More Holography from Conformal Field Theory

We extend the work of [4] to support the conjecture that any conformal field theory with a large N expansion and a large gap in the spectrum of anomalous dimensions has a local bulk dual. We count to O(1/N^2) the solutions to the crossing constraints in conformal field theory for a completely general scalar four-point function and show that, to this order, the counting matches the number of independent interactions in a general scalar theory on Anti-de Sitter space. We introduce parity odd conformal blocks for this purpose.Comment: 19 page

Music in the time-spectrum: routines, spaces and emotional experience

Music streaming, structured by an expanding network of social interdependencies (e.g. musicians, sound engineers, computer scientists and distributors) has made it easier to consume music in a wider number of social and private spaces and to a greater degree. This paper examines the emotional experience of contemporary music consumption by drawing from an Eliasian perspective, specifically Elias and Dunning’s sociology of leisure. We explore the relationship between work, spare time and leisure spaces, rather than examining specific spaces in isolation. We argue that music is used to demarcate, transition between, and blur space. Music plays an important role in facilitating the rhythm of routine, helping individuals to adjust to the demands of different spaces (based on varying intensities and immediacies of social pressures) and manage mood. The key characteristics of leisure that Elias and Dunning identify (motility, sociability and mimetic tension) are explored across the spectrum of time and space

Recruit Don\u27t Search: Using Inclusive Strengths-Based Processes in Hiring

During the 2020-2021 academic year, our organization undertook a strategic effort to improve our diversity, equity, and inclusion practices with the goal of creating a more diverse organization. Paramount in this effort was the development of a set of best practices to be used by our institution to ensure that our hiring practices promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. This poster will detail the processes we undertook to fundamentally rethink hiring and share best practices that we developed so that other institutions can apply these same principles. Attendees will be able to describe how a strengths-based mindset and an interview process that centers the needs of candidates can result in a stronger and more diverse applicant pool. Attendees will be able to give examples of best practices that could be used for inclusive recruiting and support diversity and equity. After attending, attendees will be able to create elements of a strengths-based hiring process that could be implemented at their own institutions

Vector Competence of Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes ricinus (Acari: Ixodidae) for Three Genospecies of Borrelia burgdorferi

The vector competence of 2 tick species, Ixodes ricinus (L.) and Ixodes scapularis Say, was determined and compared for 3 genospecies of Borrelia burgdorferi. The 3 genospecies of B. burgdorferi used in the following experiments were Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (B-31 and B-31.D1 clone), Borrelia afzelii (strain Pgau.C3), and Borrelia garinii (strain VS286 and VSBP). Spirochetes from all 5 strains were inoculated intradermally into outbred mice; larval ticks of both species were subsequently fed on those mice and replete larvae were assayed for infection by culture in BSK-H media every 7 d for 4 wk. Infection frequencies in I. scapularis exposed to the 5 strains were as follows: B-31 (90%), B-31.D1 (83%), Pgau.C3 (87%), VS286 (10%), and VSBP (5%). The comparable infection frequencies for /. ricinus were B-31 (3%), B-31.D1 (3%), Pgau.C3 (90%), VS286 (5%), and VSBP (3%). Resultant nymphal /. scapularis successfully transmitted B-31, B-31.D1, Pgau.C3, and VS286 to outbred mice. /. ricinus nymphs transmitted Pgau.C3 and VS286. Both species failed to transmit strain VSB

Regulation of Nonribosomal Peptide Synthesis: bis-Thiomethylation Attenuates Gliotoxin Biosynthesis in Aspergillus fumigatus

Gliotoxin is a redox-active nonribosomal peptide produced by Aspergillus fumigatus. Like many other disulfide-containing epipolythiodioxopiperazines, a bis-thiomethylated form is also produced. In the case of gliotoxin, bisdethiobis(methylthio)gliotoxin (BmGT) is formed for unknown reasons by a cryptic enzyme. Here, we identify the S-adenosylmethionine- dependent gliotoxin bis-thiomethyltransferase (GtmA), which converts dithiogliotoxin to BmGT. This activity, which is induced by exogenous gliotoxin, is only detectable in protein lysates of A. fumigatus deficient in the gliotoxin oxidoreductase, gliT. Thus, GtmA is capable of substrate bis-thiomethylation. Deletion of gtmA completely abrogates BmGT formation and we now propose that the purpose of BmGT formation is primarily to attenuate gliotoxin biosynthesis. Phylogenetic analysis reveals 124 GtmA homologs within the Ascomycota phylum. GtmA is encoded outside the gliotoxin biosynthetic cluster and primarily serves to negatively regulate gliotoxin biosynthesis. This mechanism of postbiosynthetic regulation of nonribosomal peptide synthesis appears to be quite unusual

The Aspergillus fumigatus Protein GliK Protects against Oxidative Stress and Is Essential for Gliotoxin Biosynthesis

The function of a number of genes in the gliotoxin biosynthetic cluster (gli) in Aspergillus fumigatus remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that gliK deletion from two strains of A. fumigatus completely abolished gliotoxin biosynthesis. Furthermore, exogenous H2O2 (1 mM), but not gliotoxin, significantly induced A. fumigatus gliK expression (P 0.0101). While both mutants exhibited significant sensitivity to both exogenous gliotoxin (P<0.001) and H2O2 (P<0.01), unexpectedly, exogenous gliotoxin relieved H2O2-induced growth inhibition in a dose-dependent manner (0 to 10 g/ml). Gliotoxin-containing organic extracts derived from A. fumigatus ATCC 26933 significantly inhibited (P<0.05) the growth of the gliK26933 deletion mutant. The A. fumigatus gliK26933 mutant secreted metabolites, devoid of disulfide linkages or free thiols, that were detectable by reverse- phase high-performance liquid chromatography and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry with m/z 394 to 396. These metabolites (m/z 394 to 396) were present at significantly higher levels in the culture supernatants of the A. fumigatus gliK26933 mutant than in those of the wild type (P0.0024 [fold difference, 24] and P0.0003 [fold difference, 9.6], respectively) and were absent from A. fumigatus gliG. Significantly elevated levels of ergothioneine were present in aqueous mycelial extracts of the A. fumigatus gliK26933 mutant compared to the wild type (P<0.001). Determination of the gliotoxin uptake rate revealed a significant difference (P0.0045) between that of A. fumigatus ATCC 46645 (9.3 pg/mg mycelium/min) and the gliK46645 mutant (31.4 pg/mg mycelium/min), strongly suggesting that gliK absence and the presence of elevated ergothioneine levels impede exogenously added gliotoxin efflux. Our results confirm a role for gliK in gliotoxin biosynthesis and reveal new insights into gliotoxin functionality in A. fumigatus

Introduction: Globalisation, Value Chains and Development

Globalisation has become a catchword for the international economy at the beginning of the twenty-first century. The increasing importance of export-oriented industrialisation has made integration into the global economy virtually synonymous with development for a number of nations. However, there is an acute awareness that the gains from globalisation are very unevenly distributed within as well as between societies. A growing body of work analyses globalisation processes from the perspective of ‘value chains’; that is that international trade in goods and services should not be seen solely, or even mainly, as a multitude of arm’s-length market-based transactions but rather as systems of governance - involving multinational enterprises - that link firms together in a variety of sourcing and contracting arrangements. Understanding how these value chains operate is very important for developing country firms and policymakers because the way chains are structured has implications for newcomers trying to participate in the chain and to gain access to necessary skills, competences and supporting services. Most of the papers in this Bulletin build on the results of a workshop in Bellagio, Italy in September 2000, where all these issues were discussed