1,780 research outputs found
From the ocean to outer space – and almost everything in between
No full textCITATION: Hart, T. G. B. 2016. From the ocean to outer space – and almost everything in between. South African Journal of Science, 112((7/8), Art. #a0160, doi:10.17159/sajs.2016/a0160.The original publication is available at http://sajs.co.zaNo abstract availablehttp://www.sajs.co.za/ocean-outer-space-%E2%80%93-and-almost-everything-between/tim-g-b-hartPublisher's versio
Exploring definitions of food insecurity and vulnerability: time to refocus assessments
No full textRecent high food prices and changes in the world food situation are exacerbating the conditions of households that are vulnerable to food insecurity, especially those with weak livelihood strategies. To address the impact of these and other stressors it is necessary to develop a deeper understanding of concepts such as ‘vulnerability’ and ‘food insecurity’. This is challenging as both concepts are used rather loosely in the food security literature, despite both having at least two dimensions. Vulnerability has an external and internal dimension, and food insecurity has a temporal and intensity dimension. However, assessments are often only concerned with one dimension at a time. An exploration of the two concepts suggests that in both cases the dimensions need to be combined in order to understand the different interactions and the interconnections between different dimensions and the multiple levels of the systems in which they are embedded. This combination of dimensions is important for understanding the significant role that livelihoods play in the accumulation of assets and for accessing food. It makes the understanding of the multiple causes and consequences of vulnerability and food insecurity for different households clearer. Those households and individuals considered chronically poor or food-insecure are likely to experience severe food insecurity in the long-term, as a result of their weak livelihoods and minimal assets. Consequently, future studies on vulnerability to food insecurity should focus on these chronically food insecure households in order to determine the multidimensional nature of the stressors they experience and their ability to cope and adapt to these stressors. This would contribute to our understanding of the contexts in which the data from larger quantitative studies are embedded.high food prices, livelihoods, vulnerability, food insecurity, multidimensional stressors, Consumer/Household Economics,
Nostalgia: content, triggers, functions
No full textSeven methodologically diverse studies addressed 3 fundamental questions about nostalgia. Studies 1 and 2 examined the content of nostalgic experiences. Descriptions of nostalgic experiences typically featured the self as a protagonist in interactions with close others (e.g., friends) or in momentous events (e.g., weddings). Also, the descriptions contained more expressions of positive than negative affect and often depicted the redemption of negative life scenes by subsequent triumphs. Studies 3 and 4 examined triggers of nostalgia and revealed that nostalgia occurs in response to negative mood and the discrete affective state of loneliness. Studies 5, 6, and 7 investigated the functional utility of nostalgia and established that nostalgia bolsters social bonds, increases positive self-regard, and generates positive affect. These findings demarcate key landmarks in the hitherto uncharted research domain of nostalgi
Pre-admission air pollution exposure prolongs the duration of ventilation in intensive care patients
No full textPurpose Air pollutant exposure constitutes a serious risk factor for the emergence or aggravation of (existing) pulmonary disease. The impact of pre-intensive care ambient air pollutant exposure on the duration of artificial ventilation was, however, not yet established. Methods The medical records of 2003 patients, admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Antwerp University Hospital (Flanders, Belgium), who were artificially ventilated on ICU admission or within 48 h after admission, for the duration of at least 48 h, were analyzed. For each patient's home address, daily air pollutant exposure [particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <= 2.5 mu m (PM2.5) and <= 10 mu m (PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and black carbon (BC)] up to 10 days prior to hospital admission was modeled using a high-resolution spatial-temporal model. The association between duration of artificial ventilation and air pollution exposure during the last 10 days before ICU admission was assessed using distributed lag models with a negative binomial regression fit. Results Controlling for pre-specified confounders, an IQR increment in BC (1.2 mu g/m(3)) up to 10 days before admission was associated with an estimated cumulative increase of 12.4% in ventilation duration (95% CI 4.7-20.7). Significant associations were also observed for PM2.5, PM10 and NO2, with cumulative estimates ranging from 7.8 to 8.0%. Conclusion Short-term ambient air pollution exposure prior to ICU admission represents an unrecognized environmental risk factor for the duration of artificial ventilation in the ICU.This study received no external funding. No entity other than the authors listed played any role in the design of the study; the collection, analysis or interpretation of data; the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit this paper for publication. All authors have full access to the data. Tim Nawrot is a beneficiary of the European Research Council. Bram Janssen and Bianca Cox are postdoctoral fellows of the Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO 12W3218N and 12Q0517N, respectively, and supported by FWO project G082317N). We would like to thank Hilde Fleurackers for the administrative support and assistance she provided.De Weerdt, A (reprint author), Antwerp Univ Hosp UZA, Dept Crit Care Med, Wilrijkstr 10, B-2650 Edegem, Belgium.
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Mitochondrial DNA methylation in placental tissue: a proof of concept study by means of prenatal environmental stressors
No full textWhile previous studies have demonstrated that prenatal exposure to environmental stressors is associated with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) methylation, more recent investigations are questioning the accuracy of the methylation assessment and its biological relevance. In this study, we investigated placental mtDNA methylation while accounting for methodological issues such as nuclear contamination, bisulphite conversion, and PCR bias. From the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort, we selected three groups of participants (n = 20/group). One group with mothers who smoked during pregnancy (average 13.2 cig/day), one group with high air pollutant exposure (PM2.5: 16.0 +/- 1.4 mu g/m(3), black carbon: 1.8 +/- 0.3 mu g/m(3)) and one control group (non-smokers, PM2.5: 10.6 +/- 1.7 mu g/m(3), black carbon: 0.9 +/- 0.1 mu g/m(3)) with low air pollutant exposure. DNA methylation levels were quantified in two regions of the displacement loop control region (D-loopandLDLR2) by bisulphite pyrosequencing. Additionally, we measured DNA methylation on nuclear genes involved in mitochondrial maintenance (PINK1, DNA2, andPOLG1) and assessed mtDNA content using qPCR. AbsoluteD-loopmethylation levels were higher for mothers that smoked extensively (+0.36%, 95% CI: 0.06% to 0.66%), and for mothers that were highly exposed to air pollutants (+0.47%, 95% CI: 0.20% to 0.73%). The relevance of our findings is further supported, asD-loopmethylation levels were correlated with placental mtDNA content (r = -0.40, p = 0.002) and associated with birth weight (-106.98 g, 95% CI: -209.60 g to -4.36 g for an IQR increase inD-loopmethylation). Most notably, our data demonstrates relevant levels of mtDNA methylation in placenta tissue, with significant associations between prenatal exposure to environmental stressors andD-loopmethylation.This work was supported by the Research Foundation Flanders [G082317N]; Research Foundation Flanders [N1518119].Janssen, BG (corresponding author), Hasselt Univ, Ctr Environm Sci, B-3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium.
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Counteracting loneliness: on the restorative function of nostalgia
No full textFour studies tested whether nostalgia can counteract reductions in perceived social support caused by loneliness. Loneliness reduced perceptions of social support but increased nostalgia. Nostalgia, in turn, increased perceptions of social support. Thus, loneliness affected perceived social support in two distinct ways. Whereas the direct effect of loneliness was to reduce perceived social support, the indirect effect of loneliness was to increase perceived social support via nostalgia. This restorative function of nostalgia was particularly apparent among resilient persons. Nostalgia is a psychological resource that protects and fosters mental health
The ownership and allocation of tradable CO2 permits in Hungary ----- Its title in Hungarian: A forgalmazható szén-dioxid kibocsátási jogok allokációja Magyarországon
No full textIn view of the obligations undertaken by Hungary in the Kyoto Protocol, as well as the need to meet the requirements of the EU regulation intended to foster the implementation of reducing greenhouse gas emissions through an EU-wide cap-and-trade system, Hungarian authorities will soon have to decide on the highly sensitive question of how emission rights among regulated firms should be allocated. Because different distribution methods might result in substantially different outcomes on the financial situation of firms, how the ownership of allowances should be transferred to regulated companies is one of the most heavily discussed questions. Moreover, emission rights of different countries under the Protocol might be of high value for the governments of countries which are likely to become net sellers at the allowance market and possess extra amount of assigned emission units over their actual emissions (so called “hot air”), so the issue of who should benefit from the possible gains also arises. This paper suggests a theoretically desirable solution to the problem in view of the delineating EU regulation and the common arguments for and against the free allocation of ownership rights to firms. Given that the outcome of the proposed solution is difficult to reach through actual regulation, we also discuss the practical feasibility of the suggested way of allocation.
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A kiotói vállalások teljesítésére irányuló európai szén-dioxid kibocsátási kvóta kereskedelmi rendszerben való részvételi kötelezettség miatt hamarosan döntenie kell a magyar hatóságoknak arról, hogyan történjen a szennyezési jogok kezdeti allokációja a szabályozás által érintett hazai vállalati körben. Mivel a különböző kiosztási módok igen eltérő hatással lehetnek a vállalatok anyagi helyzetére, a kezdeti allokáció kérdése a szabályozás igen kényes, sokat vitatott pontja. Mivel Magyarország a kiotói egyezményben meghatározott kibocsátási limithez képest jelenleg többlet emisszióval (un. forró levegő), valamint jelentős elhárítási potenciállal rendelkezik, nagy valószínűséggel nettó eladóként fog fellépni az egységes európai piacon. Felmerül tehát a kérdés: Ki részesüljön az emissziós jogok birtoklásából származó esetleges haszonból? A tanulmány egy elméleti megoldást javasol a kiosztás problémájára a formálódó EU szabályozás által megszabott keretek, valamint az ingyenes allokáció mellett és az ellen felhozott érvek figyelembevételével. Mivel az elméleti megoldás igen szigorú kezdeti feltevésekre épül, a dolgozat a javasolt módszer gyakorlati alkalmazhatóságának kérdésére is kitér
Meta-analyses identify 13 loci associated with age at menopause and highlight DNA repair and immune pathways
No full textTo newly identify loci for age at natural menopause, we carried out a meta-analysis of 22 genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in 38,968 women of European descent, with replication in up to 14,435 women. In addition to four known loci, we identified 13 loci newly associated with age at natural menopause (at P < 5 × 10(-8)). Candidate genes located at these newly associated loci include genes implicated in DNA repair (EXO1, HELQ, UIMC1, FAM175A, FANCI, TLK1, POLG and PRIM1) and immune function (IL11, NLRP11 and PRRC2A (also known as BAT2)). Gene-set enrichment pathway analyses using the full GWAS data set identified exoDNase, NF-κB signaling and mitochondrial dysfunction as biological processes related to timing of menopause
Understanding consumption within a residential care home : an interpretation of George’s everyday experiences of life and death
No full textWe are witnessing perhaps the most important shift in the history of mankind – the rapid ageing of the earths population. This trend raises such issues as elderly care giving and living arrangements in old age. By virtue, the author suggests that managing service provision for elderly consumers within residential care homes is going to become an increasingly important issue as more consumers live longer and require residential care. Moreover, given the paucity of literature related to elderly consumers understandings of such institutions this research aims to illuminate and distil this issue. Based on existential-phenomenological hermeneutic interpretive methods the author reveals that elderly consumers actively consume life and death related experiences in order to create a meaningful existence within residential care homes
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