How will disenfranchised Peoples adapt to Climate Change? Strengthening the Ecojustice Movement

The Fourth assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) acknowledged That millions of people are currently, and will increasingly be, affected by the impacts of climate change, in the form of floods, droughts and other extreme events, as well as related threats to food security. In response to these global environmental changes, the international community, including civil society, is acting on the need for immediate adaptation measures and is developing strategies for future adaptation. However, the impacts of climate change are unevenly distributed, with many of the poorest, most vulnerable peoples experiencing the immediate effects of climate change, in the here and now. As the IPCC noted, developing countries are disproportionately affected by climate change and often, the least able to adapt due to lack of infrastructure and resources

The C-Band All-Sky Survey (C-BASS): Constraining diffuse Galactic radio emission in the North Celestial Pole region

The C-Band All-Sky Survey C-BASS is a high-sensitivity all-sky radio survey at an angular resolution of 45 arcmin and a frequency of 4.7 GHz. We present a total intensity 4.7 GHz map of the North Celestial Pole (NCP) region of sky, above declination +80 deg, which is limited by source confusion at a level of ~0.6 mK rms. We apply the template-fitting (cross-correlation) technique to WMAP and Planck data, using the C-BASS map as the synchrotron template, to investigate the contribution of diffuse foreground emission at frequencies ~20-40 GHz. We quantify the anomalous microwave emission (AME) that is correlated with far-infrared dust emission. The AME amplitude does not change significantly (<10%) when using the higher frequency C-BASS 4.7 GHz template instead of the traditional Haslam 408 MHz map as a tracer of synchrotron radiation. We measure template coefficients of $9.93\pm0.35$ and $9.52\pm0.34$ K per unit $\tau_{353}$ when using the Haslam and C-BASS synchrotron templates, respectively. The AME contributes $55\pm2\,\mu$K rms at 22.8 GHz and accounts for ~60% of the total foreground emission. Our results suggest that a harder (flatter spectrum) component of synchrotron emission is not dominant at frequencies >5 GHz; the best-fitting synchrotron temperature spectral index is $\beta=-2.91\pm0.04$ from 4.7 to 22.8 GHz and $\beta=-2.85\pm0.14$ from 22.8 to 44.1 GHz. Free-free emission is weak, contributing ~$7\,\mu$K rms (~7%) at 22.8 GHz. The best explanation for the AME is still electric dipole emission from small spinning dust grains.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures, version matches version accepted by MNRA

The role of quantitative cross-case analysis in understanding tropical smallholder farmers’ adaptive capacity to climate shocks

Climate shocks are predicted to increase in magnitude and frequency as the climate changes, notably impacting poor and vulnerable communities across the Tropics. The urgency to better understand and improve communities' resilience is reflected in international agreements such as the Paris Agreement and the multiplication of adaptation research and action programs. In turn, the need for collecting and communicating evidence on the climate resilience of communities has increasingly drawn questions concerning how to assess resilience. While empirical case studies are often used to delve into the context-specific nature of resilience, synthesizing results is essential to produce generalizable findings at the scale at which policies are designed. Yet datasets, methods and modalities that enable cross-case analyses that draw from individual local studies are still rare in climate resilience literature. We use empirical case studies on the impacts of El Niño on smallholder households from five countries to test the application of quantitative data aggregation for policy recommendation. We standardized data into an aggregated dataset to explore how key demographic factors affected the impact of climate shocks, modeled as crop loss. We find that while cross-study results partially align with the findings from the individual projects and with theory, several challenges associated with quantitative aggregation remain when examining complex, contextual and multi-dimensional concepts such as resilience. We conclude that future exercises synthesizing cross-site empirical evidence in climate resilience could accelerate research to policy impact by using mixed methods, focusing on specific landscapes or regional scales, and facilitating research through the use of shared frameworks and learning exercises

C-Band All-Sky Survey (C-BASS): Simulated parametric fitting in single pixels in total intensity and polarization

The cosmic microwave background (CMB) B-mode signal is potentially weaker than the diffuse Galactic foregrounds over most of the sky at any frequency. A common method of separating the CMB from these foregrounds is via pixel-based parametric-model fitting. There are not currently enough all-sky maps to fit anything more than the most simple models of the sky. By simulating the emission in seven representative pixels, we demonstrate that the inclusion of a 5 GHz data point allows for more complex models of low-frequency foregrounds to be fitted than at present. It is shown that the inclusion of the C-BASS data will significantly reduce the uncertainties in a number of key parameters in the modelling of both the galactic foregrounds and the CMB. The extra data allow estimates of the synchrotron spectral index to be constrained much more strongly than is presently possible, with corresponding improvements in the accuracy of the recovery of the CMB amplitude. However, we show that to place good limits on models of the synchrotron spectral curvature will require additional low-frequency data

The C-Band All-Sky Survey (C-BASS): Simulated parametric fitting in single pixels in total intensity and polarization

The cosmic microwave background (CMB) B-mode signal is potentially weaker than the diffuse Galactic foregrounds over most of the sky at any frequency. A common method of separating the CMB from these foregrounds is via pixel-based parametric-model fitting. There are not currently enough all-sky maps to fit anything more than the most simple models of the sky. By simulating the emission in seven representative pixels, we demonstrate that the inclusion of a 5 GHz data point allows for more complex models of low-frequency foregrounds to be fitted than at present. It is shown that the inclusion of the C-BASS data will significantly reduce the uncertainties in a number of key parameters in the modelling of both the galactic foregrounds and the CMB. The extra data allow estimates of the synchrotron spectral index to be constrained much more strongly than is presently possible, with corresponding improvements in the accuracy of the recovery of the CMB amplitude. However, we show that to place good limits on models of the synchrotron spectral curvature will require additional low-frequency data

Detection of Spectral Variations of Anomalous Microwave Emission with QUIJOTE and C-BASS

Anomalous Microwave Emission (AME) is a significant component of Galactic diffuse emission in the frequency range $10$-$60\,$GHz and a new window into the properties of sub-nanometre-sized grains in the interstellar medium. We investigate the morphology of AME in the $\approx10^{\circ}$ diameter $\lambda$ Orionis ring by combining intensity data from the QUIJOTE experiment at $11$, $13$, $17$ and $19\,$GHz and the C-Band All Sky Survey (C-BASS) at $4.76\,$GHz, together with 19 ancillary datasets between $1.42$ and $3000\,$GHz. Maps of physical parameters at $1^{\circ}$ resolution are produced through Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) fits of spectral energy distributions (SEDs), approximating the AME component with a log-normal distribution. AME is detected in excess of $20\,\sigma$ at degree-scales around the entirety of the ring along photodissociation regions (PDRs), with three primary bright regions containing dark clouds. A radial decrease is observed in the AME peak frequency from $\approx35\,$GHz near the free-free region to $\approx21\,$GHz in the outer regions of the ring, which is the first detection of AME spectral variations across a single region. A strong correlation between AME peak frequency, emission measure and dust temperature is an indication for the dependence of the AME peak frequency on the local radiation field. The AME amplitude normalised by the optical depth is also strongly correlated with the radiation field, giving an overall picture consistent with spinning dust where the local radiation field plays a key role.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication by MNRA

Mapping of hormones and cortisol responses in patients after Lyme neuroborreliosis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Persistent symptoms after treatment for neuroborreliosis are common for reasons mainly unknown. These symptoms are often unspecific and could be caused by dysfunctions in endocrine systems, an issue that has not been previously addressed systematically. We therefore mapped hormone levels in patients with previous confirmed Lyme neuroborreliosis of different outcomes and compared them with a healthy control group.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Twenty patients of a retrospective cohort of patients treated for definite Lyme neuroborreliosis were recruited 2.3 to 3.7 years (median 2.7) after diagnosis, together with 23 healthy controls. Lyme neuroborreliosis patients were stratified into two groups according to a symptom/sign score. All participants underwent anthropometric and physiological investigation as well as an extensive biochemical endocrine investigation including a short high-dose adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation (Synacthen^®) test. In addition to hormonal status, we also examined electrolytes, 25-hydroxy-vitamin D and interleukin-6.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Eight patients (40%) had pronounced symptoms 2-3 years after treatment. This group had a higher cortisol response to synacthen as compared with both controls and the Lyme neuroborreliosis patients without remaining symptoms (p < 0.001 for both comparisons). No other significant differences in the various baseline biochemical parameters, anthropometric or physiological data could be detected across groups.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Apart from a positive association between the occurrence of long-lasting complaints after Lyme neuroborreliosis and cortisol response to synacthen, no corticotropic insufficiency or other serious hormonal dysfunction was found to be associated with remaining symptoms after treatment for Lyme neuroborreliosis.</p

Sound-contingent visual motion aftereffect

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>After a prolonged exposure to a paired presentation of different types of signals (e.g., color and motion), one of the signals (color) becomes a driver for the other signal (motion). This phenomenon, which is known as contingent motion aftereffect, indicates that the brain can establish new neural representations even in the adult's brain. However, contingent motion aftereffect has been reported only in visual or auditory domain. Here, we demonstrate that a visual motion aftereffect can be contingent on a specific sound.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Dynamic random dots moving in an alternating right or left direction were presented to the participants. Each direction of motion was accompanied by an auditory tone of a unique and specific frequency. After a 3-minutes exposure, the tones began to exert marked influence on the visual motion perception, and the percentage of dots required to trigger motion perception systematically changed depending on the tones. Furthermore, this effect lasted for at least 2 days.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These results indicate that a new neural representation can be rapidly established between auditory and visual modalities.</p