Coherent Resonat millenial-scale climate transitions triggered by massive meltwater pulses

The role of mean and stochastic freshwater forcing on the generation of millennial-scale climate variability in the North Atlantic is studied using a low-order coupled atmosphere–ocean–sea ice model. It is shown that millennial-scale oscillations can be excited stochastically, when the North Atlantic Ocean is fresh enough. This finding is used in order to interpret the aftermath of massive iceberg surges (Heinrich events) in the glacial North Atlantic, which are characterized by an excitation of Dansgaard–Oeschger events. Based on model results, it is hypothesized that Heinrich events trigger Dansgaard–Oeschger cycles and that furthermore the occurrence of Heinrich events is dependent on the accumulated climatic effect of a series of Dansgaard–Oeschger events. This scenario leads to a coupled ocean–ice sheet oscillation that shares many similarities with the Bond cycle. Further sensitivity experiments reveal that the timescale of the oscillations can be decomposed into stochastic, linear, and nonlinear deterministic components. A schematic bifurcation diagram is used to compare theoretical results with paleoclimatic data

Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae): Physiological Aspects of Development and Reproduction

Basic ecophysiological data are presented on the development and reproduction of Aedes albopictus (Skuse) that were reared and maintained at four temperatures between 12 and 32°C. Median larval developmental time from hatching to pupation was correlated inversely with temperature, lasting 7 d at 32°C and up to 28 d at 12°C. Duration of the pupal period also varied from 2-3 d at 32°C to 7-12 d at 12°C. This extension of larval development elongated the phagoperiod and gave rise to larger imagoes. Based on wing length measurements, body sizes varied from 10 to 57 mm3 for females and from 10 to 30 mm3 for males. The caloric protein content at emergence showed a linear and significant regression with body size, independent of sex, treatment, or temperature. Teneral lipid content also followed a linear relationship with body size at warmer temperatures, whereas at low temperatures it increased exponentially with body size. Glycogen was always below 10% of the protein or lipid levels. Reserves at emergence determined median adult survival times, which ranged from 16 d at 32°C to 100 d at 17°C. Access to sucrose solution allowed females to increase their teneral glycogen up to fourfold within 1 wk, and their lipids up to 10-fold within 2 wk. Despite a broad variation, the number of mature oocytes (15-110 eggs per female) was correlated positively with body size, but inversely with the rearing and maintenance temperature. Utilization of the blood meal protein for oogenesis ranged between 35 and 50%, again inversely correlated with temperature; absolute compositions per oocyte were 6.3-6.5 mcal of protein but ranged from 5 to 7 mcal of lipi

Terrorism, Tourism and Worker Unions: The disciplinary boundaries of fear

When the world seems poised on the brink of a never ending cycle of terrorism, the present paper polemically explores some of its historical roots. The first anarcho-terrorists in 19th century, fought to improve the working conditions of people. Some of them used violent tools, hosting civilians as targets. Others, convinced by the futility of their efforts to change the order, opted for organizing workers in factories. It is widely accepted that tourism came from the social, political, technological developments in the nineteenth century. We compare terrorist attacks with workers’ strikes, because they come from the same developments. We explore the thesis that tourism is terrorism by other means

Pulsed Doppler-free two-photon spectroscopy of polyatomic molecules

Doppler-free two-photon electronic spectra of a large polyatomic molecule are recorded for the first time with pulsed laser radiation of near Fourier-transform limited bandwidth (Δvnot, vert, similar100 MHz). The resolution obtained is sufficient to resolve individual rotational lines. Due to the high density of these rotational transitions a strong Doppler-broadened background is observed, which is, however, subtantially reduced by suitable choice of photon polarizations. Different vibronic bands of benzene (C6H6) are investigated and very accurate rotational constants are found

Climate change, pollution, deforestation and mental health: research trends, gaps and ethical considerations

Abstract Climate change, pollution, and deforestation have a negative impact on global mental health. There is an environmental justice dimension to this challenge as wealthy people and high‐income countries are major contributors to climate change and pollution, while poor people and low‐income countries are heavily affected by the consequences. Using state‐of‐the art data mining, we analyzed and visualized the global research landscape on mental health, climate change, pollution and deforestation over a 15‐year period. Metadata of papers were exported from PubMed®, and both relevance and relatedness of terms in different time frames were computed using VOSviewer. Co‐occurrence graphs were used to visualize results. The development of exemplary terms over time was plotted separately. The number of research papers on mental health and environmental challenges is growing in a linear fashion. Major topics are climate change, chemical pollution, including psychiatric medication in wastewater, and neurobiological effects. Research on specific psychiatric syndromes and diseases, particularly on their ethical and social aspects is less prominent. There is a growing body of research literature on links between mental health, climate change, pollution, and deforestation. This research provides a graphic overview to mental healthcare professionals and political stakeholders. Social and ethical aspects of the climate change‐mental health link have been neglected, and more research is needed

Protection of Trabecular Bone in Ovariectomized Rats by Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) is Dependent on Extract Composition

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, copyright © American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see http://doi.org/10.1021/jf101873fExtracts prepared from turmeric (Curcuma longa L., [Zingiberaceae]) containing bioactive phenolic curcuminoids were evaluated for bone-protective effects in a hypogonadal rat model of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Three-month female Sprague Dawley rats were ovariectomized (OVX) and treated with a chemically complex turmeric fraction (41% curcuminoids by weight) or a curcuminoid-enriched turmeric fraction (94% curcuminoids by weight), both dosed at 60mg/kg 3x per week, or vehicle alone. Effects of two months of treatment on OVX-induced bone loss were followed prospectively by serial assessment of bone mineral density (BMD) of the distal femur using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), while treatment effects on trabecular bone microarchitecture were assessed at two months by micro-computerized tomography (μCT). Chemically complex turmeric did not prevent bone loss, however, the curcuminoid-enriched turmeric prevented up to 50% of OVX-induced loss of trabecular bone and also preserved the number and connectedness of the strut-like trabeculae. These results suggest that turmeric may have bone-protective effects but that extract composition is a critical factor

Sensitivity of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation to South Atlantic freshwater anomalies

The sensitivity of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) to changes in basin integrated net evaporation is highly dependent on the zonal salinity contrast at the southern border of the Atlantic. Biases in the freshwater budget strongly affect the stability of the AMOC in numerical models. The impact of these biases is investigated, by adding local anomaly patterns in the South Atlantic to the freshwater fluxes at the surface. These anomalies impact the freshwater and salt transport by the different components of the ocean circulation, in particular the basin-scale salt-advection feedback, completely changing the response of the AMOC to arbitrary perturbations. It is found that an appropriate dipole anomaly pattern at the southern border of the Atlantic Ocean can collapse the AMOC entirely even without a further hosing. The results suggest a new view on the stability of the AMOC, controlled by processes in the South Atlantic. <br/