129 research outputs found
Does Energy Community Membership Change Sustainable Attitudes and Behavioral Patterns? Empirical Evidence from Community Wind Energy in Germany
Community energy is seen as a helping hand for local, decentralized energy transition. Besides the main goal of supporting the community-friendly and socially acceptable development of renewable energies, the hope is also that a pro-environmental influence on sustainability behavior will be triggered when joining a community energy project. An analysis of a survey among 16 community energy projects in Germany, with 565 completed questionnaires, shows that a certain part of the members pays more attention to their energy behavior and develop a more positive attitude towards a decentralized energy transition and citizen participation after joining the community energy project. Therefore, we can empirically support that climate protection projects, such as community energy, influence pro-environmental attitudes and behavior, but this does not apply equally to all population groups. Members with higher income and stronger interest in returns are less likely to change their behavior. Based on these findings, we recommend the development of community energy policies that are more responsive to differences in social structure and address both privileged and underprivileged groups in a sophisticated way using specific offers and modes of involvement within the associations
Multi-photon dressing of an anharmonic superconducting many-level quantum circuit
We report on the investigation of a superconducting anharmonic multi-level
circuit that is coupled to a harmonic readout resonator. We observe
multi-photon transitions via virtual energy levels of our system up to the
fifth excited state. The back-action of these higher-order excitations on our
readout device is analyzed quantitatively and demonstrated to be in accordance
with theoretical expectation. By applying a strong microwave drive we achieve
multi-photon dressing within our anharmonic circuit which is dynamically
coupled by a weak probe tone. The emerging higher-order Rabi sidebands and
associated Autler-Townes splittings involving up to five levels of the
investigated anharmonic circuit are observed. Experimental results are in good
agreement with master equation simulations.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure
Specific fibroblastic niches in secondary lymphoid organs orchestrate distinct Notch-regulated immune responses.
Fibroblast-like cells of secondary lymphoid organs (SLO) are important for tissue architecture. In addition, they regulate lymphocyte compartmentalization through the secretion of chemokines, and participate in the orchestration of appropriate cell-cell interactions required for adaptive immunity. Here, we provide data demonstrating the functional importance of SLO fibroblasts during Notch-mediated lineage specification and immune response. Genetic ablation of the Notch ligand Delta-like (DL)1 identified splenic fibroblasts rather than hematopoietic or endothelial cells as niche cells, allowing Notch 2-driven differentiation of marginal zone B cells and of Esam(+) dendritic cells. Moreover, conditional inactivation of DL4 in lymph node fibroblasts resulted in impaired follicular helper T cell differentiation and, consequently, in reduced numbers of germinal center B cells and absence of high-affinity antibodies. Our data demonstrate previously unknown roles for DL ligand-expressing fibroblasts in SLO niches as drivers of multiple Notch-mediated immune differentiation processes
Anålise da taxa de infecção de ferida operatória pós-cirurgia limpa no HCPA de 2001 a 2013
Specific fibroblastic niches in secondary lymphoid organs orchestrate distinct Notch-regulated immune responses
The regulation of IL-10 expression
Interleukin (IL)-10 is an important immunoregulatory cytokine and an understanding of how IL-10 expression is controlled is critical in the design of immune intervention strategies. IL-10 is produced by almost all cell types within the innate (including macrophages, monocytes, dendritic cells (DCs), mast cells, neutrophils, eosinophils and natural killer cells) and adaptive (including CD4(+) T cells, CD8(+) T cells and B cells) immune systems. The mechanisms of IL-10 regulation operate at several stages including chromatin remodelling at the Il10 locus, transcriptional regulation of Il10 expression and post-transcriptional regulation of Il10 mRNA. In addition, whereas some aspects of Il10 gene regulation are conserved between different immune cell types, several are cell type- or stimulus-specific. Here, we outline the complexity of IL-10 production by discussing what is known about its regulation in macrophages, monocytes, DCs and CD4(+) T helper cells
A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic
Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e., a controlling message) compared with no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. On the other hand, the autonomy-supportive message lowered feelings of defiance compared with the controlling message, but the controlling message did not differ from receiving no message at all. Unexpectedly, messages did not influence autonomous motivation (a highly internalized form of motivation relying on oneâs core values) or behavioral intentions. Results supported hypothesized associations between peopleâs existing autonomous and controlled motivations and self-reported behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing. Controlled motivation was associated with more defiance and less long-term behavioral intention to engage in social distancing, whereas autonomous motivation was associated with less defiance and more short- and long-term intentions to social distance. Overall, this work highlights the potential harm of using shaming and pressuring language in public health communication, with implications for the current and future global health challenges
EURECâŽA
The science guiding the EURECâŽA campaign and its measurements is presented. EURECâŽA comprised roughly 5 weeks of measurements in the downstream winter trades of the North Atlantic â eastward and southeastward of Barbados. Through its ability to characterize processes operating across a wide range of scales, EURECâŽA marked a turning point in our ability to observationally study factors influencing clouds in the trades, how they will respond to warming, and their link to other components of the earth system, such as upper-ocean processes or the life cycle of particulate matter. This characterization was made possible by thousands (2500) of sondes distributed to measure circulations on meso- (200âkm) and larger (500âkm) scales, roughly 400âh of flight time by four heavily instrumented research aircraft; four global-class research vessels; an advanced ground-based cloud observatory; scores of autonomous observing platforms operating in the upper ocean (nearly 10â000 profiles), lower atmosphere (continuous profiling), and along the airâsea interface; a network of water stable isotopologue measurements; targeted tasking of satellite remote sensing; and modeling with a new generation of weather and climate models. In addition to providing an outline of the novel measurements and their composition into a unified and coordinated campaign, the six distinct scientific facets that EURECâŽA explored â from North Brazil Current rings to turbulence-induced clustering of cloud droplets and its influence on warm-rain formation â are presented along with an overview of EURECâŽA's outreach activities, environmental impact, and guidelines for scientific practice. Track data for all platforms are standardized and accessible at https://doi.org/10.25326/165 (Stevens, 2021), and a film documenting the campaign is provided as a video supplement
EURECâŽA
The science guiding the EURECâŽA campaign and its measurements is presented. EURECâŽA comprised roughly 5 weeks of measurements in the downstream winter trades of the North Atlantic â eastward and southeastward of Barbados. Through its ability to characterize processes operating across a wide range of scales, EURECâŽA marked a turning point in our ability to observationally study factors influencing clouds in the trades, how they will respond to warming, and their link to other components of the earth system, such as upper-ocean processes or the life cycle of particulate matter. This characterization was made possible by thousands (2500) of sondes distributed to measure circulations on meso- (200âkm) and larger (500âkm) scales, roughly 400âh of flight time by four heavily instrumented research aircraft; four global-class research vessels; an advanced ground-based cloud observatory; scores of autonomous observing platforms operating in the upper ocean (nearly 10â000 profiles), lower atmosphere (continuous profiling), and along the airâsea interface; a network of water stable isotopologue measurements; targeted tasking of satellite remote sensing; and modeling with a new generation of weather and climate models. In addition to providing an outline of the novel measurements and their composition into a unified and coordinated campaign, the six distinct scientific facets that EURECâŽA explored â from North Brazil Current rings to turbulence-induced clustering of cloud droplets and its influence on warm-rain formation â are presented along with an overview of EURECâŽA's outreach activities, environmental impact, and guidelines for scientific practice. Track data for all platforms are standardized and accessible at https://doi.org/10.25326/165 (Stevens, 2021), and a film documenting the campaign is provided as a video supplement
A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic
Significance
Communicating in ways that motivate engagement in social distancing remains a critical global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study tested motivational qualities of messages about social distancing (those that promoted choice and agency vs. those that were forceful and shaming) in 25,718 people in 89 countries. The autonomy-supportive message decreased feelings of defying social distancing recommendations relative to the controlling message, and the controlling message increased controlled motivation, a less effective form of motivation, relative to no message. Message type did not impact intentions to socially distance, but peopleâs existing motivations were related to intentions. Findings were generalizable across a geographically diverse sample and may inform public health communication strategies in this and future global health emergencies.
Abstract
Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e., a controlling message) compared with no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. On the other hand, the autonomy-supportive message lowered feelings of defiance compared with the controlling message, but the controlling message did not differ from receiving no message at all. Unexpectedly, messages did not influence autonomous motivation (a highly internalized form of motivation relying on oneâs core values) or behavioral intentions. Results supported hypothesized associations between peopleâs existing autonomous and controlled motivations and self-reported behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing. Controlled motivation was associated with more defiance and less long-term behavioral intention to engage in social distancing, whereas autonomous motivation was associated with less defiance and more short- and long-term intentions to social distance. Overall, this work highlights the potential harm of using shaming and pressuring language in public health communication, with implications for the current and future global health challenges
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