Consumo cultural como diversidade expressiva: desigualdades nas construções simbólicas

No presente trabalho, busca-se refletir, em primeiro lugar, sobre as funções sociais da produção, da circulação e do consumo de bens culturais. Com esse objetivo, realiza-se uma análise crítica acerca das formas predominantes desde as quais foram interpretados esses processos, concedendo especial ênfase no papel que cumprem na construção simbólica de certa ordem social. Define-se a produção de bens culturais como uma objetivação de uma subjetividade determinada, e, em tal sentido, se considera como uma construção discursiva onde subjazem determinadas visões do mundo, contribuindo, desse modo, com uma produção simbólica específica. No entanto, sem desconhecer a formação de hegemonias e a sua pretensão de imposição, entende-se, no presente trabalho, que a construção de sentido não pode ser considerada como a imposição plena do objeto sobre o sujeito, senão como uma interação entre ambos. O significado é fruto de um processo interativo entre a história do processo de produção e a história incorporada nos esquemas de classificação que possuem os sujeitos de distintos espaços sociais. Em segundo lugar, considerando os resultados do survey sobre consumo cultural feita no ano 2009 no Uruguai, realiza-se uma discussão sobre as especificidades que este processo assume no citado país, bem como acerca do papel das políticas culturais e sua concepção regressiva da distribuição de fundos públicos, o que redunda no fortalecimento da exclusão simbólica dos setores com menores recursos.

Brca1 is expressed in human microglia and is dysregulated in human and animal model of ALS

Background: There is growing evidence that microglia are key players in the pathological process of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). It is suggested that microglia have a dual role in motoneurone degeneration through the release of both neuroprotective and neurotoxic factors. Results: To identify candidate genes that may be involved in ALS pathology we have analysed at early symptomatic age (P90), the molecular signature of microglia from the lumbar region of the spinal cord of hSOD1(G93A) mice, the most widely used animal model of ALS. We first identified unique hSOD1(G93A) microglia transcriptomic profile that, in addition to more classical processes such as chemotaxis and immune response, pointed toward the potential involvement of the tumour suppressor gene breast cancer susceptibility gene 1 (Brca1). Secondly, comparison with our previous data on hSOD1(G93A) motoneurone gene profile substantiated the putative contribution of Brca1 in ALS. Finally, we established that Brca1 protein is specifically expressed in human spinal microglia and is up-regulated in ALS patients. Conclusions: Overall, our data provide new insights into the pathogenic concept of a non-cell-autonomous disease and the involvement of microglia in ALS. Importantly, the identification of Brca1 as a novel microglial marker and as possible contributor in both human and animal model of ALS may represent a valid therapeutic target. Moreover, our data points toward novel research strategies such as investigating the role of oncogenic proteins in neurodegenerative diseases.

Pio del Rio Hortega and the discovery of the oligodendrocytes

Rio del Rio Hortega (1882-1945) discovered microglia and oligodendrocytes (OLGs), and after Ramon y Cajal, was the most prominent figure of the Spanish school of neurology. He began his scientific career with Nicolas Achucarro from whom he learned the use of metallic impregnation techniques suitable to study non-neuronal cells. Later on, he joined Cajal's laboratory. and Subsequently, he created his own group, where he continued to develop other innovative modifications of silver staining methods that revolutionized the study of glial cells a century ago. He was also interested in neuropathology and became a leading authority on Central Nervous System (CNS) tumors. In parallel to this clinical activity, del Rio Hortega rendered the first systematic description of a major polymorphism present in a subtype of macroglial cells that he named as oligodendroglia and later OLGs. He established their ectodermal origin and suggested that they built the myelin sheath of CNS axons, just as Schwann cells did in the periphery. Notably, he also suggested the trophic role of OLGs for neuronal functionality, an idea that has been substantiated in the last few years. Del Rio Hortega became internationally recognized and established an important neurohistological school with outstanding pupils from Spain and abroad, which nearly disappeared after his exile due to the Spanish civil war. Yet, the difficulty of metal impregnation methods and their variability in results, delayed for some decades the confirmation of his great insights into oligodendrocyte biology until the development of electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry. This review aims at summarizing the pioneer and essential contributions of del Rio Hortega to the current knowledge of oligodendrocyte structure and function, and to provide a hint of the scientific personality of this extraordinary and insufficiently recognized man.

New Nuclear SNP Markers Unravel the Genetic Structure and Effective Population Size of Albacore Tuna (Thunnus alalunga)

In the present study we have investigated the population genetic structure of albacore (Thunnus alalunga, Bonnaterre 1788) and assessed the loss of genetic diversity, likely due to overfishing, of albacore population in the North Atlantic Ocean. For this purpose, 1,331 individuals from 26 worldwide locations were analyzed by genotyping 75 novel nuclear SNPs. Our results indicated the existence of four genetically homogeneous populations delimited within the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Current definition of stocks allows the sustainable management of albacore since no stock includes more than one genetic entity. In addition, short-and long-term effective population sizes were estimated for the North Atlantic Ocean albacore population, and results showed no historical decline for this population. Therefore, the genetic diversity and, consequently, the adaptive potential of this population have not been significantly affected by overfishing.

From the Cajal alumni Achucarro and Rio-Hortega to the rediscovery of never-resting microglia

Under the guidance of Ramon y Cajal, a plethora of students flourished and began to apply his silver impregnation methods to study brain cells other than neurons: the neuroglia. In the first decades of the twentieth century, Nicolas Achucarro was one of the first researchers to visualize the brain cells with phagocytic capacity that we know today as microglia. Later, his pupil Pio del Rio-Hortega developed modifications of Achucarro's methods and was able to specifically observe the fine morphological intricacies of microglia. These findings contradicted Cajal's own views on cells that he thought belonged to the same class as oligodendroglia (the so called "third element" of the nervous system), leading to a long-standing discussion. It was only in 1924 that Rio-Hortega's observations prevailed worldwide, thus recognizing microglia as a unique cell type. This late landing in the Neuroscience arena still has repercussions in the twenty first century, as microglia remain one of the least understood cell populations of the healthy brain. For decades, microglia in normal, physiological conditions in the adult brain were considered to be merely "resting," and their contribution as "activated" cells to the neuroinflammatory response in pathological conditions mostly detrimental. It was not until microglia were imaged in real time in the intact brain using two-photon in vivo imaging that the extreme motility of their fine processes was revealed. These findings led to a conceptual revolution in the field: "resting" microglia are constantly surveying the brain parenchyma in normal physiological conditions. Today, following Cajal's school of thought, structural and functional investigations of microglial morphology, dynamics, and relationships with neurons and other glial cells are experiencing a renaissance and we stand at the brink of discovering new roles for these unique immune cells in the healthy brain, an essential step to understand their causal relationship to diseases.

Processos de criação em Artes Visuais: o tempo tecendo encontros.

Este trabalho tem por objetivo investigar processos de criação no campo do ensino das artes através de propostas desenvolvidas em oficinas de artes visuais. Os interlocutores desta pesquisa foram seis jovens com diferentes deficiências: Síndrome Down, deficiência física e deficiência intelectual, matriculados na rede pública de ensino. Os processos de criação aqui tratados revelaram que os variados repertórios utilizados por este grupo para criarestão fortemente atrelados à produção veiculada pelas mídias na contemporaneidade. Dentre as produções de maior recorrência verificadas no interior das narrativas dos jovens estão: a produção da TV, do cinema e das histórias em quadrinhos. As investigações sobre os processos de criação deste grupo se deram tanto a partir dos seus processos individuais quanto dos coletivos. O conceito de processos de criação compreendido neste trabalho está vinculado ao pensamento de Mikhail Bakhtin, Lev Vigotski e Rita Ribes Pereira e do artista Marcel Duchamp. As relações estabelecidas para compreender o campo das artes visuais na contemporaneidade estão no pensamento de Arthur Danto eNicolas Bourriaud. Este trabalho dialoga com o campo do ensino da arte através das reflexões realizadas por Ana Mae Barbosa, Jochen Dietrich, Ana Elisabete Lopes, Mirian Celeste Martins e Lucia Pimentel.

Climatological data in Mexico [abstract]

EXTRACT (SEE PDF FOR FULL ABSTRACT): This is a previous presentation of what has been observed in points spread in Mexico. The existing data amount is large enough that an atlas was given out in 1977. This atlas has information which goes back to the beginning of the country. The original data sets from which this atlas was issued exist in a variety of storage forms ranging from simple paper blocks up to books and magnetic tapes.

疣粒野生稻居群遗传结构及其形成与维持机制的研究

结合野外生态调查与分子标记检测，本文探讨了显性遗传标记应用于居群遗传学研究时实验与数据分析需要注意的问题，并在此基础上对中国分布的疣粒野生稻（Oryza granulata Nees et Am. ex Watt.）居群遗传多样性与居群遗传结构进行了研究。然后从metapopulation结构动态、无性系生长和物种形成等角度研究了遗传结构的空间格局与生态学、系统学因素之间的相互作用，并将研究的空间尺度从聚群内（colony）、居群内、地区内推广到地区间和整个物种水平，反映了在不同空间等级上疣粒野生稻相异的进化模式。最后，综合上述结果，提出了保护疣粒野生稻的原则和策略。结果如下： 1．根据对分布于中国云南和海南33个分布点疣粒野生稻居群所做的野外生态学调查，该物种目前在中国的30个县（市）有分布，比1978-1982年全国野生稻普查时增加了3个县市（海南通什、云南思茅和勐腊）。疣粒野生稻具有较强的耐荫和抗旱能力，在群落总盖度为90-210%范围内生长良好。它是一种典型的适应中度干扰的物种，生长于有一定干扰的斑块状生境中。疣粒野生稻在群落内的分布格局为聚集型，其居群密度较小（1.13-2.95株/m2），依靠重力下落和动物传播种子。由于对热区资源的掠夺性开发，总计有12.9%的居群已因人为干扰而灭绝，83.9%的居群处于严重的危胁之下，处于濒危状态。对疣粒野生稻的破坏在不同地区间程度不同，生境恶化和放牧是造成其居群灭绝的最主要原因，对其进行保护已经迫在眉睫。在调查的基础上，本研究建立了含该物种34个居群共1109份个体样品的总DNA库，作为易位保护的一种措施，主要用于居群遗传学和保护生物学研究。 2．利用上述总DNA库中的材料，首先采用随机扩增多态（RAPD）对几类显性标记的居群遗传结构参数进行了比较。在衡量遗传多样性水平时，多态位点比率（PPB）会低估变异的程度，其价值不如Shannon多样性指数和Nei多样性指数。在计算个体之间的遗传关系时，Mantel检测表明17种相似性系数之间存在极显著的相关性。同时，基于Φst。遗传距离的分子方差分析（AMOVA）和基于Hardy-Weinberg平衡假设的Nei氏遗传距离分析的结果间具有显著的相关性，它们都适用于对疣粒野生稻居群遗传结构进行研究，且在使用后者时应对数据进行Lynch-Milligan矫正，剔除隐性基因型（0）频率小于3/N（N为样本总数）的条带数据，以矫正显性遗传方式对变异估计偏低的影响。此外，各类遗传结构分析参数之间的高度相关性也与疣粒野生稻居群内遗传多样性低，杂合体比率较低有密切关系。 利用RAPD和inter-简单重复序列（ISSR）对来自中国20个居群疣粒野生稻混合样品，以及海南（M5）和云南（M27）两个居群各20个植株的遗传多样性进行了检测。ISSR的实验稳定性优于RAPD，且总的来说它能检测到更多的遗传变异。前者与它在PCR反应时退火温度较高，引物．模板复合物较稳定有关;而后者则与其引物靶序列容易在细胞分裂中产生突变有关。Mantel检测结果表明，衡量样品间的遗传关系时，这两种标记的分析结果在物种水平存在极显著的相关性（r = 0.917, t = 12789），而在居群水平不相关（r < 0.200）。这不但与它们所扩增的相应基因组片断的变异方式及在居群内分辩率下降有关，同时也反映了疣粒野生稻居群内和居群间存在着不同的进化模式。 3．利用RAPD和ISSR标记，对中国20个居群疣粒野生稻混合样品的遗传多样性进行了研究。RAPD和ISSR分别扩增出209和122条PCR条带，其中各有64.1l％（134条带）和72.95％（89条带）为多态条带。基于Jaccard系数的UPGMA分析表明，同一地区内居群的遗传变异比较小。20个居群按来源聚为云南与海南两类，其间产生了一定程度的遗传分化。这种遗传多样性分布的特点可能与其起源、分布格局、交配系统和种子散布方式有关。此外，尽管混合取样会低估一定的遗传变异能力，也不能得到关于居群内的遗传结构情况，但它仍然是一种获取遗传多样性信息的高效方法，适用于对研究材料进行日常管理和评价。 4．按照居群取样的方法，利用RAPD对来自中国云南和海南的20个疣粒野生稻居群共396个植株进行了遗传结构分析。联合ISSR，对其中5个居群初步的分析表明该物种在居群内的遗传多样性水平很低，RAPD的多态位点比率（PPB）在居群内从4.52％到13.06％;而ISSR的PPB值在居群内从7.08％-26.55％。AMOVA分析表明，对于RAPD来说，云南与海南两地区之间遗传变异的量占总变异量的73.85％，地区之内占19.45％，而居群内仅占6.70％。对于ISSR，疣粒野生稻地区间，地区内和居群内遗传变异的分布比率分别为49.26％、38.070A和12.66％。UPGMA聚类将同一居群内的个体聚为一支，并将居群按来源分为云南和海南两类。由于疣粒野生稻在群落内的分布为典型的metapopulation格局，伴随各聚群（colony）在群落次生演替过程中周转（灭绝与定植）时发生的遗传漂变、建立者效应和居群内强烈的近交是造成其居群内遗传多样性极低的主要原因。 5．利用10个ISSR标记对中国4个疣粒野生稻居群内的无性系生长与基因型遗传多样性进行了分析。在小尺度取样（个体间隔1.0-1.5m）的情况下，所有居群中均检测到明显的无性系生长现象。参与无性系生长的个体百分比在各居群中从25％-60％不等，Simpson多样性指数表明疣粒野生稻居群内的基因型多样性保持在较高水平（0.837-0.958）。尽管如此，AMOVA对居群内遗传变异进行方差剖分的结果表明参与无性生长的个体所含有的变异量平均只占总变异量的16.7%。因此，疣粒野生稻居群内遗传变异的来源主要依靠有性生殖来维持。同时，处于人为中度干扰之下的疣粒野生稻居群不但个体密度较高，其居群遗传多样性也未因此而降低。 6．在假设RAPD在同一种及其近缘种内PCR产物同源性较高的前提下，利用该技术对来自世界的23份O. granulata和O. meyeriana样品进行了遗传多样性分析和系统学研究。在物种水平，O. granulata具有非常高的遗传多样性（多态位点比率达83.54％），表明该物种进化历史中存在大规模居群瓶颈效应的可能性较小。O.gramulata与O. meyeriana各居群的遗传分化与岛屿形成导致的地理隔离之间有密切的关系。基于Nei & Li遗传相似性系数，利用Neighbor-Joining和UPGMA聚类法构建的两个系统树并不完全一致。主坐标分析（PCoA）支持NJ法的结果：来自O.meyeriana的两个样品倾向于聚为一类，并获得bootstrap分析的支持，但它们的遗传变异范围并未超出O. granulata。因此，我们的结果支持将这两个种进行归并。 7．由于疣粒野生稻在物种水平的遗传多样性非常高，变异主要存在于各地区之间，因此要最大程度地维持该物种遗传多样性，使之不发生遗传侵蚀意味着保护应该针对整个物种的分布区进行。对于分布于中国的居群来说，一方面由于变异主要存在于云南和海南两地区之间，另一方面由于地区内和居群内的遗传多样性相对较低，因此，云南和海南应做为中国保护该物种的两个中心。此外，由于一定程度的人为干扰有利于为该物种创造适宜生境，增加其居群密度，且不会致使遗传变异能力下降，因此在实施就地保护时应充分考虑将其与当地的经济开发项目相结合，达到自然保护与地方经济可持续发展的目的。