonists at the D-2 and D-3 dopamine receptors in the brain. Recently, the D-2/D-3 partial agonist aripiprazole has been introduced as an antipsychotic drug. It has also been realized that, using in vitro assays, the other antipsychotic drugs are in fact inverse agonists at D-2/D-3 dopamine receptors. This raises questions about how these disparate drugs can achieve a similar clinical outcome. In this review, I shall consider the efficacies of these drugs in signalling assays and how these efficacies might affect treatment outcomes. It seems that the treatment outcome might depend on the overall level of cell stimulation, which is in turn dependent on the level of residual dopamine and the efficacy of the drug in signalling assays.