The uses and functions of ageing celebrity war reporters

This article starts from the premise that recognition of professional authority and celebrity status depends on the embodiment and performance of field-specific dispositional practices: there’s no such thing as a natural, though we often talk about journalistic instinct as something someone simply has or doesn’t have. Next, we have little control over how we are perceived by peers and publics, and what we think are active positioning or subjectifying practices are in fact, after Bourdieu, revelations of already-determined delegation. The upshot is that two journalists can arrive at diametrically opposed judgements on the basis of observation of the same actions of a colleague, and as individuals we are blithely hypocritical in forming (or reciting) evaluations of the professional identity of celebrities. Nowhere is this starker than in the discourse of age-appropriate behaviour, which this paper addresses using the examples of ‘star’ war reporters John Simpson, Kate Adie and Martin Bell. A certain rough-around-the-edges irreverence is central to dispositional authenticity amongst war correspondents, and for ageing hacks this incorporates gendered attitudes to sex and alcohol as well as indifference to protocol. And yet perceived age-inappropriate sexual behaviour is also used to undermine professional integrity, and the paper ends by outlining the phenomenological context that makes possible this effortless switching between amoral and moralising recognition by peers and audiences alike

Journalism and the Invasion of Grenada 30 Years On: A Retrospective

The 1983 United States-led invasion of Grenada represents an important case study of journalism in the front line because it marked a changing point in the relationship between journalists and the US administration. The exclusion of news organisations and independent journalists at the time can be conceived of as a test in trying new forms of information management. The tensions experienced between journalists, government and military officers signalled the need to design alternative solutions to the problem of information coverage in wartime

Selective targeting of human TET1 by cyclic peptide inhibitors: Insights from biochemical profiling

Ten-Eleven Translocation (TET) enzymes are Fe(II)/2OG-dependent oxygenases that play important roles in epigenetic regulation, but selective inhibition of the TETs is an unmet challenge. We describe the profiling of previously identified TET1-binding macrocyclic peptides. TiP1 is established as a potent TET1 inhibitor (IC50 = 0.26 \ub5M) with excellent selectivity over other TETs and 2OG oxygenases. TiP1 alanine scanning reveals the critical roles of Trp10 and Glu11 residues for inhibition of TET isoenzymes. The results highlight the utility of the RaPID method to identify potent enzyme inhibitors with selectivity over closely related paralogues. The structure–activity relationship data generated herein may find utility in the development of chemical probes for the TETs

What do the JAMA editors say when they discuss manuscripts that they are considering for publication? Developing a schema for classifying the content of editorial discussion

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In an effort to identify previously unrecognized aspects of editorial decision-making, we explored the words and phrases that one group of editors used during their meetings.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We performed an observational study of discussions at manuscript meetings at <it>JAMA</it>, a major US general medical journal. One of us (KD) attended 12 editorial meetings in 2003 as a visitor and took notes recording phrases from discussion surrounding 102 manuscripts. In addition, editors attending the meetings completed a form for each manuscript considered, listing the reasons they were inclined to proceed to the next step in publication and reasons they were not (DR attended 4/12 meetings). We entered the spoken and written phrases into NVivo 2.0. We then developed a schema for classifying the editors' phrases, using an iterative approach.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our classification schema has three main themes: science, journalism, and writing. We considered 2,463 phrases, of which 87 related mainly to the manuscript topic and were not classified (total 2,376 classified). Phrases related to science predominated (1,274 or 54%). The editors, most of whom were physicians, also placed major weight on goals important to JAMA's mission (journalism goals) such as importance to medicine, strategic emphasis for the journal, interest to the readership, and results (729 or 31% of phrases). About 16% (n = 373) of the phrases used related to writing issues, such as clarity and responses to the referees' comments.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Classification of editorial discourse provides insight into editorial decision making and concepts that need exploration in future studies.</p

Spectroscopic studies reveal details of substrate-induced conformational changes distant from the active site in isopenicillin N synthase

Isopenicillin N synthase (IPNS) catalyzes formation of the β-lactam and thiazolidine rings of isopenicillin N from its linear tripeptide l-δ-(α-aminoadipoyl)-l-cysteinyl-d-valine (ACV) substrate in an iron- and dioxygen (O2)-dependent four-electron oxidation without precedent in current synthetic chemistry. Recent X-ray free-electron laser studies including time-resolved serial femtosecond crystallography show that binding of O2 to the IPNS–Fe(II)–ACV complex induces unexpected conformational changes in α-helices on the surface of IPNS, in particular in α3 and α10. However, how substrate binding leads to conformational changes away from the active site is unknown. Here, using detailed 19F NMR and electron paramagnetic resonance experiments with labeled IPNS variants, we investigated motions in α3 and α10 induced by binding of ferrous iron, ACV, and the O2 analog nitric oxide, using the less mobile α6 for comparison. 19F NMR studies were carried out on singly and doubly labeled α3, α6, and α10 variants at different temperatures. In addition, double electron–electron resonance electron paramagnetic resonance analysis was carried out on doubly spin-labeled variants. The combined spectroscopic and crystallographic results reveal that substantial conformational changes in regions of IPNS including α3 and α10 are induced by binding of ACV and nitric oxide. Since IPNS is a member of the structural superfamily of 2-oxoglutarate-dependent oxygenases and related enzymes, related conformational changes may be of general importance in nonheme oxygenase catalysis

Belowground plant allocation regulates rice methane emissions from degraded peat soils

Carbon-rich peat soils have been drained and used extensively for agriculture throughout human history, leading to significant losses of their soil carbon. One solution for rewetting degraded peat is wet crop cultivation. Crops such as rice, which can grow in water-saturated conditions, could enable agricultural production to be maintained whilst reducing CO$_{2}$ and N$_{2}$O emissions from peat. However, wet rice cultivation can release considerable methane (CH$_{4}$). Water table and soil management strategies may enhance rice yield and minimize CH$_{4}$ emissions, but they also influence plant biomass allocation strategies. It remains unclear how water and soil management influences rice allocation strategies and how changing plant allocation and associated traits, particularly belowground, influence CH$_{4}$-related processes. We examined belowground biomass (BGB), aboveground biomass (AGB), belowground:aboveground ratio (BGB:ABG), and a range of root traits (root length, root diameter, root volume, root area, and specific root length) under different soil and water treatments; and evaluated plant trait linkages to CH$_{4}$. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) was grown for six months in field mesocosms under high (saturated) or low water table treatments, and in either degraded peat soil or degraded peat covered with mineral soil. We found that BGB and BGB:AGB were lowest in water saturated conditions where mineral soil had been added to the peat, and highest in low-water table peat soils. Furthermore, CH$_{4}$ and BGB were positively related, with BGB explaining 60% of the variation in CH$_{4}$ but only under low water table conditions. Our results suggest that a mix of low water table and mineral soil addition could minimize belowground plant allocation in rice, which could further lower CH$_{4}$ likely because root-derived carbon is a key substrate for methanogenesis. Minimizing root allocation, in conjunction with water and soil management, could be explored as a strategy for lowering CH$_{4}$ emissions from wet rice cultivation in degraded peatlands

5‑Substituted Pyridine-2,4-dicarboxylate Derivatives Have Potential for Selective Inhibition of Human Jumonji‑C Domain-Containing Protein 5

Jumonji-C domain-containing protein 5 (JMJD5) is a 2-oxoglutarate (2OG)-dependent oxygenase that plays important roles in development, circadian rhythm, and cancer through unclear mechanisms. JMJD5 has been reported to have activity as a histone protease, as an Nε-methyl lysine demethylase, and as an arginine residue hydroxylase. Small-molecule JMJD5-selective inhibitors will be useful for investigating its (patho)physiological roles. Following the observation that the broad-spectrum 2OG oxygenase inhibitor pyridine-2,4-dicarboxylic acid (2,4-PDCA) is a 2OG-competing JMJD5 inhibitor, we report that 5-aminoalkyl-substituted 2,4-PDCA derivatives are potent JMJD5 inhibitors manifesting selectivity for JMJD5 over other human 2OG oxygenases. Crystallographic analyses with five inhibitors imply induced fit binding and reveal that the 2,4-PDCA C5 substituent orients into the JMJD5 substrate-binding pocket. Cellular studies indicate that the lead compounds display similar phenotypes as reported for clinically observed JMJD5 variants, which have a reduced catalytic activity compared to wild-type JMJD5

Joint diffraction and modeling approach to the structure of liquid alumina

The structure of liquid alumina at a temperature ∼2400 K near its melting point was measured using neutron and high-energy x-ray diffraction by employing containerless aerodynamic–levitation and laser-heating techniques. The measured diffraction patterns were compared to those calculated from molecular dynamics simulations using a variety of pair potentials, and the model found to be in best agreement with experiments was refined using the reverse Monte Carlo method. The resultant model shows that the melt is composed predominantly of AlO4 and AlO5 units, in the approximate ratio of 2:1, with only minor fractions of AlO3 and AlO6 units. The majority of Al-O-Al connections involve corner-sharing polyhedra (83%), although a significant minority involve edge-sharing polyhedra (16%), predominantly between AlO5 and either AlO5 or AlO4 units. Most of the oxygen atoms (81%) are shared among three or more polyhedra, and the majority of these oxygen atoms are triply shared among one or two AlO4 units and two or one AlO5 units, consistent with the abundance of these polyhedra in the melt and their fairly uniform spatial distribution

The 'new majority' and the academization of journalism

The academization of journalism is reliant on the development of the field founded in scholarship demonstrated through the publication of research in peer-reviewed specialist journals. Given the profile of journalism faculty, this means inducting practitioners into a culture of critical research. In Australia at least, this cohort of neophytes is predominantly comprised of middle-aged women who were surveyed about their personal attitudes to research. They were mostly open to the idea of becoming researchers but were inclined to proceed cautiously without necessarily severing their ties with practice. There was evidence to suggest that a generally positive orientation to research was not capitalized on and that they remained uncertain about the role of research. On the other hand, they appeared not to have adopted the orthodoxy of implacable opposition to scholarly inquiry. The change in gender composition in the academy may provide, contrary to historical, but more in line with contemporary, evidence, a renewed impetus to the project of academizing the field

Cooperative efforts contained spread of Pierce's disease and found genetic resistance

An outbreak of Pierce's disease of grapevine in the Temecula Valley in the late 1990s was one in a decades-long series of sporadic appearances of this infection in California. However, the new outbreak was qualitatively different because of the rapidity with which it spread in the vineyard and its appearance almost simultaneously at distant locations. The causative agent of Pierce's disease is the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa, and the distinct characteristics of the Temecula Valley outbreak were traced to the establishment of a new insect vector in California, the glassy-winged sharpshooter. Intensive and collaborative efforts among government agencies, industry and research institutions over 15 years have successfully contained the disease, and given scientists time to discover promising long-term potential solutions through genetic resistance.