Journalist-source relations and the deliberative system: A network performance approach to investigating journalism’s contribution to facilitating public deliberation in a globalized world

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from SAGE Publications via the DOI in this record.Journalist-source relationships and interactions are interpreted in this study as crucial mechanisms for linking different arenas in a deliberative system. To unravel these source networks, 106 semi-standardized interviews with journalists as well as PR professionals from government delegations and NGOs were conducted on-site three UN climate change conferences between 2010 and 2013, and an online survey was administered during the conference in 2015. The analysis shows that most journalists maintain close relationships with their home country delegation. However, journalists experienced in climate conference coverage also maintain more direct and informal relations to delegations from other countries and to NGOs while less experienced journalists exhibit loose and more formally mediated relationship to these actors. Moreover, journalists focusing on commentary rather than on event-related reporting have the most variegated and informal networks, thus opening the deliberative system to diverse perspectives and unknown voices more than others. Government delegations vary strongly in their tendency to approach journalists while environmental NGOs interact with journalists primarily to attract media attention in order to indirectly influence decision makers in national delegations

The Rice Miniature Inverted Repeat Transposable Element mPing Is an Effective Insertional Mutagen in Soybean

Insertional mutagenesis of legume genomes such as soybean (Glycine max) should aid in identifying genes responsible for key traits such as nitrogen fixation and seed quality. The relatively low throughput of soybean transformation necessitates the use of a transposon-tagging strategy where a single transformation event will produce many mutations over a number of generations. However, existing transposon-tagging tools being used in legumes are of limited utility because of restricted transposition (Ac/Ds: soybean) or the requirement for tissue culture activation (Tnt1: Medicago truncatula). A recently discovered transposable element from rice (Oryza sativa), mPing, and the genes required for its mobilization, were transferred to soybean to determine if it will be an improvement over the other available transposon-tagging tools. Stable transformation events in soybean were tested for mPing transposition. Analysis of mPing excision at early and late embryo developmental stages revealed increased excision during late development in most transgenic lines, suggesting that transposition is developmentally regulated. Transgenic lines that produced heritable mPing insertions were identified, with the plants from the highest activity line producing at least one new insertion per generation. Analysis of the mPing insertion sites in the soybean genome revealed that features displayed in rice were retained including transposition to unlinked sites and a preference for insertion within 2.5 kb of a gene. Taken together these findings indicate that mPing has the characteristics necessary for an effective transposon-tagging resource

Elastic Pion Scattering on the Deuteron in a Multiple Scattering Model

Pion elastic scattering on deuterium is studied in the KMT multiple scattering approach developed in momentum space. Using a Paris wave function and the same methods and approximations as commonly used in pion scattering on heavier nuclei excellent agreement with differential cross section data is obtained for a wide range of pion energies. Only for $T_{\pi}>250$ MeV and very backward angles, discrepancies appear that are reminiscent of disagreements in pion scattering on $^3$He, $^3$H, and $^4$He. At low energies the second order corrections have been included. Polarization observables are studied in detail. While tensor analyzing powers are well reproduced, vector analyzing powers exhibit dramatic discrepancies.Comment: 25 pages LATEX and 9 postscript figures in a self-extracting uufile archiv

FSH regulates acetycholine production by ovarian granulosa cells

BACKGROUND: It has been previously shown that cultured granulosa cells (GCs) derived from human ovarian preovulatory follicles contain choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), the enzyme responsible for acetylcholine (ACh) synthesis. They also produce ACh and express functional muscarinic ACh receptors. ACh can act on GCs to increase proliferation, disrupt gap junctional communication, alter intracellular calcium levels, as well as expression of transcription factors, suggesting an unrecognized role of ACh in GC function. To gain further insights into the possible role of ACh in the ovary, we examined ChAT expression in the gland before and after birth, as well as in adults, and studied the regulation of ACh production by FSH. METHODS: ChAT immunohistochemistry was performed using ovarian samples of different species and ages (embryonic, postnatal and adult rats and mice, including embryonic ovaries from mice null for ChAT, neonatal and adult rhesus monkeys and adult humans). ACh was measured by HPLC and/or a fluorescence based method in rat ovaries and in a FSH receptor-expressing cell line (rat GFSHR-17) cultured with or without FSH. RESULTS: In adult rat, as well as in all other species, ovarian ChAT immunoreactivity is associated with GCs of antral follicles, but not with other structures, indicating that GCs are the only ovarian source of ACh. Indeed ACh was clearly detected in adult rat ovaries by two methods. ChAT immunoreactivity is absent from embryonic and/or neonatal ovaries (mouse/rat and monkey) and ovarian development in embryonic mice null for ChAT appears normal, suggesting that ACh is not involved in ovarian or follicular formation. Since ChAT immunoreactivity is present in GCs of large follicles and since the degree of the ChAT immunoreactivity increases as antral follicles grow, we tested whether ACh production is stimulated by FSH. Rat GFSHR-17 cells that stably express the FSH receptor, respond to FSH with an increase in ACh production. CONCLUSION: ACh and ChAT are present in GCs of growing follicles and FSH, the major driving force of follicular growth, stimulates ACh production. Since ACh stimulates proliferation and differentiation processes in cultured GCs, we suggest that ACh may act in the growing ovarian follicle as a local mediator of some of the actions ascribed to FSH

Plasma Magnetohydrodynamics and Energy Conversion

Contains reports on seven research projects.U. S. Air Force (Aeronautical Systems Division) under Contract AF33 (615)-1083 with the Air Force Aero Propulsion Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OhioNational Science Foundation (Grant GK-57

Insights from a Convocation: Integrating Discovery-Based Research into the Undergraduate Curriculum

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine organized a convocation in 2015 to explore and elucidate opportunities, barriers, and realities of course-based undergraduate research experiences, known as CUREs, as a potentially integral component of undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. This paper summarizes the convocation and resulting report

Modulating signaling networks by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated transposable element insertion

In a recent past, transposable elements (TEs) were referred to as selfish genetic components only capable of copying themselves with the aim of increasing the odds of being inherited. Nonetheless, TEs have been initially proposed as positive control elements acting in synergy with the host. Nowadays, it is well known that TE movement into host genome comprises an important evolutionary mechanism capable of increasing the adaptive fitness. As insights into TE functioning are increasing day to day, the manipulation of transposition has raised an interesting possibility of setting the host functions, although the lack of appropriate genome engineering tools has unpaved it. Fortunately, the emergence of genome editing technologies based on programmable nucleases, and especially the arrival of a multipurpose RNA-guided Cas9 endonuclease system, has made it possible to reconsider this challenge. For such purpose, a particular type of transposons referred to as miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs) has shown a series of interesting characteristics for designing functional drivers. Here, recent insights into MITE elements and versatile RNA-guided CRISPR/Cas9 genome engineering system are given to understand how to deploy the potential of TEs for control of the host transcriptional activity.Fil: Vaschetto, Luis Maria Benjamin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Cátedra de Diversidad Animal I; Argentin

Bullying behaviors and victimization experiences among adolescent students: the role of resilience

The role of resilience in the relationship between bullying behaviours, victimisation experiences, and self-efficacy was examined. Three hundred and 93 (191 male, 202 female) adolescents (mean age = 15.88, SD = .64) from schools in Coimbatore, India completed scales to assess bullying behaviours and victimisation experiences, resilience, and self-efficacy. Multigroup SEM, with separate groups created according to participant sex, revealed that resilience mediated the relationship between bullying behaviours and self-efficacy in males. Males engaged in bullying behaviours and experienced victimisation more frequently than females. The findings of the study have implication for designing intervention programs to enhance resilience among adolescents and young adults to enable them to manage bullying behaviours

The epithelial cholinergic system of the airways

Acetylcholine (ACh), a classical transmitter of parasympathetic nerve fibres in the airways, is also synthesized by a large number of non-neuronal cells, including airway surface epithelial cells. Strongest expression of cholinergic traits is observed in neuroendocrine and brush cells but other epithelial cell types—ciliated, basal and secretory—are cholinergic as well. There is cell type-specific expression of the molecular pathways of ACh release, including both the vesicular storage and exocytotic release known from neurons, and transmembrane release from the cytosol via organic cation transporters. The subcellular distribution of the ACh release machineries suggests luminal release from ciliated and secretory cells, and basolateral release from neuroendocrine cells. The scenario as known so far strongly suggests a local auto-/paracrine role of epithelial ACh in regulating various aspects on the innate mucosal defence mechanisms, including mucociliary clearance, regulation of macrophage function and modulation of sensory nerve fibre activity. The proliferative effects of ACh gain importance in recently identified ACh receptor disorders conferring susceptibility to lung cancer. The cell type-specific molecular diversity of the epithelial ACh synthesis and release machinery implies that it is differently regulated than neuronal ACh release and can be specifically targeted by appropriate drugs

A Highly Conserved, Small LTR Retrotransposon that Preferentially Targets Genes in Grass Genomes

LTR retrotransposons are often the most abundant components of plant genomes and can impact gene and genome evolution. Most reported LTR retrotransposons are large elements (>4 kb) and are most often found in heterochromatic (gene poor) regions. We report the smallest LTR retrotransposon found to date, only 292 bp. The element is found in rice, maize, sorghum and other grass genomes, which indicates that it was present in the ancestor of grass species, at least 50–80 MYA. Estimated insertion times, comparisons between sequenced rice lines, and mRNA data indicate that this element may still be active in some genomes. Unlike other LTR retrotransposons, the small LTR retrotransposons (SMARTs) are distributed throughout the genomes and are often located within or near genes with insertion patterns similar to MITEs (miniature inverted repeat transposable elements). Our data suggests that insertions of SMARTs into or near genes can, in a few instances, alter both gene structures and gene expression. Further evidence for a role in regulating gene expression, SMART-specific small RNAs (sRNAs) were identified that may be involved in gene regulation. Thus, SMARTs may have played an important role in genome evolution and genic innovation and may provide a valuable tool for gene tagging systems in grass