The cuticle : not only a barrier for plant defence: A novel defence syndrome in plants with cuticular defects.

The cuticle is a physical barrier that prevents water loss and protects against irradiation, xenobiotics and pathogens. This classic textbook statement has recently been revisited and several observations were made showing that this dogma falls short of being universally true. Both transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana lines expressing cell wall-targeted fungal cutinase (so-called CUTE plants) or lipase as well as several A. thaliana mutants with altered cuticular structure remained free of symptoms after an inoculation with Botrytis cinerea. The alterations in cuticular structure lead to the release of fungitoxic substances and changes in gene expression that form a multifactorial defence response. Several models to explain this syndrome are discussed.

CD40, autophagy and Toxoplasma gondii

Toxoplasmagondii represents a pathogen that survives within host cells by preventing the endosomal-lysosomal compartments from fusing with the parasitophorous vacuoles. The dogma had been that the non-fusogenic nature of these vacuoles is irreversible. Recent studies revealed that this dogma is not correct. Cell-mediated immunity through CD40 re-routes the parasitophorous vacuoles to the lysosomal compartment by a process called autophagy. Autophagosome formation around the parasitophorous vacuole results in killing of the T. gondii. CD40-induced autophagy likely contributes to resistance against T. gondii particularly in neural tissue.

Historic aspects of human susceptibility to leprosy and the risk of conjugal transmission

Estimates of genetic susceptibility to leprosy were made in the past from observational reports in familial settings using descriptive epidemiologic data. Risk of conjugal transmission of leprosy (from one spouse to another) has been estimated between 1-10% and is thought to occur in 3-5% of spouses exposed to untreated lepromatous disease in the partner. Risk of secondary transmission is presumed higher in other family members than for the conjugal partner. This belief has become dogma to many leprologists who may no longer know the basis for this estimation. This article reviews the historic epidemiologic descriptions of risk for leprosy transmission in married couples compared to other family members. Although uncommon, conjugal leprosy occurs and at higher rates in populations with traditional familial intermarriage and consanguinity.

The first detection of Leishmania major in naturally infected Sergentomyia minuta in Portugal

Phlebotomine sandflies of the genus Sergentomyia are widely distributed throughout the Old World. It has been suggested that Sergentomyia spp are involved in the transmission of Leishmania in India and Africa, whereas Phlebotomus spp are thought to be the sole vectors of Leishmania in the Old World. In this study, Leishmania major DNA was detected in one Sergentomyia minuta specimen that was collected in the southern region of Portugal. This study challenges the dogma that Leishmania is exclusively transmitted by species of the genus Phlebotomus in the Old World.

Latin 15146

Contient : Lucain, et Héroïdes d'Ovide ; Liber s. Augustini de XII abusivis (233) ; S. Basilii ammonitio (237) ; Isidori synonima (253) ; Gennadii ecclesiasticum dogma (285) ; Confessio Berengarii (296v) ; Sermo b. Augustini de penitentia (297) ; Epistola Petri Damiani ad Alexandrum II (299) ; Sermo s. Augustini de sacramento altaris (303v)

The cuticle: Not only a barrier for plant defence: A novel defence syndrome in plants with cuticular defects.

The cuticle is a physical barrier that prevents water loss and protects against irradiation, xenobiotics and pathogens. This classic textbook statement has recently been revisited and several observations were made showing that this dogma falls short of being universally true. Both transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana lines expressing cell wall-targeted fungal cutinase (so-called CUTE plants) or lipase as well as several A. thaliana mutants with altered cuticular structure remained free of symptoms after an inoculation with Botrytis cinerea. The alterations in cuticular structure lead to the release of fungitoxic substances and changes in gene expression that form a multifactorial defence response. Several models to explain this syndrome are discussed.

Elokuva Internetissä : katsaus elokuvaan verkossa sekä suunnitelma Uhripuu-elokuvan julkaisemisesta

Opinnäytetyössäni tarkastellaan Internet-elokuvan historiaa sekä nykyistä tilaa. Käyn läpi yleisimmät katseluohjelmat: QuickTime Player, Windows Media Player, RealPlayer ja Flash Player sekä Internet-elokuvasivustot: YouTube, IFILM, AtomFilm ja Pixoff.net. Kerron myös Flash-elokuvista ja siitä miten Internet on luonut kokonaan uuden elokuvan muodon sekä Internetissä julkaistuista Dogma 2001 The New Rules for Internet Cinema -säännöistä. Käsittelen myös lyhyesti miten Internet-elokuva on vaikuttanut perinteiseen elokuvaan. Käsittelen perinteisen, isolta ruudulta katsottavaksi tehdyn, elokuvan julkaisemista Internetissä. Tarkastelen kahta verkossa julkaistua elokuvaa: Star Wreck ja The Silent City ja käyn läpi miksi ne on julkaistu Internetissä. Star Wreck on tamperelainen poikkeuksellisen kunnianhimoinen amatööriprojekti. The Silent City on taas irlantilaisen 3D-animaattorin, Ruairi Robinsonin, lyhytelokuva, jonka hän on tehnyt työnäytteeksi Hollywoodiin. Käsittelen myös ohjaaja David Lynchin verkkosivut, koska ne ovat Internetissä ainoaa laatuaan ja mainio ympäristö elokuvan julkaisemiseen. Kerron oman Uhripuu-kauhuelokuvani synnystä ja tekoprosessista. Uhripuun idea sai alkunsa Iso-Britanniassa vuoden 2004 alussa. Käsikirjoitus sai lopullisen muotonsa keväällä 2006. Käsittelen miksi ja miten se julkaistaan Internetissä. Kerron elokuvan Internet-sivujen sisällöstä ja sen jaosta eri osiin: Tarina, Rooleissa, Tekijät, Uhripuista, Traileri, Näin tehtiin, Kuvagalleria, E-kortti, Näe/Katso elokuva. Koska olen saanut koulutukseni nimenomaan verkkoviestinnän enkä audiovisuaalisen viestinnän puolella, Uhripuu-elokuvan tekoprosessi on ollut minulle elokuvakoulu. Sen tekemisen aikana olen oppinut elokuvan tekemisestä paljon. Elokuva kuvattiin HD-tarkkuuksilla, jotta kuva ei kärsisi liikaa jälkikäsittelyssä. Mitä tulee elokuvan ja Internetin yhteiseen tulevaisuuteen, näyttää siltä, että nämä kaksi mediaa ovat yhdistymässä yhä enemmän toisiinsa.

Toll-like receptor agonists synergize with CD40L to induce either proliferation or plasma cell differentiation of mouse B cells.

In a classical dogma, pathogens are sensed (via recognition of Pathogen Associated Molecular Patterns (PAMPs)) by innate immune cells that in turn activate adaptive immune cells. However, recent data showed that TLRs (Toll Like Receptors), the most characterized class of Pattern Recognition Receptors, are also expressed by adaptive immune B cells. B cells play an important role in protective immunity essentially by differentiating into antibody-secreting cells (ASC). This differentiation requires at least two signals: the recognition of an antigen by the B cell specific receptor (BCR) and a T cell co-stimulatory signal provided mainly by CD154/CD40L acting on CD40. In order to better understand interactions of innate and adaptive B cell stimulatory signals, we evaluated the outcome of combinations of TLRs, BCR and/or CD40 stimulation. For this purpose, mouse spleen B cells were activated with synthetic TLR agonists, recombinant mouse CD40L and agonist anti-BCR antibodies. As expected, TLR agonists induced mouse B cell proliferation and activation or differentiation into ASC. Interestingly, addition of CD40 signal to TLR agonists stimulated either B cell proliferation and activation (TLR3, TLR4, and TLR9) or differentiation into ASC (TLR1/2, TLR2/6, TLR4 and TLR7). Addition of a BCR signal to CD40L and either TLR3 or TLR9 agonists did not induce differentiation into ASC, which could be interpreted as an entrance into the memory pathway. In conclusion, our results suggest that PAMPs synergize with signals from adaptive immunity to regulate B lymphocyte fate during humoral immune response.

Maternal effect on female caste determination in a social insect.

Caste differentiation and division of labor are the hallmarks of social insect colonies [1, 2]. The current dogma for female caste differentiation is that female eggs are totipotent, with morphological and physiological differences between queens and workers stemming from a developmental switch during the larval stage controlled by nutritional and other environmental factors (e.g., [3-8]). In this study, we tested whether maternal effects influence caste differentiation in Pogonomyrmex harvester ants. By conducting crossfostering experiments we identified two key factors in the process of caste determination. New queens were produced only from eggs laid by queens exposed to cold. Moreover, there was a strong age effect, with development into queens occurring only in eggs laid by queens that were at least two years old. Biochemical analyses further revealed that the level of ecdysteroids was significantly lower in eggs developing into queens than workers. By contrast, we found no significant effect of colony size or worker exposure to cold, suggesting that the trigger for caste differentiation may be independent of the quantity and quality of resources provided to larvae. Altogether these data demonstrate that the developmental fate of female brood is strongly influenced by maternal effects in ants of the genus Pogonomyrmex.

La muerte del otro: Kierkegaard, Lévinas, Derrida

El objetivo de este artículo es mostrar cómo Derrida ha concebido el exceso del concepto kierkegaardiano de muerte, especialmente en relación con "la muerte del otro" en oposición a la propia muerte. A pesar de las críticas que Lévinas dirige a lo religioso en Temor y temblor, en cuanto implica una suspensión de la ética, Derrida descubre en Kierkegaard una ética más exigente, una ética que suspende la ética: la ética del superviviente. Kierkegaard llevó a cabo, según Derrida, "un doblete no dogmático del dogma, uno que repite la posibilidad de la religión sin religión".La tesis que aquí se defiende es que esta ética del deber absoluto que Derrida descubre en Temor y temblor, en oposición a las éticas que dan sentido a la vida a pesar de la muerte, se resuelve en torno al tema central de la muerte del otro. Se mostrará cómo esta ética que defiende Derrida se corresponde con la "ética segunda" que Kierkegaard señala en Temor y temblor y desarrolla en Las obras del amor, especialmente en la articulación del deber absoluto de "amar a los muertos".

Subjetividad humana y "error" en la filosofía cartesiana

El presente trabajo, continuando la línea investigadora acerca de las nociones derazón, conciencia y subjetividad en Descartes, tal como se ha defendido en otros artículos ya publicados, aporta un nuevo argumento a una línea de trabajo previamente iniciada, poniendo de relieve que el problema gnoseológico del error viene condicionado por la misma noción cartesiana de racionalidad, y que ésta dista mucho de lo que tradicionalmente se ha entendido como una racionalidad abstracta y formal, libre de los imperativos humanos. Por otro lado, y a la inversa, también se intenta mostrar como el hecho del error contribuye, cartesianamente hablando, a definir un modelo de racionalidad profundamentehumanizada. El artículo, tras una introducción, se propone analizar las relaciones entre los conceptos básicos de racionalidad, dogma, y naturaleza, lo que permitirá a continuación dejar constancia de la copertenencia entre racionalidad y error, para acabar viendo como la libertad humana es la vez, y para ambos, su fundamento último.

El llibre de la Confraria del Senyor Rei, un manuscrito miniado del monasterio de Poblet

El dogma de la Inmaculada Concepción originó la creación de la "Confraria del Senyor Rei", también denominada "Cofradía de la Copncepción de María Immaculada" en la Corona de Aragón. La confraternidad fue fundada en Zaragoza por Pedro IV el 8 de mayo de 1333. Con nuestro estudio queremos mostrar un manuscrito inédito, custodiado en la Biblioteca del Monasterio de Poblet. Se trata de un códice de lujo que contiene los estatutos de la confraternidad. El manuscrito fue iluminado mediante dos ilustraciones. La primera realizada durante el reinado de Martín el Humano, la segunda datada en torno a 1440. durante el reinado de Alfonso el Magnánimo.

Del mito del hombre democrático a la nueva Internacional civil

En nom de la exportació dels valors democràtics s’ha pretès justificar la introducció dels principis del neoliberalisme a escala mundial. L’imaginari democràtic ha estat utilitzat com a disfressa elegant per a intentar tapar la progressiva debilitat generada en el cos social pels processos de globalització de l’economia. Però malgrat de l’inicial triomfalisme del “pensament únic”, paral•lelament s’ha anat generant tota una xarxa internacional de resistència que sembla tenir cada cop més un gran poder de mobilització

Dogmes immutables

Els humans som ben curiosos: ens omplim la boca auto qualificant-nos d'animals racionals mentre fem tots els possibles per aferrar-nos a dogmes irracionals. Els dogmes són principis fonamentals, veritats universals indiscutibles o que sense ser-ho s'afirmen com a tals, i en principi són propis, però no pas exclusius, de les religions. Els dogmes també participen en moltes teories polítiques i concepcions socials, especialment en les extremistes, com els règims totalitaris, però també són presents en casos aparentment més moderats, com el dogma de la unitat indissoluble d'Espanya i de la immutabilitat de la seva Constitució, o el cas mai prou criticat que a igual feina una dona percebi un sou més baix que un home [...].