The Natural History Museum 1999 meeting on the biodiversity of Lake Baikal and a workshop on the taxonomy of Lake Baikal diatoms: the combined reports

The main aim of this two day meeting was to foster collaboration between biodiversity specialists from western countries and from Russia who share a common interest in biodiversity issues concerning Lake Baikal. The meeting will hopefully stimulate discussion and debate that will facilitate future joint international research interest on the impressive diversity displayed by the biota of this great lake

New Insights into Centromere Organization and Evolution from the White-Cheeked Gibbon and Marmoset

The evolutionary history of α-satellite DNA, the major component of primate centromeres, is hardly defined because of the difficulty in its sequence assembly and its rapid evolution when compared with most genomic sequences. By using several approaches, we have cloned, sequenced, and characterized α-satellite sequences from two species representing critical nodes in the primate phylogeny: the white-cheeked gibbon, a lesser ape, and marmoset, a New World monkey. Sequence analyses demonstrate that white-cheeked gibbon and marmoset α-satellite sequences are formed by units of ∼171 and ∼342 bp, respectively, and they both lack the high-order structure found in humans and great apes. Fluorescent in situ hybridization characterization shows a broad dispersal of α-satellite in the white-cheeked gibbon genome including centromeric, telomeric, and chromosomal interstitial localizations. On the other hand, centromeres in marmoset appear organized in highly divergent dimers roughly of 342 bp that show a similarity between monomers much lower than previously reported dimers, thus representing an ancient dimeric structure

SDG 17 partnerships for the goals: global business networks: accounting for sustainability

Corporate accountability has expanded rapidly in recent years as a tool that business can employ to respond for corporate performance. Nevertheless, the exercise of corporate accountability is challenging as it requires stronger corporate capacity and commitment to respond to external stakeholders in alignment with voluntary regulatory norms. In response, corporate agendas are being significantly shaped by internal and external stakeholders that are employees, suppliers, and customers. Yet, an examination of the current status of accountability both as a historical trend and in current corporate agendas in selected cases shows an increasing gap between policy and impact. Based on a case study method and theory building, the research reported in this article shows the status of corporate accountability of companies operating in Asia-Pacific and adhered to the Global Compact Network. It also provides some conceptual and practical tools toward enhanced accountability, contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal 17 (SDG 17) and its targets Multi-stakeholder partnerships (17.16 and 17.17) and Data, monitoring, and accountability