Ice core data show why, despite lower sulfur emissions in US and Western Europe, air pollution is dropping more slowly

TOKYO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Research News

 

IMAGE: THIS STUDY IS BASED ON THE 90.45-M-DEEP ICE CORE OBTAINED AT A SOUTHEASTERN GREENLAND DOME SITE (67.18°N, 36.37°W, 3170 M A.S.L., SE-DOME HEREAFTER).... view more 

CREDIT: HOKKAIDO UNIVERSITY

The air in the United States and Western Europe is much cleaner than even a decade ago. Low-sulfur gasoline standards and regulations on power plants have successfully cut sulfate concentrations in the air, reducing the fine particulate matter that harms human health and cleaning up the environmental hazard of acid rain.

Despite these successes, sulfate levels in the atmosphere have declined more slowly than sulfur dioxide emissions, especially in wintertime. This unexpected phenomenon suggests sulfur dioxide emission reductions are less efficient than expected for cutting sulfate aerosols. A new study led by Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech), Hokkaido University and the University of Washington explains why.

The open-access paper was published on May 5 in Science Advances.

When concentrations of acidic sulfate from fossil fuel emissions decrease while the concentration of more basic ammonium molecules in the atmosphere stay constant, liquid water droplets in clouds become less acidic. This makes conversion of sulfur dioxide to sulfate more efficient. So, even though air quality regulations have reduced the supply of sulfur dioxide from power plants and shipping, the total amount of sulfate particulates that harm human health has dropped more slowly.

"This does not mean that the emissions reductions aren't working. It's just that there is a reaction which partially mitigates the reductions," said co-author Becky Alexander, a UW professor of atmospheric sciences. "We need to understand this multiphase chemistry in the atmosphere to design an efficient strategy to manage air pollution and accurately predict future air pollution and climate change impacts."

During most of the 20th century, sulfur dioxide emissions increased with industrialization in many parts of the world. But recently that trend has reversed in response to regulations, while ammonium emissions from animals and agriculture continue at the same rate. These trends are expected to continue.

Data from an ice core in Greenland that preserves past years' atmospheres show that the proportion of sulfate containing oxygen with one extra neutron, or oxygen-17, increased in the 1980s after countries began to regulate emissions. The authors' analysis shows this is due to faster sulfate formation in the liquid phase in the atmosphere, which occurs largely within clouds, under less-acidic conditions.

"After the SO2 emission control, relatively lower atmospheric acidity promotes the efficiency of sulfate production in the atmosphere, which weakens the response of sulfate level to the SO2 reduction," said lead author Shohei Hattori at Tokyo Tech. "Our unique isotopic techniques applied for the Greenland ice core records identify the key process of the weakened response of sulfate to SO2 emissions reduction."

The data came from an ice core drilled in southeast Greenland (SE-Dome) as part of a project led by Hokkaido University. The oxygen trapped in this ice provided evidence of sulfate composition from 1959 to 2015, without contamination from local pollution.

"Based on a continuous and high-resolution ice core record from SE-Dome, we could obtain reliable records for atmospheric aerosols without second modification after deposition," said co-author and leader of SE-Dome ice core project Yoshinori Iizuka at Hokkaido University. "We plan to drill a second ice core at the same location this year, and try to reconstruct the aerosol history back to the 1750s."

The ice core does not contain separate data for summer and winter, but models show that other, gas-phase chemical reactions for sulfur dioxide become more important in summer, reducing the summertime impact of changing cloud acidity. Knowing how these molecules react will help improve the atmospheric models used to forecast air quality and project climate change.

CAPTION

Sulfur dioxide from anthropogenic activities follow various chemical paths to form hazardous sulfate particulates. The multiphase path (inside the shaded box) becomes more important under less acidic conditions, resulting in a weaker response of sulfate to SO2 emission reduction.

CREDIT

University of Washington, Tokyo Tech, Hokkaido University

Zero to hero: Overlooked material could help reduce our carbon footprint

Scientists report hitherto unobserved high-performance CO2 adsorption in zeolites at room temperature, opening doors to applications in air purification

OKAYAMA UNIVERSITY

Research News

 

IMAGE: A NEW AVENUE FOR SELECTIVE AND EXCELLENT CO2-DESORPTION AT ROOM TEMPERATURE AND IN THE LOWER PRESSURE REGION BY UTILIZING A-TYPE ZEOLITE; THE CO2 MOLECULE ADSORBED IS SIMULTANEOUSLY PINNED BY TWO... view more 

CREDIT: 2021 OKAYAMA UNIVERSITY-INORGCHEM

It is now well known that carbon dioxide is the biggest contributor to climate change and originates primarily from burning of fossil fuels. While there are ongoing efforts around the world to end our dependence on fossil fuels as energy sources, the promise of green energy still lies in the future. Can something be done in the meantime to reduce the concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere?

It would, in fact, be great if the CO2 in the atmosphere could simply be adsorbed! Turns out, this is exactly what direct air capture (DAC), or the capture of CO2 under ambient conditions, aims to do. However, no such material with the ability to adsorb CO2 efficiently under DAC conditions has so far been developed. "It is well known that CO2 is acidic in nature. Therefore, materials with basic nature are generally utilized as adsorbents for CO2. However, that often leads to corrosion of the system and is also not suitable for recycling the adsorbed CO2," explains Professor Yasushige Kuroda from Okayama University, Japan, who conducts research on surface chemistry.

Against this backdrop, in a recent study published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A, scientists from Okayama University and Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI) led by Prof. Kuroda explored the adsorption properties of a material that has so far remained an "underdog": zeolites (minerals containing mainly aluminum and silicon oxides). "Zeolite materials have received little attention as adsorbents owing to their low CO2 adsorption capacity at room temperature and in the lower pressure adsorption region, as well as their poor selectivity over nitrogen," says Prof. Kuroda.

In their study, Prof. Kuroda and his team designed an ion-exchanging method of zeolite with alkaline-earth ions and achieved a remarkably high CO2 adsorption under ambient conditions. The team specifically chose an A-type zeolite (silicon/aluminum ratio of 1) because of its appropriate pore size for adsorbing CO2, while the alkaline-earth ion exchange imparted a large electric field strength that, supposedly, acted as a driving force for the adsorption. Scientists chose a doubly charged calcium ion (Ca2+) as the exchange ion since it allowed for the greatest amount of adsorption. In fact, the adsorbed volume noted was the largest amount of CO2 to have ever been adsorbed by any zeolite system, surpassing that for other materials under similar conditions!

To investigate the underlying adsorption mechanism, the scientists carried out far-infrared (far-IR) measurements and backed them up with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The far-IR spectra, which detected the vibrational modes due to Ca2+-zeolite vibration, showed a distinct shift towards longer wavelengths following CO2 adsorption, a feature scientists could not recognize in other samples, e.g. Na-ion exchanged A-type zeolite. They further verified their observation with a model that showed good agreement with DFT calculations.

Moreover, the scientists were able to completely desorb the adsorbed CO2 and recover the original sample and its specific adsorption properties. In addition, the sample showed a superior selective adsorption of CO2 from other gases after the scientists examined the separation of CO2 using a model gas that emulated ambient air in its composition.

The findings thus bring zeolites to the forefront as an efficient adsorbent of CO2 under ambient conditions, a feat previously thought unachievable with these systems. "Our work can open doors to potentially novel applications of zeolites, such as in the cleaning of air inside semi-closed spaces including space shuttles, submarines, and concert halls, and as an adsorbent material in the anesthetic process," speculates Prof. Kuroda excitedly.

One thing is for sure, though: chemists will never look at zeolite in the same way again.

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Alcohol in moderation may help the heart by calming stress signals in the brain

Findings should spur the search for new therapies that help lower stress and impact the heart without the drawbacks of alcohol

AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY

Research News

 

Moderate alcohol intake--defined as no more than one alcoholic drink for women and two for men per day--has been associated with a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease when compared with individuals who abstain from drinking or partake in excessive drinking, according to a new study being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 70th Annual Scientific Session. It's also the first study to show that drinking moderate amounts of alcohol may be heart protective, in part, by reducing stress-related brain signals based on a subset of patients who underwent brain imaging.

"We found that stress-related activity in the brain was higher in non-drinkers when compared with people who drank moderately, while people who drank excessively (more than 14 drinks per week) had the highest level of stress-related brain activity," said Kenechukwu Mezue, MD, a fellow in nuclear cardiology at Massachusetts General Hospital and the study's lead author. "The thought is that moderate amounts of alcohol may have effects on the brain that can help you relax, reduce stress levels and, perhaps through these mechanisms, lower the incidence of cardiovascular disease."

While Mezue was quick to caution that these findings should not encourage alcohol use, he said they could open doors to new therapeutics or prescribing stress-relieving activities like exercise or yoga to help minimize stress signals in the brain.

"The current study suggests that moderate alcohol intake beneficially impacts the brain-heart connection. However, alcohol has several important side effects, including an increased risk of cancer, liver damage and dependence, so other interventions with better side effect profiles that beneficially impact brain-heart pathways are needed," Mezue said.

In a related study by the same research team (which is also being presented at ACC.21), exercise was found to have a similar effect on brain activity as well as on the incidence of cardiovascular disease and events. The authors said exercise is associated with decreased stress-associated brain activity in a dose-dependent manner. While the connection between stress and heart disease is widely accepted, the authors said relatively little research has been done on how modifying stress may help protect heart health.

Data were obtained from the Mass General Brigham Biobank health care survey of 53,064 participants, of which 59.9% were women and the average age was 57.2 years. Alcohol intake was based on self-report and was classified as low (<1 drink/week), moderate (1-14 drinks/week) or high (>14 drinks/week). Major adverse cardiovascular events, including heart attack, stroke or related hospitalizations, were determined using diagnostic (ICD) codes.

Of the patients included, 752 underwent 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography, or PET imaging, which is often used as part of cancer screening but can also show areas in the brain that have increased activity. The scans allowed researchers to objectively measure activity in regions of the brain known to be associated with stress. Researchers assessed stress-related brain activity by measuring the activity of the amygdala (the part of the brain associated with fear and stress) and dividing it by activity in the frontal cortex (the part of the brain involved in executive functions). They then grouped patients based on the extent of brain stress activity.

Of the 53,064 participants, 7,905 (15%) experienced a major adverse cardiovascular event: 17% in the low alcohol intake group and 13% in the moderate alcohol intake group. People who reported moderate alcohol intake were found to have a 20% lower chance of having a major event compared to low alcohol intake (in adjusted analysis), and also had lower stress-related brain activity. This remained significant even after controlling for demographic variables, cardiovascular risk factors, socioeconomic variables and psychological factors.

"Previous studies by our group and others have shown a robust association between heightened amygdalar activity and a higher risk of major adverse cardiovascular outcomes, such as heart attack, stroke or death. In the current study, path analyses showed that the link between moderate alcohol intake and lowered cardiovascular event risk is significantly mediated though reductions in amygdalar activity," Mezue said.

The study is limited due to the self-reporting of alcohol intake based on the average consumption of drinks per week. The data is also from a single center, and each participant in the imaging sub-study only received a single brain scan. Further study would be needed to show that the observed reductions in brain activity are the direct result of moderate alcohol intake through repeated brain scans and more detailed alcohol intake assessments over time.

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Mezue will present the study, "Alcohol's Beneficial Effect on Cardiovascular Disease is Partially Mediated through Modulation of Stress-Associated Brain Activity," on Monday, May 17, at 8 a.m. ET / 12:00 UTC.

ACC.21 will take place May 15-17 virtually, bringing together cardiologists and cardiovascular specialists from around the world to share the newest discoveries in treatment and prevention. Follow @ACCinTouch, @ACCMediaCenter and #ACC21 for the latest news from the meeting.

The American College of Cardiology envisions a world where innovation and knowledge optimize cardiovascular care and outcomes. As the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team, the mission of the College and its 54,000 members is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC bestows credentials upon cardiovascular professionals who meet stringent qualifications and leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The College also provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research through its world-renowned JACC Journals, operates national registries to measure and improve care, and offers cardiovascular accreditation to hospitals and institutions. For more, visit ACC.org.

5:2 diet helps reduce skin symptoms in Psoriasis patients

SAY COMMUNICATIONS

Research News

 

 

LUGANO, 6 May, 2021- New research investigating for the first time the effects of modified intermittent fasting (MIF) on the skin of people with psoriasis has yielded promising results. Preliminary study findings presented today at the EADV Spring Symposium, show a significant reduction in scaling and thickness in patients with mild psoriasis after following a MIF 5:2 diet (eating normally for 5 days and restricting calorie intake on 2 non-consecutive days).

Psoriasis is a chronic, systemic immune-mediated inflammatory disease that causes raised plaques and scales on the skin's surface. The disease affects between 2-3% of the worlds' adult population, and <1% of children. Until now, the effect of dietary interventions on psoriasis severity has rarely been investigated, and although it is known that there is a link between obesity and psoriasis severity1, the mechanism of action of this link is still unclear. This study sought to provide mechanistic evidence to inform whether there is a link between gut health and psoriatic lesions, as well as uncover any benefits of MIF in psoriasis management.

"We had observed positive results in mice with gut inflammation and psoriasis, with inflammation in the gut driving cutaneous symptoms," shares Dr Lynda Grine, Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Dermatology, Ghent University, Belgium "Through scientific curiosity and my own experience with fasting as a Muslim, I wanted to find out whether dietary intervention would have the same effects on human patients with psoriasis."

MIF is a form of intermittent fasting which requires participants to restrict calorie intake for a certain amount of time. It is often viewed as a more manageable form of fasting, allowing participants to adjust the rules to accommodate with their personal lives. Popular MIF diets include the 16:8 (fast for 16 hours and eat for 8) and 5:2 diet, with the latter being used as the dietary intervention for this study.

A total of 24 subjects were enrolled in the study, with one group of 12 participants instructed to modify their diet with MIF for 12 weeks, and the other 12 participants continuing on their regular diet. Replicating the 5:2 diet, the fasting group were asked to consume a total of 500 kcal twice per week on 2 non-consecutive days, but were free to consume their usual daily calorie intake for the remaining 5 days of the week. During the trial, 2 patients were excluded: 1 due to start of antibiotic use and 1 due to loss to follow-up.

Objectively, PASI (a tool used to measure the severity and extent of psoriasis) and Body Surface Area (BSA) did not differ significantly between fasting and regular diet, although PASI reduced in the fasting group (p<0.05). Waist circumference and weight were comparable at 6 weeks but reduced significantly in the fasting group at week 12 compared to the control group (p<0.05 and <0.001, respectively). Fasting subjects reported significant improvement more frequently at weeks 6 and 12 (p<0.0001), mentioning less scaling and thickening, with 30% of patients also reporting a decrease in itching. The study will be completed at the end of June.

"The effect of dietary interventions on skin health is a stimulating field of research in dermatology. The results of this study add to the growing body of evidence being undertaken to understand the relationship between the gut and skin, with some promising results for patients and the disease management of psoriasis." Says Prof. Marie-Aleth Richard, EADV Board Member and Professor at the University Hospital of La Timone, Marseille.

###

Notes to Editors

A reference to the EADV Spring Symposium or EADV Spring Symposium 2021 must be included when communicating any information within this press release.

Contact:

For further information or to arrange an expert interview, please contact:

Lewis Picton - EADV Press Officer
lpicton@saycomms.co.uk
+44 (0) 208 971 6419

Sophie Graham - EADV Press Officer
sgraham@saycomms.co.uk
+44 (0) 208 971 6413

Catriona Martin - EADV Press Officer
cmartin@saycomms.co.uk
+44 (0) 208 971 6412

About Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic, systemic immune-mediated inflammatory disease that causes raised plaques and scales on the skin's surface.2 It can range in severity from a few scattered red, scaly plaques, to the involvement of almost the entire body surface - it may also wax and wane in its severity over time.3 There are many different kinds of psoriasis, but the most common is plaque psoriasis which is found in 80% of people with the condition.4 Psoriasis affects between 2-3% of the worlds' adult population, and <1% of children.5,6,7

About EADV

Founded in 1987, EADV is a leading European Dermato-Venereology Society with the important aims of improving the quality of patient care, furthering knowledge and education of dermatologists and venereologists globally through innovation, and advocating on behalf of the speciality and patients. EADV collaborates with other organisations to provide a strong and clear voice to influence the European health agenda. It is a non-profit organisation with over 7,000 members across 113 different countries in the world, providing a valuable service for every type of dermato-venereologist professional. To find out more visit https://www.eadv.org/.

About EADV Spring Symposium 2021:

EADV Spring Symposium - A New Season for Dermatology and Venereology, is one of the most important, CME-CPD accredited all-virtual events in the Dermato-Venereology calendar. The 2-day Scientific Programme is bursting with new findings and scientific breakthroughs, providing a unique opportunity to both hear the latest in Dermato-Venereology and connect with leading experts. To find out more visit https://www.eadvsymposium2021.org/.

References:

1. Jensen, P., & Skov, L. (2016). Psoriasis and obesity. Dermatology, 232(6), 633-639. Available from: https://www.karger.com/Article/Pdf/455840 Accessed April 2021

2. Psoriasis.org. About Psoriasis. Available from: https://www.psoriasis.org/about-psoriasis/ Accessed April 2021

3. Paris R, et al. (2013) Global Epidemiology of Psoriasis: A Systematic Review of Incidence and Prevalence. Journal of Investigative Dermatology. 133(2):377-385

4. Psoriasis.com. About Psoriasis. Available from: https://www.psoriasis.com/about-psoriasis/what-is-psoriasis Accessed April 2021

5. EADV. Information leaflet for patients. Psoriasis, a closer look. Available from: https://eadv.org/cms-admin/showfile/9635-EADV%20PSORIASIS-1-A%20closer%20look.pdf Accessed April 2021

6. Psoriasis.org. Psoriasis statistics. Available from: https://www.psoriasis.org/psoriasis-statistics/#:~:text=Prevalence&text=1%5D-,125%20million%20people%20worldwide%E2%80%942%20to%203%20percent%20of%20the,the%20World%20Psoriasis%20Day%20consortium Accessed April 2021

7. Global psoriasis atlas. Available from: https://globalpsoriasisatlas.org Accessed April 2021

 

Fear of losing health insurance keeps 1 in 6 workers in their jobs

Black workers 50% more likely to stay in unwanted jobs than white workers

WEST HEALTH INSTITUTE

Research News

 

IMAGE: THE SURVEY FINDS THE FEAR IS EVEN MORE PRONOUNCED AMONG BLACK WORKERS, WHO ARE 50% MORE LIKELY TO REMAIN IN AN UNWANTED JOB THAN THEIR WHITE AND HISPANIC COUNTERPARTS (21%... view more 

CREDIT: WEST HEALTH-GALLUP SURVEY, MARCH 2021

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 6, 2021 - One out of every six adult workers (16%) in the United States are staying in jobs they might otherwise leave out of fear of losing their employer-sponsored health insurance, according to a new West Health-Gallup survey of more than 3,800 U.S. adults.

The survey finds the fear is even more pronounced among Black workers, who are 50% more likely to remain in an unwanted job than their White and Hispanic counterparts (21% to 14% and 16%, respectively).

But the most likely to stay in a job they would rather leave are those workers in households earning less than $48,000 a year -- roughly 3 in 10 (28%) say they will not leave and risk losing their health benefits. Workers in lower income households are nearly three times more likely to stay in an unwanted job than are workers living in households earning at least $120,000 per year. According to a report by the Congressional Research Service, 37% of U.S. households earned less than $50,000 in 2019. Approximately 158 million people receive health insurance via their own employer or via the employer of a household member.

"Healthcare costs have become so high that many Americans are unwilling to risk any disruption in their coverage even if that means higher and higher premiums and deductibles and sticking with a job they may not like," said Tim Lash, chief strategy officer for West Health, a family of nonprofit and nonpartisan organizations dedicated to lowering healthcare costs to enable successful aging. "Americans are increasingly concerned that they will get priced out of the U.S. healthcare system and are struggling to hang on in any way they can."

Earlier this year, an estimated 46 million or 18% of the U.S. population reported that they could not afford healthcare if they needed it today. In this latest survey, three times as many Americans or approximately135 million adults, are worried that they will eventually be priced out of healthcare if they are not already.

Specifically, more than half of respondents report they are "concerned" or "very concerned" the cost of healthcare services (53%) and prescription drugs (52%) will become unaffordable. More Americans worry about rising healthcare costs even more than losing one's home (25%) or job (29%).

Black and Hispanic adults have modestly elevated concerns about the rising costs of healthcare compared to White adults. Two-fifths (42%) of respondents, in turn, report concern that they would not be able to pay for a major health event, including 49% of Hispanic adults and 47% of Black adults.

Majorities Support Select Government Action to Contain Cost of Care

Substantial concerns about the rising cost of care and medicine likely play a role in explaining why most respondents in the survey support the federal government taking a bigger role in lowering healthcare costs regardless of their political affiliation, racial background, or type of insurance.

About three-quarters favor setting limits on prescription drug price increases (77%), capping hospital prices in areas with few or no other hospitals (76%), and having the government negotiate lower prices for some high-cost drugs without lower-priced alternatives (74%).

Another 65% support placing government limits on prices for out-of-network care (65%). Those with private insurance were just as likely as those on public health plans including Medicare and Medicaid to favor government intervention.

"Polling data from West Health and Gallup continue to demonstrate that most Americans are supportive of an elevated government role in curtailing the rising costs of care," said Dan Witters, Gallup senior researcher. "How elected officials respond to this is unfolding, but there seems to be substantive public support for a number of specific proposals that are on the table."

This latest West Health-Gallup survey was conducted by web between March 15 and March 21, 2021 with 3,870 adults, ages 18+, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia as part of the Gallup Panel. For results based on this sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error at the 95% confidence level is +2.2 percentage points for response percentages around 50% and is +1.3 percentage points for response percentages around 10% or 90%, design effect included. For reported sub-groups, the margin of error will be larger, typically ranging from ±3 to ±4 percentage points.

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To read the full survey findings and methodology, please visit here.

About Gallup

Gallup delivers analytics and advice to help leaders and organizations solve their most pressing problems. Combining more than 80 years of experience with its global reach, Gallup knows more about the attitudes and behaviors of employees, customers, students and citizens than any other organization in the world.

About West Health

Solely funded by philanthropists Gary and Mary West, West Health is a family of nonprofit and nonpartisan organizations including the Gary and Mary West Foundation and Gary and Mary West Health Institute in San Diego, and the Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center in Washington, D.C. West Health is dedicated to lowering healthcare costs to enable seniors to successfully age in place with access to high-quality, affordable health and support services that preserve and protect their dignity, quality of life and independence. Learn more at westhealth.org and follow @westhealth.

'Natural disasters' increase triggers for violence against women and girls

This must now be formally recognised in public health and disaster management strategies

BMJ

Research News

'Natural disasters,' sparked by climate change and other natural hazards, increase the triggers for violence against women and girls by boosting the means, opportunity, and underlying drivers, finds a review of the available evidence, published in the online journal BMJ Global Health.

As these disasters are increasing in frequency, severity, and duration worldwide, this consequence must now be formally recognised in public health, violence prevention, and disaster management strategies, urge the researchers.

Over the past two decades, 7348 disasters precipitated by natural hazards were recorded. This is nearly double the number recorded between 1980 and 1999. And between 2008 and 2017, most (84%) of all recorded disasters were related to climate issues.

The researchers base their conclusions on a systematic review of the available published evidence, looking at the association between disasters from natural hazards and violence against women and girls.

Of 37 relevant studies, 20 were quantitative, 16 qualitative (interviews;case studies) and 1 was a mixed-methods design. They assessed exposure to disasters caused by different natural hazard types, including droughts, floods, and hurricanes.

The violence was primarily physical, psychological and sexual. Some studies also looked at murder, controlling or aggressive behaviour, forced early marriage and financial violence.

More than a third (37%) of perpetrators were current or former partners, 15% relatives, 12% strangers, 11% authority figures, 8% friends/neighbours and 16.5% unspecified or other types of perpetrators.

Eight of the 20 quantitative studies found that natural disasters were associated with increased violence against women and girls, and four others found positive associations with particular types of violence.

Five found no association between natural disasters and violence against women and girls, but two commented on exceptionally high rates of this type of violence before the occurrence of a natural disaster.

But the researchers note that violence against women is often under reported, a factor that was evident in the qualitiative studies.

The 16 qualitative studies and the one mixed method study all described violence against women and girls in the wake of natural disasers.

Three main possible triggers emerged: an increase in stressors that spark violence, such as trauma, mental health issues, financial insecurity; an increase in enabling environments, such as absence of policing, health and support services, breakdown of family structures and social isolation; and a worsening of existing drivers, such as gender and social inequalities, lack of female representation and inclusion, etc.

The health consequences for women include unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions, miscarriages, sexually transmitted infections, poor overall health for mothers and babies, physical injuries, mental health issues, and deaths from murder or suicide, note the researchers.

Although the first known global systematic review of the impact of natural disasters on women's and girls' risk of violence, the researchers acknowledge the lack of high quality, rigorously designed studies and the shortcomings of exposure and outcome measures used in the included studies.

"More high-quality research with greater geographical scope and use of standardised exposure and outcome measures is critical to generate further knowledge on the magnitude of the issue and mechanisms," they write.

"As populations are increasingly affected by climate-related disasters and [violence against women and girls] can have severe and lasting health impacts, existing knowledge must inform rapid action across policy and practice," they insist.

"At the policy level, greater awareness on disaster related [violence against women and girls], gender-sensitive [disaster relief] policies and inclusion of women in disaster management are critical.

"Further, systems for rapid and effective coordination between disaster management, law enforcement and health authorities must be defined clearly to prevent [this type of violence] and address its health consequences," they conclude.

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Notes for editors

Research: Natural hazards, disasters and violence against women and girls: a global mixed-methods systematic review doi 10.1136/bmjgh-2020-004377

Journal: BMJ Global Health

Link to AMS labelling system http://press.psprings.co.uk/AMSlabels.pdf

Flooding might triple in the mountains of Asia due to global warming

A team of Swiss and international climate scientists has shown that the risk of glacial lake outburst floods in the Himalayan region and the Tibetan plateau could triple in the coming decades.

UNIVERSITÉ DE GENÈVE

Research News

IMAGE: GLACIAL LAKE IN THE HIMALAYAN REGION. view more 

CREDIT: © HENG LI

The "Third Pole" of the Earth, the high mountain ranges of Asia, bears the largest number of glaciers outside the polar regions. A Sino-Swiss research team has revealed the dramatic increase in flood risk that could occur across Earth's icy Third Pole in response to ongoing climate change. Focusing on the threat from new lakes forming in front of rapidly retreating glaciers, a team, led by researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, demonstrated that the related flood risk to communities and their infrastructure could almost triple. Important new hotspots of risk will emerge, including within politically sensitive transboundary regions of the Himalaya and Pamir. With significant increases in risk already anticipated over the next three decades, the results of the study, published in Nature Climate Change, underline the urgent need for forward-looking, collaborative, long-term approaches to mitigate future impacts in the region.

The Hindu Kush-Himalaya, Tibetan Plateau and surrounding mountain ranges are widely known as the Third Pole of the Earth. Due to global warming, the widespread and accelerated melting of glaciers over most of the region has been associated with the rapid expansion and formation of new glacial lakes. When water is suddenly released from these lakes through failure or overtopping of the dam, glacial lake outburst floods can devastate lives and livelihoods up to hundreds of kilometres downstream, extending across international borders to create transboundary risks. Despite the severe threat that these extreme events pose for sustainable mountain development across the Third Pole, there has been a lack of understanding regarding where and when related risks would evolve in the future.

Himalayan hotspot

Swiss and Chinese climatologists used satellite imagery and topographic modelling to establish the risk associated with 7,000 glacial lakes presently located across the Third Pole. This approach allowed us to accurately classify 96% of glacial lakes known to have produced floods in the past as high or very high risk. "We then compared our results with a catalogue of past glacial lake floods, which allowed us to validate our approaches", explains Simon Allen, researcher at the Institute of Environmental Sciences of the UNIGE and co-director of the study. "Once we confirmed that the approaches accurately identified current dangerous lakes, we could then apply these methods to future scenarios." Overall, the study revealed that one in six (1,203) of current glacial lakes posed a high to very high risk to downstream communities, most notably in the eastern and central Himalayan regions of China, India, Nepal, and Bhutan.

New threats in new places

Looking to the future, glacial retreat, lake formation and associated flood risk were considered under three different CO2 emission scenarios. Under the highest emission scenario (sometimes referred to as the "business-as-usual" scenario), the study shows that much of the Third Pole could already be approaching a state of peak risk by the end of the 21st century, or even mid-century in some regions. In addition to the larger potential flood volumes resulting from the expansion of more than 13,000 lakes, over time the lakes will grow closer towards steep unstable mountain slopes that can crash into the lakes and provoke small tsunamis. "The speed at which some of these new hazardous situations are developing surprised us", says Markus Stoffel, Professor at the Institute for Environmental Sciences of the UNIGE. "We are talking a few decades not centuries - these are timeframes that demand the attention of authorities and decision-makers."

If global warming continues on its current path, the number of lakes classified as high or very high risk increases from 1,203 to 2,963, with new hotspots of risk emerging in the Western Himalaya, Karakorum and into Central Asia. "These regions have experienced glacial lake outburst floods before, but these events have tended to be repetitive and linked to advancing glaciers. Authorities and communities will be less familiar with the types of spontaneous events we consider here in a deglaciating landscape, so this calls for awareness raising and education on the new challenges that will emerge", adds Stoffel.

Complex political challenges

The mountain ranges of the Third Pole span eleven nations, giving rise to potential transboundary natural disasters. Findings of the study show that the number of future potential transboundary glacial flood sources could roughly double (an additional 464 lakes), with 211 of these lakes classified in the highest risk categories. The border region of China and Nepal will remain a major hotspot (42% of all future transboundary lake sources), while the Pamir mountains between Tajikistan and Afghanistan emerge as a major new transboundary hotspot (currently 5% of transboundary lake sources increasing to 36% in the future). "Transboundary regions are of particular concern to us", says Allen. "Political tensions and lack of trust can be a real barrier that prevent timely data sharing, communication and coordination needed for effective early warning and disaster mitigation."

Researchers stress the importance of exploring disaster risk management strategies to reduce the exposure of people and property and minimise the vulnerability of society. "The findings of this research should motivate relevant nations and the international research communities to urgently work together to prevent future glacial flood disasters in the Third Pole region", concludes Stoffel.

 

Low achieving students benefit most from COVID-19 online switch

Students struggling academically benefited most when schools around the world transitioned from classroom teaching to online learning

FLINDERS UNIVERSITY

Research News

 

Students struggling academically benefited most when schools around the world transitioned from classroom teaching to online learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the switch also didn't negatively impact higher achievers.

A new study has analysed the impact of online learning during the pandemic by crunching data at three middle schools in China, which administered different educational practices for about 7 weeks during the country's Covid-19 lockdown.

Online learning was shown to have a positive impact on overall student performance when compared to not receiving any support from school during lockdown, and the best results were achieved by higher quality teachers preparing content for both rural and city students, regardless of their location.

Senior Lecturer in Economic at Flinders University, Dr Rong Zhu, says the study results show online delivery of education materials can help narrow the achievement gap between struggling students and their higher-achieving peers to improve academic performance despite the COVID-19 lockdowns.

"Our findings have important policy implications for educational practices when lockdown measures are imposed during a severe pandemic like what we have witnessed around the world due to COVID-19,"

"First, when physically shut down, schools should create distance learning resources for students given the beneficial influence of online education with low-ability students shown to be the biggest beneficiaries."

"Our study also highlights that the quality of teachers who design and deliver recorded online lessons has a positive impact on academic performance. Local government can organise top quality teachers to prepare online lessons in advance, complying with local curriculum standards and then make them available when necessary."

Students who used a computer as a remote learning device instead of a smartphone also achieved more improved academic results.

Dr Zhu says online programs are a cost-effective method with great potential to generate substantial economies of scale, since each school does not have to prepare its own version of online classes if a system in setup in advance to facilitate online learning.

"Governments should ensure all students have the resources necessary to access online education, potentially through joint efforts with the telecommunications sector."

"If resources available are constrained, priority should be given to low-achieving children as they benefit the most from distance learning. Since students with access to a computer as the online learning device can benefit more than those using a smartphone, government can play a more active role in providing or subsidizing investment in computers for students having no access to one at home."

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"Compensating for academic loss: online learning and student performance during the Covid-19 pandemic" by Andrew. E Clark (Paris School of Economics - CNRS), Huifu Nong (Guangdong University of Finance), Hongjia Zhu (Jinan University), and Rong Zhu (Flinders University). Dr Rong Zhu is the corresponding author of this article.

Aluminum may affect climate change by increasing ocean's carbon sink capacity

CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES HEADQUARTERS

Research News

 

IMAGE: DIAGRAM OF HOW ALUMINUM MAY FACILITATE THE UPTAKE OF IRON AND THE UTILIZATION OF DISSOLVED ORGANIC PHOSPHORUS BY MARINE PHYTOPLANKTON view more 

CREDIT: ZHOU LINBIN

Reducing net greenhouse gas emissions to zero as soon as possible and achieving "carbon neutrality" is the key to addressing global warming and climate change. The ocean is the largest active carbon pool on the planet, with huge potential to help achieve negative emissions by serving as a carbon sink.

Recently, researchers found that adding a small amount of aluminum to achieve concentrations in the 10x nanomolar (nM) range can increase the net fixation of CO2 by marine diatoms and decrease their decomposition, thus improving the ocean's ability to absorb CO2 and sequester carbon at deep ocean depths.

The study, published in Limnology and Oceanography on May 3, was conducted by a joint team led by Prof. TAN Yehui from the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Prof. Peter G.C. Campbell from the Eau Terre Environnement Research Centre of the National Institute of Scientific Research, Canada.

According to the earlier "iron hypothesis", adding a small amount of iron to the iron-limited but nutrient-rich oceans could significantly promote the growth of marine phytoplankton (microalgae) and their absorption of CO2, and the consequent burial of organic matter in the ocean. However, the results of artificial iron fertilization experiments did not fully support the "iron hypothesis" and later studies suggested that ignoring the effects of aluminum and other elements may be the reason.

"In fact, natural iron fertilization, as caused by dust deposition, upwelling and hydrothermal venting, provides the ocean not only iron, but also aluminum and other elements. Aluminum concentrations in the upper ocean are usually one order of magnitude higher than those of iron," said Prof. TAN.

Prof. TAN's team and their collaborators found that aluminum may not only improve the utilization efficiency of iron and dissolved organic phosphorus by marine phytoplankton, thus enhancing carbon fixation in the upper ocean, but may also reduce the decomposition rate of biogenic organic carbon and enhance the export and sequestration of carbon in deep ocean depths.

They also found a significant negative correlation between aluminum input to the Southern Ocean and atmospheric CO2 concentration over the past 160,000 years.

Based on their findings about aluminum, they improved the original "iron hypothesis" by proposing the "iron-aluminum hypothesis" to better explain the roles of the two elements in climate change.

In this study, the researchers used radiocarbon (14C) as a tracer to show that adding aluminum to seawater to achieve trace concentrations (e.g., 40 nM) increased net carbon fixation of marine diatoms 10% to 30%.

More importantly, this study proved that environmentally relevant low concentrations of aluminum can reduce the daily decomposition rate of marine diatom-produced particulate organic carbon by 50% or more.

Calculations based on the new data suggest that adding aluminum at a concentration of 40 nM or lower to the ocean may increase the amount of particulate organic carbon exported to depths of 1,000 m and deeper by 1-3 orders of magnitude. This will significantly increase the ocean's carbon sink capacity and sequester carbon in the ocean for a long time, thus ameliorating climate change.

CAPTION

Estimated effects of aluminum on the export of particulate organic carbon to ocean depths

CREDIT

ZHOU Linbin

 

UIC researcher finds possible novel migraine therapy

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO

Research News

 

By discovering a potential new cellular mechanism for migraines, researchers may have also found a new way to treat chronic migraine.

Amynah Pradhan, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Illinois Chicago, is the senior author of the study, whose goal was to identify a new mechanism of chronic migraine, and propose a cellular pathway for migraine therapies. The study, "Neuronal complexity is attenuated in preclinical models of migraine and restored by HDAC6 inhibition, is published in eLife.

Pradhan, whose research focus is on the neurobiology of pain and headache, explained that the dynamic process of routing and rerouting connections among nerve cells, called neural plasticity, is critical to both the causes and cures for disorders of the central nervous system such as depression, chronic pain, and addiction.

The structure of the cell is maintained by its cytoskeleton which is made up of the protein, tubulin. Tubulin is in a constant state of flux, waxing and waning to change the size and shape of the cell. This dynamic property of the cell allows the nervous system to change in response to its environment.

Tubulin is modified in the body through a chemical process called acetylation. When tubulin is acetylated it encourages flexible, stable cytoskeleton; while tubulin deacetylation - induced by histone deacetylase 6, or HDAC6, promotes cytoskeletal instability.

Studies in mice models show that decreased neuronal complexity may be a feature, or mechanism, of chronic migraine, Pradhan said. When HDAC6 is inhibited, tubulin acetylation and cytoskeletal flexibility is restored. Additionally, HDAC6 reversed the cellular correlates of migraine and relieved migraine-associated pain, according to the study.

"This work suggests that the chronic migraine state may be characterized by decreased neuronal complexity, and that restoration of this complexity could be a hallmark of anti-migraine treatments. This work also forms the basis for development of HDAC6 inhibitors as a novel therapeutic strategy for migraine," the researchers report.

Pradhan said this research reveals a way to possibly reset the brain toward its pre-chronic migraine state.

"Blocking HDAC6 would allow neurons to restore its flexibility so the brain would be more receptive to other types of treatment. In this model we are saying, maybe chronic migraine sufferers have decreased neuronal flexibility. If we can restore that complexity maybe we could get them out of that cycle," she said.

Once out of the cycle of decreased neuronal complexity, the brain may become more responsive to pain management therapies, Pradhan said. HDAC6 inhibitors are currently in development for cancer, and HDCA6 as a target has been identified for other types of pain.

"It opens up the possibility of something we should be looking at on a broader scale," she said. "Are these changes maybe a hallmark of all sorts of chronic pain states?"

Migraine is a common brain disorder that is estimated to affect 14% of the world population. Current U.S. cost estimates for migraine are as high as $40 billion annually. One particularly debilitating subset of migraine patients are those with chronic migraine, defined as having more than 15 headache days a month. Migraine therapies are often only partially effective or poorly tolerated, creating a need for more diverse drug therapies.

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Pradhan and her research group collaborated with Dr. Mark Rasenick, distinguished professor of physiology and biophysics at UIC, and a research career scientist at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center.

Additional researchers are: Zachariah Bertels, Harinder Singh, Isaac Dripps, Kendra Siegersma, Alycia Tipton, Wiktor Witkowski, Zoie Sheets, Pal Shah, Catherine Conway, Elizaveta Mangutov, Mei Ao, Valentina Petukhova, Bhargava Karumudi, and Pavel Petukhov, all of UIC; and Serapio Baca of the University of Colorado.

Funding for this research includes grants from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NS109862), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA040688), the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (AT009169), the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Center for Integrated Healthcare (BX00149), Amgen Foundation, and the UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Science.