Between the Colony and the Revolution: The Formation of the Cuban Nation through Children's Literature of the Republic (1902-1958}), Lecture by Zeila Frade

This flyer promotes the event "Between the Colony and the Revolution: The Formation of the Cuban Nation through Children's Literature of the Republic (1902-1958} Lecture by Zeila Frade".

Between the Colony and the Revolution: The Formation of the Cuban Nation through Children's Literature of the Republic (1902-1958), Lecture by Zeila Frade

Literary researcher and professor Zeila Frade gives a lecture analyzing the relationship among children's literature, ideology, and cultural identity in Cuba.

The braids of the virgin: Taino roots of the early cult of La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre in Cuba

Since her discovery in Cuban waters in 1611, La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre (The Virgin of Charity) has become the leading transnational religious symbol for Cubans. The oldest stories about the appearance of La Virgen in Cuba suggest the presence of Cuban Taino in the early years of her cult. Yet historians have minimized Taino influence when examining Cuba's sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, pivotal years in the cult's development. This thesis demonstrated the significant role of the Taino in the formation of the early cult of La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre, by employing revisionist historiography to the years between 1492 and 1687, to better understand the demographics and religious culture of Eastern Cuba, where the cult originated. It also found specific contributions from Taino religious culture in the myths, beliefs, and material culture associated with the early cult of La Virgen. ^

Biomimetic modeling of the nitrogen-centered radical postulated to occur during the inhibition of ribonucleotide reductases by 2'-azido-2'-deoxynucleotides

Ribonucleotide reductases (RNR) are essential enzymes that catalyze the reduction of ribonucleotides to 2'-deoxyribonucleotides, which is a critical step that produces precursors for DNA replication and repair. The inactivation of RNR, logically, would discontinue producing the precursors of the DNA of viral or cancer cells, which then would consequently end the cycle of DNA replication. Among different compounds that were found to be inhibitors of RNR, 2'-azido-2'-deoxynucleotide diphosphates (N3NDPs) have been investigated in depth as potent inhibitors of RNR. Decades of investigation has suggested that the inactivation of RNR by N3NDPs is a result of the formation of a nitrogen-centered radical (N·) that is covalently attached to the nucleotide at C3' and cysteine molecule C225 [3'-C(R-S-N·-C-OH)]. Biomimetic simulation reactions for the generation of the nitrogen-centered radicals similar to the one observed during the inactivation of the RNR by azionuclotides was investigated. The study included several modes: (i) theoretical calculation that showed the feasibility of the ring closure reaction between thiyl radicals and azido group; (ii) synthesis of the model azido nucleosides with a linker attached to C3' or C5' having a thiol or vicinal dithiol functionality; (iii) generation of the thiyl radical under both physiological and radiolysis conditions whose role is important in the initiation on RNR cascades; and (iv) analysis of the nitrogen-centered radical species formed during interaction between the thiyl radical and azido group by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR). Characterization of the aminyl radical species formed during one electron attachment to the azido group of 2'-azido-2'-deoxyuridine and its stereospecifically labelled 1'-, 2'-, 3'-, 4'- or 5,6-[2H 2]-analogues was also examined. This dissertation gave insight toward understanding the mechanism of the formation of the nitrogen-centered radical during the inactivation of RNRs by azidonucleotides as well as the mechanism of action of RNRs that might provide key information necessary for the development of the next generation of antiviral and anticancer drugs.

Cardiac Neural Crest Cells Affect the Development of the Myocardium and Conduction System in the Mouse

Neural crest cells originate from the dorsal most region of the embryonic neural tube. These cells migrate into several embryonic locations and differentiate into a variety of cell types. Cardiac neural crest (CNC) cells are a set of neural crest progenitors that aid in the proper formation of the cardiac septum, which separates the pulmonary from the systemic circulation. We have used Splotch mice to investigate whether the murine CNC cells play a role during the development oft he myocardium and the conduction system. Splotch mice carry a mutation in the P AX3 transcription factor, and display a problem in CNC cell migration. A scanning-electron-microscopy analysis of Splotch mutant-embryonic-hearts reveals abnormalities in the interventricular septum. In addition, the right and left ventricular cavities appear dilated relative to a wild type heart. Hoechst nuclei staining of Splotch heart cryosections demonstrates a decreased number of cardiomyocytes and a corresponding thinner ventricular wall. The absence of Connexin 40 in the ventricles of Splotch mutants, suggests conduction system defects. These results support the evidence that CNC cell signaling plays a role in modulating the growth and development of murine cardiomyocytes and their differentiation into conductile cells.