G20 2014: perspectives from business, civil society, labour, think tanks and youth

This paper brings together policy contributions from a wide cross-section of society interested in feeding into the G20 process. Summary G20 engagement partners from Business (B20), Civil Society (C20), Labour (L20), Think Tanks (T20) and Youth (Y20) have each provided a contribution for this issue of the Monitor. Each address how the groups are organising their contribution to the G20 process in 2014, their priorities for the G20, and thoughts on what would constitute ‘success’ in terms of possible outcomes from the Brisbane Summit. The Australian G20 Sherpa, Heather Smith, has provided an opening comment. Key points One characteristic that all engagement partners share is their recognition of the importance of strengthening the G20. Through their engagement with the G20 presidency, the G20 engagement partners have an important role to play in communicating the G20’s work to the wider public for greater understanding. The engagement partners can use their networks to help convey what the G20 is doing, and why the involvement of the non-government sector is important

What is the Evidence for the Effectiveness of Scapulothoracic Strengthening Exercises in Individuals with Neck Pain: A Systematic Review

Neck pain is a highly prevalent issue, ranked as the fourth greatest issue worldwide in terms of overall disease burden, and consequently, places a substantial impact upon the healthcare system. Scapulothoracic exercises appear as a promising avenue for the treatment of neck pain amongst the various treatment options currently available. However, there is uncertainty surrounding the effectiveness and clinical application of this approach. Purpose: The aim of this review was to establish the evidence surrounding the clinical application and effectiveness of scapulothoracic strengthening exercises to reduce neck pain. Methods: A systematic search of four electronic databases, including Ovid Medline, Scopus, Ovid Embase and The Cochrane Library was conducted by two independent reviewers (EW, GW). Studies of adult participants who were receiving scapulothoracic strengthening exercises to reduce neck pain and improve functioning were included. Inclusion criteria were set to exclude participants with neck pain related to headaches or as a result of surgery, trauma, physiological abnormalities or neurological conditions. A total of 2,665 articles were evaluated for inclusion in this systematic review, with 39 included in a full-text screen and five included in the final review. Methodological quality was evaluated by three independent reviewers (AZ, HW, LO) using the PEDro critical appraisal tool and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) hierarchy of evidence was used to determine included studies. Results: Five randomised controlled trials, encompassing a total of 329 participants, were included in this systematic review. Four of the studies investigated strength training for the non-painful scapulothoracic muscles, and one study included exercises targeting the painful upper trapezius muscle. Scapulothoracic intervention duration ranged from 20-90 minutes, with a varying frequency of 3-5 times per week. All five studies demonstrated some improvements in neck pain, with two included studies revealing short-term positive influences on activities of daily living and the neck disability index. One study showed significant improvements in neck range of motion and similarly, maximal voluntary contraction of cervical musculature improved in another study. Overall, analysis of the five included studies provided evidence that scapulothoracic strength exercises may be effective in alleviating neck pain. Conclusion: A limited number of studies have investigated the effect of scapulothoracic strengthening exercises as a primary modality in the treatment of neck pain. Scapulothoracic strengthening exercises could be considered in the treatment of neck pain, although the evidence is variable. Scapulothoracic strength training may have positive impacts across subjective and objective parameters including pain, and sequentially, activities of daily living, neck range of motion, and strength. However, the current literature base is limited by considerable diversity in intervention and outcome measures, and limited long-term follow up

Acidity promotes degradation of multi-species environmental DNA in lotic mesocosms

Accurate quantification of biodiversity is fundamental to understanding ecosystem function and for environmental assessment. Molecular methods using environmental DNA (eDNA) offer a non-invasive, rapid, and cost-effective alternative to traditional biodiversity assessments, which require high levels of expertise. While eDNA analyses are increasingly being utilized, there remains considerable uncertainty regarding the dynamics of multispecies eDNA, especially in variable systems such as rivers. Here, we utilize four sets of upland stream mesocosms, across an acid–base gradient, to assess the temporal and environmental degradation of multispecies eDNA. Sampling included water column and biofilm sampling over time with eDNA quantified using qPCR. Our findings show that the persistence of lotic multispecies eDNA, sampled from water and biofilm, decays to non-detectable levels within 2 days and that acidic environments accelerate the degradation process. Collectively, the results provide the basis for a predictive framework for the relationship between lotic eDNA degradation dynamics in spatio-temporally dynamic river ecosystems

New Generation of Educators Initiative: Transforming teacher preparation.

The focus of the New Generation of Educators Initiative (NGEI) was to answer the question "What would it take to transform teacher education?" From 2016 to 2019, with support from the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, teacher education programs at 10 California State University (CSU) campuses partnered with local school districts to design and demonstrate innovative practices that could transform teacher preparation. This report documents the learnings from multiple participants in this transformative work, including Foundation program staff and representatives from partnerships between universities and school districts

3 years of liraglutide versus placebo for type 2 diabetes risk reduction and weight management in individuals with prediabetes: a randomised, double-blind trial

Background: Liraglutide 3·0 mg was shown to reduce bodyweight and improve glucose metabolism after the 56-week period of this trial, one of four trials in the SCALE programme. In the 3-year assessment of the SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes trial we aimed to evaluate the proportion of individuals with prediabetes who were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Methods: In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, adults with prediabetes and a body-mass index of at least 30 kg/m2, or at least 27 kg/m2 with comorbidities, were randomised 2:1, using a telephone or web-based system, to once-daily subcutaneous liraglutide 3·0 mg or matched placebo, as an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. Time to diabetes onset by 160 weeks was the primary outcome, evaluated in all randomised treated individuals with at least one post-baseline assessment. The trial was conducted at 191 clinical research sites in 27 countries and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01272219. Findings: The study ran between June 1, 2011, and March 2, 2015. We randomly assigned 2254 patients to receive liraglutide (n=1505) or placebo (n=749). 1128 (50%) participants completed the study up to week 160, after withdrawal of 714 (47%) participants in the liraglutide group and 412 (55%) participants in the placebo group. By week 160, 26 (2%) of 1472 individuals in the liraglutide group versus 46 (6%) of 738 in the placebo group were diagnosed with diabetes while on treatment. The mean time from randomisation to diagnosis was 99 (SD 47) weeks for the 26 individuals in the liraglutide group versus 87 (47) weeks for the 46 individuals in the placebo group. Taking the different diagnosis frequencies between the treatment groups into account, the time to onset of diabetes over 160 weeks among all randomised individuals was 2·7 times longer with liraglutide than with placebo (95% CI 1·9 to 3·9, p<0·0001), corresponding with a hazard ratio of 0·21 (95% CI 0·13–0·34). Liraglutide induced greater weight loss than placebo at week 160 (–6·1 [SD 7·3] vs −1·9% [6·3]; estimated treatment difference −4·3%, 95% CI −4·9 to −3·7, p<0·0001). Serious adverse events were reported by 227 (15%) of 1501 randomised treated individuals in the liraglutide group versus 96 (13%) of 747 individuals in the placebo group. Interpretation: In this trial, we provide results for 3 years of treatment, with the limitation that withdrawn individuals were not followed up after discontinuation. Liraglutide 3·0 mg might provide health benefits in terms of reduced risk of diabetes in individuals with obesity and prediabetes. Funding: Novo Nordisk, Denmark

Silencing Mediated by the Schizosaccharomyces pombe HIRA Complex Is Dependent upon the Hpc2-Like Protein, Hip4

HIRA (or Hir) proteins are conserved histone chaperones that function in multi-subunit complexes to mediate replication-independent nucleosome assembly. We have previously demonstrated that the Schizosaccharomyces pombe HIRA proteins, Hip1 and Slm9, form a complex with a TPR repeat protein called Hip3. Here we have identified a new subunit of this complex.To identify proteins that interact with the HIRA complex, rapid affinity purifications of Slm9 were performed. Multiple components of the chaperonin containing TCP-1 complex (CCT) and the 19S subunit of the proteasome reproducibly co-purified with Slm9, suggesting that HIRA interacts with these complexes. Slm9 was also found to interact with a previously uncharacterised protein (SPBC947.08c), that we called Hip4. Hip4 contains a HRD domain which is a characteristic of the budding yeast and human HIRA/Hir-binding proteins, Hpc2 and UBN1. Co-precipitation experiments revealed that Hip4 is stably associated with all of the other components of the HIRA complex and deletion of hip4(+) resulted in the characteristic phenotypes of cells lacking HIRA function, such as temperature sensitivity, an elongated cell morphology and hypersensitivity to the spindle poison, thiabendazole. Moreover, loss of Hip4 function alleviated the heterochromatic silencing of reporter genes located in the mating type locus and centromeres and was associated with increased levels of non-coding transcripts derived from centromeric repeat sequences. Hip4 was also found to be required for the distinct form of silencing that controls the expression of Tf2 LTR retrotransposons.Overall, these results indicate that Hip4 is an integral component of the HIRA complex that is required for transcriptional silencing at multiple loci