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CBD UN Press Release: Secretary-General at High-Level Meeting, Stresses Urgent Need to Reverse Alarming Rate of Biodiversity Loss, Rescue 'Natural Economy'. Conservation Inseparable from Fight against Poverty, Says General Assembly President, as




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CBD Announcement: On behalf of the European Commission and in collaboration with EU Member States, STELLA Consulting is organising annual information sessions on preparing LIFE+ project proposals and managing LIFE+ projects. LIFE+ is the Financial Instrum




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CBD Press Release: A New Legal Instrument at the Service of Sustainable Development Opens for Signature.




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CBD Press Release: The South African National Biodiversity Institute the first African partner to join the Convention's Consortium of Scientific Partners on Biodiversity




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CBD Communiqué: Finland renews support for the Convention's gender mainstreaming efforts




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CBD Communiqué: Struggle against invasive species remains important goal for global Strategic Plan for Biodiversity: Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity supports recent statement by conservation organizations




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CBD Press Release: Capacity-building workshop for North Africa and the Middle East on mainstreaming the economics of ecosystems and biodiversity (TEEB) into national planning and decision-making




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CBD News: As the world celebrates World Environment Day and prepares to gather in Rio for the Rio+20 Conference, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, a voluntary arrangement consisting of 14 international organizations, institutions and secretariats,




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CBD News: The New Delhi ASEAN-India Ministerial Statement on Biodiversity: Ministers responsible for the environment and their representatives of India and ASEAN countries have agreed to enhance awareness among all stakeholders, strive towards mainstreami




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CBD News: In its inaugural remarks at the High-Level Segment of COP 11, Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India, launched the Hyderabad Pledge by announcing that the Government of India has earmarked US$ 50 million to strengthen the institutional mech




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CBD News: Fiji and Ethiopia have become the 8th and 9th Parties to the CBD respectively to deposit their instruments of ratification for the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from Their U




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CBD News: Lebanon deposited its instrument of accession to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity on 6 February 2013 and will become the 165th Party to the Protocol on 7 May 2013.




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CBD News: Montreal, 7 March 2014 - South Sudan deposited its instrument of accession to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on 17 February 2014, thus becoming the 194th Party to the global treaty on biodiversity and sustainable development. With




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CBD News: Montreal, 7 March 2014 - Iraq deposited its instrument of accession to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity on 3 March 2014 and will become the 167th Party to the Cartagena Protocol on 1 June 2014.




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CBD News: Some 600 delegates from around the world will gather together in Montreal, Canada, next week to examine the effectiveness of measures taken by Governments to implement the global biodiversity agenda and mainstream biodiversity into sustainable d




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CBD News: With its focus on mainstreaming biodiversity and issues being discussed at SBSTTA-20 and SBI-1, the May 2016 edition of [square brackets], the CBD newsletter for Civil Society, is now available online.




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CBD News: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) have launched a technical guidance document which aims to promote mainstreaming of biodiversity and ecosystem s




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CBD News: As we have just heard from the delegation of Mexico, the UN Biodiversity Conference, Cancun, Mexico, 2016 recently took place with the theme of "mainstreaming biodiversity for well-being".




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CBD News: Cuba deposited its instrument of accession to the Nagoya - Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety on 26 April 2017. Thus only three more ratifications are required for the Supplementa




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CBD News: Central African Republic deposited its instrument of ratification to the Nagoya - Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety on 15 June 2017.




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CBD News: With the Democratic Republic of the Congo depositing its instrument of accession on 4 October 2017, the Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety needs only one more instrument of




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CBD News: People are on the move. Political instability, extreme weather events and other factors have forced more people to flee their homes than at any time since the Second World War.




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CBD News: The Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, following the deposit of the instrument of acceptance by Japan on 5 December 2017, will enter into force on 5 March 2018.




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CBD News: First 23 validated checklists from the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species highlighted in paper, signaling major step in delivering information to support national action against biological invasions.




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CBD Notification SCBD/SSSF/AS/ML/GD/88414 (2019-114): Tracking Economic Instruments and Finance for Biodiversity: Invitation to contribute data on positive incentives relevant to Aichi Biodiversity Target 3 to the OECD PINE database




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Inhibiting thrombin protects against dangerous infant digestive disease

(University of South Florida (USF Health)) A new preclinical study by researchers at the University of South Florida Health (USF Health) Morsani College of Medicine and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine offers promise of a specific treatment for NEC, a rare inflammatory bowel disease that is a leading cause of death in premature infants. The team found that inhibiting the inflammatory and blood-clotting molecule thrombin with targeted nanotherapy can protect against NEC-like injury in newborn mice.




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122 Mainland higher education institutions to admit Hong Kong students




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SED on principals' handing of complaints against teachers' misconduct




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EDB to provide subsidies to schools and students to fight against epidemic




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Application arrangements for Scheme for Admission of Hong Kong Students to Mainland Higher Education Institutions for 2020




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SED on class resumption and complaints against teachers




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Loan repayment by self-financing post-secondary institutions under Start-up Loan Scheme, non-profit-making international schools and student loan repayers to be deferred for two years




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Same Old Tune: Columbia Business School Research Shows Bias Against Women in the Music Industry

Thursday, February 27, 2020 - 16:45

NEW YORK – In 2018, the Grammy Awards faced criticism when male artists swept the most prestigious music awards – prompting Recording Academy president Neil Portnow to say the solution is for women to “step up.” But the truth is women artists have been stepping up for decades, according to research from Columbia Business School’s Professor of Business Michael Mauskapf and Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior Noah Askin.




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Cool Met Stuff, rainstorms, Hong Kong, summer, loss of property, casualties, reviews, extreme torrential rain

Every summer, rainstorms occur in Hong Kong occasionally, leading to loss of property or even casualties.




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ESO instrument finds closest black hole to Earth

(ESO) Astronomers have discovered a black hole lying just 1,000 light-years from Earth. The black hole is closer to our solar system than any other found to date and forms part of a triple system that can be seen with the naked eye. The astronomers found evidence for the invisible object by tracking its two companion stars using the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile. They say this system could just be the tip of the iceberg.




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Going against the trend

(ETH Zurich) Global warming has affected the entire planet's surface, except for one particular area of the ocean, which has bucked the trend. A research team comprising scientists from ETH Zurich and Princeton University has unravelled the causes of this conundrum.




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Feinstein Blasts Tara Reade: ‘Where Has She Been All These Years?’

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) on Thursday attacked former Joe Biden staffer Tara Reade, who alleges she was sexually assaulted by Biden in the spring of 1993.Feinstein said the allegations were “totally different” than those against Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh.“Kavanaugh was under the harshest inspection that we give people over a substantial period of time,” Feinstein told CNN on Thursday. “And I don't know this person at all [Reade] who has made the allegations [against Biden]. She came out of nowhere. Where has she been all these years? He was vice president.”Christine Blasey Ford, Kavanaugh's accuser, claimed that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in 1982, an allegation that was known by Feinstein's office before it was publicly reported in September 2018. Feinstein later denied that she or anyone in her office had withheld Ford's allegation for political purposes or had leaked the allegation to the press.Reade, meanwhile, called on Biden to drop out of the presidential race in an interview with Megyn Kelly released Thursday.“I want to say: You were there, Joe Biden. Please, step forward and be held accountable. You should not be running on character for the president of the United States,” Reade said.





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Life-Saving Lullabies warn against the dangers of COVID-19 to African women

(University of Huddersfield) A team of researchers received funding of almost £130,000 to work with a group of women in Zambia and create songs that warn against the dangers of the coronavirus -- and now New York wants to hear them.




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Strengthening Urban Preparedness and Resilience Against Biological Threats in Accra

Invitation Only Research Event

1 March 2019 - 10:30am to 2 March 2019 - 3:00pm

Chatham House, London

Capacity to contain and respond to biological threats varies considerably across the world. Yet such preparedness is vital for prevention, impact-reduction and resilience in the face of biological events, whether they be natural or deliberate outbreaks.

Chatham House is conducting a series of meetings to strengthen urban preparedness for, and resilience against, biological threats in African countries. This meeting will examine the preparedness and prevention mechanisms in Accra, reviewing the comprehensiveness of city-level preparedness.  

This meeting will focus on the formation and implementation of city-level action plans in the context of preparedness for managing biological threats. It will also explore how local authorities are contributing to this effort with their knowledge and expertise.

Attendance at this event is by invitation only.

Nilza Amaral

Project Manager, International Security Programme




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Evidence Against an Important Role of Plasma Insulin and Glucagon Concentrations in the Increase in EGP Caused by SGLT2 Inhibitors

Sodium–glucose cotransport 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) lower plasma glucose but stimulate endogenous glucose production (EGP). The current study examined the effect of dapagliflozin on EGP while clamping plasma glucose, insulin, and glucagon concentrations at their fasting level. Thirty-eight patients with type 2 diabetes received an 8-h measurement of EGP ([3-3H]-glucose) on three occasions. After a 3-h tracer equilibration, subjects received 1) dapagliflozin 10 mg (n = 26) or placebo (n = 12); 2) repeat EGP measurement with the plasma glucose concentration clamped at the fasting level; and 3) repeat EGP measurement with inhibition of insulin and glucagon secretion with somatostatin infusion and replacement of basal plasma insulin and glucagon concentrations. In study 1, the change in EGP (baseline to last hour of EGP measurement) in subjects receiving dapagliflozin was 22% greater (+0.66 ± 0.11 mg/kg/min, P < 0.05) than in subjects receiving placebo, and it was associated with a significant increase in plasma glucagon and a decrease in the plasma insulin concentration compared with placebo. Under glucose clamp conditions (study 2), the change in plasma insulin and glucagon concentrations was comparable in subjects receiving dapagliflozin and placebo, yet the difference in EGP between dapagliflozin and placebo persisted (+0.71 ± 0.13 mg/kg/min, P < 0.01). Under pancreatic clamp conditions (study 3), dapagliflozin produced an initial large decrease in EGP (8% below placebo), followed by a progressive increase in EGP that was 10.6% greater than placebo during the last hour. Collectively, these results indicate that 1) the changes in plasma insulin and glucagon concentration after SGLT2i administration are secondary to the decrease in plasma glucose concentration, and 2) the dapagliflozin-induced increase in EGP cannot be explained by the increase in plasma glucagon or decrease in plasma insulin or glucose concentrations.




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In vivo instability of 177Lu-DOTATATE during peptide receptor radionuclide therapy

Peptide receptor radiotherapy using 177Lu-labeled somatostatin ligand analogs is a well-established treatment for neuroendocrine tumors (NET), with 177Lu-DOTATATE having acquired marketing authorization in Europe and the USA. The investigation of the pharmacokinetics of those radiopharmaceuticals in vivo in humans is crucial for personalized treatment management and understanding of treatment effects. It requires input data on the in vivo stability of the radiopharmaceuticals in blood and plasma. The work presented here is devoted to the investigation of in vivo stability of 177Lu-DOTATATE in humans affected by NET. Unexpectedly, fast metabolism of the radiopharmaceutical was observed, with fraction of intact 177Lu-DOTATATE in plasma decreasing rapidly to 23±5% (mean ± SD) at 24 h and 1.7±0.9% at 96 h after injection.




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Multi-omic Characterization of the Mode of Action of a Potent New Antimalarial Compound, JPC-3210, Against Plasmodium falciparum [Research]

The increasing incidence of antimalarial drug resistance to the first-line artemisinin combination therapies underpins an urgent need for new antimalarial drugs, ideally with a novel mode of action. The recently developed 2-aminomethylphenol, JPC-3210, (MMV 892646) is an erythrocytic schizonticide with potent in vitro antimalarial activity against multidrug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum lines, low cytotoxicity, potent in vivo efficacy against murine malaria, and favorable preclinical pharmacokinetics including a lengthy plasma elimination half-life. To investigate the impact of JPC-3210 on biochemical pathways within P. falciparum-infected red blood cells, we have applied a "multi-omics" workflow based on high resolution orbitrap mass spectrometry combined with biochemical approaches. Metabolomics, peptidomics and hemoglobin fractionation analyses revealed a perturbation in hemoglobin metabolism following JPC-3210 exposure. The metabolomics data demonstrated a specific depletion of short hemoglobin-derived peptides, peptidomics analysis revealed a depletion of longer hemoglobin-derived peptides, and the hemoglobin fractionation assay demonstrated decreases in hemoglobin, heme and hemozoin levels. To further elucidate the mechanism responsible for inhibition of hemoglobin metabolism, we used in vitro β-hematin polymerization assays and showed JPC-3210 to be an intermediate inhibitor of β-hematin polymerization, about 10-fold less potent then the quinoline antimalarials, such as chloroquine and mefloquine. Further, quantitative proteomics analysis showed that JPC-3210 treatment results in a distinct proteomic signature compared with other known antimalarials. While JPC-3210 clustered closely with mefloquine in the metabolomics and proteomics analyses, a key differentiating signature for JPC-3210 was the significant enrichment of parasite proteins involved in regulation of translation. These studies revealed that the mode of action for JPC-3210 involves inhibition of the hemoglobin digestion pathway and elevation of regulators of protein translation. Importantly, JPC-3210 demonstrated rapid parasite killing kinetics compared with other quinolones, suggesting that JPC-3210 warrants further investigation as a potentially long acting partner drug for malaria treatment.




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How federal government departments are protecting Australians' data against cyber hack

Cyber Security Minister Dan Tehan says the government can't rule out vulnerabilities to cyber threats.




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Webinar: Coordinating the Fight Against Financial Crime

Corporate Members Event Webinar

1 July 2020 - 5:00pm to 6:00pm
Add to Calendar

Che Sidanius, Global Head of Regulation & Industry Affairs, Refinitiv

Patricia Sullivan, Global Co-Head, Financial Crime Compliance, Standard Chartered

Dame Sara Thornton, Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, UK

Chair: Tom Keatinge, Director, Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, RUSI

 

Illicit finance not only threatens financial stability and inclusion but also provides support for terrorism and is a primary incentive for human trafficking, the illegal wildlife trade and narcotics smuggling. Frequently, actors capitalize on loopholes and inefficiencies resulting from the lack of a coordinated response to financial crime and an underpowered global system for tracking illicit financial flows. Enhanced public-private partnerships, in addition to investment in tackling financial crime from governments, international bodies and private industries, are necessary to develop regulatory frameworks, effective responses and valuable coordination between law enforcement, policymakers, regulators and financial institutions. But how should businesses structure their efforts so that their business interests are protected and the work they do is of use to others fighting financial crime?

This webinar will explore solutions to enable public-private partnerships to work together to combat financial crime. What do successful partnerships need from each side to ensure that the work being done is efficient and effective? How can the industry’s internal effectiveness impact the ‘real-world’ victims? And what barriers impede public-private partnerships operating as a force for good? 

This event is part of a fortnightly series of 'Business in Focus' webinars reflecting on the impact of COVID-19 on areas of particular professional interest for our corporate members and giving circles.

Not a corporate member? Find out more.




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A novel GPER antagonist protects against the formation of estrogen-induced cholesterol gallstones in female mice

Chelsea DeLeon
May 1, 2020; 61:767-777
Research Articles




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Episode 26 - The Internet of Small Hands Big Phones (IoSHBP) Galaxy Note7, GDS & Instagram stories

Matt Egan is back in the hosting chair to chat with producer Chris about the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and how we feel about phablets. Techworld.com editor Charlotte Jee comes in to explain what is going on at the GDS (government digital service) and why we should care (13:00). Then online editor at Techworld.com Scott Carey chats Instagram stories, why it is a blatant rip off of Snapchat stories and how the social media giant can get away with being so brazen (22:00).  


See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.




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A novel GPER antagonist protects against the formation of estrogen-induced cholesterol gallstones in female mice [Research Articles]

Many clinical studies and epidemiological investigations have clearly demonstrated that women are twice as likely to develop cholesterol gallstones as men, and oral contraceptives and other estrogen therapies dramatically increase that risk. Further, animal studies have revealed that estrogen promotes cholesterol gallstone formation through the estrogen receptor (ER) α, but not ERβ, pathway. More importantly, some genetic and pathophysiological studies have found that G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) 1 is a new gallstone gene, Lith18, on chromosome 5 in mice and produces additional lithogenic actions, working independently of ERα, to markedly increase cholelithogenesis in female mice. Based on computational modeling of GPER, a novel series of GPER-selective antagonists were designed, synthesized, and subsequently assessed for their therapeutic effects via calcium mobilization, cAMP, and ERα and ERβ fluorescence polarization binding assays. From this series of compounds, one new compound, 2-cyclohexyl-4-isopropyl-N-(4-methoxybenzyl)aniline (CIMBA), exhibits superior antagonism and selectivity exclusively for GPER. Furthermore, CIMBA reduces the formation of 17β-estradiol-induced gallstones in a dose-dependent manner in ovariectomized mice fed a lithogenic diet for 8 weeks. At 32 μg/day/kg CIMBA, no gallstones are found, even in ovariectomized ERα (–/–) mice treated with 6 μg/day 17β-estradiol and fed the lithogenic diet for 8 weeks. In conclusion, CIMBA treatment protects against the formation of estrogen-induced cholesterol gallstones by inhibiting the GPER signaling pathway in female mice. CIMBA may thus be a new agent for effectively treating cholesterol gallstone disease in women.­




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Problem Notes for SAS®9 - 60332: A SAS 9.4 installation in Update mode notifies you about unwritable files in the "SASHome\SASWebApplicationServer" directory

When you run SAS Deployment Wizard to install or update SAS 9.4 software, the file system is examined. If any files that the wizard needs to delete are found to be locked, they are reported as unwritable f




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Problem Notes for SAS®9 - 65918: SAS Workflow Services fails to respond after a com.sas.workflow.engine.policy.PolicyExecutionException error occurs for a workflow instance

When the problem occurs, you are unable to perform any workflow actions in a SAS solution that uses SAS Workflow Services.




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Problem Notes for SAS®9 - 65904: SAS Federation Server stops responding when you run queries against X_OBJECT_PRIVILEGES in SYSCAT and the queries run for hours

The select * from "SYSCAT"."SYSCAT"."X_EFFECTIVE_OBJECT_PRIVILEGES" query runs for hours. In this scenario, SAS Federation Server stops responding, making it unavailable for use. Restarting SAS Federation Server solves t