critical

Critically endangered sawfish deaths on cattle station drew fears of 'negative story', FOI reveals

There have been calls for greater transparency on remote cattle stations after a FOI request revealed a push to keep the mass death of a critically endangered species under wraps.




critical

Possum finishing school helps critically endangered animals prepare for life in the wild

A finishing school for western ringtail possums is not about airs and graces it's about helping orphaned possums get used to fending for themselves.




critical

This federal election, Victoria will be critical for a change

Usually, federal elections are decided outside Victoria. This one could be different, with Bill Shorten hoping to pick up a number of seats in his home state that were once considered Liberal bastions.




critical

Darwin residents fear for future water security as underground aquifers run critically low

Residents have been left vulnerable and fearing for their future water security as underground aquifers run critically low in rural Darwin and communities fear what a second poor wet season could mean for their future.




critical

The cost of cancer: Everyday Australians 'one critical health event' away from financial stress and poverty

Last year, Nigel Shedden got married to wife Belinda and together they moved into their dream home. Today, the couple are living with Mr Shedden's mother, and the home they spent 18 months building has been sold.




critical

Second crane incident in Far North Queensland leaves two men critical

Two men are critically injured after a crane overturns near Mareeba in Far North Queensland this morning. The crash follows the death of a man in a separate crane incident on Sunday.




critical

LIVExchange conference sees participants nominate animal welfare as critical to live export's future

LIVExchange 2019, an annual live exporters conference and themed 'welfare beyond borders', acknowledges of the public relations problems the trade faces.




critical

Critically-Acclaimed Folk Artist Mara Levine Announces Northeast Fall Tour Dates And Prestigious Juried Showcase At The Northeast Regional Folk Alliance Conference

Facets Of Folk Hit #1 On The Folk Alliance International Folk DJ Charts And Is Now On The List For Consideration For The Grammy® For Best Folk Album




critical

Critically-Acclaimed Folk Artist Mara Levine Announces Northeast Fall Tour Dates And Prestigious Juried Showcase At The Northeast Regional Folk Alliance Conference

Facets Of Folk Hit #1 On The Folk Alliance International Folk DJ Charts And Is Now On The List For Consideration For The Grammy® For Best Folk Album




critical

Eric B.'s Daughter In Critical Condition After Car Accident



Erica Barrier, 28, suffered serious neck and spine injuries.




critical

GPR160 de-orphanization reveals critical roles in neuropathic pain in rodents

Treating neuropathic pain is challenging and novel non–opioid-based medicines are needed. Using unbiased receptomics, transcriptomic analyses, immunofluorescence, and in situ hybridization, we found that the expression of the orphan GPCR Gpr160 and GPR160 increased in the rodent dorsal horn of the spinal cord following traumatic nerve injury. Genetic and immunopharmacological approaches demonstrated that GPR160 inhibition in the spinal cord prevented and reversed neuropathic pain in male and female rodents without altering normal pain response. GPR160 inhibition in the spinal cord attenuated sensory processing in the thalamus, a key relay in the sensory discriminative pathways of pain. We also identified cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript peptide (CARTp) as a GPR160 ligand. Inhibiting endogenous CARTp signaling in spinal cord attenuated neuropathic pain, whereas exogenous intrathecal CARTp evoked painful hypersensitivity through GPR160-dependent ERK and cAMP response element–binding protein (CREB). Our findings de-orphanize GPR160, identify it as a determinant of neuropathic pain and potential therapeutic target, and provide insights into its signaling pathways. CARTp is involved in many diseases including depression and reward and addiction; de-orphanization of GPR160 is a major step forward understanding the role of CARTp signaling in health and disease.




critical

INPEX selects IBM to manage operation critical apps in Australia

INPEX selects IBM to manage operation critical apps in Australia




critical

As today’s homes burn faster than ever, this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign presents critical home escape planning and practice messages

Knowing that today’s homes burn faster than ever, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) announced “Every Second Counts: Plan Two Ways Out” as the official theme for this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, October 8-14, 2017. Experts say you may have as little as two minutes (or even less) to safely escape a typical home fire from the time the smoke alarm sounds.




critical

Unpatchable 'Starbleed' Bug in FPGA Chips Exposes Critical Devices to Hackers

A newly discovered unpatchable hardware vulnerability in Xilinx programmable logic products could allow an attacker to break bitstream encryption, and clone intellectual property, change the functionality, and even implant hardware Trojans. The details of the attacks against Xilinx 7-Series and Virtex-6 Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) have been covered in a paper titled "The




critical

Critical Security Patches Released for Magento, Adobe Illustrator and Bridge

It's not 'Patch Tuesday,' but software giant Adobe today released emergency updates for three of its widely used products that patch dozens of newly discovered critical vulnerabilities. The list of affected software includes Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Bridge, and Magento e-commerce platform, containing a total of 35 vulnerabilities where each one of them is affected with multiple critical




critical

Critical Bugs Found in 3 Popular e-Learning Plugins for WordPress Sites

Security researchers are sounding the alarm over newly discovered vulnerabilities in some popular online learning management system (LMS) plugins that various organizations and universities use to offer online training courses through their WordPress-based websites. According to the Check Point Research Team, the three WordPress plugins in question — LearnPress, LearnDash, and LifterLMS —




critical

Critical SaltStack RCE Bug (CVSS Score 10) Affects Thousands of Data Centers

Two severe security flaws have been discovered in the open-source SaltStack Salt configuration framework that could allow an adversary to execute arbitrary code on remote servers deployed in data centers and cloud environments. The vulnerabilities were identified by F-Secure researchers earlier this March and disclosed on Thursday, a day after SaltStack released a patch (version 3000.2)




critical

Pass an essential workers’ bill of rights: During crisis, give those doing critical jobs added protections and pay

The COVID-19 crisis is laying bare our city’s extreme racial and economic inequality. Not only have communities of color borne the brunt of the pandemic, but workers of color make up 75% of New York’s essential workers, the people who are risking their health to provide the services on which we all rely.




critical

SEE IT: Deranged man on rampage stabs two men in Brooklyn, leaving both in critical condition

The mayhem began when the assailant went berzerk inside an apartment building on Dorchester Road and East 21 St. in Flatbush about 10:50 p.m. Saturday, punching and kicking two men before stabbing one multiple times, police said.




critical

NYC officials ask for help for daycares providing critical services during coronavirus crisis

The small businesses, many of which already run on razor-thin margins, are struggling to make end meet amid the crisis.




critical

This hypocritical self-indulgence has wrecked Ferguson’s credibility, says LEO McKINSTRY



HYPOCRISY is one of the aggravating sins of the progressive elite. There is nothing more sickening than the failure of prominent figures to abide by the standards they seek to impose on others. Such double standards can be found in socialists who rage against private education but send their children to fee-paying schools, or in eco warriors who wail about carbon footprints while globe-trotting in luxury jets.




critical

This hypocritical self-indulgence has wrecked Ferguson’s credibility, says LEO McKINSTRY



HYPOCRISY is one of the aggravating sins of the progressive elite. There is nothing more sickening than the failure of prominent figures to abide by the standards they seek to impose on others. Such double standards can be found in socialists who rage against private education but send their children to fee-paying schools, or in eco warriors who wail about carbon footprints while globe-trotting in luxury jets.




critical

The covid-19 pandemic has revealed another area of critical government underinvestment

Archaic computer technology is hampering the effort to combat the effects of covid-19 in the United States.




critical

News24.com | International Covid-19 news: US job losses 'worst in history', 'critical' shortage of testing kits

All the latest Covid-19 updates from around the world.




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Reducing meat consumption critical to achieving global climate goal

18 November 2015

20151124DietClimateChange.jpg

Grand Central Market in Los Angeles, California, October 2015. Photo: Getty Images.

In the week before governments assemble in Paris to agree a global climate deal, a new report from Chatham House shows that a worldwide shift to healthier diets could help close the gap between current emissions reduction plans and what is needed to prevent dangerous climate change.

Pledges from countries attending the 21st UNFCCC Conference of the Parties put the world on track for around 3 degrees of warming by 2100, leaving governments with much more still to do. Changing diets to healthy levels of meat consumption could generate a quarter of the remaining emission reductions needed to keep warming below the ‘danger level’ of 2 degrees Celsius – the main goal of the climate negotiations.

Changing Climate, Changing Diets: Pathways to Lower Meat Consumption by Laura Wellesley, Catherine Happer and Antony Froggatt argues that, ultimately, dietary change is fundamental to achieving the 2 degrees goal. The livestock sector is already responsible for 15 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Unless strong demand growth for meat is curtailed, livestock sector emissions will increase to the point where dangerous climate change is unavoidable.

Dietary change would also have major health benefits. Global per capita meat consumption is already above healthy levels, and double the recommended amount in industrialized countries. Too much red and processed meat is associated with an increased risk of non-communicable diseases, in particular cancer, as found most recently by the World Health Organization.

'Reducing meat consumption is a real win-win for health and for the climate,' says report author Laura Wellesley. 'As governments look for strategies to close the Paris emissions gap quickly and cheaply, dietary change should be high on the list.'

However, the report finds that governments are ignoring the opportunity. Reducing meat consumption does not feature in a single national emissions reduction plan submitted in advance of the Paris meeting. Governments are afraid to interfere in lifestyle choices for fear of public backlash.

But new research undertaken for the report, including an innovative public survey in 12 countries and focus groups in Brazil, China, the United Kingdom, and the United States shows that government fears are exaggerated. Once aware of the link between meat and climate change, consumers accept the need for government action. Even unpopular interventions to make meat more expensive, for example through a carbon tax, would face diminishing resistance as publics come to understand the rationale behind intervention.

To build support for government action, the report recommends initiatives to raise public awareness of the climate and health impacts of excessive meat consumption. Governments should pursue comprehensive strategies to shift diets, including policies on labelling, public procurement, regulation and pricing.

'Raising awareness about the health and environmental impacts of meat is an important first step, but on its own it will not lead to significant behaviour change. Governments must do more to influence diets,' added Wellesley.

Editor's notes

Read Changing Climate, Changing Diets: Pathways to Lower Meat Consumption by Laura Wellesley, Catherine Happer and Antony Froggatt.

This report is embargoed until 00:01 GMT on Tuesday 24 November.         

To arrange an interview with the authors please contact the press office.

This research project was carried out in conjunction with Glasgow University Media Group.  

Further research findings:

  • Meat consumption has already reached excessive levels in many Western countries: in industrialized countries, it is around twice the amount deemed healthy by experts. And with the rise of new meat-eating middle classes in developing countries, global meat consumption is set to increase by 76 per cent by 2050.
  • Action on diets could also lower the costs of climate action across the rest of the economy by 50 per cent, while presenting a win-win strategy for policy-makers in terms of public health benefits.
  • In the UK and US, men are more likely to want to eat more meat than women.
  • In China, the desire to eat meat increases in line with income, while in the US and UK, wealthier people are less likely to say they want to eat more meat.
  • In the UK and US, climate change is a more politicized and divisive issue, and people are more sceptical about the science.
  • The US respondents remained most sceptical about the data presented to them.
  • In the UK and US, people were reluctant to take personal responsibility for climate change, seeing it as something those in public roles were responsible for.
  • The highest levels of concern around food safety and animal welfare associated with meat production were found among US respondents. 
  • People in the UK were most likely to eat less meat for health reasons.
  • In the UK and US, meat was associated positively with nutrition and fulfilment, but negatively with health and food safety.

The executive summary of the report is available in Mandarin and Portuguese.       

Read the International Agency for Research on Cancer/World Health Organization monographs evaluation on consumption of red meat and processed meat, 26 October 2015. 

Contacts

Press Office

+44 (0)20 7957 5739




critical

DHHC7-mediated palmitoylation of the accessory protein barttin critically regulates the functions of ClC-K chloride channels [Cell Biology]

Barttin is the accessory subunit of the human ClC-K chloride channels, which are expressed in both the kidney and inner ear. Barttin promotes trafficking of the complex it forms with ClC-K to the plasma membrane and is involved in activating this channel. Barttin undergoes post-translational palmitoylation that is essential for its functions, but the enzyme(s) catalyzing this post-translational modification is unknown. Here, we identified zinc finger DHHC-type containing 7 (DHHC7) protein as an important barttin palmitoyl acyltransferase, whose depletion affected barttin palmitoylation and ClC-K-barttin channel activation. We investigated the functional role of barttin palmitoylation in vivo in Zdhhc7−/− mice. Although palmitoylation of barttin in kidneys of Zdhhc7−/− animals was significantly decreased, it did not pathologically alter kidney structure and functions under physiological conditions. However, when Zdhhc7−/− mice were fed a low-salt diet, they developed hyponatremia and mild metabolic alkalosis, symptoms characteristic of human Bartter syndrome (BS) type IV. Of note, we also observed decreased palmitoylation of the disease-causing R8L barttin variant associated with human BS type IV. Our results indicate that dysregulated DHHC7-mediated barttin palmitoylation appears to play an important role in chloride channel dysfunction in certain BS variants, suggesting that targeting DHHC7 activity may offer a potential therapeutic strategy for reducing hypertension.




critical

Fish oils and plasma lipid and lipoprotein metabolism in humans: a critical review

WS Harris
Jun 1, 1989; 30:785-807
Reviews




critical

Rethinking youth bulge theory in policy and scholarship: incorporating critical gender analysis

7 May 2020 , Volume 96, Number 3

Lesley Pruitt

For decades ‘youth bulge’ theory has dominated understandings of youth in mainstream International Relations. Youth bulge theory has also become part of some public media analyses, mainstream political rhetoric, and even officially enshrined in the foreign policy of some states. Through the ‘youth bulge’ lens, youth—especially males—have been presented as current or future perpetrators of violence. However, this article argues that the youth bulge thesis postulated in mainstream IR is based on flawed theoretical assumptions. In particular, supporters of youth bulge theory fail to engage with existing research by feminist IR scholars and thus take on a biological essentialist approach. This has led to theoretical and practical misunderstandings of the roles youth play in relation to conflict, peace and security. These partial and biased understandings have also resulted in less effective policy-making. In critically reflecting on the ‘youth bulge’ thesis, this article argues that applying gender analysis is crucial to understanding the involvement of young people in general—and young men in particular—in conflict. Doing so will contribute to advancing more accurate analysis in scholarship and policy-making.




critical

Unified approach to critical-contrast homogenisation with explicit links to time-dispersive media

K. D. Cherednichenko, Yu. Yu. Ershova, A. V. Kiselev and S. N. Naboko
Trans. Moscow Math. Soc. 80 (2020), 251-294.
Abstract, references and article information




critical

Firefox 76.0 released with critical security patches – update now

Firefox's latest version is out, with new password management features and a raft of security fixes.




critical

CBD News: An important regional initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD) will highlight the critical role of biodiversity and ecosystems in economic




critical

CBD Communiqué: G8 Leaders Highlight Critical Importance of Biodiversity.




critical

CBD News: Each year, migratory birds complete amazing journeys between their breeding and wintering grounds. Migratory birds are a vital part of biodiversity and play a critical role in all ecosystems. They also play an important cultural, aesthetic and e




critical

CBD News: Poverty eradication is one of the greatest global challenges facing us today. Fortunately, the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of biodiversity can provide solutions to a range of societal challenges and is critical to achieving the




critical

CBD News: At a critical meeting opening tomorrow, the United Nations will call on decision makers from more than 190 countries to step up efforts to halt the loss of biodiversity and protect the ecosystems that support food and water security and health f




critical

CBD News: The science body under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) meets this week to discuss a wide array of biodiversity-related issues critical for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and tackling climate change. These dis




critical

CBD News: Forests are essential for cities around the world. Forest ecosystems provide water and other critical services on which cities depend.




critical

CBD News: Inspired by discussions on the possibilities of transformational change, a keynote address by Canadian astronaut Roberta Bondar, and a celebration of indigenous culture, more than 1,000 delegates from around the world concluded two critical meet




critical

CBD News: This year's World Tourism Day theme, 'Tourism and jobs: A better future for all', serves to highlight the critical role tourism, and ultimately nature, plays in job creation.




critical

CBD News: Migratory birds are a critical link in the global web of life, that not only capture our imagination but connect different ecosystems and species.




critical

CBD News: Rural women are an indisputable force behind efforts to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity all over the world, and as such they are critical players in building climate resilience.




critical

Discontinuous critical Fujita exponents for the heat equation with combined nonlinearities

Mohamed Jleli, Bessem Samet and Philippe Souplet
Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 148 (2020), 2579-2593.
Abstract, references and article information




critical

DHHC7-mediated palmitoylation of the accessory protein barttin critically regulates the functions of ClC-K chloride channels [Cell Biology]

Barttin is the accessory subunit of the human ClC-K chloride channels, which are expressed in both the kidney and inner ear. Barttin promotes trafficking of the complex it forms with ClC-K to the plasma membrane and is involved in activating this channel. Barttin undergoes post-translational palmitoylation that is essential for its functions, but the enzyme(s) catalyzing this post-translational modification is unknown. Here, we identified zinc finger DHHC-type containing 7 (DHHC7) protein as an important barttin palmitoyl acyltransferase, whose depletion affected barttin palmitoylation and ClC-K-barttin channel activation. We investigated the functional role of barttin palmitoylation in vivo in Zdhhc7−/− mice. Although palmitoylation of barttin in kidneys of Zdhhc7−/− animals was significantly decreased, it did not pathologically alter kidney structure and functions under physiological conditions. However, when Zdhhc7−/− mice were fed a low-salt diet, they developed hyponatremia and mild metabolic alkalosis, symptoms characteristic of human Bartter syndrome (BS) type IV. Of note, we also observed decreased palmitoylation of the disease-causing R8L barttin variant associated with human BS type IV. Our results indicate that dysregulated DHHC7-mediated barttin palmitoylation appears to play an important role in chloride channel dysfunction in certain BS variants, suggesting that targeting DHHC7 activity may offer a potential therapeutic strategy for reducing hypertension.




critical

New Research: Entrepreneurship, New Business Creation are Critical to COVID-19 Economic Recovery

Tuesday, May 5, 2020 - 09:00

Working Paper from Columbia Business School Emphasizes the Need to Accelerate New Businesses, Not Just Protect Existing Ones, to Restore the U.S. Economy




critical

Technologies to extract, purify critical rare earth metals could be a 'game changer'

(Purdue University) New environmentally friendly technologies promise to be 'game changers' in the rare earth metals field and enable the US to create a more stable and reliable domestic source of these essential metals. Purdue University patented extraction and purifying processes using ligand-assisted chromatography are shown to remove and purify such metals from coal ash, recycled magnets and raw ore safely, efficiently and with virtually no detrimental environmental impact.




critical

Pharmacotherapy for Hyperglycemia in Noncritically Ill Hospitalized Patients

Carlos E. Mendez
Aug 1, 2014; 27:180-188
From Research to Practice




critical

Microsoft cloud targets critical government business in Canberra

Two new regions of Microsoft's Azure cloud will open in Canberra on Tuesday.




critical

Rethinking youth bulge theory in policy and scholarship: incorporating critical gender analysis

7 May 2020 , Volume 96, Number 3

Lesley Pruitt

For decades ‘youth bulge’ theory has dominated understandings of youth in mainstream International Relations. Youth bulge theory has also become part of some public media analyses, mainstream political rhetoric, and even officially enshrined in the foreign policy of some states. Through the ‘youth bulge’ lens, youth—especially males—have been presented as current or future perpetrators of violence. However, this article argues that the youth bulge thesis postulated in mainstream IR is based on flawed theoretical assumptions. In particular, supporters of youth bulge theory fail to engage with existing research by feminist IR scholars and thus take on a biological essentialist approach. This has led to theoretical and practical misunderstandings of the roles youth play in relation to conflict, peace and security. These partial and biased understandings have also resulted in less effective policy-making. In critically reflecting on the ‘youth bulge’ thesis, this article argues that applying gender analysis is crucial to understanding the involvement of young people in general—and young men in particular—in conflict. Doing so will contribute to advancing more accurate analysis in scholarship and policy-making.




critical

Adipose Triglyceride Lipase is a Key Lipase for the Mobilization of Lipid Droplets in Human Beta Cells and Critical for the Maintenance of Syntaxin1a Level in Beta Cells

Lipid droplets (LDs) are frequently increased when excessive lipid accumulation leads to cellular dysfunction. Distinct from mouse beta cells, LDs are prominent in human beta cells, however, the regulation of LD mobilization (lipolysis) in human beta cells remains unclear. We found that glucose increases lipolysis in non-diabetic human islets, but not in type 2 diabetic (T2D) islets, indicating dysregulation of lipolysis in T2D islets. Silencing adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) in human pseudoislets (shATGL) increased triglycerides, and the number and size of LDs indicating that ATGL is the principal lipase in human beta cells. In shATGL pseudoislets, biphasic glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) and insulin secretion to IBMX and KCl were all reduced without altering oxygen consumption rate compared with scramble control. Like human islets, INS1 cells showed visible LDs, glucose responsive lipolysis, and impairment of GSIS after ATGL silencing. ATGL deficient INS1 cells and human pseudoislets showed reduced Stx1a, a key SNARE component. Proteasomal degradation of Stx1a was accelerated likely through reduced palmitoylation in ATGL deficient INS1 cells. Therefore, ATGL is responsible for LD mobilization in human beta cells and supports insulin secretion by stabilizing Stx1a. The dysregulated lipolysis may contribute to LD accumulation and beta cell dysfunction in T2D islets.




critical

Adipose Triglyceride Lipase is a Key Lipase for the Mobilization of Lipid Droplets in Human Beta Cells and Critical for the Maintenance of Syntaxin1a Level in Beta Cells

Lipid droplets (LDs) are frequently increased when excessive lipid accumulation leads to cellular dysfunction. Distinct from mouse beta cells, LDs are prominent in human beta cells, however, the regulation of LD mobilization (lipolysis) in human beta cells remains unclear. We found that glucose increases lipolysis in non-diabetic human islets, but not in type 2 diabetic (T2D) islets, indicating dysregulation of lipolysis in T2D islets. Silencing adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) in human pseudoislets (shATGL) increased triglycerides, and the number and size of LDs indicating that ATGL is the principal lipase in human beta cells. In shATGL pseudoislets, biphasic glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) and insulin secretion to IBMX and KCl were all reduced without altering oxygen consumption rate compared with scramble control. Like human islets, INS1 cells showed visible LDs, glucose responsive lipolysis, and impairment of GSIS after ATGL silencing. ATGL deficient INS1 cells and human pseudoislets showed reduced Stx1a, a key SNARE component. Proteasomal degradation of Stx1a was accelerated likely through reduced palmitoylation in ATGL deficient INS1 cells. Therefore, ATGL is responsible for LD mobilization in human beta cells and supports insulin secretion by stabilizing Stx1a. The dysregulated lipolysis may contribute to LD accumulation and beta cell dysfunction in T2D islets.