Worker Control in Worker Co-operatives?

This paper (presented at ICA Research Conference, Paris, May, 2015) is based on research conducted in the 1980s. It has been updated, and addresses the timeless questions: if worker co-operatives embody the principle “Labour hires Capital”, does this mean that in co-operatives workers are able to control their own jobs? Can new work relations be constructed from grassroots in a democratic fashion? It is based on five case studies, which present possibly the most challenges to a positive response to these questions. The paper develops a theory based analytical framework embracing three different levels of control, and identifying four factors limiting worker influence: expert power, imported rationalities and expectations, external financing, market relations. Given these “worst case” scenarios, the findings demonstrate achievements regarding work organisation, different forms of supervision, and terms and conditions of employment

Creeping bentgrass response to increasing DTPA-extractable zinc levels in modified soil

Levels as high as 53 mg DTPA-extractable Zn-kg-1 soil have been observed ln samples taken from golf course greens in Iowa. Soil test lab reports that accompany these results state that this is an excessive level of Zn for creeping bentgrass (Agrostis palustris Heds.). Interpretations of Zn test results vary greatly among laboratories and there is little information in the literature on which to base these interpretations

Effects of D-amino acid oxidase inhibition on memory performance and long-term potentiation in vivo

N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) activation can initiate changes in synaptic strength, evident as long-term potentiation (LTP), and is a key molecular correlate of memory formation. Inhibition of d-amino acid oxidase (DAAO) may increase NMDAR activity by regulating d-serine concentrations, but which neuronal and behavioral effects are influenced by DAAO inhibition remain elusive. In anesthetized rats, extracellular field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs) were recorded before and after a theta frequency burst stimulation (TBS) of the Schaffer collateral pathway of the CA1 region in the hippocampus. Memory performance was assessed after training with tests of contextual fear conditioning (FC, mice) and novel object recognition (NOR, rats). Oral administration of 3, 10, and 30 mg/kg 4H-furo[3,2-b]pyrrole-5-carboxylic acid (SUN) produced dose-related and steady increases of cerebellum d-serine in rats and mice, indicative of lasting inhibition of central DAAO. SUN administered 2 h prior to training improved contextual fear conditioning in mice and novel object recognition memory in rats when tested 24 h after training. In anesthetized rats, LTP was established proportional to the number of TBS trains. d-cycloserine (DCS) was used to identify a submaximal level of LTP (5× TBS) that responded to NMDA receptor activation; SUN administered at 10 mg/kg 3–4 h prior to testing similarly increased in vivo LTP levels compared to vehicle control animals. Interestingly, in vivo administration of DCS also increased brain d-serine concentrations. These results indicate that DAAO inhibition increased NMDAR-related synaptic plasticity during phases of post training memory consolidation to improve memory performance in hippocampal-dependent behavioral tests

Using genetically incorporated unnatural amino acids to control protein functions in mammalian cells

Genetic code expansion allows unnatural (non-canonical) amino acid incorporation into proteins of interest by repurposing the cellular translation machinery. The development of this technique has enabled site-specific incorporation of many structurally and chemically diverse amino acids, facilitating a plethora of applications, including protein imaging, engineering, mechanistic and structural investigations, and functional regulation. Particularly, genetic code expansion provides great tools to study mammalian proteins, of which dysregulations often have important implications in health. In recent years, a series of methods has been developed to modulate protein function through genetically incorporated unnatural amino acids. In this review, we will first discuss the basic concept of genetic code expansion and give an up-to-date list of amino acids that can be incorporated into proteins in mammalian cells. We then focus on the use of unnatural amino acids to activate, inhibit, or reversibly modulate protein function by translational, optical or chemical control. The features of each approach will also be highlighted

High affinity mAb infusion can enhance maximum affinity maturation during HIV Env immunization

Antigen-specific antibody infusion is known to enhance or suppress germinal center (GC) responses depending on the affinity of the infusion. We hypothesized that infusing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) of escalating affinity during an immunization regimen may progressively escalate selection pressure on competing B cells, increasing their affinity. To test this, we immunized mice with HIV envelope gp120 and infused CD4 binding-site (CD4bs)-specific mAbs. While mAb infusion reduced somatic hypermutation (SHM) and affinity in most CD4bs-specific B cells, a sub-population was identified with greater SHM and affinity than control. High-throughput sequencing of plasma cells revealed that CD4bs-specific plasma cells possessed elevated SHM after mAb infusion, with phylogenetic tree topology that suggested more rapid differentiation. We therefore conclude, in accordance with other studies, that high-affinity mAb infusion primarily suppresses recruitment of most competing B cells but can increase and expedite affinity maturation of certain epitope-specific B cells

Beyond species distribution modelling: A landscape genetics approach to investigating range shifts under future climate change

Understanding how biodiversity will respond to future climate change is a major conservation and societal challenge. Climate change is predicted to force many species to shift their ranges in pursuit of suitable conditions. This study aims to use landscape genetics, the study of the effects of environmental heterogeneity on the spatial distribution of genetic variation, as a predictive tool to assess how species will shift their ranges to track climatic changes and inform conservation measures that will facilitate movement. The approach is based on three steps: 1) using Species Distribution Models (SDMs) to predict suitable ranges under future climate change, 2) using the landscape genetics framework to identify landscape variables that impede or facilitate movement, and 3) extrapolating the effect of landscape connectivity on range shifts in response to future climate change. I show how this approach can be implemented using the publicly available genetic dataset of the grey long-eared bat,Plecotus austriacus, in the Iberian Peninsula. Forest cover gradient was the main landscape variable affecting genetic connectivity between colonies. Forest availability is likely to limit future range shifts in response to climate change, primarily over the central plateau, but important range shift pathways have been identified along the eastern and western coasts. I provide outputs that can be directly used by conservation managers and review the viability of the approach. Using landscape genetics as a predictive tool in combination with SDMs enables the identification of potential pathways, whose loss can affect the ability of species to shift their range into future climatically suitable areas, and the appropriate conservation management measures to increase landscape connectivity and facilitate movement

Natural killer cell responses during SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination in people living with HIV-1

Natural killer (NK) cell subsets with adaptive properties are emerging as regulators of vaccine-induced T and B cell responses and are specialized towards antibody-dependent functions contributing to SARS-CoV-2 control. Although HIV-1 infection is known to affect the NK cell pool, the additional impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or vaccination on NK cell responses in people living with HIV (PLWH) has remained unexplored. Our data show that SARS-CoV-2 infection skews NK cells towards a more differentiated/adaptive CD57+FcεRIγ- phenotype in PLWH. A similar subset was induced following vaccination in SARS-CoV-2 naïve PLWH in addition to a CD56bright population with cytotoxic potential. Antibody-dependent NK cell function showed robust and durable responses to Spike up to 148 days post-infection, with responses enriched in adaptive NK cells. NK cell responses were further boosted by the first vaccine dose in SARS-CoV-2 exposed individuals and peaked after the second dose in SARS-CoV-2 naïve PLWH. The presence of adaptive NK cells associated with the magnitude of cellular and humoral responses. These data suggest that features of adaptive NK cells can be effectively engaged to complement and boost vaccine-induced adaptive immunity in potentially more vulnerable groups such as PLWH