The state and local regulatory landscape for bioengineered plants: September 2014

Agricultural biotechnology; DNA editing; genome engineering; targetable nucleases; TALEN; CRISPR/cas9; DNA-targeting; mutagenesis; regulation; modern breeding technologies

Change and continuity in the rural church : Norfolk, 1760 - 1840

Two historiographical traditions have influenced our understanding of church and society in Georgian England: on the one hand the church has been subject to a severe, judgemental treatment which has discouraged impartial scholarship, and on the other the supposed decay of the rural community has provided material for a polemical brand of historical writing. These two traditions are discussed, then tested by a close scrutiny of the church and the community in Georgian Norfolk. A quantitative method is adopted, correlating a large amount of detailed information from all the rural parishes and assessing the influence of each factor over against the others. Three categories from this detailed survey – enclosure, tithes, and the growth of dissent - are then examined in more detail for the light they shed on the concept of historical continuity and the strength of regional identity, which, it is argued, are important counterbalances to the theme of change which has so dominated the historiography of this period. An attempt is made to survey the complex intellectual history of the church in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by tracing the changing concept of charity in the religious and social theory of the period. In conclusion it is suggested that, in this rural diocese at least, the social and economic relations between church and society were less subject to stress and change than has been supposed, and a plea is made for a less controversial, less consciously modern, historical perspective

Tension and Taxation: Henry George and the Catholic Church

Individual Research Project Research in progress for HIST 1302: United States History II Faculty Mentor: Kyle Wilkison, Ph.D. This paper well represents the individually-selected research topics produced by a decade\u27s worth of Honors History 1302 students. The two-semester-long project typically begins with an annotated bibliography in History 1301, followed by a complete paper in History 1302. Each student chooses her or his own topic bounded only by the chronological scope of the course with a demonstrable connection to the people of the United States. The assignment urges students to select topics—no matter how broad or narrow—to which they feel a strong connection. Once a special area of interest is established, we work together to discover a research question to explore. Peter Whitfield\u27s paper demonstrates a particularly well-developed set of skills the course sought to strengthen. The author bases this story of an unlikely alliance between Gilded Age radical social reformer Henry George and New York City Catholic priest Father George McGlynn on thorough readings in a number of monographs, scholarly research articles, and primary sources. The reader finds herein clear narration and critical, incisive analysis that bodes well for this young scholar\u27s planned future graduate study of philosophy

Between analysis and transformation: technology, methodology and evaluation on the SPLICE project

This paper concerns the ways in which technological change may entail methodological development in e-learning research. The focus of our argument centres on the subject of evaluation in e-learning and how technology can contribute to consensus-building on the value of project outcomes, and the identification of mechanisms behind those outcomes. We argue that a critical approach to the methodology of evaluation which harnesses technology in this way is vital to agile and effective policy and strategy-making in institutions as the challenges of transformation in a rapidly changing educational and technological environment are grappled with. With its focus on mechanisms and multiple stakeholder perspectives, we identify Pawson and Tilley’s ‘Realistic Evaluation’ as an appropriate methodological approach for this purpose, and we report on its use within a JISC-funded project on social software, SPLICE (Social Practices, Learning and Interoperability in Connected Environments). The project created new tools to assist the identification of mechanisms responsible for change to personal and institutional technological practice. These tools included collaborative mind-mapping and focused questioning, and tools for the animated modelling of complex mechanisms. By using these tools, large numbers of project stakeholders could engage in a process where they were encouraged to articulate and share their theories and ideas as to why project outcomes occurred. Using the technology, this process led towards the identification and agreement of common mechanisms which had explanatory power for all stakeholders. In conclusion, we argue that SPLICE has shown the potential of technologically-mediated Realistic Evaluation. Given the technologies we now have, a methodology based on the mass cumulation of stakeholder theories and ideas about mechanisms is feasible. Furthermore, the summative outcomes of such a process are rich in explanatory and predictive power, and therefore useful to the immediate and strategic problems of the sector. Finally, we argue that as well as generating better explanations for phenomena, the evaluation process can itself become transformative for stakeholders

Mitochondrial ROS cause motor deficits induced by synaptic inactivity:implications for synapse pruning

Developmental synapse pruning refines burgeoning connectomes. The basic mechanisms of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production suggest they select inactive synapses for pruning: whether they do so is unknown. To begin to unravel whether mitochondrial ROS regulate pruning, we made the local consequences of neuromuscular junction (NMJ) pruning detectable as motor deficits by using disparate exogenous and endogenous models to induce synaptic inactivity en masse in developing Xenopus laevis tadpoles. We resolved whether: (1) synaptic inactivity increases mitochondrial ROS; and (2) antioxidants rescue synaptic inactivity induced motor deficits. Regardless of whether it was achieved with muscle (α-bugarotoxin), nerve (α-latrotoxin) targeted neurotoxins or an endogenous pruning cue (SPARC), synaptic inactivity increased mitochondrial ROS in vivo. The manganese porphyrins MnTE-2-PyP5+ and/or MnTnBuOE-2-PyP5+ blocked mitochondrial ROS to significantly reduce neurotoxin and endogenous pruning cue induced motor deficits. Selectively inducing mitochondrial ROS—using mitochondria-targeted Paraquat (MitoPQ)—recapitulated synaptic inactivity induced motor deficits; which were significantly reduced by blocking mitochondrial ROS with MnTnBuOE-2-PyP5+. We unveil mitochondrial ROS as synaptic activity sentinels that regulate the phenotypical consequences of forced synaptic inactivity at the NMJ. Our novel results are relevant to pruning because synaptic inactivity is one of its defining features

A tale of two objectives: the challenge of meeting diverse targets in UK Business Schools

Business Schools in Great Britain are currently facing a number of major challenge due to the conflicting objectives that need to be met. The movement towards a metric-driven, performative approach that has occurred in the last decade has meant that the need to meet set measures that focus on the outcomes of students’ study have become imperative. However, focusing solely on these outcomes neglects a second set of objectives that relate to the journey students take during their studies. The need to ensure that both the process and the outcome of students’ studies are stressed is particularly challenging in British Business Schools which are often characterised by a large and diverse student and staff population. This think piece posits that by using a loose/tight cultural approach alongside a Schrödinger's leadership style, leaders can mitigate some of the challenges that are currently faced in the sector

The Putative Role of Resveratrol in SIRT-1 Mediated Modulation of the Vitamin D Pathway

The nuclear vitamin D receptor (VDR) modulates gene transcription in 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25D) target tissues such as kidney, colon, and bone. The 1,25D hormone is derived from vitamin D in the skin or from the diet, and binds to and activates the VDR. We have previously shown that resveratrol, an antioxidant found in the skin of red grapes, has the ability to activate the VDR signaling pathway. Moreover, cells treated with both resveratrol and 1,25D resulted in an additive or even synergistic stimulation of VDR-mediated transcription compared to cells treated with 1,25D alone. Based on these initial results, experiments were designed to test the significance of mutations in the hormone-binding domain of VDR. Identical hormone treatments were applied to “wild-type” (non-mutated) and single point VDR mutations. 1,25D displayed a significant drop in activity caused by these mutations, while the ability of resveratrol to activate VDR was only modestly attenuated. One possible interpretation of these results is that resveratrol may affect VDR activity indirectly, perhaps via the ability of resveratrol to activate SIRT1, an enzyme which has been shown to deacetylate (and thereby activate) other nuclear receptors such as the liver X receptor (LXR). In support of this hypothesis, radiolabeled 1,25D displacement assays revealed an increase in bound radiolabeled 1,25D only in the presence of resveratrol, suggesting that direct binding of resveratrol to VDR is unlikely. Additionally, we observed increased transcriptional activity in response to resveratrol in a subset of other nuclear receptors, including the liver X receptor (LXR), which is closely related to VDR and is known to be deacetylated by SIRT1. Finally, we tested receptor-mediated transcriptional activity in a system containing VDR in the absence and presence of overexpressed SIRT1. Transcriptional activity was higher in cells expressing SIRT1, and synergistic activity of 1,25D combined with resveratrol was observed. We are currently conducting additional experiments employing the VDR/SIRT1 assay in multiple cellular contexts. In conclusion, this study elucidates, for the first time, a potential novel pathway for crosstalk between two nutritionally derived lipids, vitamin D and resveratrol

Palliative gastrostomy in the setting of voluminous ascites

Objective: We report the indications, methods, and complications of percutaneous gastrostomy/gastrojejunostomy (G/GJ) in patients with voluminous ascites. Methods: Following institutional review board approval, 69 patients (14 male, 55 female, mean age 58±12 years, range 32–89 years) who underwent percutaneous G/GJ with paracentesis were identified from a prospectively acquired database. Electronic medical record data extracted included diagnosis, method of G/GJ insertion, clinical course, and complications, which were graded by The Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) criteria. Statistics were performed using Graphpad Instat. Results: Sixty-six G and three GJ catheters were placed in 62 patients with malignant and 7 patients with benign disease; 47 procedures were conducted using fluoroscopy and 22 using computed tomography (CT; 10 patients had failed fluoroscopy). Sixty-six patients had 1980±1371 mL (range, 20–5000 mL) ascites drained (more in males, p=0.01) 0.8±1.6 days (range, 0–5 days) prior to placement. Forty-one patients had significantly less ascites (1895±1426 mL; range, 100–5400 mL) drained after G/GJ (p>0.0.5). Mean survival after insertion was 43±57 days (range, 1–252 days) among 38 patients for whom data were available. Fifty-six patients had a mean postprocedure hospital stay of 8.6±8.4 days (range, 0–45 days); 3 were outpatients and 10 patients died in the hospital. Successful gastropexy was confirmed on subsequent cross-sectional imaging in 22 of 25 patients. There were 25 tube maintenance issues that included catheter displacement and leakage, one patient experienced hemorrhage, and there were two deaths. All except one patient had satisfactory gastrostomy function. Conclusion: Effective G/GJ placement is possible in most patients with voluminous ascites provided ascites is drained and gastrocutaneous fistula formation occurs. Caution is advised; placement is generally for fragile terminal patients, and fluoroscopy or CT guidance is required

Marine Reptiles

Of the more than 12,000 species and subspecies of extant reptiles, about 100 have re-entered the ocean. Among them are seven species of sea turtles and about 80 species and subspecies of sea snakes, as well as a few other species that are occasionally or regularly found in brackish waters, including various other snakes, the saltwater crocodile, and the marine iguana of the Galapagos Islands. The largest group of marine reptiles, the sea snakes, occur in the tropical and subtropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans from the east coast of Africa to the Gulf of Panama. They inhabit shallow waters along coasts, around islands and coral reefs, river mouths and travel into rivers more than 150 km away from the open ocean. A single species has been found more than 1000 km up rivers. Some have also been found in lakes. The taxonomic status of the sea snakes is still under review and no general agreement exists at the moment. The effects of the exploitation on sea snakes have been investigated in the Philippines and Australia but are almost unknown from other areas. Investigations indicate that some populations are already extinct and others are in danger of extinction in various parts of Asia. All sea turtles are endangered except one. The marine iguana of the Galapagos Islands remains vulnerable due to its limited range. Brackish water snakes are closely associated with mangrove forests and as such are subject to deforestation and coastal development schemes that result in habitat loss. In addition, some are collected for their skins. While none of the coastal species are considered in danger of extinction at the present time, many are data deficient