The implementation of a shared reading programme within a university : a case study

Based on research into the benefits of involvement in reading for pleasure and the operation in the US of pre-arrival shared reading schemes for those about to embark on a university education, both within the context of wider research into how to engage newly arrived students in their institution, an exploration was made of the likely response to such a shared reading scheme within a London university. A representative sample of current first years were asked about their how they spent their leisure time, their attitudes towards and involvement in reading for pleasure and their reactions to such a potential scheme. The findings were that more reading for pleasure was taking part than had been anticipated, that students were generally keen to become more involved in reading and that a shared reading scheme would be welcomed by the majority of students. The decisions made on the basis of the outcomes are discussed, along with recommendations for future associated research

Ana3 is a conserved protein required for the structural integrity of centrioles and basal bodies

Centriolar protein Ana3 is essential for basal body formation, not centriole duplication, as previously thought

Drosophila Ana2 is a conserved centriole duplication factor

Drosophila protein Ana2 supports de novo formation of centrioles and may be a functional homologue of the C. elegans centriole duplication protein SAS-5

The Population Structure of Glossina palpalis gambiensis from Island and Continental Locations in Coastal Guinea

Guinea is the country with the highest prevalence of sleeping sickness in West Africa, and we undertook a population genetics analysis there of the most dangerous tsetse fly species of West Africa, Glossina palpalis gambiensis. Our aims were to estimate effective population size and the degree of isolation between coastal sites on the mainland of Guinea (including Dubréka, a highly prevalent sleeping sickness focus) and Loos Islands in order to get the most possible accurate vision of feasibility and sustainability of anti-tsetse strategies of these sites. We found very low migration rates of tsetse between sites except between those situated in the Dubréka area, which seems to contain a widely distributed panmictic tsetse population (i.e. a population where mating occurs at random). Effective population sizes on Loos islands estimated with various techniques all converged to surprisingly small values. These values might be explained by a recent decrease in tsetse numbers on Kassa Island due to bauxite mining activities. But on the other sites, other explanations have to be found, including possible variance in reproductive success. Our genetic results suggest that different control strategies should be advised on the mainland (reduction in tsetse densities, no elimination) compared to the islands (total elimination feasible). This approach could be extended to many areas where vector control of Human and Animal Trypanosomoses is contemplated

Magnetotelluric data across Uruguay and Southern Brazil

<p>This dataset presents .edi files from 35 magnetotelluric broadband and 11 long period soundings across central Uruguay and southern Brazil. This data collection was financially supported by FAPESP Thematic Projects 2012/06082-6 and 2009/50493-8</p&gt

From Stem Cell to Embryo without Centrioles

Centrosome asymmetry plays a key role in ensuring the asymmetric division of Drosophila neural stem cells (neuroblasts [NBs]) and male germline stem cells (GSCs) [1–3]. In both cases, one centrosome is anchored close to a specific cortical region during interphase, thus defining the orientation of the spindle during the ensuing mitosis. To test whether asymmetric centrosome behavior is a general feature of stem cells, we have studied female GSCs, which divide asymmetrically, producing another GSC and a cystoblast. The cystoblast then divides and matures into an oocyte, a process in which centrosomes exhibit a series of complex behaviors proposed to play a crucial role in oogenesis [4–6]. We show that the interphase centrosome does not define spindle orientation in female GSCs and that DSas-4 mutant GSCs [7], lacking centrioles and centrosomes, invariably divide asymmetrically to produce cystoblasts that proceed normally through oogenesis—remarkably, oocyte specification, microtubule organization, and mRNA localization are all unperturbed. Mature oocytes can be fertilized, but embryos that cannot support centriole replication arrest very early in development. Thus, centrosomes are dispensable for oogenesis but essential for early embryogenesis. These results reveal that asymmetric centrosome behavior is not an essential feature of stem cell divisions