737 research outputs found
Mesilla's millions, and their mysteries
No full text29 p., 31 cm.Authored by the effectively-anonymous ‘B.M.L.’, this work examines the complicated maneuvers and secretive negotiations between agents of the US and Mexican governments regarding the sale of Mexican territory. At its most ambitious the plan called for the sale of much of northern Mexico, including the states of Sonora, Chihuahua, and Coahuila, but was eventually scaled back to the Valle de Mesilla, which runs between Mexico and Arizona. The deep involvement of Santa Anna, along with some of his closest associates, combined with his perpetual need for finances, cast the entire enterprise under a cloud of suspicion and the author suggests that the real or perceived corruption only served to entrench the uneasy relationship between the two countries, while eroding trust between the Mexican people and their officials.This document is an English translation of the "Los millones de la Mesilla, y sus misterios." Translated by Lorena Gauthereau-Bryson. The language of the original document is Spanish
Cartoline sonore. Rappresentare i luoghi dal punto dell’ascolto
No full textSempre più la conoscenza del mondo che ci circonda passa attraverso l’u- dito. Mentre la vista, privilegiata fino ad oggi, ha potuto sviluppare strumenti e tecniche anche molto raffinate per immagazzinare, manipolare e interpreta- re i dati, l’udito è ancora in fasce (Tedeschini, 2014) e il paesaggio sonoro è ancora alle prese con strumenti e metodi da verificare (Mayr, 2014).
«Se lo ascoltiamo il paesaggio non è una topografia statica che può esse- re disegnata e trasposta su una mappa, ma piuttosto una superficie fluida e cangiante che si trasforma via via che viene avvolta da suoni diversi» (Bull e Back, 2008, p. 34). Schafer (1) definisce il paesaggio sonoro «quale insieme di tutti gli eventi sonori che convivono in un determinato ambiente e sono percepiti da un soggetto o da un gruppo umano» (Schafer, 1985, p. 19). Pre- cisa l’Autore: «Paesaggio sonoro può essere una composizione musicale, un programma radio o un ambiente acustico» (ibidem). Ciò che osserva Schafer è che ogni paesaggio ha in sé suoni peculiari e inconfondibili e lo sono nel- la misura e secondo la modalità percettiva dei singoli e dei gruppi. Delle im- pronte sonore che connotano una cultura e che contribuiscono, al pari delle altre manifestazioni umane, alla creazione dell’identità locale. Dare voce a tali percezioni significa innescare percorsi di riflessione e di educazione al- l’ascolto in grado di amplificare un canale sensoriale che la cultura occiden- tale oggi tende sempre più ad emarginare (Bull e Back, 2003)
Academic Achievement and Satisfaction Among University Students With Specific Learning Disabilities: The Roles of Soft Skills and Study-Related Factors
No full textUnderstanding the individual qualities sustaining students with and without specific learning disabilities (SLDs) is key to supporting their academic achievement and well-being. In this study, we investigated the differences between students with and without SLDs in terms of intraindividual factors (soft skills and study-related factors), academic and nonacademic outcomes (achievement, academic and life satisfaction), and the relationships between such intraindividual factors and the three outcomes. A total of 318 students (79 males; M-age = 22.7; SD = 3.56; age range = 19-45 years; 147 with SLDs) filled in self-reported questionnaires and a measure of fluid intelligence. The results showed that students with SLDs reported higher creativity but lower academic self-efficacy, study resilience, and academic achievement, with small-to-medium effect sizes. In both groups, achievement significantly positively related to academic self-efficacy and negatively to creativity. Life satisfaction was positively related to study resilience; and academic satisfaction was related to critical thinking, curiosity, and academic self-efficacy. Nurturing such intraindividual factors can benefit students with and without SLDs
Determining the sub-cellular localization of proteins within Caenorhabditis elegans body wall muscle.
Get PDFDetermining the sub-cellular localization of a protein within a cell is often an essential step towards understanding its function. In Caenorhabditis elegans, the relatively large size of the body wall muscle cells and the exquisite organization of their sarcomeres offer an opportunity to identify the precise position of proteins within cell substructures. Our goal in this study is to generate a comprehensive "localizome" for C. elegans body wall muscle by GFP-tagging proteins expressed in muscle and determining their location within the cell. For this project, we focused on proteins that we know are expressed in muscle and are orthologs or at least homologs of human proteins. To date we have analyzed the expression of about 227 GFP-tagged proteins that show localized expression in the body wall muscle of this nematode (e.g. dense bodies, M-lines, myofilaments, mitochondria, cell membrane, nucleus or nucleolus). For most proteins analyzed in this study no prior data on sub-cellular localization was available. In addition to discrete sub-cellular localization we observe overlapping patterns of localization including the presence of a protein in the dense body and the nucleus, or the dense body and the M-lines. In total we discern more than 14 sub-cellular localization patterns within nematode body wall muscle. The localization of this large set of proteins within a muscle cell will serve as an invaluable resource in our investigation of muscle sarcomere assembly and function
Ultrasound and microwave treatments preserved quality of a pepper-based hummus enriched in mustard sprouts
Get PDFMustard sprouts were added to a red bell pepper-based hummus to enhance the content of glucosinolates and sulforaphane. Hummus samples with 2% of mustard sprouts (M) and without them (CTRL) were treated by ultrasounds 50 ◦ C/35 kHz/12 min- (US) or microwaves 9 kW/35 s- (MW) to preserve quality and safety during 28 days at 4 C. No processing treatment was used as control (C). No differences were found between CTRL and M regarding their proximate composition and physicochemical quality during shelf-life. US and MW treatments were able to reduce the spoilage microbial load by 1–4 log CFU g 1 the pepper-based hummus was higher than 400 mg AA kg 1 . The mean vitamin C content of , while the total glucosinolate and sulforaphane content was 10.5 mg kg 1 and 10–15 mg kg 1 , respectively. US increased the sulforaphane content (~10–24%) preserving vitamin C similarly to control samples. However, MW decreased vitamin C and sulforaphane content by 50–90%, while glucosinolate content was like that of untreated samples. Therefore, US processing seems an interesting tool to inhibit the microbial growth and maintain quality throughout shelf-life. However, further studies should be implemented to elucidate optimum processing conditions according to food matrices.During the development of this research, Noelia Castillejo contract was funded by a predoctoral grant (FPU16/04763) from the Spanish Ministry of Education (until March 2022). During the development of
the present work, Lorena Martínez-Zamora contract was co-financed by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Youth European Initiative (YEI) under the Spanish Seneca Foundation (21322/PDGI/19) until December 2021. Currently, Lorena Martínez-Zamora contract is financed by the Programme for the Re-qualification of the Spanish University System during the three-year period 2021–2023, Margarita Salas modality for the University of Murcia
A new discovery of Novechiniscus armadilloides (Schuster, 1975) (Tardigrada, Echiniscidae) from Utah, USA with considerations on non-marine Heterotardigrada phylogeny and biogeography.
No full textThe discovery of a new population of the non-marine heterotardigrade Novechiniscus armadilloides from Utah, USA, allowed us to re-analyze the species by means of scanning electron microscopy and differential interference contrast microscopy. This analysis confirmed the presence of bar-shaped, unpaired segmental plates and of a long filament E, other than the filament A always present in the class Heterotardigrada. It also provided additional information on characters not explicitly cited in the previous descriptions of this monotypic genus, such as details of the head cirri and clavae, details of the buccal tube and of the pharyngeal bulb, sculpture of the dorso-lateral and leg plates, details of the claws. The population is bisexual, but no secondary sexual dimorphism was observed. The male and female gonopore were described. New characters such as red eyes and red body color were used in analyzing the phylogeny of the family Echiniscidae. The phylogeny and biogeography of non-marine heterotardigrades provide intriguing questions for further research
Hsp levels and DNA integrity in anhydrobiotic tardigrades
No full textDehydrating cells can lead to massive damage in molecular organization, often resulting in cell death and, consequently, death of the organism. In anhydrobionts, several bioprotectants, e.g. sugars and stress proteins, play a role in avoiding these damages. In tardigrades (micrometazoans able to perform anhydrobiosis in any stage of their life cycle), bioprotectants are certainly involved, but their nature and role is only understood in part. We evaluated the Hsp70 and Hsp90 levels in hydrated and desiccated animals of two eutardigrade species: Macrobiotus richtersi and Amphibolus volubilis. For both species, we found no significant differences in the level of both Hsps between hydrated and anhydrobiotic specimens.Also, DNA can be damaged by dehydration. In several unicellular organisms, even though characterized by desiccation tolerance, dramatic DNA damages can occur during desiccation or in the dry state that follows. It has been hypothesized that DNA damages could also occur in anhydrobiotic tardigrades. To verify this hypothesis, we evaluated tardigrade survival and DNA desiccation-induced double (DSBs) and single (SSBs) strand breaks in specimens of M. richtersi naturally dried within leaf litter as well as experimentally desiccated in our lab under controlled conditions. Dry specimens were also exposed to thermal stress (37°C) at different values of air humidity (RH). An inverse relationship between M. richtersi survival and RH levels was found. Moreover, tardigrades dried within leaf litter, when re-hydrated had a faster recovery of active movement than those dehydrated on paper. No visible DNA DSBs were observed, but preliminary data on SSBs seems to bring different results, which need to be confirmed
Smart Cities and Sustainability Models
Get PDFIn our age cities are complex systems and we can say systems of systems. Today locality is the result of using information and communication technologies in all departments of our life, but in future all cities must to use smart systems for improve quality of life and on the other hand for sustainable development. The smart systems make daily activities more easily, efficiently and represent a real support for sustainable city development. This paper analysis the sus-tainable development and identified the key elements of future smart cities.Intelligent Cities, Sustainability, Indicators, Regional Development, Intelligent Solution
Autographa californica M nucleopolyhedrovirus open reading frame 109 affects infectious budded virus production and nucleocapsid envelopment in the nucleus of cells
Get PDFAutographa californica M nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) open reading frame 109 (ac109) is conserved in all known baculovirus genomes, suggesting a crucial role in virus replication. Although viruses lacking ac109 have been previously characterized, the phenotypes differ from production of non-infectious virions to lack of virion production. To re-examine ac109 function, we constructed a recombinant AcMNPV bacmid, AcBAC109KO, with a deletion in ac109. We did not detect infectious budded virus after transfection of AcBAC109KO DNA into cells. In the nucleus, nucleocapsids had envelopment defects and polyhedra lacked virions. DNA synthesis and gene expression between AcBAC109KO and a control virus were similar. However, lower levels of non-infectious budded virus were detected from AcBAC109KO DNA-transfected cells compared to the parental virus using Q-PCR to detect viral DNA or by immunoblotting to detect a budded virus protein. Therefore, deletion of ac109 affects envelopment of nucleocapsids in the nucleus and the production of infectious budded virus.Fil: Lehiy, Christopher J.. Kansas State University. Division of Biology. Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Program; Estados UnidosFil: Wu, Wenbi. Kansas State University. Division of Biology. Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Program; Estados UnidosFil: Berretta, Marcelo Facundo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias. Centro de Investigación de Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Microbiología y Zoología Agrícola; Argentina. Kansas State University. Division of Biology. Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Program; Estados Unidos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Passarelli, A. Lorena. Kansas State University. Division of Biology. Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Program; Estados Unido
Universal and Specific Services for University Students with Specific Learning Disabilities: The Relation to Study Approach, Academic Achievement, and Satisfaction
Get PDFIn recent years, an increasing number of students with specific learning disabilities (SLDs) have enrolled in universities. The present exploratory study examined the frequency of use and appreciation of universal (open to every student) and specific services (offered to students with SLDs) and their relation to age, academic achievement, satisfaction, self-efficacy, and use of self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies. Participants were 147 Italian university students with SLD diagnoses (42 males; mean age: 22.49, SD = 3.29). Results showed that, overall, the frequency of use and appreciation of specific services were positively related to academic satisfaction, self-efficacy, and SRL strategies. Furthermore, frequency of use of compensatory tools and dispensatory measures was positively associated with academic achievement. These findings suggest that universities play an important role in supporting students with SLDs during their academic years by providing them with useful services and accommodations
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