Representations of sport in the revolutionary socialist press in Britain, 1988–2012

This paper considers how sport presents a dualism to those on the far left of the political spectrum. A long-standing, passionate debate has existed on the contradictory role played by sport, polarised between those who reject it as a bourgeois capitalist plague and those who argue for its reclamation and reformation. A case study is offered of a political party that has consistently used revolutionary Marxism as the basis for its activity and how this party, the largest in Britain, addresses sport in its publications. The study draws on empirical data to illustrate this debate by reporting findings from three socialist publications. When sport did feature it was often in relation to high profile sporting events with a critical tone adopted and typically focused on issues of commodification, exploitation and alienation of athletes and supporters. However, readers’ letters, printed in the same publications, revealed how this interpretation was not universally accepted, thus illustrating the contradictory nature of sport for those on the far left

Update On The Zebrafish Genome Project

The zebrafish genome, which consists of 25 linkage groups and is ~1.4Gb in size, is being sequenced, finished and analysed in its entirety at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. The manual annotation is provided by the Human and Vertebrate Analysis and Annotation (HAVANA) group and is released at regular intervals onto the Vertebrate Genome Annotation (Vega) database ("http://vega.sanger.ac.uk":http://vega.sanger.ac.uk) and may be viewed as a DAS source in Ensembl ("http://www.ensembl.org/Danio_rerio":http://www.ensembl.org/Danio_rerio). 

Our annotation is compiled in close collaboration with the Zebrafish Information Network (ZFIN) ("http://zfin.org/":http://zfin.org/), which has enabled us to provide an accurate, dynamic and distinct resource for the zebrafish community as a whole.

Annotation is based on the reference genome sequence, which is derived from a minimal tile path assembly composed of clones that have been mapped, sequenced and meticulously finished to a sequence accuracy of over 99.9% per 100Kb. We expect to have 90% of the zebrafish genome to a finished standard by the end of 2009. Our approach to annotation uses two strategies. Firstly, the generation and annotation of gene lists comprising of cDNA (8995 in total) found in ZFIN that maps to our current reference assembly. And, secondly, by using clone by clone annotation, where we have annotated over 3200 genes, 1100 transcripts and 130 pseudogenes across 11 linkage groups and 3530 clones. As well as our on-going genome annotation we also welcome external annotation requests for specific genes and regions, which already include the annotation of 93 genes associated with human obesity and the scheduled annotation of the Major Histocompatability Complex, which will utilise reference sequence taken from libraries of a double haploid fish and complement our previous work on the human and mouse MHC already published.
 
External requests and any feedback, questions or requests can be sent to zfish-help [at] sanger.ac.uk

NASA's Robotic Lunar Lander Development Program

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory have developed several mission concepts to place scientific and exploration payloads ranging from 10 kg to more than 200 kg on the surface of the moon. The mission concepts all use a small versatile lander that is capable of precision landing. The results to date of the lunar lander development risk reduction activities including high pressure propulsion system testing, structure and mechanism development and testing, and long cycle time battery testing will be addressed. The most visible elements of the risk reduction program are two fully autonomous lander flight test vehicles. The first utilized a high pressure cold gas system (Cold Gas Test Article) with limited flight durations while the subsequent test vehicle, known as the Warm Gas Test Article, utilizes hydrogen peroxide propellant resulting in significantly longer flight times and the ability to more fully exercise flight sensors and algorithms. The development of the Warm Gas Test Article is a system demonstration and was designed with similarity to an actual lunar lander including energy absorbing landing legs, pulsing thrusters, and flight-like software implementation. A set of outdoor flight tests to demonstrate the initial objectives of the WGTA program was completed in Nov. 2011, and will be discussed

A Loss of Function Screen of Identified Genome-Wide Association Study Loci Reveals New Genes Controlling Hematopoiesis

The formation of mature cells by blood stem cells is very well understood at the cellular level and we know many of the key transcription factors that control fate decisions. However, many upstream signalling and downstream effector processes are only partially understood. Genome wide association studies (GWAS) have been particularly useful in providing new directions to dissect these pathways. A GWAS meta-analysis identified 68 genetic loci controlling platelet size and number. Only a quarter of those genes, however, are known regulators of hematopoiesis. To determine function of the remaining genes we performed a medium-throughput genetic screen in zebrafish using antisense morpholino oligonucleotides (MOs) to knock down protein expression, followed by histological analysis of selected genes using a wide panel of different hematopoietic markers. The information generated by the initial knockdown was used to profile phenotypes and to position candidate genes hierarchically in hematopoiesis. Further analysis of brd3a revealed its essential role in differentiation but not maintenance and survival of thrombocytes. Using the from-GWAS-to-function strategy we have not only identified a series of genes that represent novel regulators of thrombopoiesis and hematopoiesis, but this work also represents, to our knowledge, the first example of a functional genetic screening strategy that is a critical step toward obtaining biologically relevant functional data from GWA study for blood cell traits

Classification of tumours

Tumours are classified according to the most differentiated cells with the exception of carcinomas where a few tumour cells show neuroendocrine differentiation. In this case these cells are regarded as redifferentiated tumour cells, and the tumour is not classified as neuroendocrine. However, it is now clear that normal neuroendocrine cells can divide, and that continuous stimulation of such cells results in tumour formation, which during time becomes increasingly malignant. To understand tumourigenesis, it is of utmost importance to recognize the cell of origin of the tumour since knowledge of the growth regulation of that cell may give information about development and thus possible prevention and prophylaxis of the tumour. It may also have implications for the treatment. The successful treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumours by a tyrosine kinase inhibitor is an example of the importance of a correct cellular classification of a tumour. In the future tumours should not just be classified as for instance adenocarcinomas of an organ, but more precisely as a carcinoma originating from a certain cell type of that organ

Multifactorial Origins of Heart and Gut Defects in nipbl-Deficient Zebrafish, a Model of Cornelia de Lange Syndrome

nipbl-deficient zebrafish provide evidence that heart and gut defects in Cornelia de Lange Syndrome are caused by combined effects of multiple gene expression changes that occur during early embryonic development

Maternal xNorrin, a Canonical Wnt Signaling Agonist and TGF-β Antagonist, Controls Early Neuroectoderm Specification in Xenopus

Xenopus maternal Norrin, which activates Wnt signaling but inhibits TGF-β family molecules, is essential for neuroectoderm formation. Loss of TGF-β inhibition in Norrin may contribute to the development of Norrie disease

Games People Play: The Collapse of “Masculinities” and the Rise of Masculinity as Spectacle

Perspective is important. When Andy Warhol produced an art piece of 13 police mugshots of “Thirteen Most Wanted Men” for the New York World’s Fair in 1964, the work was hurriedly painted over by concerned authorities before the public could view it. It was only years later that the Warhol’s subversive (homoerotic) gaze on the FBI list was more widely appreciated (Crimp in Social Text 59: 49–66, 1999; Siegel in Art Journal 62(1): 7–13, 2003). I begin with this story because it points to key issues I want to take up in this chapter, in particular, the importance of “audience” and different readings when it comes to masculinity. While current theory tends to locate masculinity in the actors, what if it is better located in the audience? What if masculinity was better understood as a kind of public spectacle? In addition, there are the naturally subversive elements of gender (e.g. think of drag performances); the game-like nature of masculinity (men might feel compelled to play along with expectations of masculinity—think of brutal playground expectations on boys—but it doesn’t mean they are not aware of its inauthenticity); and the inevitable—but less discussed link—with sexuality (see below)