BRIEF SYNTHESIS OF PRESENT INFORMATION ON THE GEOGRAPHICAL AND STRATIGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF FOSSIL FISH WITHIN THE STORMBERG SERIES, SOUTH AFRICA

A list is given of all specimens of Semionotus capensis Smith Woodward in South African collections. In addition a recent discovery of fish comparable with S. capensis in the Molteno Beds is recorded. This is the first true record of vertebrate life in this stage of the Stormberg Series, and if the identification can be confirmed, extends the record of this species in South Africa quite considerably.C.S.I.R., Pretori

Towards a competitive and sustainable OA market in Europe - A study of the open access market and policy environment

Deliverable 5.3 of OpenAIRE WP5: FP7 Post Grant Gold Open Access Pilot. This deliverable consists of a study and an annex - and it will be supplemented by a roadmap in May 2017. This study considers the economic factors contributing to the current state of the open-access publishing market, and evaluates the potential for European policymakers to enhance market competition and sustainability in parallel to increasing access. It was commissioned within the scope of the OpenAIRE FP7 Post-Grant Open Access Pilot, and it will be accompanied by a Roadmap document developed with inputs from an expert workshop to be held in The Hague on 20 April 2017. In accordance with the project brief, the study aims to: Explore the current status of the OA publishing market Analyse existing OA publishing business models Evaluate how different national and international policies are complementing each other as a means to achieve a transition to OA Evaluate the impact of the Framework Programme 7 Post-grant OA pilot and its implications for future similar initiatives and the transition to OA. Provide a roadmap leading to a sustainable and competitive market The transition to open access concerns all kinds of academic research outputs, including monographs, journal articles, and data. This study focuses on open access to peer-reviewed research articles, which constitute the bulk of the market and the primary mechanism through which research is disseminated across disciplinary communities and beyond. This report is supplemented by an Annex containing a mid-term evaluation of the FP7 Post-Grant Open Access Pilot.This report will be accompanied by a Roadmap document developed with inputs from an expert workshop to be held in The Hague on 20 April 201

Can Modus Vivendi Save Liberalism from Moralism? A Critical Assessment of John Gray’s Political Realism

This chapter assesses John Gray’s modus vivendi-based justification for liberalism. I argue that his approach is preferable to the more orthodox deontological or teleological justificatory strategies, at least because of the way it can deal with the problem of diversity. But then I show how that is not good news for liberalism, for grounding liberal political authority in a modus vivendi undermines liberalism’s aspiration to occupy a privileged normative position vis-à-vis other kinds of regimes. So modus vivendi can save liberalism from moralism, but at cost many liberals will not be prepared to pay

Hypoxia regulates FGFR3 expression via HIF-1α and miR-100 and contributes to cell survival in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer

Background: Non-muscle invasive (NMI) bladder cancer is characterised by increased expression and activating mutations of FGFR3. We have previously investigated the role of microRNAs in bladder cancer and have shown that FGFR3 is a target of miR-100. In this study, we investigated the effects of hypoxia on miR-100 and FGFR3 expression, and the link between miR-100 and FGFR3 in hypoxia. Methods: Bladder cancer cell lines were exposed to normoxic or hypoxic conditions and examined for the expression of FGFR3 by quantitative PCR (qPCR) and western blotting, and miR-100 by qPCR. The effect of FGFR3 and miR-100 on cell viability in twodimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) was examined by transfecting siRNA or mimic-100, respectively. Results: In NMI bladder cancer cell lines, FGFR3 expression was induced by hypoxia in a transcriptional and HIF-1a-dependent manner. Increased FGFR3 was also in part dependent on miR-100 levels, which decreased in hypoxia. Knockdown of FGFR3 led to a decrease in phosphorylation of the downstream kinases mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and protein kinase B (PKB), which was more pronounced under hypoxic conditions. Furthermore, transfection of mimic-100 also decreased phosphorylation of MAPK and PKB. Finally, knocking down FGFR3 profoundly decreased 2-D and 3-D cell growth, whereas introduction of mimic-100 decreased 3-D growth of cells. Conclusion: Hypoxia, in part via suppression of miR-100, induces FGFR3 expression in bladder cancer, both of which have an important role in maintaining cell viability under conditions of stress

The Impact of Exploring Computer Science in Wisconsin: Where Disadvantage is an Advantage

Assessing the impact of regional or statewide interventions in primary and secondary school (K-12) computer science (CS) education is difficult for a variety of reasons. Qualitative survey data provide only a limited view of impacts, but quantitative data can be notoriously difficult to acquire at scale from large numbers of classrooms, schools, or local educational authorities. In this paper, we use several publicly available data sources to glean insights into public high school CS enrollments across an entire U.S. state. Course enrollments with NCES course codes and local descriptors, school-level demographic data, and school geographic attendance boundaries can be combined to highlight where CS offerings persist and thrive, how CS enrollments change over time, and the ultimate quantitative impact of a statewide intervention. We propose a more appropriate level of data aggregation for these types of quantitative studies than has been undertaken in previous work while demonstrating the importance of a contextual aggregation process. The results of our disparate impact analysis for the first time quantify the impact of a statewide Exploring Computer Science (ECS) program rollout on economic groups across the region. Our blueprint for this analysis can serve as a template to guide and assess large-scale K-12 CS interventions wherever detailed project evaluation methods cannot scale to encompass the entire study area, especially in cases where attribute heterogeneity is a significant issue

Expression of delta-like ligand 4 (Dll4) and markers of hypoxia in colon cancer

BACKGROUND: Delta-like ligand 4 (Dll4) is a Notch ligand that is upregulated by hypoxia and vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) and is reported to have a role in tumor angiogenesis. Evidence from xenograft studies suggests that inhibiting Dll4-Notch signalling may overcome resistance to anti-VEGF therapy. The aim of this study was to characterise the expression of Dll4 in colon cancer and to assess whether it is associated with markers of hypoxia and prognosis. METHOD: In all, 177 colon cancers were represented in tissue microarrays. Immunohistochemistry was performed using validated antibodies against Dll4, VEGF, hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1alpha, HIF-2alpha, prolyl hydroxylase (PHD)1, PHD2, PHD3 and carbonic anhydrase 9 (CA9). RESULTS: The expression of Dll4 was observed preferentially in the endothelium of 71% (125 out of 175) of colon cancers, but not in the endothelium adjacent to normal mucosa (none out of 107, P<0.0001). The expression of VEGF was significantly associated with HIF-2alpha (P<0.0001) and Dll4 (P=0.010). Only HIF-2alpha had a significant multivariate prognostic effect (hazard ratio 1.61, 95% confidence interval 1.01-2.57). Delta-like ligand 4 was also expressed by neoplastic cells, particularly neoplastic goblet cells. CONCLUSION: Endothelial expression of Dll4 is not a prognostic factor, but is significantly associated with VEGF. Assessing endothelial Dll4 expression may be critical in predicting response to anti-VEGF therapies

How to do realistic political theory (and why you might want to)

In recent years, a number of realist thinkers have charged much contemporary political theory with being idealistic and moralistic. While the basic features of the realist counter-movement are reasonably well understood, realism is still considered a critical, primarily negative creed which fails to offer a positive, alternative way of thinking normatively about politics. Aiming to counteract this general perception, in this article I draw on Bernard Williams’s claims about how to construct a politically coherent conception of liberty from the non-political value of freedom. I do this because Williams’s argument provides an illuminating example of the distinctive nature of realist political thinking and its attractions. I argue that Williams’s account of realist political thinking challenges the orthodox moralist claim that normative political arguments must be guided by an ideal ethical theory. I then spell out the repercussions Williams’s claims about the significance of political opposition and non-moralised accounts of motivation have for our understanding of the role and purpose of political theory. I conclude by defending the realist claim that action-guiding political theory should accordingly take certain features of our politics as given, most centrally the reality of political opposition and the passions and experiences that motivate them. On this reading political realism offers a viable way of thinking about political values which cannot be understood in terms of the categories of intellectual separation – ideal/nonideal or fact-insensitive/fact-sensitive – that have marked political theory in recent years