Globalization, Glocalization, or Global Studies: What\u27s in a Name?

It is only in the concluding section of a painstaking article on the life and time of global studies that Nederveen Pieterse comes to make peace with the competing terminologies and says: \u27The issu..

General and specific interactions of the phospholipid bilayer with P-type ATPases

Protein structure and function are modulated via interactions with their environment, representing both the surrounding aqueous media and lipid membranes that have an active role in shaping the structural topology of membrane proteins. Compared to a decade ago, there is now an abundance of crystal structural data on membrane proteins, which together with their functional studies have enhanced our understanding of the salient features of lipid-protein interactions. It is now important to recognize that membrane proteins are regulated by both: (1) general lipid-protein interactions, where the general physicochemical properties of the lipid environment affect the conformational flexibility of a membrane protein; and (2) by specific lipid-protein interactions, where lipid molecules directly interact via chemical interactions with specific lipid-binding sites located on the protein. However, due to local differences in membrane composition, thickness and lipid packing, local membrane physical properties and hence the associated lipid-protein interactions also differ due to membrane location, even for the same protein. Such a phenomenon has been shown to be true for one family of integral membrane ion pumps, the P2-type adenosine triphosphatases (ATPases). Despite being highly homologous, individual members of this family have distinct structural and functional activity and are an excellent candidate to highlight how the local membrane physical properties and specific lipid-protein interactions play a vital role in facilitating the structural rearrangements of these proteins necessary for their activity. Hence in this review, we focus on both the general and specific lipid-protein interactions and will mostly discuss the structure-function relationships of the following P2-type ATPases, Na+,K+-ATPase (NKA), gastric H+,K+-ATPase (HKA) and sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA), in concurrence with their lipid environment.Australian Research Counci

Cricket, migration and diasporic communities

Ever since different communities began processes of global migration, sport has been an integral feature in how we conceptualise and experience the notion of being part of a diaspora. Sport provides diasporic communities with a powerful means for creating transnational ties, but also shapes ideas of their ethnic and racial identities. In spite of this, theories of diaspora have been applied sparingly to sporting discourses. Due mainly to its central role in spreading dominant white racial narratives within the British Empire, and the various ways different ethnic groups have ‘played’ with the meanings and associations of the sport in the (post-)colonial period, cricket is an interesting focus for academic research. Despite W.G. Grace’s claim that cricket advances civilisation by promoting a common bond, binding together peoples of vastly different backgrounds, to this day cricket operates strict symbolic boundaries; defining those who do, and equally, do not belong. C.L.R. James’ now famous metaphor of looking ‘beyond the boundary’ captures the belief that, to fully understand the significance of cricket, and the sport’s roles in changing and shaping society, one must consider the wider social and political contexts within which the game is played. The collection of papers in this special issue does just that. Cricket acts as the point of departure in each, but the way in which ideas of power, representation and inequality are ‘played out’ is unique in each

Mechanism of Action of Surface Immobilized Antimicrobial Peptides Against Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Bacterial colonization and biofilm development on medical devices can lead to infection. Antimicrobial peptide-coated surfaces may prevent such infections. Melimine and Mel4 are chimeric cationic peptides showing broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity once attached to biomaterials and are highly biocompatible in animal models and have been tested in Phase I and II/III human clinical trials. These peptides were covalently attached to glass using an azidobenzoic acid linker. Peptide attachment was confirmed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and amino acid analysis. Mel4 when bound to glass was able to adopt a more ordered structure in the presence of bacterial membrane mimetic lipids. The ability of surface bound peptides to neutralize endotoxin was measured along with their interactions with the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane which were analyzed using DiSC(3)-5 and Sytox green, Syto-9, and PI dyes with fluorescence microscopy. Leakage of ATP and nucleic acids from cells were determined by analyzing the surrounding fluid. Attachment of the peptides resulted in increases in the percentage of nitrogen by 3.0% and 2.4%, and amino acid concentrations to 0.237 nmole and 0.298 nmole per coverslip on melimine and Mel4 coated surfaces, respectively. The immobilized peptides bound lipopolysaccharide and disrupted the cytoplasmic membrane potential of Pseudomonas aeruginosa within 15 min. Membrane depolarization was associated with a reduction in bacterial viability by 82% and 63% for coatings melimine and Mel4, respectively (p < 0.001). Disruption of membrane potential was followed by leakage of ATP from melimine (1.5 ± 0.4 nM) or Mel4 (1.3 ± 0.2 nM) coated surfaces compared to uncoated glass after 2 h (p < 0.001). Sytox green influx started after 3 h incubation with either peptide. Melimine coatings yielded 59% and Mel4 gave 36% PI stained cells after 4 h. Release of the larger molecules (DNA/RNA) commenced after 4 h for melimine (1.8 ± 0.9 times more than control; p = 0.008) and after 6 h with Mel4 (2.1 ± 0.2 times more than control; p < 0.001). The mechanism of action of surface bound melimine and Mel4 was similar to that of the peptides in solution, however, their immobilization resulted in much slower (approximately 30 times) kinetics

Welfare Impacts of Fisheries Co-management System at Oxbow Lakes in Bangladesh

Fisheries co-management starts with the premise that stakeholders have the innate capacity to improve resource condition as well as the welfare of the society. If this is true, there is a need for rapid and substantial devolution of fisheries management institutions. The main purpose of this study was to examine net welfare change to society as a result of the co-management system at Oxbow Lakes in Bangladesh. The simultaneous equation model consisting of supply, demand and identity equations were estimated and Marshallian surplus measurement was used to estimate the welfare change before and after the co-management system. The pooling technique proposed by Kmenta (1971; 1986) was utilized for the estimation. The analysis showed that the co-management program had caused a welfare gain to society.Key words: Fisheries co-management, Oxbow Lake, Producer Surplus, Consumer Surplu

Tourist in the (K)Now: Social Rapportage and the Performative Rapport of Social Media

Special issue on 'Reterritorializing Digital Performance From South to North: This paper explores how tourists, through the use of social and digital media platforms, are able to develop formations and connections that enhance a sense of rapport. The role of tourist is articulated through a new term, the ‘rapporter’, and the activity of the rapporter takes place as ‘rapportage’. Additionally, I suggest that this is achieved through the availability of mobile Apps. I propose that through the process and act of rapportage individuals can disseminate their responses to events and experiences, which provides an opportunity for further rapport. The voices then become part of a collective rapport inspired to understand and connect with others, and can provide different examples compared to the divisive and often aggressive reporting frequently articulated as part of the ‘post-truth’ environment

Order and disorder - An integrative structure of the full-length human growth hormone receptor

Because of its small size (70 kilodalton) and large content of structural disorder (>50%), the human growth hormone receptor (hGHR) falls between the cracks of conventional high-resolution structural biology methods. Here, we study the structure of the full-length hGHR in nanodiscs with small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) as the foundation. We develop an approach that combines SAXS, x-ray diffraction, and NMR spectroscopy data obtained on individual domains and integrate these through molecular dynamics simulations to interpret SAXS data on the full-length hGHR in nanodiscs. The hGHR domains reorient freely, resulting in a broad structural ensemble, emphasizing the need to take an ensemble view on signaling of relevance to disease states. The structure provides the first experimental model of any full-length cytokine receptor in a lipid membrane and exemplifies how integrating experimental data from several techniques computationally may access structures of membrane proteins with long, disordered regions, a widespread phenomenon in biology

Eurasian globalization: past and present

© 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. In an attempt to examine Eurasian globalization historically, this paper outlines three phases of globalization starting from 200 BCE to 1492 CE as Phase 1 and 1500 CE to 1999 CE as Phase 2 and from 2000 CE Phase 3. By historicizing the concept and the process of globalization, the paper attempts to provide a more global rather than a Europe-centred history of globalization and modernization. The paper builds on the idea of Eurasia and offers a new perspective of Eurasian globalization by pivoting on China\u27s role in both Phase 1 and Phase 3 of globalization. The paper uses historical literature that has been not only critical of the Eurocentric view of the world but also provides a more connected view of global history. Concurring with Steger and James [2019. Globalization matters. Cambridge University Press] that globalization has not outlived its utility, the paper seeks to historicize and globalize the discussion of globalization

Local political consolidation in Bangladesh: power, informality and patronage

During the past decade Bangladesh has shifted from a competitively clientelistic two‐party system towards a dominant‐party democracy. This article analyses how the ruling party has consolidated partisan political control at the local level. Using qualitative field data from 2004 and 2016, and drawing on a post‐structural analysis of the state, it shows how this extension of power has been achieved locally through interaction between formal and informal political initiatives. Four main types of informal activity are documented, through which the extent of local political competition has been reduced: circumvention, capture, brokerage and the creation of new organizations. These insights into the changing nature of Bangladesh's long‐standing partisan politics highlight how the state's capacity to deliver local services, allocate resources and maintain stability has been enhanced through the ruling party's control of local government structures, its elimination of political opposition, and its reshaping of local patronage arrangements