form Exhibition — Poetic Record: Photography in a Transformed World By www.princeton.edu Published On :: Thu, 28 Nov 2024 10:00:00 -0500 Exhibition co-curated by Princeton professor Deana Lawson and Michael Famighetti, editor-in-chief of Aperture magazine. Featuring work by 23 artists who explore the poetics of photography, its instability, and its latent potential. Hurley Gallery open daily 10 AM - 8 PM. Full Article
form Exhibition — Poetic Record: Photography in a Transformed World By www.princeton.edu Published On :: Wed, 27 Nov 2024 10:00:00 -0500 Exhibition co-curated by Princeton professor Deana Lawson and Michael Famighetti, editor-in-chief of Aperture magazine. Featuring work by 23 artists who explore the poetics of photography, its instability, and its latent potential. Hurley Gallery open daily 10 AM - 8 PM. Gallery closed 11/28-12/1 for Thanksgiving; reopens 12/2-5. Full Article
form Exhibition — Poetic Record: Photography in a Transformed World By www.princeton.edu Published On :: Tue, 26 Nov 2024 10:00:00 -0500 Exhibition co-curated by Princeton professor Deana Lawson and Michael Famighetti, editor-in-chief of Aperture magazine. Featuring work by 23 artists who explore the poetics of photography, its instability, and its latent potential. Hurley Gallery open daily 10 AM - 8 PM. Gallery closed 11/28-12/1 for Thanksgiving; reopens 12/2-5. Full Article
form Exhibition — Poetic Record: Photography in a Transformed World By www.princeton.edu Published On :: Mon, 25 Nov 2024 10:00:00 -0500 Exhibition co-curated by Princeton professor Deana Lawson and Michael Famighetti, editor-in-chief of Aperture magazine. Featuring work by 23 artists who explore the poetics of photography, its instability, and its latent potential. Hurley Gallery open daily 10 AM - 8 PM. Gallery closed 11/28-12/1 for Thanksgiving; reopens 12/2-5. Full Article
form Exhibition — Poetic Record: Photography in a Transformed World By www.princeton.edu Published On :: Sun, 24 Nov 2024 10:00:00 -0500 Exhibition co-curated by Princeton professor Deana Lawson and Michael Famighetti, editor-in-chief of Aperture magazine. Featuring work by 23 artists who explore the poetics of photography, its instability, and its latent potential. Hurley Gallery open daily 10 AM - 8 PM. Gallery closed 11/28-12/1 for Thanksgiving; reopens 12/2-5. Full Article
form Exhibition — Poetic Record: Photography in a Transformed World By www.princeton.edu Published On :: Sat, 23 Nov 2024 10:00:00 -0500 Exhibition co-curated by Princeton professor Deana Lawson and Michael Famighetti, editor-in-chief of Aperture magazine. Featuring work by 23 artists who explore the poetics of photography, its instability, and its latent potential. Hurley Gallery open daily 10 AM - 8 PM. Gallery closed 11/28-12/1 for Thanksgiving; reopens 12/2-5. Full Article
form Exhibition — Poetic Record: Photography in a Transformed World By www.princeton.edu Published On :: Fri, 22 Nov 2024 10:00:00 -0500 Exhibition co-curated by Princeton professor Deana Lawson and Michael Famighetti, editor-in-chief of Aperture magazine. Featuring work by 23 artists who explore the poetics of photography, its instability, and its latent potential. Hurley Gallery open daily 10 AM - 8 PM. Gallery closed 11/28-12/1 for Thanksgiving; reopens 12/2-5. Full Article
form Exhibition — Poetic Record: Photography in a Transformed World By www.princeton.edu Published On :: Thu, 21 Nov 2024 10:00:00 -0500 Exhibition co-curated by Princeton professor Deana Lawson and Michael Famighetti, editor-in-chief of Aperture magazine. Featuring work by 23 artists who explore the poetics of photography, its instability, and its latent potential. Hurley Gallery open daily 10 AM - 8 PM. Gallery closed 11/28-12/1 for Thanksgiving; reopens 12/2-5. Full Article
form Exhibition — Poetic Record: Photography in a Transformed World By www.princeton.edu Published On :: Wed, 20 Nov 2024 10:00:00 -0500 Exhibition co-curated by Princeton professor Deana Lawson and Michael Famighetti, editor-in-chief of Aperture magazine. Featuring work by 23 artists who explore the poetics of photography, its instability, and its latent potential. Hurley Gallery open daily 10 AM - 8 PM. Gallery closed 11/28-12/1 for Thanksgiving; reopens 12/2-5. Full Article
form Exhibition — Poetic Record: Photography in a Transformed World By www.princeton.edu Published On :: Tue, 19 Nov 2024 10:00:00 -0500 Exhibition co-curated by Princeton professor Deana Lawson and Michael Famighetti, editor-in-chief of Aperture magazine. Featuring work by 23 artists who explore the poetics of photography, its instability, and its latent potential. Hurley Gallery open daily 10 AM - 8 PM. Gallery closed 11/28-12/1 for Thanksgiving; reopens 12/2-5. Full Article
form Theater Performance Co-curricular Classes with Vivia Font By www.princeton.edu Published On :: Mon, 18 Nov 2024 16:45:00 -0500 In this co-curricular workshop series with Vivia Font, develop your acting chops! Geared towards students who want to continue developing their acting practice, as well as beginner students who are acting-curious. Drop-in; students may attend 1 session or all 8. Full Article
form Exhibition — Poetic Record: Photography in a Transformed World By www.princeton.edu Published On :: Mon, 18 Nov 2024 10:00:00 -0500 Exhibition co-curated by Princeton professor Deana Lawson and Michael Famighetti, editor-in-chief of Aperture magazine. Featuring work by 23 artists who explore the poetics of photography, its instability, and its latent potential. Hurley Gallery open daily 10 AM - 8 PM. Gallery closed 11/28-12/1 for Thanksgiving; reopens 12/2-5. Full Article
form Exhibition — Poetic Record: Photography in a Transformed World By www.princeton.edu Published On :: Sun, 17 Nov 2024 10:00:00 -0500 Exhibition co-curated by Princeton professor Deana Lawson and Michael Famighetti, editor-in-chief of Aperture magazine. Featuring work by 23 artists who explore the poetics of photography, its instability, and its latent potential. Hurley Gallery open daily 10 AM - 8 PM. Gallery closed 11/28-12/1 for Thanksgiving; reopens 12/2-5. Full Article
form Exhibition — Poetic Record: Photography in a Transformed World By www.princeton.edu Published On :: Sat, 16 Nov 2024 10:00:00 -0500 Exhibition co-curated by Princeton professor Deana Lawson and Michael Famighetti, editor-in-chief of Aperture magazine. Featuring work by 23 artists who explore the poetics of photography, its instability, and its latent potential. Hurley Gallery open daily 10 AM - 8 PM. Gallery closed 11/28-12/1 for Thanksgiving; reopens 12/2-5. Full Article
form Exhibition — Poetic Record: Photography in a Transformed World By www.princeton.edu Published On :: Fri, 15 Nov 2024 10:00:00 -0500 Exhibition co-curated by Princeton professor Deana Lawson and Michael Famighetti, editor-in-chief of Aperture magazine. Featuring work by 23 artists who explore the poetics of photography, its instability, and its latent potential. Hurley Gallery open daily 10 AM - 8 PM. Gallery closed 11/28-12/1 for Thanksgiving; reopens 12/2-5. Full Article
form Exhibition — Poetic Record: Photography in a Transformed World By www.princeton.edu Published On :: Thu, 14 Nov 2024 10:00:00 -0500 Exhibition co-curated by Princeton professor Deana Lawson and Michael Famighetti, editor-in-chief of Aperture magazine. Featuring work by 23 artists who explore the poetics of photography, its instability, and its latent potential. Hurley Gallery open daily 10 AM - 8 PM. Gallery closed 11/28-12/1 for Thanksgiving; reopens 12/2-5. Full Article
form Exhibition — Poetic Record: Photography in a Transformed World By www.princeton.edu Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 10:00:00 -0500 Exhibition co-curated by Princeton professor Deana Lawson and Michael Famighetti, editor-in-chief of Aperture magazine. Featuring work by 23 artists who explore the poetics of photography, its instability, and its latent potential. Hurley Gallery open daily 10 AM - 8 PM. Gallery closed 11/28-12/1 for Thanksgiving; reopens 12/2-5. Full Article
form Full Zapier Experience + Other Automation Platforms By www.rssground.com Published On :: Fri, 09 Feb 2024 01:12:30 +0000 In the digital age, content is king. But managing and distributing content efficiently across various channels can be a royal pain without the right tools. RSS Ground has made another giant leap for content automation by integrating first with IFTTT, now Zapier and soon Pabbly Connect. Thousands of third-party apps and services are now ready to enhance your content […] The post Full Zapier Experience + Other Automation Platforms appeared first on RSSground.com. Full Article RSS Ground News
form Unleash Your Potential: How Fitness Challenges Can Transform Your Life By www.star2.org Published On :: Wed, 30 Aug 2023 13:33:38 +0000 Life is like a mirror. Everything you see has a reflection. It can be good or bad. It can be both. We are exposed to a lot of negatives with the widespread use of the internet and social media platforms. Also, we have received a ton of positives we can take advantage of in everyday ... Read more The post Unleash Your Potential: How Fitness Challenges Can Transform Your Life appeared first on Star Two. Full Article Fitness Challenges fitness Life Potential Transform Unleash
form Cannabis doesn’t enhance performance. So why is it banned in elite sports? By www.pbs.org Published On :: Wed, 10 Nov 2021 02:48:00 +0000 Here’s how cannabis use became prohibited—and the science of its biological, psychological, and social effects. Full Article
form Top WordPress SEO Plugins for 2024: Enhance Your Website’s Performance By ignitionmedia.com.au Published On :: Sat, 06 Jan 2024 00:08:00 +0000 Maintaining an edge in SEO is crucial in the dynamic world of digital marketing. WordPress SEO plugins play... The post Top WordPress SEO Plugins for 2024: Enhance Your Website’s Performance appeared first on Ignition Media. Full Article SEO
form 'Sing and cry with him': Shlomo Artzi performs for evacuees of Kibbutz Be'eri By www.jpost.com Published On :: Wed, 23 Oct 2024 21:23:51 GMT Artzi, with his vast experience performing for soldiers and civilians through Israel's wars, had said, "I've never seen pain like in this war." Full Article music Shlomo Artzi The October 7 Massacre Kibbutz Beeri
form Netflix defends its decision to remove Palestinian films from platform By www.jpost.com Published On :: Sun, 27 Oct 2024 09:54:40 GMT Netflix explained, "We launched this licensed collection of films in 2021 for three years. Those licenses have now expired." Full Article Palestinians film netflix antisemitism
form Former Trump Official Reminds Jim Acosta Of ‘Over 330,000 Children’ Biden-Harris Admin Lost Track Of At Border By libertyunyielding.com Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 01:33:54 +0000 By Harold Hutchison Former Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf told CNN host Jim Acosta Tuesday that the incoming Trump administration would “initiate a pretty large program” to locate children the Biden-Harris administration lost track of. At least 85,000 children placed into the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) are unaccounted for, […] The post Former Trump Official Reminds Jim Acosta Of ‘Over 330,000 Children’ Biden-Harris Admin Lost Track Of At Border appeared first on Liberty Unyielding. Full Article Foreign Affairs
form Two major reforms can improve the VA By quinhillyer.com Published On :: Tue, 12 Nov 2024 02:47:20 +0000 (Official Washington Examiner editorial, Nov. 11) Year after year, presidential administration after administration, people across the political spectrum agree that U.S. military veterans deserve better treatment. Alas, despite genuinely good […] The post Two major reforms can improve the VA appeared first on Quin Hillyer. Full Article National Politics
form Can health secretary name NHS trusts performing well? By www.bbc.co.uk Published On :: Thu, 11 Apr 2024 09:09:11 GMT Victoria Atkins is challenged to name some health trusts meeting their targets to cut waiting lists. Full Article
form Burning rubbish now UK’s dirtiest form of power By www.bbc.com Published On :: Tue, 15 Oct 2024 04:45:35 GMT Nearly half of waste is now burned for energy, but BBC analysis finds it is as dirty as coal. Full Article
form 'Norris' hopes crushed by Verstappen performance for the ages' By www.bbc.com Published On :: Sun, 03 Nov 2024 23:06:37 GMT Lando Norris’ already slim world title hopes were crushed at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix by a performance for the ages from Max Verstappen. Full Article
form PM Modi’s Rs 12,100 crore infrastructure push to transform Bihar’s railways and roadways – Here’s all you need to know - The Financial Express By news.google.com Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 03:25:48 GMT PM Modi’s Rs 12,100 crore infrastructure push to transform Bihar’s railways and roadways – Here’s all you need to know The Financial ExpressPM Modi to visit Bihar on Wednesday, inaugurate projects worth Rs 12,100 Cr Deccan HeraldPM Modi lays foundation stone for AIIMS Darbhanga, says NDA Govt committed to welfare of people The HinduPM Modi Bihar Visit Live: Nitish Kumar removed 'jungle raj' in Bihar, says PM Modi in Darbhanga MoneycontrolPolitics News Today Live Updates on November 13, 2024: ‘BJP trying to create controversy’: Karnataka Deputy CM Shivakumar on ‘Kaalia’ remark against Kumaraswamy Mint Full Article
form velocityconf: Free webcast from our friends at @citrix 5/29 http://t.co/IOeY4U0wUP Learn to consolidate 40 load balancers and ADCs into single platform By twitter.com Published On :: Tue, 21 May 2013 15:01:58 +0000 velocityconf: Free webcast from our friends at @citrix 5/29 http://t.co/IOeY4U0wUP Learn to consolidate 40 load balancers and ADCs into single platform Full Article
form How to Create Better Forms By blog.avangate.com Published On :: Thu, 29 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000 What is a (digital) form? In a broader sense of the meaning, a form, is an interface that collects through interactions, the required information, in a logical, meaningful way, and then passes it to at least one third party entity. Sounds complicated, right? Full Article
form News24 | Former president Mahama projected to unseat Ghana's ruling party in December election By www.news24.com Published On :: Monday Nov 11 2024 09:52:41 Ghana's main opposition leader John Dramani Mahama looks set to win December's presidential election, an opinion poll showed on Monday. Full Article
form The Efficacy of Digital Media Resources in Improving Children’s Ability to Use Informational Text: An Evaluation of Molly of Denali From PBS KIDS By www.readingrockets.org Published On :: Wed, 31 Aug 2022 14:08:03 EDT Informational text — resources whose purpose is to inform — is essential to daily life and fundamental to literacy. Unfortunately, young children typically have limited exposure to informational text. Two 9-week randomized controlled trials with 263 first-grade children from low-income communities examined whether free educational videos and digital games from the PBS KIDS show “Molly of Denali” supported children’s ability to use informational text to answer real-world questions. Study 1 found significant positive intervention impacts on child outcomes; Study 2 replicated these findings. Full Article
form Improve the performance of your Joomla articles (part 1) By www.joomlaworks.net Published On :: Fri, 04 Dec 2020 18:44:41 +0200 The performance of the default article system in Joomla really sucks big time, that's a well know fact. It''s actually one of the reasons we built K2 in the first place. And as we venture into Joomla 4 territory, instead of seeing performance improvements (finally) for the entire database scheme, we actually witness new ways to mess up performance (if that was even possible). Apparently the Joomla core team likes to exercise who knows PHP's syntax better instead of actually building working code that doesn't break for extension developers every so. Oh well, we're used to the mess. Back to our topic. Wanna improve the performance of the Joomla article system, especially in sites that filter/order content in various ways? Well, for starters add a few indices to the "content" table, e.g. using phpMyAdmin. ALTER TABLE `#__content` ADD INDEX `idx_publishup` (`publish_up`);ALTER TABLE `#__content` ADD INDEX `idx_publishdown` (`publish_down`);ALTER TABLE `#__content` ADD INDEX `idx_modifiedby` (`modified_by`);ALTER TABLE `#__content` ADD INDEX `idx_created` (`created`);ALTER TABLE `#__content` ADD INDEX `idx_modified` (`modified`); Just remember to replace #__ with your actual database prefix for Joomla. But what's the measurable improvement? Well, something like this after you apply the above changes (on a really busy site that sorts articles by published date, aka 99% of Joomla sites)... Yeap. And that's performance tip no.1. We'll come back with more in the future as we delve into the software architectural wonder that is Joomla 4. Or do yourself a favour & switch to K2 which recently passed 4 million downloads, yeah! :) To those who might say, hey why aren't you contributing that back to Joomla, well, our answer is that if you've ever contributed in Joomla, you know the painful process & bureaucracy and you juuuust might wish to keep your sanity. Until next time. Full Article Blog
form More on Hanford: Phonics Reform and Literacy Levels By www.readingrockets.org Published On :: Mon, 06 Feb 2023 12:08:57 EST Recently, I posted commentary on Emily Hanford’s reporting and the critical response it received from some in the literacy community. I defended the major thrust of her work and called out criticisms I thought to be illogical, ill conceived, or ill intended — criticism more aimed at maintaining status quo than promoting literacy. Full Article
form Platform Engineering: The Next Step in Operations By www.oreilly.com Published On :: Tue, 20 Aug 2024 10:10:40 +0000 Platform engineering is the latest buzzword in IT operations. And like all other buzzwords, it’s in danger of becoming meaningless—in danger of meaning whatever some company with a “platform engineering” product wants to sell. We’ve seen that happen to too many useful concepts: Edge computing meant everything from caches at a cloud provider’s data center […] Full Article Web Programming Deep Dive
form IVT MediaPlatform 4.1 Sets New Standard for Enterprise Video Communications By communicationtransformation.blogspot.com Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2009 20:22:00 +0000 IVT released its latest upgrades to its MediaPlatform software.Click to view the announcement. Full Article
form IVT Takes Webcasting Software Platform to the Cloud By communicationtransformation.blogspot.com Published On :: Fri, 07 May 2010 21:02:00 +0000 IVT, Inc. has moved its industry-leading MediaPlatform webcasting software platform to the cloud. With MediaPlatform increasingly being used in large-scale webcasts by media producers, as well as Fortune 500 clients, the company is elevating its delivery capacity through a partnership with a tier-1 cloud infrastructure provider. “Our mission has always been to deliver the best quality of service and enable our clients to produce webcasts at literally any audience size without concern for infrastructure,” said Jim McGovern, Chief Executive Officer of IVT. “Now that cloud-based platforms are gaining widespread acceptance across the IT world, we can give our clients the benefit of switching capacity on and off when required.”This is not the first time IVT has been ahead of the technology curve in the webcasting industry. The company pioneered the concept of offering webcasting software on a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) basis with MediaPlatform. With MediaPlatform in the cloud, IVT enables its clients to benefit from what is rapidly emerging as the new paradigm for corporate computing.In the cloud, MediaPlatform’s web services architecture can more readily serve diverse client needs by integrating with a range of enterprise systems, both cloud-based and on-premises.The cloud, an approach to computing that places servers and infrastructure in remote, abstracted datacenters, is ideal for webcasting, which is known for unpredictable spikes in system load. By working with a tier-1 cloud infrastructure provider, IVT gains virtually unlimited capacity and world-class security, reliability, redundancy, failover, and load management.IVT will continue to support the numerous on-premises installations of its software, including major deployments at global enterprises. IVT prides itself on offering its clients the choice between hosted and on-premises options. Full Article
form MediaPlatform Debuts WebCaster By communicationtransformation.blogspot.com Published On :: Wed, 12 May 2010 00:59:00 +0000 MediaPlatform Debuts WebCaster, a Fusion of Performance and UsabilityNew Addition to Webcasting Software Lineup Leverages Cloud Platform for Productivity and Connectivity NEW YORK - STREAMING MEDIA EAST - May 11, 2010 -MediaPlatform, Inc. (formerly IVT) today unveiled its latest product offering, MediaPlatform WebCaster, cloud-based webcasting software that packs leading edge event management, event customization, and production capabilities into a simple user experience. WebCaster has been built to serve the needs of demanding webcast production professionals as well as non-technical users"WebCaster is a heavyweight performer with a flyweight price and impact on corporate IT," said Jim McGovern, Chief Executive Officer of MediaPlatform. "Our team has worked hard for over a year to exceed client expectations in virtually every aspect of the webcasting experience."WebCaster offers a unique mix of best-in-class features, ranging from an intuitive, browser-based user interface and sophisticated reporting to multiple remote presenters and flexible producing teams. WebCaster also offers rich templates with options to customize, total operating system and browser independence, telephony to Flash® Audio input, and iPhone support."We went into the development process with a goal of enabling presentations from 'anywhere to anyone,'" said Greg Pulier, Founder and CTO of MediaPlatform, and head of WebCaster's development. "For every feature we considered, our constant question was, 'Will this provide the best possible experience for users at every step of the webcasting process? I am very proud of the work everyone has contributed to this outstanding offering."With WebCaster, MediaPlatform is further establishing itself as the preferred provider for digital media producers. As the business of producing webcasts for lead generation, training, and conferences continues to expand, MediaPlatform is serving a growing number of top tier digital media production firms. WebCaster is designed to provide producers with a webcasting toolset they can rely upon as they build their production businesses. WebCaster is the newest addition to MediaPlatform's growing portfolio of media production and management offerings.It complements the company's high-end webcasting product, now known as IVT MediaPlatform, as well as PrimeTime, MediaPlatform's video portal.About MediaPlatform, Inc. MediaPlatform, Inc. (formerly IVT) delivers best-in-class webcasting and media management technology to global enterprises and digital media producers. MediaPlatform's webcasting software enables high-impact presentations for lead generation, corporate communications and training. The company offers organizations the ability to take advantage of scalable cloud-based computing, as well as on-premises deployment, to present and manage rich media. With media management tools built on its platform, the company helps clients derive long term archive value from their investment in media content. Full Article
form Amazon Enables MediaPlatform Migration to the Cloud By communicationtransformation.blogspot.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Dec 2010 21:58:00 +0000 Here is a link to the case study Amazon prepared about MediaPlatform's use of the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) and Simple Storage Solution (S3). http://aws.amazon.com/solutions/case-studies/mediaplatform/ MediaPlatform is the only streaming software solution that allows clients to access the obvious benefits of cloud computing while retaining the ability to maintain security, achieve integrations with Active Directory/LDAP, control remote encoders, etc. Combined with its groundbreaking approaches to multicasting Flash and leveraging the native caching abilities of WAN acceleration devices to stream HTTP, MediaPlatform's cloud offering represents the most innovative approach to enterprise webcasting available on the market today. Full Article
form Former BLM Chapter Co-Founder Switches To Trump In ’24 … What Changed His Mind? By clashdaily.com Published On :: Tue, 05 Nov 2024 10:10:35 +0000 Mark Fisher was co-founder of the Rhode Island chapter of BLM. He voted for Joe Biden in 2020. Does he have buyers remorse? Yeah, you could say so. His viral video is causing a stir... but there's more to that story. The post Former BLM Chapter Co-Founder Switches To Trump In ’24 … What Changed His Mind? appeared first on Clash Daily. Full Article Videos
form Newsroom: TikTok surpassed YouTube as the third-most-popular influencer platform among US marketers in 2021 By www.emarketer.com Published On :: Mon, 24 Jan 2022 04:01:00 GMT TikTok will have more US users than Snapchat and Pinterest in 2022   January 24, 2022 (New York, NY) – YouTube is the “OG†of influencer marketing platforms, and it’s […] Full Article
form Analysis of {beta}-lactone formation by clinically observed carbapenemases informs on a novel antibiotic resistance mechanism [Enzymology] By www.jbc.org Published On :: 2020-12-04T00:06:05-08:00 An important mechanism of resistance to β-lactam antibiotics is via their β-lactamase–catalyzed hydrolysis. Recent work has shown that, in addition to the established hydrolysis products, the reaction of the class D nucleophilic serine β-lactamases (SBLs) with carbapenems also produces β-lactones. We report studies on the factors determining β-lactone formation by class D SBLs. We show that variations in hydrophobic residues at the active site of class D SBLs (i.e. Trp105, Val120, and Leu158, using OXA-48 numbering) impact on the relative levels of β-lactones and hydrolysis products formed. Some variants, i.e. the OXA-48 V120L and OXA-23 V128L variants, catalyze increased β-lactone formation compared with the WT enzymes. The results of kinetic and product studies reveal that variations of residues other than those directly involved in catalysis, including those arising from clinically observed mutations, can alter the reaction outcome of class D SBL catalysis. NMR studies show that some class D SBL variants catalyze formation of β-lactones from all clinically relevant carbapenems regardless of the presence or absence of a 1β-methyl substituent. Analysis of reported crystal structures for carbapenem-derived acyl-enzyme complexes reveals preferred conformations for hydrolysis and β-lactone formation. The observation of increased β-lactone formation by class D SBL variants, including the clinically observed carbapenemase OXA-48 V120L, supports the proposal that class D SBL-catalyzed rearrangement of β-lactams to β-lactones is important as a resistance mechanism. Full Article
form China: End of the Reform Era By www.chathamhouse.org Published On :: Wed, 30 May 2018 14:30:00 +0000 China: End of the Reform Era 20 July 2018 — 12:30PM TO 1:30PM Anonymous (not verified) 30 May 2018 Chatham House, London The speaker will argue that China’s reform era is ending, and that core factors which characterized it - including political stability, ideological openness and rapid economic growth - are unravelling.Since the 1990s, Beijing’s leaders have firmly rejected any fundamental reform of their authoritarian one-party political system, even as a decades-long boom has reshaped China’s economy and society. On the surface, their efforts have been a success, but Carl Minzner says a closer look at China’s reform era reveals a different truth.He outlines how over the past three decades, a frozen political system has fuelled both the rise of entrenched interests within the Communist Party and the systematic underdevelopment of institutions of governance among state and society at large. Economic gaps have widened, social unrest has worsened and ideological polarization has deepened.The speaker will discuss how China’s leaders are attempting to address these looming challenges, including institutional reforms and a shift back towards single-man rule. The speaker will also consider the question of regime stability given that China’s era of ‘reform and opening up’ is ending and there is now a renewed uncertainty over Beijing’s future.THIS EVENT IS NOW FULL AND REGISTRATION HAS CLOSED. Full Article
form How Women are Transforming Indonesia By www.chathamhouse.org Published On :: Mon, 20 May 2019 13:26:04 +0000 How Women are Transforming Indonesia Interview sysadmin 20 May 2019 In a series exploring women in international affairs, Isabel Dunstan speaks to Gitika Bhardwaj about the rise of the women’s movement in Indonesia. Southeast Asia has one of the highest records of gender-based violence in the world and Indonesia was recently ranked as the second most dangerous place for women in the Asia-Pacific. What is the state of women’s rights and gender equality in Indonesia? It is true that Indonesia has high rates of violence against women, however, it’s difficult to know the realities of women’s experiences because in the past the data has been somewhat unreliable. This has been due to reasons such as a lack of reporting mechanisms available to survivors of violence and the fact that discussing sexual violence is a taboo and, if reported, can result in stigmatization which limits the number of survivors who have come forward. However, the first reliable nationwide survey on gendered violence in Indonesia was conducted in 2017 by the Indonesian Ministry of Women and Child Protection and the United Nations Population Fund. Interestingly, it showed that Indonesia’s rates of violence against women are on par with the global rate which is that 1 in 3 women are affected by sexual violence in their lifetime. It’s therefore difficult to generalize that Indonesia is an unsafe place for women because it’s an extremely diverse country. There is a growing middle class while there is pervasive poverty. There is religious diversity where the eastern-most province of Aceh is the only province in the country where Sharia law is enforced, whereas in the western-most province of West Papua, the dominant religion is Christianity and the ways of life are completely different. Nevertheless, violence against women is high in Indonesia and can happen in all places – rich or poor, east or west – and has different manifestations from street harassment and trafficking to domestic violence and workplace harassment. In some parts of the country there are high rates of child marriage too and, according to UNICEF, 14 per cent of girls in Indonesia are married by the time they turn 18 which is shocking when we think about how child marriage limits girls’ access to education and makes them more vulnerable to sexual violence and therefore restricts their futures. Child marriage is high in Indonesia in part due to rooted gender norms, low levels of education and discriminating legislation, such as the marriage law, which states that, although it is legal to marry at 21, girls can marry at 16 and boys can marry at 19 with parental consent. But this can be even lower meaning parents could get their daughters married at as young as 13. So the law is fundamentally unfair between girls and boys and the women’s movement in Indonesia has been fighting extremely hard to reform legislation that discriminates against women and girls. From the country’s first female president, Megawati Sukarnoputri, to incumbent finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati – who was voted ‘Best Minister in the World’ in 2018 – and maritime and fisheries minister Susi Pudjiastuti – who has become notorious for her tough stance against illegal fishing activities – how are women progressing in Indonesian politics? Indonesia has come a long way since becoming a democracy in 1998. Before that, the second president and dictator, Suharto, ruled the country for almost 32 years and increased the inequality gap between men and women during his reign. Since the fall of Suharto, however, gender equality is explicitly enshrined in Indonesia’s constitution and the country has ratified the Convention on the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The country has also been undergoing a process of democratization which has involved slowly decentralizing its power. This means that greater authority has been distributed to the 34 provincial governments outside of the capital of Jakarta. Furthermore, to aid gender equality, a quota system requiring political parties to be made up of 30 per cent women has been put in place, although remnants of Suharto’s old system of cronyism remain, limiting the impact of the quotas translating to more women in provincial parliaments. But the defining approach to furthering gender equality in Indonesia has been through gender mainstreaming and gender-responsive budgeting which can be seen throughout provincial administrations in the country. This means there is the intention to ensure infrastructure, health and education outcomes include results that address specific gender equality gaps. The challenge for effective gender mainstreaming, however, is the political will to translate the approach into well-resourced programmes from one province to another. Indonesia has come a long way since becoming a democracy in 1998. Before that, Suharto, ruled the country for almost 32 years and increased the inequality gap between men and women. Nevertheless, we have just seen Indonesia go through the most incredible presidential and legislative elections last month – won by the current president, Joko Widodo, who has often been called the ‘Barack Obama of Southeast Asia’ and whose existing cabinet has the highest number of women in the country’s history. This is not simply a matter of filling seats in the cabinet with women – such as the wives and sisters of male politicians – because it’s required by law. But, rather, there are some incredible female political figures who are there because they are strong, smart and capable. You’ve rightly mentioned Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Susi Pudjiastuti, who is a fabulous role model for a lot of women particularly women who have not had tertiary education because she entered politics through an unorthodox route. Then there’s Minister of Finance, Sri Mulyani Indrawati, who is also the former leader of the World Bank and is such an inspiration to a lot of women who are looking to work in public life because of her experience as well as her work to include gender mainstreaming in state budgets. There is also Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection, Yohana Susana Yembise, who is a Papuan woman, as well as many more female public figures. Full Article
form Biosynthesis of the sactipeptide Ruminococcin C by the human microbiome: Mechanistic insights into thioether bond formation by radical SAM enzymes [Microbiology] By www.jbc.org Published On :: 2020-12-04T00:06:05-08:00 Despite its major importance in human health, the metabolic potential of the human gut microbiota is still poorly understood. We have recently shown that biosynthesis of Ruminococcin C (RumC), a novel ribosomally synthesized and posttranslationally modified peptide (RiPP) produced by the commensal bacterium Ruminococcus gnavus, requires two radical SAM enzymes (RumMC1 and RumMC2) catalyzing the formation of four Cα-thioether bridges. These bridges, which are essential for RumC's antibiotic properties against human pathogens such as Clostridium perfringens, define two hairpin domains giving this sactipeptide (sulfur-to-α-carbon thioether–containing peptide) an unusual architecture among natural products. We report here the biochemical and spectroscopic characterizations of RumMC2. EPR spectroscopy and mutagenesis data support that RumMC2 is a member of the large family of SPASM domain radical SAM enzymes characterized by the presence of three [4Fe-4S] clusters. We also demonstrate that this enzyme initiates its reaction by Cα H-atom abstraction and is able to catalyze the formation of nonnatural thioether bonds in engineered peptide substrates. Unexpectedly, our data support the formation of a ketoimine rather than an α,β-dehydro-amino acid intermediate during Cα-thioether bridge LC–MS/MS fragmentation. Finally, we explored the roles of the leader peptide and of the RiPP precursor peptide recognition element, present in myriad RiPP-modifying enzymes. Collectively, our data support a more complex role for the peptide recognition element and the core peptide for the installation of posttranslational modifications in RiPPs than previously anticipated and suggest a possible reaction intermediate for thioether bond formation. Full Article
form A drug-resistant {beta}-lactamase variant changes the conformation of its active-site proton shuttle to alter substrate specificity and inhibitor potency [Microbiology] By www.jbc.org Published On :: 2020-12-25T00:06:31-08:00 Lys234 is one of the residues present in class A β-lactamases that is under selective pressure due to antibiotic use. Located adjacent to proton shuttle residue Ser130, it is suggested to play a role in proton transfer during catalysis of the antibiotics. The mechanism underpinning how substitutions in this position modulate inhibitor efficiency and substrate specificity leading to drug resistance is unclear. The K234R substitution identified in several inhibitor-resistant β-lactamase variants is associated with decreased potency of the inhibitor clavulanic acid, which is used in combination with amoxicillin to overcome β-lactamase–mediated antibiotic resistance. Here we show that for CTX-M-14 β-lactamase, whereas Lys234 is required for hydrolysis of cephalosporins such as cefotaxime, either lysine or arginine is sufficient for hydrolysis of ampicillin. Further, by determining the acylation and deacylation rates for cefotaxime hydrolysis, we show that both rates are fast, and neither is rate-limiting. The K234R substitution causes a 1500-fold decrease in the cefotaxime acylation rate but a 5-fold increase in kcat for ampicillin, suggesting that the K234R enzyme is a good penicillinase but a poor cephalosporinase due to slow acylation. Structural results suggest that the slow acylation by the K234R enzyme is due to a conformational change in Ser130, and this change also leads to decreased inhibition potency of clavulanic acid. Because other inhibitor resistance mutations also act through changes at Ser130 and such changes drastically reduce cephalosporin but not penicillin hydrolysis, we suggest that clavulanic acid paired with an oxyimino-cephalosporin rather than penicillin would impede the evolution of resistance. Full Article
form High temperature promotes amyloid {beta}-protein production and {gamma}-secretase complex formation via Hsp90 [Neurobiology] By www.jbc.org Published On :: 2020-12-25T00:06:30-08:00 Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by neuronal loss and accumulation of β-amyloid-protein (Aβ) in the brain parenchyma. Sleep impairment is associated with AD and affects about 25–40% of patients in the mild-to-moderate stages of the disease. Sleep deprivation leads to increased Aβ production; however, its mechanism remains largely unknown. We hypothesized that the increase in core body temperature induced by sleep deprivation may promote Aβ production. Here, we report temperature-dependent regulation of Aβ production. We found that an increase in temperature, from 37 °C to 39 °C, significantly increased Aβ production in amyloid precursor protein-overexpressing cells. We also found that high temperature (39 °C) significantly increased the expression levels of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) and the C-terminal fragment of presenilin 1 (PS1-CTF) and promoted γ-secretase complex formation. Interestingly, Hsp90 was associated with the components of the premature γ-secretase complex, anterior pharynx-defective-1 (APH-1), and nicastrin (NCT) but was not associated with PS1-CTF or presenilin enhancer-2. Hsp90 knockdown abolished the increased level of Aβ production and the increased formation of the γ-secretase complex at high temperature in culture. Furthermore, with in vivo experiments, we observed increases in the levels of Hsp90, PS1-CTF, NCT, and the γ-secretase complex in the cortex of mice housed at higher room temperature (30 °C) compared with those housed at standard room temperature (23 °C). Our results suggest that high temperature regulates Aβ production by modulating γ-secretase complex formation through the binding of Hsp90 to NCT/APH-1. Full Article
form Resetting Africa-Europe relations: From self-deception to economic transformation By www.chathamhouse.org Published On :: Wed, 16 Oct 2024 10:47:14 +0000 Resetting Africa-Europe relations: From self-deception to economic transformation 28 October 2024 — 12:30PM TO 1:30PM Anonymous (not verified) 16 October 2024 Chatham House and Online Experts assess the status of ties between Africa and Europe in a rapidly changing world, launching a new book that explores how misconceptions in the relationship can harm Africa’s economic agenda. The relationship between Africa and Europe has long been shaped by colonial legacies, power imbalance and shifting geopolitical interests.Almost three years on from the last EU-AU summit in Brussels in February 2022, questions remain over the delivery of headline commitments under the continent-to-continent partnership – ranging from the EU’s Global Gateway infrastructure strategy to wider climate financing promises.As Africa seeks to strengthen its standing on the global stage, marked by the African Union’s upcoming debut at the G20 summit in November, a critical reassessment of these dynamics is needed to examine whether the continent’s relationship with Europe can overcome stigmatized narratives in search of genuine economic benefit.At this event, which launches a new book by Professor Carlos Lopes: The Self-Deception Trap: Exploring the Economic Dimensions of Charity Dependency within Africa-Europe Relations, speakers assess the prospects for a transformative shift towards a more equitable and mutually beneficial Africa-Europe partnership. Full Article
form Reforming the EU: A View From Poland By f1.media.brightcove.com Published On :: Fri, 11 May 2018 00:00:00 +0100 Full Article