Thinking and acting strategically:new challenges for interrogating strategy

This paper takes a critical and evaluative stance toward micro-activity-based approaches to understanding strategy. It argues that such approaches bring with them important theoretical and empirical challenges. The paper argues against a tendency to reductionism without equal emphasis to the contextual influences that bound micro-strategising. Finally, the paper argues for a more international and comparative approach to micro-strategy studies than has currently been the case.

Jana Mazurkiewicza mitocentryczna koncepcja osobowości

The article deals with not well known theory of personality of Polish Neojacsonist psychiatrist Jan Mazurkiewicz. It describes its scientific background, biography and basic ideas and assumptions. The accent is put here on its, based on Lévi- Bruhl’s ideas but mostly original mythocentricity in psychological perspective and description of human symbolic thinking and acting.

How human schematization and systematic errors take effect on sketch map formalizations

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies

Interaction of human apurinic endonuclease and DNA polymerase β in the base excision repair pathway

Mutagenic abasic (AP) sites are generated directly by DNA-damaging agents or by DNA glycosylases acting in base excision repair. AP sites are corrected via incision by AP endonucleases, removal of deoxyribose 5-phosphate, repair synthesis, and ligation. Mammalian DNA polymerase β (Polβ) carries out most base excision repair synthesis and also can excise deoxyribose 5-phosphate after AP endonuclease incision. Yeast two-hybrid analysis now indicates protein–protein contact between Polβ and human AP endonuclease (Ape protein). In vitro, binding of Ape protein to uncleaved AP sites loads Polβ into a ternary complex with Ape and the AP-DNA. After incision by Ape, only Polβ exhibits stable DNA binding. Kinetic experiments indicated that Ape accelerates the excision of 5′-terminal deoxyribose 5-phosphate by Polβ. Thus, the two central players of the base excision repair pathway are coordinated in sequential reactions.

Multilocus analysis of extracellular putative virulence proteins made by group A Streptococcus: Population genetics, human serologic response, and gene transcription

Species of pathogenic microbes are composed of an array of evolutionarily distinct chromosomal genotypes characterized by diversity in gene content and sequence (allelic variation). The occurrence of substantial genetic diversity has hindered progress in developing a comprehensive understanding of the molecular basis of virulence and new therapeutics such as vaccines. To provide new information that bears on these issues, 11 genes encoding extracellular proteins in the human bacterial pathogen group A Streptococcus identified by analysis of four genomes were studied. Eight of the 11 genes encode proteins with a LPXTG(L) motif that covalently links Gram-positive virulence factors to the bacterial cell surface. Sequence analysis of the 11 genes in 37 geographically and phylogenetically diverse group A Streptococcus strains cultured from patients with different infection types found that recent horizontal gene transfer has contributed substantially to chromosomal diversity. Regions of the inferred proteins likely to interact with the host were identified by molecular population genetic analysis, and Western immunoblot analysis with sera from infected patients confirmed that they were antigenic. Real-time reverse transcriptase–PCR (TaqMan) assays found that transcription of six of the 11 genes was substantially up-regulated in the stationary phase. In addition, transcription of many genes was influenced by the covR and mga trans-acting gene regulatory loci. Multilocus investigation of putative virulence genes by the integrated approach described herein provides an important strategy to aid microbial pathogenesis research and rapidly identify new targets for therapeutics research.

Re-imagining the theology of human sexuality in the Methodist Church: the use of narrative in theological methodology

This thesis proposes the development of a narrative methodology in the British Methodist Church. Such a methodology embraces and communicates both felt experience and critical theological thinking, thus producing and presenting a theology that might have a constructive transformative impact on wider society. In chapter one I explore the ways in which the Church speaks in public, identify some of the challenges it faces, and consider four models of engagement. If the Church is to engage in public discourses then I argue that its words need to be relevant and connect with people’s experiences. To ground the thinking I focus on the context of the British Methodist Church and explore how the Church engages in theological reflection through the lens of its thinking on issues of human sexuality. Chapter two reviews how theological reflection is undertaken in the British Methodist Church. I describe how the Methodist Quadrilateral of Scripture, tradition, reason and experience remains a foundational framework for theological reflection within the Methodist Church and consider the impact of institutional processes and the ways in which the Methodist people actually engage with theological thinking. The third and fourth chapters focus on how the British Methodist Church has produced its theology of human sexuality, giving particular attention to the use of personal and sexual stories in this process. I find that whilst there has been a desire to listen to the stories of the Methodist people, there has not been a corresponding interrogation or analysis of their stories so as to enable robust and constructive theological reflection on these experiences. Using resources from Foucauldian approaches to discourse analysis, I critique key statements and the processes involved in their production, offering an analysis of this body of theological thinking and indicating where possibilities for alternative ways of thinking and acting arise. The proposed methodology draws upon resources from social science methodologies, and in chapter five I look at the use of personal experience and relevant strategies of inquiry that prompt reflection on the hermeneutical process and employ narrative approaches in undertaking, analysing and presenting research. The exploration shows that qualitative research methodologies offer resources and methods of inquiry that could help the Church to engage with personal stories in its theological thinking in a robust, interrogative and imaginative way. In chapter six an examination of story and narrative is undertaken, to show how they have been understood as ways of knowing and how they relate to theological inquiry. Whilst acknowledging some of the limitations of narrative, I indicate how it offers constructive possibilities for theological reflection and could be a means for the British Methodist Church to engage in public discourse. This is explored further in chapter seven, which looks in more detail at how the British Methodist Church has used narrative in its theological thinking, and outlines areas requiring further attention in order for a narrative theological methodology to be developed, namely: attention to the question ‘whose experience?’; investigation of issues of power and the dynamics involved in the process of the production of theological thought; how personal stories and experiences are interrogated and how narrative is constructed; and how narrative might be employed within the Methodist Quadrilateral. The final chapter considers the advantages and limitations of such an approach, whether the development of such a method is possible in the Methodist Church today and its potential for helping the Church to engage in public discourse more effectively. I argue that this methodology can provoke new theological insights and enable new ways of being in the world

Lawsonia Inermis-mediated Synthesis Of Silver Nanoparticles: Activity Against Human Pathogenic Fungi And Bacteria With Special Reference To Formulation Of An Antimicrobial Nanogel.

Lawsonia inermis mediated synthesis of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) and its efficacy against Candida albicans, Microsporum canis, Propioniabacterium acne and Trichophyton mentagrophytes is reported. A two-step mechanism has been proposed for bioreduction and formation of an intermediate complex leading to the synthesis of capped nanoparticles was developed. In addition, antimicrobial gel for M. canis and T. mentagrophytes was also formulated. Ag-NPs were synthesized by challenging the leaft extract of L. inermis with 1 mM AgNO₃. The Ag-NPs were characterized by Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometer and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nanoparticle tracking and analysis sytem (NTA) and zeta potential was measured to detect the size of Ag-NPs. The antimicrobial activity of Ag-NPs was evaluated by disc diffusion method against the test organisms. Thus these Ag-NPs may prove as a better candidate drug due to their biogenic nature. Moreover, Ag-NPs may be an answer to the drug-resistant microorganisms.

Human Herpesvirus-6 And Cytomegalovirus Dna In Liver Donor Biopsies And Their Correlation With Hla Matches And Acute Cellular Rejection.

Herpesvirus reactivation is common after liver transplantation. Analyze the presence of cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) DNA in liver donor biopsies, seeking to better understand issues involving human donor leukocyte antigens (HLA)-A, B and DR, as well as correlations with acute cellular rejection. Fifty-nine liver transplantation patients were investigated for the presence of HCMV and HHV-6 DNA in liver donor biopsies, using the Nested-PCR technique. The clinical donor information and HLA matches were obtained from the São Paulo State Transplant System. The recipients' records regarding acute cellular rejection were studied. Seven (11.8%) biopsies were positive for HCMV DNA and 29 (49%) were positive for HHV-6 DNA. In 14 donors with HLA-DR 15 nine had HHV-6 DNA positive liver biopsy with a tendency for significant association (p=0.09), 22 recipients developed acute cellular rejection and 9/22 were positive for HLA-DR 15 (p=0.03; χ(2)=4.51), which was statistically significant in univariate analysis and showed a tendency after multivariate analysis (p=0.08). HHV-6 DNA was prevalent in liver donors studied as well as HLA-DR 15. These findings suggest that patients with HLA-DR 15 in liver donor biopsies develop more rejection after liver transplantation.

Kinase Inhibitor Profile For Human Nek1, Nek6, And Nek7 And Analysis Of The Structural Basis For Inhibitor Specificity.

Human Neks are a conserved protein kinase family related to cell cycle progression and cell division and are considered potential drug targets for the treatment of cancer and other pathologies. We screened the activation loop mutant kinases hNek1 and hNek2, wild-type hNek7, and five hNek6 variants in different activation/phosphorylation statesand compared them against 85 compounds using thermal shift denaturation. We identified three compounds with significant Tm shifts: JNK Inhibitor II for hNek1(Δ262-1258)-(T162A), Isogranulatimide for hNek6(S206A), andGSK-3 Inhibitor XIII for hNek7wt. Each one of these compounds was also validated by reducing the kinases activity by at least 25%. The binding sites for these compounds were identified by in silico docking at the ATP-binding site of the respective hNeks. Potential inhibitors were first screened by thermal shift assays, had their efficiency tested by a kinase assay, and were finally analyzed by molecular docking. Our findings corroborate the idea of ATP-competitive inhibition for hNek1 and hNek6 and suggest a novel non-competitive inhibition for hNek7 in regard to GSK-3 Inhibitor XIII. Our results demonstrate that our approach is useful for finding promising general and specific hNekscandidate inhibitors, which may also function as scaffolds to design more potent and selective inhibitors.

Educação fisica adaptada : proposta de ação metodologica para formação universitaria

Universidade Estadual de Campinas. Faculdade de Educação Física

Synteny of human chromosomes 14 and 15 in the platyrrhines (Primates, Platyrrhini)

In order to study the intra- and interspecific variability of the 14/15 association in Platyrrhini, we analyzed 15 species from 13 genera, including species that had not been described yet. The DNA libraries of human chromosomes 14 and 15 were hybridized to metaphases of Alouatta guariba clamitans, A. caraya, A. sara, Ateles paniscus chamek, Lagothrix lagothricha, Brachyteles arachnoides, Saguinus midas midas, Leontopithecus chrysomelas, Callimico goeldii, Callithrix sp., Cebus apella, Aotus nigriceps, Cacajao melanocephalus, Chiropotes satanas and Callicebus caligatus. The 14/15 hybridization pattern was present in 13 species, but not in Alouatta sara that showed a 14/15/14 pattern and Aotus nigriceps that showed a 15/14/15/14 pattern. In the majority of the species, the HSA 14 homologue retained synteny for the entire chromosome, whereas the HSA 15 homologue displayed fragmented segments. Within primates, the New World monkeys represent the taxon with the highest variability in chromosome number (2n = 16 to 62). The presence of the HSA 14/15 association in all species and subspecies studied herein confirms that this association is the ancestral condition for platyrrhines and that this association has been retained in most platyrrhines, despite the occurrence of extensive inter- and intrachromosomal rearrangements in this infraorder of Primates.

COL18A1 is highly expressed during human adipocyte differentiation and the SNP c.1136C > T in its "frizzled" motif is associated with obesity in diabetes type 2 patients

Collagen XVIII can generate two fragments, NC11-728 containing a frizzled motif which possibly acts in Wnt signaling and Endostatin, which is cleaved from the NC1 and is a potent inhibitor of angiogenesis. Collagen XVIII and Wnt signaling have recently been associated with adipogenic differentiation and obesity in some animal models, but not in humans. In the present report, we have shown that COL18A1 expression increases during human adipogenic differentiation. We also tested if polymorphisms in the Frizzled (c.1136C>T; Thr379Met) and Endostatin (c.4349G>A; Asp1437Asn) regions contribute towards susceptibility to obesity in patients with type 2 diabetes (113 obese, BMI =30; 232 non-obese, BMI < 30) of European ancestry. No evidence of association was observed between the allele c.4349G>A and obesity, but we observed a significantly higher frequency of homozygotes c.1136TT in obese (19.5%) than in non-obese individuals (10.9%) [P = 0.02; OR = 2.0 (95%CI: 1.07-3.73)], suggesting that the allele c.1136T is associated to obesity in a recessive model. This genotype, after controlling for cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides, was independently associated with obesity (P = 0.048), and increases the chance of obesity in 2.8 times. Therefore, our data suggest the involvement of collagen XVIII in human adipogenesis and susceptibility to obesity.

Biotin-avidin sandwich elisa with specific human isotypes IgG1 and IgG4 for Culicidae mosquito blood meal identification from an epizootic yellow fever area in Brazil

With a view toward investigating the feeding behavior of Culicidae mosquitoes from an area of epizootic yellow fever transmission in the municipalities of Garruchos and Santo Antônio das Missões, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, specimens were collected by aspiration from September 2005 to April 2007. The engorged females were submitted to blood meal identification by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A total of 142 blood-engorged samples were examined for human or monkey blood through species-specific IgG. Additional tests for specificity utilizing isotypes IgG1 and IgG4 of human monoclonal antibodies showed that only anti-human IgG1 was effective in recognizing blood meals of human origin. The results indicated a significant difference (p = 0.027) in detection patterns in samples of Haemagogus leucocelaenus recorded from human blood meals at Santo Antônio das Missões, which suggests some degree of exposure, since it was an area where epizootic outbreaks have been reported.

Interaction between polymorphisms of the Human Leukocyte Antigen and HPV-16 Variants on the risk of invasive cervical cancer

Background: Persistent infection with oncogenic types of human papillomavirus (HPV) is the major risk factor for invasive cervical cancer (ICC), and non-European variants of HPV-16 are associated with an increased risk of persistence and ICC. HLA class II polymorphisms are also associated with genetic susceptibility to ICC. Our aim is to verify if these associations are influenced by HPV-16 variability. Methods: We characterized HPV-16 variants by PCR in 107 ICC cases, which were typed for HLA-DQA1, DRB1 and DQB1 genes and compared to 257 controls. We measured the magnitude of associations by logistic regression analysis. Results: European ( E), Asian-American ( AA) and African (Af) variants were identified. Here we show that inverse association between DQB1*05 ( adjusted odds ratio [ OR] = 0.66; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.39-1.12]) and HPV-16 positive ICC in our previous report was mostly attributable to AA variant carriers ( OR = 0.27; 95% CI: 0.10-0.75). We observed similar proportions of HLA DRB1*1302 carriers in E-P positive cases and controls, but interestingly, this allele was not found in AA cases ( p = 0.03, Fisher exact test). A positive association with DRB1*15 was observed in both groups of women harboring either E ( OR = 2.99; 95% CI: 1.13-7.86) or AA variants ( OR = 2.34; 95% CI: 1.00-5.46). There was an inverse association between DRB1*04 and ICC among women with HPV-16 carrying the 350T [83L] single nucleotide polymorphism in the E6 gene ( OR = 0.27; 95% CI: 0.08-0.96). An inverse association between DQB1*05 and cases carrying 350G (83V) variants was also found ( OR = 0.37; 95% CI: 0.15-0.89). Conclusion: Our results suggest that the association between HLA polymorphism and risk of ICC might be influenced by the distribution of HPV-16 variants.