Consumerisation in UK Higher Education Business Schools: Higher fees, greater stress and debatable outcomes

For many UK Higher Education Business Schools, the continued recruitment of UK, EU and International students is crucial for financial stability, viability and independence. Due to increasingly competitive funding models across the sector many institutional leaders and administrators are making decisions typical of highly marketised consumer environments. Thus, this paper explores, academics’ perceptions of the impact of consumerisation in UK Higher Education Business Schools. To achieve this 22 Business School academics were interviewed within three UK Higher Education institutions (HEIs) in the North of England. Participants had a minimum of three years teaching experience. Data was analysed using template analysis taking an interpretive approach. The findings indicate that academics perceived the introduction of tuition fees to have been the catalyst for students increasing demonstration of customer-like behaviour: viewing the education process as transactional, with the HEI providing a ‘paid for’ service. It is argued that these changes in UK Higher Education have created tensions between university leaders and academics, creating genuine dilemmas for those with decision-making responsibilities who must balance academic integrity and long term institutional financial viability

What Is New for an Old Molecule? Systematic Review and Recommendations on the Use of Resveratrol

Stilbenes are naturally occurring phytoalexins that generally exist as their more stable E isomers. The most well known natural stilbene is resveratrol (Res), firstly isolated in 1939 from roots of Veratrum grandiflorum (white hellebore) (1) and since then found in various edible plants, notably in Vitis vinifera L. (Vitaceae) (2). The therapeutic potential of Res covers a wide range of diseases, and multiple beneficial effects on human health such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities have been suggested based on several in vitro and animal studies (3). In particular, Res has been reported to be an inhibitor of carcinogenesis at multiple stages via its ability to inhibit cyclooxygenase, and is an anticancer agent with a role in antiangiogenesis (4). Moreover, both in vitro and in vivo studies showed that Res induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in tumor cells (4). However, clinical studies in humans evidenced that Res is rapidly absorbed after oral intake, and that the low level observed in the blood stream is caused by a fast conversion into metabolites that are readily excreted from the body (5). Thus, considerable efforts have gone in the design and synthesis of Res analogues with enhanced metabolic stability. Considering that reduced Res (dihydro- resveratrol, D-Res) conjugates may account for as much as 50% of an oral Res dose (5), and that D-Res has a strong proliferative effect on hormone-sensitive cancer cell lines such as breast cancer cell line MCF7 (6), we recently devoted our synthetic efforts to the preparation of trans-restricted analogues of Res in which the E carbon-carbon double bond is embedded into an imidazole nucleus. To keep the trans geometry, the two aryl rings were linked to the heteroaromatic core in a 1,3 fashion. Based on this design, we successfully prepared a variety of 1,4-, 2,4- and 2,5-diaryl substituted imidazoles including Res analogues 1, 2 and 3, respectively, by procedures that involve transition metal-catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions and highly selective N-H or C-H direct arylation reactions as key synthetic steps. The anticancer activity of compounds 1–3 was evaluated against the 60 human cancer cell lines panel of the National Cancer Institute (NCI, USA). The obtained results, that will be showed and discussed along with the protocols developed for the preparation of imidazoles 1–3, confirmed that a structural optimization of Res may provide analogues with improved potency in inhibiting the growth of human cancer cell lines in vitro when compared to their natural lead. (1) Takaoka,M.J.Chem.Soc.Jpn.1939,60,1090-1100. (2) Langcake, P.; Pryce, R. J. Physiological. Plant Patology 1976, 9, 77-86. (3) Vang, O.; et al. PLoS ONE 2011, 6, e19881. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0019881 (4) Kraft, T. E.; et al. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 2009, 49, 782-799. (5) Walle, T. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 2011, 1215, 9-15. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05842.x (6) Gakh,A.A.;etal.Bioorg.Med.Chem.Lett.2010,20,6149-6151

Priorities for synthesis research in ecology and environmental science

Synthesis research in ecology and environmental science improves understanding, advances theory, identifies research priorities, and supports management strategies by linking data, ideas, and tools. Accelerating environmental challenges increases the need to focus synthesis science on the most pressing questions. To leverage input from the broader research community, we convened a virtual workshop with participants from many countries and disciplines to examine how and where synthesis can address key questions and themes in ecology and environmental science in the coming decade. Seven priority research topics emerged: (1) diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ), (2) human and natural systems, (3) actionable and use-inspired science, (4) scale, (5) generality, (6) complexity and resilience, and (7) predictability. Additionally, two issues regarding the general practice of synthesis emerged: the need for increased participant diversity and inclusive research practices; and increased and improved data flow, access, and skill-building. These topics and practices provide a strategic vision for future synthesis in ecology and environmental science

Multidrug efflux pumps:structure, function and regulation

Infections arising from multidrug-resistant pathogenic bacteria are spreading rapidly throughout the world and threaten to become untreatable. The origins of resistance are numerous and complex, but one underlying factor is the capacity of bacteria to rapidly export drugs through the intrinsic activity of efflux pumps. In this Review, we describe recent advances that have increased our understanding of the structures and molecular mechanisms of multidrug efflux pumps in bacteria. Clinical and laboratory data indicate that efflux pumps function not only in the drug extrusion process but also in virulence and the adaptive responses that contribute to antimicrobial resistance during infection. The emerging picture of the structure, function and regulation of efflux pumps suggests opportunities for countering their activities

Managing Carbon

Storing carbon (C) and offsetting carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions with the use of wood for energy, both of which slow emissions of CO2 into the atmosphere, present significant challenges for forest management (IPCC 2001). In the United States, there has been a net increase in C in forests and in harvested wood products stocks (Tables 7.1 and 7.2), a result of historical and recent ecological conditions, management practices, and use of forest products (Birdsey et al. 2006). However, recent projections for the forest sector suggest that annual C storage could begin to decline, and U.S. forests could become a net C emitter of tens to hundreds of Tg C year ¹ within a few decades (USDA FS 2012a). It is therefore urgent to identify effective C management strategies, given the complexity of factors that drive the forest C cycle and the multiple objectives for which forests are managed. An ideal C management activity contributes benefits beyond increasing C storage by achieving other management objectives and providing ecosystem services in a sustainable manner. Strategies for effectively managing forest C stocks and offsetting C emissions requires a thorough understanding of biophysical and social influences on the forest C cycle (Birdsey et al. 1993). Successful policies and incentives may be chosen to support strategies if sufficient knowledge of social processes (e.g., landowner or wood-user response to incentives and markets) is available. For example, if C stocks are expected to decrease owing to decreasing forest land area caused by exurban development, policies or incentives to avoid deforestation in those areas may be effective. If C stocks are expected to decrease owing to the effects of a warmer climate, reducing stand densities may retain C over the long term by increasing resilience to drought and other stressors and by reducing crown fire hazard (Jackson et al. 2005; Reinhardt et al. 2008). Protecting old forests and other forests that have high C stocks may be more effective than seeking C offsets associated with wood use, especially if those forests would recover C more slowly in an altered climate. If climate change increases productivity in a given area over a long period of time, increasing forest C stocks through intensive management and forest products, including biomass energy, may be especially effective. It is equally important to know which strategies might make some management practices unacceptable (e.g., reducing biodiversity). However, no standard evaluation framework exists to aid decision making on alternative management strategies for maximizing C storage while minimizing risks and tradeoffs. Here we discuss (1) where forest C is stored in the United States, (2) how to measure forest C through space and time, (3) effectiveness of various management strategies in reducing atmospheric greenhouse gases (GHG), and (4) effectiveness of incentives, regulations, and institutional arrangements for implementing C management. Understanding of biophysical and social influences on the forest C cycle (Birdsey et al. 1993). Successful policies and incentives may be chosen to support strategies if sufficient knowledge of social processes (e.g., landowner or wood-user response to incentives and markets) is available. For example, if C stocks are expected to decrease owing to decreasing forest land area caused by exurban development, policies or incentives to avoid deforestation in those areas may be effective. If C stocks are expected to decrease owing to the effects of a warmer climate, reducing stand densities may retain C over the long term by increasing resilience to drought and other stressors and by reducing crown fire hazard (Jackson et al. 2005; Reinhardt et al. 2008). Protecting old forests and other forests that have high C stocks may be more effective than seeking C offsets associated with wood use, especially if those forests would recover C more slowly in an altered climate. If climate change increases productivity in a given area over a long period of time, increasing forest C stocks through intensive management and forest products, including biomass energy, may be especially effective. It is equally important to know which strategies might make some management practices unacceptable (e.g., reducing biodiversity). However, no standard evaluation framework exists to aid decision making on alternative management strategies for maximizing C storage while minimizing risks and tradeoffs. Here we discuss (1) where forest C is stored in the United States, (2) how to measure forest C through space and time, (3) effectiveness of various management strategies in reducing atmospheric greenhouse gases (GHG), and (4) effectiveness of incentives, regulations, and institutional arrangements for implementing C management