Measurements meet human observations : integrating distinctive ways of knowing in the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan to assess local climate change

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>In mountain environments dimensions of climate change are unclear because of limited availability of meteorological stations. However, there is a necessity to assess the scope of local climate change, as the livelihood and food systems of subsistence-based communities are already getting impacted. To provide more clarity about local climate trends in the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan, this study integrates measured climate data with community observations in the villages of Savnob and Roshorv. Taking a transdisciplinary approach, both knowledge systems were considered as equally pertinent and mutually informed the research process. Statistical trends of temperature and snow cover were retrieved using downscaled ERA5 temperature data and the snow cover product MOD10A1. Local knowledge was gathered through community workshops and structured interviews and analysed using a consensus index. Results showed, that local communities perceived increasing temperatures in autumn and winter and decreasing amounts of snow and rain. Instrumental data records indicated an increase in summer temperatures and a shortening of the snow season in Savnob. As both knowledge systems entail their own strengths and limitations, an integrative assessment can broaden the understanding of local climate trends by (i) reducing existing uncertainties, (ii) providing new information, and (iii) introducing unforeseen perspectives. The presented study represents a time-efficient and global applicable approach for assessing local dimensions of climate change in data-deficient regions.</jats:p&gt

Engaging Transformation: Using Seasonal Rounds to Anticipate Climate Change

Seasonal rounds are deliberative articulations of a community’s sociocultural relations with their ecological system. The process of visualizing seasonal rounds informs transdisciplinary research. We present a methodological approach for communities of enquiry to engage communities of practice through context-specific sociocultural and ecological relations driven by seasonal change. We first discuss historical précis of the concept of seasonal rounds that we apply to assess the spatial and temporal communal migrations and then describe current international research among Indigenous and rural communities in North America and Central Asia by the creation of a common vocabulary through mutual respect for multiple ways of knowing, validation of co-generated knowledge, and insights into seasonal change. By investigating the relationship between specific biophysical indicators and livelihoods of local communities, we demonstrate that seasonal rounds are an inclusive and participatory methodology that brings together diverse Indigenous and rural voices to anticipate anthropogenic climate change

Joachim Schlör, Nachts in der grossen Stadt

Lisberg-Haag Isabell. Joachim Schlör, Nachts in der grossen Stadt. In: Romantisme, 1994, n°83. La ville et son paysage. pp. 139-142

Joachim Schlör, Nachts in der grossen Stadt

Lisberg-Haag Isabell. Joachim Schlör, Nachts in der grossen Stadt. In: Romantisme, 1994, n°83. La ville et son paysage. pp. 139-142

Measurements meet human observations: integrating distinctive ways of knowing in the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan to assess local climate change

In mountain environments dimensions of climate change are unclear because of limited availability of meteorological stations. However, there is a necessity to assess the scope of local climate change, as the livelihood and food systems of subsistence-based communities are already getting impacted. To provide more clarity about local climate trends in the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan, this study integrates measured climate data with community observations in the villages of Savnob and Roshorv. Taking a transdisciplinary approach, both knowledge systems were considered as equally pertinent and mutually informed the research process. Statistical trends of temperature and snow cover were retrieved using downscaled ERA5 temperature data and the snow cover product MOD10A1. Local knowledge was gathered through community workshops and structured interviews and analysed using a consensus index. Results showed, that local communities perceived increasing temperatures in autumn and winter and decreasing amounts of snow and rain. Instrumental data records indicated an increase in summer temperatures and a shortening of the snow season in Savnob. As both knowledge systems entail their own strengths and limitations, an integrative assessment can broaden the understanding of local climate trends by (i) reducing existing uncertainties, (ii) providing new information, and (iii) introducing unforeseen perspectives. The presented study represents a time-efficient and global applicable approach for assessing local dimensions of climate change in data-deficient regions.Projekt DEA

IL-33/ST2 immune responses to respiratory bacteria in pediatric asthma

Here we investigated the relationship between local bacterial colonization and anti-bacterial immune responses in pre-school asthmatic and control children within the EU-wide study PreDicta. In this cohort of pre-school asthmatic children, nasopharyngeal colonization with Gram-negative bacteria such as Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis was found to be associated with the highest interferon beta (IFNβ) and IL-33 levels in the nasal pharyngeal fluids (NPF). IL33R-ST2 was found induced in the blood of asthmatic children with additional Gram + bacteria in the nasopharynx (Gr+/−). Furthermore, asthmatic children had more episodes of infection that required antibiotic therapy than the control group. Treatment with antibiotics associated with reduced ST2 in blood cells of both asthmatic and control children and reduced IL-33 levels in the airways of asthmatic children. In the absence of Staphylococcus (S.) aureus in NPF, antibiotic therapy associated with decreased IL-33 levels in the NPF and lower ST2 values in the blood of control children but not of asthmatic children. These data suggest that, in asthmatic children, Gram- bacteria, which persist after antibiotic therapy, contributes to IL-33 locally and associated with Gr + bacteria colonization in the airways, inhibited IFN-β and in the absence of Staphylococcus (S.) aureus, induced ST2 bearing cells in their blood

CD39 is upregulated during activation of mouse and human T cells and attenuates the immune response to <i>Listeria monocytogenes</i>

<div><p>The ectoenzymes CD39 and CD73 degrade extracellular ATP to adenosine. ATP is released by stressed or damaged cells and provides pro-inflammatory signals to immune cells through P2 receptors. Adenosine, on the other hand, suppresses immune cells by stimulating P1 receptors. Thus, CD39 and CD73 can shape the quality of immune responses. Here we demonstrate that upregulation of CD39 is a consistent feature of activated conventional CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells. Following stimulation <i>in vitro</i>, CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells from human blood gained surface expression of CD39 but displayed only low levels of CD73. Activated human T cells from inflamed joints largely presented with a CD39⁺CD73^— phenotype. In line, in spleens of mice with acute <i>Listeria monocytogenes</i>, listeria-specific CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells acquired a CD39⁺CD73^— phenotype. To test the function of CD39 in control of bacterial infection, CD39-deficient (CD39^-/-) mice were infected with <i>L</i>. <i>monocytogenes</i>. CD39^-/- mice showed better initial control of <i>L</i>. <i>monocytogenes</i>, which was associated with enhanced production of inflammatory cytokines. In the late stage of infection, CD39^-/- mice accumulated more listeria-specific CD8⁺ T cells in the spleen than wildtype animals suggesting that CD39 attenuates the CD8⁺ T-cell response to infection. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that CD39 is upregulated on conventional CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells at sites of acute infection and inflammation, and that CD39 dampens responses to bacterial infection.</p></div