Semi-intact ex vivo approach to investigate spinal somatosensory circuits

The somatosensory input that gives rise to the perceptions of pain, itch, cold and heat are initially integrated in the superficial dorsal horn of the spinal cord. Here, we describe a new approach to investigate these neural circuits in mouse. This semi-intact somatosensory preparation enables recording from spinal output neurons, while precisely controlling somatosensory input, and simultaneously manipulating specific populations of spinal interneurons. Our findings suggest that spinal interneurons show distinct temporal and spatial tuning properties. We also show that modality selectivity — mechanical, heat and cold — can be assessed in both retrogradely labeled spinoparabrachial projection neurons and genetically labeled spinal interneurons. Finally, we demonstrate that interneuron connectivity can be determined via optogenetic activation of specific interneuron subtypes. This new approach may facilitate key conceptual advances in our understanding of the spinal somatosensory circuits in health and disease

Mating alters gene expression patterns in Drosophila melanogaster male heads

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Behavior is a complex process resulting from the integration of genetic and environmental information. <it>Drosophila melanogaster </it>rely on multiple sensory modalities for reproductive success, and mating causes physiological changes in both sexes that affect reproductive output or behavior. Some of these effects are likely mediated by changes in gene expression. Courtship and mating alter female transcript profiles, but it is not known how mating affects male gene expression.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We used <it>Drosophila </it>genome arrays to identify changes in gene expression profiles that occur in mated male heads. Forty-seven genes differed between mated and control heads 2 hrs post mating. Many mating-responsive genes are highly expressed in non-neural head tissues, including an adipose tissue called the fat body. One fat body-enriched gene, <it>female-specific independent of transformer </it>(<it>fit</it>), is a downstream target of the somatic sex-determination hierarchy, a genetic pathway that regulates <it>Drosophila</it> reproductive behaviors as well as expression of some fat-expressed genes; three other mating-responsive loci are also downstream components of this pathway. Another mating-responsive gene expressed in fat, <it>Juvenile hormone esterase </it>(<it>Jhe</it>), is necessary for robust male courtship behavior and mating success.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our study demonstrates that mating causes changes in male head gene expression profiles and supports an increasing body of work implicating adipose signaling in behavior modulation. Since several mating-induced genes are sex-determination hierarchy target genes, additional mating-responsive loci may be downstream components of this pathway as well.</p

Atuando em novos palcos: diálogos entre o teatro e a educação ambiental

As questões ambientais cada vez mais vêm sendo alvo de preocupações e discussões mundiais. O processo educativo, então, há algumas décadas vêm sendo valorizado como uma possibilidade de lidar com essas questões e de trabalhar pela transformação das relações sociedade-natureza. Contudo, o campo da Educação Ambiental é marcado por uma variedade de discursos, compreensões, interesses e posicionamentos que precisam ser percebidos uma vez que refletem diretamente no tipo e na qualidade das práticas desenvolvidas. Nesta pesquisa, sugerimos que, nas diferentes ações educativas envolvendo a temática ambiental, alguns recursos, como a arte da qual destacamos o teatro representam novas possibilidades pedagógicas, podendo envolver dimensões de conhecimentos, de valores e de participação política, entre outros. Percebendo que alguns educadores e autores compartilham desta perspectiva, este trabalho procurou realizar um levantamento, no estado de São Paulo, de diferentes práticas pedagógicas que aliassem de alguma maneira Educação Ambiental e teatro. Constatamos, então, uma variedade de práticas, procedimentos e abordagens teatrais utilizadas associadas a diferentes perspectivas de concepções de Educação Ambiental. Percebemos que ainda há uma forte presença de entendimentos e práticas mais conservadoras de Educação Ambiental, pautadas numa compreensão simplista ou reducionista das questões ambientais, voltadas a aspectos comportamentais, de individualização de responsabilidade, desconsiderando-se o contexto histórico-social no qual estão inseridos. Por outro lado, ainda algumas perspectivas mais críticas também foram interpretadas, apresentando uma compreensão mais elaborada a articulada das questões ambientais e uma idéia de processo educativo relacionado à formação...The environmental issues have become a target of discussions and worries of the whole world. The educational process, then, for some decades has been identified as a possibility of dealing with these questions and working on changes in the society-nature relations. However, the Environmental Education field is built on a great variety of speechs, comprehensions, interests and positions that must be caught on because they directly incide on the practices quality. In this research, we suggest that in the different actions envolving environmental issues, some resources, such as art and mainly the theater show us new educational possibilities, involving aspects of knowledge, values and participation. Knowing that some educators share the same perspective, this work made a survey of practices involving theater and Environmental Education in the São Paulo state. So, we could see a variety of theatrical practices, procedures and approaches associated to different Environmental Education perspectives. Furthermore, we could indentify a strong presence of conservative understandings and practices, with a limited comprehension of the environmental issues, closed to behavioral aspects, individualization of the responsibility, not considering the social-historical contexts. On the other hand, some perspectives are more elaborated and articulated about envionmental questions and the educational process is seen as critical and it stimulates participation, aiming a transformation of the society. In both perspectives the theater as a play is its most used form, although there are others practices. Lots of theatre contributions to the Environmental Education were discussed, considering other authors and the subjects investigated and pointed here... (Complete abstract, click electronic address below)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES

Centro Cultural São Paulo : programa, projeto, apropriação

Concebido a partir de 1975 como necessária expansão da Biblioteca Mario de Andrade , o Centro Cultural São Paulo - CCSP foi inaugurado em 13 de maio de 1982, em plena ditadura civil militar brasileira, como o maior centro de cultura da América Latina. O edifício projetado pelos arquitetos Eurico Prado Lopes e Luiz Benedito de Castro Telles demorou a ser considerado um expoente da arquitetura paulista; à época da construção, as questões políticas tiveram maior destaque do que as próprias inovações conceituais propostas pelo projeto, que no campo da arquitetura foi ignorado, devido seu caráter experimental, que não dialogava com o que vinha sendo produzido. Desde sua inauguração , ao longo dos trinta e sete anos o CCSP tornou-se uma potente equipamento social, político, arquitetônico e cultural encravado na metrópole, sintonizado com a realidade do país em diferentes períodos e dando suporte a indeterminação do campo da arquitetura frente as manifestações e imprevisibilidades humanas. Este estudo acontece portanto, em um processo de levantamentos e reflexões condizentes com a multiplicidade temática do Centro Cultura São Paulo, e com a transdisciplinaridade do campo da arquitetura, dividindo-se em três momentos - concepção do programa, projeto arquitetônico e apropriação do espaço-, em que são hegemônicas, respectivamente, três áreas do conhecimento: história, urbanismo e sociologia, entendendo o projeto como um processo constituído por diversos agentes anteriores e posteriores à obra construída.Conceived from 1975 as a necessary expansion of the Mario de Andrade Library, the Centro Cultural São Paulo - CCSP was inaugurated on May 13th,1982, during the Brazilian civilian military dictatorship, as the largest cultural center in American Latina. The building designed by the architects Eurico Prado Lopes and Luiz Benedito Castro Telles took time to be considered and architectural exponent in the city of São Paulo ; at the time of its construction , political issues were more prominent than the conceptual innovations proposed by the project, which in the field of architecture was ignored due to its experimental character, since it would not dialogue with other building from the same time. Since its inauguration, during the past thirty-seven years, CCSPbecame a powerful social, political, architectural and cultural equipment embedded in the metropolis , attuned to the historical reality of the country in different periods ans supporting the indeterminacy of the field of architecture agaist human manifestation and unpredictability. This study therefore takes place in a processof surveys and reflections towards the thematic multiplicity of the Centro Cultural São Paulo and with the transdiciplinary of the field of architecture, divided into three moments -, program conception, architectural design an the appropriation of space-, in wich three areas of knowledge are, respectively, hegemonic: history, urbanism ans sociology, understanding the project as a process constituted by several agents before and after the constructed work.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível SuperiorInstituto Presbiteriano Mackenzi