Trends in tropical forest loss and the social value of emission reductions

Reducing global forest losses is essential to mitigate climate change and its associated social costs. Multiple market and non-market factors can enhance or reduce forest loss. Here, to understand the role of non-market factors (for example, policies, climate anomalies or conflicts), we can compare observed trends to a reference (expected) scenario that excludes non-market factors. We define an expected scenario by simulating land-use decisions solely driven by market prices, productivities and presumably plausible decision-making. The land-use allocation model considers economic profits and uncertainties as incentives for forest conversion. We compare reference forest losses in Brazil, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Indonesia (2000–2019) with observed forest losses and assign differences from non-market factors. Our results suggest that non-market factors temporarily lead to lower-than-expected forest losses summing to 11.1 million hectares, but also to phases with higher-than-expected forest losses of 11.3 million hectares. Phases with lower-than-expected forest losses occurred earlier than those with higher-than-expected forest losses. The damages avoided by delaying emissions that would otherwise have occurred represent a social value of US$61.6 billion (as of the year 2000). This result shows the economic importance of forest conservation efforts in the tropics, even if reduced forest loss might be temporary and reverse over time

Toward integrated historical climate research: the example of Atmospheric Circulation Reconstructions over the Earth

Climate change has become a key environmental narrative of the 21st century. However, emphasis on the science of climate change has overshadowed studies focusing on human interpretations of climate history, of adaptation and resilience, and of explorations of the institutions and cultural coping strategies that may have helped people adapt to climate changes in the past. Moreover, although the idea of climate change has been subject to considerable scrutiny by the physical sciences, recent climate scholarship has highlighted the need for a re examination of the cultural and spatial dimensions of climate, with contributions from the humanities and social sciences. Establishing a multidisciplinary dialogue and approach to climate research past, present, and future has arguably never been more important. This article outlines developments in historical climatology research and considers examples of integrated multidisciplinary approaches to climate, climatic variability, and climate change research, conducted across the physical sciences, social sciences, humanities, and the arts. We highlight the international Atmospheric Circulation Reconstructions over the Earth (ACRE) initiative as one example of such an integrated approach. Initially, ACRE began as a response from climate science to the needs of the agricultural sector in Queensland, Australia for a longer, more spatially, and temporally-complete database of the weather. ACRE has now evolved to embrace an international group of researchers working together across disciplines to integrate their efforts into a four-dimensional (4D) dynamical global historical climate-quality reanalysis (reconstruction). WIREs Clim Change 2016, 7:164–174. doi:10.1002/wcc.37

Forest 404: Using a BBC drama series to explore the impact of nature’s changing soundscapes on human wellbeing and behavior

Extensive ecosystem degradation and increasing urbanization are altering human relationships with nature. To explore these trends, we created a transdisciplinary, narrative-led podcast series produced by the BBC, called 'Forest 404'. The series explored the implications of a world without nature. An online experimental component mobilized audience participation (n = 7,596) to assess responses to natural soundscapes with and without abiotic, biotic, and poetic elements across five biomes. Conditions featuring the sounds of wildlife, such as bird song, were perceived to be more psychologically restorative than those without. Participants’ personal lived experiences were strongly related to these outcomes; those who had memories triggered by the sounds were more likely to find them psychologically restorative and exhibited a greater motivation to preserve them. Moreover, the effects of both soundscape composition and memories on preservation behavior were partially mediated by restorative potential; respondents were more likely to want to protect the sounds they heard if they thought they might offer therapeutic outcomes. Our findings highlight the value of art-science collaborations and demonstrate how maintaining contact with the natural world can promote wellbeing and foster behaviors that protect planetary health

High-voltage-compatible, fully depleted CCDs

We describe charge-coupled device (CCD) developmentactivities at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL).Back-illuminated CCDs fabricated on 200-300 mu m thick, fully depleted,high-resistivity silicon substrates are produced in partnership with acommercial CCD foundry.The CCDs are fully depleted by the application ofa substrate bias voltage. Spatial resolution considerations requireoperation of thick, fully depleted CCDs at high substrate bias voltages.We have developed CCDs that are compatible with substrate bias voltagesof at least 200V. This improves spatial resolution for a given thickness,and allows for full depletion of thicker CCDs than previously considered.We have demonstrated full depletion of 650-675 mu m thick CCDs, withpotential applications in direct x-ray detection. In this work we discussthe issues related to high-voltage operation of fully depleted CCDs, aswell as experimental results on high-voltage-compatible CCDs

Randomised controlled trial of thermostatic mixer valves in reducing bath hot tap water temperature in families with young children in social housing: A protocol

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Each year in the UK 2000 children attend emergency departments and 500 are admitted to hospital following a bath water scald. The long term effects can include disability, disfigurement or psychological harm and repeated skin grafts may be required as the child grows. The costs of treating a severe scald are estimated at 250,000 GBP. Children living in the most deprived wards are at greatest risk of thermal injuries; hospital admission rates are three times that for children living in the least deprived wards.</p> <p>Domestic hot water, which is usually stored at around 60 degrees Celsius, can result in a second-degree burn after 3 seconds and a third-degree burn after 5 seconds. Educational strategies to encourage testing of tap water temperature and reduction of hot water thermostat settings have largely proved unsuccessful. Legislation in the USA mandating pre-setting hot water heater thermostats at 49 degrees Celsius was effective in reducing scald injuries, suggesting passive measures may have a greater impact. Thermostatic mixer valves (TMVs), recently developed for the domestic market, fitted across the hot and cold water supply pipes of the bath, allow delivery of water set at a fixed temperature from the hot bath tap. These valves therefore offer the potential to reduce scald injuries.</p> <p>Design/Methods</p> <p>A pragmatic, randomised controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of TMVs in reducing bath hot tap water temperatures in the homes of families with young children in rented social housing. Two parallel arms include an intervention group and a control group where the intervention will be deferred.</p> <p>The intervention will consist of fitting a TMV (set at 44 degrees Celsius) by a qualified plumber and provision of educational materials. The control arm will not receive a TMV or the educational materials for the study duration but will be offered the intervention after collection of follow-up data 12 months post randomisation.</p> <p>The primary outcome measure will be the bath hot tap water temperature. Fifteen families per arm are required to detect a reduction in the mean bath hot tap water temperature from 60.4 degrees Celsius (SD 9.1) in the control group to 46 degrees Celsius in the intervention group, with 90% power and a 5% significance level (2 sided). Secondary outcome measures including acceptability will require a sample size of 120 participants.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>Whilst TMVs have the potential to reduce scald injuries, to date there have been no randomised controlled trials assessing their effectiveness, acceptability and cost effectiveness.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>ISRCTN21179067</p

A multi-centre quality improvement project to reduce the incidence of obstetric anal sphincter injury (OASI): study protocol.

BACKGROUND: Third and fourth degree perineal tears, or obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASI), sustained during childbirth can result in anal incontinence and psychosocial problems which require ongoing treatment. Within the English National Health System (NHS) reported rates of OASI have gradually increased. In response, a care bundle was developed incorporating four elements: 1) antenatal information to women, 2) manual perineal protection during all vaginal births, 3) episiotomy to be performed with a 60° mediolateral angle at crowning (when clinically indicated) and 4) perineal examination (including per rectum) after childbirth. Implementation of the OASI Care Bundle is aided by a skills development module and an awareness campaign. The project is a collaboration between two national professional bodies, an NHS hospital trust and an academic institution. METHODS: Implementation of the OASI Care Bundle will be evaluated using a stepped-wedge design. From January 2017 sixteen maternity units across England, Wales and Scotland will participate in the study over a 15-month period, with sequential roll-out of the intervention in four blocks (regions) of four units. The primary clinical outcome is OASI rate. Regression analysis will adjust for differences in organisational characteristics and obstetric risk factors in women who gave birth before and after implementation of the care bundle. Focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with clinicians will evaluate the feasibility of integrating the care bundle into routine practice. Interviews with women will explore the acceptability of the intervention. DISCUSSION: This protocol outlines the evaluation of our quality improvement project which aims to prevent OASI using a bundle of evidence-based interventions that are each widely used in practice. The OASI project aims to 1) standardise practice to prevent OASI in a way that is acceptable to clinicians and women and 2) identify the barriers and enablers associated with upscaling interventions within maternity units. If found to be effective, feasible and acceptable, the OASI Care Bundle will be shared with a range of audiences using the communication channels available to the professional bodies. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The OASI Project was retrospectively registered on the ISCTRN12143325 database date assigned 03/10/2017

Understanding the actions and behaviours of others during organizational change in professional youth football

This paper examines the experiences of an academy coach in a professional football club during a period of organisational and managerial change. Data were collected through a number of in-depth, semi-structured interviews before being subject to a process of inductive analysis. Keltchermans’ (1993) micro-political work around the notion of ‘the professional self’ was used as a theoretical framework to make sense of Ian’s actions and experiences during this process of change. The findings highlight the importance for coaches to develop a level of ‘micro-political literacy’ during such periods of ambiguity and change in an environment characterized by complexity and hidden agendas. Furthermore, it is proposed that the ability to develop an understanding of micro-politics should be included in formal coach education programmes to better prepare coaches for the realities of the coaching practice.N/