This case report is a reflective narrative, documenting the methods used to develop a policy framework for a National Strategy on Climate, Health and Well-being for Australia. The report aims to ...guide advocates, communities of practice, and governments in developing a comprehensive policy response to climate change and its health impacts.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to map the outcomes of four influential South East Queensland city visioning and foresight initiatives conducted by the cities of Maroochy, Logan, Gold Coast and ...Brisbane.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper applies causal layered analysis to map the outcomes of four city visioning and foresight initiatives.
Findings
It is averred in this paper that cities need to map their experiences of past futures initiatives for what worked and what has resulted today, and for recommendations of futures actions and innovations.
Originality/value
This paper deepens the discussion about the critical features of the four initiatives by focusing on their outcomes and alternatives they could produce to influence the futures of their cities.
Given the significant and increasing mental health challenges faced by society, a new vision for the future of mental health is greatly needed. The determination of individual uniqueness of brain ...activity - known as ‘brain fingerprinting’ – shows great promise as a predictor of mental health outcomes, and thus could be the future of personalised mental health care. In this paper, we describe the importance of brain changes in adolescence and how by applying artificial intelligence-based predictive models we can harness the complexity of the underlying neurobiology to proactively address emerging mental health problems. We also describe the issues that the future application of brain uniqueness tracking (or similar) depends on, to provide the greatest value for society. We explore the potential effects of external systemic trends on mental health futures and various scenarios that involve future applications of brain fingerprinting, including a range of potential unintended consequences of this proposed predictive technology and how anticipatory governance can help mitigate such outcomes. Our key recommendation for future pre-emptive/preventative mental healthcare is that all young people (aged ∼12 years) are provided with the opportunity to undertake a free brain scan that could be utilised to predict mental health risks.
•A new vision for the future of mental health care is greatly needed.•Brain changes in youth are likely to reveal key clues about mental health outcomes.•We have evidence that brain uniqueness predicts later psychological distress.•Brain scans that predict mental illness could be the future of mental health care•A potential future could include free brain scans for school-aged youths.
The Integral framework should not be welded onto CLA. Rather, the relationship between Wilber's and Inayatullah's work should be considered liminal, open and complex. Indeed, CLA stands up ...independently as a core theory and methodology in Futures Studies, and is growing within a learning community. Using the vinculum approach, methods can be bolted to each other temporarily, on a case-by-case basis. This allows and indeed supports epistemological pluralism.
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common brain tumor in adults and is associated with a very low survival rate. The heterogeneity of the tumor microenvironment, its resistance to drug and ...radiation therapy, and its robust invasiveness all contribute to the poor outcome. Large numbers of glioma associated microglia and macrophages (GAMs) can accumulate within the tumor where they appear to have an important role in prognosis.
An extensive revision of current available literature on this topic has been carried out, using the PubMed database. Articles exploring the contribution of GAMs to GBM biology as well as evidence that GAMs can be pharmacologically modulated to inhibit tumor growth are critically discussed in this review article.
GAMs constitute the largest portion of tumor infiltrating cells contributing up to 30% of the entire glioma mass. Upon interaction with neoplastic cells, GAMs acquire a unique phenotype of activation including both M1 and M2 specific markers. Different profiles of activation usually co-exist in the same tumor that is dependent upon GAM location or stage of disease. In addition to regulating immune responses which may control or favor astrocyte malignant transformation, GAMs are directly involved in the degradation of the extracellular matrix (ECM), a crucial mechanism that allows the expansion of tumors and parenchyma invasion. Several pharmacological strategies have been developed which interfere with GAM recruitment at the tumor site, cell polarization and immune function, and ECM remodeling by GAM-secreted factors. The most promising therapeutic approaches appear to target both GBM cells and GAM biological properties.
GAMs significantly contribute to GBM biology (favoring tumor growth and invasiveness). Data reviewed in the present article suggest that these cells represent a valuable alternative/ additional target for the development of more effective treatments for GBM.
The impact of invasion by a single non-native species on the function and structure of ecological communities can be significant, and the effects can become more drastic-and harder to predict-when ...multiple species invade as a group. Here we modify a dynamic Boolean model of plant-pollinator community assembly to consider the invasion of native communities by multiple invasive species that are selected either randomly or such that the invaders constitute a stable community. We show that, compared to random invasion, whole community invasion leads to final stable communities (where the initial process of species turnover has given way to a static or near-static set of species in the community) including both native and non-native species that are larger, more likely to retain native species, and which experience smaller changes to the topological measures of nestedness and connectance. We consider the relationship between the prevalence of mutualistic interactions among native and invasive species in the final stable communities and demonstrate that mutualistic interactions may act as a buffer against significant disruptions to the native community.
The impact of invasion by a single non-native species on the function and structure of ecological communities can be significant, and the effects can become more drastic–and harder to predict–when ...multiple species invade as a group. Here we modify a dynamic Boolean model of plant-pollinator community assembly to consider the invasion of native communities by multiple invasive species that are selected either randomly or such that the invaders constitute a stable community. We show that, compared to random invasion, whole community invasion leads to final stable communities (where the initial process of species turnover has given way to a static or near-static set of species in the community) including both native and non-native species that are larger, more likely to retain native species, and which experience smaller changes to the topological measures of nestedness and connectance. We consider the relationship between the prevalence of mutualistic interactions among native and invasive species in the final stable communities and demonstrate that mutualistic interactions may act as a buffer against significant disruptions to the native community. Author summary The interactions between species in an ecological community can be significantly perturbed by the introduction of new (i.e., invasive) species. The impact of species introductions can be very challenging to predict, making it difficult to manage or prevent undesirable consequences (e.g., decreased crop pollination). In this report we simulate community invasion by sets of plant and pollinator species that either do or do not represent a stable community to generate predictions about the impacts on interactions in a native community. We find important differences in outcomes including, for instance, that merging two stable communities is less detrimental to the native community than the introduction of an equal number of random invasive species.
Until early 2000, permanent and transient neonatal diabetes mellitus (NDM), defined as diabetes with onset within 6 weeks from birth that requires insulin therapy for at least 2 weeks, were ...considered exceedingly rare conditions, with a global incidence of 1:500,000–1:400,000 live births. The new definition of NDM recently adopted, that includes patients with diabetes onset within 6 months of age, has prompted studies that have set the incidence of the permanent form alone between 1:210,000 and 1:260,000 live births. Aim of the present work was to ascertain the incidence of NDM (i.e. permanent + transient form) in Italy for years 2005–2010. Patients referred to the Italian reference laboratory for NDM between years 2005 and 2010 and screened for mutations in common NDM genes (
KCNJ11
,
ABCC8
, and
INS
) and for uniparental isodisomy of chromosome 6 (UDP6) were reviewed. A questionnaire aimed at identifying NDM cases investigated in other laboratories was sent to 54 Italian reference centers for pediatric diabetes. Twenty-seven patients with NDM born between 2005 and 2010 were referred to the reference laboratory. In this group, a mutation of either
KCNJ11
,
ABCC8
or
INS
was found in 18 patients, and a case with UDP6 was identified. Questionnaires revealed 4 additional cases with transient neonatal diabetes due to UDP6. Incidence of NDM was calculated at 1:90,000 (CI: 1:63,000–1:132,000) live births. Thus, with the definition currently in use, about 6 new cases with NDM are expected to be born in Italy each year.
Here we present a description of the UKCA StratTrop chemical mechanism, which is used in the UKESM1 Earth system model for CMIP6. The StratTrop chemical mechanism is a merger of previously ...well-evaluated tropospheric and stratospheric mechanisms, and we provide results from a series of bespoke integrations to assess the overall performance of the model.
Mammalian development, adult tissue homeostasis and the avoidance of severe diseases including cancer require a properly orchestrated cell cycle, as well as error-free genome maintenance. The key ...cell-fate decision to replicate the genome is controlled by two major signalling pathways that act in parallel-the MYC pathway and the cyclin D-cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)-retinoblastoma protein (RB) pathway
. Both MYC and the cyclin D-CDK-RB axis are commonly deregulated in cancer, and this is associated with increased genomic instability. The autophagic tumour-suppressor protein AMBRA1 has been linked to the control of cell proliferation, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here we show that AMBRA1 is an upstream master regulator of the transition from G1 to S phase and thereby prevents replication stress. Using a combination of cell and molecular approaches and in vivo models, we reveal that AMBRA1 regulates the abundance of D-type cyclins by mediating their degradation. Furthermore, by controlling the transition from G1 to S phase, AMBRA1 helps to maintain genomic integrity during DNA replication, which counteracts developmental abnormalities and tumour growth. Finally, we identify the CHK1 kinase as a potential therapeutic target in AMBRA1-deficient tumours. These results advance our understanding of the control of replication-phase entry and genomic integrity, and identify the AMBRA1-cyclin D pathway as a crucial cell-cycle-regulatory mechanism that is deeply interconnected with genomic stability in embryonic development and tumorigenesis.
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