Transgressing the moral economy: Wheelerism and management of the nationalised coal industry in Scotland

This article illuminates the links between managerial style and political economy in post-1945 Britain, and explores the origins of the 1984–1985 miners' strike, by examining in longer historical context the abrasive attitudes and policies of Albert Wheeler, Scottish Area Director of the National Coal Board (NCB). Wheeler built on an earlier emphasis on production and economic criteria, and his micro-management reflected pre-existing centralising tendencies in the industries. But he was innovative in one crucial aspect, transgressing the moral economy of the Scottish coalfield, which emphasised the value of economic security and changes by joint industrial agreement

Illuminating Host-Parasite Interaction at the Cellular and Subcellular Levels with Infrared Microspectroscopy

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is an opportunistic protozoan that can cause brain infection and other serious health consequences in immuno-compromised individuals. This parasite has a remarkable ability to cross biological barriers and exploit the host cell microenvironment to support its own survival and growth. Recent advances in label-free spectroscopic imaging techniques have made it possible to study biological systems at a high spatial resolution. In this study, we used conventional Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopy and synchrotron-based FTIR microspectroscopy to analyze the chemical changes that are associated with infection of human brain microvascular endothelial cells (hBMECs) by T. gondii (RH) tachyzoites. Both FTIR microspectroscopic methods showed utility in revealing the chemical alterations in the infected hBMECs. Using a ZnS hemisphere device, to increase the numerical aperture, and the synchrotron source to increase the brightness, we obtained spatially resolved spectra from within a single cell. The spectra extracted from the nucleus and cytosol containing the tachyzoites were clearly distinguished. RNA sequencing analysis of T. gondii-infected and uninfected hBMECs revealed significant changes in the expression of host cell genes and pathways in response to T. gondii infection. These FTIR spectroscopic and transcriptomic findings provide significant insight into the molecular changes that occur in hBMECs during T. gondii infection

Atomistic modelling of large-scale metal film growth fronts

We present simulations of metallization morphologies under ionized sputter deposition conditions, obtained by a new theoretical approach. By means of molecular dynamics simulations using a carefully designed interaction potential, we analyze the surface adsorption, reflection, and etching reactions taking place during Al physical vapor deposition, and calculate their relative probability. These probabilities are then employed in a feature-scale cellular-automaton simulator, which produces calculated film morphologies in excellent agreement with scanning-electron-microscopy data on ionized sputter deposition.Comment: RevTeX 4 pages, 2 figure

A Trans-Atlantic Perspective on Stagnation in Clinical Translation of Antimicrobial Strategies for the Control of Biomaterial-Implant-Associated Infection

Current regulatory requirements impede clinical translation and market introduction of many new antimicrobial combination implants and devices, causing unnecessary patient suffering, doctor frustration, and costs to healthcare payers. Regulatory requirements of antimicrobial combination implants and devices should be thoroughly revisited and their approval allowed based on enrichment of benefit demonstrations from high-risk patient groups and populations or device components to facilitate their clinical translation. Biomaterial implant and devices equipped with antimicrobial strategies and approved based on enrichment claims should be mandatorily enrolled in global registry studies supervised by regulatory agencies for a minimum five-year period or until statistically validated evidence for noninferiority or superiority of claims is demonstrated. With these recommendations, this trans-Atlantic consortium of academicians and clinicians takes its responsibility to actively seek to relieve the factors that stagnate downward clinical translation and availability of antimicrobial combination implants and devices. Improved dialogue between the various key players involved in the current translational blockade, which include patients, academicians and doctors, policymakers, regulatory agencies, manufacturers, and healthcare payers, is urgently needed.</p

Single-copy nuclear genes resolve the phylogeny of the holometabolous insects

Background: Evolutionary relationships among the 11 extant orders of insects that undergo complete metamorphosis, called Holometabola, remain either unresolved or contentious, but are extremely important as a context for accurate comparative biology of insect model organisms. The most phylogenetically enigmatic holometabolan insects are Strepsiptera or twisted wing parasites, whose evolutionary relationship to any other insect order is unconfirmed. They have been controversially proposed as the closest relatives of the flies, based on rDNA, and a possible homeotic transformation in the common ancestor of both groups that would make the reduced forewings of Strepsiptera homologous to the reduced hindwings of Diptera. Here we present evidence from nucleotide sequences of six single-copy nuclear protein coding genes used to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships and estimate evolutionary divergence times for all holometabolan orders. Results: Our results strongly support Hymenoptera as the earliest branching holometabolan lineage, the monophyly of the extant orders, including the fleas, and traditionally recognized groupings of Neuropteroidea and Mecopterida. Most significantly, we find strong support for a close relationship between Coleoptera (beetles) and Strepsiptera, a previously proposed, but analytically controversial relationship. Exploratory analyses reveal that this relationship cannot be explained by long-branch attraction or other systematic biases. Bayesian divergence times analysis, with reference to specific fossil constraints, places the origin of Holometabola in the Carboniferous (355 Ma), a date significantly older than previous paleontological and morphological phylogenetic reconstructions. The origin and diversification of most extant insect orders began in the Triassic, but flourished in the Jurassic, with multiple adaptive radiations producing the astounding diversity of insect species for which these groups are so well known. Conclusion: These findings provide the most complete evolutionary framework for future comparative studies on holometabolous model organisms and contribute strong evidence for the resolution of the 'Strepsiptera problem', a long-standing and hotly debated issue in insect phylogenetics

Global patient outcomes after elective surgery: prospective cohort study in 27 low-, middle- and high-income countries.

BACKGROUND: As global initiatives increase patient access to surgical treatments, there remains a need to understand the adverse effects of surgery and define appropriate levels of perioperative care. METHODS: We designed a prospective international 7-day cohort study of outcomes following elective adult inpatient surgery in 27 countries. The primary outcome was in-hospital complications. Secondary outcomes were death following a complication (failure to rescue) and death in hospital. Process measures were admission to critical care immediately after surgery or to treat a complication and duration of hospital stay. A single definition of critical care was used for all countries. RESULTS: A total of 474 hospitals in 19 high-, 7 middle- and 1 low-income country were included in the primary analysis. Data included 44 814 patients with a median hospital stay of 4 (range 2-7) days. A total of 7508 patients (16.8%) developed one or more postoperative complication and 207 died (0.5%). The overall mortality among patients who developed complications was 2.8%. Mortality following complications ranged from 2.4% for pulmonary embolism to 43.9% for cardiac arrest. A total of 4360 (9.7%) patients were admitted to a critical care unit as routine immediately after surgery, of whom 2198 (50.4%) developed a complication, with 105 (2.4%) deaths. A total of 1233 patients (16.4%) were admitted to a critical care unit to treat complications, with 119 (9.7%) deaths. Despite lower baseline risk, outcomes were similar in low- and middle-income compared with high-income countries. CONCLUSIONS: Poor patient outcomes are common after inpatient surgery. Global initiatives to increase access to surgical treatments should also address the need for safe perioperative care. STUDY REGISTRATION: ISRCTN5181700

Influence of fire prevention management strategies on the diversity of butterfly fauna in the eastern Pyrenees

Fire prevention management is becoming a necessity in many Mediterranean locations to regulate fire of natural or human origin. However, very few studies have determined the real effects of the strategies adopted on local fauna. Butterflies are sensitive to local changes and they can thus serve as indicators of environmental changes. Three different types of fire prevention management approaches in three different localities in the Eastern Pyrenees (France) were performed and the butterfly community composition was investigated. We show that of the 80 species of butterflies observed, 36 % can be considered as biological markers. An original objective treatment of data using hierarchical distance analysis combined with a neural network analysis (Self-Organizing Maps) was applied in this study. Our conclusions are that the overall number of species is maintained independently of the fire prevention type but that some important changes are observed among butterfly communities, with a clear reduction of the numbers of endemic/specialized species in favour of generalist ones for the two most drastic fire prevention management approaches studied here. The influence of such approaches is discussed on the basis of the conservation of Mediterranean species of Lepidoptera

State of the world’s plants and fungi 2020

Kew’s State of the World’s Plants and Fungi project provides assessments of our current knowledge of the diversity of plants and fungi on Earth, the global threats that they face, and the policies to safeguard them. Produced in conjunction with an international scientific symposium, Kew’s State of the World’s Plants and Fungi sets an important international standard from which we can annually track trends in the global status of plant and fungal diversity