Writing – Page 4 – Yours truly, Yasmin

Understanding depression in Asia

Originally published 16 September 2014 on Nikkei Asian Review.

As humans, we tend to chase after the global notion of “success” while neglecting its true value, which isn’t fame, fortune or power but “emotional well-being.”

According to the World Health Organization’s first report on suicide prevention, released Sept. 4, 803,900 people died by suicide worldwide in 2012. Of them, 39.1% were in low- and middle-income countries in the WHO South-East Asia region, which includes India, Indonesia, Thailand and North Korea; 16.3% were in the WHO Western Pacific Region, which encompasses China, Vietnam and Mongolia. Including Japan, where some 30,000 people committed suicide that year, Asia made up about 60% of global cases.

Experts say this large share is due to suicide being relatively under-researched in Asian countries, with limited preventive measures in place compared with the West.

However, a recently published study featuring 547 participants with major depressive disorder from China, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, sheds light on MDD and its link to suicide.

The study was conducted from 2008 to 2011 by a team from 13 institutions and members of the Mood Disorders Research: Asian and Australian Network. It included a survey focusing on how so-called melancholic features, hostility, and socio-demographic factors are associated with suicide risk in MDD patients.

Whale sharks found at Red Sea gathering spot

Originally published 26 August 2014 on Nature Middle East.

Juvenile whale sharks gravitate towards the central coast of the Saudi Arabian Red Sea near Al-Lith to a gathering point. Scientists hope this will help improve conservation efforts of the vulnerable fish.

The preferred site for juvenile whale sharks off the central coast of the Saudi Arabian Red Sea has been identified near the city of Al-Lith.

The whale shark, Rhincodon typus, is the largest fish in the world, growing up to 15 meters long. Scientists hope the discovery of this site will improve conservation efforts in the region after the International Union for Conservation of Nature classified whale sharks as “vulnerable” in 2000.

“In any conservation effort, it is important to protect juveniles long enough to ensure that they can reach a reproductive age or size,” says researcher Michael Berumen from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). “Whale sharks are inherently difficult to study because of their potential long-range movements, unknown breeding patterns, and the amount of time that they spend below the surface. Protecting mating grounds would be a critical step in improving conservation for the species.”

Air pollution fears at holy sites

Originally published 21 July 2014 on Nature Middle East.

Air quality in holy sites of Saudi Arabia sharply deteriorates during the pilgrimage seasons, exposing pilgrims to dangerous gases.

Pilgrims visiting the holy sites of Saudi Arabia, including Mecca, are being exposed to significant air pollution, with high levels of combustion tracer carbon monoxide (CO) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) detected in samples, a new study shows.

Several one-minute air samples were taken from Mecca and the central pilgrimage route, which extends to Mina, Arafat, and Muzdalifah, during the main Hajj season – the largest annual Muslim gathering in the world. Those samples revealed elevated CO levels of 57 parts per million by volume (ppmv) – exceeding the maximum average concentration deemed acceptable by the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA).

The study, a collaboration by a team from University of California at Irvine (UC Irvine) and King Abdulaziz University, started during the pilgrimage season in 2012 with a survey focusing on measuring carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), CO, and 96 speciated C1-C10 VOCs. It revealed that the major VOC sources came from vehicular exhaust and petrol evaporation.

Read more at
Nature Middle East, July 2014.