Location: Government Information - J 1.44:L 89

Location: Electronic Resource- 

Location: Electronic Resource- 

Location: Electronic Resource- 

Location: Electronic Resource- 

Perspective: Guest-Editorial: Our Church and the Burning of our Books (Aramaic)

Perspective: Guest-Editorial: حتمية وجوب المطالبة بالحماية الدولية لمسيحيي العراق

Perspective: Guest-Editorial: The fabrication of Iraqi history and the “untold story of native Iraqis”

Perspective: Letter: Speaking? Words? Where once I sang?

Perspective: Guest-Editorial: Assyrian Football Clubs in the Diaspora

Perspective: Guest-Editorial: Muslim Assyrians? Who are they?

Agnès Lacreuse investigates cognitive aging and women’s health in nonhuman primates.

The post Azerbaijan From the Bird’s Perspective appeared first on English Russia.

Diversity Among New REALTORS® in 2024

The Indo-Pacific: Geostrategic Perspectives 2019-24 – Workshop 2 24 September 2019 — 9:00AM TO 2:00PM Anonymous (not verified) 4 September 2019 Chatham House | 10 St James's Square | London | SW1Y 4LE

The roundtable brought together stakeholders within the UK strategic and policymaking communities to explore British perceptions of evolving strategic shifts in the Indo-Pacific until 2024.

The roundtable took place at Chatham House in London. The report below contains a summary of the discussions.

Read a summary

The Indo-Pacific: Geostrategic Perspectives 2019-20 – Workshop 1 11 September 2019 — 10:00AM TO 2:30PM Anonymous (not verified) 4 September 2019 East-West Center, 1819 L St., NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036, USA

The roundtable brought together stakeholders within the US strategic and policymaking communities to explore American perceptions of evolving strategic shifts in the Indo-Pacific until 2024. The roundtable was organized in cooperation with, and was held at, the East-West Center in Washington D.C.

The report below contains a summary of the discussions and an essay by Satu Limaye, Vice President and Director of the East-West Center in Washington, DC.

Read a summary report and essay

The Indo-Pacific: Geostrategic Perspectives to 2024 - Workshop 3 17 October 2019 — 9:30AM TO 2:00PM Anonymous (not verified) 14 October 2019 Institut Francais des Relations Internationales, 27 rue de la Procession, 75740 Paris Cedex 15, France

The roundtable brought together stakeholders within the French strategic and policymaking community to explore French perceptions of evolving strategic shifts in the Indo-Pacific until 2024. The roundtable was organized in cooperation with, and was held at, the Institut français des relations internationals in Paris.

The report below contains a summary of the discussions and an essay by Céline Pajon, Research Fellow, Center for Asian Studies, Institut français des relations internationals.

Read a summary and essay

The Indo-Pacific: Geostrategic Perspectives until 2024 – Japanese perceptions 24 February 2020 — 9:00AM TO 1:00PM Anonymous (not verified) 22 March 2021 Chatham House

The roundtable brought together stakeholders within Japan’s strategic and policymaking communities to explore Japanese perceptions of evolving strategic shifts in the Indo-Pacific until 2024. The roundtable took place in Tokyo and was organized in partnership with the Indo-Pacific Studies Group.

The report below contains a summary of the discussions and an essay by Hiroki Sekine, Visiting Fellow, Asia-Pacific Programme, Chatham House.

Read a summary and essay

Putting the Hong Kong Crisis into Historical and Comparative Perspective 14 November 2019 — 8:30AM TO 9:30AM Anonymous (not verified) 17 October 2019 Chatham House | 10 St James's Square | London | SW1Y 4LE

This roundtable will focus on current events unfolding in Hong Kong, where the territory has been convulsed with protests for several months.

The speakers will examine how class, race and poverty play into the conflict. Taking a comparative approach, they will examine the generational divide, looking at the ideological gulf between the older, more conservative and pro-Beijing population versus the younger, more pro-democracy protesters. The discussion will also draw upon the erosion of trust between police and the wider public.

While acknowledging the unique features of this wave of unrest, the speakers will draw parallels, placing the current crisis in Hong Kong beside events that have occurred in other periods and other places.

Parallels to be explored include those with Shanghai struggles of the 1910s through 1980s and upheavals and crackdowns in the former Soviet bloc during the Cold War.

Xinting Zhang
Dec 8, 2020; 0:RA120.002306v1-mcp.RA120.002306
Research

Alison B. Ross
Nov 30, 2020; 0:R120.002190v1-mcp.R120.002190
Review

High-speed analysis of large (prote)omics sample sets at the rate of thousands or millions of samples per day on a single platform has been a challenge since the beginning of proteomics. For many years, ESI-based MS methods have dominated proteomics because of their high sensitivity and great depth in analyzing complex proteomes. However, despite improvements in speed, ESI-based MS methods are fundamentally limited by their sample introduction, which excludes off-line sample preparation/fractionation because of the time required to switch between individual samples/sample fractions, and therefore being dependent on the speed of on-line sample preparation methods such as liquid chromatography. Laser-based ionization methods have the advantage of moving from one sample to the next without these limitations, being mainly restricted by the speed of modern sample stages, i.e. 10 ms or less between samples. This speed matches the data acquisition speed of modern high-performing mass spectrometers whereas the pulse repetition rate of the lasers (>1 kHz) provides a sufficient number of desorption/ionization events for successful ion signal detection from each sample at the above speed of the sample stages. Other advantages of laser-based ionization methods include the generally higher tolerance to sample additives and contamination compared with ESI MS, and the contact-less and pulsed nature of the laser used for desorption, reducing the risk of cross-contamination. Furthermore, new developments in MALDI have expanded its analytical capabilities, now being able to fully exploit high-performing hybrid mass analyzers and their strengths in sensitivity and MS/MS analysis by generating an ESI-like stable yield of multiply charged analyte ions. Thus, these new developments and the intrinsically high speed of laser-based methods now provide a good basis for tackling extreme sample analysis speed in the omics.

Glycosylation is a highly diverse set of co- and post-translational modification of proteins. For mammalian glycoproteins, glycosylation is often site-, tissue- and species-specific, and diversified by microheterogeneity. Multitudinous biochemical, cellular, physiological and organismic effects of their glycans have been revealed, either intrinsic to the carrier proteins or mediated by endogenous reader proteins with carbohydrate recognition domains. Furthermore, glycans frequently form the first line of access by or defense from foreign invaders, and new roles for nucleocytoplasmic glycosylation are blossoming. We now know enough to conclude that the same general principles apply in invertebrate animals and unicellular eukaryotes – different branches of which spawned the plants or fungi and animals. The two major driving forces for exploring the glycomes of invertebrates and protists are (i) to understand the biochemical basis of glycan-driven biology in these organisms, especially of pathogens, and (ii) to uncover the evolutionary relationships between glycans, their biosynthetic enzyme genes, and biological functions for new glycobiological insights. With an emphasis on emerging areas of protist glycobiology, here we offer an overview of glycan diversity and evolution, to promote future access to this treasure trove of glycobiological processes.

In all cells, proteins are continuously synthesized and degraded in order to maintain protein homeostasis and modify gene expression levels in response to stimuli. Collectively, the processes of protein synthesis and degradation are referred to as protein turnover. At steady state, protein turnover is constant to maintain protein homeostasis, but in dynamic responses, proteins change their rates of synthesis and degradation in order to adjust their proteomes to internal or external stimuli. Thus, probing the kinetics and dynamics of protein turnover lends insight into how cells regulate essential processes such as growth, differentiation, and stress response. Here we outline historical and current approaches to measuring the kinetics of protein turnover on a proteome-wide scale in both steady-state and dynamic systems, with an emphasis on metabolic tracing using stable-isotope-labeled amino acids. We highlight important considerations for designing proteome turnover experiments, key biological findings regarding the conserved principles of proteome turnover regulation, and future perspectives for both technological and biological investigation.

Gonadal soma-derived factor (gsdf) has been demonstrated to be essential for testicular differentiation in medaka (Oryzias latipes). To understand the protein dynamics of Gsdf in spermatogenesis regulation, we used a His-tag "pull-down" assay coupled with shotgun LC-MS/MS to identify a group of potential interacting partners for Gsdf, which included cytoplasmic dynein light chain 2, eukaryotic polypeptide elongation factor 1 alpha (eEF1α), and actin filaments in mature medaka testis. As for the interaction with TGFβ-dynein being critical for spermatogonial division in Drosophila melanogaster, the physical interactions of Gsdf-dynein and Gsdf-eEF1α were identified through a yeast 2-hybrid (Y2H) screening of an adult testis cDNA library using Gsdf as bait, which were verified by a paired Y2H assay. Co-immunoprecipitation of Gsdf and eEF1α was defined in adult testes as supporting the requirement of a Gsdf and eEF1α interaction in testis development. Proteomics analysis (data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD022153) and ultrastrutural observations showed that Gsdf deficiency activated eEF1α-mediated protein synthesis and ribosomal biogenesis, which in turn led to the differentiation of undifferentiated germ cells. Thus, our results provide a framework and new insight into the coordination of a Gsdf (TGFβ and eEF1α complex in the basic processes of germ cell proliferation, transcriptional and translational control of sexual RNA which may be fundamentally conserved across phyla during sexual differentiation.

Black perspectives on international relations 27 October 2022 — 5:00PM TO 6:00PM Anonymous (not verified) 4 October 2022 Chatham House and Online

How can black perspectives help the world tackle global challenges and expand our understanding of international relations?

As social boundaries change, the viewpoints of black academics, thought leaders and policymakers have grown in both influence and strength worldwide, challenging western and institutional norms. 

However, many institutions and organizations, long established with the exclusion of black voices, have to adapt if there is to be greater inclusion and diversity of thought when tackling major global issues.

Growing reflection on the legacy of colonialism and the importance of the power of diversity may be needed for today’s problems.

The search for global racial equality has seen a growing commitment to ensuring the black experience is at the heart of geopolitical discussions.

This panel discussion looks at what changes are occurring now and how is the conversation shifting. It also examines the challenges posed by the increasing politicization of race and culture issues in the current political environment.

Key questions discussed by the panel include:

• What is the importance of black voices in international relations and where are the main challenges to greater incorporation?

• What are some of the leading perspectives, approaches and beliefs within Africa and across the black diaspora regarding international relations?

• To what extent are governments, businesses and leading global institutions making efforts to include more black voices in decision-making?

• How are black academics changing wider geopolitical conversations and to what extent can deeper conversations lead to change?

• Will an ‘African Century’ bring black perspectives on international relations to the fore of the geopolitical agenda?

As with all members events, questions from the audience drive the conversation.

Read the transcript. 

Turkey's Foreign Policy: The Perspective of the Main Opposition Party 5 November 2020 — 12:00PM TO 1:00PM Anonymous (not verified) 14 October 2020 Online

The Republican People’s Party (CHP), the main Turkish opposition party, is becoming a serious contender for a leading role in the country’s politics.

This is an online only event.

CHP’s mayoral candidates defeated the Justice and Development Party (AKP) incumbents in the 2019 local elections in Ankara and Istanbul, which held both cities for a quarter of a century. Its ascendency in Turkish politics is improving prospects for a CHP-led government after the next general election in 2023.

In this webinar, the speaker will share CHP’s stance on the country’s foreign policy towards key regional allies in Europe, as well as its take on relations with Russia, the US and Turkey’s position and role in the Middle East. Finally, the speaker will share how CHP’s external policy might differ from the ruling AKP. 

Turkey's foreign policy: The perspective of the İYİ Parti 25 January 2021 — 12:00PM TO 1:00PM Anonymous (not verified) 14 January 2021 Online

The centre-right İYİ Parti, the second largest opposition party in Turkey, is attracting voters from the governing alliance between the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the pro-Turkish National Movement Party (MHP).

Please complete your registration on Zoom:

The İYİ Parti, which was set up in 2017, formed the Nation Alliance (Millet İttifakı) with the left-of-centre Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the pro-Islam Felicity Party (Saadet Partisi) in the 2018 parliamentary elections winning 43 seats in the Grand National Assembly.

In the 2019 municipal elections, the İYİ Parti’s alliance alliance with the CHP played an important role in enabling the latter’s candidates to become the mayors of Istanbul and Ankara after a quarter-century dominance by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Its popularity has been rising steadily, according to recent polls. In this webinar, the speaker will outline the party’s viewpoint on the country’s foreign policy towards the European Union, as well as its perspectives on relations with Russia, the US, Iran and the Arab world. Finally, he will share the ways in which the İYİ Parti’s approach to external policy might differ from the ruling AKP.

Young people deserve a say in how to keep their communities safe, writes high school student M’munga Songolo.

Policy Analysis for California Education has been a premier ed policy organization for three decades. As Daisy Gonzales writes, it is in the forefront of shaping current reforms and interpreting them for audiences such as 'On California.'

"Aloha" isn't just a greeting; in a way it is their way of life, and when you distort that sacred word, you distort their way of life.

The coronavirus pandemic could change human behaviour more permanently in future.

Philippine institutions and governance structures must be strengthened as part of any effort to reform the country's financial supervisory structure.

young people communicate a cuban perspective

BACKGROUND:Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) have historically used race-specific prediction equations. The recent American Thoracic Society guidelines recommend the use of a race-neutral approach in prediction equations. There are limited studies centering the opinions of practicing pulmonologists on the use of race in spirometry. Provider opinion will impact adoption of the new guideline. The aim of this study was to ascertain the beliefs of academic pulmonary and critical care providers regarding the use of race as a variable in spirometry prediction equations.METHODS:We report data from 151 open-ended responses from a voluntary, nationwide survey (distributed by the Association of Pulmonary Critical Care Medicine Program Directors) of academic pulmonary and critical care providers regarding the use of race in PFT prediction equations. Responses were coded using inductive and deductive methods, and a thematic content analysis was conducted.RESULTS:There was a balanced distribution of opinions among respondents supporting, opposing, or being unsure about the incorporation of race in spirometry prediction equations. Responses demonstrated a wide array of understanding related to the concept and definition of race and its relationship to physiology.CONCLUSIONS:There was no consensus among providers regarding the use of race in spirometry prediction equations. Concepts of race having biologic implications persist among pulmonary providers and will likely affect the uptake of the Global Lung Function Initiative per the American Thoracic Society guidelines.

Extract

As of 15 May 2024, >775 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and >7 million deaths have been reported to the World Health Organization [1]. Although most patients with COVID-19 survive, survivors are at risk of long COVID, the sequelae of the viral infection affecting multiple organ systems [2]. Long COVID poses a substantial burden to individuals and society, even with a conservative estimate of 10% prevalence among COVID-19 survivors [3–5]. However, as the symptoms of long COVID vary substantially, ranging from respiratory symptoms, such as dyspnoea and cough, to fatigue and cognitive impairment [6], developing a standard set of investigations and management protocols for patients with long COVID is challenging.

Karolinska Institutet is a medical university encompassing 21 departments distributed across three departmental or campus groups. Pharmacological research has a long and successful tradition at the institute with a multitude of seminal findings in the areas of neuronal control of vasodilatation, cardiovascular pharmacology, neuropsychopharmacology, receptor pharmacology, and pharmacogenomics that resulted in, among many other recognitions, two Nobel prizes in Physiology and Medicine, one in 1970 to Ulf von Euler for his discovery of the processes involved in storage, release, and inactivation of neurotransmitters and the other in 1982 to Sune Bergström and Bengt Samuelsson for their work on prostaglandins and the discovery of leukotrienes. Pharmacology at Karolinska Institutet has over the last decade been ranked globally among the top 10 according to the QS World University Ranking. With the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology now celebrating its 75-year anniversary, we wanted to take this as an opportunity to showcase recent research achievements and how they paved the way for current activities at the department. We emphasize examples from preclinical and clinical research where the dpartment's integrative environment and robust infrastructure have successfully facilitated the translation of findings into clinical applications and patient benefits. The close collaboration between preclinical scientists and clinical researchers across various disciplines, along with a strong network of partnerships within the department and beyond, positions us to continue leading world-class pharmacological research at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology for decades to come.

BackgroundIncident benzodiazepine prescriptions in primary care for anxiety decreased between 2003 and 2018. However, from 2008, incident prescribing of benzodiazepines for anxiety increased among those aged 18–34 years. There are increasing concerns around prescribing of benzodiazepines. Further, although guidelines state benzodiazepines should only be prescribed short term, in 2017, 44% of incident prescriptions were prescribed for longer than the recommended duration of 2–4 weeks.AimTo understand when and why GPs prescribe benzodiazepines for anxiety in young adults.Design and settingA qualitative study was undertaken using in-depth interviews with 17 GPs from 10 general practices in South West England.MethodInterviews were conducted by telephone or videocall. A topic guide was used to ensure consistency across interviews. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and data analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.ResultsGPs described caution in prescribing benzodiazepines for anxiety in young adults, but thought they had an important role in acute situations. GPs described caution in prescribing duration, but some thought longer-term prescriptions could be appropriate. In light of these views, some GPs questioned whether primary care needs to revisit how clinicians are using benzodiazepines. GPs perceived that some young adults requested benzodiazepines and suggested this might be because they wanted quick symptom relief. GPs noted that refusing to prescribe felt uncomfortable and that the number of young adults presenting to general practice, already dependent on benzodiazepines, had increased.ConclusionPatient-driven factors for prescribing benzodiazepines suggest there are current unmet treatment needs among young adults with anxiety. Given increases in prescribing in this age group, it may be timely to revisit the role of benzodiazepines in the management of people with anxiety in primary care.

α-Synuclein (AS) is a small presynaptic protein that is genetically, biochemically, and neuropathologically linked to Parkinson's disease (PD) and related synucleinopathies. We present here a review of the topic of this relationship, focusing on more recent knowledge. In particular, we review the genetic evidence linking AS to familial and sporadic PD, including a number of recently identified point mutations in the SNCA gene. We briefly go over the relevant neuropathological findings, stressing the evidence indicating a correlation between aberrant AS deposition and nervous system dysfunction. We analyze the structural characteristics of the protein, in relation to both its physiologic and pathological conformations, with particular emphasis on posttranslational modifications, aggregation properties, and secreted forms. We review the interrelationship of AS with various cellular compartments and functions, with particular focus on the synapse and protein degradation systems. We finally go over the recent exciting data indicating that AS can provide the basis for novel robust biomarkers in the field of synucleinopathies, while at the same time results from the first clinical trials specifically targeting AS are being reported.

Approximately 8.5%–16.2% of childhood cancers are associated with a pathogenic/likely pathogenic germline variant—a prevalence that is likely to rise with improvements in phenotype recognition, sequencing, and variant validation. One highly informative, classical hereditary cancer predisposition syndrome is Li–Fraumeni syndrome (LFS), associated with germline variants in the TP53 tumor suppressor gene, and a >90% cumulative lifetime cancer risk. In seeking to improve outcomes for young LFS patients, we must improve the specificity and sensitivity of existing cancer surveillance programs and explore how to complement early detection strategies with pharmacology-based risk-reduction interventions. Here, we describe novel precision screening technologies and clinical strategies for cancer risk reduction. In particular, we summarize the biomarkers for early diagnosis and risk stratification of LFS patients from birth, noninvasive and machine learning–based cancer screening, and drugs that have shown the potential to be repurposed for cancer prevention.

Most childhood cancers possess distinct clinicopathological profiles from those seen in adulthood, reflecting their divergent mechanisms of carcinogenesis. Rather than depending on the decades-long, stepwise accumulation of changes within a mature cell that defines adult carcinomas, many pediatric malignancies emerge rapidly as the consequence of random errors during development. These errors—whether they be genetic, epigenetic, or microenvironmental—characteristically block maturation, resulting in phenotypically primitive neoplasms. Only an event that falls within a narrow set of spatiotemporal parameters will forge a malignant clone; if it occurs too soon then the event might be lethal, or negatively selected against, while if it is too late or in an incorrectly primed precursor cell then the necessary intracellular conditions for transformation will not be met. The precise characterization of these changes, through the study of normal tissues and tumors from patients and model systems, will be essential if we are to develop new strategies to diagnose, treat, and perhaps even prevent childhood cancer.

Redox reactions control fundamental biochemical processes, including energy production, metabolism, respiration, detoxification, and signal transduction. Cancer cells, due to their generally active metabolism for sustained proliferation, produce high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) compared to normal cells and are equipped with antioxidant defense systems to counteract the detrimental effects of ROS to maintain redox homeostasis. The KEAP1-NRF2 system plays a major role in sensing and regulating endogenous antioxidant defenses in both normal and cancer cells, creating a bivalent contribution of NRF2 to cancer prevention and therapy. Cancer cells hijack the NRF2-dependent antioxidant program and exploit a very unique metabolism as a trade-off for enhanced antioxidant capacity. This work provides an overview of redox metabolism in cancer cells, highlighting the role of the KEAP1-NRF2 system, selenoproteins, sulfur metabolism, heme/iron metabolism, and antioxidants. Finally, we describe therapeutic approaches that can be leveraged to target redox metabolism in cancer.

The broad application of noninvasive imaging has transformed preclinical cancer research, providing a powerful means to measure dynamic processes in living animals. While imaging technologies are routinely used to monitor tumor growth in model systems, their greatest potential lies in their ability to answer fundamental biological questions. Here we present the broad range of potential imaging applications according to the needs of a cancer biologist with a focus on some of the common biological processes that can be used to visualize and measure. Topics include imaging metastasis; biophysical properties such as perfusion, diffusion, oxygenation, and stiffness; imaging the immune system and tumor microenvironment; and imaging tumor metabolism. We also discuss the general ability of each approach and the level of training needed to both acquire and analyze images. The overall goal is to provide a practical guide for cancer biologists interested in answering biological questions with preclinical imaging technologies.

Vision is initiated by capturing photons in highly specialized sensory cilia known as the photoreceptor outer segment. Because of its lipid and protein composition, the outer segments are prone to photo-oxidation, requiring photoreceptors to have robust antioxidant defenses and high metabolic synthesis rates to regenerate the outer segments every 10 days. Both processes required high levels of glucose uptake and utilization. Retinitis pigmentosa is a prevalent form of inherited retinal degeneration characterized by initial loss of low-light vision caused by the death of rod photoreceptors. In this disease, rods die as a direct effect of an inherited mutation. Following the loss of rods, cones eventually degenerate, resulting in complete blindness. The progression of vision loss in retinitis pigmentosa suggested that rod photoreceptors were necessary to maintain healthy cones. We identified a protein secreted by rods that functions to promote cone survival, and we named it rod-derived cone viability factor (RdCVF). RdCVF is encoded by an alternative splice product of the nucleoredoxin-like 1 (NXNL1) gene, and RdCVF was found to accelerate the uptake of glucose by cones. Without RdCVF, cones eventually die because of compromised glucose uptake and utilization. The NXNL1 gene also encodes for the thioredoxin RdCVFL, which reduces cysteines in photoreceptor proteins that are oxidized, providing a defense against radical oxygen species. We will review here the main steps of discovering this novel intercellular signaling currently under translation as a broad-spectrum treatment for retinitis pigmentosa.

Feb 24, 2023

The war in Ukraine affects regions around the world in a variety of ways. Belfer Center experts reflect on how the conflict is impacting the countries and regions they study.