Mechanistic Insights into the Neutralization of Cytotoxic Abrin by the Monoclonal Antibody D6F10

Abrin, an A/B toxin obtained from the Abrus precatorius plant is extremely toxic and a potential bio-warfare agent. Till date there is no antidote or vaccine available against this toxin. The only known neutralizing monoclonal antibody against abrin, namely D6F10, has been shown to rescue the toxicity of abrin in cells as well as in mice. The present study focuses on mapping the epitopic region to understand the mechanism of neutralization of abrin by the antibody D6F10. Truncation and mutational analysis of abrin A chain revealed that the amino acids 74-123 of abrin A chain contain the core epitope and the residues Thr112, Gly114 and Arg118 are crucial for binding of the antibody. In silico analysis of the position of the mapped epitope indicated that it is present close to the active site cleft of abrin A chain. Thus, binding of the antibody near the active site blocks the enzymatic activity of abrin A chain, thereby rescuing inhibition of protein synthesis by the toxin in vitro. At 1: 10 molar concentration of abrin: antibody, the antibody D6F10 rescued cells from abrin-mediated inhibition of protein synthesis but did not prevent cell attachment of abrin. Further, internalization of the antibody bound to abrin was observed in cells by confocal microscopy. This is a novel finding which suggests that the antibody might function intracellularly and possibly explains the rescue of abrin's toxicity by the antibody in whole cells and animals. To our knowledge, this study is the first report on a neutralizing epitope for abrin and provides mechanistic insights into the poorly understood mode of action of anti-A chain antibodies against several toxins including ricin.

Pond action: Promoting the conservation of ponds in Britain

Pond Action is an independent freshwater conservation project which was started in 1987. It is based in the School of Biological and Molecular Sciences in Oxford Polytechnic and has five full-time staff with two senior advisors. The main aim of Pond Action's work has been to promote the conservation of ponds by creating a sound, scientific basis for pond conservation. An essential aspect of this work is the need to make the results of scientific work available and understandable to everybody concerned with pond conservation.

A construção da representação social de hierarquia na Força Aérea Brasileira

A presente pesquisa tem como objetivo geral analisar as representações sociais da hierarquia construídas pelos militares da FAB, considerando suas segmentações em termos dos círculos de oficiais e graduados, dos respectivos processos de formação, dos sexos de seus componentes e dos estágios, se formados ou em formação, em que se encontram. A fundamentação teórica discorre sobre a hierarquia, princípio geral das instituições militares, previsto por lei e regulador do comportamento militar, conforme prevê o Estatuto dos Militares (BRASIL, 1980); a respeito do poder, na perspectiva de Max Weber (1999) que trata a obediência, a partir da autoridade de uma pessoa sobre outras, e de acordo com Amitai Etzioni (1974), que entende o poder como a capacidade que uma pessoa tem de induzir outra a seguir suas orientações. Apresenta ainda a Teoria das Representações Sociais, proposta por Serge Moscovici (1961), para quem as representações sociais servem de instrumento de leitura da realidade, e a partir da abordagem estrutural, proposta por Jean-Claude Abric (1976), segundo a qual a representação social é composta pelo sistema central, constituído pelo núcleo central, e pelo sistema periférico, formado por elementos periféricos. A amostra foi composta por 600 militares, oriundos das escolas de formação de oficiais e de graduados, do âmbito do Comando da Aeronáutica (COMAER): Academia da Força Aérea (AFA), cuja finalidade é a formação dos Oficiais da Ativa dos quadros de Aviação, de Intendência e de Infantaria, a Escola de Especialistas da Aeronáutica (EEAR), responsável pela formação e pelo aperfeiçoamento dos graduados e o Centro de Instrução Especializada da Aeronáutica (CIEAR), responsável pela capacitação de oficiais e graduados em áreas afins à sua especialização. A coleta de dados foi realizada por meio da técnica de evocação livre ao termo indutor hierarquia, da aplicação do questionário de caracterização e do questionário geral, composto por questões abertas e fechadas. As evocações foram processadas pelo software EVOC, desenvolvido por Pierre Vergès (2005), as questões fechadas receberam o processamento com o auxílio do software SPSS e as questões abertas sofreram uma categorização para o refinamento das análises. Os resultados encontrados nas comparações do conteúdo temático e da estrutura das representações sociais entre os diferentes segmentos permitem afirmar que os temas respeito e disciplina são os prováveis elementos centrais da hierarquia para o conjunto dos 600 militares pesquisados e caracterizam a base comum e consensual compartilhada na caserna. A hierarquia, norteada por um conjunto de regras que regula e assegura a disciplina e o respeito, direciona o comportamento dos militares, durante a formação e no decorrer da carreira. Da análise, conclui-se que os diferentes segmentos de militares da FAB possuem a mesma representação social de hierarquia.

Depression of Serotonin Synaptic Transmission by the Dopamine Precursor L-DOPA

Imbalance between the dopamine and serotonin (5-HT) neurotransmitter systems has been implicated in the comorbidity of Parkinson's disease (PD) and psychiatric disorders. L-DOPA, the leading treatment of PD, facilitates the production and release of dopamine. This study assessed the action of L-DOPA on monoamine synaptic transmission in mouse brain slices. Application of L-DOPA augmented the D2-receptor-mediated inhibitory postsynaptic current (IPSC) in dopamine neurons of the substantia nigra. This augmentation was largely due to dopamine release from 5-HT terminals. Selective optogenetic stimulation of 5-HT terminals evoked dopamine release, producing D2-receptor-mediated IPSCs following treatment with L-DOPA. In the dorsal raphe, L-DOPA produced a long-lasting depression of the 5-HT1A-receptor-mediated IPSC in 5-HT neurons. When D2 receptors were expressed in the dorsal raphe, application of L-DOPA resulted in a D2-receptor-mediated IPSC. Thus, treatment with L-DOPA caused ectopic dopamine release from 5-HT terminals and a loss of 5-HT-mediated synaptic transmission.

Corra que a polícia vem aí!: a (des)construção da imagem da Polícia Militar em notícia jornalística

Este trabalho se propõe a analisar, qualitativamente, as escolhas léxico-gramaticais, em uma perspectiva semântico-discursiva, utilizadas pela imprensa escrita, a fim de identificar como o sujeito social Polícia Militar é apresentado à sociedade. Objetiva-se mostrar que, mesmo em um discurso jornalístico de cunho informativo, algumas marcas (extra)linguísticas determinam uma orientação argumentativa adotada (in)conscientemente pelo seu produtor. Para esse estudo, a linha teórica predominantemente adotada foi a Análise Semiolinguística do Discurso, a qual tem como referência as teorias propostas, sobretudo, por Patrick Charaudeau. Foram selecionadas 15 (quinze) matérias de cunho informativo veiculadas nos jornais Folha de São Paulo e O Globo, nos dias 14 e 20 de junho de 2013, referentes às principais manifestações populares ocorridas nas cidades de São Paulo e Rio de Janeiro. As conclusões apontam para o papel da imprensa na desconstrução da imagem da polícia, procurando construir, na sociedade civil, um senso comum desfavorável à ação desses militares

Prioritizing county-level well-being: Moving toward assessment of Gulf Coast counties impacted by the Deepwater Horizon Industrial Disaster

To develop a portfolio of indicators and measures that could best measure changes in the social, economic, environmental and health dimensions of well-being in coastal counties we convened a group of experts March 8-9, 2011 in Charleston, SC, U.S.A. The region of interest was of the northern Gulf of Mexico, specifically, those coastal counties most impacted during the explosion and subsequent oil spill from the Macondo Prospect wellhead during the summer of 2010. Over the course of the two-day workshop participants moved through presentations and facilitated sessions to identify and prioritize potential indicators and measures deemed most valuable for capturing changes in well-being related to changes in or disruption of ecosystem services. The experts reached consensus on a list of indicators that are now being operationalized by NOAA researchers. The ultimate goal of this research project is to determine whether a meaningful set of social and economic indicators can be developed to document changes in well-being that occur as a result of changes in ecosystem services. The outcomes and outputs from the workshop that is the subject of this report helped us to identify high-quality indicators useful for measuring well-being.

On the selective action of the cod end meshes of a shrimp trawl

Selectivity studies using cod end and cover to determine the optimum cod end mesh size for commercial size groups of shrimps was carried out at Cochin during 1963-64 fishing season. The normality of the result was checked by trouser cod end method. Although the present investigation was mainly aimed to find out suitable cod end mesh size for commercial varieties of shrimps, five commonly occurring species of fishes were also taken. The 50% escape level, co-efficient of selectivity and selection factor for all the species were worked out. From the findings, the authors stress the necessity of increasing the cod end mesh size from the present condition (25.4 to 31.70 mm) to 41.65 mm fabricated mesh size to avoid depletion of the natural population.

Environmental and social impact monitoring of the Bujagali Hydropower Project (BHPP), Uganda Fisheries Component: monthly patterns in physico-chemical conditions and fish catch in the immediate vicinity of the Bujagali Hydropower construction site, 29th September - 28th October 2007

Following the commencement of construction works of a 250 MW hydropower plant at Dumbbell Island in the Upper Victoria Nile in September 2007, BEL requested NaFIRRI to conduct continuous monitoring of fish catches at two transects i.e. the immediate upstream transect of the project site (Kalange-Makwanzi) and the immediate downstream .transect (Buyala-Kikubamutwe). The routine monitoring surveys were designed to be conducted twice a week at each of the tWo transects. It was anticipated that major immediate impacts were to occur during construction, and these needed to be known by BEL as part of a mitigation strategy. For example, the construction of it cofferdam could be accompanied by rapid changes in water quality and quantity downstream of the construction. These changes in turn could affect the fish catch and would probably be missed by the quarterly monitoring already in place. Therefore, a major cbjective of the more regular and rapid monitoring was to discern immediate impacts of construction activities by focusing on selected water quality parameters (total suspended solids, water conductivity, temperature, dissolved oxygen and pH) and fish catch characteristics (total catch, catch rates and value of the catch)

Economics of operation of 38' G.R.P. fishing vessels issued by the A.D.B. Fisheries Project: a case study

The author gives a financial and economic valuation of the operation of vessels in the 38 foot GRP class. He discusses particularly the materials and methods of fishing they use, species composition of their catches, their rate of return, break-even analysis, financial and social analysis.

Transcription rates of yeast genes are influenced by the distribution of introns

A comparative analysis on the intron sequence oligonucleotide usages in two sets of yeast genes with higher and lower transcription frequencies, respectively, has shown that the intron sequence structures of the two sets of genes are different. There are more potential binding sites for transcription factors in the introns of the genes with high transcription frequencies. So it is speculated that introns regulate the transcription of genes. But more evidences are needed to favor this speculation. The detailed comparative analyses on the distribution ( length and position) of introns and exons in the two sets of gene sequences also show that there is an obvious boundary between the lengths of the two sets of introns. There is no boundary between the lengths of the two sets of exons, although the means of their lengths are of discrepancy. The situation of the gene lengths ( length of intron and exon) is similar to exon lengths. As far as the relative position, the introns in two sets of genes all have a bias toward the 5' ends of genes. But as the actual position is considered, more introns in high transcription genes have a tendency to be located toward the 5' ends of genes, some even located at 5'-UTR. These results suggest that the gene transcription rates are related to the length of intron, but not to the lengths of exons and genes sequences. The positions of introns may also influence the transcription rates. The transcriptional regulation of introns may be correlative with the transcriptional regulation of the upstream of genes, or be its continuous action.

Empathic neural responses are modulated by the perceived fairness of others.

The neural processes underlying empathy are a subject of intense interest within the social neurosciences. However, very little is known about how brain empathic responses are modulated by the affective link between individuals. We show here that empathic responses are modulated by learned preferences, a result consistent with economic models of social preferences. We engaged male and female volunteers in an economic game, in which two confederates played fairly or unfairly, and then measured brain activity with functional magnetic resonance imaging while these same volunteers observed the confederates receiving pain. Both sexes exhibited empathy-related activation in pain-related brain areas (fronto-insular and anterior cingulate cortices) towards fair players. However, these empathy-related responses were significantly reduced in males when observing an unfair person receiving pain. This effect was accompanied by increased activation in reward-related areas, correlated with an expressed desire for revenge. We conclude that in men (at least) empathic responses are shaped by valuation of other people's social behaviour, such that they empathize with fair opponents while favouring the physical punishment of unfair opponents, a finding that echoes recent evidence for altruistic punishment.

Conflict Transformation and the Spiritual Practices for the Military Chaplain

No abstract is available.

Exploring the relationship between social network sites and the consumption of cultural goods through the lens of affordances

This thesis presents research theorising the use of social network sites (SNS) for the consumption of cultural goods. SNS are Internet-based applications that enable people to connect, interact, discover, and share user-generated content. They have transformed communication practices and are facilitating users to present their identity online through the disclosure of information on a profile. SNS are especially effective for propagating content far and wide within a network of connections. Cultural goods constitute hedonic experiential goods with cultural, artistic, and entertainment value, such as music, books, films, and fashion. Their consumption is culturally dependant and they have unique characteristics that distinguish them from utilitarian products. The way in which users express their identity on SNS is through the sharing of cultural interests and tastes. This makes cultural good consumption vulnerable to the exchange of content and ideas that occurs across an expansive network of connections within these social systems. This study proposes the lens of affordances to theorise the use of social network sites for the consumption of cultural goods. Qualitative case study research using two phases of data collection is proposed in the application of affordances to the research topic. The interaction between task, technology, and user characteristics is investigated by examining each characteristic in detail, before investigating the actual interaction between the user and the artifact for a particular purpose. The study contributes to knowledge by (i) improving our understanding of the affordances of social network sites for the consumption of cultural goods, (ii) demonstrating the role of task, technology and user characteristics in mediating user behaviour for user-artifact interactions, (iii) explaining the technical features and user activities important to the process of consuming cultural goods using social network sites, and (iv) theorising the consumption of cultural goods using SNS by presenting a theoretical research model which identifies empirical indicators of model constructs and maps out affordance dependencies and hierarchies. The study also provides a systematic research process for applying the concept of affordances to the study of system use.

Emi2-mediated inhibition of E2-substrate ubiquitin transfer by the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome through a D-box-independent mechanism.

Vertebrate eggs are arrested at Metaphase II by Emi2, the meiotic anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) inhibitor. Although the importance of Emi2 during oocyte maturation has been widely recognized and its regulation extensively studied, its mechanism of action remained elusive. Many APC/C inhibitors have been reported to act as pseudosubstrates, inhibiting the APC/C by preventing substrate binding. Here we show that a previously identified zinc-binding region is critical for the function of Emi2, whereas the D-box is largely dispensable. We further demonstrate that instead of acting through a "pseudosubstrate" mechanism as previously hypothesized, Emi2 can inhibit Cdc20-dependent activation of the APC/C substoichiometrically, blocking ubiquitin transfer from the ubiquitin-charged E2 to the substrate. These findings provide a novel mechanism of APC/C inhibition wherein the final step of ubiquitin transfer is targeted and raise the interesting possibility that APC/C is inhibited by Emi2 in a catalytic manner.