Using SCUBA to place upper limits on arcsecond scale CMB anisotropies at 850 microns

The SCUBA instrument on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope has already had an impact on cosmology by detecting relatively large numbers of dusty galaxies at high redshift. Apart from identifying well-detected sources, such data can also be mined for information about fainter sources and their correlations, as revealed through low level fluctuations in SCUBA maps. As a first step in this direction we analyse a small SCUBA data-set as if it were obtained from a Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) differencing experiment. This enables us to place limits on CMB anisotropy at 850 microns. Expressed as Q_{flat}, the quadrupole expectation value for a flat power spectrum, the limit is 152 microKelvin at 95 per cent confidence, corresponding to C_0^{1/2} < 355 microKelvin for a Gaussian autocorrelation function, with a coherence angle of about 20--25 arcsec; These results could easily be reinterpretted in terms of any other fluctuating sky signal. This is currently the best limit for these scales at high frequency, and comparable to limits at similar angular scales in the radio. Even with such a modest data-set, it is possible to put a constraint on the slope of the SCUBA counts at the faint end, since even randomly distributed sources would lead to fluctuations. Future analysis of sky correlations in more extensive data-sets ought to yield detections, and hence additional information on source counts and clustering.Comment: 12 pages, 9 postscript figures, uses mn.st

An upper limit to [C II] emission in a z ~= 5 galaxy

Low-ionization-state far-infrared (FIR) emission lines may be useful diagnostics of star-formation activity in young galaxies, and at high redshift may be detectable from the ground. In practice, however, very little is known concerning how strong such line emission might be in the early Universe. We attempted to detect the 158 micron [C II] line from a lensed galaxy at z = 4.926 using the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory. This source is an ordinary galaxy, in the sense that it shows high but not extreme star formation, but lensing makes it visible. Our analysis includes a careful consideration of the calibrations and weighting of the individual scans. We find only modest improvement over the simpler reduction methods, however, and the final spectrum remains dominated by systematic baseline ripple effects. We obtain a 95 per cent confidence upper limit of 33 mJy for a 200 km/s full width at half maximum line, corresponding to an unlensed luminosity of 1x10^9 L_sun for a standard cosmology. Combining this with a marginal detection of the continuum emission using the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, we derive an upper limit of 0.4 per cent for the ratio of L_CII/L_FIR in this object.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Trends and Variability in Localized Precipitation Around Kibale National Park, Uganda, Africa

Our objective was to understand and describe local spatial and temporal variability in precipitation around Kibale National Park, a tropical forest area of high conservation value. Continental or regional-scale trends are often relied upon to make policy and management decisions, but these analyses are often at too coarse a resolution to capture important variability at a finer scale where management actions operate. Monthly rainfall data derived from ten long-term station records (1941-1975) were used to evaluate local spatiotemporal variability in seasonal and annual rainfall for the area surrounding Kibale National Park. The magnitude, direction and significance of trends in seasonal and annual rainfall within the area surrounding the park were identified using the Mann-Kendall trend test and Sen’s slope estimator. The standardized precipitation index was calculated at 3- and 12-month periods to identify areas of relative wetness or dryness. Analysis of annual trends and precipitation indices indicated that patterns in annual time series do not reflect the direction and magnitude of seasonal trends nor the spatial variability in intra-annual rainfall at the local scale. Significant negative trends in the seasonal long rains, following dry season and short rains were identified at stations west of Kibale, while significant positive trends in the seasonal short rains occurred at stations north of the park. Stations along the western park boundary tended to have more years in which the two dry seasons were abnormally dry than those stations located further from the park

Parks, people and pixels: evaluating landscape effects of an East African national park on its surroundings

Landscapes surrounding protected areas, while still containing considerable biodiversity, have rapidly growing human populations and associated agricultural development in most of the developing world that tend to isolate them, potentially reducing their conservation value. Using field studies and multi-temporal Landsat imagery, we examine a forest park, Kibale National Park in western Uganda, its changes over time, and related land cover change in the surrounding landscape. We find Kibale has successfully defended its borders and prevents within-park deforestation and other land incursions, and has maintained tree cover throughout the time period of the study. Outside the park there was a significant increase in tea plantations and continued forest fragmentation and wetland loss. The question of whether the park is a conservation success because of the network of forest fragments and wetlands or in spite of them remains unanswered

Integrating landscapes that have experienced rural depopulation and ecological homogenization into tropical conservation planning

If current trends of declining fertility rates and increasing abandonment of rural land as a result of urbanization continue, this will signal a globally significant transformation with important consequences for policy makers interested in conservation planning. This transformation is presently evident in a number of countries and projections suggest it may occur in the future in many developing countries. We use rates of population growth and urbanization to project population trends in rural areas for 25 example countries. Our projections indicate a general decline in population density that has either occurred already (e.g., Mexico) or may occur in the future if current trends continue (e.g., Uganda). Using both temperate and tropical examples we present evidence that this process will lead to ecological homogenization as a dominant habitat (e.g., forest replaces a mosaic of human-maintained landscapes), resulting in declines in biodiversity at the local scale. Building on this information, we consider research programs that need to be conducted so that policy makers are prepared to effectively manage depopulated rural areas

Design Against Crime: a research and curriculum development project

Design Against Crime is part of an education initiative spanning schools, universities and professional practice. The project is based at Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) and the University of Salford. SHU is responsible for the school and higher education components. The project is funded by the Design Council and the Home Office. This paper concerns the research for, and the development of, curriculum materials, for use by design and technology teachers teaching the 11–16 age phase. The project had an open brief to develop materials which would focus pupils’ attention on combating crime through design and technology activities and project work. The research team’s starting point was David Hargreaves’ (Chief Executive of QCA) observation that ‘ design and technology is moving from the periphery of the school curriculum to its heart’.1 To facilitate this, the team developed a strategy to embody the current education initiatives of numeracy, literacy and ICT into the Design Against Crime project. However, the main purpose was to add value to design and technology teaching and practice by focusing attention on how design and technology could make a significant contribution to the emergence of National Curriculum citizenship. It was clear from the outset that the project’s aims would be in relation to the values that young people should be encouraged to adopt, and the notion that this could be achieved by engaging them in evaluating and considering the extent and the affects of criminal activity. Design Against Crime was not to be about catching or punishing offenders. To date the research has focused on the following: • Current, exemplar design and technology activities which, with appropriately focused further development, could provide a vehicle for Design Against Crime project work. Development has involved prototyping enhanced projects and considering and implementing new ways of presenting design and technology learning experiences to pupils. • Analytical and synthesis tasks which could be used by pupils to support their design and technology activity whilst enabling them to gain an insight into specific aspects of crime and the way that crime affects society as a whole as well as individuals, including themselves. This has been met by research into implementing of numeracy, literacy and the use of ICT. The objective being to develop strategies which will embed this good practice into the identified design and technology projects, thus adding value. • Searching available research data, principally through the Home Office data and publications, for statistics and information which could be used productively to add value to educational activities. This has become an indepth research and analysis of data, particularly crime issues, which are pertinent to the targeted 11–16 age phase. The searches revealed many interesting and useful sources of information which have subsequently been adapted for use in schools. This work has resulted in a series of pupil workbooks which provide enhanced design and technology activities and encourage pupils to take the following steps: 1. analyse and comment upon pertinent crime statistics 2. carry out structured design and technology projects which have an aspect of combating crime as a context 3. within that context reflect upon and evaluate the effects of criminal activity. Design Against Crime teaching and learning materials are currently being trialed, in schools, by teachers and the paper concludes with a commentary on their views of the project. 1 Speech at the London Institute of Education – ‘Towards Education for Innovation’ (2000

Why do we want to think humans are different?

One harmful consequence of creating categories where one group is unique and superior to others is that it justifies committing negative, often atrocious, acts on the members of the inferior group. Correcting divisive human categorizations (racial superiority, gender superiority) has bettered society. Scholars have often claimed that humans are unique and superior to nonhuman animals. These claims need to be reevaluated. Many have already been refuted. Animals have been shown to outperform humans in many tasks, including cognitive ones. Here we raise the question: Has the false sense of superiority been used to justify human cruelty to animals