Creating futures out of the conference: 20 years of strengthening mental health capacity in the Pacific.

Creating Futures (CF) is an independent, collaborative taskforce supported by in-kind commitments from organisations and practitioners. This paper summarises CF 2023 themes and provides an overview of 20 years of CF activities. It highlights challenges and opportunities to integrate global mental health partnerships and regional mental health projects.

A yeast-assembled, plasmid-launched reverse genetics system for the murine coronavirus MHV-A59.

The murine hepatitis virus (MHV) is an important model system for studying coronavirus (CoV) molecular and cell biology. Despite this, few reagents for MHV are available through repositories such as ATCC or Addgene, potentially limiting the widespread adoption of MHV as a tractable model system. To overcome some challenges inherent in the existing MHV reverse genetics systems, we developed a plasmid-launched transformation-associated recombination (TAR) cloning-based system to assemble the MHV (strain A59; MHV-A59) genome.

Mycelium-based composites: An updated comprehensive overview.

Mycelium-based composites hold significant potential as sustainable alternatives to traditional materials, offering innovative solutions to the escalating challenges of global warming and climate change. This review examines their production techniques, advantages, and limitations, emphasizing their role in addressing pressing environmental and economic concerns. Current applications span various industries, including manufacturing and biomedical fields, where mycelium-based composites demonstrate the capacity to mitigate environmental impact and enhance economic sustainability.

Facts, Dogmas, and Unknowns About Mitochondrial Reactive Oxygen Species in Cancer.

Cancer metabolism is sustained both by enhanced aerobic glycolysis, characteristic of the Warburg phenotype, and oxidative metabolism. Cell survival and proliferation depends on a dynamic equilibrium between mitochondrial function and glycolysis, which is heterogeneous between tumors and even within the same tumor. During oxidative phosphorylation, electrons from NADH and FADH originated in the tricarboxylic acid cycle flow through complexes of the electron transport chain.

Validation and accuracy of the Hyfe cough monitoring system: a multicenter clinical study.

Background: The ability to passively and continuously monitor coughing for prolonged periods of time would significantly improve cough management and research. To date there is no automated clinically validated cough monitor that can be routinely used in clinical care and research. Here we describe the validation of such an automated cough monitor.

Trade deregulation and fiscal revenue in selected Pacific Island countries.

This paper examines the revenue implications of trade deregulation in a panel of Pacific Island countries from 2010 to 2021. First, we undertake a cross-country analysis of tax revenue, trade, and tax structure. Secondly, we empirically analyze the effect of trade deregulation on trade tax and overall government tax revenue.

Novel lineage of anelloviruses with large genomes identified in dolphins.

Unlabelled: Anellovirus infections are ubiquitous in mammals but lack any clear disease association, suggesting a commensal virus-host relationship. Although anelloviruses have been identified in numerous mammalian hosts, their presence in members of the family Delphinidae has yet to be reported. Here, using a metagenomic approach, we characterize complete anellovirus genomes ( = 69) from four Delphinidae host species: short-finned pilot whale (, = 19), killer whale (, = 9), false killer whale (, = 6), and pantropical spotted dolphin (, = 1).

Resilient Responses to Victimization and Other Trauma: Positive Emotion Regulation and Other Understudied Psychosocial Strengths.

Although many psychosocial strengths have been explored, there remains a need to identify under-appreciated strengths that help people overcome trauma. The objective of this study was to explore the resilience potential of 16 psychosocial strengths-including 4 understudied strengths (positive emotion regulation, self-reliance, relational motivation, and group connectedness)-for helping people overcome trauma. The understudied strengths were identified in previous qualitative work as salient in the southeastern communities where the study took place.

Stakeholder perceptions of mangrove ecosystem services across scales of conservation focus.

Conservation faces a chronic shortage of resources, including time, funding, mental capacity, and human capital. Efforts to make the expenditure of these resources more efficient should, therefore, support more equitable and effective conservation prioritization. To achieve this, it is necessary to ensure the integration of the knowledge and perceptions of local stakeholders into larger scale conservation decisions.

Management of waste containing polybrominated diphenyl ethers: A review.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are substances used as flame retardants that can be released into the environment through volatilization, leaching, and abrasion throughout the useful life of the articles that contain them, especially at the end of their life cycle because PBDEs do not chemically bind to the initial materials (electrical and electronic equipment, textiles, materials used in transport vehicles, toys, among others). Research has shown that the toxic effects and risks of PBDEs to ecosystems and human health are greater than their benefits owing to their neurotoxicity, toxicity to the endocrine and reproductive systems, and possible carcinogenicity. This review shows the current situation of management of waste containing PBDEs (plastics, sludge, soil, and ash) and the characterization, valorization, treatment, and final disposal of these wastes, to minimize their impacts on ecosystems and human health are analyzed.

Sandy beach macrofauna along the shore of Fiji: Low species richness due to beach morphodynamics or low productivity in coastal waters?

Six sandy beaches located on the south coast of Viti-Levu, Fiji, were sampled to provide as a first aim, an environmental description based upon their physical and biological attributes, to serve as a reference tool for further monitoring programs. Beach face slopes were measured at 4 replicated transects stretching from the front dunes or the seaward reach of the tree vegetation (upper shore level) to the low tide level. Samples for analyses of sand particle size were collected at 4 tidal levels: the upper shore, the drift and effluent lines, and the low tide level.

Making it real: Actioning the mental health strategy with Pacific Island communities.

Objective: This paper explores the practical implications of the World Health Organization strategy of focussing on community-based mental health and wellbeing ecosystems in the context of the Pacific Island Countries. It draws on the expertise of the participants of a collaborative workshop held during the Creating Futures conference in 2023 to discuss successes, challenges, barriers, opportunities in the implementation of the framework and to examine potential future actions.

Conclusions: Some of the significant factors that make for effective and sustained community-based mental health systems include appropriate central coordination and oversight of community-based services, adequate frameworks for quality assurance, meaningful data collection and sustained long-term funding, as well as a range of workforce factors.

Stomata Are Driving the Direction of CO-Induced Water-Use Efficiency Gain in Selected Tropical Trees in Fiji.

Understanding plant physiological response to a rising atmospheric CO concentration () is key in predicting Earth system plant-climate feedbacks; however, the effects of long-term rising on plant gas-exchange characteristics in the tropics are largely unknown. Studying this long-term trend using herbarium records is challenging due to specimen trait variation. We assessed the impact of a rise of ~95 ppm (1927-2015) on the intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) and maximum stomatal conductance () of five tropical tree species in Fiji using the isotopic composition and stomatal traits of herbarium leaves.

Cryopreservation and transplantation of spermatogonia stem cells in piracanjuba Brycon orbignyanus (Characiformes: Characidae), an endangered fish species.

Piracanjuba (Brycon orbignyanus) is an endangered fish species from the Neotropical region. The establishment of a cryobank using spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) and subsequent production of a germline chimera is thus a promising strategy for such species. In the present work, procedures for the isolation and cryopreservation of piracanjuba SSCs and subsequent transplantation into sterile recipients were established.

Challenges of Using Scoring Systems for the Assessment of Molar Incisor Hypomineralisation.

The dental professional is exposed to complex challenges daily, posed by molar incisor hypomineralisation (MIH). These range from understanding its etiology through to determining the most effective strategies for clinical management of the problem. Beyond any doubt, the choice of the diagnostic scoring system to be used for recording the condition is included among these challenges.

Robotic dog for navigation of a rehabilitation wheelchair robot in a highly constrained environment.

Adaptation to technological advancements and intelligent digital tools can enable healthcare providers to overcome the challenges of their patient-oriented care systems and processes. One such intelligent tool is automated assistive robots, which can improve patient care and safety in the health sector. This paper presents an invariant set of continuous nonlinear control laws for an assistive robot and a rehabilitation wheelchair robot modeled as a new autonomous robotic dog and rehabilitation wheelchair system for navigating a highly constrained environment.

Performance, Meat Quality and Meat Metabolomics Outcomes: Efficacy of 3-Nitrooxypropanol in Feedlot Beef Cattle Diets.

30 Nellore animals with an average weight of 407.25 ± 2.04 kg, were distributed in a completely randomized design across the following treatments: 1-Control (without inclusion of 3-NOP); 2-BV75 (inclusion of 3-NOP at 75 mg/kg DM); 3-BV100 (inclusion of 3-NOP at 100 mg/kg DM).

Anaerobic digestion of poultry manure to power a poultry farm in Ba: Pilot and techno-economic study.

Although poultry is the largest meat by volume produced in Fiji, there has not been any established study, nor application of the anaerobic digestion (AD) of poultry manure (PM) in the country. This paper aims to determine the techno-economic feasibility of the AD of PM to power a poultry farm in Fiji. A pilot scale study was first conducted with mono-digestion batches of poultry manure, and co-digestions with kitchen waste (KW) and newspaper waste (NPW).

New quality productivity and environmental innovation: The hostile moderating roles of managerial empowerment and board centralization.

As new quality productivity (NQP) emerges as a rising star of productivity that can effectively leverage technological innovation and sustainability, this study aims to explore the relationship between NQP and environmental innovation, with a particular focus on the roles of managerial empowerment and board centralization within the context of China A-share listed companies. Utilizing the entire sample of China A-share market from 2013 to 2022, the study analyses the effectiveness of various dimensions reflecting innovation engagement among Chinese listed companies. For measuring NQP, the entropy method is employed to calculate the weights.

Determinants of carbon emission: A multiple scale decomposition of Gansu Province.

China, being the largest contributor to total carbon emissions, still has a long way to go in energy conservation and emission reduction. Employing the structural decomposition analysis (SDA) method and using input-output table data, this study examines the evolution of carbon emissions resulting from energy consumption in Gansu Province in China over the period 2007 to 2017. By exploring carbon emission driving factors and identifying key final demand and sectors for carbon emissions, Gansu province can formulate more effective emission reduction policies that can balance economic development and carbon emission control.