Supporting the bereavement needs of Pacific communities in Aotearoa New Zealand following a suicide

On average, at least 60 people are directly impacted by a suicide death (i.e. family, friends, colleagues, school peers). As a result, in most cases, there is a lack of support for the suicide bereaved, mental health issues are intensified, there is increased suicide risk, a strain upon family relationships, there are poor coping skills, and for some, financial difficulties. What is also less known is the culturally relevant support needs of Pacific individuals, families and communities bereaved by suicide in Aotearoa New Zealand. An 18-month mixed methods project was designed to include an online survey, focus groups and fono (a commonly used term by some Pacific groups to refer to a ‘meeting’). This was undertaken among Pacific communities as well as service providers who worked with Pacific peoples bereaved by suicide. The results of the Pacific community survey are presented.The Pacific community survey drew a total of 173 unique responses, 153 conducted online and 20 via hard copy. This study is the first of its kind, both in Aotearoa, New Zealand and abroad, that specifically addresses the suicide postvention needs of Pacific communities.

Comparative gene expression profiling of ADAMs, MMPs, TIMPs, EMMPRIN, EGF-R and VEGFA in low grade meningioma

MMPs (matrix metalloproteinases), ADAMs (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase) and TIMPs (tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases) are implicated in invasion and angiogenesis: both are tissue remodeling processes involving regulated proteolysis of the extracellular matrix, growth factors and their receptors. The expression of these three groups and their correlations with clinical behaviour has been reported in gliomas but a similar comprehensive study in meningiomas is lacking. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the patterns of expression of 23 MMPs, 4 TIMPs, 8 ADAMs, selective growth factors and their receptors in 17 benign meningiomas using a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Results indicated very high gene expression of 13 proteases, inhibitors and growth factors studied: MMP2 and MMP14, TIMP-1, -2 and -3, ADAM9, 10, 12, 15 and 17, EGF-R, EMMPRIN and VEGF-A, in almost every meningioma. Expression pattern analysis showed several positive correlations between MMPs, ADAMs, TIMPs and growth factors. Furthermore, our findings suggest that expression of MMP14, ADAM9, 10, 12, 15 and 17, TIMP-2, EGF-R and EMMPRIN reflects histological subtype of meningioma such that fibroblastic subtype had the highest mRNA expression, transitional subtype was intermediate and meningothelial type had the lowest expression. In conclusion, this is the first comprehensive study characterizing gene expression of ADAMs in meningiomas. These neoplasms, although by histological definition benign, have invasive potential. Taken together, the selected elevated gene expression pattern may serve to identify targets for therapeutic intervention or indicators of biological progression and recurrence

Atmospheric aerosols in Amazonia and land use change: From natural biogenic to biomass burning conditions

In the wet season, a large portion of the Amazon region constitutes one of the most pristine continental areas, with very low concentrations of atmospheric trace gases and aerosol particles. However, land use change modifies the biosphere-atmosphere interactions in such a way that key processes that maintain the functioning of Amazonia are substantially altered. This study presents a comparison between aerosol properties observed at a preserved forest site in Central Amazonia (TT34 North of Manaus) and at a heavily biomass burning impacted site in south-western Amazonia (PVH, close to Porto Velho). Amazonian aerosols were characterized in detail, including aerosol size distributions, aerosol light absorption and scattering, optical depth and aerosol inorganic and organic composition, among other properties. The central Amazonia site (TT34) showed low aerosol concentrations (PM2.5 of 1.3 ± 0.7 μg m-3 and 3.4 ± 2.0 μg m-3 in the wet and dry seasons, respectively), with a median particle number concentration of 220 cm-3 in the wet season and 2200 cm-3 in the dry season. At the impacted site (PVH), aerosol loadings were one order of magnitude higher (PM2.5 of 10.2 ± 9.0 μg m-3 and 33.0 ± 36.0 μg m-3 in the wet and dry seasons, respectively). The aerosol number concentration at the impacted site ranged from 680 cm-3 in the wet season up to 20000 cm-3 in the dry season. An aerosol chemical speciation monitor (ACSM) was deployed in 2013 at both sites, and it shows that organic aerosol account to 81% to the non-refractory PM1 aerosol loading at TT34, while biomass burning aerosols at PVH shows a 93% content of organic particles. Three years of filter-based elemental composition measurements shows that sulphate at the impacted site decreases, on average, from 12% of PM2.5 mass during the wet season to 5% in the dry season. This result corroborates the ACSM finding that the biomass burning contributed overwhelmingly to the organic fine mode aerosol during the dry season in this region. Aerosol light scattering and absorption coefficients at the TT34 site were low during the wet season, increasing by a factor of 5, approximately, in the dry season due to long range transport of biomass burning aerosols reaching the forest site in the dry season. Aerosol single scattering albedo (SSA) ranged from 0.84 in the wet season up to 0.91 in the dry. At the PVH site, aerosol scattering coefficients were 3-5 times higher in comparison to the TT34 site, an indication of strong regional background pollution, even in the wet season. Aerosol absorption coefficients at PVH were about 1.4 times higher than at the forest site. Ground-based SSA at PVH was around 0.92 year round, showing the dominance of scattering aerosol particles over absorption, even for biomass burning aerosols. Remote sensing observations from six AERONET sites and from MODIS since 1999, provide a regional and temporal overview. Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) at 550 nm of less than 0.1 is characteristic of natural conditions over Amazonia. At the perturbed PVH site, AOD550 values greater than 4 were frequently observed in the dry season. Combined analysis of MODIS and CERES showed that the mean direct radiative forcing of aerosols at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) during the biomass burning season was -5.6 ± 1.7 W m-2, averaged over whole Amazon Basin. For high AOD (larger than 1) the maximum daily direct aerosol radiative forcing at the TOA was as high as -20 W m-2 locally. This change in the radiation balance caused increases in the diffuse radiation flux, with an increase of Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE) of 18-29% for high AOD. From this analysis, it is clear that land use change in Amazonia shows alterations of many atmospheric properties, and these changes are affecting the functioning of the Amazonian ecosystem in significant ways. © 2014 The Royal Society of Chemistry

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition)

In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. For example, a key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process versus those that measure fl ux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process including the amount and rate of cargo sequestered and degraded). In particular, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation must be differentiated from stimuli that increase autophagic activity, defi ned as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (inmost higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium ) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the fi eld understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. It is worth emphasizing here that lysosomal digestion is a stage of autophagy and evaluating its competence is a crucial part of the evaluation of autophagic flux, or complete autophagy. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. Along these lines, because of the potential for pleiotropic effects due to blocking autophagy through genetic manipulation it is imperative to delete or knock down more than one autophagy-related gene. In addition, some individual Atg proteins, or groups of proteins, are involved in other cellular pathways so not all Atg proteins can be used as a specific marker for an autophagic process. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field

Climate control of terrestrial carbon exchange across biomes and continents

Peer reviewe

ISSP2020: Environment IV

The seventh International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) survey by COMPASS Research Centre, University of Auckland | Waipapa Taumata Rau. More information on our surveys, including data visualisations, can be found at International Social Survey Programme - The University of Auckland. A verbose rundown on topics covered follows. Attitudes towards environmental protection. Preferred government measures for environmental protection. Responsibility of the government to reduce income differences among the citizens; highest and next highest priority in the own country; attitude to modern science (scale); attitude to the environment (scale). Judgement on the contrast of environmental protection and economic growth; economic growth harms the environment; willingness to pay higher prices and higher taxes or to accept reductions in standard of living for the benefit of protection of the environment; self-classification of participation in environmental protection (scale); estimation of dangerousness of air pollution caused by cars for the environment, for the respondent and their family. Classification of air pollution from industrial waste gases, pesticides and chemicals in agriculture, water pollution and a rise in the world´s temperature caused by the greenhouse effect, the modification of genes of certain crops as dangerous for the environment; preference for the regulation of environmental protection by the government, the population or the economy; estimation of the efforts of NZ to protect the world environment; more effort for the environment by business and industry, people in general or the government; attitude towards international agreements for environmental problems that each country should be made to follow; agreement with poorer countries to make less effort than richer countries to protect the environment; economic progress will slow down without better protection of the environment. Trust in institutions; frequency of own efforts to sort glass or tins or plastic or newspapers for recycling; frequency of car trips and flights (unusual measurements during COVID); membership in an environmental protection organization; personal environmental political activities in the last five years through participation in signing petitions, giving donations to environmental groups as well as participating in demonstrations. Observations of positive environmental changes during COVID lockdowns; concerns around environmental impacts of items specific to pandemic times; opinion on global changes that could be made in a post-COVID world. Demography: age; sex; marital status; steady life-partner; years in school; current employment status; occupation (ISCO-08); sector of employment; nature of employment; number of employees; hours worked weekly; supervisor function; earnings of the respondent; family income; religious denomination; attendance of religious services; union membership; party affiliation (left-right); size of household; type of community: urban-rural; ethnic affiliation of respondent and household members.</p

ISSP2013: National Identity III

<p> The first <a>International Social Survey Programme (ISSP)</a> survey by COMPASS Research Centre at the University of Auckland, with funding support from its Business School. Three years after Professor Philip Gendall retired from contributing to the international programme, COMPASS worked to carry on this fine tradition, branding it locally as the Social Attitudes Survey New Zealand.</p><p>Questions on national consciousness and national identity. Identification with town/city and nation; most important characteristics for national identity; perceived pride in the democracy of the country, the political influence of the country in the world, the economic achievement, the social security system, the scientific achievements, the achievements in sports, the achievements in arts or literature, the armed forces, the history and equal rights of all social groups in society.</p><p>Attitude to the right of international institutions to enforce solutions to be accepted nationally; attitude to enforcing national interests regardless of evoking conflicts with other countries; rejection of acquisition of land by foreigners in the country; preference for national films in national television stations; damage done by large international companies to the local business; attitude to free trade; attitude to follow the decisions of international organisations even if the local government does not agree with them; international organisations take away too much power from the country.</p><p> Availability of worldwide information as a benefit of the internet; importance of sharing national customs and traditions to achieve full nationality; attitude to government support of national minorities to preserve their customs and habits; preference for assimilation of minorities or retention of their identity; hostility to foreigners and prejudices against immigrants (scale); attitude to a reduction of immigration of foreigners; respondent’s citizenship; citizenship of parents at birth of respondent; same rights for citizens and legal immigrants; attitude towards stronger measures regarding illegal immigrants. Attitudes towards ethnic diversity in the workplace.</p><p> Demography: Sex; age; marital status; steady life-partner; years in school, current employment status; current employment status of spouse; hours worked weekly; occupation of respondent and spouse; respondent and spouse working for private, public sector or self-employed; supervisor function; union membership; household size; family income; respondent’s earnings; vote last election; religious denomination; frequency of church attendance; region; town size, rural or urban region; ethnicity. Additionally encoded: mode of data collection.</p