Key Considerations for the Development of Internationally Comparable Statistics on Ocean Economic Activity

Alongside several member countries, the OECD is embarking upon the development of a satellite account for ocean economic activity that presents international statistics in a harmonised manner. This work complements other initiatives at national and international levels and will support future comprehensive ocean accounts that include marine environment-economy linkages and ecosystem services. The production of internationally comparable statistics is a complex and time consuming endeavour that requires international cooperation. For ocean economic activities, such difficulties are compounded by the need to break down existing statistical information using secondary source material. A key preparation for internationally comparable statistics on ocean economic activity is for compilers of national data to record and publish metadata that are exhaustive of the statistical data produced. Novel approaches, including those that make sense of high frequency data using machine learning, could offer a potential solution to some of the problems associated with ocean economy measurement

AtlantOS Workshop Report

Report of AtlantOS-OECD Scoping Workshop on the Economic Potential of Data from Ocean Observatorie

Ocean observing and the blue economy

Sustained ocean observations provide an essential input to ocean scientific research. They also support a wide range of societal and economic benefits related to safety; operational efficiency; and regulation of activities around, on, in, and under seas and the ocean. The ocean economy is large and diverse, accounting for around US$1.5 trillion of global gross value-added economic activity. This is projected to more than double by 2030. Delivering this growth in economic activity is dependent on ocean observations. This review paper summarizes the projected changes in the scale and scope of the ocean economy and the role that observations, measurements, and forecasts play in supporting the safe and effective use of the ocean and ocean resources, at the same time as protecting the environment. It also provides an overview of key future work being planned to develop a better understanding of the present and likely future ocean economy and the role and value of ocean observations in its sustainable realization

Stress-induced transcription of satellite III repeats

Exposure of mammalian cells to stress induces the activation of heat shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1) and the subsequent transcription of heat shock genes. Activation of the heat shock response also correlates with a rapid relocalization of HSF1 within a few nuclear structures termed nuclear stress granules. These stress-induced structures, which form primarily on the 9q12 region in humans through direct binding of HSF1 to satellite III repeats, do not colocalize with transcription sites of known hsp genes. In this paper, we show that nuclear stress granules correspond to RNA polymerase II transcription factories where satellite III repeats are transcribed into large and stable RNAs that remain associated with the 9q12 region, even throughout mitosis. This work not only reveals the existence of a new major heat-induced transcript in human cells that may play a role in chromatin structure, but also provides evidence for a transcriptional activity within a locus considered so far as heterochromatic and silent

Study protocol:the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of a brief behavioural intervention to promote regular self-weighing to prevent weight regain after weight loss: randomised controlled trial (The LIMIT Study)

BACKGROUND: Although obesity causes many adverse health consequences, modest weight loss reduces the incidence. There are effective interventions that help people to lose weight but weight regain is common and long term maintenance remains a critical challenge. As a high proportion of the population of most high and middle income countries are overweight, there are many people who would benefit from weight loss and its maintenance. Therefore, we need to find effective low cost scalable interventions to help people achieve this. One such intervention that has shown promise is regular self-weighing, to check progress against a target, however there is no trial that has tested this using a randomised controlled design (RCT). The aim of this RCT is to evaluate the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of a brief behavioural intervention delivered by non-specialist staff to promote regular self-weighing to prevent weight regain after intentional weight loss. METHODS: A randomised trial of 560 adults who have lost ≥5 % of their initial body weight through a 12 week weight loss programme. The comparator group receive a weight maintenance leaflet, a diagram representing healthy diet composition, and a list of websites for weight control. The intervention group receive the same plus minimally trained telephonists will ask participants to set a weight target and encourage them to weigh themselves daily, and provide support materials such as a weight record card. The primary outcome is the difference between groups in weight change from baseline to 12 months. DISCUSSION: If effective, this study will provide public health agencies with a simple, low cost maintenance intervention that could be implemented immediately. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN52341938 Date Registered: 31/03/201

Towards a new social justice agenda: understanding political responses to crises

This In Focus Policy Briefing was written by Naomi Hossain of the institute of development Studies with inputs and advice from Kate Bishop, Robert Chambers, Kate Carroll, Rosalind Eyben, Richard Jolly, Claire Melamed and Rachel Sabates-Wheeler. The series editor is Carol Smithyes.Food riots across the developing world in 2008 sent powerful messages about the limits to people’s tolerance of acute economic insecurity. Yet political responses of this kind are mainly treated as the inevitable social convulsions after economic shocks – as natural, almost physiological responses to hunger. This briefing proposes that these political responses to crises can provide insights into popular perspectives on the global political issues of the day: global economic uncertainty, the moral limits to market freedom, and responsibilities of governments to protect against risk. Understanding such perspectives could inform emerging debates within development and help shape a new social justice agenda

Is weight cycling associated with adverse health outcomes? A cohort study

Evidence about the health effects of weight cycling is not consistent, with some studies suggesting it is harmful for health. Here we investigated whether weight cycling was associated with weight change and mental health outcomes in 10,428 participants in the mid-age cohort of The Australian Longitudinal Study of Women's Health (ALSWH) over 12 years. In 1998 the women were asked how many times they had ever intentionally lost at least 5 kg and how many times had they regained this amount. Women were categorised into four weight pattern groups: frequent weight cyclers (FWC, three or more weight cycles), low frequency weight cyclers (LFWC, one or two weight cycles), non-weight cyclers (NWC), and weight loss only (WL). We used generalised linear modelling to investigate relationships between weight pattern group, weight change and mental health outcomes. In 1998, 15% of the women were FWC, 24% LFWC, 46% NWC and 15% were WL. Weight change was similar across weight pattern groups in women with obesity, however healthy weight and overweight FWC gained more weight than women who did not weight cycle. We found no difference in overall mental health scores between groups, but both LFWC and FWC had higher odds of depressive symptoms (adjusted OR 1.5, 95%CI: 1.1 to 1.9 and 1.7, 95%CI: 1.1 to 2.4, respectively) than NWC. Our results suggest that, although weight cycling is not associated with greater weight gain in women with obesity, it may increase depressive symptoms

What factors influence weight loss in participants of commercial weight loss programmes? Implications for health policy

Finding effective referral policies for weight management services would have important public health implications.Here we compare percentage weight change by referral methods, BMI categories and participants who have had attended weight loss programmes multiple times.A prospective cohort study of 15,621 participants referred to 12-week behavioural weight loss programmes funded by the public health service in Birmingham, UK.Comparisons were made between GP versus self-referrals, BMI ≥40kg/m2-<40kg/m2 and multiple referrals compared to only one referral. Linear mixed modelling was used to assess percentage weight change after adjusting for covariates.Participant's mean age was 48.5 years, 78.7% were of white ethnicity, 90.3% female and mean baseline BMI was 36.3kg/m2. There were no significant differences in percentage weight loss, between participants that self-referred and those that were referred by their general practitioner (GP) and no significant differences between baseline BMI categories. Referral to a weight loss programme more than once was associated with less weight loss at subsequent attendances (0.92%, 95% CI 0.70-1.14, p<0.001).Allowing self-referral to a weight loss programme widens access without compromising amount of weight lost. These programmes are beneficial for all categories of obesity, including those with a BMI ≥40kg/m2. Attending weight management programmes more than once results in less weight loss and that swapping to a different program may be advisable

In vivo binding of active heat shock transcription factor 1 to human chromosome 9 heterochromatin during stress

Activation of the mammalian heat shock transcription factor (HSF)1 by stress is a multistep process resulting in the transcription of heat shock genes. Coincident with these events is the rapid and reversible redistribution of HSF1 to discrete nuclear structures termed HSF1 granules, whose function is still unknown. Key features are that the number of granules correlates with cell ploidy, suggesting the existence of a chromosomal target. Here we show that in humans, HSF1 granules localize to the 9q11-q12 heterochromatic region. Within this locus, HSF1 binds through direct DNA–protein interaction with a nucleosome-containing subclass of satellite III repeats. HSF1 granule formation only requires the DNA binding competence and the trimerization of the factor. This is the first example of a transcriptional activator that accumulates transiently and reversibly on a chromosome-specific heterochromatic locus