Facies model for a coarse-grained, tide-influenced delta : Gule Horn Formation (Early Jurassic), Jameson Land, Greenland

Acknowledgements: Funding for this project was provided from the Research Council of Norway through the Petromaks project 193059 and the FORCE Safari Project. Arild Andresen (University of Oslo) and Aka Lynge (POLOG) are thanked for logistical support, Björn Nyberg (Uni Research CIPR and University of Bergen) for assistance in the field, Arve Næss (Statoil) for providing data and assistance during the planning phase, Julien Vallet and Huges Fournier (Helimap Systems SA) for data acquisition. Riegl LMS GmbH is acknowledged for software support. We thank Brian Willis and an anonymous reviewer for their insightful and thorough reviews and Mariano Marzo for editorial comments.

«Donde se forman las expediciones definitivas» El hombre perdido y las «novelas de la nebulosa» de Ramón Gómez de la Serna

[es] El presente trabajo analiza las «novelas de la nebulosa» de Ramón Gómez de la Serna y especialmente El hombre perdido (1947) como culminación y cierre de la práctica ramoniana del des/hacer, ejemplificada plenamente a partir de los «libros ultravertebrados» como El Rastro (1914). Por tal práctica entendemos, a partir de Fredric Jameson, la expresión estética del ideologema de la circulación de la mercancía, en tanto que Ramón deshace la realidad, las cosas, para ponerlas de nuevo en circulación a través de sus «precipitados nuevos» de cosas, o greguerías. La nebulosa a la que se retira el protagonista anónimo de El hombre perdido al final de la obra es el no-lugar del cese de la circulación de imágenes, de imágenesmercancías. Ese no-espacio es al mismo tiempo el del fin de la creación artística y el lugar donde abrazar la disolución de la existencia. Como consecuencia de esto último, en un giro rehumanizador de su obra, la «nebulosa» es una solución nihilista a la creciente angustia ante la vida y la muerte del Ramón exiliado en Buenos Aires desde 1936. [en] This article analyses the “novelas de la nebulosa” by Ramón Gómez de la Serna and especially El hombre perdido (1947) as the culmination and end of Ramón’s literary practice of the “des/hacer”, implemented in his “libros ultravertebrados”, of which El Rastro (1914) is the first best example. Following Fredric Jameson, we understand that literary practice as the aesthetic expression of the ideologeme of the circulation of the commodity, since Ramón unleashes reality, dissolves its apparent configuration in order to re-circulate reality under the guise of his “greguerías”, or metaphorical “precipitates” of things. The “nebulosa” to which the protagonist of El hombre perdido retires at the end of the novel is the no-place where the circulation of commodities or image-commodities has ceased. That no-space represents at the same time the end of the artistic creativity and the place for embracing the dissolution of existence. As a consequence, his work takes here a re-humanizing turn that transforms the “nebulosa” in a sort of nihilistic solution to the increasing anguish in front of life and death that is tormenting Ramón since his exile in Argentina after 1936.

The Essentials of Narrative: A Synthesis of the West and the East

This is a study on the nature of narrative in light of a narratological theory inspired by a comparison of narratives in the West and the East, and which tries to reach a deeper understanding of narratives in their particular cultural milieus as well as the nature of narrative per se. The macroscopic structure which the subject itself demands gives coherence to the study of elements which do not solely belong to narrative texts but nevertheless are essential for a text to function as a narrative. The essentials under investigation are the narrator's perspective (which gives a narrative its internal structure), language (which both enables and affects the formation of narrative), and the notion of genre (which plays a crucial role in the interpretation of narrative). These elements were selected after a consideration of theorles postulated by Erich Auerbach, Northrop Frye, Fredric Jameson and Mikhail Bakhtin, as well as of the key properties of narrative as traditionally treated in Chinese scholarship on narrative. After the initial chapter, each chapter consists of a theoretical discussion on the main topic, followed by an analysis of a particular aspect of the subject as revealed in an American novel and in a Chinese novel. These subjects in elude the internal structure of narrative, fictionalization, the objectivity of language and the diversity of voices, the potentiality of language and the elosure of narrative, plot and the ordering of a narrative, and fragmentarity and the perceiving of a narrative. In theoretical discussions, the essay challenges theories proposed by Wayne Booth, Michel Foucault, Umberto Eco, Stanley Fish, Roman Jakobson, Jacques Derrida, Jonathan Culler and Tzvetan Todorov. The major texts discussed are Henry James's The Portrait of a Lady, Luo Guanzhong's Three Kingdoms, William Faulkner's Absalom. Absalom!, Cao Xueqin's Dream of the Red Chamber. Edgar Allan Poe's "Ligeia," and Liu E's The Travels of Laocan. The central idea of the research is to question such assumptions as made by Anthony Burgess in his article on the novel in The Encyelopaedia Britannica (15th ed) that "novelists, being neither poets nor philosophers, rarely originate modes of thinking and expression."

2?? Encontro Nacional de Educa????o a Dist??ncia para a Rede de Escolas de Governo

Durante os dias 20 e 21 de agosto de 2009 representantes de Escolas de Governo de todo o pa??s se encontraram para debater o tema "Inova????es e Desafios na Capacita????o por meio da Educa????o a Dist??ncia para Institui????es P??blicas", no 2?? Encontro de Educa????o a Dist??ncia para a Rede de Escolas de Governo, realizado na cidade de Natal/RN. O Encontro foi destinado a gestores e t??cnicos da Rede de Escolas de Governo que por meio desse interc??mbio selaram o fortalecimento e consolida????o desse grande desafio, que ?? implanta????o da Educa????o a Dist??ncia em suas Escolas.

Estado-nação, identidade-para-o-mercado e representações de nação

Este artigo se propõe a explorar o conceito de identidade-para-o-mercado, criado a partir das idéias de Jameson, contidas em seu livro Pós-modernismo: a lógica cultural no capitalismo tardio, e explorado por meio de reflexões que remetem às questões, da minha pesquisa de doutorado, sobre a imigração brasileira no Porto. Apoiado nessa perspectiva, pode-se verificar o papel central do Estado-nação na produção e articulação de identidades-para-o-mercado e de imagens identitárias de fácil consumo num mercado global.

"I was a maoist intelectual". Uma leitura crítica em torno dos conceitos "industria cultural" e "popular music" segundo adorno

Reflectir sobre noções como liberdade individual, democracia, o papel dos meios de comunicação e dos produtos culturais, é uma das principais tarefas das ciências sociais e humanas, reflexão particularmente pertinente nestes primeiros anos do séc. XXI marcados pela popularização de dispositivos tecnológicos destinados à circulação de informação em rede e pela virtualização de mecanismos de distribuição de bens de consumo cultural. Adomo constitui hoje uma das fontes mais importantes surgidas nos últimos 50 anos para esta reflexão. Marcado pelo advento do Nacional Socialismo e a perseguição de todos os "degenerados da condição ariana" (judeus, comunistas e homossexuais), Adomo produziu ao longo de quatro décadas, uma reflexão que marcou indelevelmente muitos autores que, escrevendo sobre a contemporaneidade, a adoptaram ou a ela se opuseram. A pergunta que coloco, e que serve de ponto de partida para este artigo, é proposta por Jameson: é hoje possível ler Adomo e Horkheimer junto à piscina? (1990: 248), ou posto de outra forma, que lugar ocupa a obra de Adomo como ferramenta para perspectivar o mundo actual.

Espacio y tiempo en el imaginario digital. La construcción técnico estética de la espacio-temporalidad contemporánea.

Partiendo de la idea ampliamente aceptada de que las TIC (Tecnologías de Información y Comunicación) han tenido una profunda influencia en los modos en que la sociedad contemporánea experimenta y concibe las nociones de espacio y tiempo, y sustentándose en el contexto de la importancia adquirida por dichas nociones en la comprensión de los procesos sociales en general y estéticos en particular, esta investigación ha tenido por objetivo analizar la espacio-temporalidad en el contexto específico de la era digital. Poniendo en relación la fenomenología de los dispositivos tecnológicos con las nuevas estrategias de representación y puesta en imagen del espacio y el tiempo, nuestro propósito ha sido mostrar no sólo cómo a través de las prácticas artísticas digitales puede identificarse y analizarse el imaginario espacio-temporal de la era digital, sino también cómo éstas –basadas en una larga trayectoria estética de intersecciones entre arte y tecnología- han revestido al espacio y al tiempo de nuevas fenomenologías posibles, dando lugar a nuevas formas de percibirlos y cumpliendo, por tanto, un papel activo en la configuración de dicho imaginario y sus sucesivas transformaciones. La perspectiva teórica adoptada para esta investigación parte de las teorías postmodernas del espacio y el tiempo –considerando autores como Harvey o Jameson-, recurriendo a la sociología del Imaginario Social desarrollada por Castoriadis, Castro-Nogueira o J. L. Pintos para comprender cómo el espacio y el tiempo adquieren significaciones particulares. Combinando estas bases teóricas con los estudios visuales y los trabajos de teóricos de los medios como McLuhan, De Kerckhove o Lev Manovich, se establecerían las posibles relaciones entre las tecnologías, las representaciones sociales del espacio y el tiempo – analizadas a partir de metáforas como “compresión espacio-temporal”, “espacio de los flujos” o “tiempo atemporal” y sus relaciones con el Ciberespacio- y la fenomenología espacio-temporal de las prácticas artísticas y sus estrategias de representación visual –tomando como objeto de estudio tipologías artísticas que van desde el Hipercine a la Realidad Virtual y Aumentada, los Medios Locativos o la Telepresencia. La conclusión que hemos podido extraer de este estudio es que si bien distintos tipos de tecnologías afectan operacional y perceptivamente a la construcción social de la espacio-temporalidad, los modos en que estas tecnologías han estetizado la propia realidad y los modos en que condicionan la construcción estética de las nociones de espacio y tiempo, tanto a partir de la propia fenomenología del dispositivo como de la experimentación creativa con el mismo, ejercen una profunda influencia sobre el imaginario social y espacio-temporal propios de la era digital.

Comparison of the infectivity of Trypanosoma cruzi insect-derived metacyclic trypomastigotes after mucosal and cutaneous contaminative challenges

Trypanosoma cruzi infects humans when infected triatomine vector excreta contaminate breaks in skin or mucosal surfaces. T. cruzi insect-derived metacyclic trypomastigotes (IMT) invade through gastric mucosa after oral challenges without any visible inflammatory changes, while cutaneous and conjunctival infections result in obvious local physical signs. In this study we compared the infectivity of T. cruzi IMT in mice after cutaneous and oral contaminative challenges simulating natural infections. The 50% infective dose (ID50) for oral challenge was 100 fold lower than the ID50for cutaneous challenge, indicating that oral mucosal transmission is more efficient than cutaneous transmission.

Causal relationship between obesity and vitamin D status: bi-directional Mendelian randomization analysis of multiple cohorts.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is associated with vitamin D deficiency, and both are areas of active public health concern. We explored the causality and direction of the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] using genetic markers as instrumental variables (IVs) in bi-directional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We used information from 21 adult cohorts (up to 42,024 participants) with 12 BMI-related SNPs (combined in an allelic score) to produce an instrument for BMI and four SNPs associated with 25(OH)D (combined in two allelic scores, separately for genes encoding its synthesis or metabolism) as an instrument for vitamin D. Regression estimates for the IVs (allele scores) were generated within-study and pooled by meta-analysis to generate summary effects. Associations between vitamin D scores and BMI were confirmed in the Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Traits (GIANT) consortium (n = 123,864). Each 1 kg/m(2) higher BMI was associated with 1.15% lower 25(OH)D (p = 6.52×10⁻²⁷). The BMI allele score was associated both with BMI (p = 6.30×10⁻⁶²) and 25(OH)D (-0.06% [95% CI -0.10 to -0.02], p = 0.004) in the cohorts that underwent meta-analysis. The two vitamin D allele scores were strongly associated with 25(OH)D (p≤8.07×10⁻⁵⁷ for both scores) but not with BMI (synthesis score, p = 0.88; metabolism score, p = 0.08) in the meta-analysis. A 10% higher genetically instrumented BMI was associated with 4.2% lower 25(OH)D concentrations (IV ratio: -4.2 [95% CI -7.1 to -1.3], p = 0.005). No association was seen for genetically instrumented 25(OH)D with BMI, a finding that was confirmed using data from the GIANT consortium (p≥0.57 for both vitamin D scores). CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of a bi-directional genetic approach that limits confounding, our study suggests that a higher BMI leads to lower 25(OH)D, while any effects of lower 25(OH)D increasing BMI are likely to be small. Population level interventions to reduce BMI are expected to decrease the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency.

Redondances. Paul Ricoeur et ses sutures théologico-politiques

Paul Ricoeur construit la philosophie comme une hétérotopie, en la soumettant à l'ordre, juridique et théologique, d'un «aveu». En soustrayant la pensée à la compétence première de la philosophie pour l'accorder à l'ordre d'un récit, Ricoeur fait de l'exercice de la philosophie une «empirique de la volonté serve». Ce primat donné à un ordre de médiation, par le biais d'un récit, dépouille ainsi la philosophie de toute tâche inaugurale. Dans ses Valences of the Dialectic, le philosophe américain Jameson est revenu de façon critique sur ce montage, soulignant le paradoxe qui oblige Ricoeur à ôter la pensée du temps des tâches premières de la phénoménologie. Cet article vise à en exposer les conséquences (notamment le basculement vers une herméneutique), pour interroger les effets théologico-politiques de ce vaste projet. --- Paul Ricoeur has built up philosophy as a heterotopy by submitting it to the juridical and theological order of a "confession". By taking away thought as the primus competence of philosophy, and attributing it to narration, Ricoeur transforms philosophy into an "empirics of the serve-will". This priority given to mediation through narration deprives philosophy from any inaugural task. In his Valences of the Dialectic, the American philosopher Jameson has critically questioned this construction, underlining the paradox that forces Ricoeur to take away thought of time from the primus tasks of phenomenology. This paper intends to expose the consequences of such a deal (among others the swing to hermeneutics), and to inquire about the theologico-political effects of such a vast project.

New loci associated with birth weight identify genetic links between intrauterine growth and adult height and metabolism.

Birth weight within the normal range is associated with a variety of adult-onset diseases, but the mechanisms behind these associations are poorly understood. Previous genome-wide association studies of birth weight identified a variant in the ADCY5 gene associated both with birth weight and type 2 diabetes and a second variant, near CCNL1, with no obvious link to adult traits. In an expanded genome-wide association meta-analysis and follow-up study of birth weight (of up to 69,308 individuals of European descent from 43 studies), we have now extended the number of loci associated at genome-wide significance to 7, accounting for a similar proportion of variance as maternal smoking. Five of the loci are known to be associated with other phenotypes: ADCY5 and CDKAL1 with type 2 diabetes, ADRB1 with adult blood pressure and HMGA2 and LCORL with adult height. Our findings highlight genetic links between fetal growth and postnatal growth and metabolism.

Genome-wide association identifies nine common variants associated with fasting proinsulin levels and provides new insights into the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: Proinsulin is a precursor of mature insulin and C-peptide. Higher circulating proinsulin levels are associated with impaired β-cell function, raised glucose levels, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Studies of the insulin processing pathway could provide new insights about T2D pathophysiology. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We have conducted a meta-analysis of genome-wide association tests of ∼2.5 million genotyped or imputed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and fasting proinsulin levels in 10,701 nondiabetic adults of European ancestry, with follow-up of 23 loci in up to 16,378 individuals, using additive genetic models adjusted for age, sex, fasting insulin, and study-specific covariates. RESULTS: Nine SNPs at eight loci were associated with proinsulin levels (P < 5 × 10(-8)). Two loci (LARP6 and SGSM2) have not been previously related to metabolic traits, one (MADD) has been associated with fasting glucose, one (PCSK1) has been implicated in obesity, and four (TCF7L2, SLC30A8, VPS13C/C2CD4A/B, and ARAP1, formerly CENTD2) increase T2D risk. The proinsulin-raising allele of ARAP1 was associated with a lower fasting glucose (P = 1.7 × 10(-4)), improved β-cell function (P = 1.1 × 10(-5)), and lower risk of T2D (odds ratio 0.88; P = 7.8 × 10(-6)). Notably, PCSK1 encodes the protein prohormone convertase 1/3, the first enzyme in the insulin processing pathway. A genotype score composed of the nine proinsulin-raising alleles was not associated with coronary disease in two large case-control datasets. CONCLUSIONS: We have identified nine genetic variants associated with fasting proinsulin. Our findings illuminate the biology underlying glucose homeostasis and T2D development in humans and argue against a direct role of proinsulin in coronary artery disease pathogenesis.