Disrupting aviation: an exploratory study of the opportunities and risks of tablet computers in commercial flight operations

Commercial flight operational safety has dramatically improved in the last 30 years because of enhanced crew coordination, communication, leadership and team development. Technology insertion into cockpit operations, however, has been shown to create crew distractions, resulting in flight safety risks, limited use given policy limitations and difficulty in establishing standard operating procedures. With the recent introduction of tablet computers into the flight cockpit as a substitute for paper-based manuals and navigation charts, the risk of human error may be increased. Though portable electronics, known as electronic flight bags, have been present of the flight deck for a decade, introduction of tablet computers as their replacements offers unique challenges, given the ability to communicate and share information outside established aviation channels. This research explored the opportunities that this technology insertion offers to commercial aviation in areas such as knowledge sharing and operational performance improvement. The results indicate that the opportunities were not realized with the initial implementation because the pilots did not accept the technology due to inadequate training coupled with restrictive policies concerning use

Different RsbR paralogs in Bacillus subtilis affect cell viability when exposed to environmental stress

Stress is a universal phenomenon experienced by all living organisms. Bacteria have to react to stress quickly in order to survive in their environment. Environmental stress can be caused by a variety of factors, including acid, alcohol, salt, and heat. We are studying the model bacterium Bacillus subtilis, because its stress response resembles that of human pathogens such as Listeria. B. subtilis senses stress using a stressosome, a complex of 80 proteins that includes four variant RsbR protein paralogs, each of which produce a distinct stress response pattern to an identical stressor. We know that these four RsbR proteins work together to aid in survival in the presence of environmental stress in wild-type cells (WT), which contain all four RsbR proteins; however, we do not know how each RsbR protein affects cell fitness. To test how each individual RsbR protein affects survival, we performed a competition assay pairing strains containing individual RsbR variants against each other to determine if one protein aided in cell survival more than the other. To do this, we engineered strains of B. subtilis cells to only contain one of the four RsbR proteins. This allowed us to compete the RsbR proteins against one another on an individual basis. Our preliminary results indicate that the wild-type strain substantially outcompeted the other strains in every competition assay performed under acid stress except when competed against RC. These results show that cells containing only RC or all four RsbR proteins have a higher fitness in acid stress than cells containing only RA, RB, or RD.Lew Wentz FoundationMicrobiolog

Leadership and decision-making practices in public versus private universities in Pakistan

The goal of this study is to examine differences in leadership and decision-making practices in public and private universities in Pakistan, with a focus on transformational leadership (TL) and participative decision-making (PDM). We conducted semi-structured interviews with 46 deans and heads of department from two public and two private universities in Pakistan. Our findings indicate that leadership and decision-making practices are different in public and private universities. While differences were observed in all six types of TL-behaviour, the following three approaches emerged to be crucial in both public and private universities: (1) articulating a vision, (2) fostering the acceptance of group goals, and (3) high-performance expectations. In terms of PDM, deans and heads of department in public and private universities adopt a collaborative approach. However, on a practical level this approach is limited to teacher- and student-related matters. Overall, our findings suggest that the leadership and decision-making practices in Pakistani public and private universities are transformational and participative in nature

Metal ions in macrophage antimicrobial pathways: emerging roles for zinc and copper

The immunomodulatory and antimicrobial properties of zinc and copper have long been appreciated. In addition, these metal ions are also essential for microbial growth and survival. This presents opportunities for the host to either harness their antimicrobial properties or limit their availability as defence strategies. Recent studies have shed some light on mechanisms by which copper and zinc regulation contribute to host defence, but there remain many unanswered questions at the cellular and molecular levels. Here we review the roles of these two metal ions in providing protection against infectious diseases in vivo, and in regulating innate immune responses. In particular, we focus on studies implicating zinc and copper in macrophage antimicrobial pathways, as well as the specific host genes encoding zinc transporters (SLC30A, SLC39A family members) and CTRs (copper transporters, ATP7 family members) that may contribute to pathogen control by these cells

Temporal σB stress-response profiles impact Bacillus subtilis fitness

ABSTRACTThe Gram-positive model organism Bacillus subtilis responds to environmental stressors by activating the alternative sigma factor σB. The sensing apparatus upstream of σB activation is thought to consist of cytoplasmic stressosomes—megadalton-sized protein complexes that include five paralogous proteins known as RsbRs. The RsbRs are presumed to be involved in stress sensing and the subsequent response. Perturbations to the RsbR complement in stressosomes by engineering cells that produce only one of the RsbR paralogs (“single-RsbR strains”) lead to altered σB response dynamics with respect to timing and magnitude. Here, we asked whether such changes to σB response dynamics impact the relative fitness of a strain. We competed strain pairs with different RsbR complements under ethanol and sodium chloride stress and found not only differences in relative fitness among wild-type and single-RsbR strains but also different relative fitness values in the two different stressors. We found that the presence of RsbRA, which dominates the wild-type σB response, enhances fitness in ethanol but is detrimental to fitness in NaCl. Meanwhile, RsbRD-only cells were among the most fit in NaCl. Strains producing hybrid RsbR fusion proteins displayed different fitness values that depended on the RsbR proteins from which they were derived. Our results here suggest that σB response dynamics can impact fitness, highlighting the physiological importance of the unusual stressosome-based general stress response system of B. subtilis.IMPORTANCEThe model bacterium Bacillus subtilis uses cytoplasmic multiprotein complexes, termed stressosomes, to activate the alternative sigma factor σB when facing environmental stresses. We have previously shown that genetically manipulating the complement of putative sensor proteins in stressosomes can alter the dynamics of the σB response in terms of its magnitude and timing. However, it is unknown whether these response dynamics impact the fitness of cells challenged by environmental stressors. Here, we examine the fitness of strains with different σB responses by competing strain pairs in exponential-phase co-cultures under environmental stress. We find that strains with different response dynamics show different competitive indices that differ by stressor. These results suggest that the dynamics of the σB response can affect the fitness of cells facing environmental stress, highlighting the relevance of different σB dynamics

Citizen-centred Local Governance: Strategies to combat democratic deficits

Anwar and Furhawn Shah examine the analytical underpinnings of local governance. They outline analytical approaches to local governance in order to understand the role of governments and comparing and contrasting institutional arrangements. They suggest how to evaluate and reform local governance in both industrial and developing countries. Development (2007) 50, 72–80. doi:10.1057/palgrave.development.1100327

KSHV ORF57 may preferentially bind Aly over UIF.

<p>(A) Competition assays were performed using recombinant GST-ORF57 bound to glutathione agarose beads and incubated with (i) a constant amount of purified Aly-His (1 µg) and increasing amounts of purified UIF-His (0, 0.5, 1, 2, 3 µg), (ii) a constant amount of purified UIF-His (1 µg) and increasing amounts of purified Aly-His (0, 0.5, 1, 2, 3 µg), Precipitated protein and inputs were analysed by western blotting using a His-specific antibody. (B) Dose-dependent co-immunoprecipitations were performed using 293T cells cotransfected with (i) 0.5 ug of pORF57GFP and 0.5 ug of pAly-myc, in addition to increasing amounts (0, 0.1, 0.5, 0.8, 1.2 ug) of pUIF-Flag or (ii) 0.5 ug of pORF57GFP and 0.5 ug of pUIF-Flag, in addition to increasing amounts (0, 0.1, 0.5, 0.8, 1.2 ug) of pAly-myc, empty vector was also added to ensure a similar amount of DNA was transfected in each sample. After 24 hours, cell lysates were incubated with GFP-TRAP-Affinity agarose beads and the amount of precipitated (i) Aly or (ii) UIF was identified by immunoblotting with Myc- or Flag-specific antibodies, respectively. Western blots for input loading are also shown for ORF57, Aly and UIF constructs.</p

ORF57 is required for the recruitment of UIF to a KSHV intronless mRNA.

<p>RNA immunoprecipitations were performed in 293T cells cotransfected with KSHV pORF47 in the presence of either pEGFP or pORF57GFP. After UV crosslinking cell lysates were immunoprecipitated using GFP- or UIF-specific antibodies. In addition, no antibody and a negative control Y14 antibody were also used as controls. Protein was then digested, and immunoprecipitated RNA was analysed by qRT-PCR.</p