Before that, construction cranes will raise pieces of the new buildings into their place – a skyward signal of the forward progress being made at UCSF’s historic campus.  “It’s very exciting to see the vision start coming together,” said Kelly Lyon, project manager in UCSF Real Estate’s Campus Design and Construction “It’s the moment where it gets real to see it going vertical like that where the buildings are actually taking a physical shape in the skyline It will be much more real for everyone.”  The first of those cranes arrived at Parnassus Heights last month.  It’s a 278-foot “T” shaped crane situated at the center of the site where the Bakar Research and Academic Building will sit on the western side of campus.  The state-of-the-art structure will house research programs for cancer, microbiology, diabetes, immunology and cell biology, be the new home of the UCSF School of Nursing and support graduate-level education across UCSF The building’s innovative space is designed to encourage collaboration between researchers across scientific disciplines to advance discoveries in health and science.  It’s scheduled to open in early 2028.  “We are building it for the UCSF community director of UCSF Real Estate’s Campus Design and Construction “It obviously gives great pride to all of the architects contractors and UCSF staff who are involved in designing and constructing this building Many people from across the world have been involved in this project It is a really exciting time for us.”  Twice the height of the neighboring Clinical Sciences Building the crane will stay at the center of the building site as the steel structure rises up around it then be dismantled from the inside once the exterior is completed roughly a year and a half from now.  Materials for the new research and academic building will be delivered to the crane using Koret Way an elevated road that runs along Mount Sutro.  “You’ll be amazed when you see this crane in operation,” Blaj said The team has been working at the site for about two years and was planning for the project another year before that The work has included constructing a foundation system for the building and creating two shoring walls to “hold back the mountain and define the footprint of our site,” Lyon said.  the Bakar Research and Academic Building will be open to the public – part of UCSF's commitment to make the campus more accessible to all “Many people from across the world have been involved in this project the future home of the UCSF Health Helen Diller Hospital is beginning to take shape.  That’s where a pair of new construction cranes will soon sit the first of which is expected to be installed this month with the second coming in May.  “It’s been hard to see the tremendous progress we’re making if you can’t see what’s happening behind the construction fences,” said Fred Whitney Project Delivery for the new Helen Diller Hospital “I think these tower cranes represent a significant milestone really exciting for our clinicians and patients who will begin to see the building that they’ll get their care at in the future.”  The pair are two of only 10 in the world that can perform the type of lifting operations needed for the hospital’s construction built and shipped to San Francisco from Germany weighted loads on this project,” Whitney said we couldn’t put a crane in the middle of the project We have to be able to reach long distances.”  Rendering of the tower cranes arriving at the UCSF Health Helen Diller Hospital project site The first crane, listed at 280 feet tall, will sit adjacent to Parnassus Avenue on the north side of the hospital site. The second crane, a 260-foot structure, will be placed on the east side of Moffitt/Long Hospital Both will reach as high as 400 feet when angled up during work hours.  The tower cranes will remain at the site for four and three years Crews are nearly finished with basement excavation work and are on the verge of starting construction on the new hospital’s foundations.  “Once we start laying the hospital’s foundation bringing in steel to build the structure and hoisting materials for the exterior and interior build out That is why you’ll see them arriving soon.”  15-story hospital will aggregate some of the most complex care capacity in the country in one city block to serve San Francisco the Bay Area and beyond for coming generations It will incorporate the latest technologies in diagnostics robotics and surgical procedures into complex specialty care The hospital is scheduled to welcome its first patients in 2030.  who will begin to see the building that they’ll get their care at in the future.” UCSF has used tower cranes on multiple projects, including several at UCSF Mission Bay.  Essential to support safe building development at both sites tower cranes minimize the need to bring in multiple truck-mounted hydraulic cranes to lift from Parnassus Avenue which would result in additional traffic and pedestrian disruptions crews are following strict safety controls guidelines for work hours and noise reduction efforts The cranes are also subject to regular safety checks from Cal OSHA which will check them prior to use and recertify the structures every six months.  All three Parnassus cranes will be pushed freely by wind when not in use – a common practice called “weathervaning.” That allows for external forces to push the top of the cranes 360 degrees in poor weather conditions preventing damage to the tower cranes or the projects themselves.  people might see the horizontal part of the crane rotating,” Lyon said but it's actually an indication that the right process is happening It’s letting that wind pass through and move freely as opposed to generating a lot of force that’s met with resistance at the bottom.”  it’s clear the new tower cranes at Parnassus Heights are a temporary stop on the road to transform UCSF’s flagship campus and drive innovations in care delivery discovery and health sciences education.  “We’re building something amazing that will be here a long time,” Whitney said.  Subscribe to UCSF News Visit the Media Center © 2025 The Regents of The University of California Asking the better questions that unlock new answers to the working world's most complex issues AI insights CFO agenda EY Center for board matters EY podcasts EY webcasts Operations leaders Technology leaders EY helps clients create long-term value for all stakeholders our services and solutions provide trust through assurance and help clients transform EY.ai - A unifying platform Strategy, transaction and transformation consulting Technology transformation Tax function operations Climate change and sustainability services EY Ecosystems EY Nexus: business transformation platform Experienced professionals EY-Parthenon careers Student and entry level programs Talent community our purpose is building a better working world The insights and services we provide help to create long-term value for clients Exploring scenarios for the world in five years reveals divergent paths for geopolitics EY CEO confidence index assesses CEO sentiment across sector growth Stakeholders are challenging businesses to go further faster in their efforts to be more sustainable Multidisciplinary professional services organization the Blaj family manufacturing business has been supplying special high-end screws and bolts that are critical to the function of a huge variety of machinery TheBlaj bolts can be found in shipbuilding hydroelectric power stations and machine building The company combines the traditions of its founder Anton most sophisticated engineering developments and innovations They are investing heavily in technological production upgrades developing their expert knowledge and optimizing logistics to provide customers with products they need The list of customers includes large multinationals such as General Electric Under the well-established Blaj Fasteners brand the company develops and manufactures precision-engineered bolts and screws used in some of the most complex machinery Their exceptionally high product quality is confirmed by the miniscule number of customer complaints received over the past 10 years he simply contacted the director of the company where he was employed and told him that he was “going solo.” “I leased a small space from the parish priest set up a workshop and that’s how the whole thing started,” recalls Anton since in those times the state severely restricted employment they needed to expand their workforce and the Blaj family found their own solution our son and daughter each registered five manufacturing crafts in order to be able to hire five people each or 25 in total while keeping separate books of accounts for each individual craft registered this solution paid off and at that time I was the largest taxpayer in our valley,” proudly explains the ingenious founder they built a manufacturing plant in Griže that is still used to this day the law enabled companies to invest 40% of their profits while an additional 20% was contributed by the municipality Anton has learned that there is always potential for further improvement and he has always strived to prove himself first proposed a move toward computer technology The transition to computer-controlled production was made after Slovenia became independent when they first began to pursue business abroad “We made our first contacts with foreign markets in 1994 and from then on transferred our efforts exclusively to exports I have always wanted to employ well-qualified staff as this is the only way to compete with foreign companies I also wanted to prove to the world that we were equal to them Manufacturing top-quality screws and bolts is much more important recognition for me than payment,” says Anton Their first foreign partner was the powerful wholesaler ”They were my first connection to foreign business,” describes Anton of their first steps outside Slovenia they have no domestic competitors and stand side-by-side with large German companies as much as 95% of profits are generated by exports we are mostly involved in  repair and overhaul and almost our entire production is intended for the European market The company is in the safe hands of a wider family The Blaj company is synonymous with the family since almost all members of the wider family are involved in running it “My son Erih was involved in the company’s beginnings while today both my daughters Blanka and Petra also work here my daughter-in-law Justina and granddaughter Patricija We are truly a family business,” proudly confirms Anton has always been interested in the family business: “I have always wondered and found it intriguing to see how I could transfer the range of knowledge I have acquired over the years I started to work in the finance department while also continuing to attend further education and training to promote the company’s growth and development I assumed the position of Director; however I continue to consult my father on key decisions.” I joined the company after finishing school When you set up a company you do not know whether it will develop into a family business or not It’s mostly due to a set of circumstances and hard work that help you create something that will provide work for children grandchildren and future generations,” says Blanka the main advantage of their type of business is that family members commit to it completely “You have to love the screws and bolts,” remembers Anton of the advice given to him by Bollhof their business partner and adds: “When you look at it You can make a top-quality product if you put your heart into it.” The long-term safety of machinery operating with Blaj fasteners is essential and demands perfection in the production of screws and bolts the company has proactively designed a sustainable development strategy encompassing the ambition and commitment of the owners management and key company experts in order to achieve unified and sustainable success “This is what makes us successful: because everyone in the company knows feels and is aware of this,” explains Petra of their commitment to sustainable development and the pursuit of continual improvement and quality Customers recognize their passion for screws and bolts and turn to them not only for production of the fasteners “Everyone in our company has a role where he or she can demonstrate their passion for work The connection between family and non-family members agility and rapid response to the needs of the market It was my father who in fact built this strong infrastructure,” explains Petra adding that she inherited her father’s philosophy of aiming for continuous improvement as well as his passion for growth and development “I’m happiest when we acquire a new customer or make a new product; when I see that after we have invested resources time and effort in developing our solutions of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited Metrics details Muscle repair in dysferlinopathies is defective Although macrophage (Mø)-rich infiltrates are prominent in damaged skeletal muscles of patients with dysferlinopathy the contribution of the immune system to the disease pathology remains to be fully explored Numbers of both pro-inflammatory M1 Mø and effector T cells are increased in muscle of dysferlin-deficient BlAJ mice symptomatic BlAJ mice have increased muscle production of immunoproteasome In vitro analyses using bone marrow-derived Mø of BlAJ mice show that immunoproteasome inhibition results in C3aR1 and C5aR1 downregulation and upregulation of M2-associated signaling Administration of immunoproteasome inhibitor ONX-0914 to BlAJ mice rescues muscle function by reducing muscle infiltrates and fibro-adipogenesis These findings reveal an important role of immunoproteasome in the progression of muscular dystrophy in BlAJ mouse and suggest that inhibition of immunoproteasome may produce therapeutic benefit in dysferlinopathy reduction of muscle inflammation and macrophage-mediated vessel stability with consequent amelioration of muscle performance in dysferlinopathic BlAJ mice A Volcano plot analysis of genes differentially expressed in 6 m BlAJ vs 12 m BlAJ muscles: red and yellow dots represent genes upregulated in 6 m BlAJ and 12 m BlAJ with a p value < 0.05 (corresponding to a -Log10(p value) > 1.30) B Gene ontology (GO) pathways enrichment in 6 m BlAJ and 12 m BlAJ mice For GO analysis 837 genes upregulated in 6 m BlAJ 755 gene upregulated in 12 m BlAJ and 10,638 non-differentially expressed genes (based on RNA-seq data) were used Only significant pathways (p value < 0.05) are shown Redundant pathways are omitted from the figure C Volcano plot analysis of genes involved in complement activation (Biological process; GO: 0006956) and complement receptor activity (Molecular function; GO: 000487) Red and yellow dots represent genes upregulated in 6 m BlAJ and 12 m BlAJ D GSEA plot for the annotated dataset “Hallmark_Complement” by the Molecular Signatures Database (MSigDB) Geneset size: 143; Normalized enrichment score (NES): 1.43; False discovery rate (FDR) q value: 0.064 E WB expression of IP subunits and inflammatory mediators in psoas muscle of 12 mo BlAJ and 12 mo C57Bl mice CD4+ and CD8+ T-lymphocytes and Tregs in skeletal muscles of 12 m BlAJ and C57Bl mice G Representative FACS of CD4 and CD8 cell subpopulation profiles The numbers within the panels indicate the percentage of each population of live cells a gate of CD45-positive events defined infiltrating inflammatory cells two populations were separated by the expression levels of CD4 or CD8 whose subpopulations were separated according to CD44 and CD62L.Within CD4+ cell population effector memory (EM)—expressing CD4 and/or CD8 in the muscles of 12 m C57Bl and 12 m BlAJ Data are presented as mean ± SD of n = 3 independent experiments with n = 3–12 animals/group One-way ANOVA and Student t-test: *p < 0.05 Representative FACS analysis of thymic subpopulations of 12 m C57Bl and 12 m BlAJ (A) and of DN stages (B) The amount of positively selected TCRβ+ CD69+ T cells and Tregs of 12 m C57Bl and 12 m BlAJ thymus (C) Spleen weight (in grams) in 12 m C57Bl and 12 m BlAJ mice (D) Representative FACS profile showing the percentage of each population of live cells: a gate of GR1-positive and F4/80 negative represents monocytes further divided according to the expression of CD11b (E) FACS analysis of spleen-derived IFNγ- and IL17/IFNγ-producing CD4+ and CD8+ T cells (G) and of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells (H) The numbers within the panels indicate the percentage of each population of live cells: within the gate of CD4-positive or CD8-positive two populations are separated by level of CD44 and CD62L expression (I) effector memory (EM)—expressing CD4 and/or CD8 in the spleens of 12 m C57Bl and 12 m BlAJ (J) Representative FACS profile showing the percentage of each population of live cells two populations are separated by expression level of CD21 and CD23 (K) CD21+) splenic B cells of 12 m C57Bl and 12 m BlAJ mice (L) Subpopulations are separated according to B220 and CD19 expression (M) FACS analysis of the percentage of mature B-cells (M) and evaluation of transitional T1 B (T1 B) and transitional T2 B (T2 B) splenic B cells of 12 m C57Bl and 12 m BlAJ mice (N) Data are presented as mean ± SD of n = 3 independent experiments with n = 3–9 animals/group All these findings demonstrated a distinct immune composition in dysferlin-deficient BlAJ mouse Having demonstrated that inflammatory mediators including IP subunits are upregulated in 12 m BlAJ mice we next explored the effect of PSMB8 inhibitor ONX-0914 Proteomic analysis of IP subunits (A); alarmins and inflammatory mediators (PTX3 and GPx1) (B); MAPK kinases and AKT1/2/3 and their phosphorylated isoforms (C) in psoas of 6 m BlAJ PTX3 (in magenta) with nuclei stained in DAPI (blu) (scale bar: 10 μm) and its magnification (scale bar: 10 μm) with white arrows indicating cells co-expressing PTX3 and isolectin The histogram represents the counting of PTX3 fluorescence (D) Immunohistological staining of skeletal muscles for Iba1 (in red) and CD206 (in green) Nuclei were counterstained with DAPI (blue) Mac1 were stained with Iba1+ and Mac2 with CD206+ in 6 m BIAJ Data are presented as mean ± SD of n = 3 independent experiments with n = 3–6 animals/group Tukey multiple comparison test for WB and non-parametric test followed by Kruskal–Wallis test for PTX3+ cells’ and macrophages’ counting: *p < 0.05 To investigate whether IP activity of dysferlin-deficient Mø is of any functional relevance for macrophage polarization we polarized monocytes isolated from 12 m BlAJ mice by treatment with TNFα these data corroborate evidences that IP inhibition in dysferlin-deficient macrophages induces a differential signaling response to TNFα skewing the macrophage polarization toward the M2 phenotype CD4+/CD8+ T-lymphocytes and Tregs infiltrating the 12 m BlAJ and 12 m BlAJ+ONX skeletal muscles (A) Evaluation of muscle-derived CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell subsets (B) RT-qPCR analysis of Th17-dependent ROR-γt in 12 m BlAJ and 12 m BlAJ+ONX skeletal muscles (C) Determination of splenic weight in 12 m BlAJ and 12 m BlAJ+ONX mice (D) FACS analysis assessing the percentage of splenic CD4+/CD8+ T cell subsets (E) and FoxP3+ CD25+ Tregs (F) of 12 m BlAJ and 12 m BlAJ+ONX mice central memory and effector memory CD4+ and CD8+ cells (H) in the spleen of 12 m BlAJ and 12 m BlAJ+ONX mice Evaluation of B-cell counts (I) and B-cell subsets (J) of 12 m BlAJ and 12 m BlAJ+ONX mice Data are presented as mean ± SD of n = 3 independent experiments with n = 6 animals/group (and technical replicates for RT-qPCR) Student t-test: *p < 0.05 and ***p < 0.001 Proteomic analysis of C3aR1 in psoas of 6 m BlAJ Evaluation of C3 and C5 concentration in the serum of 6 m BlAJ Representative images and quantification of psoas muscles from 6 m BlAJ 12 m C57Bl with big vessels co-stained with αSMA (in green) and C3aR1/CD88/CD93 (in red) Nuclei were stained in DAPI (blue) (scale bar: 100 μm) (C) 12 m C57Bl with small vessels co-stained with isolectin (in green) and C3aR1/CD88/CD93 (in red) Nuclei were stained in DAPI (blue) (scale bar: 50 μm) (D) Tukey multiple comparison test for WB and non-parametric test followed by Kruskal–Wallis test for vessels’ count: *p < 0.05 Fluorescent staining of WGA+ (in green) and TR7+ (in red) while nuclei are in DAPI (blu) (scale bar: 50 μm) in psoas of 6 m BlAJ Expression of pro-adipogenic mediators as PPARα (C)—in RT-qPCR—and perilipin adiponectin and metalloproteinases (D)—in WB—was downregulated following ONX-0914 treatment Data are presented as mean ± SD of n = 3 independent experiments with n = 3–6 animals/group (and technical replicates for RT-qPCR) Tukey multiple comparison test for WB and non-parametric test followed by Kruskal–Wallis test for WGA+/TR7+ cells’ counting Oil Red evaluation and RT-qPCR: *p < 0.05 Indeed, tetanic force of TA muscle of 12 m BlAJ+ONX was significantly increased related to age-matched BlAJ mice (Fig. 7I) these findings propose the IP to be an interesting therapeutic target for the treatment of dysferlinopathy we provide evidence that immune response in dysferlin-deficient BlAJ mice is driven by T cell and Mø activation muscles from BlAJ mouse show a greater abundance of PSMB8 and PSMB9 IP subunits The PSMB8 inhibitor ONX-0914 contributes to reduce the number of splenic and muscular CD4+/CD8+-effector T cells ONX-0914 treatment targets macrophages polarization increasing the number of M2 Mø that are required for efficient muscle regeneration Another effect of IP inhibition was the restoration of glucose and mitochondrial metabolism in affected 12 m dysferlin-deficient mice This is consistent with modifications of AMPKα/p38 MAPK/mTOR signaling pathway the metabolic reprogramming that we observed in 12 m BlAJ+ONX correlates with decreased adipogenesis therefore explaining the amelioration in the extracellular matrix structure and the rescue of muscle performance Dysferlinopathy is often associated with weakness decreased muscle regeneration and increased fibro-adipogenesis We show that IP inhibition by ONX-0914 increases the number of regenerating myofibers and reduces fibro-adipogenesis of dysferlinopathic muscle of BlAJ mice we provide evidence of decrease of damaged alizarin red positive myofibers that was associated to a significant decrease of CpK levels in ONX-0914 treated 12 m BlAJ mice mechanical analysis of intact muscles revealed that muscle force was strongly increased in ONX-0914 treated 12 m BlAJ mice and these data correlated to increased muscle performance we provide the first evidence of IP subunits over-expression in affected dysferlin-deficient 12 m BlAJ muscles as a central target to prevent T cell and macrophage immune response ameliorate vascular architecture defects and improve muscle force We suggest that increasing our understanding of the contribution of aberrant IP expression to the pathophysiology of dysferlinopathy will ultimately lead to the development of novel therapeutic approaches Even if side effects associated with their long-term use are not completely avoidable the use of IP inhibitors could represent an encouraging starting point for the development of new immunotherapy for dysferlinopathy The research procedures described were approved by the ethics committee of the University of Milan (CR937-G) This study was performed in accordance with International Conference on Harmonisation of Good Clinical Practice guidelines the Declaration of Helsinki (2008) and the European Directive 2001/20/EC Procedures involving living animals were approved by local ethics committees conforming to Italian law (D.L.vo 116/92 and subsequent additions) This work was authorized by the Ministry of Health and Local University of Milan Committee with the protocol authorization numbers 10/10-2009/2010 and 6/13-2012/2013 6-month-old and 12-month-old dysferlinophatic (6 m BlAJ and 12 m BlAJ) mice were provided by Charles River (Calco 12-h dark) at a temperature between 2 and 24 °C The mice had free access to clean water and food The immunoproteasome inhibitor ONX-0914 (Clini Sciences 6 mg/Kg) was injected intraperitoneally into 12 m BlAJ for 5 weeks (two injections per week Untreated age-matched BlAJ mice were used as control Mice were sacrificed by cervical dislocation according to the Italian country Law Randomization within blocks was performed to allocate the animals to different experimental procedures To avoid that the effects of our treatments on mice had been overestimated thus diminishing the reliability of our results the laboratory members that analyzed the mice were blinded regarding the treatment(s) that animals received Animals that eventually suffered from clinical complications during each treatment (enhancement of stress motor impairments) were excluded from the experimental plan GSEA was performed via dedicated software (release 4.2.3) by Molecular Signatures Database (MSigDB) The “Hallmark_Complement” annotated gene set (included in the “Hallmark” gene set collection v7.5.1) was used for analysis of ranked gene lists For muscle: CD45 PerCp; CD4 PeCy7; CD8 efluor 450; CD44 FITC; CD62L PE; CD25 APC; B220 APC-Cy7 CD45 PerCp; CD4 Pacific Blue; CD25 APC; GITR PeCy7; CD3 FITC; B220 APC-Cy7 For spleen: CD4 PeCy7; CD8 efluor 450; CD44 FITC; CD62L PE CD4 Pacific Blue; CD8 APC-Cy7; Foxp3 Alexa fluor 488; CD25 APC; CTLA4 PE; ICOS PerCP CD19 PerCp; B220 APC-Cy7; CD21 Pacific Blue; CD23 PeCy7; IgD PE; IgM APC Gr1 APC-Cy7; F4/80 PeCy7; CD11b PE; CD11c FITC CD4 PAcific Blue; CD8 APC-Cy7; IL17 PE; IFNγ APC; Foxp3 Alexa Fluor 488 For thymus: CD4 Pacific Blue; CD8 APC-Cy7; CD44 FITC; CD25 APC CD4 Pacific Blue; CD8 APC-Cy7; CD69 FITC; TCRβ PE; Qa2 APC CD4 Pacific Blue; CD8 APC-Cy7; CD25 APC; Foxp3 Alexa fluor 488 All the antibodies were purchased from eBioscience (San Diego) and TCRβ PE obtained from BD (New Jersey) and CD4 Pacific Blue from BioLegend (San Diego Cells were isolated with A-FACS Aria machine (BD Bioscience New Jersey); data were acquired with the Cytomics FC500 (Beckman-Coulter) machine and analyzed with CXP 2.1 software Total proteins were obtained from skeletal muscles isolated from 12 m C57Bl Samples were resolved on polyacrylamide gels (ranging from 6 to 12%) transferred to nitrocellulose membranes (Bio-Rad Laboratories USA) and overnight incubated with following antibodies: vinculin (1:600 Abcam); PSMB9 (1:500; Proteasome 20S LMP2 (EPR13785) ab184172 PA5-109467 Invitrogen); pAkt (Ser473)(1:600 Santa Cruz Biotechnology); C5aR1/CD88 (1:600 Filters were detected with peroxidase conjugated secondary antibodies (Agilent Technologies USA) and developed by ECL (Amersham Biosciences 12 m BlAJ mice (n = 5) were anesthetized with isoflurane and sacrificed by cervical dislocation Femur bones (with hip and knee joints intact) briefly dipped in 70% ethanol to dehydrate any remaining muscle tissue then rinsed in D-PBS without Ca++/Mg++ (Gibco) before cutting off the two extremities The bone marrow was extracted into ice-cold PBS by pushing it out of the bone cavity with a syringe equipped with a 25G needle centrifuged at 800 rpm for 5 min and resuspended in macrophage complete medium Bone marrow precursor cells were differentiated into Mø in RPMI-1640 medium (Thermo Fisher Scientific) supplemented with 20 ng/ml recombinant M-CSF (PeproTech) 2mM L-glutamine (Thermo Fisher Scientific) 50 mm 2-Mercaptoethanol (Thermo Fisher Scientific) Cells were routinely cultured at 37 °C in 21% O2 and 5% CO2 and regularly tested for the presence of mycoplasma cells were seeded in 12-well plates onto 18 mm diameter coverslips For western blot analysis cells were collected after trypsinization and lysed in NP-40 lysis buffer to obtain whole protein lysate recombinant murine TNFα (Sigma-Aldrich) was added at a concentration of 20 and 40 ng/ml for 16 h followed by the addition of ONX-0914 at a final concentration of 300 nM to the same wells Mø polarization was monitored using an inverted phase contrast microscope (Nikon TS100) and cells were generally cultured for ~48 h after the addition of TNFα Oil Red O (ORO) staining was performed to determine the amount of lipids sections were fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde for 10 min permeabilized with 0.1% Triton X-100 for 10 min and incubated with 10% donkey serum to block non-specific binding for 1 h Slides were then incubated with the primary antibodies (overnight at 4 °C) diluted in blocking solution at the following dilutions: PTX3 (MNB1) (1:50 Novus); Isolectin GS-IB4 Alexa Fluor™ 594 Conjugate (1:100 Thermo Fisher Scientific); WGA (Wheat Germ Agglutinin) Alexa Fluor 488™ Conjugated (1:50 Thermo Fisher Scientific); α-Smooth Muscle – FITC (1:100 Sigma-Aldrich); neuron-glial antigen 2 (NG2) (1:50 Fluorochrome-conjugated secondary antibodies were diluted 1:200 in PBS1X and added for 1 h at room temperature Slides were then mounted with Prolong Gold® Antifade Reagent with DAPI (Thermo Fisher Images were acquired by an inverted fluorescence microscope Dmi800 while Z-stack and tile reconstructions were acquired by confocal microscope Sp8 (Leica) images were captured by Leica microdissector (CTR6000) Quantification of fluorescence was performed by means of ImageJ Software (NIH) Threshold color Plug in of ImageJ Software was used to quantify the amount of tissue stained with Alizarin Red and Oil red Data were analyzed by GraphPad PrismTM and expressed as means ± SD ImageJ software was used to estimate the percentage of Mac1 and Mac2 in n = 12 images from each mouse quantification of immunoreactivity was performed in n = 11–15 images from each mouse CPK analysis was performed on serum samples of 12 m BlAJ 12 m BlAJ+ONX and 12 m C57Bl mice with CPK kit (Cobas) C3 and C5 serum levels of the same mice were measured using a commercially available mouse C3 ELISA Kit (catalog no MBS135930; MyBioSource) and C5 ELISA kit (catalog no ab264609; Abcam) according to the manufacturer’s instructions The expression of MRF-4 (Mm00435126) was calculated with the Probe Mix by Applied Biosystem To determine significance when comparing multiple groups’ means we used one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s multiple comparison test; Student’s t-test was used to compare two groups assuming equal variances statistical significance was calculated via simple linear regression by testing for differences between slopes of best-fit lines A 95% confidence band of each best-fit line is shown the difference among groups was considered significant as follow: * at p < 0.05; ** at p < 0.01; *** at p < 0.001; **** at p < 0.0001 Sample size was determined by using a sample-size calculator freely available on internet All the samples that did not rich quality control standards due to the presence of contaminants for RNA or to problems in freezing procedures for histological analysis were excluded The data used to support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request The limb-girdle muscular dystrophies and the dystrophinopathies Muscle and Neuromuscular Junction Disorders):1954–77 Ferlins: regulators of vesicle fusion for auditory neurotransmission Lipid accumulation in dysferlin-deficient muscles Intracellular localization of dysferlin and its association with the dihydropyridine receptor Unmasking potential intracellular roles for dysferlin through improved immunolabeling methods A new role for the muscle repair protein 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transcriptional regulation Molecular characterization and function of tenomodulin a marker of tendons and ligaments that integrate musculoskeletal components NR1D1 modulates synovial inflammation and bone destruction in rheumatoid arthritis Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1 Group D Member 1 regulates circadian activity of NLRP3 inflammasome to reduce the severity of fulminant hepatitis in mice The immunoproteasome controls the availability of the cardioprotective pattern recognition molecule Pentraxin3 The effects of MyD88 deficiency on disease phenotype in dysferlin-deficient A/J mice: role of endogenous TLR ligands Dysferlin deficiency alters lipid metabolism and remodels the skeletal muscle lipidome in mice P38alpha MAPK underlies muscular dystrophy and myofiber death through a Bax-dependent mechanism AMPK complex activation promotes sarcolemmal repair in dysferlinopathy Immunobiology of inherited muscular dystrophies The effect of extreme cold temperatures on the risk of death in the two major Portuguese cities Cellular interactions in thymocyte development Unexpected role for the immunoproteasome subunit LMP2 in antiviral humoral and innate immune responses Progressively impaired proteasomal capacity during terminal plasma cell differentiation Bcl6 mediates the development of T follicular helper cells Bmi-1 is required for maintenance of adult self-renewing haematopoietic stem cells Platelet-derived growth factor receptor-beta promotes early endothelial cell differentiation Genetic and pharmacologic inhibition of complement impairs endothelial cell function and ablates ovarian cancer neovascularization Regulation of mitochondrial biogenesis as a way for active longevity: interaction between the Nrf2 and PGC-1alpha signaling pathways KDM3A senses oxygen availability to regulate PGC-1alpha-mediated mitochondrial biogenesis Dynamin-related protein Drp1 is required for mitochondrial division in mammalian cells Fibroadipogenic progenitors are responsible for muscle loss in limb girdle muscular dystrophy 2B The role of autophagy in white adipose tissue function: implications for metabolic health Role of metabolic stress and exercise in regulating fibro/adipogenic progenitors AMP-activated/SNF1 protein kinases: conserved guardians of cellular energy Defective membrane repair in dysferlin-deficient muscular dystrophy Dysferlin at transverse tubules regulates Ca(2+) homeostasis in skeletal muscle Inflammasome up-regulation and activation in dysferlin-deficient skeletal muscle The dual complexity of PTX3 in health and disease: a balancing act The inflammatory pathology of dysferlinopathy is distinct from calpainopathy Cross talk between the Akt and p38alpha pathways in macrophages downstream of Toll-like receptor signaling The C5a/C5a receptor 1 axis controls tissue neovascularization through CXCL4 release from platelets Pentraxins and atherosclerosis: the role of PTX3 Endothelial cell-derived pentraxin 3 limits the vasoreparative therapeutic potential of circulating angiogenic cells Metabolic coordination of pericyte phenotypes: therapeutic implications Metabolic regulation of macrophage activation Oxidative metabolism and PGC-1beta attenuate macrophage-mediated inflammation Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase is a metabolic checkpoint for polarization of macrophages to the M1 phenotype Activation of AMP-activated protein kinase prevents lipotoxicity in retinal pericytes Inhibitory effects of antagonists of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) in thyroid cancer Recombinant human IgA1 and IgA2 autoantibodies to type VII collagen induce subepidermal blistering ex vivo Clinical features and short-term outcomes of 102 patients with coronavirus disease 2019 in Wuhan Dynamics of inter-heavy chain interactions in human immunoglobulin G (IgG) subclasses studied by kinetic Fab arm exchange A special population of regulatory T cells potentiates muscle repair and purification of murine thymic epithelial cells Defective dystrophic thymus determines degenerative changes in skeletal muscle Download references This study was supported by the ERC 7th Framework Programme grant (FP7-HEALTH-2007-1.4-6; Optistem 223098) Italian Ministry of Health (Ricerca Finalizzata RF-2009-1547384) Ricerca corrente FR230 Policlinico Hospital and presents independent research funded by GRUPPO FAMILIARI BETA- SARCOGLICANOPATIE Odv (CONTR-ASPR20YTORR-01) Funders of the study had no role in study design Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation Laboratorio di Chimica Clinica e Microbiologia Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine Humanitas Clinical and Research Center IRCCS YT and AF conceived and designed the experiments FF and FS interpreted and analyzed the data LT and AF performed animal transplantation FS and DM performed the experiments and acquired the data All the authors stated were involved in the critical revision of the manuscript and approved the final version of the article The corresponding author had full access to all the data in the study and had final responsibility for the decision to submit for publication The authors declare no competing interests Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41419-022-05416-1 Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article A Riverside County correctional deputy who once led jail staff in overtime pay was fired after he fell asleep watching movies on duty – all while collecting $60 per hour during an overtime shift was fired by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department for neglect But Blaj successfully appealed the termination last year and now the sheriff's department is on the defensive Agency attorneys filed a lawsuit this week asking a county judge to intervene so they don't have to put Blaj back on the jail staff That lawsuit thrust Blaj’s case into the public eye revealing the circumstances of his firing for the first time and calling into question the veracity of overtime pay he collected before he was fired Blaj racked up $132,000 in overtime pay in 2013 and 2014 Blaj collected more overtime than any other correctional deputy in Riverside County and was among the highest overtime collectors of thousands of California county jail guards MORE:  This cop was 'ready to snap.' Now he wants his job back. The incident that led to Blaj’s firing began on Valentine’s Day 2015 while he was working a night shift in a security room that controls cell doors at the Temecula jail jail staff became concerned because Blaj stopped answering his radio so a supervisor went to investigate to ensure Blaj hadn’t been injured or taken hostage by inmates the supervisor discovered that Blaj was just fine he also noticed a charging cable plugged into a wall outlet and a portable speaker on the floor Correctional officers are forbidden from bringing electronics into the jail out of concern they will fall into the hands of inmates Blaj allegedly denied he had any electronics then later admitted he had brought a tablet and a cell phone into the jail According to sheriff’s department documents has said that if Blaj had told his supervisor the truth he would likely have received only an eight-hour suspension for falling asleep watching movies and sneaking a cell phone into the jail Raya felt “compelled to terminate,” documents state MORE:  Jailhouse toilet lawsuits could cost the county $330K Those documents come from Blaj’s administrative appeal hearing which is a confidential proceeding guaranteed to sheriff’s deputies as part of their union contract Blaj did not deny he fell asleep or brought electronics into the jail but argued that he didn’t lie about the electronics saying the sheriff’s department should have given Blaj a 30-day suspension instead of firing him Steinberg ordered the sheriff's department to reinstate Blaj and give him backpay amounting to about a year's salary Blaj’s ability to patrol the jail was not compromised by just one lie “While one singular lie is a dishonest act and dishonesty is considered as taboo for a peace officer not all lies are alike and not all peace officers are alike,” Steinberg wrote in his ruling that ruling would bring an end to the case the sheriff’s department has taken the unlikely step of challenging Steinberg’s ruling in court The first court hearing has been set for May 5 The sheriff's department declined to comment citing a policy against discussions of ongoing litigation Blaj's appeal documents also mention that a second correctional deputy was also caught with a cell phone in the security room on the same evening It appears Alvarez was not fired and he is not a party in the ongoing lawsuit Reporter Brett Kelman can be reached at 760 778 4642 or by email at brett.kelman@desertsun.com. You can also follow him on Twitter at @TDSbrettkelman I want once again to greet all of you and all those whom I have met in the course of these days.  I thank you for your warm welcome.  I offer a respectful greeting to the President of the Republic and to the Authorities present here.  I express my heartfelt gratitude for their generous cooperation in the planning and the unfolding of my visit.  I am grateful to His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel and to the clergy and faithful of the Romanian Orthodox Church for their fraternal welcome.  May the Lord bless this ancient and illustrious Church and sustain it in its mission          I also offer a greeting full of affection and gratitude to His Beatitude Cardinal Lucian Mureşan.  I greet the faithful of the Catholic Church: the Bishops religious and lay faithful of Bucharest and Iaşi together with the many pilgrims from Şumuleu Ciuc.  I thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to pray with you and to encourage your commitment to evangelization and your witness of charity.  Here in Blaj the sons and daughters of the Greek-Catholic Church who for three centuries have borne witness to your faith with apostolic zeal          May the Virgin Mary bestow her maternal protection upon all the citizens of Romania who in the course of history have always trusted in her intercession.  In entrusting all of you to her I ask her to guide you on your journey of faith as you advance towards a future of authentic progress and peace and contribute to the building of an ever more just and fraternal homeland.           Regina Coeli… Thank you for reading our article. You can keep up-to-date by subscribing to our daily newsletter. Just click here opposing a system of totalitarian and coercive ideology," the pontiff told some 60,000 worshippers attending mass on a "Field of Liberty" in the small central town of Blaj garnered for and left the Romanian people a precious heritage which we can sum up in two words: freedom and mercy," added Francis while praising the "diversity of religious expression" in mainly Orthodox Romania Regime officials detained the beatified bishops overnight on October 28 accusing them of "high treason" after they refused to convert to Orthodoxy The Greek-Catholic Church was outlawed under 1948-89 Communist rule others in confinement in an Orthodox monastery They were then buried in secret -- to this day the whereabouts of four of their graves is unknown The bars of the cells where they were held were symbolically incorporated into the throne built specially for the papal visit The bishops followed the Eastern Rite Catholic Church which emerged from an Orthodox schism at the end of the 17th century when the central region of Transylvania was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire While retaining Orthodox practices they recognised Roman Catholic papal authority -- unacceptable for the Communist regime which took power following World War II Under a 1948 decree formally abolishing the Eastern Catholic churches Greco-Catholics were forcibly obliged to return to the Orthodox fold "This anti-faith hatred came from (Soviet leader) Joseph Stalin who had in the same way liquidated the Ukrainian Greco-Catholic church," researcher Emanuel Cosmovici told AFP Romania's Orthodox Church would itself face repression under the Communists -- albeit some senior prelates did collaborate with the party most Romanian Catholics -- who numbered more than 1.5 million in 1948 abandoned their faith and their community has shrunk to around 200,000 today in a country of 20 million almost nine in 10 of whom profess Orthodoxy The politics which has seeped through Romania's modern religious history has poisoned inter-faith relations -- even if the papal visit has softened feelings to a degree making up as much as 10 percent of the population not hesitating to mention the fact during Francis' visit "He will definitely speak about discrimination because we have no rights at all," said Ion doors get closed," the former construction site worker told AFP ahead of Francis's arrival in Blaj suffered around five centuries of slavery before the practice was formally abolished in 1856 But they remain a mainly poor and marginalised community -- even if recent years have seen roads paved and homes getting running water and electricity Francis's arrival in Blaj to wind up his visit was part of his attempt at inclusiveness on his three-day visit to one of what remains Europe's poorest states Although Romania has developed apace since obtaining EU membership in 2007 there remain some "urban or rural ghettos where nothing has changed," according to sociologist Gelu Duminica who heads the anti-discrimination Impreuna (Together) association Duminica and others in Blaj saw it as no coincidence that Francis often seen as a defender of the rights of the most marginalised to launch his appeal for tolerance and social inclusion "The pope's visit is a message for those who are marginalised disregarded or not accepted by others," said Mihai Gherghel who supervised the construction of the Blaj church where Francis celebrated Sunday mass Jn 9:2).  The disciples’ question to Jesus triggers a series of actions and events that will accompany the entire Gospel account and clearly reveal what really blinds the human heart          Jesus sees the man blind from birth.  He acknowledges him and gives him his full attention.  After making it clear that the man’s blindness was not the result of sin he mixes dirt with his saliva and smears it on the man’s eyes.  Then he tells him to wash in the pool of Siloam.  After washing the man blind from birth recovers his sight.  It is significant that the miracle is recounted in just two verses; everything else has to do not with the blind man who has recovered his sight but with the arguments that followed his healing.  It seems that his life and especially the story of his cure are of little interest irritation and anger.  The man healed of his blindness is questioned first by the astonished crowd who also interrogate his parents.  They question the identity of the man who was healed; then they deny the act of God with the excuse that God does not work on the Sabbath.  They even go so far as to doubt that the man was actually born blind          The whole scene and the arguments that follow show how hard it is to understand the actions and priorities of Jesus who brings someone from the periphery into the centre.  It is particularly hard for people who think that “the Sabbath” is more important than the love of the Father who wills all people to be saved (cf 1 Tim 2:4).  The blind man had to live not only with his own blindness but also with the blindness of those around him.  We see the resistance and the hostility that can arise in the human heart when which manage only to blind everything around them.  The Lord’s approach is different: far from hiding himself behind inaction or ideological abstractions he looks people in the eye.  He sees their hurts and their history.  He goes out to meet them and he does not let himself be sidetracked by discussions that fail to prioritize and put at the centre what is really important          These lands know well how greatly people suffer when an ideology or a regime takes over setting itself up as a rule for the very life and faith of people diminishing and even eliminating their ability to make decisions their freedom and their room for creativity (cf you were forced to endure a way of thinking and acting that showed contempt for others and led to the expulsion and killing of the defenceless and the silencing of dissenting voices.  I think in particular of the seven Greek-Catholic Bishops whom I have had the joy of beatifying.  In the face of fierce opposition from the regime they demonstrated an exemplary faith and love for their people.  With great courage and interior fortitude they accepted harsh imprisonment and every kind of mistreatment in order not to deny their fidelity to their beloved Church.  These pastors re-appropriated and handed down to the Romanian people a precious legacy that we can sum up in two words: freedom and mercy.           With regard to freedom I cannot help but note that we are celebrating this Divine Liturgy in the “Field of Liberty”.  This place which is found in the diversity of its religious expressions.  All these things constitute a spiritual patrimony that enriches and distinguishes Romanian culture and national identity.  The new Beati endured suffering and gave their lives to oppose an illiberal ideological system that oppressed the fundamental rights of the human person.  In that tragic period the life of the Catholic community was put to a harsh test by a dictatorial and atheistic regime.  All the Bishops and faithful of the Greek-Catholic Church and those of the Latin-rite Catholic Church were persecuted and imprisoned sustained their people in confessing the faith without compromise or retaliation.  The mercy they showed to their tormentors is a prophetic message for it invites everyone today to conquer anger and resentment by love and forgiveness and to live the Christian faith with consistency and courage.           Dear brothers and sisters we witness the appearance of new ideologies that quietly attempt to assert themselves and to uproot our peoples from their richest cultural and religious traditions.  Forms of ideological colonization that devalue the person with alienating proposals as atheistic as those of the past leaving them without roots from which they can grow (cf 78).  Everything then becomes irrelevant unless it serves our immediate interests; people are led to take advantage of others and treat them as mere objects (cf seek to cancel and bury the best that the history of these lands have bequeathed to you.  I think which forbade all forms of radicalism and was one of the first in Europe to promote an act of religious tolerance.           I would like to encourage you to bring the light of the Gospel to our contemporaries and to continue to resist these new ideologies now springing up.  It is up to us to resist now allowing fraternity and dialogue to prevail over divisions and fostering the fraternity of blood that arose in the period of suffering drew closer and more united to one another.  May the maternal protection of the Virgin Mary and the intercession of the new Beati accompany you on your journey Christmas Song Aims to Inspire Peace in the Holy Land Pope’s Message of Hope Launched into Space to Orbit Earth Here is Pope Francis’ Schedule for World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon Marian Apparitions Must Always Point to Jesus Pope Francis gives the homily as he celebrates a Divine Liturgy and the beatification of seven martyred bishops of the Eastern-rite Romanian Catholic Church at Liberty Field in Blaj By Junno Arocho Esteves • Catholic News Service • Posted June 3 Romania (CNS) — The memory and witness of Romania’s martyred bishops are a reminder that Christians are called to stand firm against ideologies that seek to stifle and suppress their cultural and religious traditions the pope June 2 celebrated a Divine Liturgy during which seven Eastern-rite Catholic bishops who died during a fierce anti-religious campaign waged by the communist regime in Romania re-appropriated and handed down to the Romanian people a precious legacy that we can sum up in two words: freedom and mercy,” the pope said an estimated 60,000 people filled Blaj’s Liberty Field while some 20,000 people followed the liturgy on big screens set up in various squares around the city the field — located on the grounds of Blaj’s Greek Catholic Theological Seminary — is both a symbol of national pride and sorrow during the 100th anniversary of the Romanian nationalist revolution that communist authorities formerly dissolved the Eastern-rite Romanian Catholic Church the apostolic administrator of Fagaras and Alba Iulia which was perceived by his flock as a sign that they were called to remain steadfast in their faith and follow the path of persecution and martyrdom held up images of the seven martyred bishops who gave their lives defending their faith: Bishop Suciu; Auxiliary Bishop Vasile Aftenie of Fagaras and Alba Iulia; Bishop Valeriu Traian Frentiu of Oradea Mare; Auxiliary Bishop Tit Liviu Chinezu of Fagaras and Alba Iulia; Bishop Ioan Balan of Lugoj; Bishop Alexandru Rusu of Maramures and Bishop Iuliu Hossu of Gherla Paul VI “in pectore” or in his heart withholding publication of his name until 1973 the pope remembered the sufferings of Eastern-rite Catholics who were forced to “endure a way of thinking and acting that showed contempt for others and led to the expulsion and killing of the defenseless and the silencing of dissenting voices.” The martyred bishops left a “spiritual patrimony” for future generations demonstrated by their “exemplary faith and love for their people,” the pope said was matched only by their willingness to suffer martyrdom “without showing hatred toward their persecutors and indeed responding to them with great meekness.” “The mercy they showed to their tormentors is a prophetic message and to live the Christian faith with consistency and courage,” the pope said Pope Francis warned that even today there are new ideologies that “attempt to assert themselves and to uproot our peoples from their richest cultural and religious traditions.” “Forms of ideological colonization that devalue the person leaving them without roots from which they can grow.” Catholics are called to bring the light of the Gospel to others and resist those ideologies rising in the world “May you be witnesses of freedom and mercy drew closer and more united to one another,” the pope said On his final stop before departing for Rome Pope Francis visited members of the Roma community living in the neighborhood of Barbu Lautaru a newly erected church and pastoral center were built to assist the Roma community to fully integrated within the social fabric of the city of Blaj there is room for everyone,” the pope told members of the community “otherwise it would not be the church of Christ.” The pope told the Roma community that his heart was heavy due to “the many experiences of discrimination segregation and mistreatment experienced by your communities,” inflicted upon them including by members of the Catholic Church He asked forgiveness to them “for those times in history when we have discriminated mistreated or looked askance at you” instead of defending them in their “uniqueness.” “We are proud he is coming here in our community — a person like the pope the Roma are “proud to be Gypsies.” unless we are able to see the person before his or her actions before our own judgments and prejudices,” the pope said According to the Jesuit journal Civilta Cattolica a 2011 census estimated that there are more than 620,000 Roma people in Romania the figure may not reflect the actual numbers because many do not declare their ethnicity out of fear of discrimination the pope encouraged them to not go down the path of vengeance and instead to choose the “way of Jesus” which brings peace and can heal the wounds of injustice “May we not let ourselves be dragged along by the hurts we nurse within us; let there be no room for anger no resentment is ever good for the heart and no rejection will ever bring us closer to others,” he said CatholicPhilly.com works to strengthen the connections between people families and communities every day by delivering the news people need to know about the Catholic Church you and hundreds of other people become part of our mission to inform form in the Catholic faith and inspire the thousands of readers who visit every month Please join in the church's vital mission of communications by offering a gift in whatever amount that you can ― a single gift of $40 Your gift will strengthen the fabric of our entire Catholic community and sustain CatholicPhilly.com as your trusted news source USCCB: Statement of USCCB on Vatican’s Document Addressing Pastoral Blessings Pope Francis’ May 2023 Prayer Intention | Watch Video Catholic Charities of Philadelphia Returns to Roots Dan Tarrant Brings God to the World Through Catholic Filmmaking Lia Blaj-Ward is Associate Professor at Nottingham Trent University Halfway through 2020, during a quiet week when undergraduate student teaching had just ended and master’s level students were about to begin their most substantial writing task for the year, I came across a piece about slow, caring scholarship As an academic puzzling about my place on the recently developed Teaching & Scholarship career pathway The pandemic-induced pivot to teaching online that year was fast An ethics of care and a renewed appreciation of the value of slowed-down underpinned the staff development experiences which made the pivot possible with colleagues supporting each other to navigate the changed landscape The same ethos underpinned the staff-student interaction in the spaces newly created to accommodate learning and teaching. It made intuitive sense that scholarship activity, which, as defined by Advance HE captures and reflects on learning experiences for the purpose of enhancing them discussion of academic roles is still dominated by the teaching/research (or TEF/REF) binary view HESA’s categories of “academic employment function” reflect this and inclusion among staff and therefore to greater quality of learning experiences for students Teaching & Scholarship and Teaching & Practice sit alongside the Teaching & Research pathway Advance HE acknowledges that academic career progression is currently “a much more expansive and nuanced area than previously conceptualised” and invites reflection on how further expanse and nuance can be achieved One avenue for this is to create an institutional environment which is supportive of slow caring scholarship aligns with that of the anchor institution and policies that drive sustainable development They create a virtuous circle of investment in learning and growth that generate returns that help build capacity for further learning and growth – within the region in which they are based and in the communities their students and staff are connected to The Teaching & Scholarship pathway at my university recognises the importance of anchoring learning and teaching in carefully designed pedagogic research It promotes the value of scholarship outputs which push the boundaries of a body of peer-validated knowledge focused on learning and teaching experiences rather than subject discipline content It offers a firmer basis for conversations about the role of higher education curricula in developing lifelong and lifewide learners caring scholarship: “publish and flourish” and considerate scholarship project design and share insights which resonate with different audiences beyond the academic world University teaching and learning that aim to prepare students successfully for lifelong and lifewide learning should be aligned to the variety of forms of teaching and learning which happen outside the campus walls Progression along a pathway focusing on teaching and scholarship signals an institution’s commitment to creating collaborative learning environments not only for their students but also for their staff projects I have been supported to develop speak to the value of collaborative working and learning particularly across the academic / professional services divide Collaboration with professional services colleagues who brought a rich perspective on student academic experiences at university has led to two co-authored outputs in reputable academic journals An open access resource which celebrates innovation and resilience among colleagues in my field during the pandemic is co-edited with a colleague who is not in a formal teaching and learning role but who has an unparalleled depth of understanding of how university students should be supported to learn and develop in unusual circumstances Considerate design of scholarship projects is a third and equally important principle of slow, caring scholarship. As Cora Xu emphasises it is important not to burden contributors and participants in our pedagogic research projects with our scholarly ambitions refraining from including them in our data sets at all costs scholars of teaching and learning should set up projects which give contributors and participants an opportunity to engage on their terms and to benefit in varied forms at all stages throughout the process of generating insights to the final output and impact planned beyond My institution’s Trent Institute of Learning and Teaching builds capacity for considerate scholarship project design among staff through peer mentoring and earmarking funding for student engagement in these TILT application forms explicitly require an indication of how the project will generate value for applicants’ and contributors’ own learning and professional development To reach Associate Professor stage on the Teaching & Scholarship pathway and to develop as a more rounded higher education professional I have benefited substantially from an institutional environment built on the ethos of slow Two additional features of this environment stood out for me Cross-functional mentoring: some of my most valuable mentors have been professional services colleagues who were not close to classroom practice but had a deep appreciation of the value of university experiences for students and for those around them now and in the future These colleagues have made me aware of the value of learning experiences outside academia and of ways to bring them into my work in a university Workloads which include space for “concept projects” with beneficial outcomes for all involved: to fine-tune my teaching so that it fully prepares my university students for a lifelong and lifewide learning experience I used the volunteering allocation in my workload to host pre-18 participants on a work experience week at my university Insights from designing and delivering this experience looped back into my teaching approach and were validated through a Vice Chancellor’s Teaching Award Diverse career pathways enable anchor institutions to grow their positive impact within and outside campus walls To help build capacity to generate impactful learning (lifelong and lifewide) and growth reflective conversations need to take place about the shape of academic roles on diverse pathways and about ways in which progression can occur Great piece Lisa and congratulations on your promotion I need more coffee before I do battle with autocorrect clearly Excellent article and so pleased to see you go from strength to strength as an academic and a trusted voice in higher education I have personally learned so much from you and enjoyed the process We really must introduce this ethic of care into everything we do A really interesting insight into you perspective of T&S at NTU Israeli ministers approve plan to expand operations, seize Gaza Strip Trump threatens 100% tariffs on imported movies, film industry in shock 15th annual Red Dress Day remembering First Nations women, girls Canadian vets honoured during 80th anniversary of Netherlands Liberation Day ceremony in Hamilton Red Dress Day ceremony on Hamilton Mountain raises awareness for abused people Political analyst discusses the seriousness behind Alberta’s referendum idea daylight shootout in central Hamilton shut down several city blocks of the Gibson neighbourhood as the city’s police department scoured the area searching for clues The initial shooting broke out shortly before 5 p.m when police say “multiple 911 calls reporting gunfire” alerted them to the exchange taking place near Kinrade Avenue at Barton Street East “We flooded the neighbourhood with officers on discovering that there were two males and they were shooting at — at least — one other male in a vehicle,” Const and it crashed into an uninvolved motorist travelling eastbound Several witnesses reported to police that they had witnessed “several” individuals exchanging gunfire investigators confirmed that bullets were found in “buildings There have been no reported injuries at this time police say they located an abandoned vehicle that they believe was involved in the incident there have been no arrests made and the shooters remain at large Police say it is too early in the investigation to release an accurate description of the suspects and will provide an update once one becomes available This incident prompted a heavy response from the force Authorities on scene called the cordoned-off area “extensive,” which spanned from Wilson Street and Birch Avenue to Cannon Street at Sherman Avenue Police could be seen canvassing the neighbourhood for video Monday evening and Blaj says he encourages anyone who may have seen anything or who has surveillance footage to come forward residents with CCTV systems are asked to review footage between 4:30 p.m Anyone with additional information that may assist police in the investigation is asked to contact them by phone at 905-546-4883 or by email at shootingresponseteam@hamiltonpolice.ca tips can be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers READ MORE: Hamilton police seek psychiatric patient who is ‘unlawfully at large’ Emily Vukovic went birding at Urban Nature Store in Ancaster To celebrate Mother’s Day and raise funds for Halton Women’s Place A beautiful and powerful new piece of jewelry has joined Lofttan‘s collection The IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer’s is taking place at the ‘Women of Soul’ is a captivating production that is revitalizing timeless soul CHCH-TV started broadcasting in 1954 and is proud to be the news leader for Hamilton and the surrounding Halton and Niagara regions Copyright © 2025 CHCH. All Rights Reserved. ZWD The German Bosch Group will invest EUR 120 million by 2013 in a new car component factory in Cluj and extending manufacturing facilities at its Blaj factory almost doubling the number of employees to 2,000 after local sales rose 18 percent to EUR 188 million last year Bosch will make a EUR 77 million greenfield investment in the Cluj plant The production of electronic command units for the automotive industry will start in mid-2013 and employ 340 people in production and development when around 1,600 people will be working there The firm will also produce speed sensors for the automotive industry in Blaj which will expand the Blaj factory by 21,000 sqm Around 570 people currently work at the Blaj plant which manufactures linear technology used in mechanical engineering Building works at the Blaj center started in March and at the Cluj-Napoca plant in May.  Romania has granted Bosch state aid to carry out the construction. The company said it wouldn’t have invested in Romania without the state aid. The auto industry generates around 60 percent of Bosch’s turnover in Romania and worldwide general director of Robert Bosch and group representative in Romania The company estimates that sales in Romania will fall by 6 percent to EUR 176 million in 2012 due to Renault’s decision to move some processes to manufacturing lines to Russia and Morocco It is active in the small appliances market industrial technology and construction equipment The group’s worldwide sales amounted to EUR 51.5 billion in 2011 Ovidiu Posirca We use cookies for keeping our website reliable and secure providing social media features and to analyse how our website is used “For Bosch it’s very important to support the Green Deal with a target of net zero emissions by 2050 It’s important for us because the management made a very bold decision to be carbon neutral we have 400 locations worldwide with a carbon-neutral footprint That’s a very bold step from an economic perspective This shows our commitment towards stopping climate change and on meeting the Paris Agreement goals,“ Bernhard Gehlert Bosch Automotive Blaj said during Sustainability Forum 2022 organized by The Diplomat-Bucharest We have to invest in technologies which enable us to reduce consumption and also generate green electricity on our premises This might not be sufficient to be carbon neutral We have to rethink the entire supply chain We have to think more about the impact of our products while they are used by our customers it’s very important that we monitor the whole supply chain and by 2030 we want to reduce carbon emissions throughout our whole value chain from purchasing to sales by further 15 percent and it’s a necessary contribution to support this goal The UE is a role-model for the whole world on how this transition can be managed It takes a lot of effort to encourage everyone to stick to the rules and regulations which will be in place I think this is a great opportunity for the rest of the world to follow this approach and implement maybe similar activities electrification is the fastest way to reduce carbon emissions during the lifetime of the products Electrification is a great way of reducing emissions by using green energy We also believe hydrogen is a complementary technology to electrification Both together could be one of the solutions for the future to make our products more sustainable Hydrogen is a new technology and that means it will take some time for products to come to the market Research is ongoing and the design of future products is in the making This requires huge investments and a clear strategy The power of technology helps to keep current living standards and have a plurality of different solutions We need different solutions and a competition between them so that time will tell which one is the best we don’t want to put all efforts in one technology We must cover a certain range of technologies where we believe they have the biggest potential to solve the biggest problems the humanity is facing In Romania we have production locations and development centres We already implemented a lot of measures to reduce energy consumption because energy consumption is expensive It’s a surprise to see how much potential companies have to reduce consumption.“ Full recording of the event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5TZ1M3tQnY a 72-year-old retiree from Romania’s minority Roma community doors get closed,” says the former construction site worker But Pope Francis’ visit to his town Sunday to meet the Roma on the last day of his trip has given Ion new hope “He will definitely speak about discrimination because we have no rights at all,” says Ion Making up around 10 percent of Romania’s 20 million people many Roma are marginalised and live in poverty the daily life of Ion and his neighbours has improved due to initiatives by the town’s government: roads have been paved and their homes have received running water and electricity still live mostly in precarious conditions on the periphery “It’s always been like this for the areas where Roma live It’s the same everywhere,” Petru Varga Sociologist Gelu Duminica says conditions for the Roma have improved in line with the development of the country but in the poorest communities in urban and rural areas alike “nothing has changed” According to a study carried out last year by Duminica’s Impreuna (Together) association nine percent of Roma in Romania don’t receive an income compared to one percent for the rest of the population compared to two percent for non-Roma Romanians “It’s a vicious cycle where limited access to education leads to poor access to the labour market,” says Duminica has chosen the Barbu Lautaru district of Blaj where the majority of the inhabitants are Roma to launch an appeal for tolerance and social inclusion “The pope’s visit is a message for those who are marginalised disregarded or not accepted by others,” says Mihai Gherghel who supervised the construction of the Blaj church “I think he will bring help to those who really need it,” said Gheorghe Halas who has been promoting Protestantism in Blaj since 2005 many Roma have been attracted by neo-Protestantism in the last years especially Pentecostalism — together with the aid that comes with it “The conversion is an important moment for stigmatised people who finally feel respected for what they are,” Laszlo Foszto “God doesn’t have any prejudices he only sees their immaculate hearts.” This attracts many Roma in search of recognition away from the very conservative and powerful Orthodox church of Romania which has never apologised for its central role in enslaving the Roma for hundreds of years until the mid-19th century religious differences will be pushed aside “All of Blaj will be a cathedral,” priest Mihai says Tags and website in this browser for the next time I comment Link Copied!via Getty no one knew besides Dan Ionescu that his daughter Sabrina would become one of the biggest names in the WNBA Dan has been nothing short of a living motivation to Sabrina her journey through the professional stage has been imbibed with her Romanian roots along the way and aggression to make her mark on the court Dan and Liliana too have an interesting story to tell one that can keep one’s culture alive while not giving up on their hopes to live a better life with their loved ones It was the 1989 Christmas Revolution in communist Romania when Dan Ionescu escaped his homeland to take political shelter in the U.S and son Andrei to join him a few months later the opportunity came after 6 years in 1995 Liliana gave birth to twins at a gap of 18 minutes Dan had settled down in North Carolina amongst his extended family members the two got talking about being Eastern European immigrants and basketball DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 12: Sabrina Ionescu #6 of the US National Team looks on during an exhibition game against the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium on November 12, 2023 in Durham, North Carolina. The US National Team won 87-58. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) Later on, he realized his American Dream by shifting from a taxicab job to owning a limousine service company called Premier Transportation. Today, it has been more than 3 decades since Dan started providing transportation services to corporate clients and private parties that include airport transportation, wine tours, and corporate functions. Besides growing his business, Dan also played a major role in developing Sabrina’s and Edward’s balling skills. Being the father of a first-generation athlete, Dan knew nothing about basketball. However, the sport was the perfect outlet for Sabrina’s aggression, confidence, and competitiveness, traits that come from her Romanian roots. So, to channel all that energy, Dan Ionescu worked Sabrina and Edward into a competition, with one desperate purpose – ‘to exhaust the two and get them a peaceful night of sleep’ – as he put it, “When you have twins and they’re young, all you want is them to get tired.” He found the solution at Larkey Park, which happened to be tennis and basketball courts and a sand volleyball pit. But they missed a soccer field there. Had it been there a soccer field, Dan would have surely pushed the twins into the game as well. Eventually, Sabrina and Edward grew closer to basketball, with Larkey Park being their ultimate place to be. The two would team up and take down grown men in a quest for the ultimate spoil. “Some guys would be like, ‘If you beat us, we’ll get you guys a Slurpee,’ because there was a 7-Eleven right down the street. We’d beat them in H-O-R-S-E, or two-on-two, three-on-three, and they’d just go and get us a Slurpee and come back,” said Edward. Individually, it was much more for Sabrina than just beating grown-up men for a cooler, as Dan put it, “The very first instinct for Sabrina was to be accepted by the boys. She wanted to be with the boys and always driven by that.” Her competitive edge was on display in 2013 when, despite not being invited to the USA Basketball’s U16 tryouts in Colorado Springs, she went and was one of the two non-invitees to get selected, and the rest is history. Native to Romania, the Ionescu family stayed connected with their roots. They didn’t want to lose their language but rather used it to their advantage. Whenever the twins played, Dan would shout his thoughts in their native language from the stands. Then Edwards would tell him to settle down. While now Dan might tease that Sabrina Ionescu is not all that at times, he knows what she has done is nothing short of amazing. Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger EssentiallySports is a digital-first sports media house that surfaces the best stories on America's favorite sports celebrities with a fan's perspective to 30+ M average monthly readers. Full Spectrum Services LLP © 2025 | All Rights Reserved