sea Risks of duloxetine for stress incontinence outweigh benefits, say researchers By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Tuesday, November 15, 2016 - 06:30 Full Article
sea Melding the best of two worlds: Cecil Pickett's work on cellular oxidative stress and in drug discovery and development [Molecular Bases of Disease] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-03-20T00:06:23-07:00 Many chemicals and cellular processes cause oxidative stress that can damage lipids, proteins, or DNA (1). To quickly sense and respond to this ubiquitous threat, organisms have evolved enzymes that neutralize harmful oxidants such as reactive oxygen species and electrophilic compounds (including xenobiotics and their breakdown products) in cells.These antioxidant enzymes include GSH S-transferase (GST),2 NADPH:quinone oxidoreductase 1, thioredoxin, hemeoxygenase-1, and others (2, 3). Many of these proteins are commonly expressed in cells exposed to oxidative stress.The antioxidant response element (ARE) is a major regulatory component of this cellular stress response. The ARE is a conserved, 11-nucleotide-long DNA motif present in the 5'-flanking regions of many genes encoding antioxidant proteins. The laboratory of Cecil Pickett (Fig. 1) at the Merck Frosst Centre for Therapeutic Research in Quebec discovered ARE, a finding reported in the early 1990s in two JBC papers recognized as Classics here (4, 5).jbc;295/12/3929/F1F1F1Figure 1.Cecil Pickett (pictured) and colleagues first described the ARE motif, present in the 5' regions of many genes whose expression is up-regulated by oxidative stress and xenobiotics. Photo courtesy of Cecil Pickett.ARE's discovery was spurred in large part by Pickett's career choice. After completing a PhD in biology and a 2-year postdoc at UCLA in the mid-1970s, he began to work in the pharmaceutical industry.Recruited to Merck in 1978 by its then head of research and development (and later CEO), Roy Vagelos, “I became interested in how drug-metabolizing enzymes were induced by various xenobiotics,” Pickett says.According to Pickett, Vagelos encouraged researchers at the company... Full Article
sea The rule of law and maritime security: understanding lawfare in the South China Sea By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 04 Sep 2019 13:46:35 +0000 4 September 2019 , Volume 95, Number 5 Douglas Guilfoyle Read online Does the rule of law matter to maritime security? One way into the question is to examine whether states show a discursive commitment that maritime security practices must comply with international law. International law thus provides tools for argument for or against the validity of certain practices. The proposition is thus not only that international law matters to maritime security, but legal argument does too. In this article, these claims will be explored in relation to the South China Sea dispute. The dispute involves Chinese claims to enjoy special rights within the ‘nine-dash line’ on official maps which appears to lay claim to much of the South China Sea. Within this area sovereignty remains disputed over numerous islands and other maritime features. Many of the claimant states have engaged in island-building activities, although none on the scale of China. Ideas matter in such contests, affecting perceptions of reality and of what is possible. International law provides one such set of ideas. Law may be a useful tool in consolidating gains or defeating a rival's claims. For China, law is a key domain in which it is seeking to consolidate control over the South China Sea. The article places the relevant Chinese legal arguments in the context of China's historic engagement with the law of the sea. It argues that the flaw in China's approach has been to underestimate the extent to which it impinges on other states' national interests in the maritime domain, interests they conceptualize in legal terms. Full Article
sea Maritime security: the uncharted politics of the global sea By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 04 Sep 2019 14:25:01 +0000 4 September 2019 , Volume 95, Number 5 A special section in the latest issue explores recent developments in maritime security and ocean governance. Christian Bueger, Timothy Edmunds and Barry J. Ryan Read online In this introduction to a special section of the September 2019 issue of International Affairs, we revisit the main themes and arguments of our article ‘Beyond seablindness: a new agenda for maritime security studies’, published in this journal in November 2017. We reiterate our call for more scholarly attention to be paid to the maritime environment in international relations and security studies. We argue that the contemporary maritime security agenda should be understood as an interlinked set of challenges of growing global, regional and national significance, and comprising issues of national, environmental, economic and human security. We suggest that maritime security is characterized by four main characteristics, including its interconnected nature, its transnationality, its liminality—in the sense of implicating both land and sea—and its national and institutional cross-jurisdictionality. Each of the five articles in the special section explores aspects of the contemporary maritime security agenda, including themes of geopolitics, international law, interconnectivity, maritime security governance and the changing spatial order at sea. Full Article
sea In Search of the American State By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mon, 06 Apr 2020 12:42:29 +0000 6 April 2020 Dr Leslie Vinjamuri Dean, Queen Elizabeth II Academy for Leadership in International Affairs; Director, US and the Americas Programme @londonvinjamuri Google Scholar The urgent need for US leadership to drive forward a coordinated international response to coronavirus is developing rapidly alongside snowballing demands for Washington to step up its efforts at home. 2020-04-06-US-covid-washington Exercising in front of a deserted Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images. As the US surgeon general warns Americans to brace for ‘our Pearl Harbor moment’, the US faces a week in which it may see the worst of the global pandemic. The absence of US leadership at the global level has enabled the Security Council’s inaction. And at the G7, President Trump actively obstructed efforts to agree a joint statement.US efforts to increase its support of international aid to the tune of $274million are minimal, not least in light of a 50% reduction in its support for the World Health Organization (WHO) and radically diminished support for other global health programmes as well. International coordination is essential to mitigate unregulated competition for critical medical supplies, manage border closures, and guarantee international economic stability.True, it won’t be possible to control the epidemic at home if the global effort to defeat the pandemic fails. But the absence of leadership from Washington at home is palpable. And what happens at home sets a natural limit on America’s internationalism.Both solution and problemIn response to the coronavirus crisis, the US state is proving to be a solution - and a problem. The dramatic response to the economic crisis is evident with the $2.3trillion stimulus package signed into law by President Trump boldly supported by both Democrats and Republicans in the most significant piece of bipartisan legislation passed in decades.America’s political economy is unrecognisable, moving left and looking increasingly more European each week as Congress and the executive branch agree a series of stimulus packages designed to protect citizens and businesses. Some elements of this legislation were more familiar to Americans, notably $200bn in corporate tax breaks.But Congress also agreed unemployment insurance, and cheques - one in April, one in May – to be sent directly to those Americans most directly hit by the economic impact of COVID-19. In effect, this is adopting a temporary universal basic income.The stimulus plan also dedicated $367bn to keep small businesses afloat for as long as the economy is shuttered. Already the government is negotiating a fourth stimulus package, but the paradox is that without rigorous steps to halt the health crisis, no level of state intervention designed to solve the economic response will be sufficient.The scale of the state’s economic intervention is unprecedented, but it stands in stark contrast to Washington’s failure to coordinate a national response to America’s health crisis. An unregulated market for personal protective equipment and ventilators is driving up competition between cities, states, and even the federal government.In some cases, cities and states are reaching out directly beyond national borders to international organisations, foreign firms and even America’s geopolitical competitors as they search for suppliers. In late March, the city of New York secured a commitment from the United Nations to donate 250,000 protective face masks.Now Governor Cuomo has announced New York has secured a shipment of 140 ventilators from the state of Oregon, and 1,000 ventilators from China. The Patriots even sent their team plane to China to pick up medical supplies for the state of Massachusetts. And following a phone call between President Putin and President Trump, Russia sent a plane with masks and medical equipment to JFK airport in New York.Networks of Chinese-Americans in the United States are rapidly mobilising their networks to access supplies and send them to doctors and nurses in need. And innovative and decisive action by governors, corporates, universities and mayors drove America’s early response to coronavirus.This was critical to slowing the spread of COVID-19 by implementing policies that rapidly drove social distancing. But the limits of decentralized and uncoordinated action are now coming into sharp focus. President Trump has so far refused to require stay-at-home orders across all states, leaving this authority to individual governors. Unregulated competition has driven up prices with the consequence that critical supplies are going to the highest bidder, not those most in need.Governor Cuomo’s call for a nationwide buying consortium has so far gone unheeded and, although the Federal Emergency Management Agency has attempted to deliver supplies to states most in need, the Strategic National Stockpile is depleting fast. Without critical action, the federal government risks hindering the ability of cities and states to get the supplies they need.But President Trump is reluctant to fully deploy his powers under the Defense Production Act (DPA). In March, he did invoke the DPA to require certain domestic manufacturers to produce ventilators. But calls for it to be used to require manufacturers to produce PPE (personal protective equipment), control costs, and manage allocations has so far gone unheeded by a president generally opposed to state interventions for managing the economy.It is true that federalism and a deep belief in competition are critical to the fabric of US history and politics, and innovations made possible by market values of entrepreneurism and competition cannot be underestimated. In the search for a vaccine, this could still prove to be key.But with current estimates that more Americans will die from coronavirus than were killed in the Korean and Vietnam wars combined, it is clear now is the time to reimagine and reinvent the role of the American state.In the absence of a coordinated effort driven by the White House, governors are working together to identify the areas of greatest need. Whether this will lead to a recasting of the American state and greater demand for a deeper and more permanent social safety net is a key question in the months ahead.In the short-term the need for coordinated state action at the national level is self-evident. US leadership globally, to manage the health crisis and its economic impacts, is also vital. But this is unlikely to be forthcoming until America gets its own house in order. Full Article
sea Cow’s milk allergy guidelines are not evidence based and are beset by conflicts of interest, researchers warn By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Wednesday, May 6, 2020 - 16:26 Full Article
sea Quiet offseason shouldn't nix Braves' potential By mlb.mlb.com Published On :: Thu, 7 Feb 2019 13:49:07 EDT As the Mets, Nationals and Phillies have made multiple upgrades, Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos has thus far limited his offseason activity to giving Josh Donaldson a record one-year deal and bringing to fruition the desires of Brian McCann and Nick Markakis to play for the Braves. Full Article
sea Inbox: How to judge Braves' offseason? By mlb.mlb.com Published On :: Fri, 8 Feb 2019 15:32:36 EDT Reporter Mark Bowman addresses the Braves' offseason as a whole, as well as identifying a Minor League who has a chance at making the club out of Spring Training. Full Article
sea Acuna set to smash records this season By mlb.mlb.com Published On :: Wed, 13 Feb 2019 17:01:48 EDT Those hoping to watch Ronald Acuna Jr. extend last season's incredible post-All-Star break production should remember that his pace would have equated to 45 homers and 33 stolen bases over 162 games. Full Article
sea Braves can still win the offseason By mlb.mlb.com Published On :: Thu, 14 Feb 2019 23:00:00 EDT We're reluctant to finalize our list of offseason winners because, as you may have heard, there are some prominent unsigned free agents. Not just Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, either. Full Article
sea Freeman pleased with Braves' offseason deals By mlb.mlb.com Published On :: Sat, 16 Feb 2019 14:17:17 EDT Freddie Freeman spent the offseason sharing excitement about the possibility that Josh Donaldson would not end up being the Braves' only significant offseason addition. Full Article
sea 9 comeback candidates to root for this season By mlb.mlb.com Published On :: Wed, 13 Feb 2019 21:00:00 EDT A year ago, Danny Farquhar was not going to be in the middle of a spring storyline. That's going to change this spring as he tries to win a spot in the Yankees' bullpen Full Article
sea Astros have unfinished business this season By mlb.mlb.com Published On :: Thu, 14 Feb 2019 16:40:00 EDT The Astros logo outside the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches really is something to see, all the way from Haverhill Rd. The closer you get the bigger it gets, the white "H" right there in front of the huge orange star. Underneath the "H" is the following message, white against orange: "2017 World Champions." It would have been a simple matter to put "2018" down there, too. There was room. Full Article
sea Astros can still win the offseason By mlb.mlb.com Published On :: Thu, 14 Feb 2019 23:00:00 EDT We're reluctant to finalize our list of offseason winners because, as you may have heard, there are some prominent unsigned free agents. Not just Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, either. Full Article
sea Winter ball: Snowy offseason ideal for Sneed By mlb.mlb.com Published On :: Sun, 17 Feb 2019 16:18:58 EDT The question would come shortly after Cy Sneed would write his name on the chalkboard. A young hand would rise into the air, and Sneed would brace himself for the chuckles that were sure to soon fill the classroom. "Are you a lumberjack?" Full Article
sea Unexpected findings, with uncertain implications, in research imaging By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Fri, 13 Nov 2015 16:20:27 +0000 When healthy volunteers are scanned as part of a research project, unexpected findings, with uncertain implications, can be thrown up. Joanna Wardlaw, professor of applied neuroimaging and honorary consultant neuroradiologist at the University of Edinburgh, joins us to discuss how her group deals with these incidental findings, and what... Full Article
sea The big (research) book of British teeth By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Tue, 15 Dec 2015 20:59:35 +0000 Despite what hollywood says, science has proven that British teeth are actually better than American. Richard Watt, head of the Research Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at UCL explains how they came to that conclusion. Read the full research: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/doi/10.1136/bmj.h6543 Full Article
sea CKD In the elderly - disease, or disease label By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Sat, 09 Jan 2016 16:16:36 +0000 Around half of people aged over 75 meet the diagnostic criteria for chronic kidney disease (CKD), but there is debate about what this means for patients as only a proportion of elderly people with CKD will have clinically important outcomes as a result. In this podcast, Dr Arif Khwaja argues that for CKD in the elderly, we should focus on... Full Article
sea Future Earth - linking health and environmental research By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Fri, 02 Jun 2017 15:02:50 +0000 The rapid changes in the global environment have led many scientists to conclude that we are living in a new geological epoch—the Anthropocene—in which human activities have become the dominant driving force transforming the Earth’s natural systems. A recent joint publication by the World Health Organization and Convention on Biological Diversity... Full Article
sea Diabetes remission - "treating blood glucose, when the disease process is to do with body fat" By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Fri, 22 Sep 2017 15:25:47 +0000 In the UK - type 2 diabetes now affects between 5-10% of the population - and accounts for around 10% of our total NHS budget. For the individuals affected, treatments are effective at helping control glucose levels - however, the sequela associated with the disease - vascular problems, and a life expectancy that’s 6 years shorter - are still an... Full Article
sea The bone crushing nausea of hyperemesis By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Sat, 01 Dec 2018 11:40:56 +0000 Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy affects around 70% of pregnancies. It is mild for around 40% of women, moderate for 46%, and severe for 14%. By contrast, hyperemesis gravidarum is a complication of pregnancy rather than a normal part of it and occurs in around 1.5% of pregnancies. The psychosocial burden of HG can be heavy for women and their... Full Article
sea Talk evidence - cancer causing food, prostate cancer and disease definitions By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Sat, 25 May 2019 12:11:43 +0000 Helen Macdonald and Carl Heneghan are back again talking about what's happened in the world of evidence this month. (1.05) Carl rants about bacon causing cancer (7.10) Helen talks about prostate cancer, and we hear from the author of the research paper which won Research Paper Of The Year at the BMJ awards. We also cover disease definition and... Full Article
sea Patient's rights in research - moving beyond participation By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Thu, 25 Jul 2019 14:54:57 +0000 At EBM live recently, we ran a workshop with researchers, patients and clinicians to talk about patient rights in research - should patients be setting the full research agenda? Should they be full participants and authors? Helen Macdonald, BMJ’s UK research editor and co-host of our talk evidence podcast sat down to Paul Wicks, researcher and... Full Article
sea Ancestry DNA tests can over or under estimate genetic disease risk By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Thu, 17 Oct 2019 14:36:18 +0000 Direct-to-consumer genetic tests are sold online and in shops as a way to “find out what your DNA says". They insights into ancestry or disease risks; others claim to provide information on personality, athletic ability, and child talent. However, interpretation of genetic data is complex and context dependent, and DTC genetic tests may produce... Full Article
sea Talking up your research - Sex makes a difference By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Fri, 20 Dec 2019 15:50:09 +0000 As editors, we feel like we’re spending a lot of time taking the superlatives out from articles - amazing, novel, important… But new research on BMJ.com suggests that we might not be doing that great a job, and that for some reason, papers authored by men tend to have more of them - because men put more in, or maybe a bias against woman writing in... Full Article
sea Big Tan - Is the sunbed industry targeting research? By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Mon, 10 Feb 2020 17:42:30 +0000 In 2012, Eleni Linos, professor of dermatology at Stanford university, published a systematic review and meta-analysis of the link between non-melanoma cancer and sun-beds. That bit of pretty standard research, and a particular rapid response to it, has kicked of years of work - and in this podcast I talk to Eleni and her colleagues Stanton... Full Article
sea Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease: The "Common Soil" Hypothesis By diabetes.diabetesjournals.org Published On :: 1995-04-01 Michael P SternApr 1, 1995; 44:369-374Perspectives in Diabetes Full Article
sea NCEP-Defined Metabolic Syndrome, Diabetes, and Prevalence of Coronary Heart Disease Among NHANES III Participants Age 50 Years and Older By diabetes.diabetesjournals.org Published On :: 2003-05-01 Charles M. AlexanderMay 1, 2003; 52:1210-1214Complications Full Article
sea Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Feature of the Metabolic Syndrome By diabetes.diabetesjournals.org Published On :: 2001-08-01 Giulio MarchesiniAug 1, 2001; 50:1844-1850Pathophysiology Full Article
sea U.K. Prospective Diabetes Study 16: Overview of 6 Years' Therapy of Type II Diabetes: A Progressive Disease By diabetes.diabetesjournals.org Published On :: 1995-11-01 U.K. Prospective Diabetes Study GroupNov 1, 1995; 44:1249-1258Perspectives in Diabetes Full Article
sea Role of Insulin Resistance in Human Disease By diabetes.diabetesjournals.org Published On :: 1988-12-01 Gerald M ReavenDec 1, 1988; 37:1595-1607Banting Lecture 1988 Full Article
sea 2020 hurricane season will be more active than normal - CSU forecasters By jamaica-gleaner.com Published On :: Mon, 04 May 2020 10:15:00 -0500 BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – A few weeks before the official start of the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season, forecasters at the US-based Colorado State University are warning that the six-month period will be more active than normal. The CSU... Full Article
sea CARPHA urges public to guard against mosquito-borne diseases By jamaica-gleaner.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 10:16:34 -0500 PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – The Trinidad-based Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) is urging people in the region to remember that despite the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, they must be mindful that other public health threats still... Full Article
sea Diabetes: precision approach will improve outcomes, says research director By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Friday, January 11, 2019 - 13:51 Full Article
sea Dentists could help detect diabetes and cardiovascular disease during oral health checks By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Thursday, April 25, 2019 - 05:31 Full Article
sea Reloaded D-backs team set for new season By mlb.mlb.com Published On :: Thu, 7 Feb 2019 17:22:40 EDT The D-backs will work to compete in 2019 while continuing to build up the farm system, which has some pitching at the top end with better position players at the lower levels. Full Article
sea Vitamin C in Human Health and Disease: Effects, Mechanisms of Action, and New Guidance on Intake By jnm.snmjournals.org Published On :: 2020-04-01T06:00:28-07:00 Full Article
sea Prospective Evaluation of 18F-DCFPyL PET/CT in Biochemically Recurrent Prostate Cancer in an Academic Center: A Focus on Disease Localization and Changes in Management By jnm.snmjournals.org Published On :: 2020-04-01T06:00:28-07:00 18F-DCFPyL (2-(3-{1-carboxy-5-[(6-18F-fluoropyridine-3-carbonyl)-amino]-pentyl}-ureido)-pentanedioic acid) is a promising PET radiopharmaceutical targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA). We present our experience with this single-academic-center prospective study evaluating the positivity rate of 18F-DCFPyL PET/CT in patients with biochemical recurrence (BCR) of prostate cancer (PC). Methods: We prospectively enrolled 72 men (52–91 y old; mean ± SD, 71.5 ± 7.2) with BCR after primary definitive treatment with prostatectomy (n = 42) or radiotherapy (n = 30). The presence of lesions compatible with PC was evaluated by 2 independent readers. Fifty-nine patients had scans concurrent with at least one other conventional scan: bone scanning (24), CT (21), MR (20), 18F-fluciclovine PET/CT (18), or 18F-NaF PET (14). Findings from 18F-DCFPyL PET/CT were compared with those from other modalities. Impact on patient management based on 18F-DCFPyL PET/CT was recorded from clinical chart review. Results: 18F-DCFPyL PET/CT had an overall positivity rate of 85%, which increased with higher prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels (ng/mL): 50% (PSA < 0.5), 69% (0.5 ≤ PSA < 1), 100% (1 ≤ PSA < 2), 91% (2 ≤ PSA < 5), and 96% (PSA ≥ 5). 18F-DCFPyL PET detected more lesions than conventional imaging. For anatomic imaging, 20 of 41 (49%) CT or MRI scans had findings congruent with 18F-DCFPyL, whereas 18F-DCFPyL PET was positive in 17 of 41 (41%) cases with negative CT or MRI findings. For bone imaging, 26 of 38 (68%) bone or 18F-NaF PET scans were congruent with 18F-DCFPyL PET, whereas 18F-DCFPyL PET localized bone lesions in 8 of 38 (21%) patients with negative results on bone or 18F-NaF PET scans. In 8 of 18 (44%) patients, 18F-fluciclovine PET had located the same lesions as did 18F-DCFPyL PET, whereas 5 of 18 (28%) patients with negative 18F-fluciclovine findings had positive 18F-DCFPyL PET findings and 1 of 18 (6%) patients with negative 18F-DCFPyL findings had uptake in the prostate bed on 18F-fluciclovine PET. In the remaining 4 of 18 (22%) patients, 18F-DCFPyL and 18F-fluciclovine scans showed different lesions. Lastly, 43 of 72 (60%) patients had treatment changes after 18F-DCFPyL PET and, most noticeably, 17 of these patients (24% total) had lesion localization only on 18F-DCFPyL PET, despite negative results on conventional imaging. Conclusion: 18F-DCFPyL PET/CT is a promising diagnostic tool in the work-up of biochemically recurrent PC, given the high positivity rate as compared with Food and Drug Administration–approved currently available imaging modalities and its impact on clinical management in 60% of patients. Full Article
sea Congressional Briefing: Diagnostic Imaging and Alzheimer Disease By jnm.snmjournals.org Published On :: 2020-04-01T06:00:28-07:00 Full Article
sea Clinical characteristics of 113 deceased patients with coronavirus disease 2019: retrospective study By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Thursday, March 26, 2020 - 10:55 Full Article
sea Global, regional, and national burden of neck pain in the general population, 1990-2017: systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Thursday, March 26, 2020 - 19:10 Full Article
sea Infectious diseases in children and adolescents in China: analysis of national surveillance data from 2008 to 2017 By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Thursday, April 2, 2020 - 12:26 Full Article
sea Viral load dynamics and disease severity in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Zhejiang province, China, January-March 2020: retrospective cohort study By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Tuesday, April 21, 2020 - 14:45 Full Article
sea Use of genetic variation to separate the effects of early and later life adiposity on disease risk: mendelian randomisation study By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Wednesday, May 6, 2020 - 22:31 Full Article
sea Will a Devastating Bushfire Season Change Australia’s Climate Stance? By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Thu, 23 Jan 2020 09:20:27 +0000 23 January 2020 Madeleine Forster Richard and Susan Hayden Academy Fellow, International Law Programme @maddiefors LinkedIn Professor Tim Benton Research Director, Emerging Risks; Director, Energy, Environment and Resources Programme @timgbenton Google Scholar With Australians experiencing first-hand the risks of climate change, Madeleine Forster and Tim Benton examine the influencers, at home or abroad, that could push the government towards more action. 2020-01-23-FireNSW.jpg Residents look on as flames burn through bush on 4 January 2020 in Lake Tabourie, NSW. Photo: Getty Images. The 2019–20 fire season in Australia has been unprecedented. To date, an estimated 18 million hectares of fire has cut swathes through the bush – an area greater than that of the average European country and over five times the size of blazes in the Amazon.This reflects previous predictions of Australian science. Since 2008 and as recently as 2018, scientific bodies have warned that climate change will exacerbate existing conditions for fires and other climatic disasters in Australia. What used to be once-in-a-generation fires now re-appear within 10–15 years with increased ferocity, over longer seasons.In a country known for climate denial and division, debate has erupted around bushfire management and climate change. One of these is whether controlled burns are the answer to Australia’s climate-affected fire conditions.There is no single risk reduction strategy. Controlled burning remains key, if adapted to the environment and climate. But when three out of four seasons in a year can support destructive bushfires, there are clear limits to what controlled burning and other fire management techniques can achieve. Other ‘adaptation’ measures are also likely to provoke intense debate – including bush clearance. As one Australian expert offered to highlight where Australia has got to, families should probably not go on holiday to bush and beach during the height of summer when temperatures and fire risk peaks. So, unless Australia is prepared to debate radical changes to where people live and how land is used, the limits to adaptation imply the need for mitigation. This means supporting ambitious global greenhouse emissions reductions targets. As research from Victoria, one fire-prone state in Australia, highlights, ‘the emissions pathway we follow is the largest determinant of change to many variables [such as temperature] beyond the next few decades.’Can Australia become a more active global partner on emissions?Australia accounts for just over one per cent of global emissions, so reducing domestic emissions – even though on a per capita basis they are the highest in the world – will not reduce Australia’s climate risk. Showing international leadership and supporting a powerful coalition of the willing to tackle climate change is the only way ahead. By showing a willingness to adopt climate ambition, Australia can help more constructive worldwide action, and thereby reduce its own risk exposure. Leading by example is a politically difficult issue for Australia. Prime Minister Scott Morrison was re-elected in May 2019 on an economic stability platform, and a promise not to imperil employment growth through climate action. Australia has contested UN estimates that it will not meet its existing modest goals for domestic emissions, by seeking to rely on carryover credits from action under the Kyoto Protocol as proof of progress.It has also distanced itself from concerns over global supply and demand in fossil fuels. Australia remains a global supplier for fossil fuels, including coal – the nation’s coal exports accounted for $67 billion in revenues in 2019 in an expanding but changing Asian market, supplying ‘some of the cheapest electricity in the world’.Possible influencers of changeWith Australians experiencing first-hand the risks of climate change, there is already pressure to do more. Many are sceptical this will translate into domestic targets or export policies that give Australia the moral authority to ask for more action on the global stage.Here, diverse groups who share a common interest in seeing Australia recover from the bushfires and address future climate risks could be key.Importantly this includes rural and urban-fringe communities affected by the bushfires. They were part of Morrison’s traditional supporter-base but are angry at the government’s handling of the crisis and increasingly see how tiptoeing around emissions (including exports) has also ‘buried’ open discussion at home on climate-readiness.Australian states could also find themselves taking a lead role. Virtually all jurisdictions have now committed to their own goals, most based on zero-carbon goals by 2050 (as has New Zealand). These can support modelling for Australia’s energy transition from coal, through gas, to market competitive renewables, while also help to ensure this reflects community expectations on jobs, electricity prices and other costs. Other emerging voices include the insurance and banking sectors (the Reserve Bank of Australia warned of the long-term financial stability risks of climate change before the fires) and indigenous Australians (one group of Torres Strait Islanders have filed a complaint to the UN Human Rights Committee which, if heard, will place Australia’s emissions record under the spotlight again). Their challenge now is finding a common language on what a cohesive approach to addressing climate change risk looks like. The international picture is mixed. The United States’ poor federal climate policy is a buffer for Australia. French President Emmanuel Macron has tried to raise the cost of inaction for Australia in current EU–Australia trade negotiations, but many large emitters in the Indo-Pacific region remain key Australian trading partners, investors and buyers of Australian coal. In the meantime, the United Kingdom is preparing for the meeting of parties to the Paris Agreement in Glasgow in November. A key global event following Brexit, the UK will no doubt be hoping to encourage a leadership circle with national commitments that meet global need to make the Glasgow meeting a success.The UK public has expressed enormous sympathy for Australia in the bushfires and outrage over ‘climate denialism.’ Australia’s experience will be a cautionary tale of the effects of climate change at the meeting. Could the UK also support Australia to become a less reluctant partner in global climate action? Full Article
sea NHS increases efforts to recruit doctors from overseas By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Tuesday, February 21, 2017 - 08:00 Full Article
sea Covid-19’s impact on US medical research—shifting money, easing rules By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Friday, May 1, 2020 - 13:37 Full Article
sea Research Uses Artificial Intelligence to Measure Human Emotions By feeds.socialpsychology.org Published On :: 2020-05-08T02:06:17-04:00 Source: Psych CentralNew research presented online at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society annual meeting shows how data-driven computational methods are being used to understand and detect emotions. Investigators believe their findings have the potential to overturn old ideas about the structure of emotions across humanity. Full Article
sea Achieving Skill Mobility in the ASEAN Economic Community: Challenges, Opportunities, and Policy Implications By www.migrationpolicy.org Published On :: Thu, 11 Feb 2016 10:15:00 -0500 This report by MPI and the Asian Development Bank lays out a realistic roadmap toward freer movement among skilled professionals within the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), encouraging cooperation among ASEAN Member States in recognizing foreign qualifications and making government investments in training and educations systems that prepare workers in accordance with common standards. Full Article
sea Firing Up Regional Brain Networks: The Promise of Brain Circulation in the ASEAN Economic Community By www.migrationpolicy.org Published On :: Tue, 14 Feb 2017 09:01:28 -0500 Given diverging demographics, rising educational attainment and wide variation in economic opportunities, countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are poised to see an expansion of both the demand for and supply of skilled migrants willing and able to move. The convergence of these megatrends represents unique opportunities for human-capital development and brain circulation, as this report explores. Full Article