Transnational reflections on transnational research projects on men, boys and gender relations

This article reflects on the research project, ‘Engaging South African and Finnish youth towards new traditions of non-violence, equality and social well-being’, funded by the Finnish and South African national research councils, in the context of wider debates on research, projects and transnational processes. The project is located within a broader analysis of research projects and projectization (the reduction of research to separate projects), and the increasing tendencies for research to be framed within and as projects, with their own specific temporal and organizational characteristics. This approach is developed further in terms of different understandings of research across borders: international, comparative, multinational and transnational. Special attention is given to differences between research projects that are in the Europe and the EU, and projects that are between the global North and the global South. The theoretical, political and practical challenges of the North-South research project are discussed

Scaling analysis of a model Hamiltonian for Ce3+^{3+} impurity in a cubic metal

We introduce various exchange interactions in a model Hamiltonian for Ce$^{3+}$ ions in cubic symmetry with three configurations ($f^0$,$f^1$,$f^2$). With the impurity pseudo spin $S_I=1/2$, our Hamiltonian includes: (i) One-channel $S_c=1/2$ Anderson model; (ii) Two-channel $S_c=1/2$ Anderson model; (iii) An unforseen one-channel $S_c=3/2$ Anderson model with a non-trivial fixed point; (iv) Mixing exchange interaction between the $\Gamma_{6,7}$ and the $\Gamma_8$ conduction electron partial wave states; (v) Multiple conduction electron partial wave states. Using the third-order scaling (perturbative renormalization group) analysis, we study stability of various fixed points relevant to various exchange interactions for Ce$^{3+}$ ions in cubic symmetry.Comment: 68 pages. 4 figures are available upon request from [email protected] (revised

The roles of specialist provision for children with specific speech and language difficulties in England and Wales: a model for inclusion?

Children with specific speech and language difficulties pose a challenge to the education and health systems. In addition to their language difficulties they are also at risk of literacy and social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. The main support for children with more severe difficulties has been enhanced provision in mainstream schools (language units or integrated resources) and special schools. The move to an inclusive education system challenges this tradition. The present paper reports the results of interviews with heads of language units/integrated resources and headteachers of special schools (n=57) as part of a larger study within England and Wales. Their views are considered with reference to criteria for entry to specialist provision, the development of collaborative practice between teachers, teaching assistants and speech and language therapists, and the implications for inclusive education

A log N(HI) = 22.6 DLA in a dark gamma-ray burst: the environment of GRB 050401

The optical afterglow spectrum of GRB050401 (at z=2.8992+/-0.0004) shows the presence of a DLA, with log(nHI)=22.6+/-0.3. This is the highest column density ever observed in a DLA, and is about five times larger than the strongest DLA detected so far in any QSO spectrum. From the optical spectrum, we also find a very large Zn column density, allowing us to infer an abundance of [Zn/H]=-1.0+/-0.4. These large columns are supported by the X-ray spectrum from Swift-XRT which shows a column density (in excess of Galactic) of log(nH)=22.21^{+0.06}_{-0.08} assuming solar abundances (at z=2.9). The comparison of this X-ray column density, which is dominated by absorption due to alpha-chain elements, and the HI column density derived from the Ly-alpha absorption line, allows us to derive a metallicity for the absorbing matter of [alpha/H]=-0.4+/-0.3. The optical spectrum is reddened and can be well reproduced with a power-law with SMC extinction, where A_V=0.62+/-0.06. But the total optical extinction can also be constrained in a way which is independent of the shape of the extinction curve: from the optical-to-X-ray spectral energy distribution we find, 0.5<~A_V<~4.5. However, even this upper limit, independent of the shape of the extinction curve, is still well below the dust column that is inferred from the X-ray column density, i.e. A_V=9.1^{+1.4}_{-1.5}. This discrepancy might be explained by a small dust content with high metallicity (low dust-to-metals ratio). `Grey' extinction cannot explain the discrepancy since we are comparing the metallicity to a measurement of the total extinction (without reference to the reddening). Little dust with high metallicity may be produced by sublimation of dust grains or may naturally exist in systems younger than a few hundred Myr.Comment: 28 pages, 5 figures, accepted for ApJ, scheduled for November 20 issue, missing author adde

Britain and globalization

Many perspectives on globalization see it as differentiated in its effects and reception, culturally driven, either pre-modern or post-modern, best captured by globalist or sceptical perspectives, and an equalising phenomenon. This article discusses the British experience of globalization in the light of such approaches and argues that looking at this case gives an alternative view. Six themes on globalization are explored across four areas of the British experience of globalization. It is argued that in Britain globalization is, in contrast to the approaches outlined above, differentiated but also generalising, economically driven, modern, best understood with a mix of globalist and sceptical perspectives and structured by power, inequality and conflict. It is also argued that the British experience of globalization is a specific one and that Britain is a very globalized and globalizing country, economically, culturally and politically

Reduction of Hydrophilic Ubiquinones by the Flavin in Mitochondrial NADH:Ubiquinone Oxidoreductase (Complex I) and Production of Reactive Oxygen Species†

ABSTRACT: NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I) from bovine heart mitochondria is a complicated, energy-transducing, membrane-bound enzyme that contains 45 different subunits, a non-covalently bound flavin mononucleotide, and eight iron-sulfur clusters. The mechanisms of NADH oxidation and intramolecular electron transfer by complex I are gradually being defined, but the mechanism linking ubiquinone reduction to proton translocation remains unknown. Studies of ubiquinone reduction by isolated complex I are problematic because the extremely hydrophobic natural substrate, ubiquinone-10, must be substituted with a relatively hydrophilic analogue (such as ubiquinone-1). Hydrophilic ubiquinones are reduced by an additional, non-energy-transducing pathway (which is insensitive to inhibitors such as rotenone and piericidin A). Here, we show that inhibitor-insensitive ubiquinone reduction occurs by a ping-pong type mechanism, catalyzed by the flavin mononucleotide cofactor in the active site for NADH oxidation. Moreover, semiquinones produced at the flavin site initiate redox cycling reactions with molecular oxygen, producing superoxide radicals and hydrogen peroxide. The ubiquinone reactant is regenerated, so the NADH:Q reaction becomes superstoichiometric. Idebenone, an artificial ubiquinone showing promise in the treatment of Friedreich’s Ataxia, reacts at the flavin site. The factors which determine the balance of reactivity between the two sites of ubiquinone reduction (the energy-transducing site and the flavi

Induction and regulation of matrix metalloproteinase-12in human airway smooth muscle cells

BACKGROUND: The elastolytic enzyme matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-12 has been implicated in the development of airway inflammation and remodeling. We investigated whether human airway smooth muscle cells could express and secrete MMP-12, thereby participating in the pathogenesis of airway inflammatory diseases. METHODS: Laser capture microdissection was used to collect smooth muscle cells from human bronchial biopsy sections. MMP-12 mRNA expression was analysed by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. MMP-12 protein expression and secretion from cultured primary airway smooth muscle cells was further analysed by Western blot. MMP-12 protein localization in bronchial tissue sections was detected by immunohistochemistry. MMP-12 activity was determined by zymography. The TransAM AP-1 family kit was used to measure c-Jun activation and nuclear binding. Analysis of variance was used to determine statistical significance. RESULTS: We provide evidence that MMP-12 mRNA and protein are expressed by in-situ human airway smooth muscle cells obtained from bronchial biopsies of normal volunteers, and of patients with asthma, COPD and chronic cough. The pro-inflammatory cytokine, interleukin (IL)-1β, induced a >100-fold increase in MMP-12 gene expression and a >10-fold enhancement in MMP-12 activity of primary airway smooth muscle cell cultures. Selective inhibitors of extracellular signal-regulated kinase, c-Jun N-terminal kinase and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase reduced the activity of IL-1β on MMP-12, indicating a role for these kinases in IL-1β-induced induction and release of MMP-12. IL-1β-induced MMP-12 activity and gene expression was down-regulated by the corticosteroid dexamethasone but up-regulated by the inflammatory cytokine tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α through enhancing activator protein-1 activation by IL-1β. Transforming growth factor-β had no significant effect on MMP-12 induction. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that human airway smooth muscle cells express and secrete MMP-12 that is up-regulated by IL-1β and TNF-α. Bronchial smooth muscle cells may be an important source of elastolytic activity, thereby participating in remodeling in airway diseases such as COPD and chronic asthma

Automatic structure classification of small proteins using random forest

<p>Abstract</p> <p><b>Background</b></p> <p>Random forest, an ensemble based supervised machine learning algorithm, is used to predict the SCOP structural classification for a target structure, based on the similarity of its structural descriptors to those of a template structure with an equal number of secondary structure elements (SSEs). An initial assessment of random forest is carried out for domains consisting of three SSEs. The usability of random forest in classifying larger domains is demonstrated by applying it to domains consisting of four, five and six SSEs.</p> <p><b>Result</b>s</p> <p>Random forest, trained on SCOP version 1.69, achieves a predictive accuracy of up to 94% on an independent and non-overlapping test set derived from SCOP version 1.73. For classification to the SCOP <it>Class, Fold, Super-family </it>or <it>Family </it>levels, the predictive quality of the model in terms of Matthew's correlation coefficient (MCC) ranged from 0.61 to 0.83. As the number of constituent SSEs increases the MCC for classification to different structural levels decreases.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The utility of random forest in classifying domains from the place-holder classes of SCOP to the true <it>Class, Fold, Super-family </it>or <it>Family </it>levels is demonstrated. Issues such as introduction of a new structural level in SCOP and the merger of singleton levels can also be addressed using random forest. A real-world scenario is mimicked by predicting the classification for those protein structures from the PDB, which are yet to be assigned to the SCOP classification hierarchy.</p