Technical innovations at the service of cheaper labour in pre-industrial Europe. The Enlightened agenda to transform the gender division of labour in silk manufacturing

In 1749, Jacques de Vaucanson patented his or tour pour tirer la soie or spindle for silk reeling. In that same year he presented his invention to the Academy of the Sciences in Paris, of which he was a member1. Jacques de Vaucanson was born in Grenoble, France, in 1709, and died in Paris in 1782. In 1741 he had been appointed inspector of silk manufactures by Louis XV. He set about reorganizing the silk industry in France, in considerable difficulty at the time due to foreign competition. Given Vaucanson’s position, his invention was intended to replace the traditional Piémontes method, and had an immediate impact upon the silk industry in France and all over Europe.

Ciencia, industria e ideología en la Cataluña del siglo XX: el Instituto Ravetllat-Pla en Sudamérica entre 1924 y 1936

En 1923, Ramón Plá i Armengol (1880-1958) fundó el Instituto Ravetllat-Pla para la comercialización y producción de dos productos antituberculosos (Hemo-Antitoxina y Suero Ravetllat-Pla) fundamentados en una teoría heterodoxa postulada por el veterinario Joaquim Ravetllat i Estech (1871-1923). A través del instituto creó una gran red internacional científico-comercial principalmente en Latinoamérica. Plá i Armengol fue doctor en medicina y participó activamente en la lucha antituberculosa en Cataluña sin dejar de lado su militancia socialista. A través de estos dos productos, logró crear un mercado que se sustentaba en una teoría heterodoxa que integraban sus principios e ideología.

Una casa, una història: patrimoni arquitectònic i humà d'una casa de la Selva del Camp

Treball de recerca realitzat per una alumna d'ensenyament secundari i guardonat amb un Premi CIRIT per fomentar l'esperit científic del Jovent l'any 2009. El treball té com a objecte de recerca un habitatge del municipi de la Selva del Camp. Aquest, es centra tant en els aspectes artístics i decoratius, com en l’anàlisi de l’evolució patrimonial i l’ús social de l’edifici entre els segles XVIII-XX. En la recerca s’ha analitzat, per una banda, el procés de transformació de l’edifici des de l’any 1749 i els elements artístics que encara s’hi conserven com pintures neoclàssiques, treballs de ferro forjat, etc., els quals fan que sigui una de les cases més emblemàtiques del Carrer Major de la Selva. D’altra banda, s’ha indagat en les diferents generacions que, des de mitjan segle XVIII, n’han tingut la propietat i el paper que aquestes famílies han jugat dins la societat selvatana. La casa, en aquests anys, ha pertanyut a dues famílies i al Sindicat Agrícola. La primera, els Fortuny, terratinents i amb càrrecs al govern municipal; l'altra, els Carnicer, comerciants d'avellanes dels quals jo en sóc descendent. De 1910 a 1920 la casa fou al seu del Sindicat Agrícola i a partir de textos de Puig i Ferreter s’ha pogut descriure l’ambient que s'hi vivia i les activitats que s’hi duien a terme. Alhora, el fet d’analitzar les diferents funcions que l’edifici ha tingut al llarg d’aquests anys (residència familiar, corredoria de comerç, premsa d’oli, seu del Centre Republicà o del Sindicat Agrícola) ha permès explicar la història de la vila de la Selva a partir de la d’aquest edifici.

The Protein quality control system manages plant defence compound synthesis

Jasmonates are ubiquitous oxylipin-derived phytohormones that are essential in the regulation of many development, growth and defence processes. Across the plant kingdom, jasmonates act as elicitors of the production of bioactive secondarymetabolites that serve in defence against attackers. Knowledge of the conserved jasmonate perception and early signalling machineries is increasing, but the downstream mechanisms that regulate defence metabolism remain largely unknown. Herewe showthat, in the legumeMedicago truncatula, jasmonate recruits the endoplasmic-reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD)quality control system tomanagethe production of triterpene saponins, widespread bioactive compounds that share a biogenic origin with sterols. An ERAD-type RING membraneanchor E3 ubiquitin ligase is co-expressed with saponin synthesis enzymes to control the activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGR), the rate-limiting enzyme in the supply of the ubiquitous terpene precursor isopentenyl diphosphate. Thus, unrestrained bioactive saponin accumulationis prevented and plant development and integrity secured. This control apparatus is equivalent to the ERAD system that regulates sterol synthesis in yeasts and mammals but that uses distinct E3 ubiquitin ligases, of the HMGR degradation 1 (HRD1) type, to direct destruction of HMGR. Hence, the general principles for the management of sterol and triterpene saponin biosynthesis are conserved across eukaryotes but can be controlled by divergent regulatory cues.

The Protein quality control system manages plant defence compound synthesis

Jasmonates are ubiquitous oxylipin-derived phytohormones that are essential in the regulation of many development, growth and defence processes. Across the plant kingdom, jasmonates act as elicitors of the production of bioactive secondarymetabolites that serve in defence against attackers. Knowledge of the conserved jasmonate perception and early signalling machineries is increasing, but the downstream mechanisms that regulate defence metabolism remain largely unknown. Herewe showthat, in the legumeMedicago truncatula, jasmonate recruits the endoplasmic-reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD)quality control system tomanagethe production of triterpene saponins, widespread bioactive compounds that share a biogenic origin with sterols. An ERAD-type RING membraneanchor E3 ubiquitin ligase is co-expressed with saponin synthesis enzymes to control the activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGR), the rate-limiting enzyme in the supply of the ubiquitous terpene precursor isopentenyl diphosphate. Thus, unrestrained bioactive saponin accumulationis prevented and plant development and integrity secured. This control apparatus is equivalent to the ERAD system that regulates sterol synthesis in yeasts and mammals but that uses distinct E3 ubiquitin ligases, of the HMGR degradation 1 (HRD1) type, to direct destruction of HMGR. Hence, the general principles for the management of sterol and triterpene saponin biosynthesis are conserved across eukaryotes but can be controlled by divergent regulatory cues.

The Protein quality control system manages plant defence compound synthesis

Jasmonates are ubiquitous oxylipin-derived phytohormones that are essential in the regulation of many development, growth and defence processes. Across the plant kingdom, jasmonates act as elicitors of the production of bioactive secondarymetabolites that serve in defence against attackers. Knowledge of the conserved jasmonate perception and early signalling machineries is increasing, but the downstream mechanisms that regulate defence metabolism remain largely unknown. Herewe showthat, in the legumeMedicago truncatula, jasmonate recruits the endoplasmic-reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD)quality control system tomanagethe production of triterpene saponins, widespread bioactive compounds that share a biogenic origin with sterols. An ERAD-type RING membraneanchor E3 ubiquitin ligase is co-expressed with saponin synthesis enzymes to control the activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGR), the rate-limiting enzyme in the supply of the ubiquitous terpene precursor isopentenyl diphosphate. Thus, unrestrained bioactive saponin accumulationis prevented and plant development and integrity secured. This control apparatus is equivalent to the ERAD system that regulates sterol synthesis in yeasts and mammals but that uses distinct E3 ubiquitin ligases, of the HMGR degradation 1 (HRD1) type, to direct destruction of HMGR. Hence, the general principles for the management of sterol and triterpene saponin biosynthesis are conserved across eukaryotes but can be controlled by divergent regulatory cues.

The Protein quality control system manages plant defence compound synthesis

Jasmonates are ubiquitous oxylipin-derived phytohormones that are essential in the regulation of many development, growth and defence processes. Across the plant kingdom, jasmonates act as elicitors of the production of bioactive secondarymetabolites that serve in defence against attackers. Knowledge of the conserved jasmonate perception and early signalling machineries is increasing, but the downstream mechanisms that regulate defence metabolism remain largely unknown. Herewe showthat, in the legumeMedicago truncatula, jasmonate recruits the endoplasmic-reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD)quality control system tomanagethe production of triterpene saponins, widespread bioactive compounds that share a biogenic origin with sterols. An ERAD-type RING membraneanchor E3 ubiquitin ligase is co-expressed with saponin synthesis enzymes to control the activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGR), the rate-limiting enzyme in the supply of the ubiquitous terpene precursor isopentenyl diphosphate. Thus, unrestrained bioactive saponin accumulationis prevented and plant development and integrity secured. This control apparatus is equivalent to the ERAD system that regulates sterol synthesis in yeasts and mammals but that uses distinct E3 ubiquitin ligases, of the HMGR degradation 1 (HRD1) type, to direct destruction of HMGR. Hence, the general principles for the management of sterol and triterpene saponin biosynthesis are conserved across eukaryotes but can be controlled by divergent regulatory cues.

Mutations in the cystic fibrosis gene in patients with congenital absence of the vas deferens

Background: Congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens (CBAVD) is a form of male infertility in which mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene have been identified. The molecular basis of CBAVD is not completely understood. Although patients with cystic fibrosis have mutations in both copies of the CFTR gene, most patients with CBAVD have mutations in only one copy of the gene. Methods: To investigate CBAVD at the molecular level, we have characterized the mutations in the CFTR gene in 102 patients with this condition. None had clinical manifestations of cystic fibrosis. We also analyzed a DNA variant (the 5T allele) in a noncoding region of CFTR that causes reduced levels of the normal CFTR protein. Parents of patients with cystic fibrosis, patients with types of infertility other than CBAVD, and normal subjects were studied as controls. Results: Nineteen of the 102 patients with CBAVD had mutations in both copies of the CFTR gene, and none of them had the 5T allele. Fifty-four patients had a mutation in one copy of CFTR, and 34 of them (63 percent) had the 5T allele in the other CFTR gene. In 29 patients no CFTR mutations were found, but 7 of them (24 percent) had the 5T allele. In contrast, the frequency of this allele in the general population was about 5 percent. Conclusions: Most patients with CBAVD have mutations in the CFTR gene. The combination of the 5T allele in one copy of the CFTR gene with a cystic fibrosis mutation in the other copy is the most common cause of CBAVD. The 5T allele mutation has a wide range of clinical presentations, occurring in patients with CBAVD or moderate forms of cystic fibrosis and in fertile men.

Phenol-Explorer 3.0: a major update of the Phenol-Explorer database to incorporate data on the effects of food processing on polyphenol content

Polyphenols are a major class of bioactive phytochemicals whose consumption may play a role in the prevention of a number of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, type II diabetes and cancers. Phenol-Explorer, launched in 2009, is the only freely available web-based database on the content of polyphenols in food and their in vivo metabolism and pharmacokinetics. Here we report the third release of the database (Phenol-Explorer 3.0), which adds data on the effects of food processing on polyphenol contents in foods. Data on >100 foods, covering 161 polyphenols or groups of polyphenols before and after processing, were collected from 129 peer-reviewed publications and entered into new tables linked to the existing relational design. The effect of processing on polyphenol content is expressed in the form of retention factor coefficients, or the proportion of a given polyphenol retained after processing, adjusted for change in water content. The result is the first database on the effects of food processing on polyphenol content and, following the model initially defined for Phenol-Explorer, all data may be traced back to original sources. The new update will allow polyphenol scientists to more accurately estimate polyphenol exposure from dietary surveys. Database URL: http://www.phenol-explorer.eu

L'Agricultura baixempordanesa a mitjan segle XIX: Producció agrària i usos del sòl

El paisatge agrari -entès en termes físics- és una construcció humana fruit d'una activitat productiva -la practica de l'agricultura- a traves de la qual s'imprimeix conscientment una determinada forma als espais naturals tot cercant l'adaptació dels objectius productius a les variades condicions del medi. Els elements que componen un paisatge agrari són múltiples i abasten des del tipus de poblament fins a la forma de les parcel•les, passant pel sistema hidrogràfic, el mode d'apropiació dels espais, les característiques de l'explotació ramadera i les formes d'aprofitament del sòl. En aquest article ens ocuparem d'un dels components del paisatge agrari de la comarca del Baix Empordà, concretament dels usos del d l i de les principals línies productives que caracteritzaven l'agricultura baixempordanesa a mitjan segle XIX. La primera qüestió que tractarem serà la de la paralització del procés d'expansió de l'àrea conreada just després de les dècades centrals del segle, aspecte de gran interès tant per la seva precocitat en el context català i espanyol, com pel fet que revela un canvi en l'evolució del sector estretament relacionat amb una remarcable disminució de la pressió demogràfica. En segon lloc, a partir de la contrastació de fonts documentals de naturalesa diversa (amillaraments, estadístiques provincials, interrogatoris municipals i comptabilitats privades), realitzarem un intent de quantificar el pes dels diversos aprofitaments i la seva distribució geogràfica. I, finalment, plantejarem la qüestió de la intensificació de l'ús del sòl a través del retrocés del guaret blanc i la difusió de rotacions complexes, qüestió clau en l'avaluació de l'eficiència econòmica del sistema agrari baixempordanès

L’erotisme a les Cartes a les Senyores dels Àngels i de Jerusalem, de Francesc Fontanella = Eroticism in Cartes a les Senyores dels Àngels i de Jerusalem, of Francesc Fontanella

This article focuses on the study of the treatment of eroticism in some of the poetic compositions from Francesc Fontanella (1622-1682/3). The paper studies fiften literary epistles whisch Fontanella dedicated to the nuns of the convent of Els Àngels and Jerusalem of Barcelona during the 1640s. It is divided into two parts; to first, the compositions under study are identified and presented briefly, and some issues related to the transmission of these textes are clarified. The second part discusses in detail all erotic references present in text. This analysis, on one hand, allows to present an interpretation of the meaning of the whole story contained in the letters. Moreover, it allows to present a characterization of the erotic vision of Fontanella. This is done by comparing this vision with the usual one at the time of baroque, as well as by analyzing the rhetorical strategies and the representation strategies that the author uses in the treatment of eroticism