TLR4 and CD14 receptors expressed in rat pineal gland trigger NFKB pathway

Nuclear factor-kappa B (NFKB), a pivotal player in inflammatory responses, is constitutively expressed in the pineal gland. Corticosterone inhibits pineal NFKB leading to an enhancement of melatonin production, while tumor necrosis factor (TNF) leads to inhibition of Aa-nat transcription and the production of N-acetylserotonin in cultured glands. The reduction in nocturnal melatonin surge favors the mounting of the inflammatory response. Despite these data, there is no clear evidence of the ability of the pineal gland to recognize molecules that signal infection. This study investigated whether the rat pineal gland expresses receptors for lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the endotoxin from the membranes of Gram-negative bacteria, and to establish the mechanism of action of LPS. Here, we show that pineal glands possess both CD14 and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), membrane proteins that bind LPS and trigger the NFKB pathway. LPS induced the nuclear translocation of p50/p50 and p50/RELA dimers and the synthesis of TNF. The maximal expression of TNF in cultured glands coincides with an increase in the expression of TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1) in isolated pinealocytes. In addition, LPS inhibited the synthesis of N-acetylserotonin and melatonin. Therefore, the pineal gland transduces Gram-negative endotoxin stimulation by producing TNF and inhibiting melatonin synthesis. Here, we provide evidence to reinforce the idea of an immune-pineal axis, showing that the pineal gland is a constitutive player in the innate immune response.

Trigger and aperture of the surface detector array of the Pierre Auger Observatory

The surface detector array of the Pierre Auger Observatory consists of 1600 water-Cherenkov detectors, for the study of extensive air showers (EAS) generated by ultra-high-energy cosmic rays. We describe the trigger hierarchy, from the identification of candidate showers at the level of a single detector, amongst a large background (mainly random single cosmic ray muons), up to the selection of real events and the rejection of random coincidences. Such trigger makes the surface detector array fully efficient for the detection of EAS with energy above 3 x 10(18) eV, for all zenith angles between 0 degrees and 60 degrees, independently of the position of the impact point and of the mass of the primary particle. In these range of energies and angles, the exposure of the surface array can be determined purely on the basis of the geometrical acceptance. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Opera – Operativ Tåginformation

Uppsatsen redogör för resultatet av en förändringsanalys av informationssystemet Opera – Operativ Tåginformation samt dess samverkan med andra informationssystem. Vi ger även ett flertal förändringsförslag angående Opera. Det primära målet är att utifrån analysen ge färändringsförslag angående Opera och dess informationssystemarkitektur. För att detta skulle vara möjligt har vi kartlagt Opera och den interaktion som sker med andra informationssystem. Målet är att öka förståelsen för Opera och dess informationssystemarkitektur samt att föreslå förändringar av densamma. Analysresultatet beskriver både Operas interna och externa informationssystemarkitektur det vill säga hur Opera samverkar med andra informationssystem, Operas kärnprocesser och hur dessa kan spåras i den nuvarande databasen. Förändringsförslagen innefattar ett erbjudande om att, utifrån en beskrivning av de viktigaste handlingarna i Operas kärnprocesser skapa en objektmodell som tydliggör de centrala begrepp i verksamheten. Detta bör leda till ett förbättrat informationssystem och en förbättrad informationssystemarkitektur som stöd för kärnprocesserna. Syftet med detta arbete är att visa på hur grundläggande begrepp i informationssystemarkitekturen kan definieras med utgångspunkt från en analys av verksamhetens kärnprocesser och handlingar.

The Optimal trigger speed of vehicle activated signs

The thesis aims to elaborate on the optimum trigger speed for Vehicle Activated Signs (VAS) and to study the effectiveness of VAS trigger speed on drivers’ behaviour. Vehicle activated signs (VAS) are speed warning signs that are activated by individual vehicle when the driver exceeds a speed threshold. The threshold, which triggers the VAS, is commonly based on a driver speed, and accordingly, is called a trigger speed. At present, the trigger speed activating the VAS is usually set to a constant value and does not consider the fact that an optimal trigger speed might exist. The optimal trigger speed significantly impacts driver behaviour. In order to be able to fulfil the aims of this thesis, systematic vehicle speed data were collected from field experiments that utilized Doppler radar. Further calibration methods for the radar used in the experiment have been developed and evaluated to provide accurate data for the experiment. The calibration method was bidirectional; consisting of data cleaning and data reconstruction. The data cleaning calibration had a superior performance than the calibration based on the reconstructed data. To study the effectiveness of trigger speed on driver behaviour, the collected data were analysed by both descriptive and inferential statistics. Both descriptive and inferential statistics showed that the change in trigger speed had an effect on vehicle mean speed and on vehicle standard deviation of the mean speed. When the trigger speed was set near the speed limit, the standard deviation was high. Therefore, the choice of trigger speed cannot be based solely on the speed limit at the proposed VAS location. The optimal trigger speeds for VAS were not considered in previous studies. As well, the relationship between the trigger value and its consequences under different conditions were not clearly stated. The finding from this thesis is that the optimal trigger speed should be primarily based on lowering the standard deviation rather than lowering the mean speed of vehicles. Furthermore, the optimal trigger speed should be set near the 85th percentile speed, with the goal of lowering the standard deviation.

The Björling 'Opera' : A children's Nursery Academy and an Italian Conservatory in Miniature

The aim in this chapter is to develop a deeper understanding about the informal Björling 'School' in Sweden. Contextually the example is related to the micro history of opera education contributing to the macro perspective illuminating a provincial example of the concept of domestic opera schooling. The specific focus was on Karl David Björling (1873-1926), the teaching parent of the Swedish tenor Jussi Björling (1911-1960) and his brothers Gösta and Olle.   The Björling family model of opera schooling belongs to the classical canon of domestic home education which was common during the epoch. The phenomenon is also within the field of opera singing an important reference to the historical context of the Nordic opera history of vocal education.   The uniqueness concerning the Björling School seems to be the rigorous and exceptionally early training. David Björling’s pedagogy was rooted in earlier German theories of musical upbringing. It's clear from his results that he was familiar with the neo-humanistic ideal on which reformed music education was based. Of a specific interest is the term Gesang als Unterricht as a concept for developing childrens musical and memorising capacities.   Conceptually the roots of the Björling model are in the eighteenth-century Romantic view of prodigies and their abilities. The extensive touring is connected to the promotion of wonder-children, and David Björling’s educational style to the conservative Master-pupil tradition.   David Björling's vocal ideal was a part of the contemporary debate about “The decadence of the singing art”, and seems to have its roots in an older Italian tradition. There are recurring similarities between his educational methods and the didactic principles of the Lamperti School: Enjoying a revival around the late 1800s and early 1900s, it has been called the natural or the national school. Nevertheless, through authentic experiences and gramophone recordings the Italian tenor Enrico Caruso became David Björling’s pedagogical role model.

Arbetsprocesser i scenkonstnärliga projekt : En kvalitativ studie på videoscenografer verksamma inom opera

Syftet med denna kvalitativa undersökning är att bidra med kunskap om hur scenografiska projekt organiseras, i första hand inom operakonsten. Resultatet är användbart för forskning inom organisation samt användbart för branschen. Huvudfrågan är: hur ser arbetsprocessen ut för konstnärliga projektgrupper verksamma inom operakonst? Delfrågorna är: vilka faktorer påverkar vilka kriterium videoscenografer har för skapande? Vilka faktorer är viktigast för gott styrande av konstnärliga projektgrupper verksamma inom operakonst? Analysprocessen består av sammankopplingar mellan respondenternas svar och Pierre Bourdieus teorier om det kulturproducerande fältet samt jämförelse med tidigare forskning. Intervjuer med tre videoscenografer har legat till grund för analysen om hur vi organiserar oss i konstnärliga projekt på operascenen. Resultatet av den kvalitativa undersökningen är att den verksammes bakgrund, intressen och utbildning har påverkan på de arbetsmässiga val som tas. Ett gott ledarskap av en konstnärlig grupp som skapar videoscenografi innebär att visa på tydlighet och respekt till alla medarbetare. Diskussionen handlar om studiens styrkor, svagheter och förslag till fortsatt forskning. Styrkan i undersökningen är respondenternas karakteristiska svar som med tydlighet kunde förklaras med hjälp av Bourdieus teorier samt tidigare forskning. Svagheten i undersökningen är att den endast byggs på den empiri som samlats in genom intervjuer. Förslag till fortsatt forskning är således att undersöka om samma resultat kan erhållas med en annan metod.

Verdi's Settings of Shakespeare : from Play to Liberetto to Opera

As a Senior Scholar pursuing the topic, Verdi's Settings of Shakespeare: From Play to Libretto to Opera, I have endeavoured to study a project relevant to my majors, Music and English. During first semester, I carefully analysed Shakespeare's plays, Macbeth, Othello and Falstaff. The highlight of my project was in January when I travelled to New York City and spent the day working with the Metropolitan Opera Guild. I was also able to see a performance of Verdi's Othello with Jon Vickers in the lead role. During the second semester, I studied the musical aspects of the compositions. I spent time analysing musical passages and relating them to the plays and the operas. I was also able to continue my study of Italian, which I find extremely beneficial while studying Verdi's libretti. On Monday, 13th May, 1974, I gave a lecture presentation of my project. At this time, I showed slides of Metropolitan productions of the operas, presented my own rendition of five arias (in costume) and talked about comparisions between the plays and the operas. I applied for a Rotary Fellowship to take my project to Europe and am presently waiting to hear the results. If I do receive the fellowship, I am planning to spend a year studying the plays and operas in England and Italy. Afterwards, I hope to publish a paper explaining my findings. The paper is divided into six sections. The first section is an introduction which explains the period of Romanticism and its relationship to Shakespeare and Verdi. The second section is devoted to discussing the librettist for Macbeth, Francesco Piave. Following this section the opera Macbeth is discussed. Arrigo Boito, the librettist for Otello and Falstaff is discussed in the fourth section. The last two sections deal with Otello and Falstaff. I have also included a number of musical selections to better explain certain passages. My project has been invaluable to me. My Senior Scholar project has allowed me the freedom of independent study as well as a means of tying my majors together.

Resistir e criar : os compossíveis para um devir-professor : um estudo sobre os efeitos que a violência opera nos processos de subjetivação dos docentes

Sabe-se que a violência se propaga no mundo como um verdadeiro flagelo social e provoca impactos em todos os campos, sobremaneira, em instituições como a educação. O embate com a violência não é prerrogativa da escola pública brasileira. Entretanto, considero que esta, além de configurar-se como um espaço privilegiado de escolarização para todos, é um dos campos do socius que fica atravessado pela violência como uma contra-força. Em função deste atributo que lhe é peculiar e deste lugar no qual atuo como pedagoga, pergunto sobre como entender os sujeitos do processo educativo. Este estudo, cujo foco são os processos de subjetivação docente a par dos efeitos da violência que se manifesta em ambiente escolar, advém da necessidade de compreender a complexidade do que se passa no interior da escola, mais especificamente com os professores. É fruto também da proposição utópica de corroborar a promoção das formas de superação disto, que se conforma como algo impeditivo das relações entre o ensinar e o aprender e da realização do que de mais importante podem os homens viver: a sua humanização. Diante do desafio de examinar os efeitos que a violência suscita e provoca nos processos de subjetivação dos professores na escola de educação básica, empreendi este trabalho tendo como referência basicamente as obras de Bernard Charlot, Gilles Deleuze e Félix Guattari. Busquei nestes intercessores teóricos, bem como em outros, as ferramentas epistemológicas para compor o estudo e consolidar a aprendizagem da pesquisa nos domínios da Psicologia Social e Institucional Deparei-me com uma matéria tão incorpórea e densa, que comporta os princípios da multiplicidade, da heterogeneidade, da insubordinação, que, para apreendê-la, adotei a cartografia como um recurso do método empírico-especulativo, a fim de desvelar a natureza de um corpo coletivo que concentra a reciprocidade entre sujeitos e objetos, individualidades e organização, forças e fluxos.

"Bordados do Seridó" : uma experiência etnográfica com as bordadeiras do município de Caicó-RN

The narratives that circulate Caicó tell us that the activity of embroidery would have come to town by the eighteenth century, by the Portuguese colonizers. Initially, the embroidery worked as a constitutive element in the formation of women, especially in the construction of the role of "talented ladies", was later characterized in a income generating activity moving strongly the informal sector of the local economy. In addition to source of income, the practice of embroiderers is redefining the craft tradition, transforming the embroidery on one of the symbols of identity of the city as it reaches other markets, carrying the name "Caicó embroidery". The research aims to investigate the dynamics of artisanal embroidery production, within the family circle and its consequences after its entry in the commercial sphere. It also seeks to investigate how the activity operates within a context in which the subjects (embroiderers and intermediaries) and their distinct negotiations trigger certain discourses, particularly those related to identity and authenticity on behalf of economic, political and cultural purposes

Veredas infinitas, Recepção italiana de Grandes sertões: veredas

L'obiettivo principale di questo lavoro è valutare le difficoltà di comprensione e di identificazione nella ricezione da parte della cultura italiana dell'opera Grande sertão: veredas, da quelle trovate, in modo pionieristico, dal traduttore italiano, a quelle che sono state percepite e indicate al momento della lettura dai critici, dagli accademici, dall'autore di questo lavoro e, soprattutto, dai lettori comuni, mostrando, allo stesso tempo, che i problemi avuti dagli italiani nella traduzione esistono, sotto certi aspetti, anche per i brasiliani urbani, poiché la dimensione linguistico-geografica presente nel romanzo è così peculiare, che perfino molti lettori di lingua portoghese ignorano il mondo plasmato dal linguaggio di Guimarães Rosa rivelando una esacerbazione della questione universale espressa nella formula "traduttori, traditori". Partendo da tutto ciò, abbiamo cercato di dimostrare che, sebbene la traduzione di Edoardo Bizzarri abbia raggiunto un eccellente risultato, l'opera rosiana, così come nella poesia e di più di qualsiasi altra narrativa, comporta, nel passaggio da un idioma all'altro, perdite irrimediabili, tanto relative all'armonia musicale e ritmica, quanto alla richezza semantica che si occulta nel testo originale

TLR4 and CD14 receptors expressed in rat pineal gland trigger NFKB pathway

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)