Proteins mediating the Neospora caninum-host cell interaction as targets for vaccination

Neospora caninum is an apicomplexan parasite that is capable of infecting, a wide range of tissues. The fact that Neospora represents an important abortion-causing parasite in cattle has transformed neosporosis research from an earlier, rather esoteric field, to a significant research topic, and considerable investments have been made in the last years to develop an efficacious vaccine or other means of intervention that would prevent infection and abortion due to N. caninum infection in cattle. Antigenic molecules associated with proteins involved in adhesion/invasion or other parasite-host-cell interaction processes can confer protection against Neospora caninum infection, and such proteins represent valuable targets for the development of a vaccine to limit economical losses due to neosporosis. Although not ideal, small laboratory animal models that mimic cerebral infection, acute disease and fetal loss upon infection during pregnancy have been used for the assessment of vaccine candidates, in parallel with studies on experimental infections in cattle. Herein, we review and critically assess these vaccination approaches and discuss potential options for improvements.

La asthéneia en la antropología cristiana primitiva

La Patrística cristiana recibió la noción veterotestamentaria de asthéneia de la versión griega de los LXX. Entendida como “debilidad" y “falta de fuerza", se la asoció con “enfermedad" o “estado general de debilidad", significado que se conservó tanto en los libros históricos como en los poéticos. El término aparece con frecuencia también en los Evangelios y en los escritos de Pablo, posibilitando así una comprensión de la enfermedad en clave filosófico-teológica por parte de los Padres, entre los que se destaca el Patriarca de Constantinopla San Juan Crisóstomo, quien recurriendo a una exégesis literal de la Escritura según los principios de la escuela antioquena, analiza el concepto en sus comentarios a las Epístolas llamadas “Mayores" de San Pablo y, particularmente, a la Segunda Carta a los Corintios. De esta lectura se desprende la necesidad de considerar la asthéneia de manera inseparable de la antropología cristiana. En los orígenes del cristianismo la concepción de hombre resultaba extremadamente compleja, oscilando desde la antropología tripartita de San Pablo (I Tes. 5, 23) a la quíntuple presentada por ciertos textos gnósticos (Carta esotérica de Santiago 11, 36-12, 17; 14, 24-36) y a la década de Clemente de Alejandría (Strómata VI, 16, 135, 1-2). El estudio de la aplicación del concepto de asthéneia a los distintos componentes del hombre en la polifacética literatura cristiana primitiva, permite comprender la importancia asignada a cada uno de ellos según las distintas corrientes interpretativas.

Les mysteres de l'onomastique dans l'Helene d'Euripide

En su Helena, Eurípides teoriza las dificultades de la onomástica: los nombres recubren la identidad de múltiples homónimos o bien un nombre designa muchas esencias de un mismo individuo, como ocurre con la verdadera reina de Esparta y su eídolo. Estas observaciones adquieren una significación teatral, pues un personaje como Teucro, mal integrado en la acción si se tratara del famoso arquero homérico, se insertaría en un rol muy pertinente si se reconociera en él al meteco que denuncia la parodia de los misterios de Eleusis por Alcibíades. Además, cierta tradición crítica ha distinguido trazos del joven estratega bajo la puesta en escena de la protagonista. La obra de Eurípides sugiere, de hecho, de manera esotérica, el progreso escénico de una rehabilitación y de una iniciación no solo de Helena (sobre el plano de la representación mitológica), sino también de Alcibíades (sobre el plano político). Por otra parte, el nombre y la función dramática de Teónoe están realmente demasiado cercanos a aquellos de Téano (la sacerdotisa de Eleusis citada por Plutarco como la única en haberse negado a maldecir a Alcibíades), como para que la similitud onomástica sea fortuita.

Les mysteres de l'onomastique dans l'Helene d'Euripide

En su Helena, Eurípides teoriza las dificultades de la onomástica: los nombres recubren la identidad de múltiples homónimos o bien un nombre designa muchas esencias de un mismo individuo, como ocurre con la verdadera reina de Esparta y su eídolo. Estas observaciones adquieren una significación teatral, pues un personaje como Teucro, mal integrado en la acción si se tratara del famoso arquero homérico, se insertaría en un rol muy pertinente si se reconociera en él al meteco que denuncia la parodia de los misterios de Eleusis por Alcibíades. Además, cierta tradición crítica ha distinguido trazos del joven estratega bajo la puesta en escena de la protagonista. La obra de Eurípides sugiere, de hecho, de manera esotérica, el progreso escénico de una rehabilitación y de una iniciación no solo de Helena (sobre el plano de la representación mitológica), sino también de Alcibíades (sobre el plano político). Por otra parte, el nombre y la función dramática de Teónoe están realmente demasiado cercanos a aquellos de Téano (la sacerdotisa de Eleusis citada por Plutarco como la única en haberse negado a maldecir a Alcibíades), como para que la similitud onomástica sea fortuita.

Les mysteres de l'onomastique dans l'Helene d'Euripide

En su Helena, Eurípides teoriza las dificultades de la onomástica: los nombres recubren la identidad de múltiples homónimos o bien un nombre designa muchas esencias de un mismo individuo, como ocurre con la verdadera reina de Esparta y su eídolo. Estas observaciones adquieren una significación teatral, pues un personaje como Teucro, mal integrado en la acción si se tratara del famoso arquero homérico, se insertaría en un rol muy pertinente si se reconociera en él al meteco que denuncia la parodia de los misterios de Eleusis por Alcibíades. Además, cierta tradición crítica ha distinguido trazos del joven estratega bajo la puesta en escena de la protagonista. La obra de Eurípides sugiere, de hecho, de manera esotérica, el progreso escénico de una rehabilitación y de una iniciación no solo de Helena (sobre el plano de la representación mitológica), sino también de Alcibíades (sobre el plano político). Por otra parte, el nombre y la función dramática de Teónoe están realmente demasiado cercanos a aquellos de Téano (la sacerdotisa de Eleusis citada por Plutarco como la única en haberse negado a maldecir a Alcibíades), como para que la similitud onomástica sea fortuita.

Modernist Ecology: Modernism and the Reimagination of Nature

Countering the trend in contemporary ecocriticism to advance realism as an environmentally responsible mode of representation, this essay argues that the anti-realist aesthetics of literary modernism were implicitly “ecological.” In order to make this argument I distinguish between contemporary and modernist ecological culture (both of which I differentiate in turn from ecological science); while the former is concerned primarily with the practical reform characteristic of what we now call “environmentalism,” the latter demanded an all-encompassing reimagination of the relationship between humanity and nature. “Modernist ecology,” as I call it, attempted to envision this change, which would be ontological or metaphysical rather than simply social, through thematically and formally experimental works of art. Its radical vision, suggestive in some ways of today’s “deep” ecology, repudiated modern accounts of nature as a congeries of inert objects to be manipulated by a sovereign subject, and instead foregrounded the chiasmic intertexture of the subject/object relationship. In aesthetic modernism we encounter not “objective” nature, but “nature-being” – a blank substratum beneath the solid contours of what philosopher Kate Soper calls “lay nature” – the revelation of which shatters historical constructions of nature and alone allows for radical alternatives. This essay looks specifically at modernist ecology as it appears in the works of W. B. Yeats, D. H. Lawrence, and Samuel Beckett, detailing their attempts to envision revolutionary new ecologies, but also their struggles with the limited capacity of esoteric modernist art to effect significant ecological change on a collective level.

Bible review.

Called also v. 15-32 of the Esoteric series.

Practical methods to insure success.

Mode of access: Internet.

The antlepileptic Materia Medica of Pedoacus Dioscorides

Since it was written about the middle of the 1st Century AD, and up to comparatively recent times, the great Herbal, or Materia Medica, of Dioscorides provided medicine with its chief source of information about what were then considered therapeutic substances. The work contained data on various materials of botanical, biological and mineral origin which were claimed to provide benefit to sufferers from epilepsy, though often with no clear underlying rationale for their use. Some of these materials continued to be used as antiepileptic remedies over many centuries till they were finally recognised to be without useful effect in the disorder. The longest survivor amongst the Dioscoridean antiepileptic remedies was a rather esoteric one, viz. two stones taken from the belly of a young swallow during the rising phase of the moon and also whilst the swallow's parent birds were absent from the nest. The stones, or one of them, were worn against the skin of the seizure sufferer. The use of the swallow stones for epilepsy was recommended as late as in the writings of Thomas Willis (1675). (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Odour pollution problems within the district of the Wrekin council

This thesis is concerned with various aspects of Air Pollution due to smell, the impact it has on communities exposed to it, the means by which it may be controlled and the manner in which a local authority may investigate the problems it causes. The approach is a practical one drawing on examples occurring within a Local Authority's experience and for that reason the research is anecdotal and is not a comprehensive treatise on the full range of options available. Odour Pollution is not yet a well organised discipline and might be considered esoteric as it is necessary to incorporate elements of science and the humanities. It has been necessary to range widely across a number of aspects of the subject so that discussion is often restricted but many references have been included to enable a reader to pursue a particular point in greater depth. In a `fuzzy' subject there is often a yawning gap separating theory and practice, thus case studies have been used to illustrate the interplay of various disciplines in resolution of a problem. The essence of any science is observation and measurement. Observation has been made of the spread of odour pollution through a community and also of relevant meterological data so that a mathematical model could be constructed and its predictions checked. It has been used to explore the results of some options for odour control. Measurements of odour perception and human behaviour seldom have the precision and accuracy of the physical sciences. However methods of social research enabled individual perception of odour pollution to be quantified and an insight gained into reaction of a community exposed to it. Odours have four attributes that can be measured and together provide a complete description of its perception. No objective techniques of measurement have yet been developed but in this thesis simple, structured procedures of subjective assessment have been improvised and their use enabled the functioning of the components of an odour control system to be assessed. Such data enabled the action of the system to be communicated using terms that are understood by a non specialist audience.

Towards the Noosphere of Intangible (Esotericism from Materialistic Viewpoint)

Exploration of intangible world is under the serious influence of esotericism. Mystics, religions, unrestrained use of metaphors, fairy tales, gossips, unverified and uncertified “facts” – all this needs accurate well-disposed, but sound scientific consideration. Our society really needs new ideas, new approaches and new paradigms. Technological civilization becomes more and more complicated, risky and ecologically critical. The current level of AI research cannot guarantee successful solution of societal control and management. Besides, the human being itself practically did not change its mental and psychological abilities for many thousands years. We can lose control over our society and its technology, if we do not change cardinally ourselves. In this text, I tried to approach this problem – the problem of our noosphere from materialistic viewpoint.

Crueldad, simulacion, absurdo y amenaza: Barbarie del drama moderno y tradicion hermetica en los esperpentos de Ramon del Valle-Inclan

The purpose of this dissertation is to demonstrate that the esperpentos by the Spanish playwright Ramón del Valle-Inclán (1866–1936), represent a culminating moment of theatrical precepts of modern European drama, while perpetuating the ancient esoteric traditions of the Iberian Peninsula. Focusing on four plays—Los cuernos de Don Friolera (1920), Luces de Bohemia (1921), Las galas del difunto (1926) y La hija del Capitán (1927)—the research elucidates how this interpretation furthers understanding of the process that embraces the anti-realistic clamours during the initial decades of the XX century, up to the subsequent climax of the aesthetics of Cruelty, Absurdity, Simulation, and Menace. ^ In search for an ideal scenic language capable of reflecting the grotesque character and mystical essence of the esperpentos, this project examines the most significant works of philosophers from the hermetic tradition such as Plato, Pithagoras, Aquinas, and Flamel. Other important authors are Éliphas Lévy and H. P. Blavatsky, two personalities of great preponderance in the spiritual effervescence and occultist apotheosis at the turn of the 20th century. Finally, the mystical ideas of Spanish philosopher Roso de Luna and the psychological works on alchemy and magic by Jung find their conceptual correspondence in Valle-Inclán's aesthetic manifesto, La lámpara maravillosa. ^ The ultimate objective of this dissertation is to provide a proposal for a mise en scène of the esperpentos, aesthetically based on the simultaneous scenarios of the New Stagecraft and conceptually inspired by the mystical principles of the hermetic tradition. The comparative approach of this study establishes a dialogue between modernity and the esoteric tradition that results in a new Koncept for their representation, providing a simultaneous scenario, far from realistic theatre, and more coherent to house the magical substance of the esperpentos. ^

TEOLOGIA E TRADIÇÃO NO CONTEXTO DAS RELIGIÕES DE UMBANDA: UMA ANÁLISE DO CONFLITO ENTRE CULTURA ACADÊMICA E POPULAR

A religião de Umbanda ocupa grande espaço na vida e no imaginário religioso brasileiro, e adota as lendas, mitos e folclore da cultura popular brasileira. Desprovida de texto sagrado, a Umbanda rejeita a ideia do entendimento de uma literatura sagrada como pressuposto para uma ligação com o divino, sendo mais preocupada com a experiência religiosa e do sagrado, como ponte entre a dimensão humana e divina. Embora de comum acordo sobre a importância da prática na religião de Umbanda, existe um forte debate teológico na questão do valor principal para as práticas e vida religiosa do filho de santo. De um lado, temos a Doutrina Esotérica que aposta na produção textual e teórica e, de outro, temos a Umbanda de popular, que aposta na experiência pessoal do filho de santo com a tradição oral e as práticas religiosas. De sua fundação até a presente data, a Umbanda Esotérica tem apostado na formação acadêmica como base principal para a instrumentalização do filho de santo para a prática no terreiro, assim como publicação de textos, livros, artigos, oferecimento de cursos e a criação da primeira instituição especializada de ensino, a Faculdade de Teologia Umbandista. Se por um lado, para alguns, isso possa parecer uma abertura para a modernização e melhor aceitação das práticas de origem africanas, para outros, representa uma limitação na prática e na experiência do filho de santo devido à racionalidade do espaço acadêmico. Desse modo, pretendo investigar esse conflito no discurso e nas suas especificidades, estudando literatura especializada e orgânica, tendo como eixo de investigação a seguinte questão: O que é mais importante para as práticas religiosas em Umbanda, a formação prática ou a acadêmica?

Psychological and Interpersonal Implications of Believing that Everything is One: Identity, Personality, Values, and Worldviews

For thousands of years, people from a variety of philosophical, religious, spiritual, and scientific perspectives have believed in the fundamental unity of all that exists, and this belief appears to be increasingly prevalent in Western cultures. The present research was the first investigation of the psychological and interpersonal implications of believing in oneness. Self-report measures were developed to assess three distinct variants of the belief in oneness – belief in the fundamental oneness of everything, of all living things, and of humanity – and studies examined how believing in oneness is associated with people’s self-views, attitudes, personality, emotions, and behavior. Using both correlational and experimental approaches, the findings supported the hypothesis that believing in oneness is associated with feeling greater connection and concern for people, nonhuman animals, and the environment, and in being particularly concerned for people and things beyond one’s immediate circle of friends and family. The belief is also associated with experiences in which everything is perceived to be one, and with certain spiritual and esoteric beliefs. Although the three variations of belief in oneness were highly correlated and related to other constructs similarly, they showed evidence of explaining unique variance in conceptually relevant variables. Belief in the oneness of humanity, but not belief in the oneness of living things, uniquely explained variance in prosociality, empathic concern, and compassion for others. In contrast, belief in the oneness of living things, but not belief in oneness of humanity, uniquely explained variance in beliefs and concerns regarding the well-being of nonhuman animals and the environment. The belief in oneness is a meaningful existential belief that is endorsed to varying degrees by a nontrivial portion of the population and that has numerous implications for people’s personal well-being and interactions with people, animals, and the natural world.

Derechos políticos femeninos en la Junta Consultiva Nacional

Este artículo analiza los cambios ideológicos y las tensiones en la visión de la ciudadanía femenina en el debate que tuvo lugar en la Junta Consultiva Nacional (1955-56). En la primera parte se realiza una "descripción densa" del debate, en el sentido sugerido por Clifford Geertz, con el fin de entender las posiciones de los delegados de la Junta sobre las profundas relaciones entre el género, el peronismo y los derechos políticos de las mujeres. La segunda parte ofrece una visión general del proceso de acuerdo con las ideas de Bourdieu sobre la cultura esotérica del campo político. El objetivo es poner de relieve la heterogeneidad de los discursos sobre los derechos políticos de las mujeres en el contexto posterior a la caída del gobierno de Perón. De hecho, en la historiografía local, las facultades políticas femeninas fueron consideradas como carentes de problemas en este período debido a que, en 1947, las mujeres ya habían obtenido esas facultades. En contraposición con esta premisa, este artículo entiende que el objetivo de la reforma era reconstruir los cimientos de los derechos políticos de las mujeres sobre la base de nuevos parámetros