Showing papers by "University of East Anglia published in 2016"
University of Bristol1, Harvard University2, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust3, Research Triangle Park4, University of Toronto5, University of Oxford6, University of Ottawa7, Paris Descartes University8, University of London9, University of York10, University of Birmingham11, University of Southern Denmark12, University of Liverpool13, University of East Anglia14, Loyola University Chicago15, University of Aberdeen16, Kaiser Permanente17, Baruch College18, McMaster University19, Cochrane Collaboration20, McGill University21, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute22, University of Louisville23, University of Melbourne24
TL;DR: Risk of Bias In Non-randomised Studies - of Interventions is developed, a new tool for evaluating risk of bias in estimates of the comparative effectiveness of interventions from studies that did not use randomisation to allocate units or clusters of individuals to comparison groups.
Abstract: Non-randomised studies of the effects of interventions are critical to many areas of healthcare evaluation, but their results may be biased. It is therefore important to understand and appraise their strengths and weaknesses. We developed ROBINS-I (“Risk Of Bias In Non-randomised Studies - of Interventions”), a new tool for evaluating risk of bias in estimates of the comparative effectiveness (harm or benefit) of interventions from studies that did not use randomisation to allocate units (individuals or clusters of individuals) to comparison groups. The tool will be particularly useful to those undertaking systematic reviews that include non-randomised studies.
8,028 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macro-autophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes.
Abstract: 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 flux 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, defined as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (in most 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 field 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 target by gene knockout or RNA interference more than one autophagy-related protein. In addition, some individual Atg proteins, or groups of proteins, are involved in other cellular pathways implying that 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 assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field.
5,187 citations
TL;DR: The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2015 (GBD 2015) as discussed by the authors was used to estimate the incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for diseases and injuries at the global, regional, and national scale over the period of 1990 to 2015.
5,050 citations
Nicholas J Kassebaum1, Megha Arora1, Ryan M Barber1, Zulfiqar A Bhutta2 +679 more•Institutions (268)
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2015 (GBD 2015) for all-cause mortality, cause-specific mortality, and non-fatal disease burden to derive HALE and DALYs by sex for 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2015.
1,533 citations
TL;DR: The first World report on ageing and health is released, reviewing current knowledge and gaps and providing a public health framework for action, built around a redefinition of healthy ageing that centres on the notion of functional ability.
1,341 citations
TL;DR: This work substantially rewritten and extended MEGAN so as to facilitate the interactive analysis of the taxonomic and functional content of very large microbiome datasets and provides a straightforward, yet powerful and complete pipeline for the analysis of metagenome shotgun sequences.
Abstract: There is increasing interest in employing shotgun sequencing, rather than amplicon sequencing, to analyze microbiome samples. Typical projects may involve hundreds of samples and billions of sequencing reads. The comparison of such samples against a protein reference database generates billions of alignments and the analysis of such data is computationally challenging. To address this, we have substantially rewritten and extended our widely-used microbiome analysis tool MEGAN so as to facilitate the interactive analysis of the taxonomic and functional content of very large microbiome datasets. Other new features include a functional classifier called InterPro2GO, gene-centric read assembly, principal coordinate analysis of taxonomy and function, and support for metadata. The new program is called MEGAN Community Edition (CE) and is open source. By integrating MEGAN CE with our high-throughput DNA-to-protein alignment tool DIAMOND and by providing a new program MeganServer that allows access to metagenome analysis files hosted on a server, we provide a straightforward, yet powerful and complete pipeline for the analysis of metagenome shotgun sequences. We illustrate how to perform a full-scale computational analysis of a metagenomic sequencing project, involving 12 samples and 800 million reads, in less than three days on a single server. All source code is available here: https://github.com/danielhuson/megan-ce
1,228 citations
University of East Anglia1, University of Oslo2, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation3, University of Exeter4, Oak Ridge National Laboratory5, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration6, Woods Hole Research Center7, University of California, San Diego8, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology9, Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies10, Centre national de la recherche scientifique11, University of Maryland, College Park12, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research13, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution14, Flanders Marine Institute15, Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research16, Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency17, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign18, Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences19, Max Planck Society20, University of Paris21, Hobart Corporation22, University of Bern23, Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research24, National Center for Atmospheric Research25, University of Miami26, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research27, University of Colorado Boulder28, National Institute for Environmental Studies29, Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean30, Geophysical Institute, University of Bergen31, Goddard Space Flight Center32, Montana State University33, University of New Hampshire34, Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research35, Imperial College London36, Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory37, Auburn University38, Wageningen University and Research Centre39, VU University Amsterdam40, Met Office41
TL;DR: In this article, the authors quantify all major components of the global carbon budget, including their uncertainties, based on the combination of a range of data, algorithms, statistics, and model estimates and their interpretation by a broad scientific community.
Abstract: . Accurate assessment of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and their redistribution among the atmosphere, ocean, and terrestrial biosphere – the “global carbon budget” – is important to better understand the global carbon cycle, support the development of climate policies, and project future climate change. Here we describe data sets and methodology to quantify all major components of the global carbon budget, including their uncertainties, based on the combination of a range of data, algorithms, statistics, and model estimates and their interpretation by a broad scientific community. We discuss changes compared to previous estimates and consistency within and among components, alongside methodology and data limitations. CO2 emissions from fossil fuels and industry (EFF) are based on energy statistics and cement production data, respectively, while emissions from land-use change (ELUC), mainly deforestation, are based on combined evidence from land-cover change data, fire activity associated with deforestation, and models. The global atmospheric CO2 concentration is measured directly and its rate of growth (GATM) is computed from the annual changes in concentration. The mean ocean CO2 sink (SOCEAN) is based on observations from the 1990s, while the annual anomalies and trends are estimated with ocean models. The variability in SOCEAN is evaluated with data products based on surveys of ocean CO2 measurements. The global residual terrestrial CO2 sink (SLAND) is estimated by the difference of the other terms of the global carbon budget and compared to results of independent dynamic global vegetation models. We compare the mean land and ocean fluxes and their variability to estimates from three atmospheric inverse methods for three broad latitude bands. All uncertainties are reported as ±1σ, reflecting the current capacity to characterise the annual estimates of each component of the global carbon budget. For the last decade available (2006–2015), EFF was 9.3 ± 0.5 GtC yr−1, ELUC 1.0 ± 0.5 GtC yr−1, GATM 4.5 ± 0.1 GtC yr−1, SOCEAN 2.6 ± 0.5 GtC yr−1, and SLAND 3.1 ± 0.9 GtC yr−1. For year 2015 alone, the growth in EFF was approximately zero and emissions remained at 9.9 ± 0.5 GtC yr−1, showing a slowdown in growth of these emissions compared to the average growth of 1.8 % yr−1 that took place during 2006–2015. Also, for 2015, ELUC was 1.3 ± 0.5 GtC yr−1, GATM was 6.3 ± 0.2 GtC yr−1, SOCEAN was 3.0 ± 0.5 GtC yr−1, and SLAND was 1.9 ± 0.9 GtC yr−1. GATM was higher in 2015 compared to the past decade (2006–2015), reflecting a smaller SLAND for that year. The global atmospheric CO2 concentration reached 399.4 ± 0.1 ppm averaged over 2015. For 2016, preliminary data indicate the continuation of low growth in EFF with +0.2 % (range of −1.0 to +1.8 %) based on national emissions projections for China and USA, and projections of gross domestic product corrected for recent changes in the carbon intensity of the economy for the rest of the world. In spite of the low growth of EFF in 2016, the growth rate in atmospheric CO2 concentration is expected to be relatively high because of the persistence of the smaller residual terrestrial sink (SLAND) in response to El Nino conditions of 2015–2016. From this projection of EFF and assumed constant ELUC for 2016, cumulative emissions of CO2 will reach 565 ± 55 GtC (2075 ± 205 GtCO2) for 1870–2016, about 75 % from EFF and 25 % from ELUC. This living data update documents changes in the methods and data sets used in this new carbon budget compared with previous publications of this data set (Le Quere et al., 2015b, a, 2014, 2013). All observations presented here can be downloaded from the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center ( doi:10.3334/CDIAC/GCP_2016 ).
1,224 citations
TL;DR: There are well-documented declines in some wild and managed pollinators in several regions of the world, however, many effective policy and management responses can be implemented to safeguard pollinators and sustain pollination services.
Abstract: Wild and managed pollinators provide a wide range of benefits to society in terms of contributions to food security, farmer and beekeeper livelihoods, social and cultural values, as well as the maintenance of wider biodiversity and ecosystem stability. Pollinators face numerous threats, including changes in land-use and management intensity, climate change, pesticides and genetically modified crops, pollinator management and pathogens, and invasive alien species. There are well-documented declines in some wild and managed pollinators in several regions of the world. However, many effective policy and management responses can be implemented to safeguard pollinators and sustain pollination services.
1,121 citations
Chinese Academy of Sciences1, East China Normal University2, Texas A&M University3, Peking University4, Florida International University5, Shandong University6, Beijing Normal University7, Xi'an Jiaotong University8, Texas College9, Hospital Corporation of America10, Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine11, Lanzhou University12, Texas Tech University13, California Institute of Technology14, Ocean University of China15, Wuhan University16, Guangdong University of Technology17, Hebrew University of Jerusalem18, University of East Anglia19, University of California, San Diego20
TL;DR: The results explain the outstanding sulfur problem during the historic London Fog formation and elucidate the chemical mechanism of severe haze in China, and suggest that effective haze mitigation is achievable by intervening in the sulfate formation process with NH3 and NO2 emission control measures.
Abstract: Sulfate aerosols exert profound impacts on human and ecosystem health, weather, and climate, but their formation mechanism remains uncertain. Atmospheric models consistently underpredict sulfate levels under diverse environmental conditions. From atmospheric measurements in two Chinese megacities and complementary laboratory experiments, we show that the aqueous oxidation of SO2 by NO2 is key to efficient sulfate formation but is only feasible under two atmospheric conditions: on fine aerosols with high relative humidity and NH3 neutralization or under cloud conditions. Under polluted environments, this SO2 oxidation process leads to large sulfate production rates and promotes formation of nitrate and organic matter on aqueous particles, exacerbating severe haze development. Effective haze mitigation is achievable by intervening in the sulfate formation process with enforced NH3 and NO2 control measures. In addition to explaining the polluted episodes currently occurring in China and during the 1952 London Fog, this sulfate production mechanism is widespread, and our results suggest a way to tackle this growing problem in China and much of the developing world.
1,027 citations
University of Aberdeen1, University of California, Irvine2, Technical University of Berlin3, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research4, Hertie School of Governance5, Stanford University6, University of New England (United States)7, Utrecht University8, Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency9, ETH Zurich10, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis11, Centre national de la recherche scientifique12, University of Oslo13, Met Office14, University of Exeter15, University of East Anglia16, University of São Paulo17, University of Maryland, College Park18, Carnegie Mellon University19, National Institute for Environmental Studies20, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory21, Korea University22
TL;DR: In this article, the authors quantify potential global impacts of different negative emissions technologies on various factors (such as land, greenhouse gas emissions, water, albedo, nutrients and energy) to determine the biophysical limits to, and economic costs of, their widespread application.
Abstract: To have a >50% chance of limiting warming below 2 °C, most recent scenarios from integrated assessment models (IAMs) require large-scale deployment of negative emissions technologies (NETs). These are technologies that result in the net removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. We quantify potential global impacts of the different NETs on various factors (such as land, greenhouse gas emissions, water, albedo, nutrients and energy) to determine the biophysical limits to, and economic costs of, their widespread application. Resource implications vary between technologies and need to be satisfactorily addressed if NETs are to have a significant role in achieving climate goals.
974 citations
University of East Anglia1, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital2, Leiden University Medical Center3, University of Barcelona4, Claude Bernard University Lyon 15, University of Kiel6, Tallaght Hospital7, University of Oxford8, University of Paris9, University of Pennsylvania10, Linköping University11, Charles University in Prague12, Lund University13, Ankara University14
TL;DR: The 2009 European League Against Rheumatism recommendations for the management of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) have been updated and 15 recommendations were developed, covering general aspects, such as attaining remission.
Abstract: In this article, the 2009 European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) recommendations for the management of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) have been updated. The 2009 recommendations were on the management of primary small and medium vessel vasculitis. The 2015 update has been developed by an international task force representing EULAR, the European Renal Association and the European Vasculitis Society (EUVAS). The recommendations are based upon evidence from systematic literature reviews, as well as expert opinion where appropriate. The evidence presented was discussed and summarised by the experts in the course of a consensus-finding and voting process. Levels of evidence and grades of recommendations were derived and levels of agreement (strengths of recommendations) determined. In addition to the voting by the task force members, the relevance of the recommendations was assessed by an online voting survey among members of EUVAS. Fifteen recommendations were developed, covering general aspects, such as attaining remission and the need for shared decision making between clinicians and patients. More specific items relate to starting immunosuppressive therapy in combination with glucocorticoids to induce remission, followed by a period of remission maintenance; for remission induction in life-threatening or organ-threatening AAV, cyclophosphamide and rituximab are considered to have similar efficacy; plasma exchange which is recommended, where licensed, in the setting of rapidly progressive renal failure or severe diffuse pulmonary haemorrhage. These recommendations are intended for use by healthcare professionals, doctors in specialist training, medical students, pharmaceutical industries and drug regulatory organisations.
TL;DR: How beta-diversity is impacted by human activities, including farming, selective logging, urbanization, species invasions, overhunting, and climate change is reviewed.
Abstract: To design robust protected area networks, accurately measure species losses, or understand the processes that maintain species diversity, conservation science must consider the organization of biodiversity in space. Central is beta-diversity--the component of regional diversity that accumulates from compositional differences between local species assemblages. We review how beta-diversity is impacted by human activities, including farming, selective logging, urbanization, species invasions, overhunting, and climate change. Beta-diversity increases, decreases, or remains unchanged by these impacts, depending on the balance of processes that cause species composition to become more different (biotic heterogenization) or more similar (biotic homogenization) between sites. While maintaining high beta-diversity is not always a desirable conservation outcome, understanding beta-diversity is essential for protecting regional diversity and can directly assist conservation planning.
TL;DR: A major thermosensory role for the phytochromes (red light receptors) during the night is described, and it is found that phy tochrome B directly associates with the promoters of key target genes in a temperature-dependent manner.
Abstract: Plants are responsive to temperature, and some species can distinguish differences of 1°C In Arabidopsis, warmer temperature accelerates flowering and increases elongation growth (thermomorphogenesis) However, the mechanisms of temperature perception are largely unknown We describe a major thermosensory role for the phytochromes (red light receptors) during the night Phytochrome null plants display a constitutive warm-temperature response, and consistent with this, we show in this background that the warm-temperature transcriptome becomes derepressed at low temperatures We found that phytochrome B (phyB) directly associates with the promoters of key target genes in a temperature-dependent manner The rate of phyB inactivation is proportional to temperature in the dark, enabling phytochromes to function as thermal timers that integrate temperature information over the course of the night
Haidong Wang1, Zulfiqar A Bhutta2, Zulfiqar A Bhutta3, Matthew M Coates1 +610 more•Institutions (263)
TL;DR: The Global Burden of Disease 2015 Study provides an analytical framework to comprehensively assess trends for under-5 mortality, age-specific and cause-specific mortality among children under 5 years, and stillbirths by geography over time and decomposed the changes in under- 5 mortality to changes in SDI at the global level.
TL;DR: This report provides national estimates of levels and trends of HIV/AIDS incidence, prevalence, coverage of antiretroviral therapy (ART), and mortality for 195 countries and territories from 1980 to 2015.
TL;DR: The mathematical quantifications of planetary energy budget developed by Svante Arrhenius and Guy Stewart Callendar are examined and an empirical approximation is constructed, which is shown to be successful at retrospectively predicting global warming over the course of the twentieth century.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors employ an input-output model to calculate consumption-based CO2 emissions for thirteen Chinese cities and find substantial differences between production-and consumptionbased accounting in terms of both overall and per capita carbon emissions.
Book•
01 Nov 2016TL;DR: The author’s discourses, monologues, letters and diatribes are divided into four sections: literature, philosophy, criticism and criticism.
Abstract: Table of content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 About the content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Contains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Editions of this work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 livres (73) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 enregistrements (10) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 spectacles (4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 films, vidéos (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Documents about this work
University of East Anglia1, Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research2, Geophysical Institute, University of Bergen3, University of Paris4, University of Exeter5, Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences6, Earth System Research Laboratory7, University of Colorado Boulder8, Columbia University9, Hobart Corporation10, Cooperative Research Centre11, Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory12, University of Miami13, University of Southampton14, Federal University of Pernambuco15, State Oceanic Administration16, University of Gothenburg17, University of Alaska Fairbanks18, Norwegian Polar Institute19, University of Perpignan20, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research21, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation22, University of Hawaii at Manoa23, Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research24, University of New Hampshire25, Institut de recherche pour le développement26, Plymouth Marine Laboratory27, Oak Ridge National Laboratory28, University of the Aegean29, Max Planck Society30, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology31, United States Geological Survey32, Japan Meteorological Agency33, Leibniz Association34, World Meteorological Organization35, National University of Ireland, Galway36
TL;DR: This ESSD "living data" publication documents the methods and data sets used for the assembly of this new version of the SOCAT data collection and compares these with those used for earlier versions of the data collection.
Abstract: . The Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT) is a synthesis of quality-controlled fCO2 (fugacity of carbon dioxide) values for the global surface oceans and coastal seas with regular updates. Version 3 of SOCAT has 14.7 million fCO2 values from 3646 data sets covering the years 1957 to 2014. This latest version has an additional 4.6 million fCO2 values relative to version 2 and extends the record from 2011 to 2014. Version 3 also significantly increases the data availability for 2005 to 2013. SOCAT has an average of approximately 1.2 million surface water fCO2 values per year for the years 2006 to 2012. Quality and documentation of the data has improved. A new feature is the data set quality control (QC) flag of E for data from alternative sensors and platforms. The accuracy of surface water fCO2 has been defined for all data set QC flags. Automated range checking has been carried out for all data sets during their upload into SOCAT. The upgrade of the interactive Data Set Viewer (previously known as the Cruise Data Viewer) allows better interrogation of the SOCAT data collection and rapid creation of high-quality figures for scientific presentations. Automated data upload has been launched for version 4 and will enable more frequent SOCAT releases in the future. High-profile scientific applications of SOCAT include quantification of the ocean sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide and its long-term variation, detection of ocean acidification, as well as evaluation of coupled-climate and ocean-only biogeochemical models. Users of SOCAT data products are urged to acknowledge the contribution of data providers, as stated in the SOCAT Fair Data Use Statement. This ESSD (Earth System Science Data) "living data" publication documents the methods and data sets used for the assembly of this new version of the SOCAT data collection and compares these with those used for earlier versions of the data collection (Pfeil et al., 2013; Sabine et al., 2013; Bakker et al., 2014). Individual data set files, included in the synthesis product, can be downloaded here: doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.849770 . The gridded products are available here: doi:10.3334/CDIAC/OTG.SOCAT_V3_GRID .
Oregon State University1, University of Stirling2, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences3, Stanford University4, Sao Paulo State University5, Mammal Research Institute6, University of Oxford7, Florida International University8, University of Washington9, University of East Anglia10, University of Technology, Sydney11, University of California, Santa Barbara12
TL;DR: An analysis showing that bushmeat hunting for mostly food and medicinal products is driving a global crisis whereby 301 terrestrial mammal species are threatened with extinction, and proposes a multi-pronged conservation strategy to help save threatened mammals from immediate extinction and avoid a collapse of food security for hundreds of millions of people.
Abstract: Terrestrial mammals are experiencing a massive collapse in their population sizes and geographical ranges around the world, but many of the drivers, patterns and consequences of this decline remain poorly understood. Here we provide an analysis showing that bushmeat hunting for mostly food and medicinal products is driving a global crisis whereby 301 terrestrial mammal species are threatened with extinction. Nearly all of these threatened species occur in developing countries where major coexisting threats include deforestation, agricultural expansion, human encroachment and competition with livestock. The unrelenting decline of mammals suggests many vital ecological and socio-economic services that these species provide will be lost, potentially changing ecosystems irrevocably. We discuss options and current obstacles to achieving effective conservation, alongside consequences of failure to stem such anthropogenic mammalian extirpation. We propose a multi-pronged conservation strategy to help save threatened mammals from immediate extinction and avoid a collapse of food security for hundreds of millions of people.
TL;DR: The PRISMA harms checklist identifies a minimal set of items to be reported when reviewing adverse events, intended to improve harms reporting in systematic reviews, whether harms are a primary or secondary outcome.
Abstract: Introduction For any health intervention, accurate knowledge of both benefits and harms is needed. Systematic reviews often compound poor reporting of harms in primary studies by failing to report harms or doing so inadequately. While the PRISMA statement (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) helps systematic review authors ensure complete and transparent reporting, it is focused mainly on efficacy. Thus, a PRISMA harms checklist has been developed to improve harms reporting in systematic reviews, promoting a more balanced assessment of benefits and harms. Methods A development strategy, endorsed by the EQUATOR Network and existing reporting guidelines (including the PRISMA statement, PRISMA for abstracts, and PRISMA for protocols), was used. After the development of a draft checklist of items, a modified Delphi process was initiated. The Delphi consisted of three rounds of electronic feedback followed by an in-person meeting. Results The PRISMA harms checklist contains four essential reporting elements to be added to the original PRISMA statement to improve harms reporting in reviews. These are reported in the title (“Specifically mention ‘harms’ or other related terms, or the harm of interest in the review”), synthesis of results (“Specify how zero events were handled, if relevant”), study characteristics (“Define each harm addressed, how it was ascertained (eg, patient report, active search), and over what time period”), and synthesis of results (“Describe any assessment of possible causality”). Additional guidance regarding existing PRISMA items was developed to demonstrate relevance when synthesising information about harms. Conclusion The PRISMA harms checklist identifies a minimal set of items to be reported when reviewing adverse events. This guideline extension is intended to improve harms reporting in systematic reviews, whether harms are a primary or secondary outcome.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors employed an apparent energy consumption approach and updated emissions factors to re-calculate Chinese provincial CO2 emissions during 2000-2012 to reduce the uncertainty in Chinese CO2 emission estimates for the first time.
TL;DR: To monitor the trends in prevalence of cerebral palsy by birthweight in Europe, 1980 to 2003, data is collected on children born in Europe between 1980 and 2003.
Abstract: Aim
To monitor the trends in prevalence of cerebral palsy (CP) by birthweight in Europe, 1980 to 2003.
Method
Data were collated from 20 population-based registers contributing to the Surveillance of Cerebral Palsy in Europe database. Trend analyses were conducted in four birthweight groups: 2499g (normal birthweight [NBW]).
Results
The overall prevalence of CP decreased from 1.90 to 1.77 per 1000 live births, p<0.001, with a mean annual fall of 0.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] −0.3% to −1.0%). Prevalence in NBW children showed a non-significant trend from 1.17 to 0.89 per 1000 live births (p=0.22). Prevalence in MLBW children decreased from 8.5 to 6.2 per 1000 live births (p<0.001), but not linearly. Prevalence in VLBW children also declined from 70.9 to 35.9 per 1000 live births (p<0.001) with a mean annual fall of 3.4% (95% CI −2.4% to −4.3%). Prevalence in ELBW children remained stable, at a mean rate of 42.4 per 1000 live births.
Interpretation
The decline in prevalence of CP in children of VLBW continues, and confirms that previously reported. For the first time, there is also a significant decline among those of MLBW, resulting in a significant overall decrease in the prevalence of CP.
TL;DR: It is found that fifteen factors are influential in convincing farmers and advisers to use decision support tools, which include usability, cost-effectiveness, performance, relevance to user, and compatibility with compliance demands.
Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory1, University of St Andrews2, University of Arizona3, University of East Anglia4, Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research5, William Paterson University6, University of Mainz7, Stockholm University8, University of Edinburgh9, University of Gothenburg10, Siberian Federal University11, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague12, College of Wooster13
TL;DR: Anchukaitis et al. as discussed by the authors presented the latest tree-ring-based NH land air temperature reconstruction from a temporal and spatial perspective, N-TREND2015 is relatively insensitive to the compositing method and spatial weighting used and validation metrics indicate that the new record portrays reasonable coherence with large scale summer temperatures and is robust at all time-scales from 918 to 2004 where at least 3 TR records exist from each major continental mass.
TL;DR: A reduction of age-specific incidence means that the numbers of people estimated to develop dementia in any year has remained relatively stable.
Abstract: Dramatic global increases in future numbers of people with dementia have been predicted. No multicentre population-based study powered to detect changes over time has reported dementia incidence. MRC Cognitive Function and Ageing Study (CFAS) undertook baseline interviews in populations aged 65+ years in England and Wales (1989–1994). Three areas (CFAS I) were selected for new sampling two decades later (2008–2011) with same geographical boundaries, sampling and approach methods (CFAS II). At 2 years CFAS I interviewed 5,156 (76% response) with 5,288 interviewed in CFAS II (74% response). Here we report a 20% drop in incidence (95% CI: 0–40%), driven by a reduction in men across all ages above 65. In the UK we estimate 209,600 new dementia cases per year. This study was uniquely designed to test for differences across geography and time. A reduction of age-specific incidence means that the numbers of people estimated to develop dementia in any year has remained relatively stable.
Chinese Academy of Sciences1, Shenyang Jianzhu University2, University of California, Irvine3, Centre national de la recherche scientifique4, University of Cambridge5, University of East Anglia6, Shenyang Agricultural University7, Kyonggi University8, University of Aberdeen9, Spanish National Research Council10, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University11, California Institute of Technology12, Harvard University13
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors use new and existing data on cement materials during cement service life, demolition, and secondary use of concrete waste to estimate regional and global CO_2 uptake between 1930 and 2013 using an analytical model describing carbonation chemistry.
Abstract: Calcination of carbonate rocks during the manufacture of cement produced 5% of global CO_2 emissions from all industrial process and fossil-fuel combustion in 2013. Considerable attention has been paid to quantifying these industrial process emissions from cement production, but the natural reversal of the process—carbonation—has received little attention in carbon cycle studies. Here, we use new and existing data on cement materials during cement service life, demolition, and secondary use of concrete waste to estimate regional and global CO_2 uptake between 1930 and 2013 using an analytical model describing carbonation chemistry. We find that carbonation of cement materials over their life cycle represents a large and growing net sink of CO_2, increasing from 0.10 GtC yr^(−1) in 1998 to 0.25 GtC yr^(−1) in 2013. In total, we estimate that a cumulative amount of 4.5 GtC has been sequestered in carbonating cement materials from 1930 to 2013, offsetting 43% of the CO_2 emissions from production of cement over the same period, not including emissions associated with fossil use during cement production. We conclude that carbonation of cement products represents a substantial carbon sink that is not currently considered in emissions inventories.
TL;DR: This article examined context factors as subjective perceptions made by consumers about aspects of their own situation, specifically the extent to which they perceive having more or less time, money, and power available.
Royal Holloway, University of London1, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration2, Victoria University of Wellington3, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research4, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences5, University of Cambridge6, University of East Anglia7, University of Leeds8, Environment Canada9, South African Weather Service10, North-West University11, University of Bristol12
TL;DR: The isotopic evidence presented in this article suggests that the methane rise was dominated by significant increases in biogenic methane emissions, particularly in the tropics, for example, from expansion of tropical wetlands in years with strongly positive rainfall anomalies or emissions from increased agricultural sources such as ruminants and rice paddies.
Abstract: From 2007 to 2013, the globally averaged mole fraction of methane in the atmosphere increased by 5.7 ± 1.2 ppb yr−1. Simultaneously, δ13CCH4 (a measure of the 13C/12C isotope ratio in methane) has shifted to significantly more negative values since 2007. Growth was extreme in 2014, at 12.5 ± 0.4 ppb, with a further shift to more negative values being observed at most latitudes. The isotopic evidence presented here suggests that the methane rise was dominated by significant increases in biogenic methane emissions, particularly in the tropics, for example, from expansion of tropical wetlands in years with strongly positive rainfall anomalies or emissions from increased agricultural sources such as ruminants and rice paddies. Changes in the removal rate of methane by the OH radical have not been seen in other tracers of atmospheric chemistry and do not appear to explain short-term variations in methane. Fossil fuel emissions may also have grown, but the sustained shift to more 13C-depleted values and its significant interannual variability, and the tropical and Southern Hemisphere loci of post-2007 growth, both indicate that fossil fuel emissions have not been the dominant factor driving the increase. A major cause of increased tropical wetland and tropical agricultural methane emissions, the likely major contributors to growth, may be their responses to meteorological change.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors apply three distinct analytical perspectives: strategic niche management, niche policy advocacy, and critical niches, and argue that, if grassroots innovation is to realise its full potential, then we need to also pursue a third, critical niche perspective, and open up debate about more socially transformative pathways to sustainability.
Abstract: Grassroots innovations for sustainability are attracting increasing policy attention. Drawing upon a wide range of empirical research into community energy in the UK, and taking recent support from national government as a case study, we apply three distinct analytical perspectives: strategic niche management, niche policy advocacy, and critical niches. Whilst the first and second perspectives appear to explain policy influence in grassroots innovation adequately, each also shuts out more transformational possibilities. We therefore argue that, if grassroots innovation is to realise its full potential, then we need to also pursue a third, critical niches perspective, and open up debate about more socially transformative pathways to sustainability.