Cinema and commercial space tourism:The politics of escapism

Space tourism has been one of the most enduring tropes in the cinema from the early 1900s until the present day, yet there exists no systematic, comprehensive investigation situating these widely diversified depictions of space tourism within a broader historical context of technological innovation and associated social transformation. The contemporary social climate, whereby commercial space tourism is an emergent possibility, calls for the decolonisation of the term ‘tourism’ and its categorical associations, in order to assess how visions of space tourism within cinematic, science-fiction futures project the history of tourism and its detrimental environmental, commercial, and colonial implications. The written portion of the dissertation uses close-textual-analysis and discursive transcoding as the primary methodologies to identify and investigate five unique trends in the thematic representation of cinematic space tourism, each linked to a distinct ‘moment’ of widespread crisis and transformation. Ultimately, this will contribute to a broader understanding concerning how science-fiction explores social constructions of race, class, and gender. As a practice-based accompaniment to these critical discussions, I relay my findings in a space film which compiles knowledge drawn from film and literature scholarship, as well as from the analysis of the selected case studie

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition)

In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. For example, a key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process versus those that measure fl ux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process including the amount and rate of cargo sequestered and degraded). In particular, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation must be differentiated from stimuli that increase autophagic activity, defi ned as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (inmost higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium ) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the fi eld understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. It is worth emphasizing here that lysosomal digestion is a stage of autophagy and evaluating its competence is a crucial part of the evaluation of autophagic flux, or complete autophagy. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. Along these lines, because of the potential for pleiotropic effects due to blocking autophagy through genetic manipulation it is imperative to delete or knock down more than one autophagy-related gene. In addition, some individual Atg proteins, or groups of proteins, are involved in other cellular pathways so not all Atg proteins can be used as a specific marker for an autophagic process. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field

Breast cancer management pathways during the COVID-19 pandemic: outcomes from the UK ‘Alert Level 4’ phase of the B-MaP-C study

Abstract: Background: The B-MaP-C study aimed to determine alterations to breast cancer (BC) management during the peak transmission period of the UK COVID-19 pandemic and the potential impact of these treatment decisions. Methods: This was a national cohort study of patients with early BC undergoing multidisciplinary team (MDT)-guided treatment recommendations during the pandemic, designated ‘standard’ or ‘COVID-altered’, in the preoperative, operative and post-operative setting. Findings: Of 3776 patients (from 64 UK units) in the study, 2246 (59%) had ‘COVID-altered’ management. ‘Bridging’ endocrine therapy was used (n = 951) where theatre capacity was reduced. There was increasing access to COVID-19 low-risk theatres during the study period (59%). In line with national guidance, immediate breast reconstruction was avoided (n = 299). Where adjuvant chemotherapy was omitted (n = 81), the median benefit was only 3% (IQR 2–9%) using ‘NHS Predict’. There was the rapid adoption of new evidence-based hypofractionated radiotherapy (n = 781, from 46 units). Only 14 patients (1%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 during their treatment journey. Conclusions: The majority of ‘COVID-altered’ management decisions were largely in line with pre-COVID evidence-based guidelines, implying that breast cancer survival outcomes are unlikely to be negatively impacted by the pandemic. However, in this study, the potential impact of delays to BC presentation or diagnosis remains unknown

Events management training for Kanlungan sa Er-Ma Ministry, Inc.

Kanlungan sa Er-Ma Ministry, Inc., is a non-profit organization which was founded in 1988 by Consuelo Balbero. Their headquarters is currently located at 2029 Benitez St., Malate, Manila. They have eight programs, which cater to the needs of the abandoned, neglected and abused children. Aside from the support they get from their donors, KSEM also holds events to raise more funds in order for them to cover the needs of the children and their other expenses. Through series of interviews, it was revealed that the members of the organization did not undergo any seminars and training in events management, which led to unsuccessful events. This is considered an organizational communication problem because the organization\u27s lack of process in events planning leads to not meeting their goals (number of attendees, gaining new support and communicating their advocacy). To address this problem, the researchers conducted a one-day event management training last June 15, 2016 (Events Management Training 101 : taking your events to the next level) and also collaborated with KSEM in organizing an event to apply what they have learned from the training. The proponents served as a guide through sitting down during their meetings and assisted them in the whole process. They also took down notes on how the meeting went and provided feedback to the organization after. The event proper was entitled KSEM@28: Grace-filled years , and was held last July 30, 2016. The researchers assisted the organization in terms of the documentation

Les enseignants débutants

Le besoin massif d’enseignants au début du XXIe siècle, eux-mêmes enseignants devant des publics hétérogènes du fait de la massification de la scolarisation, rend nécessaire de mieux les connaître. Qui sont aujourd’hui les nouveaux enseignants, comment sont-ils formés et découvrent-ils le métier, quelle est leur insertion dans l’établissement scolaire ou dans l’institution ? À travers huit études de cas et un article de l’OCDE, le dossier met en évidence, dans des contextes pourtant très différents, une exigence commune de professionnalisation, qui demeure paradoxale pour de multiples raisons. Les auteurs soulignent aussi l’importance cruciale de l’accompagnement dans l’établissement scolaire et l’enjeu politique du développement professionnel des enseignants. Dans de nombreux pays, on observe une diversification des parcours des enseignants débutants et un phénomène de décrochage professionnel, en lien avec les conditions matérielles et symboliques d’exercice du métier. Les réorganisations en cours du métier d’enseignant, montrées par les contributions, confrontent de fait au modèle politique d’éducation des sociétés contemporaines. In the early twenty-first century, the massive need for teachers – who, given the rise of mass education, themselves teach highly heterogeneous groups – means it is necessary to get to know these teachers better. Who are the new teachers of today, how are they trained, how do they discover the profession, and how are they integrated into the school or institution where they work? Through eight case studies and an OECD article, this dossier highlights a shared demand for professionalization, despite very different contexts. This demand remains paradoxical for various reasons. The authors also underline the crucial importance of support in school and the political stakes of the professional development of teachers. In many countries one can observe a diversification of the pathways of beginning teachers and a phenomenon of professional drop-out linked to the material and symbolic conditions of practicing this profession. The ongoing reorganizations of the teaching profession, as they appear in the contributions, confront de facto the political models of education of contemporary societies. La necesidad masiva de docentes al principio del siglo XXI que deben enseñar ante unos públicos heterogéneos por el mero hecho de la masificación de la escolarización, nos obliga a conocerlos mejor. ¿Quiénes son hoy en día los nuevos docentes? ¿Cómo se forman y descubren su trabajo, cuál es su inserción en el establecimiento escolar o en la institución? A través de ocho estudios de caso y de un artículo de la OCDE, el dossier pone en evidencia, en unos contextos muy diferentes, una exigencia común de profesionalización que sigue siendo paradójica por razones múltiples. Los autores subrayan asimismo la importancia decisiva del acompañamiento en el establecimiento escolar y el reto político del desarrollo profesional de los docentes. En numerosos países, se observa una diversificación de las trayectorias de los docentes principiantes y un fenómeno de abandono profesional vinculado con las condiciones materiales y simbólicas de ejercicio del oficio. Las reorganizaciones actuales del trabajo de docente, que las contribuciones esbozan, hacen que las sociedades contemporáneas se enfrenten con el modelo político de educación