Consumer mobility and well-being among changing places and shifting ethnicities

International audience(Market)places are spatial entities which individuals and groups might experience as meaningful. By highlighting the role of place in ethnic consumer research, this article argues that increased mobility and changing places render relatively stable notions of ethnicity outdated. We identify three main trajectories to revitalize future research on ethnicity. First, we demonstrate the need for research on ethnic identity to be underpinned by a better understanding of the role of place in identity processes. Second, we contend that the established migration/acculturation paradigm should be replaced by the mobility/adaptiveness paradigm. Third, we consider the profound effects of interethnic contact among mobile and immobile populations within shared places on individual and societal well-being

An expert-driven framework for applying eDNA tools to improve biosecurity in the Antarctic

Signatories to the Antarctic Treaty System’s Environmental Protocol are committed to preventing incursions of non-native species into Antarctica, but systematic surveillance is rare. Environmental DNA (eDNA) methods provide new opportunities for enhancing detection of non-native species and biosecurity monitoring. To be effective for Antarctic biosecurity, eDNA tests must have appropriate sensitivity and specificity to distinguish non-native from native Antarctic species, and be fit-for-purpose. This requires knowledge of the priority risk species or taxonomic groups for which eDNA surveillance will be informative, validated eDNA assays for those species or groups, and reference DNA sequences for both target non-native and related native Antarctic species. Here, we used an expert elicitation process and decision-by-consensus approach to identify and assess priority biosecurity risks for the Australian Antarctic Program (AAP) in East Antarctica, including identifying high priority non-native species and their potential transport pathways. We determined that the priority targets for biosecurity monitoring were not individual species, but rather broader taxonomic groups such as mussels (Mytilus species), tunicates (Ascidiacea), springtails (Collembola), and grasses (Poaceae). These groups each include multiple species with high risks of introduction to and/or establishment in Antarctica. The most appropriate eDNA methods for the AAP must be capable of detecting a range of species within these high-risk groups (e.g., eDNA metabarcoding). We conclude that the most beneficial Antarctic eDNA biosecurity applications include surveillance of marine species in nearshore environments, terrestrial invertebrates, and biofouling species on vessels visiting Antarctica. An urgent need exists to identify suitable genetic markers for detecting priority species groups, establish baseline terrestrial and marine biodiversity for Antarctic stations, and develop eDNA sampling methods for detecting biofouling organisms

An expert-driven framework for applying eDNA tools to improve biosecurity in the Antarctic

Signatories to the Antarctic Treaty System’s Environmental Protocol are committed to preventing incursions of non-native species into Antarctica, but systematic surveillance is rare. Environmental DNA (eDNA) methods provide new opportunities for enhancing detection of non-native species and biosecurity monitoring. To be effective for Antarctic biosecurity, eDNA tests must have appropriate sensitivity and specificity to distinguish non-native from native Antarctic species, and be fit-for-purpose. This requires knowledge of the priority risk species or taxonomic groups for which eDNA surveillance will be informative, validated eDNA assays for those species or groups, and reference DNA sequences for both target non-native and related native Antarctic species. Here, we used an expert elicitation process and decision-by-consensus approach to identify and assess priority biosecurity risks for the Australian Antarctic Program (AAP) in East Antarctica, including identifying high priority non-native species and their potential transport pathways. We determined that the priority targets for biosecurity monitoring were not individual species, but rather broader taxonomic groups such as mussels (Mytilus species), tunicates (Ascidiacea), springtails (Collembola), and grasses (Poaceae). These groups each include multiple species with high risks of introduction to and/or establishment in Antarctica. The most appropriate eDNA methods for the AAP must be capable of detecting a range of species within these high-risk groups (e.g., eDNA metabarcoding). We conclude that the most beneficial Antarctic eDNA biosecurity applications include surveillance of marine species in nearshore environments, terrestrial invertebrates, and biofouling species on vessels visiting Antarctica. An urgent need exists to identify suitable genetic markers for detecting priority species groups, establish baseline terrestrial and marine biodiversity for Antarctic stations, and develop eDNA sampling methods for detecting biofouling organisms.This work was supported as a Science Innovation Project by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment’s Science Innovation Program funding 2021–22 (project team: A.J.M., L.J.C., D.M.B., C.K.K., J.S.S. and L.S.). Support was also provided (to J.D.S, E.L.J., S.A.R., J.S.S., M.I.S., J.M.S., N.G.W.) from Australian Research Council SRIEAS grant SR200100005. P.C. and K.A.H. are supported by NERC core funding to the BAS Biodiversity, Evolution and Adaptation Team and Environment Office, respectively. L.R.P. and M.G. are supported by Biodiversa ASICS funding

Schools, Peers, and Prejudice in Adolescence

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110741/1/jora12106.pd

Intramuscular Lipid Metabolism, Insulin Action and Obesity

With the increasing prevalence of obesity, research has focused on the molecular mechanism(s) linking obesity and skeletal muscle insulin resistance. Metabolic alterations within muscle, such as changes in the cellular location of fatty acid transporter proteins, decreased mitochondrial enzyme activity and defects in mitochondrial morphology, likely contribute to obesity and insulin resistance. These defects are thought to play a role in the reduced skeletal muscle fatty acid oxidation (FAO) and increased intramuscular lipid (IMCL) accumulation that is apparent with obesity and other insulin resistant states, such as type 2 diabetes. Intramuscular triacylglycerol (IMTG) does not appear to be a ubiquitous marker of insulin resistance, although specific IMCL intermediates such as long-chain fatty acyl-CoAs (LCFA-CoAs), ceramide and diacylglycerol (DAG) may inhibit insulin signal transduction. In this review, we will briefly summarize the defects in skeletal muscle lipid metabolism associated with obesity, and discuss proposed mechanisms by which these defects may contribute to insulin resistance. Originally published IUBMB Life, Vol. 6, No. 1, Jan 200

Genetic-based approach for cue phrase selection in dialogue act recognition

Automatic cue phrase selection is a crucial step for designing a dialogue act recognition model using machine learning techniques. The approaches, currently used, are based on specific type of feature selection approaches, called ranking approaches. Despite their computational efficiency for high dimensional domains, they are not optimal with respect to relevance and redundancy. In this paper we propose a genetic-based approach for cue phrase selection which is, essentially, a variable length genetic algorithm developed to cope with the high dimensionality of the domain. We evaluate the performance of the proposed approach against several ranking approaches. Additionally, we assess its performance for the selection of cue phrases enriched by phrase’s type and phrase’s position. The results provide experimental evidences on the ability of the genetic-based approach to handle the drawbacks of the ranking approaches and to exploit cue’s type and cue’s position information to improve the selection. Furthermore, we validate the use of the genetic-based approach for machine learning applications. We use selected sets of cue phrases for building a dynamic Bayesian networks model for dialogue act recognition. The results show its usefulness for machine learning applications

Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models in basic and translational breast cancer research

Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models of a growing spectrum of cancers are rapidly supplanting long-established traditional cell lines as preferred models for conducting basic and translational preclinical research. In breast cancer, to complement the now curated collection of approximately 45 long-established human breast cancer cell lines, a newly formed consortium of academic laboratories, currently from Europe, Australia, and North America, herein summarizes data on over 500 stably transplantable PDX models representing all three clinical subtypes of breast cancer (ER+, HER2+, and "Triple-negative" (TNBC)). Many of these models are well-characterized with respect to genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic features, metastatic behavior, and treatment response to a variety of standard-of-care and experimental therapeutics. These stably transplantable PDX lines are generally available for dissemination to laboratories conducting translational research, and contact information for each collection is provided. This review summarizes current experiences related to PDX generation across participating groups, efforts to develop data standards for annotation and dissemination of patient clinical information that does not compromise patient privacy, efforts to develop complementary data standards for annotation of PDX characteristics and biology, and progress toward "credentialing" of PDX models as surrogates to represent individual patients for use in preclinical and co-clinical translational research. In addition, this review highlights important unresolved questions, as well as current limitations, that have hampered more efficient generation of PDX lines and more rapid adoption of PDX use in translational breast cancer research

Assessing the risk of marine invasive species to nearshore marine ecosystems of Australia's Antarctic research stations and subantarctic islands

The oceans surrounding Antarctica represent one of the last pest-free regions of the world. However, climate change is breaking down the barriers to invasion, putting these ecosystems at risk. This work represents the first comprehensive risk assessment for the threat of marine invasive species to nearshore environments around Australia’s Antarctic research bases and subantarctic islands. The overall risk of marine invasive species is high, due to the potential for invasive species to plausibly cause native species extinctions in the study locations. Strengthening invasive species policy at national and international levels will help to reduce this threat to these locations

The identification of environments and cultures that promote the abuse of people with intellectual disabilities: a review of the literature

Background The present paper examines the literature regarding abuse within long-stay hospitals and community-based residences for people with intellectual disabilities. Methods Research and policy developments are reviewed, and concerns regarding the reactive nature of much current guidance are noted, highlighting a need for research and strategies which promote greater protection from the onset of abuse. Results and conclusions It is argued that much current thinking attributes abuse to individual deviancy and culpability; however, a greater recognition of the range of causes of abuse and the circumstances in which abuse flourishes is required if we are to develop a full understanding of preventative strategies. This review is concerned with the significance of environments and cultures in increasing vulnerability to abuse. Seven aspects of environments and cultures which promote vulnerability are outlined, offering insights into the processes by which services may deteriorate and abuse becomes established