Climate change and transdisciplinary science: Problematizing the integration imperative

In this article we critically examine the ‘integration imperative’ in transdisciplinary environmental science and build on social constructivist and political theories to suggest alternative approaches of knowledge co-production in transdisciplinary settings. Our argument builds upon a body of literature in social studies of science to cull insights about knowledge co-production, social learning, and the ecology of team science, particularly as it relates to climate change adaptation. Couched in this transdisciplinary literature, we demonstrate, is the assumption that integration necessarily can and should be a regulative ideal. We critique this assumption by examining the ‘messy’ politics of achieving consensus among radically different, and sometimes irreconcilable, ways of knowing. We argue that the integration imperative conceals the friction, antagonism, and power inherent in knowledge co-production, which in turn can exclude innovative and experimental ways of understanding and adapting to climate change. By way of conclusion, the final section explores three alternative models of knowledge co-production – triangulation, the multiple evidence-based approach, and scenario building – and illustrates their application in the context of transdisciplinary research in climate change adaptation in the arctic, focusing on alternative means of cross-boundary engagement with indigenous ways of knowing.     

Rapid and radical amniodrainage in the treatment of severe twin–twin transfusion syndrome†

We have evaluated the role of a rapid and radical method of amniodrainage in the treatment of severe twin–twin transfusion. The outcome of 15 patients with severe twin–twin transfusion for which a amniodrainage was performed by means of a vacuum bottle system was compared with the outcome of 15 patients with a similar condition, matched for gestational age at the time of the initial procedure and drained using a standard procedure. In the study group the amniodrainage ended when no amniotic fluid could be aspirated, whereas the women in the standard group were drained with a syringe system and the fluid was removed until the deepest amniotic fluid pool was <8 cm. At the initial procedure, the mean volume of amniotic fluid drained was significantly (p<0.05) higher (3252 vs 2153 ml) and the length of the procedure significantly (p<0.001) shorter (21 vs 41 min) in the study group than in the standard group. The mean post-procedure amniotic fluid index was significantly (p<0.001) smaller (2.9 vs 7.7 cm) after radical amniodrainage than after the standard amniodrainage. The mean number of procedures was significantly (p<0.001) lower (1.5 vs 5.6) in the study group compared to the standard group. In the study group the mean placental thickness increased significantly (p<0.001) from 9 mm before the procedure to 49 mm after, and the overall perinatal survival rate was 80% and the proportion of pregnancies with at least one survivor was 93%. The present data indicate that early, rapid and radical amniodrainage is an effective and low-cost therapy for severe twin–twin transfusion syndrome. Compared to the standard amniodrainage technique it also appears to reduce the need for multiple procedures. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Temporal variability of visibility and its parameterizations in Ningbo, China

Simultaneous and continuous measurements of visibility, meteorological parameters and air pollutants were carried out at a suburban site in Ningbo from June 1, 2013 to May 31,2015. The characteristics of visibility and their relationships with air pollutants and meteorological factors were investigated using multiple statistical methods. Daily visibility ranged from 0.6 to 34.1 km, with a mean value of 11.8 km. During the 2-year experiment,43.4% of daily visibility was found to be less than 10.0 km and only 9.2% was greater than 20.0 km. Visibility was lower in winter with a frequency of 53.4% in the range of 0.0–5.0 km.Annual visibility had an obvious diurnal variation, with the lowest and highest visibility being 7.5 km at approximately 06:00 local time and 15.6 km at approximately 14:00 local time, respectively. Multiple correspondence analysis(MCA) indicated that the different ranges of visibility were significantly affected by different levels of pollutants and meteorological conditions. Based on the analyses, visibility was found to be an exponential function of PM_(2.5) concentrations within a certain range of relative humidity. Thus, nonlinear models combining multiple linear regressions with exponential regression were subsequently developed using the data collected from June 2014 to May 2015, and the data from June 2013 to May 2014 was used to evaluate the performance of the model. It was demonstrated that the derived models can quantitatively describe the relationships between visibility, air quality and meteorological parameters in Ningbo.