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Peabody Awards 2021 Unveils 'Euphoria' and 'Ted Lasso' Among Its Nominees

'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert', in the meantime, makes the shortlist in the Entertainment field, and Stacey Abrams' 'All In: The Fight for Democracy' gets nominated in the Documentary category.




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Peabody Awards 2021 Unveils 'Euphoria' and 'Ted Lasso' Among Its Nominees

'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert', in the meantime, makes the shortlist in the Entertainment field, and Stacey Abrams' 'All In: The Fight for Democracy' gets nominated in the Documentary category.




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Imminent impact

Hey Gang! New track is up.  This one was fun to do.  All the drum sounds at :48 were gathered running around my work’s basement garage with a ping pong ball, metal pipe Levitra Online, and a field recorder.  Only 1 person came down and gave me angry looks while I was recording!  You can […]




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MinEducación: en 2021 estudiantes regresan con modelo de alternancia




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El sector minero sufre de una inseguridad jurídica muy grande: A. Custodio Cabrera

El exministro habló desde Cartagena sobre los retos que enfrenta el sector de hidrocarburos y la incidencia del Acuerdo de Escazú en protección ambiental.




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Linda Caicedo, minería y sesiones del congreso

La Luciérnaga se enciende para hablar del galardón que recibió la jugadora de fútbol colombiana Linda Caicedo. Además, le contamos sobre los debates alrededor de la minería ilegal. También, ¿Porqué alias “Timochenko” regreso a los titulares de noticias?
La Luciérnaga, un espacio de humor, análisis y opinión de Caracol Radio que acompaña desde hace 30 años a sus oyentes en el regreso a casa.




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“Yo le decía salgase de ese trabajo”: hermano de uno de los mineros fallecidos

En 10AM Hoy por Hoy habló Edwin Corredor, hermano de Julián David Corredor, uno de los 21 mineros muertos de Sutatausa, sobre la tragedia. vida de su ser querido.




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“Las críticas que me han hecho refieren a momentos de mi juventud”: D. Rojas, Mineducación

En 10AM Hoy por Hoy de Caracol Radio estuvo Daniel Rojas, nuevo ministro de Educación, para hablar de los retos que tiene el sector y los objetivos del Gobierno.




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¿Tiene condiciones Millonarios para eliminar a Mineiro?




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“Esta es la inminente destrucción del sistema de salud”: Alejandro Gaviria

El exministro de Salud, cree que la intervención a la EPS Sanitas, es muestra de un revanchismo ideológico que se está anteponiendo al mismo sistema en el país.




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Mineducación sobre elección de rector de la U. Nacional: “Acta no refleja la votación”

La jefe de la cartera de Educación,  Aurora Vergara, se refirió a la posesión de José Ismael Peña como el nuevo rector de la Universidad Nacional




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Este Gobierno está pasando por encima de lo técnico lo político: Asomineros

En Caracol Radio estuvo Ivonne Consuelo González, presidenta de la Asomineros




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Hay que diferenciar intereses empresariales de las causas justas: Minenergía sobre paro

Andres Camacho, ministro de Minas y Energía, estuvo en 6AM para hablar del acuerdo entre el Gobierno y los transportadores que se manifestaron en los últimos días.




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Estamos tranquilos por Huracán Miltón, pero el peligro es inminente:colombiano en Florida

Alberto Caicedo. Colombiano en Tampa, habló en 6AM sobre las medidas que implementarán para mitigar consecuencias del paso del Huracán.




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Oro no se esconde porque la ministra Muhamad diga que es reserva: Asociación de Mineros

Ivonne González, presidenta de la Asociación de Mineros y Joyeros de Vetas, estuvo en 6AM para abordar la problemática alrededor del decreto 044 del 2024.




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“Esto es una muerte anunciada”: ACM sobre efectos de decreto para la minería

Juan Camilo Nariño, presidente de la Asociación Colombiana de Minería, estuvo en 6AM para ampliar la problemática sobre los efectos alrededor del decreto 044 del 2024.




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“Esto es una muerte anunciada”: ACM sobre efectos de decreto para la minería

Juan Camilo Nariño, presidente de la Asociación Colombiana de Minería, estuvo en 6AM para ampliar la problemática sobre los efectos alrededor del decreto 044 del 2024.




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Colorado’s contested Democratic primaries turned on more than ideology, despite prominent lawmakers’ losses

"If you take politics as a game, you have to play underneath the rules. You can't appear to be disagreeable; you have to appear to voters as someone who’s getting things done."




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Track Star Cameron Burrell’s Cause Of Death Determined

He was the godson of track and field legend Carl Lewis.




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Denton Hurdle Memorial Awards Nominees

The 38th annual Denton Hurdle Memorial Awards will take place on Thursday at Warwick Academy starting at 6:30pm, with the event serving to honor some of the Island’s top young athletes. A spokesperson said, “These awards, honoring the late teacher, are used to highlight, recognize and reward the finest primary, middle and senior school student-athletes. Fifty three […]




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Another mineral moon

Some time ago, I discussed the concept of a mineral moon shot. Basically, you take a photo of the moon, or a stack of photos, and then process them to bring out the colouration of different areas of the surface. Different areas, the seas, the mountains, the plains, have different minerals on the surface that … Continue reading "Another mineral moon"




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The Deep State intervened in US politics to undermine the elected President Donald Trump

Carlson: So now we’re arming the Taliban and marooning our own citizens in Afghanistan. Who could possibly have seen that coming. Glenn Greenwald is one of the few journalists who did see it coming. He writes for Substack where all … Continue reading





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Brigham Young is sure Anthony Trollope is a miner.

 The Victorian novelist Anthony Trollope, on a tour of the United States, passed through Utah, and decided to drop in on Brigham Young. It did not go well. From Trollope's autobiography:

"I did not achieve great intimacy with the great polygamist of Salt Lake City. [...] He received me in his doorway, not asking me to enter, and inquired whether I was not a miner. When I told him that I was not a miner, he asked me whether I earned my bread. I told him I did. "I guess you're a miner," said he. I again assured him I was not. "Then how do you earn your bread?" I told him I did so by writing books. "I'm sure you're a miner," said he. Then he turned upon his heel, went back into the house, and closed the door."

Alt text: Anthony Trollope. Looking, as usual, exactly like a miner. 





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Heidi Bell’s playlist for her story collection “Signs of the Imminent Apocalypse”

"For this playlist, I’ve strung together some favorite songs that reflect the subject matter and themes of the stories and that serve as fuel for my creative process."




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Infowars auction could determine whether Alex Jones is kicked off its platforms

Conspiracy theory purveyor Infowars and most of its assets are set to go on the auction block Wednesday, with Alex Jones waiting to see if he will be allowed to stay or if he will get kicked off its online platforms. The private auction is being held as part of Jones' personal bankruptcy, which…




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Eminem Should Give a Shout Out to This Rap Goddess

Language in this video, obviously.




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Mine!





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Jo Dunkley, Suzanne Staggs and colleagues awarded $53M to upgrade prominent observatory

The National Science Foundation has awarded a $52.66 million grant to fund a major infrastructure upgrade to the Simons Observatory in the Atacama Desert of Chile. Upgrades are expected to take about five years; the resulting facility will be known as the Advanced Simons Observatory (ASO).




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Ronald Surtz, ‘eminent Princeton medievalist,’ dies at 75

Ronald Surtz, professor of Spanish and Portuguese languages and literatures, emeritus, died peacefully at home in Cranbury, New Jersey, on Nov. 14. He was 75.




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Robert Lisk, eminent biologist and ‘kind and generous mentor,’ dies at 88

Lisk taught biology at Princeton for 30 years before transferring to emeritus status in 1990.




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Prominent law professor blames Harris loss on ‘white supremacy’ and ‘toxic masculinity’

In the 2024 election, Donald Trump easily carried many predominantly Hispanic rural areas like Hidalgo County, Texas, and some mostly non-white precincts, such as mostly Asian areas of Brooklyn. As journalist Josh Kraushaar noted, “Trump carried PASSAIC County, New Jersey. Majority/Hispanic electorate and home to a sizable Orthodox Jewish constituency. Was a Dem stronghold for […]

The post Prominent law professor blames Harris loss on ‘white supremacy’ and ‘toxic masculinity’ appeared first on Liberty Unyielding.




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News24 Business | Investment update | Cybersecurity is a goldmine - top picks for investors

The latest investment insights and market developments.




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Tom Homan – Trump’s Nominee for the Border

The following article, Tom Homan – Trump’s Nominee for the Border, was first published on Conservative Firing Line.

Former Director of ICE Tom Homan is the Trump Nominee for “Border Czar.” But he isn’t the only nominee being named on this Veteran’s Day. Homan is one tough cookie- he will be charged with overseeing the deportations of criminal migrants, as well as the Northern border, aviation security, and maritime security. It’s a tall …

Continue reading Tom Homan – Trump’s Nominee for the Border ...




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Commentary: Harris Pushed To Explain Policy Shifts in First Interview as Dem Nominee

Commentary by Philip Wegmann originally published by RealClearPolitics and RealClearWire Kamala Harris shrugged. Asked about former President Donald Trump’s questioning of her racial identity, the vice president replied, “Same old, tired playbook. Next question, please.” And then she laughed. “That’s it?” protested CNN’s Dana Bash, probing for more during the first sit-down interview with the …




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Multiplexed Protein Quantitation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Using Amine-reactive Isobaric Tagging Reagents

Philip L. Ross
Dec 1, 2004; 3:1154-1169
Research




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New essay anthology examines the future of the international order

New essay anthology examines the future of the international order News release jon.wallace 7 May 2021

Featuring a new essay by Robin Niblett, Chief Executive of Chatham House, and Leslie Vinjamuri, Director of the US and Americas programme.

Anchoring the World”, a new anthology, features an important new essay by Robin Niblett, Chief Executive of Chatham House, and Leslie Vinjamuri, Director of the US and Americas programme. The essay, “The Liberal Order Begins At Home”, argues powerfully for the revival of a liberal international order.

The essay collection has been produced by the Lloyd George Study Group on World Order, and celebrates the centennial years of Chatham House, Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, and the Council on Foreign Relations.

Robin Niblett said:

“In this excellent collection, some authors argue that the United Nations should continue to anchor the international system, while others argue for the creation of a new Concert of Powers.

“Our essay argues that it is both necessary and possible to revive the idea of a liberal international order: necessary (and urgent) because of heightened global competition with China, and possible only if western democracies repair their deep social and economic problems at home.

“We hope this volume carries forward the fortitude and creative spirit that the School of Foreign Service, Chatham House, and the Council on Foreign Relations have brought to the study and practice of international affairs over the past century.”

The Lloyd George Study Group and book were made possible by the generosity of the family of Robert Lloyd George, the great-grandson of British Prime Minister, David Lloyd George.

Anchoring the World is published by Foreign Affairs magazine.




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US election rhetoric on migration undermines Washington’s soft power in Latin America

US election rhetoric on migration undermines Washington’s soft power in Latin America Expert comment jon.wallace

As US public opinion hardens, the Democratic party takes a tougher stance, and Donald Trump proposes mass deportations, Latin American leaders note a lack of long-term policy.

The US’s broken immigration system has become a central theme of the 2024 election campaign. But the discussion on immigration, undocumented immigrants, and asylum seekers – increasingly lurching into dehumanizing rhetoric – extends beyond US borders. 

As one former senior director of the National Security Council told me, ‘when the president travels or meets with heads of state from Latin America what comes up –regardless of the country – isn’t US–Cuba policy or even trade. It’s immigration’. How the US talks about and treats citizens of Latin American and the Caribbean matters to elected politicians in the region. 

The roots of the US immigration debate go deep and will not be easily resolved, even with a sweeping reform of the system. 

According to a January 2024 Pew survey, 78 per cent of Americans ‘say the large number of migrants seeking to enter the country at the Mexico border is either a crisis (45 per cent) or a major problem (32 per cent)’. Worries about the border are not limited to Republican voters: 73 per cent of Democrats feel that the issue is either a crisis or major problem. 

The numbers of undocumented immigrants encountered at the US–Mexico border has actually dropped in recent months.

Despite the heated popular temperature, the numbers of undocumented immigrants encountered at the US–Mexico border has actually dropped in recent months. US Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) reported 301,981 encounters with irregular border crossings in December 2023; by August 2024 this had dropped to 107,473.  

Nevertheless, illegal border crossings have increased under Biden. During his administration USCBP reported 8 million encounters along the Mexico border compared to 2.5 million under Donald Trump. 

Mexico

Any attempt to address the issue promises to affect US relations with Mexico, requiring the cooperation of newly elected president Claudia Sheinbaum. Her predecessor and founder of her Morena party, leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO), proved an unexpectedly cooperative partner for the previous Trump administration and Biden White House. 

In return for AMLO’s cooperation, the US soft-pedalled criticism over his failures to disrupt narcotics trafficking and criminal networks.

But that came at a cost, particularly for Biden. In return for AMLO’s cooperation, the US soft-pedalled criticism over his failures to disrupt narcotics trafficking and criminal networks and for his steady weakening of checks on executive power. 

Mexico’s borders with other countries are also under pressure. Mexico remains the primary sending country to the US. But political repression and insecurity in countries including Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala and Venezuela has pushed their citizens to travel across Mexico to the US. Economic collapse and humanitarian crises in Cuba and Venezuela have further fuelled the flight.

Rhetoric

The Kamala Harris and Trump campaigns have struck different positions on how to stem the flow of illegal immigration. But as US public opinion shifts, both parties are talking tougher. 

Harris is continuing Biden’s hardening stance, including the controversial move to bar those who cross the border illegally from applying for asylum

Biden’s early ‘roots’ strategy, to provide economic and security support in countries from where migrants are travelling, has fallen by the wayside. 

The Trump campaign is taking more extreme positions. The Republican presidential candidate mentions immigration in almost every campaign speech

He proposes to carry out the ‘largest deportation in US history’, using ICE personnel, the National Guard and local police forces to round up undocumented immigrants, including in their workplaces. 

The campaign has also pledged to end birth-right citizenship and Biden’s programme of parole for humanitarian reasons. Trump also plans to restore his first term policies including construction of the border wall. 

Trump’s proposals provide little opportunity for a broad, bipartisan consensus on immigration. Should he win in November he is likely, as he did in his first term, to attempt to push his policies via executive action, opening up challenges in federal court. 

A Harris victory would at least create space for the resurrection of the Biden administration’s 2024 immigration enforcement bill, originally supported by moderate Republican leadership in the Senate, but defeated following pressure from Trump

The bill would have toughened enforcement at the border – increasing funding for detention centres, asylum hearings and for local governments and border patrols. It would also permit ICE to shut down the border when crossings surpassed an average of 5,000 per day or 8,500 on a single day.

Undermining US influence

But such legislation, while promising to address domestic US perceptions of the crisis, threatens to reduce US soft power in Latin America. That would be counterproductive at a time when the US is attempting to consolidate global support in its competition with China and conflict with Russia. 

For Latin American leaders, US rhetoric on immigration rankles. The priorities of Latin American and Caribbean leaders and their voters are long term: economic growth, improved security, and climate change. These issues require investment and commitment from an engaged and reliable US partner. Sadly, Latin Americans can see such issues are not on the domestic agenda in US politics. 

To improve regional perceptions of US intentions after the election, new policy should seek to address the root causes of migration. That will require a multi-pronged, bipartisan approach that focuses attention and resources on US neighbours south of the border.  

Any future US administration will need to risk unpopularity with some voters at home and engage with sending countries and their neighbours. 

The US’s immigration system will need to broaden paths for legal immigration to meet US labour needs, while delivering increased support for border security, and accelerated (and humane) processes for detaining and repatriating illegal border crossers and asylum claims.  

But any sustainable answer also requires addressing the multifaceted reasons driving migrants north. Any future US administration will need to risk unpopularity with some voters at home and engage with sending countries and their neighbours. 




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New Chatham House History Examines our Defining Moments

New Chatham House History Examines our Defining Moments News Release NCapeling 18 January 2021

'A History of Chatham House: its People and Influence from the 1920s to the 2020s' will examine the impact on policymaking of our first 100 years.




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Minerals and Metals for a Low-Carbon Future: Implications for Developing Countries

Minerals and Metals for a Low-Carbon Future: Implications for Developing Countries 30 October 2017 — 5:00PM TO 8:00PM Anonymous (not verified) 13 October 2017 Chatham House, London

This roundtable will explore two sides of minerals and metals for a low-carbon future - the growing demand for metals required for low-carbon technology and the technological and policy innovations that will be required to manage the carbon footprint of the mining sector and its wider energy and industrial linkages. Based around a presentation and scenarios developed by the World Bank, this roundtable discussion will assess which strategic metals will likely rise in demand in order to deliver a low-carbon future, before exploring the possible implications for resource-rich developing countries. In particular, what does a growing demand of minerals for a clean energy future mean for governments and industry, and how might developing countries benefit from this trend? What impact might growth of the mining sector have on a sustainable and climate-smart development? Can renewable energy and other clean tech innovations in the mining industry help reduce the carbon footprint of the sector and related industries, and under what circumstances? And how fit-for-purpose are current donor approaches to the mining sector in an increasingly carbon-constrained world?

Attendance at this event is by invitation only.




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Mining and the Circular Economy: Implications for the Minerals and Metals Industries

Mining and the Circular Economy: Implications for the Minerals and Metals Industries 6 November 2017 — 4:00PM TO 5:30PM Anonymous (not verified) 31 October 2017 Chatham House, London

The concept of the circular economy has climbed up the international agenda, promoted by China, the EU, and other major metals and minerals producers and consumers. International policy processes including the G7 and G20 have reaffirmed these commitments and have increasingly issued policy guidance on resource efficiency. Many of the core elements of the circular economy are familiar – including enhanced resource efficiency, recycling and the development of ‘secondary markets’. Others require new thinking, from the development of smart designs and systems that ensure ‘circularity’, to the creation of new business models and partnerships that aim to preserve the long-term value of metals and minerals.
At this roundtable, Professor Paul Ekins will discuss the implications of the transition from a linear system of production-use-disposal, to a more circular economy. Looking at current trends, to what extent is a ‘decoupling’ of metal and mineral resources and economic growth underway in OECD and developing economies? Across the value chain, which actors are leading the way in resource efficiency and circular economy approaches? And what are the potential implications for primary demand and for the mining and metals industries and major mining economies?
Attendance at this event is by invitation only.




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Visualizing the Data: The Evolution of Trade Tensions in Metals and Minerals Markets

Visualizing the Data: The Evolution of Trade Tensions in Metals and Minerals Markets 18 January 2018 — 4:30PM TO 6:00PM Anonymous (not verified) 19 December 2017 Chatham House, London

Over the past decade, producer countries such as South Africa, Zambia, Indonesia, the DRC and, most recently, Tanzania have restricted exports of unprocessed precious metals, copper, nickel, cobalt and other minerals in an attempt to support, or create, downstream processing industries and jobs or increase revenues. These moves have invariably created tensions with trading partners. Research suggests that export restrictions are not the best way to achieve such policy objectives and can instead harm the producer country’s economy and undermine the functioning of international metals and minerals.

Drawing on OECD and Chatham House research on resource trade, the speaker will present analysis and data visualizations exploring the drivers of past export restrictions and their political and economic impacts. They will also consider how the drivers of ‘resource nationalist measures’ are changing, whether and where export restrictions might present strategic and economic risks in the current context, and the extent to which producer and consumer governments and international governance mechanisms are prepared to address them.

Attendance at this event is by invitation only.




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Mining, Minerals and Metals Expert Roundtable: Forest-Smart Mining Report Launch

Mining, Minerals and Metals Expert Roundtable: Forest-Smart Mining Report Launch 10 May 2019 — 5:30PM TO 6:30PM Anonymous (not verified) 12 April 2019 Chatham House | 10 St James's Square | London | SW1Y 4LE

The impact of mining on forests has received relatively limited attention at the global level despite its implications for climate change, biodiversity and the wider Sustainable Development Goals. Three new studies – commissioned by the World Bank and the Program on Forests (PROFOR) and delivered by a consortium including Fauna and Flora International, Levin Sources, Fairfields Sustainability Consulting and Swedish Geological AB – shed new light on the impact of mining on deforestation, current practices to protect forests in mining areas and how ‘forest-smart’ mining policies, practices and partnerships can be scaled-up and accelerated.
The report authors will introduce the key findings of the reports, as they relate to large-scale mining (LSM), artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) and the implementation of biodiversity offset schemes, with a focus on landscape-level efforts that avoid or minimize adverse impacts on forests – and ideally result in a net gain for forest outcomes. The speakers will then set out policy and practical recommendations designed to support ‘forest-smart’ mining, conserve biodiversity and ensure a ‘well below 2c’ future, before opening up the discussion to participants.





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N-acetylglucosamine drives myelination by triggering oligodendrocyte precursor cell differentiation [Molecular Bases of Disease]

Myelination plays an important role in cognitive development and in demyelinating diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), where failure of remyelination promotes permanent neuro-axonal damage. Modification of cell surface receptors with branched N-glycans coordinates cell growth and differentiation by controlling glycoprotein clustering, signaling, and endocytosis. GlcNAc is a rate-limiting metabolite for N-glycan branching. Here we report that GlcNAc and N-glycan branching trigger oligodendrogenesis from precursor cells by inhibiting platelet-derived growth factor receptor-α cell endocytosis. Supplying oral GlcNAc to lactating mice drives primary myelination in newborn pups via secretion in breast milk, whereas genetically blocking N-glycan branching markedly inhibits primary myelination. In adult mice with toxin (cuprizone)-induced demyelination, oral GlcNAc prevents neuro-axonal damage by driving myelin repair. In MS patients, endogenous serum GlcNAc levels inversely correlated with imaging measures of demyelination and microstructural damage. Our data identify N-glycan branching and GlcNAc as critical regulators of primary myelination and myelin repair and suggest that oral GlcNAc may be neuroprotective in demyelinating diseases like MS.




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EU Budget Battle Could Undermine its International Ambitions

17 July 2020

Alice Billon-Galland

Research Associate, Europe Programme

Vassilis Ntousas

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Academy Fellow, Europe Programme
EU’s heated budget negotiations risk producing a compromise at the expense of its longer-term international agenda.

GettyImages-1227664182-edit.jpg

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (L) talks with French President Emmanuel Macron (C) and President of European Council Charles Michel (R) during an EU summit on 17 July 2020 in Brussels, Belgium. Photo by Thierry Monasse/Getty Images.

With all EU economies still reeling from COVID-19, the ongoing heated deliberations on the bloc’s next budget, which will determine the amount of money matching its priorities for the next seven years, have taken on an urgency rarely felt in Brussels.

Relying in part on an unprecedentedly large volume of jointly issued debt, the European Commission’s plan for a €750 billion coronavirus recovery instrument is embedded within a revamped proposal for the EU’s long-term budget, of €1.1 trillion for the 2021-27 period. 

Now the ball is in the member states’ court. All seem to agree that getting the EU budget right is crucial to fostering an economic recovery and ensuring the Union is on the right track towards its long-term pre-COVID objectives, from increasing its strategic autonomy to reaching climate neutrality by 2050. However, stark differences persist as to what that means in practice.

Most of the core divisions predate the pandemic’s outbreak. In a special European Council meeting in February, leaders failed to find common ground on the Union’s first post-Brexit budget. Net contributor countries, such as Austria, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands — the so-called ‘Frugal Four’— refused to agree to higher overall spending and instead advocated for cuts in the Common Agricultural Policy or cohesion funds, meeting the resistance of states like France and Portugal.

These early divisions foreshadowed the risk of a budget compromise that would leave little space for new policy priorities. The COVID-induced economic crisis has made a traditionally fraught political process even more difficult, putting the squeeze on what were previously priority areas of funding.

The Frugal Four agree on the need for the coronavirus recovery plan but vehemently oppose the volume of grants or the issuance of too much common debt in the proposed instrument, reflecting the unpopularity of these proposals with their domestic audiences. Hungary has also threatened to derail progress on the EU’s rescue plan if rule of law criteria are weaved into mechanisms for the allocation of EU funding.

As European leaders reconvene at the 17-18 July Council meeting, EU Council President Michel proposed a revised 'negotiating box' in preparation for the discussions. The document, which tries to bridge these intra-bloc divisions, bolts the demands for short-term recovery onto the EU’s longer-term ambitions. For instance, it sets an increased target of 30 per cent of funding to go toward climate-related projects, which is necessary for the Union’s green transformation. It also retains the link between the rule of law and EU funding — despite Budapest’s opposition — which is critical for the bloc’s internal accountability and transparency, and external credibility. Furthermore, it proposes a set of new mechanisms through which the EU can sustainably raise its own revenue, including a plastics levy as well as more controversial carbon border tax and digital levy.

Yet in several other critical ways, Michel’s proposals fall short. This is particularly true for some of the more ‘geopolitical’ goals of the Union, as previously expressed by Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, or the repeated calls by the Union’s high representative that the EU should learn to use the language of power.

For all the rhetoric around the EU’s need to boost its ability to act more autonomously in the field of security and defence, reductions in important thematic programmes in this domain could result in a critical loss of momentum, if confirmed. For instance, in Michel’s proposals, flagship defence initiatives such as the European defence fund and the military mobility plan are facing cuts of about 39 per cent and 74 per cent respectively (to some €7 billion for the former and €1.5 billion for the latter) compared with the initial Commission proposal of 2018.

Moreover, the tragic developments at the Greece-Turkey border in the beginning of the year might have brought migration back to the forefront of the EU’s attention, but the overall funding for migration and border management is also significantly lower compared to initial proposals. This serves as another example of a discrepancy between the figures on the table today and those that the EU commission had previously regarded as necessary to address the challenges the bloc faces.

Similarly, under the Council president’s latest proposal, the combined funding allocated for the EU’s external action (under the ‘Neighbourhood and the World’ heading) is lower than the figures in the Commission’s May announcements – from €118.2 billion to €113.9 billion overall. This represents an increase compared to the previous EU budget, but it is not in line with the elevated ambitions recognized by the Commission in May, which have only been made more compelling by the pandemic.

Brokering a deal in EU budget negotiations has always been a brutal affair, requiring sacrifices and compromise under the pressure of a ticking clock. 2020 was never likely to be an exception to this rule; but the pandemic has complicated the politics and raised the stakes.

The risk is that the budget negotiations lead to a compromise which, while delivering a historic coronavirus package, does not adequately support some of the key elements of the Union’s long-term agenda, especially its international ambitions.




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The amphipathic helices of Arfrp1 and Arl14 are sufficient to determine subcellular localizations [Cell Biology]

The subcellular localization of Arf family proteins is generally thought to be determined by their corresponding guanine nucleotide exchange factors. By promoting GTP binding, guanine nucleotide exchange factors induce conformational changes of Arf proteins exposing their N-terminal amphipathic helices, which then insert into the membranes to stabilize the membrane association process. Here, we found that the N-terminal amphipathic motifs of the Golgi-localized Arf family protein, Arfrp1, and the endosome- and plasma membrane–localized Arf family protein, Arl14, play critical roles in spatial determination. Exchanging the amphipathic helix motifs between these two Arf proteins causes the switch of their localizations. Moreover, the amphipathic helices of Arfrp1 and Arl14 are sufficient for cytosolic proteins to be localized into a specific cellular compartment. The spatial determination mediated by the Arfrp1 helix requires its binding partner Sys1. In addition, the residues that are required for the acetylation of the Arfrp1 helix and the myristoylation of the Arl14 helix are important for the specific subcellular localization. Interestingly, Arfrp1 and Arl14 are recruited to their specific cellular compartments independent of GTP binding. Our results demonstrate that the amphipathic motifs of Arfrp1 and Arl14 are sufficient for determining specific subcellular localizations in a GTP-independent manner, suggesting that the membrane association and activation of some Arf proteins are uncoupled.




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Predominant phosphorylation patterns in Neisseria meningitidis lipid A determined by top-down MS/MS [Research Articles]

Among the virulence factors in Neisseria infections, a major inducer of inflammatory cytokines is the lipooligosaccharide (LOS). The activation of NF-B via extracellular binding of LOS or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to the toll-like receptor 4 and its coreceptor, MD-2, results in production of pro-inflammatory cytokines that initiate adaptive immune responses. LOS can also be absorbed by cells and activate intracellular inflammasomes, causing the release of inflammatory cytokines and pyroptosis. Studies of LOS and LPS have shown that their inflammatory potential is highly dependent on lipid A phosphorylation and acylation, but little is known on the location and pattern of these posttranslational modifications. Herein, we report on the localization of phosphoryl groups on phosphorylated meningococcal lipid A, which has two to three phosphate and zero to two phosphoethanolamine substituents. Intact LOS with symmetrical hexa-acylated and asymmetrical penta-acylated lipid A moieties was subjected to high-resolution ion mobility spectrometry MALDI-TOF MS. LOS molecular ions readily underwent in-source decay to give fragments of the oligosaccharide and lipid A formed by cleavage of the ketosidic linkage, which enabled performing MS/MS (pseudo-MS3). The resulting spectra revealed several patterns of phosphoryl substitution on lipid A, with certain species predominating. The extent of phosphoryl substitution, particularly phosphoethanolaminylation, on the 4'-hydroxyl was greater than that on the 1-hydroxyl. The heretofore unrecognized phosphorylation patterns of lipid A of meningococcal LOS that we detected are likely determinants of both pathogenicity and the ability of the bacteria to evade the innate immune system.




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Brown adipose tissue lipoprotein and glucose disposal is not determined by thermogenesis in uncoupling protein 1-deficient mice [Research Articles]

Adaptive thermogenesis is highly dependent on uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), a protein expressed by thermogenic adipocytes present in brown adipose tissue (BAT) and white adipose tissue (WAT). Thermogenic capacity of human and mouse BAT can be measured by positron emission tomography-computed tomography quantifying the uptake of 18F-fluodeoxyglucose or lipid tracers. BAT activation is typically studied in response to cold exposure or treatment with β-3-adrenergic receptor agonists such as CL316,243 (CL). Currently, it is unknown whether cold-stimulated uptake of glucose or lipid tracers is a good surrogate marker of UCP1-mediated thermogenesis. In metabolic studies using radiolabeled tracers, we found that glucose uptake is increased in mildly cold-activated BAT of Ucp1–/– versus WT mice kept at subthermoneutral temperature. Conversely, lower glucose disposal was detected after full thermogenic activation achieved by sustained cold exposure or CL treatment. In contrast, uptake of lipoprotein-derived fatty acids into chronically activated thermogenic adipose tissues was substantially increased in UCP1-deficient mice. This effect is linked to higher sympathetic tone in adipose tissues of Ucp1–/– mice, as indicated by elevated levels of thermogenic genes in BAT and WAT. Thus, glucose and lipoprotein handling does not necessarily reflect UCP1-dependent thermogenic activity, but especially lipid uptake rather mirrors sympathetic activation of adipose tissues.