Green in Your Wallet or a Green Planet: Views on Government Spending and Climate Change

The scientific community is a near consensus that climate change is not only anthropogenic but is also a major threat to people around the world. Despite the alarm bells from the scientific community many people in the United States simply deny the science of climate change. Many studies have targeted level of education, party membership, and gender in their role in influencing how individuals perceive climate change. This study showed that views on government spending plays a very important role in the importance of the environment. Individuals who supported decreased government spending tend to view jobs as more important than the environment when compared to individuals who supported increased government spending, this is true among both Republicans and non-Republicans. Generally speaking, the Republican platform typically involves the economy over the environment, and the Democratic platform typically involves more environmentally friendly action. This study posits Republicans that believed the government should increase spending in 2012 were indistinguishable from non-Republicans who supported reductions in government spending. The inability to distinguish between republicans who believe in increased spending and non-republicans who believe in increased spending suggests that views on the environment may be more than simply a partisan issue they may simply have to do with willingness to spend money on the environment

Blue Sky Olympics: Satellite Observations of Air Quality During the 2008 Beijing Olympics

China has imposed short-term emission control regulations on industry and transportation to quickly improve air quality during certain events, including the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Previous research noted reductions in NO2 vertical column density, CO emissions, CO2 emissions, and Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD). NO2 and SO2 decreased in neighboring provinces, during this time period. Using MODIS level-2 atmospheric aerosol product (MYD04_L2) data, processed by the dark target algorithm, this study observes trends in regional AOD and temporal change in AOD during the Olympic emissions reduction program. 2008 observations are referenced against AOD observations from 2003 to 2013, within 9-day intervals from June 23rd to October 24th and 40 km bands extending up to 240 km from the Beijing municipal limits. During the Olympics, median AOD values were below median AOD values from the reference period. AOD levels returned to above reference period levels in the September 12th to September 20th period, before the end of the Special Olympics in Beijing. During the Olympic period, reductions in AOD values, compared to the reference period were observed in regions within 80 km of Beijing, while an increase in AOD values was present in regions 120 km to 240 km from Beijing

Divalent Metal Ions Tune the Self-Splicing Reaction of the Yeast Mitochondrial Group II Intron Sc.ai5γ

Group II introns are large ribozymes, consisting of six functionally distinct domains that assemble in the presence of Mg2+ to the active structure catalyzing a variety of reactions. The first step of intron splicing is well characterized by a Michaelis–Menten-type cleavage reaction using a two-piece group II intron: the substrate RNA, the 5′-exon covalently linked to domains 1, 2, and 3, is cleaved upon addition of domain 5 acting as a catalyst. Here we investigate the effect of Ca2+, Mn2+, Ni2+, Zn2+, Cd2+, Pb2+, and [Co(NH3)6]3+ on the first step of splicing of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae mitochondrial group II intron Sc.ai5γ. We find that this group II intron is very sensitive to the presence of divalent metal ions other than Mg2+. For example, the presence of only 5% Ca2+ relative to Mg2+ results in a decrease in the maximal turnover rate k cat by 50%. Ca2+ thereby has a twofold effect: this metal ion interferes initially with folding, but then also competes directly with Mg2+ in the folded state, the latter being indicative of at least one specific Ca2+ binding pocket interfering directly with catalysis. Similar results are obtained with Mn2+, Cd2+, and [Co(NH3)6]3+. Ni2+ is a much more powerful inhibitor and the presence of either Zn2+ or Pb2+ leads to rapid degradation of the RNA. These results show a surprising sensitivity of such a large multidomain RNA on trace amounts of cations other than Mg2+ and raises the question of biological relevance at least in the case of Ca2+

Local Perceptions of Change in Climate and Agroecosystems in the Indian Himalayas: A Case Study of the Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS) Landscape, India

Agricultural communities in the Himalayas are especially vulnerable to the shocks of climate change. An improved understanding of how residents perceive changes to climate and agroecosystems is critical to creating and implementing locally appropriate adaptation strategies. In this study, we administered a questionnaire to 251 residents within 16 villages in and adjacent to the Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS), a culturally and ecologically important area in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. The study area is rugged and remote, and the resource-dependent communities are among the least-studied of the region. Using the questionnaire, we investigated how residents perceive changes to climate and agroecosystems, how households are adapting, and whether perceptions and adaptations differ by demographic and livelihood factors. We used both quantitative (summary statistics, t-tests, and chi square tests) and qualitative strategies (interpretation of open-ended responses) to analyze the questionnaire results. A majority of respondents perceived an increase in many variables including flash flood/landslide events, total annual rainfall, average summer temperature, agricultural pests, crop failure, and crop raiding by wild animals. In most cases, perceptions did not vary by demographic or livelihood factors. However, larger landholders were more likely to perceive an increase in intense rain/snow, average annual rainfall, and wildlife sightings in fields. Most respondents reported that they were not adapting or planning to adapt to change. However, a few reported adaptation strategies such as changing crops and planting vegetation to stabilize soil, as well as pesticide use. Respondents believed that to effectively adapt they need assistance from outside institutions. Locally-based (panchayat) and state-level institutions were ranked as very helpful for adaptation, but the Forest Department, Government of India, and NGOs received lower rankings. Overall, the respondents demonstrated a high level of agreement in their perceptions of change and barriers to adaptation. The broad consensus among residents offers an important opportunity for consensus building and collaboration with local and national institutions. The study has implications for collaborative public works and research projects which can help to build trust, develop locally-appropriate adaptation strategies, reduce conflict with wild animals, share insights, and increase the visibility of local knowledge about climate and agroecosystems. Furthermore, the study illustrates how understanding the perceptions and insights of agricultural communities around protected areas can inform adaptation at the ground level

Hypocretin/Orexin Peptides Excite Rat Neuroendocrine Dopamine Neurons through Orexin 2 Receptor-Mediated Activation of a Mixed Cation Current

Hypocretin/Orexin (H/O) neurons of the lateral hypothalamus are compelling modulator candidates for the chronobiology of neuroendocrine output and, as a consequence, hormone release from the anterior pituitary. Here we investigate the effects of H/O peptides upon tuberoinfundibular dopamine (TIDA) neurons – cells which control, via inhibition, the pituitary secretion of prolactin. In whole cell recordings performed in male rat hypothalamic slices, application of H/O-A, as well as H/O-B, excited oscillating TIDA neurons, inducing a reversible depolarising switch from phasic to tonic discharge. The H/O-induced inward current underpinning this effect was post-synaptic (as it endured in the presence of tetrodotoxin), appeared to be carried by a Na(+)-dependent transient receptor potential-like channel (as it was blocked by 2-APB and was diminished by removal of extracellular Na(+)), and was a consequence of OX2R receptor activation (as it was blocked by the OX2R receptor antagonist TCS OX2 29, but not the OX1R receptor antagonist SB 334867). Application of the hormone, melatonin, failed to alter TIDA membrane potential or oscillatory activity. This first description of the electrophysiological effects of H/Os upon the TIDA network identifies cellular mechanisms that may contribute to the circadian rhythmicity of prolactin secretion