22 research outputs found
Medicine is patriarchal, but alternative medicine is not the answer
Get PDFWomen are over-represented within alternative medicine, both as consumers and as service providers. In this paper, I show that the appeal of alternative medicine to women relates to the neglect of women’s health needs within scientific medicine. This is concerning because alternative medicine is severely limited in its therapeutic effects; therefore, those who choose alternative therapies are liable to experience inadequate healthcare. I argue that while many patients seek greater autonomy in alternative medicine, the absence of an evidence base and plausible mechanisms of action leaves patients unable to realize meaningful autonomy. This seems morally troubling, especially given that the neglect of women’s needs within scientific medicine seems to contribute to preferences for alternative medicine. I conclude that the liberatory credentials of alternative medicine should be questioned and make recommendations to render scientific medicine better able to meet the needs of typical alternative medicine consumers
T cell cytolytic capacity is independent of initial stimulation strength.
Get PDFHow cells respond to myriad stimuli with finite signaling machinery is central to immunology. In naive T cells, the inherent effect of ligand strength on activation pathways and endpoints has remained controversial, confounded by environmental fluctuations and intercellular variability within populations. Here we studied how ligand potency affected the activation of CD8+ T cells in vitro, through the use of genome-wide RNA, multi-dimensional protein and functional measurements in single cells. Our data revealed that strong ligands drove more efficient and uniform activation than did weak ligands, but all activated cells were fully cytolytic. Notably, activation followed the same transcriptional pathways regardless of ligand potency. Thus, stimulation strength did not intrinsically dictate the T cell-activation route or phenotype; instead, it controlled how rapidly and simultaneously the cells initiated activation, allowing limited machinery to elicit wide-ranging responses
Simulating the Impact on the Local Economy of Alternative Management Scenarios for Natural Areas
Full text linkGlobal perspectives and transdisciplinary opportunities for locust and grasshopper pest management and research
Get PDFLocusts and other migratory grasshoppers are transboundary pests. Monitoring and control, therefore, involve a complex system made up of social, ecological, and technological factors. Researchers and those involved in active management are calling for more integration between these siloed but often interrelated sectors. In this paper, we bring together 38 coauthors from six continents and 34 unique organizations, representing much of the social-ecological-technological system (SETS) related to grasshopper and locust management and research around the globe, to introduce current topics of interest and review recent advancements. Together, the paper explores the relationships, strengths, and weaknesses of the organizations responsible for the management of major locust-affected regions. The authors cover topics spanning humanities, social science, and the history of locust biological research and offer insights and approaches for the future of collaborative sustainable locust management. These perspectives will help support sustainable locust management, which still faces immense challenges such as fluctuations in funding, focus, isolated agendas, trust, communication, transparency, pesticide use, and environmental and human health standards. Arizona State University launched the Global Locust Initiative (GLI) in 2018 as a response to some of these challenges. The GLI welcomes individuals with interests in locusts and grasshoppers, transboundary pests, integrated pest management, landscape-level processes, food security, and/or cross-sectoral initiatives
From Molecules to Management: Mechanisms and Consequences of Locust Phase Polyphenism
No full textLocusts are grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae) that are characterised by their capacity for extreme population density-dependent polyphenism, transforming between a cryptic solitarious phase that avoids other locusts, and a swarming gregarious phase that aggregates and undergoes collective migration. The two phases differ in many aspects of behaviour, physiology and ecology, making locusts a useful model through which to investigate the phenotypic interface of molecular processes and environmental cues. This review summarises recent progress in understanding the mechanisms and consequences of locust phase change, from differential gene expression and epigenetic regulation through to neuronal plasticity and altered behaviour. The impact of techniques such as RNA interference and the sequencing of the first locust genome are discussed, and we consider the evidence from comparative analyses between related locust species for the possible evolution of locust-like phenotypic plasticity. Collective movement, and new ways of measuring the behaviour of both migrating bands in the field and individuals in the laboratory, are analysed. We also examine the environmental factors that affect phase change, along with the wider impact of land use and management strategies that may unwittingly create environments conducive to outbreaks. Finally, we consider the human costs of locust swarming behaviour, and use combined social, economic and environmental approaches to suggest potential ways forward for locust monitoring and management
