Los manglares como infraestructura verde: el caso de la región metropolitana de Florianópolis, costa Sur de Brasil

La región metropolitana de Florianópolis, ubicada en la costa Sur de Brasil, está sufriendo impacto ambiental, resultado de la pérdida y fragmentación de los manglares entre sí y con la vegetación cercana. Esto es derivado del proceso de urbanización creciente, que no cumplen las leyes de protección ambiental existente. Dentro de este marco, esta investigación tiene como objetivo principal demostrar la viabilidad de los manglares como infraestructura verde. A partir de los análisis y la caracterización ambiental de la región metropolitana a lo largo del tiempo, será posible clasificar y evaluar los manglares sobre la óptica de la infraestructura verde a través de datos cuantitativos y cualitativos de los espacios verdes y su relación con los espacios urbanos. Llegando a la conclusión de que la presencia de los manglares, gracias a su conectividad y beneficios sostenibles, es capaz de aumentar la resilencia ambiental de la región metropolitana de Florianópolis.The metropolitan region of Florianopolis, located on the southern coast of Brazil, is suffering environmental impact. resulting from the loss and fragmentation of mangroves between them and with nearby vegetation. Derived from the process of increasing urbanization, which do not fulfill protection laws existing environmental. Within this framework, this research has as main objective to demonstrate the viability of mangroves as green infrastructure. From the analysis and environmental characterization of the metropolitan region over time, it will be possible to classify and evaluate the mangroves on the perspective of green infrastructure through quantitative and qualitative data of green spaces and their relationship to the urban spaces. Concluding that the presence of mangroves, due its connectivity and sustainable benefits, is able to increase environmental resilience of the metropolitan region of Florianopolis

Spontaneous parity violation and minimal Higgs models

In this paper we present a model for the spontaneous breaking of parity with two Higgs doublets and two neutral Higgs singlets which are even and odd under D-parity. The condition $v_R >>v_L$ can be satisfied without introducing bidoublets and it is induced by the breaking of D-parity through the vacuum expectation value of the odd Higgs singlet. Examples of left-right symmetric and mirror fermions models in grand unified theories are presented.Comment: Revised version. Accepted in Eur. Phys. Journal

Unified Gauge Models and One-Loop Quantum Cosmology

This paper studies the normalizability criterion for the one-loop wave function of the universe in a de Sitter background, when various unified gauge models are considered. It turns out that, in the absence of interaction between inflaton field and other matter fields, the supersymmetric version of such unified models is preferred. By contrast, the interaction of inflaton and matter fields, jointly with the request of normalizability at one-loop order, picks out non-supersymmetric versions of unified gauge models.Comment: 10 pages, Late

Taspase1-dependent TFIIA cleavage coordinates head morphogenesis by limiting Cdkn2a locus transcription

Head morphogenesis requires complex signal relays to enable precisely coordinated proliferation, migration, and patterning. Here, we demonstrate that, during mouse head formation, taspase1-mediated (TASP1-mediated) cleavage of the general transcription factor TFIIA ensures proper coordination of rapid cell proliferation and morphogenesis by maintaining limited transcription of the negative cell cycle regulators p16Ink4a and p19Arf from the Cdkn2a locus. In mice, loss of TASP1 function led to catastrophic craniofacial malformations that were associated with inadequate cell proliferation. Compound deficiency of Cdkn2a, especially p16Ink4a deficiency, markedly reduced the craniofacial anomalies of TASP1-deficent mice. Furthermore, evaluation of mice expressing noncleavable TASP1 targets revealed that TFIIA is the principal TASP1 substrate that orchestrates craniofacial morphogenesis. ChIP analyses determined that noncleaved TFIIA accumulates at the p16Ink4a and p19Arf promoters to drive transcription of these negative regulators. In summary, our study elucidates a regulatory circuit comprising proteolysis, transcription, and proliferation that is pivotal for construction of the mammalian head

The p38 MAPK pathway is essential for skeletogenesis and bone homeostasis in mice

Nearly every extracellular ligand that has been found to play a role in regulating bone biology acts, at least in part, through MAPK pathways. Nevertheless, much remains to be learned about the contribution of MAPKs to osteoblast biology in vivo. Here we report that the p38 MAPK pathway is required for normal skeletogenesis in mice, as mice with deletion of any of the MAPK pathway member–encoding genes MAPK kinase 3 (Mkk3), Mkk6, p38a, or p38b displayed profoundly reduced bone mass secondary to defective osteoblast differentiation. Among the MAPK kinase kinase (MAP3K) family, we identified TGF-β–activated kinase 1 (TAK1; also known as MAP3K7) as the critical activator upstream of p38 in osteoblasts. Osteoblast-specific deletion of Tak1 resulted in clavicular hypoplasia and delayed fontanelle fusion, a phenotype similar to the cleidocranial dysplasia observed in humans haploinsufficient for the transcription factor runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2). Mechanistic analysis revealed that the TAK1–MKK3/6–p38 MAPK axis phosphorylated Runx2, promoting its association with the coactivator CREB-binding protein (CBP), which was required to regulate osteoblast genetic programs. These findings reveal an in vivo function for p38β and establish that MAPK signaling is essential for bone formation in vivo. These results also suggest that selective p38β agonists may represent attractive therapeutic agents to prevent bone loss associated with osteoporosis and aging

Aesthetics of Resistance in Western Sahara

In reaction to neo-liberal globalization policies that were spearheaded in the 1980s by Reagan-economics and Thatcherism, indignant movements ignited globally in distinct places, spaces, and territories, using diverse resistance strategies, both violent and nonviolent. Today, two years into the new social media revolutions, with the “Arab Spring” (in Tunisia known as Sidi Bouzid Revolt, in Libya as the Revolution of February 17th, and in Egypt as Revolution of January 25th), the “indignado/a” movement in Spain, and “Occupy Wall Street” in the United States, what does it mean to be “indignant”?Within an interdisciplinary Peace Studies and Research context, how do we begin to talk about and theorize this (inter)subjective move from being a “victim” to being “indignant?” And, how do we do so in a way that captures the complex and multi-layered dimensions of liberation struggles? We begin with a theoretical overview in order to frame the discussion. We then specifically examine the “Sahrawi Spring” in order to see theory in practice. As Africa’s last colony,Western Sahara provides an interesting look into the aesthetics of resistance

Molecular Characterization of the Gastrula in the Turtle Emys orbicularis: An Evolutionary Perspective on Gastrulation

Due to the presence of a blastopore as in amphibians, the turtle has been suggested to exemplify a transition form from an amphibian- to an avian-type gastrulation pattern. In order to test this hypothesis and gain insight into the emergence of the unique characteristics of amniotes during gastrulation, we have performed the first molecular characterization of the gastrula in a reptile, the turtle Emys orbicularis. The study of Brachyury, Lim1, Otx2 and Otx5 expression patterns points to a highly conserved dynamic of expression with amniote model organisms and makes it possible to identify the site of mesoderm internalization, which is a long-standing issue in reptiles. Analysis of Brachyury expression also highlights the presence of two distinct phases, less easily recognizable in model organisms and respectively characterized by an early ring-shaped and a later bilateral symmetrical territory. Systematic comparisons with tetrapod model organisms lead to new insights into the relationships of the blastopore/blastoporal plate system shared by all reptiles, with the blastopore of amphibians and the primitive streak of birds and mammals. The biphasic Brachyury expression pattern is also consistent with recent models of emergence of bilateral symmetry, which raises the question of its evolutionary significance

Captivating behaviour: mouse models, experimental genetics and reductionist returns in the neurosciences

This a post-print, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in The Sociological Review. Copyright © 2010 Wiley Blackwell. The definitive version is available at www3.interscience.wiley.comNo Abstract availabl

Design-time formal verification for smart environments: an exploratory perspective

Smart environments (SmE) are richly integrated with multiple heterogeneous devices; they perform the operations in intelligent manner by considering the context and actions/behaviors of the users. Their major objective is to enable the environment to provide ease and comfort to the users. The reliance on these systems demands consistent behavior. The versatility of devices, user behavior and intricacy of communication complicate the modeling and verification of SmE's reliable behavior. Of the many available modeling and verification techniques, formal methods appear to be the most promising. Due to a large variety of implementation scenarios and support for conditional behavior/processing, the concept of SmE is applicable to diverse areas which calls for focused research. As a result, a number of modeling and verification techniques have been made available for designers. This paper explores and puts into perspective the modeling and verification techniques based on an extended literature survey. These techniques mainly focus on some specific aspects, with a few overlapping scenarios (such as user interaction, devices interaction and control, context awareness, etc.), which were of the interest to the researchers based on their specialized competencies. The techniques are categorized on the basis of various factors and formalisms considered for the modeling and verification and later analyzed. The results show that no surveyed technique maintains a holistic perspective; each technique is used for the modeling and verification of specific SmE aspects. The results further help the designers select appropriate modeling and verification techniques under given requirements and stress for more R&D effort into SmE modeling and verification researc

Disturbed Placental Imprinting in Preeclampsia Leads to Altered Expression of DLX5, a Human-Specific Early Trophoblast Marker.

Background -Preeclampsia (PE) is a complex and common human-specific pregnancy syndrome associated with placental pathology. The human-specificity provides both intellectual and methodological challenges, lacking a robust model system. Given the role of imprinted genes in human placentation and the vulnerability of imprinted genes to loss of imprinting changes, there has been extensive speculation, but no robust evidence, that imprinted genes are involved in PE. Our study aims at investigating whether disturbed imprinting contributes to PE. Methods -We first aimed at confirming that PE is a disease of the placenta by generating and analysing genome-wide molecular data on well-characterized patient material. We performed high-throughput transcriptome analyses of multiple placenta samples from normal and PE patients. Next, we identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in PE placenta, and intersected them with the list of human imprinted genes. We employed bioinformatics/statistical analyses to confirm association between imprinting and PE, and to predict biological processes affected in PE. Validation included epigenetic and cellular assays. Regarding human-specificity, we established an in vitro invasion-differentiation trophoblast model. Our comparative phylogenetic analysis involved single-cell transcriptome data of human, macaque and mouse preimplantation embryogenesis. Results -We found disturbed placental imprinting in PE and revealed potential candidates, including GATA3 and DLX5, with poorly explored imprinted status and no prior association with PE. Due to loss of imprinting DLX5 was upregulated in 69% of PE placentas. Levels of DLX5 correlated with classical PE marker. DLX5 is expressed in human, but not in murine trophoblast. The DLX5(high) phenotype resulted in reduced proliferation, increased metabolism and ER stress-response activation in trophoblasts in vitro The transcriptional profile of such cells mimics the transcriptome of PE placentas. Pan-mammalian comparative analysis identified DLX5 as a part of the human-specific regulatory network of trophoblast differentiation. Conclusions -Our analysis provides evidence of a true association between disturbed imprinting, gene expression and PE. Due to disturbed imprinting, the upregulated DLX5 affects trophoblast proliferation. Our in vitro model might fill a vital niche in PE research. Human-specific regulatory circuitry of DLX5 might help to explain certain aspects of PE