ari DEqMS: a method for accurate variance estimation in differential protein expression analysis [Technological Innovation and Resources] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-03-23T12:35:18-07:00 Quantitative proteomics by mass spectrometry is widely used in biomarker research and basic biology research for investigation of phenotype level cellular events. Despite the wide application, the methodology for statistical analysis of differentially expressed proteins has not been unified. Various methods such as t-test, linear model and mixed effect models are used to define changes in proteomics experiments. However, none of these methods consider the specific structure of MS-data. Choices between methods, often originally developed for other types of data, are based on compromises between features such as statistical power, general applicability and user friendliness. Furthermore, whether to include proteins identified with one peptide in statistical analysis of differential protein expression varies between studies. Here we present DEqMS, a robust statistical method developed specifically for differential protein expression analysis in mass spectrometry data. In all datasets investigated there is a clear dependence of variance on the number of PSMs or peptides used for protein quantification. DEqMS takes this feature into account when assessing differential protein expression. This allows for a more accurate data-dependent estimation of protein variance and inclusion of single peptide identifications without increasing false discoveries. The method was tested in several datasets including E.coli proteome spike-in data, using both label-free and TMT-labelled quantification. In comparison to previous statistical methods used in quantitative proteomics, DEqMS showed consistently better accuracy in detecting altered protein levels compared to other statistical methods in both label-free and labelled quantitative proteomics data. DEqMS is available as an R package in Bioconductor. Full Article
ari Acquiring and Analyzing Data Independent Acquisition Proteomics Experiments without Spectrum Libraries [Perspective] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-04-20T11:35:14-07:00 Data independent acquisition (DIA) is an attractive alternative to standard shotgun proteomics methods for quantitative experiments. However, most DIA methods require collecting exhaustive, sample-specific spectrum libraries with data dependent acquisition (DDA) to detect and quantify peptides. In addition to working with non-human samples, studies of splice junctions, sequence variants, or simply working with small sample yields can make developing DDA-based spectrum libraries impractical. Here we illustrate how to acquire, queue, and validate DIA data without spectrum libraries, and provide a workflow to efficiently generate DIA-only chromatogram libraries using gas-phase fractionation (GPF). We present best-practice methods for collecting DIA data using Orbitrap-based instruments, and develop an understanding for why DIA using an Orbitrap mass spectrometer should be approached differently than when using time-of-flight instruments. Finally, we discuss several methods for analyzing DIA data without libraries. Full Article
ari Robust summarization and inference in proteome-wide label-free quantification [Research] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-04-22T13:36:37-07:00 Label-Free Quantitative mass spectrometry based workflows for differential expression (DE) analysis of proteins impose important challenges on the data analysis due to peptide-specific effects and context dependent missingness of peptide intensities. Peptide-based workflows, like MSqRob, test for DE directly from peptide intensities and outperform summarization methods which first aggregate MS1 peptide intensities to protein intensities before DE analysis. However, these methods are computationally expensive, often hard to understand for the non-specialised end-user, and do not provide protein summaries, which are important for visualisation or downstream processing. In this work, we therefore evaluate state-of-the-art summarization strategies using a benchmark spike-in dataset and discuss why and when these fail compared to the state-of-the-art peptide based model, MSqRob. Based on this evaluation, we propose a novel summarization strategy, MSqRobSum, which estimates MSqRob’s model parameters in a two-stage procedure circumventing the drawbacks of peptide-based workflows. MSqRobSum maintains MSqRob’s superior performance, while providing useful protein expression summaries for plotting and downstream analysis. Summarising peptide to protein intensities considerably reduces the computational complexity, the memory footprint and the model complexity, and makes it easier to disseminate DE inferred on protein summaries. Moreover, MSqRobSum provides a highly modular analysis framework, which provides researchers with full flexibility to develop data analysis workflows tailored towards their specific applications. Full Article
ari Immunopeptidomic analysis reveals that deamidated HLA-bound peptides arise predominantly from deglycosylated precursors [Technological Innovation and Resources] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-05-01T11:35:42-07:00 The presentation of post-translationally modified (PTM) peptides by cell surface HLA molecules has the potential to increase the diversity of targets for surveilling T cells. Whilst immunopeptidomics studies routinely identify thousands of HLA-bound peptides from cell lines and tissue samples, in-depth analyses of the proportion and nature of peptides bearing one or more PTMs remains challenging. Here we have analyzed HLA-bound peptides from a variety of allotypes and assessed the distribution of mass spectrometry-detected PTMs, finding deamidation of asparagine or glutamine to be highly prevalent. Given that asparagine deamidation may arise either spontaneously or through enzymatic reaction, we assessed allele-specific and global motifs flanking the modified residues. Notably, we found that the N-linked glycosylation motif NX(S/T) was highly abundant across asparagine-deamidated HLA-bound peptides. This finding, demonstrated previously for a handful of deamidated T cell epitopes, implicates a more global role for the retrograde transport of nascently N-glycosylated polypeptides from the ER and their subsequent degradation within the cytosol to form HLA-ligand precursors. Chemical inhibition of Peptide:N-Glycanase (PNGase), the endoglycosidase responsible for the removal of glycans from misfolded and retrotranslocated glycoproteins, greatly reduced presentation of this subset of deamidated HLA-bound peptides. Importantly, there was no impact of PNGase inhibition on peptides not containing a consensus NX(S/T) motif. This indicates that a large proportion of HLA-I bound asparagine deamidated peptides are generated from formerly glycosylated proteins that have undergone deglycosylation via the ER-associated protein degradation (ERAD) pathway. The information herein will help train deamidation prediction models for HLA-peptide repertoires and aid in the design of novel T cell therapeutic targets derived from glycoprotein antigens. Full Article
ari Anaïs Marin By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 15 Jan 2020 16:52:38 +0000 Associate Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Programme Biography Anaïs Marin is an independent Belarus expert who joined the the Russia and Eurasia programme as an associate fellow in December 2019.An IR scholar specialising on post-Soviet Eurasia, since 2014 she has been investigating the foreign policy of authoritarian regimes (“dictaplomacy”), first as a Marie Curie Fellow (Collegium Civitas, Warsaw), now with a grant from the Polish National Centre for Science (University of Warsaw).Her current research focuses on how Russian “sharp power” impacts European democracy and regional security.Anaïs has been involved in policy expert and advocacy networks on Belarus, and published for various think tanks, notably the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA, Helsinki) and the EU Institute for Security Studies. She regularly participates in OSCE/ODIHR election observation missions in the region.In 2018 she was appointed UN special rapporteur on human rights in Belarus.She received her PhD and MA from Sciences Po Paris/CERI. Areas of expertise BelarusRussian foreign policyEastern PartnershipEU-Russia relationsEurasian integration Past experience 2019 - presentResearcher, Centre for French Culture, University of Warsaw2015-18Marie Curie Fellow, Collegium Civitas2011-14Researcher, Eastern neighbourhood and Russia programme, Finnish Institute of International Affairs +48 517 808 917 Email LinkedIn Full Article
ari Macrophage polarization is linked to Ca2+-independent phospholipase A2{beta}-derived lipids and cross-cell signaling in mice [Research Articles] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-02-01T00:05:23-08:00 Phospholipases A2 (PLA2s) catalyze hydrolysis of the sn-2 substituent from glycerophospholipids to yield a free fatty acid (i.e., arachidonic acid), which can be metabolized to pro- or anti-inflammatory eicosanoids. Macrophages modulate inflammatory responses and are affected by Ca2+-independent phospholipase A2 (PLA2)β (iPLA2β). Here, we assessed the link between iPLA2β-derived lipids (iDLs) and macrophage polarization. Macrophages from WT and KO (iPLA2β–/–) mice were classically M1 pro-inflammatory phenotype activated or alternatively M2 anti-inflammatory phenotype activated, and eicosanoid production was determined by ultra-performance LC ESI-MS/MS. As a genotypic control, we performed similar analyses on macrophages from RIP.iPLA2β.Tg mice with selective iPLA2β overexpression in β-cells. Compared with WT, generation of select pro-inflammatory prostaglandins (PGs) was lower in iPLA2β–/–, and that of a specialized pro-resolving lipid mediator (SPM), resolvin D2, was higher; both changes are consistent with the M2 phenotype. Conversely, macrophages from RIP.iPLA2β.Tg mice exhibited an opposite landscape, one associated with the M1 phenotype: namely, increased production of pro-inflammatory eicosanoids (6-keto PGF1α, PGE2, leukotriene B4) and decreased ability to generate resolvin D2. These changes were not linked with secretory PLA2 or cytosolic PLA2α or with leakage of the transgene. Thus, we report previously unidentified links between select iPLA2β-derived eicosanoids, an SPM, and macrophage polarization. Importantly, our findings reveal for the first time that β-cell iPLA2β-derived signaling can predispose macrophage responses. These findings suggest that iDLs play critical roles in macrophage polarization, and we posit that they could be targeted therapeutically to counter inflammation-based disorders. Full Article
ari Commentary on SSO and other putative inhibitors of FA transport across membranes by CD36 disrupt intracellular metabolism, but do not affect fatty acid translocation [Commentaries] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-05-01T00:05:27-07:00 Full Article
ari Membrane domains beyond the reach of microscopy [Commentaries] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-05-01T00:05:27-07:00 Full Article
ari Problem Notes for SAS®9 - 65834: PROC METADATA returns various errors when the input contains certain multi-byte characters By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Thu, 7 May 2020 17:12:13 EST The METADATA procedure might return an error similar to one of the following: ERROR: Missing root element definition. Full Article BASE+Base+SAS
ari Problem Notes for SAS®9 - 65922: Trying to read a Google BigQuery table that contains a variable defined as an array might result in a panic error and SAS shutting down By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 6 May 2020 10:30:19 EST Trying to read a Google BigQuery table that contains a variable that is defined as an array of records might result in an error and cause SAS to shut down. This issue occurs when one of the variables contained in Full Article BIGQUERY+SAS/ACCESS+Interface+to+Google+
ari Problem Notes for SAS®9 - 34294: A missing discrete dependent variable in the selection model together with a OUTPUT statement might cause an Access Violation error By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Tue, 5 May 2020 13:04:13 EST If the following conditions are met in PROC QLIM: the SELECT option and DISCRETE option are specified in the same MODEL statement or ENDOGENOUS statement the same dependent variable with S Full Article ETS+SAS/ETS
ari Problem Notes for SAS®9 - 65572: The length of a string variable might be longer than specified with the MAX_CHAR_LEN= option By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Tue, 28 Apr 2020 08:30:03 EST When you read in a BigQuery table, the length of string variables might be longer than the length specified with the MAX_CHAR_LEN= option when running your SAS software with UTF-8. By Full Article BIGQUERY+SAS/ACCESS+Interface+to+Google+
ari Faria enters camp fighting for bullpen spot By mlb.mlb.com Published On :: Fri, 15 Feb 2019 13:24:43 EDT After a disappointing 2018 season, Jake Faria is looking to show that last season isn't reflective of the type of pitcher he is. Full Article
ari Noncatalytic Bruton's tyrosine kinase activates PLC{gamma}2 variants mediating ibrutinib resistance in human chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells [Membrane Biology] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-04-24T06:08:45-07:00 Treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) with inhibitors of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK), such as ibrutinib, is limited by primary or secondary resistance to this drug. Examinations of CLL patients with late relapses while on ibrutinib, which inhibits BTK's catalytic activity, revealed several mutations in BTK, most frequently resulting in the C481S substitution, and disclosed many mutations in PLCG2, encoding phospholipase C-γ2 (PLCγ2). The PLCγ2 variants typically do not exhibit constitutive activity in cell-free systems, leading to the suggestion that in intact cells they are hypersensitive to Rac family small GTPases or to the upstream kinases spleen-associated tyrosine kinase (SYK) and Lck/Yes-related novel tyrosine kinase (LYN). The sensitivity of the PLCγ2 variants to BTK itself has remained unknown. Here, using genetically-modified DT40 B lymphocytes, along with various biochemical assays, including analysis of PLCγ2-mediated inositol phosphate formation, inositol phospholipid assessments, fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) static laser microscopy, and determination of intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i), we show that various CLL-specific PLCγ2 variants such as PLCγ2S707Y are hyper-responsive to activated BTK, even in the absence of BTK's catalytic activity and independently of enhanced PLCγ2 phospholipid substrate supply. At high levels of B-cell receptor (BCR) activation, which may occur in individual CLL patients, catalytically-inactive BTK restored the ability of the BCR to mediate increases in [Ca2+]i. Because catalytically-inactive BTK is insensitive to active-site BTK inhibitors, the mechanism involving the noncatalytic BTK uncovered here may contribute to preexisting reduced sensitivity or even primary resistance of CLL to these drugs. Full Article
ari TWIST1-Reprogrammed Endothelial Cell Transplantation Potentiates Neovascularization-Mediated Diabetic Wound Tissue Regeneration By diabetes.diabetesjournals.org Published On :: 2020-04-24T20:01:59-07:00 Hypo-vascularised diabetic non-healing wounds are due to reduced number and impaired physiology of endogenous endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) population that, limits their recruitment and mobilization at the wound site. To enrich the EPC repertoire from non-endothelial precursors, abundantly available mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) were reprogrammed into induced-endothelial cells (iECs). We identified cell signaling molecular targets by meta-analysis of microarray datasets. BMP-2 induction leads to the expression of inhibitory Smad 6/7-dependent negative transcriptional regulation of ID1, rendering the latter's reduced binding to TWIST1 during transdifferentiation of WJ-MSC into iEC. TWIST1, in turn, regulates endothelial genes transcription, positively of pro-angiogenic-KDR and negatively, in part, of anti-angiogenic-SFRP4. Twist1 reprogramming enhanced the endothelial lineage commitment of WJ-MSC, increased the vasculogenic potential of reprogrammed EC (rEC). Transplantation of stable TWIST1-rECs into full-thickness type 1 and 2 diabetic-splinted wound healing murine model enhanced the microcirculatory blood flow and accelerated the wound tissue regeneration. An increased or decreased co-localization of GFP with KDR/SFRP4 and CD31 in the regenerated diabetic wound bed with TWIST1 overexpression or silencing (piLenti-TWIST1-shRNA-GFP), respectively further confirmed improved neovascularization. This study depicted the reprogramming of WJ-MSCs into rECs using unique transcription factors, TWIST1 for an efficacious cell transplantation therapy to induce neovascularization–mediated diabetic wound tissue regeneration. Full Article
ari The short variant of optic atrophy 1 (OPA1) improves cell survival under oxidative stress [Bioenergetics] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-05-08T03:41:14-07:00 Optic atrophy 1 (OPA1) is a dynamin protein that mediates mitochondrial fusion at the inner membrane. OPA1 is also necessary for maintaining the cristae and thus essential for supporting cellular energetics. OPA1 exists as membrane-anchored long form (L-OPA1) and short form (S-OPA1) that lacks the transmembrane region and is generated by cleavage of L-OPA1. Mitochondrial dysfunction and cellular stresses activate the inner membrane–associated zinc metallopeptidase OMA1 that cleaves L-OPA1, causing S-OPA1 accumulation. The prevailing notion has been that L-OPA1 is the functional form, whereas S-OPA1 is an inactive cleavage product in mammals, and that stress-induced OPA1 cleavage causes mitochondrial fragmentation and sensitizes cells to death. However, S-OPA1 contains all functional domains of dynamin proteins, suggesting that it has a physiological role. Indeed, we recently demonstrated that S-OPA1 can maintain cristae and energetics through its GTPase activity, despite lacking fusion activity. Here, applying oxidant insult that induces OPA1 cleavage, we show that cells unable to generate S-OPA1 are more sensitive to this stress under obligatory respiratory conditions, leading to necrotic death. These findings indicate that L-OPA1 and S-OPA1 differ in maintaining mitochondrial function. Mechanistically, we found that cells that exclusively express L-OPA1 generate more superoxide and are more sensitive to Ca2+-induced mitochondrial permeability transition, suggesting that S-OPA1, and not L-OPA1, protects against cellular stress. Importantly, silencing of OMA1 expression increased oxidant-induced cell death, indicating that stress-induced OPA1 cleavage supports cell survival. Our findings suggest that S-OPA1 generation by OPA1 cleavage is a survival mechanism in stressed cells. Full Article
ari A Variation on the Theme: SGLT2 Inhibition and Glucagon Secretion in Human Islets By diabetes.diabetesjournals.org Published On :: 2020-05-01 David J. HodsonMay 1, 2020; 69:864-866Commentaries Full Article
ari A Bivariate Genome-Wide Approach to Metabolic Syndrome: STAMPEED Consortium By diabetes.diabetesjournals.org Published On :: 2011-04-01 Aldi T. KrajaApr 1, 2011; 60:1329-1339Genetics Full Article
ari Mechanisms of Pancreatic {beta}-Cell Death in Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes: Many Differences, Few Similarities By diabetes.diabetesjournals.org Published On :: 2005-12-01 Miriam CnopDec 1, 2005; 54:S97-S107Section III: Inflammation and beta-Cell Death Full Article
ari Cueto nearing milestone in Tommy John rehab By mlb.mlb.com Published On :: Thu, 14 Feb 2019 17:33:44 EDT The road back from Tommy John surgery is often long and tedious, but Giants right-hander Johnny Cueto has a notable milestone approaching. Full Article
ari Role of phospholipid synthesis in the development and differentiation of malaria parasites in the blood [Microbiology] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2018-11-09T03:40:54-08:00 The life cycle of malaria parasites in both their mammalian host and mosquito vector consists of multiple developmental stages that ensure proper replication and progeny survival. The transition between these stages is fueled by nutrients scavenged from the host and fed into specialized metabolic pathways of the parasite. One such pathway is used by Plasmodium falciparum, which causes the most severe form of human malaria, to synthesize its major phospholipids, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylserine. Much is known about the enzymes involved in the synthesis of these phospholipids, and recent advances in genetic engineering, single-cell RNA-Seq analyses, and drug screening have provided new perspectives on the importance of some of these enzymes in parasite development and sexual differentiation and have identified targets for the development of new antimalarial drugs. This Minireview focuses on two phospholipid biosynthesis enzymes of P. falciparum that catalyze phosphoethanolamine transmethylation (PfPMT) and phosphatidylserine decarboxylation (PfPSD) during the blood stages of the parasite. We also discuss our current understanding of the biochemical, structural, and biological functions of these enzymes and highlight efforts to use them as antimalarial drug targets. Full Article
ari The rule of law and maritime security: understanding lawfare in the South China Sea By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 04 Sep 2019 13:46:35 +0000 4 September 2019 , Volume 95, Number 5 Douglas Guilfoyle Read online Does the rule of law matter to maritime security? One way into the question is to examine whether states show a discursive commitment that maritime security practices must comply with international law. International law thus provides tools for argument for or against the validity of certain practices. The proposition is thus not only that international law matters to maritime security, but legal argument does too. In this article, these claims will be explored in relation to the South China Sea dispute. The dispute involves Chinese claims to enjoy special rights within the ‘nine-dash line’ on official maps which appears to lay claim to much of the South China Sea. Within this area sovereignty remains disputed over numerous islands and other maritime features. Many of the claimant states have engaged in island-building activities, although none on the scale of China. Ideas matter in such contests, affecting perceptions of reality and of what is possible. International law provides one such set of ideas. Law may be a useful tool in consolidating gains or defeating a rival's claims. For China, law is a key domain in which it is seeking to consolidate control over the South China Sea. The article places the relevant Chinese legal arguments in the context of China's historic engagement with the law of the sea. It argues that the flaw in China's approach has been to underestimate the extent to which it impinges on other states' national interests in the maritime domain, interests they conceptualize in legal terms. Full Article
ari Maritime security: the uncharted politics of the global sea By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 04 Sep 2019 14:25:01 +0000 4 September 2019 , Volume 95, Number 5 A special section in the latest issue explores recent developments in maritime security and ocean governance. Christian Bueger, Timothy Edmunds and Barry J. Ryan Read online In this introduction to a special section of the September 2019 issue of International Affairs, we revisit the main themes and arguments of our article ‘Beyond seablindness: a new agenda for maritime security studies’, published in this journal in November 2017. We reiterate our call for more scholarly attention to be paid to the maritime environment in international relations and security studies. We argue that the contemporary maritime security agenda should be understood as an interlinked set of challenges of growing global, regional and national significance, and comprising issues of national, environmental, economic and human security. We suggest that maritime security is characterized by four main characteristics, including its interconnected nature, its transnationality, its liminality—in the sense of implicating both land and sea—and its national and institutional cross-jurisdictionality. Each of the five articles in the special section explores aspects of the contemporary maritime security agenda, including themes of geopolitics, international law, interconnectivity, maritime security governance and the changing spatial order at sea. Full Article
ari Investigating Violations of International Humanitarian Law By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2019 13:25:01 +0000 Research Event 21 January 2020 - 5:30pm to 7:00pm Chatham House | 10 St James's Square | London | SW1Y 4LE Event participants Andrew Cayley, Director, Service Prosecuting Authority, UK Ministry of DefenceLarry Lewis, Vice President and Director, Center for Autonomy and Artificial Intelligence, CNAJelena Pejic, Senior Legal Adviser, International Committee of the Red CrossChair: Elizabeth Wilmshurst, Distinguished Fellow, International Law Programme, Chatham House Countries should have adequate systems in place for investigating violations of international humanitarian law, for launching criminal prosecutions for war crimes and for inquiring into responsibility for unlawful actions of national armed forces. There also needs to be proper counting and recording of the civilian casualties of military operations. This event, which will be introduced by the director of the UK Service Prosecuting Authority, Andrew Cayley, will discuss the new report by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law, Guidelines on Investigating Violations of International Humanitarian Law: Law, Policy and Good Practice, as well as the problems and challenges associated with recording civilian casualties of armed conflict. This meeting is the third in a series of three commemorating the 70th anniversary of the 1949 Geneva Conventions supported by the British Red Cross. It will be followed by a drinks reception. Department/project International Law Programme, The Limits on War and Preserving the Peace Jacqueline Rowe Programme Assistant, International Law Programme 020 7389 3287 Email Full Article
ari Webinar: International Humanitarian Law Amid Coronavirus By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 09:20:01 +0000 Members Event Webinar 15 May 2020 - 1:00pm to 2:00pmAdd to CalendariCalendar Outlook Google Yahoo Emanuela-Chiara Gillard, Associate Fellow, International Law Programme, Chatham HouseChair: Chanu Peiris, Programme Manager, International Law Programme, Chatham HouseFurther speakers to be announced. In April 2020, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for a global ceasefire in order for communities and states to focus efforts on responding to the coronavirus outbreak. The consequences of armed conflict – including displacement, detention, lack of access to health services and disrupted social infrastructures – mean that those in conflict-ridden areas are amongst the most vulnerable to the virus. Observing international humanitarian law (IHL) could be one way of safeguarding against, at least, the provision of vital medical supplies and personnel for vulnerable groups. Against the backdrop of a growing health and economic emergency that is otherwise dominating government agendas, how do we emphasise the importance of humanitarian action and guarantee - or improve - compliance?The panellists will discuss the remit and limitations of international humanitarian law and how the pandemic might complicate compliance. What is the framework for humanitarian action under international humanitarian law? What are the challenges to delivering relief? And how has COVID-19 impacted humanitarian action in conflict-ridden areas?This event is for Chatham House members only. Not a member? Find out more. Full Article
ari Latin America’s COVID-19 Moment: Differences and Solidarity By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Thu, 30 Apr 2020 11:37:25 +0000 30 April 2020 Dr Christopher Sabatini Senior Research Fellow for Latin America, US and the Americas Programme @ChrisSabatini LinkedIn There has been no better example of the political diversity in Latin America than the varying responses of governments to the coronavirus crisis. 2020-04-30-Chile-Covid.jpg A municipal cleaning worker disinfects the central market in Santiago, Chile on 7 April 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic. Photo: Getty Images. Differing approaches across the hemisphere have had different impacts on presidential popularity and, at least in one case, on democratic institutions and human rights. Yet, even within that diversity, South America’s Southern Cone countries (Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay) have shown a sign of solidarity: protecting and facilitating trade flows, sponsoring cross-border research and ensuring citizens’ return to their home countries. The response from populist leadersOn the extreme have been the responses of presidents of Brazil, Nicaragua and Mexico, all of whom have ignored the science of the virus and of experts and refused to implement isolation policies. President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil fired his health minister, Luis Henrique Mandetta on 16 April for contradicting him and earlier had claimed that the pandemic was a hoax or little more than a ‘measly cold.' Meanwhile, Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega has resisted closing businesses and schools. After a mysterious 34-day absence, Ortega appeared on television on 15 April reinforcing his refusal to close businesses saying that Nicaraguans must work or they will die and claiming that the virus was ‘imported.’ Mexico’s Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) has also resisted the call for strict stay-at-home policies, though with his Deputy Health Minister, Hugo López-Gatell, has closed schools – recently extending the closure to the 1st of June and urging non-essential businesses to close – but focusing primarily on social distancing. In contrast to his deputy health minister and Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard – who had declared the situation a health emergency on 30th March, later than many neighbouring countries – AMLO has largely attempted to avoid discussion of the pandemic, claiming that in his case he has lucky charms that prevent him from contracting the virus. And both Bolsonaro and AMLO have participated in large public rallies, doing all the things that politicians love, shaking hands and hugging babies, and in the case of the former even wiping his nose before embracing an elderly woman.The Nicaraguan, Brazilian and Mexican presidents make an odd grouping since one (Bosonaro) is considered of the extreme populist right and the others (Ortega and AMLO) of the populist left. What unites them is good old-fashioned populism, a belief in a leader who represents the amorphous popular will and should be unfettered by checks and balances on his power, including something like… science. An eclectic groupAt the other extreme have been the quick responses by governments in Peru, Argentina, Chile, El Salvador and Colombia which put quarantine measures in place in mid-March. In these cases, governments have even banned outdoor activities and in the case of Peru and Colombia (in the large cities) have imposed alternating days for when women and men can leave the house so as to better control outside movement. This too, though, is an eclectic group. It includes a Peronist president Alberto Fernández in Argentina, conservative presidents Sebastian Piñera in Chile and Ivan Duque in Colombia, interim president and relative political neophyte Martin Vizcarra in Peru and outsider president Nayib Bukele in El Salvador. El Salvador’s strict quarantine measures have led to rising concerns that Bukele is using the crisis to consolidate personal power, using the national police and the armed forces to enforce the quarantine and ignoring three rulings by the Supreme Court urging the president to end the abuses. In Argentina, Peronist Fernández has shown a surprising commitment to containment even as it hurts his party’s working-class base, not something typically expected of the populist Peronist Party. In all of these cases, the quick, strong responses by the presidents shored up their popularity. Peru’s Vizcarra saw his popularity shoot up 35 points in a week to 82 per cent according to surveys taken in March. In late March 2020, Fernández in Argentina saw his approval ratings swell to 79.2 per cent with 94.7 percent of citizens approving of the government’s strict shelter-at-home policies. Even presidents Piñera and Duque who had struggled with low approval ratings throughout 2019 and saw those numbers sink even lower after the social protests that ended the year have seen their numbers rise. According to an 20th April poll, Piñera’s popular approval rating swelled from 13 percent in March 18th at the start of the crisis to 25 per cent by 20th April; while hardly a sweeping popular mandate, even that level was unthinkable only a few months ago when administration was battered by social protests. In Colombia, after a series of political missteps and the popular protests, Duque’s popular approval rating had slumped to 26 per cent; by April 2nd, 62 percent of Colombians supported the once-beleaguered president. (No recent surveys were available for Bukele in El Salvador.)In contrast, Bolsonaro’s in Brazil has only nudged up. Before the crisis hit, the president’s popularity had been in steady decline from a high of 49 per cent in January 2019 to 30 per cent by early December 2019. But by the first week in April, in the midst of a crisis in which other presidents saw their approval ratings increase by double digits, after his public disagreements with the health minister, Bolsonaro’s had sunk to 33 per cent while the soon-to-be-fired Mandetta’s stood at 76 per cent. AMLO in Mexico has fared no better. The populist leftist scored a high 86 per cent approval rating in February 1, 2019. By March 28, 2020 with concerns over his weak and flippant COVID-19 response and a severe contraction in economic growth, AMLO’s approval rating had sunk 26 points to 60 per cent and his disapproval stood at 37 per cent. In the midst of disharmony, coordinationDespite these differences, many countries in the region have shown the solidarity they often speak of but rarely follow in policy or practice. Peru, Chile and other countries have collaborated in repatriating citizens back to their home countries in the midst of the crisis. Even the countries of the Southern Cone common market, MERCOSUR, have pulled together on a number of fronts. The trade bloc had effectively been ruled a dead-man-walking after its failed efforts to integrate Venezuela into the bloc, lowering its standards to let in the petroleum dependent semi-authoritarian government of then President Hugo Chávez. Even on the basics of internal cooperation, the block was struggling, unable to coordinate monetary policies and non-tariff trade barriers between the original founding member states, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.The 35-year-old customs union seemed to get a breath a new life with the announcement that it had concluded 20-year-long negotiations with the EU for a free trade deal. Ratification of that deal, however, ran aground on the political differences between the recently elected governments of Bolsonaro in Brazil and the Peronist Fernández in Argentina. Bolsonaro refused to attend the Fernández December 2019 inauguration, in protest of the newly elected president’s leftist leanings. And this was well before their sharply divergent reactions to the COVID-19 virus. How surprising then that Mercosur has served as an effective coordination mechanism for these different and once opposed governments. The trade body is collaborating among member states to ensure the repatriation of citizens and has agreed to coordinate to ensure that trade flows, especially of medical supplies, are not interrupted by shutdown measures. Mercosur has even gone one step further than several other bodies have failed to take. In early April the bloc’s governing body, based in Montevideo, Uruguay created a $16 million (12 million pound) fund to augment country research and assist in the purchase of supplies needed to combat the virus. Now if Brazil, Argentina and the others could only coordinate their domestic coronavirus responses and economic policy. In late March Fernández announced he was pulling Argentina out of a possible Mercosur-EU trade deal. Full Article
ari Diabetes Core Update: COVID-19 – Caring for Ourselves while Caring for Others, April 2019 By diabetescoreupdate.libsyn.com Published On :: Sat, 25 Apr 2020 12:06:27 +0000 This special issue focuses on caring for ourselves while caring for others. Recorded April 1, 2020. This is a part of the American Diabetes Associations ongoing project providing resources for practicing clinicians on the care of Diabetes during the Covid-19 pandemic. Todays discussion is an audio version of a webinar recorded on April 1, 2020. Presented by: Neil Skolnik, M.D. Abington Jefferson Health Aaron Sutton Behavioral Health Consultant Abington Jefferson Health Full Article
ari The soaring joy of a family reunion By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Thursday, May 7, 2020 - 14:56 Full Article
ari varicose veins treatment in hyderabad By investing.96.lt Published On :: Wed, 27 Dec 2017 08:25:13 UTC Dr shailesh kumar garge is an Vascular specialist and surgeons in Hyderabad with high success rate. Experienced endovascular and micro vascular specialist in gachibowli, hitech city | vascular surgeon in Full Article Sports and Health
ari Some 25 charities, organisations to benefit from AFJ grant By jamaica-gleaner.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 00:10:58 -0500 The Open Arms Development Centre, a homeless shelter in downtown Kingston, and Jamaica’s COVID-19 Response Fund Food Relief are among 25 charitable and community organisations across the island to benefit from the latest round of grants from US-... Full Article
ari Anaïs Marin By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 15 Jan 2020 16:52:38 +0000 Associate Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Programme Biography Anaïs Marin is an independent Belarus expert who joined the the Russia and Eurasia programme as an associate fellow in December 2019.An IR scholar specialising on post-Soviet Eurasia, since 2014 she has been investigating the foreign policy of authoritarian regimes (“dictaplomacy”), first as a Marie Curie Fellow (Collegium Civitas, Warsaw), now with a grant from the Polish National Centre for Science (University of Warsaw).Her current research focuses on how Russian “sharp power” impacts European democracy and regional security.Anaïs has been involved in policy expert and advocacy networks on Belarus, and published for various think tanks, notably the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA, Helsinki) and the EU Institute for Security Studies. She regularly participates in OSCE/ODIHR election observation missions in the region.In 2018 she was appointed UN special rapporteur on human rights in Belarus.She received her PhD and MA from Sciences Po Paris/CERI. Areas of expertise BelarusRussian foreign policyEastern PartnershipEU-Russia relationsEurasian integration Past experience 2019 - presentResearcher, Centre for French Culture, University of Warsaw2015-18Marie Curie Fellow, Collegium Civitas2011-14Researcher, Eastern neighbourhood and Russia programme, Finnish Institute of International Affairs +48 517 808 917 Email LinkedIn Full Article
ari A Good Deal? Assessing the Paris Climate Agreement By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Fri, 04 Dec 2015 10:00:02 +0000 Invitation Only Research Event 16 December 2015 - 5:00pm to 6:30pm Chatham House, London Event participants Shane Tomlinson, Senior Research Fellow, Energy, Environment and Resources Department, Chatham House Following the conclusion of the Paris climate negotiations, this expert roundtable will examine the critical elements of the final agreement and what this means for the future of energy and climate policy in key countries.The discussion will examine what the agreement means for keeping global average temperatures below two degrees Celsius and assess whether ambition will be ratcheted over time. It will also look at the primary implications of the outcome for key regions and countries such as the EU, United States, China and India. Finally, the session will also consider the next steps in terms of implementing the agreement. Attendance at this event is by invitation only. Department/project Energy, Environment and Resources Programme Owen Grafham Manager, Energy, Environment and Resources Programme +44 (0)20 7957 5708 Email Full Article
ari Post-Paris: Taking Forward the Global Climate Change Deal By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 20 Apr 2016 09:38:39 +0000 21 April 2016 Inevitably, the compromises of the Paris Agreement make it both a huge achievement and an imperfect solution to the problem of global climate change. Rob Bailey Former Research Director, Energy, Environment and Resources @ClimateRob Shane Tomlinson Former Senior Research Fellow, Energy, Environment and Resources 2016-04-21-post-paris.jpg The slogan '1.5 Degrees' is projected on the Eiffel Tower as part of the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) on 11 December 2015 in Paris, France. Photo by Getty Images. SummaryThe Paris Agreement, reached at COP21, was a triumph of diplomacy. The deal can be characterized as: flexible, combining a ‘hard’ legal shell and a ‘soft’ enforcement mechanism; inclusive, as it was adopted by all 196 parties to the UNFCCC and is therefore the first truly global climate deal; messy, as the bottom-up process of creating nationally determined contributions means the system is unstandardized; non-additive, as the contributions do not currently deliver the agreement’s stated long-term goal of keeping the rise in global average temperature to ‘well below 2˚C’; and dynamic, as the deal establishes a ratchet mechanism that requires more ambitious contributions every five years.The next five years are critical for keeping the below 2˚C goal within reach. A ‘facilitative dialogue’ starting in 2018 will give states the opportunity to revisit their contributions in advance of the agreement entering into force in 2020. International forums, such as the G7 and G20, can play a crucial role in kickstarting these efforts.The ‘coalitions of the willing’ and clubs that were launched under the Lima-Paris Action Agenda provide an innovative space for state and non-state actors to unlock transformational change. However, it is important that these groups set specific and measurable targets to ensure effective delivery of objectives.The post-Paris regime implies a significant role for civil society organizations. However, in many countries the ‘safe operating space’ both for these organizations and for the media is shrinking. Expanding the capacity of civil society and the media in areas such as communications, litigation, project implementation and technical expertise will be important if they are to support the regime effectively. Related documents Briefing: Post-Paris: Taking Forward the Global Climate Change Dealpdf | 391.55 KB Department/project Energy, Environment and Resources Programme Full Article
ari JaRIA considers threats, opportunities in the ‘new normal’ By jamaica-gleaner.com Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 00:10:39 -0500 Industries across the world face uncertainty, as no one entity can absolutely declare when or if economies will revert to normal in the wake of COVID-19. The local entertainment industry suffers the same uncertainty – and to address it, the Jamaica... Full Article
ari Collab shows we are one Caribbean - ‘We Got This’ presents a united regional front against COVID-19 By jamaica-gleaner.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 00:08:53 -0500 WHAT STARTED as an idea of two Barbadians – Ian Webster and Cheyne Jones – transformed into We Got This, a song which proved enough to stir the collective imagination of 25 recording artistes from 14 countries across the region, disseminating the... Full Article
ari Mark Ricketts | A nation with a capacity for caring, but much more is needed By jamaica-gleaner.com Published On :: Sun, 22 Mar 2020 00:25:29 -0500 The global pandemic is real, with almost 8,000 deaths worldwide and nearly 200,000 persons having contracted the virus in 155 affected countries. What is particularly comforting for this country, amid pain and the not knowing, is the bedside and... Full Article
ari Mark Wignall | Wearing masks as the new condom? By jamaica-gleaner.com Published On :: Sun, 12 Apr 2020 00:20:21 -0500 A few days ago as the lady and I drove out, headed to the hardware store to purchase one piece of lumber, she was wearing a face mask, and I had mine on the seat behind me. “So, what’s the point of you wearing the mask in the car and me without... Full Article
ari Astros' notes: Reddick, Marisnick, Dawson By mlb.mlb.com Published On :: Mon, 18 Feb 2019 14:20:38 EDT Astros outfielder Josh Reddick vows to start hitting to the opposite field more this year, which is something he did well in 2017, but not '18. Reddick hit .242 with 17 homers and 47 RBIs last year after hitting .314 with 13 homers and 82 RBIs to help the Astros to the World Series title in '17. Full Article
ari Rastafarian inmate who sued to wear dreadlocks released from confinement By jamaica-gleaner.com Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 17:33:09 -0500 HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (AP) — A Pennsylvania inmate whose dreadlocks violated a jail’s haircut policy has been released from solitary confinement after more than a year, although his federal lawsuit is still pending. A federal... Full Article
ari Venerable but vulnerable: Centenarians hit hard by virus By jamaica-gleaner.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 09:42:22 -0500 BOSTON (AP) — Centenarians have always been a rare breed. Now they’re an endangered species. The 100-plus crowd — those most venerable of human beings — is succumbing rapidly and heartbreakingly to the coronavirus... Full Article
ari COVID-19 crippling Caribbean football – McNab By jamaica-gleaner.com Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 00:05:46 -0500 FORMER NATIONAL footballer Aldrick ‘Allie’ McNab is concerned about the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Caribbean’s football development. The coronavirus has caused the postponement, suspension, and cancellation of a number of sporting... Full Article
ari The BMJ requires data sharing on request for all trials By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Fri, 22 May 2015 13:22:11 +0000 The movement to make data from clinical trials widely accessible has achieved enormous success, and it is now time for medical journals to play their part. From 1 July The BMJ will extend its requirements for data sharing to apply to all submitted clinical trials, not just those that test drugs or devices. The BMJ's Elizabeth Loder explains what... Full Article
ari Caring for patients with delirium at the end of their life By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Tue, 14 Jun 2016 16:15:33 +0000 Delirium is common in the last weeks or days of life. It can be distressing for patients and those around them. A clinical update explains why successful management involves excluding reversible causes of delirium and balancing drugs that may provoke or maintain delirium while appreciating that most patients want to retain clear cognition at the... Full Article
ari Caring for renal transplant patients By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Fri, 02 Dec 2016 18:28:42 +0000 Renal transplantation improves quantity and quality of life compared with chronic dialysis. A UK general practice with 8000 patients will have around four patients with a functioning renal transplant, one patient on the transplant waiting list, and several under consideration for transplantation. Many medical problems in renal transplant... Full Article
ari They can't hear you - how hearing loss can affect care. By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Fri, 19 Jan 2018 12:31:52 +0000 Many older adults have difficulty understanding speech in acute healthcare settings owing to hearing loss, but the effect on patient care is often overlooked. Jan Blustein professor of health policy and medicine at New York University, and who has also experienced the affects of hearing loss, joins us to explain what that's like, and gives some... Full Article
ari Evidence in a humanitarian emergency By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Mon, 25 Jun 2018 09:52:03 +0000 At evidence live this year, one of the sessions was about the work of Evidence Aid - and their attempt to bring high quality evidence to the frontline of a humanitarian crisis. In that situation, it’s very difficult to know what will work - a conflict, or even immediately post-conflict situation is characterised by chaos - and merely doing... Full Article
ari Climate change will make universal health coverage precarious By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Tue, 24 Sep 2019 14:26:52 +0000 The BMJ in partnership with The Harvard Global Health Institute has launched a collection of articles exploring how to achieve effective universal health coverage (UHC). The collection highlights the importance of quality in UHC, potential finance models, how best to incentivise stakeholders, and some of the barriers to true UHC. One of those... Full Article
ari 19 Marion Nestle By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Tue, 22 Oct 2019 22:30:59 +0000 This week, Ray ventures into the notoriously complex field of nutrition with special guest, Professor Marion Nestle. Named by Forbes as one of the world's most powerful foodies, Marion’s stellar career spans five decades of research, teaching, advocacy work and the publication of countless prize-winning books. Full Article
ari Frontline stories - caring for non-covid patients By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Tue, 05 May 2020 19:32:52 +0000 As the pandemic plays out - hospitals are reconfigured to increase critical care capacity, outpatient clinics become virtual, and elective procedures delayed. How are these affecting care for those who are in hospital but don't have covid-19? In this podcast, Matt Morgan,honorary senior research fellow at Cardiff University, consultant in... Full Article
ari Mechanisms of Pancreatic {beta}-Cell Death in Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes: Many Differences, Few Similarities By diabetes.diabetesjournals.org Published On :: 2005-12-01 Miriam CnopDec 1, 2005; 54:S97-S107Section III: Inflammation and beta-Cell Death Full Article
