Dynamics and nucleation of dislocations in crystals

Hydrogen-poor superluminous supernovae (SLSNe-I) have been predominantly found in low-metallicity, star-forming dwarf galaxies. Here we identify Gaia17biu/SN 2017egm as an SLSN-I occurring in a "normal" spiral galaxy (NGC 3191) in terms of stellar mass (several times 10^10 M_sun) and metallicity (roughly Solar). At redshift z=0.031, Gaia17biu is also the lowest redshift SLSN-I to date, and the absence of a larger population of SLSNe-I in dwarf galaxies of similar redshift suggests that metallicity is likely less important to the production of SLSNe-I than previously believed. With the smallest distance and highest apparent brightness for an SLSN-I, we are able to study Gaia17biu in unprecedented detail. Its pre-peak near-ultraviolet to optical color is similar to that of Gaia16apd and among the bluest observed for an SLSN-I while its peak luminosity (M_g = -21 mag) is substantially lower than Gaia16apd. Thanks to the high signal-to-noise ratios of our spectra, we identify several new spectroscopic features that may help to probe the properties of these enigmatic explosions. We detect polarization at the ~0.5% level that is not strongly dependent on wavelength, suggesting a modest, global departure from spherical symmetry. In addition, we put the tightest upper limit yet on the radio luminosity of an SLSN-I with <5.4x10^26 erg/s/Hz (at 10 GHz), which is almost a factor of 40 better than previous upper limits and one of the few measured at an early stage in the evolution of an SLSN-I. This limit largely rules out an association of this SLSNe-I with known populations of gamma-ray burst (GRB) like central engines.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. Ancillary ASCII tables added: TRL.txt -- blackbody temperature, radius and luminosity; uvw2uvm2uvw1uvu.txt -- UV photometry; BgVri.txt -- optical photometry; zJHK.txt -- NIR photometr

Illegal migration in the Indian Sunderbans

It is expected that due to sea-level rises in the future many millions of Bangladeshis will flee to India, exacerbating further the ongoing disputes between India and Bangladesh. Human security will be the most important agenda item for Indian-Bangladeshi relations in the coming decades

When Home is the Edge of the Nation Dialogue with ‘Border’ people of Rajasthan, West Bengal and Bangladesh

SAFHR Monograph - Annexure IVSouth Asia Forum for Human Rights (SAFHR) is part of the ‘Auditing Conflict Resolution and Partition in South Asia’ project that conducts an audit of human rights at the local level in border areas. The aim of this report is to critique securitization of the Bengal borderland. It attempts to overcome a “partitioned academy” and offers a more robust analysis on violence and violations in the borderland through incorporating people’s narratives from both sides. The socioeconomic fluidity of the borderland fosters multiple linkages and interactions; albeit ‘irregular’ the flow of exchanges destabilizes the notion of illegality

Perspectives of patients and healthcare professionals on metabolic monitoring of adult prescribed second-generation antipsychotics for severe mental illness: A meta-synthesis.

ObjectivesWe conducted a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies to synthesize the views of psychiatric patients on second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) and the healthcare providers about the metabolic monitoring of adult-prescribed SGAs.MethodsA systematic search was conducted in four databases through SCOPUS, PubMed, EMBASE, and CINAHL to identify qualitative studies of patients' and healthcare professionals' perspectives on the metabolic monitoring of SGAs. Initially, titles and abstracts were screened to exclude articles that were not relevant followed by full-text reading. Study quality was assessed by using Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) criteria. Themes were synthesized and presented as per the Interpretive data synthesis process (Evans D, 2002).ResultsA total of 15 studies met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed in meta-synthesis. Four themes were identified: 1. Barriers to metabolic monitoring; 2. Patient related concerns to metabolic monitoring; 3. Support system by mental health services to promote metabolic monitoring; and 4. Integrating physical health with mental health services. From the participants' perspectives, barriers to metabolic monitoring were accessibility of services, lack of education and awareness, time/resource constraints, financial hardship, lack of interest on metabolic monitoring, patient capacity and motivation to maintain physical health and role confusion and impact on communication. Education and training on monitoring practices as well as integrated mental health services for metabolic monitoring to promote quality and safe use of SGAs are the most likely approaches to promote adherence to best practices and minimize treatment-related metabolic syndrome in this highly vulnerable cohort.ConclusionThis meta-synthesis highlights key barriers from the perspectives of patients and healthcare professionals regarding the metabolic monitoring of SGAs. These barriers and suggested remedial strategies are important to pilot in the clinical setting and to assess the impact of the implementation of such strategies as a component of pharmacovigilance to promote the quality use of SGAs as well as to prevent and/or manage SGAs-induced metabolic syndrome in severe and complex mental health disorders

EHD2 and the novel EH domain binding protein EHBP1 couple endocytosis to the actin cytoskeleton

Here we identified two novel proteins denoted EH domain protein 2 (EHD2) and EHD2-binding protein 1 (EHBP1) that link clathrin-mediated endocytosis to the actin cytoskeleton. EHD2 contains an N-terminal P-loop and a C-terminal EH domain that interacts with NPF repeats in EHBP1. Disruption of EHD2 or EHBP1 function by small interfering RNA-mediated gene silencing inhibits endocytosis of transferrin into EEA1-positive endosomes as well as GLUT4 endocytosis into cultured adipocytes. EHD2 localizes with cortical actin filaments, whereas EHBP1 contains a putative actin-binding calponin homology domain. High expression of EHD2 or EHBP1 in intact cells mediates extensive actin reorganization. Thus EHD2 appears to connect endocytosis to the actin cytoskeleton through interactions of its N-terminal domain with membranes and its C-terminal EH domain with the novel EHBP1 protein

Perspectives of patients and healthcare professionals on metabolic monitoring of adult prescribed second-generation antipsychotics for severe mental illness: A meta-synthesis

Objectives We conducted a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies to synthesize the views of psychiatric patients on second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) and the healthcare providers about the metabolic monitoring of adult-prescribed SGAs. Methods A systematic search was conducted in four databases through SCOPUS, PubMed, EMBASE, and CINAHL to identify qualitative studies of patients’ and healthcare professionals’ perspectives on the metabolic monitoring of SGAs. Initially, titles and abstracts were screened to exclude articles that were not relevant followed by full-text reading. Study quality was assessed by using Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) criteria. Themes were synthesized and presented as per the Interpretive data synthesis process (Evans D, 2002). Results A total of 15 studies met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed in meta-synthesis. Four themes were identified: 1. Barriers to metabolic monitoring; 2. Patient related concerns to metabolic monitoring; 3. Support system by mental health services to promote metabolic monitoring; and 4. Integrating physical health with mental health services. From the participants’ perspectives, barriers to metabolic monitoring were accessibility of services, lack of education and awareness, time/resource constraints, financial hardship, lack of interest on metabolic monitoring, patient capacity and motivation to maintain physical health and role confusion and impact on communication. Education and training on monitoring practices as well as integrated mental health services for metabolic monitoring to promote quality and safe use of SGAs are the most likely approaches to promote adherence to best practices and minimize treatment-related metabolic syndrome in this highly vulnerable cohort. Conclusion This meta-synthesis highlights key barriers from the perspectives of patients and healthcare professionals regarding the metabolic monitoring of SGAs. These barriers and suggested remedial strategies are important to pilot in the clinical setting and to assess the impact of the implementation of such strategies as a component of pharmacovigilance to promote the quality use of SGAs as well as to prevent and/or manage SGAs-induced metabolic syndrome in severe and complex mental health disorders

Structural basis of 3-phosphoinositide recognition by pleckstrin homology domains

Lipid second messengers generated by phosphoinositide (PI) 3-kinases regulate diverse cellular functions through interaction with pleckstrin homology (PH) domains in modular signaling proteins. The PH domain of Grp1, a PI 3-kinase-activated exchange factor for Arf GTPases, selectively binds phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate with high affinity. We have determined the structure of the Grp1 PH domain in the unliganded form and bound to inositol 1,3,4,5-tetraphosphate. A novel mode of phosphoinositide recognition involving a 20-residue insertion within the beta6/beta7 loop explains the unusually high specificity of the Grp1 PH domain and the promiscuous 3-phosphoinositide binding typical of several PH domains including that of protein kinase B. When compared to other PH domains, general determinants of 3-phosphoinositide recognition and specificity can be deduced

Perinuclear localization and insulin responsiveness of GLUT4 requires cytoskeletal integrity in 3T3-L1 adipocytes

The GLUT4 glucose transporter resides mostly in perinuclear membranes in unstimulated 3T3-L1 adipocytes and is acutely translocated to the cell surface in response to insulin. Using a novel method to purify intracellular GLUT4-enriched membranes, we identified by mass spectrometry the intermediate filament protein vimentin and the microtubule protein alpha-tubulin as components of these membranes. Immunoelectron microscopy of the GLUT4-containing membranes also revealed their association with these cytoskeletal proteins. Disruption of intermediate filaments and microtubules in 3T3-L1 adipocytes by microinjection of a vimentin-derived peptide of the helix initiation 1A domain caused marked dispersion of perinuclear GLUT4 to peripheral regions of the cells. Inhibition of the microtubule-based motor dynein by brief cytoplasmic acidification of cultured adipocytes also dispersed perinuclear GLUT4 and inhibited insulin-stimulated GLUT4 translocation to the cell surface. Insulin sensitivity was restored as GLUT4 was again concentrated near the nucleus upon recovery of cells in physiological buffer. These data suggest that GLUT4 trafficking to perinuclear membranes of cultured adipocytes is directed by dynein and is required for optimal GLUT4 regulation by insulin