Aboriginal Identity in Contemporary Society

Ancient pathways, is a painting representing identity. That a persons identity is more than who the individual is, that a connection linked to the past runs parallel and in its own way shapes the future in how evident or not it seems to be. To walk on the ancient pathway starts by the individual coming to terms with themselves. An unpacking and a letting go of cultural baggage to find the inner self is also the beginning of being in touch with yourself. Motivations and what drives you is realised as you begin your spiritual journey of self discovery

Mosaic: A Satellite Constellation to Enable Groundbreaking Mars Climate System Science and Prepare for Human Exploration

The Martian climate system has been revealed to rival the complexity of Earth\u27s. Over the last 20 yr, a fragmented and incomplete picture has emerged of its structure and variability; we remain largely ignorant of many of the physical processes driving matter and energy flow between and within Mars\u27 diverse climate domains. Mars Orbiters for Surface, Atmosphere, and Ionosphere Connections (MOSAIC) is a constellation of ten platforms focused on understanding these climate connections, with orbits and instruments tailored to observe the Martian climate system from three complementary perspectives. First, low-circular near-polar Sun-synchronous orbits (a large mothership and three smallsats spaced in local time) enable vertical profiling of wind, aerosols, water, and temperature, as well as mapping of surface and subsurface ice. Second, elliptical orbits sampling all of Mars\u27 plasma regions enable multipoint measurements necessary to understand mass/energy transport and ion-driven escape, also enabling, with the polar orbiters, dense radio occultation coverage. Last, longitudinally spaced areostationary orbits enable synoptic views of the lower atmosphere necessary to understand global and mesoscale dynamics, global views of the hydrogen and oxygen exospheres, and upstream measurements of space weather conditions. MOSAIC will characterize climate system variability diurnally and seasonally, on meso-, regional, and global scales, targeting the shallow subsurface all the way out to the solar wind, making many first-of-their-kind measurements. Importantly, these measurements will also prepare for human exploration and habitation of Mars by providing water resource prospecting, operational forecasting of dust and radiation hazards, and ionospheric communication/positioning disruptions

CTCF variants in 39 individuals with a variable neurodevelopmental disorder broaden the mutational and clinical spectrum

Purpose: Pathogenic variants in the chromatin organizer CTCF were previously reported in seven individuals with a neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD). Methods: Through international collaboration we collected data from 39 subjects with variants in CTCF. We performed transcriptome analysis on RNA from blood samples and utilized Drosophila melanogaster to investigate the impact of Ctcf dosage alteration on nervous system development and function. Results: The individuals in our cohort carried 2 deletions, 8 likely gene-disruptive, 2 splice-site, and 20 different missense variants, most of them de novo. Two cases were familial. The associated phenotype was of variable severity extending from mild developmental delay or normal IQ to severe intellectual disability. Feeding difficulties and behavioral abnormalities were common, and variable other findings including growth restriction and cardiac defects were observed. RNA-sequencing in five individuals identified 3828 deregulated genes enriched for known NDD genes and biological processes such as transcriptional regulation. Ctcf dosage alteration in Drosophila resulted in impaired gross neurological functioning and learning and memory deficits. Conclusion: We significantly broaden the mutational and clinical spectrum of CTCF-associated NDDs. Our data shed light onto the functional role of CTCF by identifying deregulated genes and show that Ctcf alterations result in nervous system defects in Drosophila.Peer reviewe

Histone H3.3 beyond cancer: Germline mutations in Histone 3 Family 3A and 3B cause a previously unidentified neurodegenerative disorder in 46 patients

Although somatic mutations in Histone 3.3 (H3.3) are well-studied drivers of oncogenesis, the role of germline mutations remains unreported. We analyze 46 patients bearing de novo germline mutations in histone 3 family 3A (H3F3A) or H3F3B with progressive neurologic dysfunction and congenital anomalies without malignancies. Molecular modeling of all 37 variants demonstrated clear disruptions in interactions with DNA, other histones, and histone chaperone proteins. Patient histone posttranslational modifications (PTMs) analysis revealed notably aberrant local PTM patterns distinct from the somatic lysine mutations that cause global PTM dysregulation. RNA sequencing on patient cells demonstrated up-regulated gene expression related to mitosis and cell division, and cellular assays confirmed an increased proliferative capacity. A zebrafish model showed craniofacial anomalies and a defect in Foxd3-derived glia. These data suggest that the mechanism of germline mutations are distinct from cancer-associated somatic histone mutations but may converge on control of cell proliferation

Indigenous perspectives on change in contemporary society

Creeping normality of change, values and outlook, correlates within a triangulation of identity, time and money. How this perception is predetermined is largely due to the influence of core or peripheral identities and where one is situated between the two as a reference point. My position as an Indigenous man places me in a unique position of a social fringe dweller. By that I mean from a point of observation, where I can effectively look from the outside in. where I find the view from the mountain, top very clear and panoramic as I look into the valley of Western society.It is from this position where one can exercise the practicality of standpoint theory "… to change the existing power imbalance of contemporary literature theory, which re-enforces the dominance of Western rhetoric" (Foley, 2003, p50). From a standpoint where this paper, makes a contribution to knowledge and encouraging others to take a like-minded position

After Corporatism: A Comparison of the Role of Medical Professionals and Social Workers in the Dutch Welfare State

This article compares the emerging role of professional groups in two areas of welfare policy in the Netherlands. The focus is on the role of medical professionals in Dutch disability programs and of social workers in the area of public assistance. The study shows that medical professionals have come to replace the labor and capital interests formerly engaged in disability policy-making. In the area of social work, professional social work agencies have superceded religious charity organizations that found their basis for policy influence in a “pillarized” society. The argument presented is that a policy shift accounts for this change in what formerly were corporatist policy institutions. The policy shift results from a change in the nature of welfare policy debate from fundamental discussions of the rights basis of welfare programs toward technical discussions of how best to make the programs operate. An examination of retrenchment debates in the 1980s shows that professionals remain important actors in the policy process. The implications for corporatist theory are discussed.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline

A Framework for Estimating Global River Discharge From the Surface Water and Ocean Topography Satellite Mission

International audienceThe Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission will vastly expand measurements of global rivers, providing critical new data sets for both gaged and ungaged basins. SWOT discharge products (available approximately 1 year after launch) will provide discharge for all river that reaches wider than 100 m. In this paper, we describe how SWOT discharge produced and archived by the US and French space agencies will be computed from measurements of river water surface elevation, width, and slope and ancillary data, along with expected discharge accuracy. We present for the first time a complete estimate of the SWOT discharge uncertainty budget, with separate terms for random (standard error) and systematic (bias) uncertainty components in river discharge time series. We expect that discharge uncertainty will be less than 30% for two-thirds of global reaches and will be dominated by bias. Separate river discharge estimates will combine both SWOT and in situ data; these “gage-constrained” discharge estimates can be expected to have lower systematic uncertainty. Temporal variations in river discharge time series will be dominated by random error and are expected to be estimated within 15% for nearly all reaches, allowing accurate inference of event flow dynamics globally, including in ungaged basins. We believe this level of accuracy lays the groundwork for SWOT to enable breakthroughs in global hydrologic science.Plain Language Summary The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite mission was launched on 15 December 2022. SWOT is designed to produce estimates of river discharge on many rivers where no in situ discharge measurements are currently available. This paper describes how SWOT discharge estimates will be created, and their expected accuracy. SWOT discharge will be estimated using simple flow laws that combine SWOT measurements of river water elevation above sea level, river width, and river slope, with ancillary data such as river bathymetry. We expect that discharge uncertainty will be less than 30% for two-thirds of global reaches and will be dominated by a systematic bias. Temporal variations in river discharge time series are expected to be estimated within 15% for nearly all reaches, thus capturing the response of river discharge to rainfall and snowmelt events, including in basins that are currently ungaged, and providing a new capability for scientists to better track the flows of freshwater water through the Earth system