Farmers’ perceptions of climate change : identifying types

Ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture have been set by both national governments and their respective livestock sectors. We hypothesize that farmer self-identity influences their assessment of climate change and their willingness to im- plement measures which address the issue. Perceptions of climate change were determined from 286 beef/sheep farmers and evaluated using principal component analysis (PCA). The analysis elicits two components which evaluate identity (productivism and environmental responsibility), and two components which evaluate behavioral capacity to adopt mitigation and adaptation measures (awareness and risk perception). Subsequent Cluster Analyses reveal four farmer types based on the PCA scores. ‘The Productivist’ and ‘The Countryside Steward’ portray low levels of awareness of climate change, but differ in their motivation to adopt pro-environmental behavior. Conversely, both ‘The Environmentalist’ and ‘The Dejected’ score higher in their awareness of the issue. In addition, ‘The Dejected’ holds a high sense of perceived risk; however, their awareness is not conflated with an explicit understanding of agricultural GHG sources. With the exception of ‘The Environmentalist’, there is an evident disconnect between perceptions of agricultural emission sources and their contribution towards GHG emissions amongst all types. If such linkages are not con- ceptualized, it is unlikely that behavioral capacities will be realized. Effective communication channels which encour- age action should target farmers based on the groupings depicted. Therefore, understanding farmer types through the constructs used in this study can facilitate effective and tai- lored policy development and implementation

Modelling and Algebraic Formulation of Regional Aerosol Deposition in Man.

An updated version is presented of the algebraical deposition model introduced previously. The model has been based on a statistical analysis of the data. Additional experimental data have been taken into account, and where no experimental data were available, theoretical deposition data have been used. This allowed to differentiate bronchial and bronchiolar deposition, and to include in the model the dependence of regional deposition on gender and age. Furthermore the model has been extended to describe the biological variability of the data. This model will serve as deposition standard as part of the ICRP dosimetry model

La edad paterna como factor de riesgo para malformaciones congénitas

The role of advanced maternal age as a risk factor for congenital malformations in offspring is known. However, the influence of paternal age is not clear. Aim: To evaluate the association between advanced paternal age and the risk for congenital malformations. Patients and Methods: Analysis of maternal and paternal age of cases (malformed newborns) and controls from ECLAMC Database (Latin American Collaborative Study of Congenital Malformations) registered at the University of Chile Clinical Hospital during the decade from Jan 1 1997 to Dec 31 2006. Newborns and stillborns were grouped according to maternal age into 6 intervals. In each interval, paternal ages of cases and controls were compared. The inverse procedure was performed to assess maternal age effect. Other variables as gestational age and birth weight were analyzed for the intervals of maternal and paternal ages. Results: No significant differences were observed in paternal age between cases and controls in any of the intervals of maternal age. However, mean maternal age was higher for cases than for controls (p =0,0149). Gestational age and birth weight depend more on being case or control than on the age of parents. Conclusions: No differences in paternal age were observed between cases and controls in this series of newborn