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Agriculture is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and is vulnerable to climate change. Regenerative agriculture, which focuses on increasing soil carbon, has been recognized as a potential climate solution. A recent study found that seven regenerative practices, including planting cover crops and using non-chemical fertilizers, all increased carbon sequestration. However, the study also highlights that regenerative agriculture has other benefits beyond carbon sequestration, and the focus should not solely be on carbon credits. The popularity of regenerative agriculture is growing, but there is a risk of it being co-opted and losing its essence. [Extracted from the article]

Bill McKibben, an environmental activist and writer, emphasizes the need for urgent action to address the climate crisis. He highlights the importance of political action in accelerating the transition to renewable energy and impeding the fossil fuel industry. McKibben calls for collective action and collaboration across generations to combat climate change. He also emphasizes the role of voting, holding elected officials accountable, media coverage, global partnerships, and financial investments in renewable energy. Despite the challenges, McKibben encourages individuals to join movements and work together to create change. [Extracted from the article]

In "Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Anxiety," Britt Wray explores the importance of language in understanding and sharing the emotions caused by the climate crisis. She emphasizes the need for validation and community in coping with these feelings and taking action. Wray also discusses the differences between existential dread from nuclear threats and climate threats, highlighting the importance of care and courage in facing these realities. The text emphasizes the need to reframe the concept of control, recognize interconnectedness, and listen to non-dominant cultures and indigenous communities. It suggests engaging in truth and reconciliation processes and creating spaces for compassionate conversations to shift towards climate solutions. The text provides resources for accessing support groups and therapy networks for those experiencing climate anxiety and encourages open-minded conversations for those less engaged. [Extracted from the article]

This article explores how globalization reshapes moral development in northern Thailand. Employing a cultural-developmental approach to examine interview data gathered over the course of one year, the article discusses variations in Divinity-based moral reasoning among adolescents residing in variously globalized Thai communities. Quantitative analysis shows that moral reasoning diverges across contexts of globalization, with rural adolescents reasoning more in terms of the Ethic of Divinity than urban adolescents. Qualitative analysis shows how the meaning of Divinity diverges, with the Ethic of Divinity co-occurring alongside the Ethic of Community among rural adolescents, and the Ethic of Divinity co-occurring alongside the Ethic of Autonomy among urban adolescents. Analyses further indicate that rural and urban adolescents invoke distinct Divinity principles altogether. Findings suggest that in urban settings, Divinity is decontextualized from traditional community-driven Thai Buddhism and recontextualized to align with values that are adaptive in a globalized society. This article contributes to, and offers suggestions for, the empirical study of the moral psychology of globalization.

Bitcoin mining is a lucrative but energy-intensive activity. To keep costs low, miners are finding new ways to make their own electricity, often derived from fossil fuels. Mining companies are buying struggling coal, coal waste, and gas power plants and using the electricity they generate for their mining operations. Existing utility companies and power plants are pivoting to mining to make up for declining demand. Oil and gas companies are also buying mobile generators and installing them at well sites, mining right there at the oil or gas well, or selling the gas to third-party miners. The fossil fuel-to-bitcoin pipeline is getting shorter and shorter, and associated greenhouse gas emissions are climbing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines how culture and development jointly shape moral values in northern Thailand. Eighty participants (40 adolescents [ M age = 17.30] and 40 parents, evenly divided across a rural community and a globalized urban city) completed the Ethical Values Assessment (EVA), a questionnaire that examines the extent to which individuals prioritize Ethics of Autonomy, Community, and Divinity. Statistical analyses reveal that these three moral values are customized by extent of exposure to globalization: adolescents in the globalized urban context were most likely to prioritize Autonomy, and least likely to prioritize Community. Urban parents prioritized Community values more so than their children and rural-dwelling parents. These and other findings speak to the effects of globalization and localization in the face of cultural change. The more granular focus on particular EVA items endorsed further reveals both the maintenance of long-standing cultural values (i.e., filial piety), even among those with most significant exposure to globalization, and ways in which certain autonomous values may be tailored to function alongside long-standing local values. In total, this study suggests that local value systems are maintained, reasserted, and dynamically reshaped with globalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although lower- and middle-income nations are experiencing a dramatic rise in digital media, scientific understanding of how young people and families in such nations navigate this altered landscape lags behind. This mixed methods study examines access to, use of, and perspectives of digital and traditional media in Thailand, a middle-income nation undergoing rapid technological change. Eighty participants, evenly divided by ecological context (rural, urban) and generational cohort (adolescent, parent), participated in this interview study. Quantitative analyses reveal ecological gaps in media access and use, and generational gaps in media use and perceived importance of media. Qualitative analyses reveal how perceived opportunities and challenges of media are customized by ecological context and generational cohort. Centering the experiences and perspectives of Thais in diverse communities and of diverse ages, this study highlights both within-nation heterogeneity and homogeneity in media integration and psychological orientations toward media. In so doing, it draws attention to how culture shapes media use and perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the obstetrical outcomes of women delivered for the diagnosis of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP). Methods: Retrospective study of singleton pregnancies diagnosed with ICP between 1 May 2014 and 31 December 2017. Population was analyzed based on bile acids: normal (<10 μmol/ L), mild (10 to 40 μmol/L), moderate-severe (>40 mmol/L), and not obtained. Receiver operating characteristic curves established critical values for aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) to predict elevated bile acids. Statistical analyses included X² for categorical variables and ANOVA for continuous variables. All tests used a 2-sided α level of significance of .05. Results: Bile acids were normal in 39 (45.9%) women, 30 (35.3%) had mild cholestasis, 10 (11.8%) had moderate-severe cholestasis and not obtained for six (7%) women. Gestational diabetes was more common in mild cholestasis (p = .03). There were no differences in demographics, clinical presentation, obstetric interventions and neonatal outcomes. Bile acids took 5–6 days to result. Rate of labor inductions was high in all groups. Postpartum complications occurred in four women in the normal group and in one woman in the mild cholestasis group. Five (12.8%) neonates in the normal group, six (20%) in the mild group, and one (10%) in the severe group were admitted to the NICU. There was no fetal asphyxia, no 5-minute Apgar score <7, and no perinatal deaths. An AST of 27.5 IU/L (p = .002) with sensitivity of 81% and specificity of 76%, and an ALT of 26.7 IU/L (p = .004) with sensitivity of 78% and specificity of 68% predicted elevated bile acids. Improving the sensitivity of AST and ALT to 95%, the ROC curve identified an AST of 62 IU/L with a specificity, positive and negative predictive values of 32, 58 and 86%, respectively; and an ALT of 106 IU/L with a specificity, positive and negative predictive values of 27, 57 and 83%, respectively. Conclusions: ICP should not be presumed in patients with pruritus. This practice may lead to early term delivery and associated complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cover image of the August 2024 issue of the Journal of Cellular Physiology is based on an article titled "Ablation of Sam50 is associated with fragmentation and alterations in metabolism in murine and human myotubes" by Bryanna Shao et al. The article explores the effects of Sam50 ablation on the fragmentation and metabolism of myotubes in mice and humans. The research involves a large group of authors from diverse backgrounds and is available for further exploration through the provided DOI link. [Extracted from the article]