Demystifying global climate models for use in the life sciences.

For each assessment cycle of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), researchers in the life sciences are called upon to provide evidence to policymakers planning for a changing future. This research increasingly relies on highly technical and complex outputs from climate models. The strengths and weaknesses of these data may not be fully appreciated beyond the climate modelling community; therefore, uninformed use of raw or preprocessed climate data could lead to overconfident or spurious conclusions. We provide an accessible introduction to climate model outputs that is intended to empower the life science community to robustly address questions about human and natural systems in a changing world.

Representational integration and differentiation in the human hippocampus following goal-directed navigation.

As we learn, dynamic memory processes build structured knowledge across our experiences. Such knowledge enables the formation of internal models of the world that we use to plan, make decisions, and act. Recent theorizing posits that mnemonic mechanisms of differentiation and integration - which at one level may seem to be at odds - both contribute to the emergence of structured knowledge. We tested this possibility using fMRI as human participants learned to navigate within local and global virtual environments over the course of 3 days. Pattern similarity analyses on entorhinal cortical and hippocampal patterns revealed evidence that differentiation and integration work concurrently to build local and global environmental representations, and that variability in integration relates to differences in navigation efficiency. These results offer new insights into the neural machinery and the underlying mechanisms that translate experiences into structured knowledge that allows us to navigate to achieve goals.

Interventions to Reduce Risk for Pathogen Spillover and Early Disease Spread to Prevent Outbreaks, Epidemics, and Pandemics.

The pathogens that cause most emerging infectious diseases in humans originate in animals, particularly wildlife, and then spill over into humans. The accelerating frequency with which humans and domestic animals encounter wildlife because of activities such as land-use change, animal husbandry, and markets and trade in live wildlife has created growing opportunities for pathogen spillover. The risk of pathogen spillover and early disease spread among domestic animals and humans, however, can be reduced by stopping the clearing and degradation of tropical and subtropical forests, improving health and economic security of communities living in emerging infectious disease hotspots, enhancing biosecurity in animal husbandry, shutting down or strictly regulating wildlife markets and trade, and expanding pathogen surveillance. We summarize expert opinions on how to implement these goals to prevent outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics.

Development of a New Liquid Type Rapid Urease Test Kit (Helicotest ® ): Comparison with Other Commercial Kits / 대한소화기학회지

Background/Aims@#A quick and accurate diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infections is vital for effectively managing many upper gastrointestinal tract diseases. Many diagnostic methods have been developed for rapid and accurate diagnosis, including invasive and non-invasive methods, but each tool has some limitations. Among the invasive diagnostic methods, the rapid urease test (RUT) is a relatively time-saving and accurate method, but a variation in the reaction time range causes inconvenience and inefficiency in the clinical field. This study developed a liquid-type medium, Helicotest ® , to enable faster detection. This study examined the reaction time of a new liquid-type RUT kit with other commercial kits. @*Methods@#Two H. pylori strains were cultured (H. pylori ATCC 700392 and 43504), and the urease activity of H. pylori was measured using a urease activity assay kit (MAK120, Sigma Aldrich). Four RUT kits were used to compare the time of H. pylori detection, including Helicotest ® (Won Medical, Bucheon, Korea), Hp kit (Chong Kun Dang, Seoul, Korea), CLO kit (Halyard, Alpharetta, GA, USA), and ASAN Helicobacter Test ® (ASAN, Seoul, Korea). @*Results@#The detection of H. pylori was possible in bacterial amounts less than 10 μL. The color change was detected from five minutes with bacterial densities of 5 μL and 10 μL for both strains, whereas 30 minutes and one hour were required for 0.5 μL and a 1 μL bacterial density of ATCC 43504 and 700392 strains, respectively. @*Conclusions@#Compared to other RUT kits, Helicotest ® showed the fastest reaction. Therefore, faster diagnosis in clinical practice is expected.

Assessing protected area vulnerability to climate change in a case study of South African national parks.

Climate change is challenging the ability of protected areas (PAs) to meet their objectives. To improve PA planning, we developed a framework for assessing PA vulnerability to climate change based on consideration of potential climate change impacts on species and their habitats and resource use. Furthermore, the capacity of PAs to adapt to these climate threats was determined through assessment of PA management effectiveness, adjacent land use, and financial resilience. Users reach a PA-specific vulnerability score and rank based on scoring of these categories. We applied the framework to South Africa's 19 national parks. Because the 19 parks are managed as a national network, we explored how resources might be best allocated to address climate change. Each park's importance to the network's biodiversity conservation and revenue generation was estimated and used to weight overall vulnerability scores and ranks. Park vulnerability profiles showed distinct combinations of potential impacts of climate change and adaptive capacities; the former had a greater influence on vulnerability. Mapungubwe National Park emerged as the most vulnerable to climate change, despite its relatively high adaptive capacity, largely owing to large projected changes in species and resource use. Table Mountain National Park scored the lowest in overall vulnerability. Climate change vulnerability rankings differed markedly once importance weightings were applied; Kruger National Park was the most vulnerable under both importance scenarios. Climate change vulnerability assessment is fundamental to effective adaptation planning. Our PA assessment tool is the only tool that quantifies PA vulnerability to climate change in a comparative index. It may be used in data-rich and data-poor contexts to prioritize resource allocation across PA networks and can be applied from local to global scales.

Resumen El cambio climático es un gran obstáculo para que las áreas protegidas (AP) logren sus objetivos. Para mejorar la planeación de las AP, desarrollamos un marco de trabajo para evaluar la vulnerabilidad de estas ante el cambio climático con base en la consideración de los impactos potenciales del cambio climático sobre las especies, sus hábitats y los recursos que usan. Además, determinamos la capacidad de las AP para adaptarse a estas amenazas climáticas mediante la valoración de las categorías efectividad de la gestión de las AP, las tierras adyacentes y la resiliencia económica. Los usuarios logran un puntaje y clasificación de vulnerabilidad específicas de la AP con base en las calificaciones de estas categorías. Aplicamos el marco de trabajo a los 19 parques nacionales de Sudáfrica. Ya que todos los parques se manejan como una red nacional, exploramos cómo pueden asignarse de mejor manera los recursos para lidiar con el cambio climático. Se estimaron la importancia de cada parque para la conservación de la biodiversidad de la red y la generación de ganancias. Después usamos las estimaciones para sopesar los puntajes y las clasificaciones generales de vulnerabilidad. Los perfiles de vulnerabilidad de los parques mostraron combinaciones distintivas de impactos potenciales del cambio climático y capacidades de adaptación; los impactos tuvieron una mayor influencia sobre la vulnerabilidad. El Parque Nacional Mapungubwe se ubicó como el más vulnerable ante el cambio climático, a pesar de tener una capacidad de adaptación relativamente alta, principalmente debida a grandes cambios proyectados para el uso de recursos y especies. El Parque Nacional Table Mountain tuvo el puntaje más bajo de vulnerabilidad generalizada. Las clasificaciones de vulnerabilidad al cambio climático difirieron notablemente una vez que se aplicaron los factores de importancia; el Parque Nacional Kruger fue el más vulnerable bajo ambos escenarios de importancia. La evaluación de vulnerabilidad al cambio climático es fundamental para la planeación efectiva de la adaptación. Nuestra herramienta de valoración de las AP es la única que cuantifica la vulnerabilidad de las AP al cambio climático en un índice comparativo. Puede usarse en contextos con muchos o pocos datos para priorizar la asignación de recursos en las redes de AP y puede aplicarse desde la escala local hasta la mundial.

The costs and benefits of primary prevention of zoonotic pandemics.

The lives lost and economic costs of viral zoonotic pandemics have steadily increased over the past century. Prominent policymakers have promoted plans that argue the best ways to address future pandemic catastrophes should entail, "detecting and containing emerging zoonotic threats." In other words, we should take actions only after humans get sick. We sharply disagree. Humans have extensive contact with wildlife known to harbor vast numbers of viruses, many of which have not yet spilled into humans. We compute the annualized damages from emerging viral zoonoses. We explore three practical actions to minimize the impact of future pandemics: better surveillance of pathogen spillover and development of global databases of virus genomics and serology, better management of wildlife trade, and substantial reduction of deforestation. We find that these primary pandemic prevention actions cost less than 1/20th the value of lives lost each year to emerging viral zoonoses and have substantial cobenefits.

Perfectionism and alcohol-related problems: The role of procrastination.

OBJECTIVE: College drinking is a significant individual and societal problem, and thus, identifying risk factors to alcohol-related problems has been an important line of inquiry. Adding to this rich literature, the current study examined whether perfectionism dimensions were associated with alcohol-related problems and whether a poor self-regulation process linked these associations. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 410 university students completed measures pertaining to perfectionism, procrastination, and negative consequences of alcohol use. METHODS: Parallel mediation models were tested. RESULTS: There was support for an indirect effect in the association between perfectionistic concerns and alcohol-related problems through susceptibility to temptation but not through pure procrastination or irrational procrastination. Perfectionistic strivings dimension was not associated with alcohol-related problems and this relation was not mediated by any procrastination dimensions. CONCLUSIONS: Building internal resources to better resist immediately gratifying yet long-run detrimental behavioral habits is important, especially so for highly self-critical students.

The Relationships between Rural Elderly’s Suicide Literacy, Suicide Stigma and Coping Advice for Suicide Prevention: The Moderated Mediation Effect of Social Expectations for Experiencing Negative Emotions

Purpose@#The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of the rural elderly suicide literacy level upon suicide stigma and coping advice with suicidal crises (recommending professional help for a suicidal person). In particular, this study investigates the role of cultural norms (perceived social expectations for the experience of negative emotions) on suicide stigma and coping ability. @*Methods@#A survey was conducted addressing elderly people (N=119) living in rural areas. Regression analysis using SPSS PROCESS macro was used to examine the relationships among the key variables. @*Results@#Participants with higher suicide literacy showed lower suicide stigma, and this perception had a significant effect on enhancing their coping advice with suicidal crises. Also, perceived social expectations significantly influenced the relationship between suicide stigma and coping advice. With lower levels of social expectations, the mediating effect of suicide stigma on the relationship between suicide literacy and recommending professional help did not exist whereas the indirect effect was significant when it pertained to high levels of social expectations. @*Conclusion@#This result signifies that suicide stigma serves as a barrier deterring Koreans from reaching out for professional help regarding their mental health. Moreover, these findings underscore the importance of cultural psychological factors such as perceived social expectations in terms of developing suicide prevention strategies.

Cognitive and Emotional Assessment toward Suicidal People: Korean Suicide Stigma Scale for General Public / 기본간호학회지

Purpose@#This study conducted two online surveys to rectify unclear factors of the existing scale and to modify suicide stigma scale with enhanced emotional aspects. The purpose of the first survey was to examine emotional responses toward suicide attempters and to revise items from existing scales. The purpose of the second survey was to verify the validity and reliability of the Korean Suicide Stigma Scale (KSSS). @*Methods@#The subject of this study is General Public. In the first online survey, 57 participants responded open-ended question regarding emotional aspect of attitudes toward suicidal person. 552 participants for the second survey responded to quantitative items for measuring suicide stigma. Descriptive and frequency analysis were used to examine the participant's demographic characteristics. Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis were used to assess construct and convergent validity. @*Results@#The results yielded 7-factors with 28 items: Incompetence, Immorality, Selfishness, Sympathy, Social Exclusion, Dishonor, and Disgust. The Glorification factor, which was included in the previous scale, was deleted. ‘Dishonor’ and ‘Disgust’ factors were newly added. @*Conclusion@#The KSSS is similar to the scales developed in the Western countries, however it also reflects Korea’s unique Confucian cultural values. The KSSS can be used to systematically measure suicide stigma, and will help us develop effective suicide prevention strategies to reduce stigma in Korean society.

How deregulation, drought and increasing fire impact Amazonian biodiversity.

Biodiversity contributes to the ecological and climatic stability of the Amazon Basin1,2, but is increasingly threatened by deforestation and fire3,4. Here we quantify these impacts over the past two decades using remote-sensing estimates of fire and deforestation and comprehensive range estimates of 11,514 plant species and 3,079 vertebrate species in the Amazon. Deforestation has led to large amounts of habitat loss, and fires further exacerbate this already substantial impact on Amazonian biodiversity. Since 2001, 103,079-189,755 km2 of Amazon rainforest has been impacted by fires, potentially impacting the ranges of 77.3-85.2% of species that are listed as threatened in this region5. The impacts of fire on the ranges of species in Amazonia could be as high as 64%, and greater impacts are typically associated with species that have restricted ranges. We find close associations between forest policy, fire-impacted forest area and their potential impacts on biodiversity. In Brazil, forest policies that were initiated in the mid-2000s corresponded to reduced rates of burning. However, relaxed enforcement of these policies in 2019 has seemingly begun to reverse this trend: approximately 4,253-10,343 km2 of forest has been impacted by fire, leading to some of the most severe potential impacts on biodiversity since 2009. These results highlight the critical role of policy enforcement in the preservation of biodiversity in the Amazon.

Perceptions towards an interaction partner predict social anxiety: an ecological momentary assessment study.

Social anxiety occurs in everyday social interactions, yet the real-world factors that shape the moment-to-moment experience of social anxiety have not been fully explored. Using ecological momentary assessments (smartphone-based, five signals a day for 21 days), the present study examined the associations between state social anxiety (SSA) and characteristics of interaction partners in varied contexts, and how these momentary associations differed with trait social anxiety (TSA). Ninety-two participants (54% female, age from 18 to 34) completed 4185 momentary reports. Results from multilevel models showed that perceived judgmentalness and unfamiliarity of interaction partners were positively associated with SSA, and the associations were stronger for the high TSA group (n = 30) compared to a control group (n = 62). Exploratory analyses with various types of interaction partners and social settings revealed noticeable group differences in how the types were associated with SSA (e.g. acquaintance, close friend/romantic partner) and how they influenced the effect of judgmentalness and unfamiliarity on SSA (e.g. authority, work/school). Overall, the findings highlight the role of contextual associations in social anxiety, and the benefits and the need for more comprehensive approaches with EMA in studying social anxiety, particularly its contextual aspects.

Areas of global importance for conserving terrestrial biodiversity, carbon and water.

To meet the ambitious objectives of biodiversity and climate conventions, the international community requires clarity on how these objectives can be operationalized spatially and how multiple targets can be pursued concurrently. To support goal setting and the implementation of international strategies and action plans, spatial guidance is needed to identify which land areas have the potential to generate the greatest synergies between conserving biodiversity and nature's contributions to people. Here we present results from a joint optimization that minimizes the number of threatened species, maximizes carbon retention and water quality regulation, and ranks terrestrial conservation priorities globally. We found that selecting the top-ranked 30% and 50% of terrestrial land area would conserve respectively 60.7% and 85.3% of the estimated total carbon stock and 66% and 89.8% of all clean water, in addition to meeting conservation targets for 57.9% and 79% of all species considered. Our data and prioritization further suggest that adequately conserving all species considered (vertebrates and plants) would require giving conservation attention to ~70% of the terrestrial land surface. If priority was given to biodiversity only, managing 30% of optimally located land area for conservation may be sufficient to meet conservation targets for 81.3% of the terrestrial plant and vertebrate species considered. Our results provide a global assessment of where land could be optimally managed for conservation. We discuss how such a spatial prioritization framework can support the implementation of the biodiversity and climate conventions.

TM4SF4 and LRRK2 Are Potential Therapeutic Targets in Lung and Breast Cancers through Outlier Analysis / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

Purpose@#To find biomarkers for disease, there have been constant attempts to investigate the genes that differ from those in the disease groups. However, the values that lie outside the overall pattern of a distribution, the outliers, are frequently excluded in traditional analytical methods as they are considered to be ‘some sort of problem.’ Such outliers may have a biologic role in the disease group. Thus, this study explored new biomarker using outlier analysis, and verified the suitability of therapeutic potential of two genes (TM4SF4 and LRRK2). @*Materials and Methods@#Modified Tukey’s fences outlier analysis was carried out to identify new biomarkers using the public gene expression datasets. And we verified the presence of the selected biomarkers in other clinical samples via customized gene expression panels and tissue microarrays. Moreover, a siRNA-based knockdown test was performed to evaluate the impact of the biomarkers on oncogenic phenotypes. @*Results@#TM4SF4 in lung cancer and LRRK2 in breast cancer were chosen as candidates among the genes derived from the analysis. TM4SF4 and LRRK2 were overexpressed in the small number of samples with lung cancer (4.20%) and breast cancer (2.42%), respectively. Knockdown of TM4SF4 and LRRK2 suppressed the growth of lung and breast cancer cell lines. The LRRK2 overexpressing cell lines were more sensitive to LRRK2-IN-1 than the LRRK2 under-expressing cell lines @*Conclusion@#Our modified outlier-based analysis method has proved to rescue biomarkers previously missed or unnoticed by traditional analysis showing TM4SF4 and LRRK2 are novel target candidates for lung and breast cancer, respectively.

An Exploratory Study on How and Why Young and Middle-aged Adults Disclose Depressive Feelings to Others: Focusing on the Influence of Perception of Social Norms

Purpose@#This study explored how and why young and middle-aged adults disclose depressive feelings to others. In particular, we investigated the role of social norms to see whether using mobile instant messaging (MIM) could lower the perceived barriers of emotional disclosure. Furthermore, the motivations of emotional disclosure via MIM were compared between young and middle-aged adults. @*Methods@#A total of 255 Koreans (128 middle-aged people, 127 young adults) participated in an online survey. Pearson’s correlation coefficients, paired t-tests, SPSS PROCESS macro, and exploratory factor analysis were used to examine the relationships among the key variables. @*Results@#The perceived social norms were found to be a significant deterrent in disclosing depressive feelings to others. However, there was a significant interaction effect between generations and perceived social norms. Although young adults with low social norm awareness were more likely to disclose depressive feelings via MIM, emotional disclosure among middle-aged adults increased with higher levels of perceived social norms. Also, different motivations were observed. @*Conclusion@#The results confirmed the significant effect of social norms as well as generational differences when using MIM as a channel of emotional disclosure.

Effect of Sedatives on In-hospital and Long-term Mortality of Critically Ill Patients Requiring Extended Mechanical Ventilation for ≥ 48 Hours

Background@#The purpose of this study was to assess the correlation between sedatives and mortality in critically ill patients who required mechanical ventilation (MV) for ≥ 48 hours from 2008 to 2016. @*Methods@#We conducted a nationwide retrospective cohort study using population-based healthcare reimbursement claims database. Data from adult patients (aged ≥ 18) who underwent MV for ≥ 48 hours between 2008 and 2016 were identified and extracted from the National Health Insurance Service database. The benzodiazepine group consisted of patients who were administered benzodiazepines for sedation during MV. All other patients were assigned to the non-benzodiazepine group. @*Results@#A total of 158,712 patients requiring MV for ≥ 48 hours were admitted in 55 centers in Korea from 2008 to 2016. The benzodiazepine group had significantly higher in-hospital and one-year mortality compared to the non-benzodiazepine group (37.0% vs. 34.3%, 55.0% vs. 54.4%, respectively). Benzodiazepine use decreased from 2008 to 2016, after adjusting for age, sex, and mean Elixhauser comorbidity index in the Poisson regression analysis (incidence rate ratio, 0.968; 95% confident interval, 0.954–0.983; P < 0.001). Benzodiazepine use, older age, lower case volume (≤ 500 cases/year), chronic kidney disease, and higher Elixhauser comorbidity index were common significant risk factors for in-hospital and oneyear mortality. @*Conclusion@#In critically ill patients undergoing MV for ≥ 48 hour, the use of benzodiazepines for sedation, older age, and chronic kidney disease were associated with higher in-hospital mortality and one-year mortality. Further studies are needed to evaluate the impact of benzodiazepines on the mortality in elderly patients with chronic kidney disease requiring MV for ≥ 48 hours.

Effect of Sedatives on In-hospital and Long-term Mortality of Critically Ill Patients Requiring Extended Mechanical Ventilation for ≥ 48 Hours

Background@#The purpose of this study was to assess the correlation between sedatives and mortality in critically ill patients who required mechanical ventilation (MV) for ≥ 48 hours from 2008 to 2016. @*Methods@#We conducted a nationwide retrospective cohort study using population-based healthcare reimbursement claims database. Data from adult patients (aged ≥ 18) who underwent MV for ≥ 48 hours between 2008 and 2016 were identified and extracted from the National Health Insurance Service database. The benzodiazepine group consisted of patients who were administered benzodiazepines for sedation during MV. All other patients were assigned to the non-benzodiazepine group. @*Results@#A total of 158,712 patients requiring MV for ≥ 48 hours were admitted in 55 centers in Korea from 2008 to 2016. The benzodiazepine group had significantly higher in-hospital and one-year mortality compared to the non-benzodiazepine group (37.0% vs. 34.3%, 55.0% vs. 54.4%, respectively). Benzodiazepine use decreased from 2008 to 2016, after adjusting for age, sex, and mean Elixhauser comorbidity index in the Poisson regression analysis (incidence rate ratio, 0.968; 95% confident interval, 0.954–0.983; P < 0.001). Benzodiazepine use, older age, lower case volume (≤ 500 cases/year), chronic kidney disease, and higher Elixhauser comorbidity index were common significant risk factors for in-hospital and oneyear mortality. @*Conclusion@#In critically ill patients undergoing MV for ≥ 48 hour, the use of benzodiazepines for sedation, older age, and chronic kidney disease were associated with higher in-hospital mortality and one-year mortality. Further studies are needed to evaluate the impact of benzodiazepines on the mortality in elderly patients with chronic kidney disease requiring MV for ≥ 48 hours.