Perceptions of Powerlessness Are Negatively Associated with Taking Action on Climate Change: A Preregistered Replication

“Final publication is available from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/eco.2020.0012]”Despite segments of skepticism, the majority of the general public in most countries believe that climate change is occurring and caused by human activities. Behavior changes by individuals can reduce greenhouse gas emissions to at least some extent, but a range of psychological and economic barriers can prevent individuals from taking action. A survey of New Zealanders by Aitken, Chapman, and McClure (2011) reported that belief in human influence on climate change and the risks of climate change were positively correlated with taking action on climate change. Conversely, perceptions of powerlessness and the commons dilemma were negatively correlated with taking action on climate change. Feeling powerless was associated with placing less importance on climate change as an influence on actions. Although the study by Aitken et al. has been influential, it was exploratory in nature, had a moderate sample size, was not preregistered, and has not previously been replicated. In this study, we report a preregistered replication with a sample of 352 Australians testing four hypotheses based on Aitken et al.'s findings (as summarized above). All four hypotheses were supported, reproducing Aitken et al.'s key findingsfals

Conservation post-récolte des céréales en zone sud-soudanienne du Burkina Faso : Perception paysanne et évaluation des stocks

La conservation post récolte des denrées alimentaires demeure un problème majeur en Afrique subsaharienne. Une enquête visant à appréhender la perception paysanne de la conservation post récolte des céréales et une évaluation d’échantillons prélevés dans les stocks de six localités du Burkina Faso ont été réalisées. Les résultats de l’enquête montrent que la majorité des producteurs conservent leurs récoltes de mil, de maïs et de sorgho dans des greniers. L’usage de substances végétales est la méthode la plus répandue pour la conservation des céréales. De l’avis des producteurs, le mil serait la céréale qui se conserve le mieux (P<0,05). 71% des producteurs stipulent que la majorité des pertes post-récoltes sont imputables aux insectes. L’analyse au laboratoire des échantillons collectés a permis d’identifier 11 espèces de déprédateurs dans les stocks de céréales ; Rhyzopertha dominica F. est l'espèce la plus abondante.Mots clés : Conservation post-récolte, Céréales, Insectes déprédateurs, Pratiques endogènes

Incidental diagnosis of diseases on un-enhanced helical computed tomography performed for ureteric colic

BACKGROUND: Patients presenting in the emergency room with flank pain suggestive of acute ureteric colic may have alternative underlying conditions mimicking ureteric stones. An early diagnosis and appropriate treatment for other causes of flank pain is important. The majority of centers around the world are increasingly using un-enhanced helical CT (UHCT) for evaluation of ureteric colic. This study was conducted to determine the incidence and spectrum of significant incidental diagnoses established or suggested on UHCT performed for suspected renal/ureteric colic. METHODS: Urologist and radiologist reviewed 233 consecutive UHCT, performed for suspected renal/ureteral colic along with assessment of the medical records. Radiological diagnoses of clinical entities not suspected otherwise were analyzed. All other relevant radiological, biochemical and serological investigations and per-operative findings were also noted. RESULTS: Ureteral calculi were identified in 148 examinations (64%), findings of recent passage of calculi in 10 (4%) and no calculus in 75 examinations (32%). Overall the incidental findings (additional or alternative diagnosis) were found in 28 (12%) CT scans. Twenty (71%) of these diagnoses were confirmed by per-operative findings, biopsy, and other radiological and biochemical investigations or on clinical follow up. CONCLUSION: A wide spectrum of significant incidental diagnoses can be identified on UHCT performed for suspected renal/ureteral colic. In the present series of 233 consecutive CT examinations, the incidence of incidental diagnosis was 12%

Improved sustainability and ecosystem services from seaweed additions to an old agricultural production system

Throughout the UK, and in other areas of the northern hemisphere, where there has been human settlement from the 17th century onwards, evidence of parallel ridges can still be seen today. These ridges, sometimes called lazy beds, are a remnant of a production system that offered small, often remote communities cropping potential on land that would be considered today as less favourable or unsuitable for production. With a move away from this type of small-scale, labour-intensive production system, over the last century, communities in these areas have generally undergone a shift from self-sustainability to a reliance on the importation of human and animal feed. This has led to abandonment of these cultivation systems. As modern communities become increasingly dis-associated from historic cultural practices, living memory of the management of these systems is also now being lost. There is an argument in support of restoration of these historic systems, in light of rising global pressures for both sustainable food security and land availability for agricultural production. Such restoration should be underpinned by, scientific understanding as to how these methods were able to provide a sustainable system for cropping and yield over time, and the environmental impacts of these systems. A project has been established on the island of Grimsay (North Uist) to reinstate a series of abandoned ridges, which have not been worked in over 50 years. As part of this project a series of studies have been initiated to examine the historic management practices (and their impacts) associated with these agricultural systems. A pilot study was run to determine if the traditional use of seaweed (particularly Ascophyllum nodosum) was of benefit, or indeed essential, to the longevity of these rotational systems. This trial was placed within the wider context of an experiment investigating the ecosystem impacts of reinstating this type of agricultural practice and its utilisation of local, natural resources. The findings of the pilot study indicated that historical knowledge is essential in reinstating this type of production, seaweed is both a required and sustainable addition to the system, ecosystem impacts were minimal and that production was both viable and greatly increased when labour was available

Estimating sleep parameters using an accelerometer without sleep diary

This is the final version. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.Wrist worn raw-data accelerometers are used increasingly in large-scale population research. We examined whether sleep parameters can be estimated from these data in the absence of sleep diaries. Our heuristic algorithm uses the variance in estimated z-axis angle and makes basic assumptions about sleep interruptions. Detected sleep period time window (SPT-window) was compared against sleep diary in 3752 participants (range = 60–82 years) and polysomnography in sleep clinic patients (N = 28) and in healthy good sleepers (N = 22). The SPT-window derived from the algorithm was 10.9 and 2.9 minutes longer compared with sleep diary in men and women, respectively. Mean C-statistic to detect the SPT-window compared to polysomnography was 0.86 and 0.83 in clinic-based and healthy sleepers, respectively. We demonstrated the accuracy of our algorithm to detect the SPT-window. The value of this algorithm lies in studies such as UK Biobank where a sleep diary was not used.Medical Research Council (MRC)National Institute of Health (NIH

Cancer and thrombosis: Managing the risks and approaches to thromboprophylaxis

Patients with cancer are at increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) compared with patients without cancer. This results from both the prothrombotic effects of the cancer itself and iatrogenic factors, such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, indwelling central venous devices and surgery, that further increase the risk of VTE. Although cancer-associated thrombosis remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality, it is often underdiagnosed and undertreated. However, evidence is accumulating to support the use of low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWHs) in the secondary prevention of VTE in patients with cancer. Not only have LMWHs been shown to be at least as effective as coumarin derivatives in this setting, but they have a lower incidence of complications, including bleeding, and are not associated with the practical problems of warfarin therapy. Furthermore, a growing number of studies indicate that LMWHs may improve survival among patients with cancer due to a possible antitumor effect. Current evidence suggests that LMWHs should increasingly be considered for the long-term management of VTE in patients with cancer

Redundant Mechanisms Prevent Mitotic Entry Following Replication Arrest in the Absence of Cdc25 Hyper-Phosphorylation in Fission Yeast

Following replication arrest the Cdc25 phosphatase is phosphorylated and inhibited by Cds1. It has previously been reported that expressing Cdc25 where 9 putative amino-terminal Cds1 phosphorylation sites have been substituted to alanine results in bypass of the DNA replication checkpoint. However, these results were acquired by expression of the phosphorylation mutant using a multicopy expression vector in a genetic background where the DNA replication checkpoint is intact. In order to clarify these results we constructed a Cdc25(9A)-GFP native promoter integrant and examined its effect on the replication checkpoint at endogenous expression levels. In this strain the replication checkpoint operates normally, conditional on the presence of the Mik1 kinase. In response to replication arrest the Cdc25(9A)-GFP protein is degraded, suggesting the presence of a backup mechanism to eliminate the phosphatase when it cannot be inhibited through phosphorylation