THIS is a story of two businesses and of two very different approaches to our current exigencies.The first concerns my local laundry CleanCall, which devised a means to keep going and contributing to the economy.

IndyCar driver Zach Veach and a 1909 car are making a guest appearance during the Indianapolis Opera's production of "Elixir of Love."

"Cultural Journey: Mexico" is sequel to India-themed event presented last summer by Heartland Film.

An off-duty Plainfield police officer was arrested Friday night on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

Eduardo Massad diz que próxima pandemia depois de coronavírus deve ser avassaladora e defende que o mundo aprenda mais sobre medidas de distanciamento social.

The Vasquez family makes tamales to sell at the Carmel Farmer's Market

Modern rock giants Weezer and Pixies deliver power-meets-melody masterpieces in Indiana.

Loco Mexican Restaurant to fill space where LongBranch, 22nd Street Diner failed.

Who would you select in an all-time Indian Premier League XI?

It comes after reports that garden centres in England and Wales are set to reopen.

A union representing taxi drivers estimates 80,000 "are in danger of becoming destitute" in lockdown.

Where's the beef? In California, it is still available, but meat eaters might need to settle for cuts other than prime steaks. The industry is dealing with production backups caused by coronavirus pandemic.

The NFL has instituted a league-wide policy in which fans who buy tickets directly from teams can receive refunds for games that are canceled.

Eriksson apologises for a trail of major tournament failures

An overview of Xinjiang, including key facts, political leaders and notes on the media

1. Xiaomi Mi 10 5G vs OnePlus 8: Chinese Mid-Range Flagship Brawl  News18
2. Can the Mi 10 Help Xiaomi Be Seen as a Premium Brand in India?  Gadgets 360
3. “Too expensive!”: Does Xiaomi have an image problem in India?  TechPP
4. Xiaomi Mi 10 vs OnePlus 8 Pro: A quick comparison of two flagship phones  India Today
5. Xiaomi launches Mi 10 with 108MP camera: Price, offers and other details  Livemint
6. View Full coverage on Google News

A chronology of key events

Key facts, figures and dates

The SeaBubble is a new form of urban transportation that could offer Parisians a watery alternative to hailing a taxi, driving a car or hopping on an electric scooter.

Teaching students to read is the first job of our schools. How can we help all students become strong, confident readers? Literacy for All: Equitable Practices for Reading and Dyslexia was held on February 20, 2020 in Annapolis, Maryland. The event was hosted by National Center on Improving Literacy (NCIL), Decoding Dyslexia Maryland (DD-MD), and community partners. Reading experts from NCIL shared best practices in early screening and interventions supported by decades of reading research.

Teaching students to read is the first job of our schools. How can we help all students become strong, confident readers? Literacy for All: Equitable Practices for Reading and Dyslexia was held on February 20, 2020 in Annapolis, Maryland. The event was hosted by National Center on Improving Literacy (NCIL), Decoding Dyslexia Maryland (DD-MD), and community partners. Reading experts from NCIL shared best practices in early screening and interventions supported by decades of reading research.

Teaching students to read is the first job of our schools. How can we help all students become strong, confident readers? Literacy for All: Equitable Practices for Reading and Dyslexia was held on February 20, 2020 in Annapolis, Maryland. The event was hosted by National Center on Improving Literacy (NCIL), Decoding Dyslexia Maryland (DD-MD), and community partners. Reading experts from NCIL shared best practices in early screening and interventions supported by decades of reading research.

New Mexico

The Amateur Traveler talks to Robin Noelle (author of next year’s edition of the Moon Guidebook for Puerto Vallarta) about Puerto Vallarta. Robin talks about the beach, the food, the jungle and 12 foot wide Manta rays.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Zora O'Neil who is one of the co-authors of the Rough Guide in the Yucatan guide book. Zora talks about this very beautiful, very tropical and very isolated part of Mexico. Learn about the beach communities (Riviera Maya - Cancun, Talum, Playa del Carmen; Costa Maya - Majahual, Xcalak; Isla Holbox), getting around, the food (Xni Pec, Achiote), the colonial cities (Merida) and the Mayan ruins (the Ruta Puc, Uxmal, Calakmul).

The Amateur Traveler talks to Sarah Menkedick about her adopted home town of Oaxaca Mexico. Sarah talks about her love for this sunny tropical city with both colonial and pre-columbian roots. Oaxaca has recovered from its political troubles but tourism is still down so this may be the perfect time to explore its markets, sample its food, marvel at its ruins, and relax in its public square. Sarah's top three reasons to come to Oaxaca are all food: mescal, mole and chile.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Anna Laura about her home city of Mexico City. We will talk about food, museums, architecture and history. We will puzzle about why the tourists stay in the Zona Rosa and we will tell you where they should go including Coyacan and Xochimilco. We will climb the world's third largest pyramid and eat street food. Discover this huge, bustling, diverse city. 20 million Mexico's can't be wrong.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Brook about her recent trip to Xi’an China. Xi’an is the capital of the Shaanxi province of China and is perhaps best known for the Terracotta Army of Chinese emperor Liu Bang, but what Brook and her husband discovered was a city that warrants more time to explore. Xi’an has a wonderfully rich history as the Chinese terminus of the famous Silk Road trading route. This link to the middle creates a Muslim influence still obvious in the mosques and markets of the city. The city is also still surrounded by its ancient wall which provides a great place for biking around its nearly 12km distance. Brook tells some of the story behind the Wild Goose Pagoda. She also dubs Xi’an the dumpling capital.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Shawn Farris about his recent trip to the Guangxi region in China. Guangxi is a lesser known but spectacular region in south western China known for its rugged karst mountains and green terraced rice paddies. Shawn explored the area hiking, biking and even kayaking through the countryside. Shawn describes it as a region that still has that “wide open, blue sky, rural feel to it.” The region can be accessed through the cities of Guilin or Yongshuo. During his trip Shawn met the strongest lady he had ever met as well as two of the most enterprising sellers of soda.

Chihuahua is also known for the beautiful Cooper Canyon which is best seen from the train that transverses it. Copper Canyon is a popular tourist destination with Mexicans. Copper Canyon is larger and portions are deeper than the Grande Canyon.

Hear about travel to Santa Fe, New Mexico as the Amateur Traveler talks to Billie Frank from SantaFeTravelers.com about her city, the second oldest in the United States and the oldest capital city in the U.S.

Hear about travel to Mazatlan, Mexico as the Amateur Traveler talks again to Craig Zabransky about this Mexico seaport. Mazatlan is on the west coast of Mexico.

Hear about travel to the state of Guanajuato Mexico (including San Miguel de Allende) as the Amateur Traveler talks to Tim Leffel of perceptivetravel.com about his adopted home.

Hear about travel to Far West China (Xinjiang) as theAmateur Traveler talks to Josh Summers from FarWestChina.com about his adopted home where China meets Central Asia.

Hear about travel to Baja Sur in Mexico as the Amateur Traveler talks to   author and travel writer Stuart Gustafson about his love affair with the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula. 

Hear about a road trip in Central Mexico as the Amateur Traveler talks to Amie from thetravelingtogetherjournal.com about a trip they took near Mexico City.

Hear about travel to Mexico City as the Amateur Traveler talks to Patrick Muntzinger from GermanBackPacker.com about the city where he lived for 4 months last Spring on a semester abroad.

Hear about travel to Albuquerque as Chris Christensen, the Amateur Traveler himself, talks about his trip to Albuquerque during the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. 

Hear about travel to Merida and the Yucatan Peninsula as the Amateur Traveler talks to Tommo & Megsy from foodfuntravel.com about their recent homebase.

This is not where I thought I’d be. If things had gone to plan, I would now be on a bus moving through the Peruvian countryside, smiling at the memory of my meals at Central and Maido, looking forward to sandboarding in Huacachina, seeing Machu Picchu, and exploring the Galapagos a few weeks after that. …

Sheltering in Place in Mexico City Read More »

The post Sheltering in Place in Mexico City appeared first on Adventurous Kate.

After spending two months living in Mérida and years of trips traveling through the Yucatán Peninsula, I’ve finally put together the best itinerary for two weeks in Mexico. Most travelers go to Mexico to lie on the beach for a week, maybe go on an excursion to a ruin or a cenote, and head straight …

Two Weeks in Mexico: The BEST Yucatán Road Trip Itinerary Read More »

The post Two Weeks in Mexico: The BEST Yucatán Road Trip Itinerary appeared first on Adventurous Kate.

The Ontario government gave garden centres and nurseries the green light to open their doors to the public on Friday.

Research Event

Event participants

Professor Jagjit S. Chadha, Director, NIESR
Dr Kamala Dawar, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Sussex; Fellow, UKTPO
Dr Michael Gasiorek, Senior Lecturer in Economics, University of Sussex; Director, Interanalysis; Fellow, UKTPO
Chair: Professor Jim Rollo, Deputy Director, UKTPO; Associate Fellow, Chatham House

The peroxisome is a subcellular organelle that functions in essential metabolic pathways, including biosynthesis of plasmalogens, fatty acid β-oxidation of very-long-chain fatty acids, and degradation of hydrogen peroxide. Peroxisome biogenesis disorders (PBDs) manifest as severe dysfunction in multiple organs, including the central nervous system (CNS), but the pathogenic mechanisms in PBDs are largely unknown. Because CNS integrity is coordinately established and maintained by neural cell interactions, we here investigated whether cell-cell communication is impaired and responsible for the neurological defects associated with PBDs. Results from a noncontact co-culture system consisting of primary hippocampal neurons with glial cells revealed that a peroxisome-deficient astrocytic cell line secretes increased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), resulting in axonal branching of the neurons. Of note, the BDNF expression in astrocytes was not affected by defects in plasmalogen biosynthesis and peroxisomal fatty acid β-oxidation in the astrocytes. Instead, we found that cytosolic reductive states caused by a mislocalized catalase in the peroxisome-deficient cells induce the elevation in BDNF secretion. Our results suggest that peroxisome deficiency dysregulates neuronal axogenesis by causing a cytosolic reductive state in astrocytes. We conclude that astrocytic peroxisomes regulate BDNF expression and thereby support neuronal integrity and function.

Carbon monoxide (CO) remains the most common cause of human poisoning. The consequences of CO poisoning include cardiac dysfunction, brain injury, and death. CO causes toxicity by binding to hemoglobin and by inhibiting mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase (CcO), thereby decreasing oxygen delivery and inhibiting oxidative phosphorylation. We have recently developed a CO antidote based on human neuroglobin (Ngb-H64Q-CCC). This molecule enhances clearance of CO from red blood cells in vitro and in vivo. Herein, we tested whether Ngb-H64Q-CCC can also scavenge CO from CcO and attenuate CO-induced inhibition of mitochondrial respiration. Heart tissue from mice exposed to 3% CO exhibited a 42 ± 19% reduction in tissue respiration rate and a 33 ± 38% reduction in CcO activity compared with unexposed mice. Intravenous infusion of Ngb-H64Q-CCC restored respiration rates to that of control mice correlating with higher electron transport chain CcO activity in Ngb-H64Q-CCC–treated compared with PBS-treated, CO-poisoned mice. Further, using a Clark-type oxygen electrode, we measured isolated rat liver mitochondrial respiration in the presence and absence of saturating solutions of CO (160 μm) and nitric oxide (100 μm). Both CO and NO inhibited respiration, and treatment with Ngb-H64Q-CCC (100 and 50 μm, respectively) significantly reversed this inhibition. These results suggest that Ngb-H64Q-CCC mitigates CO toxicity by scavenging CO from carboxyhemoglobin, improving systemic oxygen delivery and reversing the inhibitory effects of CO on mitochondria. We conclude that Ngb-H64Q-CCC or other CO scavengers demonstrate potential as antidotes that reverse the clinical and molecular effects of CO poisoning.

Manganese (Mn) is an essential micronutrient required for the normal development of many organs, including the brain. Although its roles as a cofactor in several enzymes and in maintaining optimal physiology are well-known, the overall biological functions of Mn are rather poorly understood. Alterations in body Mn status are associated with altered neuronal physiology and cognition in humans, and either overexposure or (more rarely) insufficiency can cause neurological dysfunction. The resultant balancing act can be viewed as a hormetic U-shaped relationship for biological Mn status and optimal brain health, with changes in the brain leading to physiological effects throughout the body and vice versa. This review discusses Mn homeostasis, biomarkers, molecular mechanisms of cellular transport, and neuropathological changes associated with disruptions of Mn homeostasis, especially in its excess, and identifies gaps in our understanding of the molecular and biochemical mechanisms underlying Mn homeostasis and neurotoxicity.

Treatment of patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is limited by a lack of effective molecular therapies targeting this disease. Recent studies have identified metabolic alterations in cancer cells that can be targeted to improve responses to standard-of-care chemotherapy regimens. Using MDA-MB-468 and SUM-159PT TNBC cells, along with LC-MS/MS and HPLC metabolomics profiling, we found here that exposure of TNBC cells to the cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs cisplatin and doxorubicin alter arginine and polyamine metabolites. This alteration was because of a reduction in the levels and activity of a rate-limiting polyamine biosynthetic enzyme, ornithine decarboxylase (ODC). Using gene silencing and inhibitor treatments, we determined that the reduction in ODC was mediated by its negative regulator antizyme, targeting ODC to the proteasome for degradation. Treatment with the ODC inhibitor difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) sensitized TNBC cells to chemotherapy, but this was not observed in receptor-positive breast cancer cells. Moreover, TNBC cell lines had greater sensitivity to single-agent DFMO, and ODC levels were elevated in TNBC patient samples. The alterations in polyamine metabolism in response to chemotherapy, as well as DFMO-induced preferential sensitization of TNBC cells to chemotherapy, reported here suggest that ODC may be a targetable metabolic vulnerability in TNBC.

20 November 2019