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Weakening of the Kuroshio Upstream by Cyclonic Cold Eddies Enhanced by the Consecutive Passages of Typhoons Danas, Wipha, and Francisco (2013)
Get PDFAn array of five pressure-recording inverted echo sounder (PIES) moorings spanning a distance of 420 km around the subtropical countercurrent and North Equatorial Current regions of the western Pacific detected extraordinary sea level drops from November to December 2013. In October 2013, three typhoons, namely, Danas, Wipha, and Francisco, consecutively passed east of the PIES sites, which significantly strengthened pre-existing cyclonic cold eddies to create the observed sea level drops. The typhoon-strengthened cold eddies propagated westward over approximately 1000 km for approximately 4 months and eventually met the Kuroshio offshore Taiwan. The approaching eddies interacted with the Kuroshio upstream for ~3 months and reduced the Kuroshio intensity by up to 24% in February–May 2014, the lowest record for the last 26 years of satellite measurements. Our results can provide a new mechanism linking typhoon-to-eddy-to-Kuroshio variability through oceanic processes
The ubiquitous creeping segments on oceanic transform faults
Get PDFOceanic transform faults are a significant component of the global plate boundary system and are well known for generating fewer and smaller earthquakes than expected. Detailed studies at a handful of sites support the hypothesis that an abundance of creeping segments is responsible for most of the observed deficiency of earthquakes on those faults. We test this hypothesis on a global scale. We relocate Mw \u3e5 earthquakes on 138 oceanic transform faults around the world and identify creeping segments on these faults. We demonstrate that creeping segments occur on almost all oceanic transform faults, which could explain their deficiency of earthquakes. We also find that most of the creeping segments are not associated with any large-scale geological structure such as a fault step-over, indicating that along-strike variation of fault zone properties may be the main reason for their existence
Protein-Templated Core/Shell Au Nanostructures for Intracellular Reactive Oxygen Species Detection by SERS
No full textCore/shell gold raspberry nanostructures capable of multiple therapeutic functionalities were synthesized using a template composed of monodispersed anionic protein (bovine serum albumin) nanoparticles coated with a cationic biopolymer (poly-l-lysine). The nanostructures exhibited high photothermal conversion efficiency when exposed to a near-infrared (NIR) laser, which led to significant cellular inhibition of A549 human lung cancer cells due to intracellular hyperthermia. The raspberry structures also provided hot spots for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) ratiometric sensing of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) when modified with the Raman reporter molecule 4-aminothiophenol (4-ATP). ROS was detected in A549 lung cancer cells upon photothermal heating of internalized nanostructures, enabling a possible mechanism for feedback on therapeutic efficacy. This was confirmed by adding the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and using a complementary fluorescence technique, which showed that the amount of detectable intracellular ROS decreased. These safe-by-design gold raspberry nanostructures could be promising for simultaneous therapeutic applications and monitoring therapeutic efficacy
Economic Lifetimes of Solar Panels
No full textAlmost all solutions addressing global warming and sustainable development depend on CO2 emission reductions from increased Photo-Voltaic (PV) power production. Despite the recent growth in PVinstallation in residential and larger-scale settings, deployments of solar panels will continue to accelerate over the near future, spurred by several factors. These include (i) the decrease in panel costs because of improvements in basic technology as well as manufacturing and scale efficiencies, (ii) the promotion of the technology by governments through subsidies for initial installations, (iii) the increasing conversion efficiency of solar panels, and in some cases, (iv) the increase in power costs because of a cessation of low-cost, high-emission generation methods. It is acknowledged that not much attention has been devoted to the end-of-life options for solar panels. The life of most commercially available panels is stated to exceed twenty years, and the lack of urgency in finding solutions may in part be attributed to the anticipated delay by which solutions are thought to be needed. In this paper it is demonstrated that based on economic considerations and recent trends of costs and technology improvements, it may be optimal to replace existing panels in as few as seven years. Thus, the tsunami of end-of-life solar panels may happen much sooner than anticipated, heightening the urgency for finding end-of-life solutions for solar panels. The analysis in this paper can also be used to evaluate the effects of subsidies for PV installations
Reporting racial and ethnic diversity in eating disorder research over the past 20 years
No full textObjective: Recent public awareness of racial and ethnic disparities has again brought to light issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the eating disorders field. However, empirical information on racial and ethnic representation in eating disorders research is limited, making it difficult to understand where improvements are needed. Method: This study reviewed all studies including human participants published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders in 2000, 2010, and 2020. Differences in likelihood of reporting race and ethnicity were calculated based on study year, location, and diagnostic categories. Results: Out of 377 manuscripts, 45.2% reported information on the race and ethnicity of study participants. Studies conducted in the United States were more likely to report (128/173), and those conducted in Europe were less likely to report (5/61) on race and ethnicity than those conducted outside of those regions. Rates of reporting increased from 2000 to 2020. White participants made up approximately 70% of the samples that reported race and ethnicity data. Hispanic participants made up approximately 10% of samples reporting race and ethnicity. Participants from all other races and ethnicities made up less than 5% each. Discussion: Although rates of reporting race and ethnicity increased over time, most participants were White. Rates of reporting also differed by the geographical region, which may reflect variability in how information on race and ethnicity is collected across countries. More attention toward capturing the cultural background of research participants and more inclusivity in research are needed in the eating disorders field
Regulation of genetically engineered (GE) mosquitoes as a public health tool: a public health ethics analysis
Get PDFBackground: In recent years, genetically engineered (GE) mosquitoes have been proposed as a public health measure against the high incidence of mosquito-borne diseases among the poor in regions of the global South. While uncertainties as well as risks for humans and ecosystems are entailed by the open-release of GE mosquitoes, a powerful global health governance non-state organization is funding the development of and advocating the use of those bio-technologies as public health tools.
In August 2016, the US Food and Drug Agency (FDA) approved the uncaged field trial of a GE Aedes aegypti mosquito in Key Haven, Florida. The FDA’s decision was based on its assessment of the risks of the proposed experimental public health research project. The FDA is considered a global regulatory standard setter. So, its approval of the uncaged field trial could be used by proponents of GE mosquitoes to urge countries in the global South to permit the use of those bio-technologies.
Method: From a public health ethics perspective, this paper evaluates the FDA’s 2016 risk assessment of the proposed uncaged field trial of the GE mosquito to determine whether it qualified as a realistic risk evaluation.
Results: The FDA’s risk assessment of the proposed uncaged field trial did not proximate the conditions under which the GE mosquitoes would be used in regions of the global South where there is a high prevalence of mosquito-borne diseases.
Conclusion: Given that health and disease have political-economic determinants, whether a risk assessment of a product is realistic or not particularly matters with respect to interventions meant for public health problems that disproportionately impact socio-economically marginalized populations. If ineffective public health interventions are adopted based on risk evaluations that do not closely mirror the conditions under which those products would actually be used, there could be public health and ethical costs for those populations
Sexual Coercion, Unintended Pregnancy, and Poor Reproductive Health Among Adolescent Girls (Aged 13 - 19) in Mexico
Get PDFIn Mexico, nearly 23,000 adolescents between the ages of 12-17 years suffer sexual coercion every year. This group also has a high birth rate of 77/1,000 adolescents, which indicates that one in every five pregnant women is an adolescent. This study describes the sexual coercion of victims and their views regarding the experience based on data collected from 37 Mexican girls between the age of 13 to 19, selected purposively using the snowball method in Monterrey city, Mexico. Results indicate that sexual coercion among adolescents is a serious problem, where 70% of adolescents experienced vaginal sexual coercion, nearly 22% experienced vaginal and oral sexual coercion, and eight percent suffered vaginal, verbal, and anal sexual coercion. Almost 50% of adolescent girls suffered sexual coercion by multiple partners. Of 37 girls’ responses, nearly one-fourth of them (nine adolescents) said that they suffered unintended pregnancy due to coercion, and many of them suffered from different types of sexually transmitted diseases, which may reduce their reproductive potential in the long term. This research study showed an association between sexual coercion and reproductive health outcomes among adolescents. Sexually coerced adolescents experience many reproductive health problems such as pain or burning while urinating, irregular menstruation, itching or irritation, lower abdominal pain, and vaginal discharge
Minari: The Concealed Asian Aspiration Wrapped in the American Dream
Get PDFAfter the success of the Korean film Parasite, Minari – a quasi-autobiographical drama of the Korean-American film director Lee Isaac Chung – has again turned the global public’s attention to Korean culture at large. In this review, we shed light on two themes that we capture from the movie: tensions and compromises in chasing the American dream of immigrants. Although stories about pursuing the American dream are abundant, we know less about how that dream causes tensions at the individual and family levels and how the tensions are resolved. Minari is an excellent example to probe the unfolding issues relating to the challenges of Americanization
Estimating naloxone need in the USA across fentanyl, heroin, and prescription opioid epidemics: a modelling study
Get PDFBackground: The US overdose crisis is driven by fentanyl, heroin, and prescription opioids. One evidence-based policy response has been to broaden naloxone distribution, but how much naloxone a community would need to reduce the incidence of fatal overdose is unclear. We aimed to estimate state-level US naloxone need in 2017 across three main naloxone access points (community-based programmes, provider prescription, and pharmacy-initiated distribution) and by dominant opioid epidemic type (fentanyl, heroin, and prescription opioid). Methods: In this modelling study, we developed, parameterised, and applied a mechanistic model of risk of opioid overdose and used it to estimate the expected reduction in opioid overdose mortality after deployment of a given number of two-dose naloxone kits. We performed a literature review and used a modified-Delphi panel to inform parameter definitions. We refined an established model of the population at risk of overdose by incorporating changes in the toxicity of the illicit drug supply and in the naloxone access point, then calibrated the model to 2017 using data obtained from proprietary data sources, state health departments, and national surveys for 12 US states that were representative of each epidemic type. We used counterfactual modelling to project the effect of increased naloxone distribution on the estimated number of opioid overdose deaths averted with naloxone and the number of naloxone kits needed to be available for at least 80% of witnessed opioid overdoses, by US state and access point. Findings: Need for naloxone differed by epidemic type, with fentanyl epidemics having the consistently highest probability of naloxone use during witnessed overdose events (range 58–76% across the three modelled states in this category) and prescription opioid-dominated epidemics having the lowest (range 0–20%). Overall, in 2017, community-based and pharmacy-initiated naloxone access points had higher probability of naloxone use in witnessed overdose and higher numbers of deaths averted per 100 000 people in state-specific results with these two access points than with provider-prescribed access only. To achieve a target of naloxone use in 80% of witnessed overdoses, need varied from no additional kits (estimated as sufficient) to 1270 kits needed per 100 000 population across the 12 modelled states annually. In 2017, only Arizona had sufficient kits to meet this target. Interpretation: Opioid epidemic type and how naloxone is accessed have large effects on the number of naloxone kits that need to be distributed, the probability of naloxone use, and the number of deaths due to overdose averted. The extent of naloxone distribution, especially through community-based programmes and pharmacy-initiated access points, warrants substantial expansion in nearly every US state. Funding: National Institute of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse