Accounting for the effects of employment, equity, and risk aversion in cost-benefit analysis: An application to an adaptation project

This paper sets out to explore to what extent integrating employment effects, equity, and risk aversion within cost-benefit analysis (CBA) affect the economic appraisal of a climate change adaptation project designed to protect against flood risk in a region of Bilbao (Basque Country, Spain). Four CBAs are conducted: (i) a standard CBA; (ii) a standard CBA considering equity; (iii) a standard CBA considering equity and employment; and (iv) a standard CBA considering equity, employment and risk aversion. All CBAs are conducted using a time frame of 2014- 2080 and considering a 100-year return period under a middle of the road emission scenario (RCP4.5). A sensitivity analysis is also undertaken. Results suggest that the economic efficiency of the adaptation investment is contingent on what types of considerations are included within CBA. Integrating elements of employment, equity and risk aversion can strengthen or weaken the case for action (leading to higher or lower net-present values) and (depending on the discount rate chosen) may even be the deciding factor for determining whether a particular action should be carried out or not (whether the net-present value is positive or negative). © The Author(s), 2021.Acknowledgments: The funding for this work was provided by the European Commission 7th Framework Programme ECONADAPT project on the “Economics of climate change adaptation in Europe” under the grant agreement No. 603906. This research is also supported by the Basque Government through the BERC 2018-2021 program and by Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness MINECO through BC3 María de Maeztu excellence accreditation MDM-2017-0714

Mindfulness-based stress reduction for people with multiple sclerosis ? a feasibility randomised controlled trial

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a stressful condition. Mental health comorbidity is common. Stress can increase the risk of depression, reduce quality of life (QOL), and possibly exacerbate disease activity in MS. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) may help, but has been little studied in MS, particularly among more disabled individuals. Methods: The objective of this study was to test the feasibility and likely effectiveness of a standard MBSR course for people with MS. Participant eligibility included: age > 18, any type of MS, an Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) </= 7.0. Participants received either MBSR or wait-list control. Outcome measures were collected at baseline, post-intervention, and three-months later. Primary outcomes were perceived stress and QOL. Secondary outcomes were common MS symptoms, mindfulness, and self-compassion. Results: Fifty participants were recruited and randomised (25 per group). Trial retention and outcome measure completion rates were 90% at post-intervention, and 88% at 3 months. Sixty percent of participants completed the course. Immediately post-MBSR, perceived stress improved with a large effect size (ES 0.93; p < 0.01), compared to very small beneficial effects on QOL (ES 0.17; p = 0.48). Depression (ES 1.35; p < 0.05), positive affect (ES 0.87; p = 0.13), anxiety (ES 0.85; p = 0.05), and self-compassion (ES 0.80; p < 0.01) also improved with large effect sizes. At three-months post-MBSR (study endpoint) improvements in perceived stress were diminished to a small effect size (ES 0.26; p = 0.39), were negligible for QOL (ES 0.08; p = 0.71), but were large for mindfulness (ES 1.13; p < 0.001), positive affect (ES 0.90; p = 0.54), self-compassion (ES 0.83; p < 0.05), anxiety (ES 0.82; p = 0.15), and prospective memory (ES 0.81; p < 0.05). Conclusions: Recruitment, retention, and data collection demonstrate that a RCT of MBSR is feasible for people with MS. Trends towards improved outcomes suggest that a larger definitive RCT may be warranted. However, optimisation changes may be required to render more stable the beneficial treatment effects on stress and depression. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT02136485; trial registered 1st May 2014

Microstructure characterization of poly(2-N-carbazolylethyl acrylate) by two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy

58-63Poly(2-N-carbazolylethyl acrylate) has been synthesized by solution polymerization of 2-N-carbazolyethyl acrylate with 2,2'-azobisisobutyronitrile as free radical initiator. Di stortionless Enhancement by Polarization Transfer has been used to distinguish between the overlapping main-chain methine and side-chain methylene resonances in 13C {1H} NMR spectrum. Configurational assignments of carbon and proton resonances of main-chain methylene group have been done using two-dimensional Heteronuclear Single Quantum Correlation spectroscopy and two-dimensional Total Correlation Spectroscopy. Two and three bond order carbon/proton couplings have been investigated using Heteronuclear Multiple Bond Correlation studies

The power of impact framing and experience for determining acceptable levels of climate change-induced flood risk: a lab experiment

This study explores how individuals, when assuming the role of policymakers, determine acceptable levels of risk in response to (a) different framings of flood risk information and (b) after experiencing economic losses from a hypothetical flood event in Zarautz (Basque Country, Spain). An incentivised lab experiment is conducted on a representative sample in the neighbouring region of Bilbao. A 2 × 2 factorial between-subject design is used to measure risk acceptability in response to visual and economic impact framings, and the effect of experience is measured using a 2-period repeated game within-subject design. Results from the experiment teach us that photos of climate impacts can be an effective medium for provoking visceral feelings about climate change. When used in conjunction with simple numerical risk information, photos can help the public to engage more deeply with climate issues and in turn encourage them to take precautionary measures to limit losses in the future. Experiencing economic losses leads to reductions in levels of acceptable risks, but decision-making is characterised by little emotional or logical reasoning, signalling a use of heuristics such as ‘gut impulse’, which may be prone to cognitive bias. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.This research was supported by the Horizon 2020 COACCH Project (grant agreement no. 776479). Additionally, it was also supported by the Basque Government through the BERC 2018–2021 programme and by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness MINECO through BC3 María de Maeztu excellence accreditation MDM-2017–0714

Temporal order assessment in patients with bipolar disorder

AbstractAlterations in temporal perception accompany dissociative symptoms. However, the extent and frequency of these temporal symptoms have not been extensively studied in Bipolar Disorder (BD). The study was a prospective, repeated measures design of 21 patients with BD, conducted at Barwon Health in Geelong, Australia. The study combined questionnaires of mood and dissociative symptoms with a novel psychophysical method of assessing altered sub-second temporal performance. Participants observed a series of two flashed visual stimuli (duration 20ms, inter stimulus interval 60ms) while making rapid (saccadic) eye movements. The experimental paradigm resulted in a proportion of observations (47%) in which the perceptual ordering of the flashes was inverted in time. Dissociative symptoms, as measured by the Dissociative Experiences Scale, were common in this patient cohort. The proportion of inverted temporal judgments correlated with both dissociative symptom scores (Clinician Administered Dissociative States Scale, unreality subscale) and with the Young Mania Rating Scale score (in linear model). This study shows that measures of temporal perception correlate with mood alterations in BD. This finding is the first to find such associations with a sub-second timing task. The linkage between the symptoms of BD and testable measures of time perception, supports the case for psychophysical measures of dissociation having utility as biomarkers of disease state