An unexpectedly high degree of specialization and a widespread involvement in sterol metabolism among the C. elegans putative aminophospholipid translocases

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>P-type ATPases in subfamily IV are exclusively eukaryotic transmembrane proteins that have been proposed to directly translocate the aminophospholipids phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylethanolamine from the exofacial to the cytofacial monolayer of the plasma membrane. Eukaryotic genomes contain many genes encoding members of this subfamily. At present it is unclear why there are so many genes of this kind per organism or what individual roles these genes perform in organism development.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We have systematically investigated expression and developmental function of the six, <it>tat-1 </it>through <it>6</it>, subfamily IV P-type ATPase genes encoded in the <it>Caenorhabditis elegans </it>genome. <it>tat-5 </it>is the only ubiquitously-expressed essential gene in the group. <it>tat-6 </it>is a poorly-transcribed recent duplicate of <it>tat-5</it>. <it>tat-2 </it>through <it>4 </it>exhibit tissue-specific developmentally-regulated expression patterns. Strong expression of both <it>tat-2 </it>and <it>tat-4 </it>occurs in the intestine and certain other cells of the alimentary system. The two are also expressed in the uterus, during spermatogenesis and in the fully-formed spermatheca. <it>tat-2 </it>alone is expressed in the pharyngeal gland cells, the excretory system and a few cells of the developing vulva. The expression pattern of <it>tat-3 </it>is almost completely different from those of <it>tat-2 </it>and <it>tat-4</it>. <it>tat-3 </it>expression is detectable in the steroidogenic tissues: the hypodermis and the XXX cells, as well as in most cells of the pharynx (except gland), various tissues of the reproductive system (except uterus and spermatheca) and seam cells. Deletion of <it>tat-1 </it>through <it>4 </it>individually interferes little or not at all with the regular progression of organism growth and development under normal conditions. However, <it>tat-2 </it>through <it>4 </it>become essential for reproductive growth during sterol starvation.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p><it>tat-5 </it>likely encodes a housekeeping protein that performs the proposed aminophospholipid translocase function routinely. Although individually dispensable, <it>tat-1 </it>through <it>4 </it>seem to be at most only partly redundant. Expression patterns and the sterol deprivation hypersensitivity deletion phenotype of <it>tat-2 </it>through <it>4 </it>suggest that these genes carry out subtle metabolic functions, such as fine-tuning sterol metabolism in digestive or steroidogenic tissues. These findings uncover an unexpectedly high degree of specialization and a widespread involvement in sterol metabolism among the genes encoding the putative aminophospholipid translocases.</p

Hard Kaur: Broadcasting the new Desi woman

In the last 20 years hip hop has become an important site of identity construction for South Asian diasporic youth (Nair & Balaji, 2008; Huq, 2006; Sharma, 2010). In this article I examine the mediatized personae of Indian born and British raised recording artist Hard Kaur, who claims to be the first ‘Desi’ female rapper. As Hard Kaur’s music, music videos, and interviews travel to and are now being produced in India, the race, gender, and class constructions formed during her experiences in the U.K. are finding their way to a youthful Indian public. I argue that an analysis of Hard Kaur’s mediatized interactions reveals the ways in which gendered norms are being contested and reaffirmed within a transnational imaginary

A systematic review of older adults’ travel behaviour and mobility during COVID-19 pandemic : lessons learned for sustainable transport provision and healthy aging

The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruptions to the travel and mobility of various population groups worldwide. These impacts were more pronounced for older adults, who, in various countries around the world, were instructed to quarantine for prolonged periods and avoid contact with others. The impact of these disruptions has been differently experienced between countries and geographical regions with levels of economic development and transport infrastructures playing a role. The aim of this article is firstly, to critically synthesise scientific literature about changes in travel behaviour and transport choices of older adults caused by the responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in various countries, secondly, highlight the main gaps in the literature and finally, provide avenues for future research and transport policies. Findings indicate inequalities in access to transport explained by built environment design and policies adopted by governments to control the pandemic, as well as socio-economic and developmental factors. The implications of these findings for transport provision and increased mobility for older adults in the post-pandemic world are outlined. Finally, we discuss the importance of active aging policies, which could create more transportation options to support older adults’ mobility needs and access in the post-COVID-19 era in both high- and low-income countries

Understanding older adults' travel behaviour and mobility needs during the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of the hierarchy of travel needs : a systematic review

The aim of this article is to critically review the scientific literature about the changes in travel behaviour and mobility amongst older adults caused by the COVID-19 pandemic across various countries, identify unmet travel needs and highlight patterns of inequalities in older adults' mobility. We have collected articles from four academic databases: PubMed, Scopus, Transportation Research International Documentation (TRID) and Web of Science. Papers were considered for inclusion if they were published online in 2020 or later, written in English, and referred to urban or rural changes in travel behaviour and mobility of older adults over 50 years old. We examined the pre-existing models developed before the outbreak and classified the articles based on Musselwhite and Haddad's hierarchy of older adults' travel needs. The synthesis of the selected 25 articles shows a general decline in literal mobility amongst older adults, an increased share of virtual travel and their decreased capacity to fulfil different levels of travel needs. Findings also indicate an increased gap in older adults' mobility across geographical regions with various levels of transport infrastructure and digital capital. We conclude the paper with the lessons learned, the opportunities ahead, and the challenges that must be overcome to achieve sustainable development and the United Nations Decades of Healthy Ageing goals in the post-pandemic world

Introduction: historical geographies of internationalism, 1900-1950

This introduction to a special issue on historical geographies of internationalism begins by situating the essays that follow in relation to the on-going refugee crisis in Europe and beyond. This crisis has revealed, once again, both the challenges and the potential of internationalism as a form political consciousness and the international as a scale of political action. Recent work has sought to re-conceptualise internationalism as the most urgent scale at which governance, political activity and resistance must operate when confronting the larger environmental, economic, and strategic challenges of the twenty-first century. Although geographers have only made a modest contribution to this work, we argue that they have a significant role to play. The essays in this special issue suggest several ways in which a geographical perspective can contribute to rethinking the international: by examining spaces and sites not previously considered in internationalist histories; by considering the relationship between internationalism in the abstract and the geographical and historical specifics of its creation; and by analysing the interlocking of internationalism with other political projects. We identify, towards the end of this essay, seven ways that internationalism might be reconsidered geographically in future research: through its spatialities and temporalities, the role of newly independent states, science and research, identity politics, and with reference to its performative and visual dimensions

Using Co-Inquiry to Study Co-Inquiry: Community-University Perspectives on Research

In the context of a rapid development of interest in community-university research partnerships, this article argues for a greater focus on collaborative reflexivity to enhance learning from the research process and contribute toward developing sustainable and ethical research collaborations. Incorporating perspectives of community and university participants, the article offers a case study analysis of a UK-based co-inquiry action research group. This group not only studied examples of community-university research collaborations, but also reflected on its own workings as an example of collaborative research in action—scrutinizing relationships of power, responsibility, and boundaries in the group (collaborative reflexivity). This article argues that research projects might be designed with space designated for co-inquiry action research or similar inquiry groups. These co-inquiry groups would serve as replacements or supplements to more traditional steering or advisory groups

Using co-inquiry to study co-inquiry: community-university perspectives on research collaboration

In the context of a rapid development of interest in community-university research partnerships, this article argues for a greater focus on collaborative reflexivity to enhance learning from the research process and contribute toward developing sustainable and ethical research collaborations. Incorporating perspectives of community and university participants, the article offers a case study analysis of a UK-based co-inquiry action research group. This group not only studied examples of community-university research collaborations, but also reflected on its own workings as an example of collaborative research in action—scrutinizing relationships of power, responsibility, and boundaries in the group (collaborative reflexivity). This article argues that research projects might be designed with space designated for co-inquiry action research or similar inquiry groups. These co-inquiry groups would serve as replacements or supplements to more traditional steering or advisory groups

On biocoloniality and 'respectability' in contemporary London.

This essay is framed by discussions on the civil unrest in British cities in 2011, the politics of austerity, the mass unemployment of the young, ‘the war on terror’ and ‘radicalisation’ and the vulnerability of the poor and ‘unrespectable’. It advances a concept of biocoloniality and explores ‘respectability’, class and transnational postcolonial urban cultures in contemporary London. The essay argues for a theorisation which can account for how a divided subject produces the effect of an undivided and self-governing ‘core self’ who ‘possesses’ distinguishing ‘biological’ ‘capacities’, ‘psychological’ attributes’ and cultural ‘characteristics’. It considers how this is accomplished through our daily practical activity such as our ‘imaginable’, ‘possible’ sexual desires, everyday practices of reflection, our bodily demeanour and bodily significations. This concept of biocoloniality is composed of two theoretical strands. In ‘on inscription and creolisation’ and in dialogue with a single respondent on ‘respectability’ and ‘beauty’, I entwine disparate theoretical threads from work on biopolitics and governmentality, racialisation, psychoanalysis and postcoloniality and performativity, sexualisation and intersectionality together. I forward a formulation of inscription that can reveal how we inscribe and sculpt our own and other bodies with different ‘capacities’ and ‘qualities’. I then tie strands of work on repetition together and advance a theorisation of reiteration. I consider how we struggle with, overcome and are defeated by ourselves as we reinscribe our own and other bodies. The essay thus considers how it is through in part our daily biocolonial practice that different bodies that are closer to and more distant from notions of the human, the un/respectable, un/desirable, ab/normal, ir/replaceable and expendable come into being and how this unsettles clear distinctions between coloniality and postcoloniality