Miscellanea

Miscellane

The Christian and Government

Good government is one of the most precious temporal gifts God gives to a people, while a vicious, corrupt. and incompetent government may become the greatest curse. Every citizen is therefore vitally interested in the establishment and maintenance of good government. The Christian, however, as a citizen in two realms has an even greater stake in good government than the non-Christian. According to 1 Tim. 2:1-4 good government is necessary not only for the individual\u27s physical and temporal well-being, but also-and this primarily -for the carrying out of God\u27s gracious purposes concerning the eternal welfare of all men

The Christian and Government

The form of government under which we live is a democracy. Democracy means rule by the people. It means that sovereignty in a democracy is vested in the people, and sovereignty means supreme power. We, the people of the United States, are the sovereigns of this nation. The Government officials in Washington, in our State capitals, and in the seats of our municipal governments are our agents and delegates bound to respect the will of the people. But this also means that the people are responsible for the attitude and actions of their government. Every privilege has a corresponding responsibility, and God will hold the American people responsible for the exercise of this sovereignty

Plant communities of the upper Murrumbidgee catchment in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory

Native vegetation of the upper Murrumbidgee catchment in southeast NSW and the Australian Capital-Territory (ACT) was classified into 75 plant communities across 18 NSW Vegetation Classes within nine Structural-Formations. Plant communities were derived through numerical analysis of 4,106 field survey plots including 3,787-plots from 58 existing survey datasets and 319 new plots, which were sampled in under surveyed ecosystems. All plant-communities are described at a level appropriate for discrimination of threatened ecological communities and distinct-vegetation mapping units. The classification describes plant communities in the context of the upper Murrumbidgee catchment and surrounding-landscapes of similar ecological character. It incorporates and, in some instances, refines identification of plant-communities described in previous classifications of alpine vegetation, forest ecosystems, woodlands and grasslands-across the Australian Alps and South Eastern Highlands within the upper Murrumbidgee catchment. Altitude,-precipitation, soil saturation, lithology, slope, aspect and landscape position were all important factors in guiding-plant community associations. Nine Threatened Ecological Communities under Commonwealth, NSW and ACT legislation occur in the upper-Murrumbidgee catchment. This study has also identified five additional plant communities which are highly restricted-in distribution and may require active management or protection to ensure their survival

The Christian and Government

Government is not above the Moral I.aw, but subject to it. In fact, government exists for the maintenance of the moral order. For he is the minister of God to thee for good; but if thou do that which is evil, be afraid (Rom.13:4). Governments cannot abrogate the Moral Law nor any of the Commandments of the Decalog. The legislation and administration of law must be in harmony with the Moral Law. Governments are responsible to God. For he is a minister of God

Miscellanea

Miscellane

Infection with a Brazilian isolate of Zika virus generates RIG‐I stimulatory RNA and the viral NS5 protein blocks type I IFN induction and signalling

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a major public health concern in the Americas. We report that ZIKV infection and RNA extracted from ZIKV infected cells potently activated the induction of type I interferons (IFNs). This effect was fully dependent on the mitochondrial antiviral signalling protein (MAVS), implicating RIG‐I‐like receptors (RLRs) as upstream sensors of viral RNA. Indeed, RIG‐I and the related RNA sensor MDA5 contributed to type I IFN induction in response to RNA from infected cells. We found that ZIKV NS5 from a recent Brazilian isolate blocked type I IFN induction downstream of RLRs and also inhibited type I IFN receptor (IFNAR) signalling. We defined the ZIKV NS5 nuclear localization signal and report that NS5 nuclear localization was not required for inhibition of signalling downstream of IFNAR. Mechanistically, NS5 blocked IFNAR signalling by both leading to reduced levels of STAT2 and by blocking phosphorylation of STAT1, two transcription factors activated by type I IFNs. Taken together, our observations suggest that ZIKV infection induces a type I IFN response via RLRs and that ZIKV interferes with this response by blocking signalling downstream of RLRs and IFNAR