Preserving neural function under extreme scaling

Important brain functions need to be conserved throughout organisms of extremely varying sizes. Here we study the scaling properties of an essential component of computation in the brain: the single neuron. We compare morphology and signal propagation of a uniquely identifiable interneuron, the HS cell, in the blowfly (Calliphora) with its exact counterpart in the fruit fly (Drosophila) which is about four times smaller in each dimension. Anatomical features of the HS cell scale isometrically and minimise wiring costs but, by themselves, do not scale to preserve the electrotonic behaviour. However, the membrane properties are set to conserve dendritic as well as axonal delays and attenuation as well as dendritic integration of visual information. In conclusion, the electrotonic structure of a neuron, the HS cell in this case, is surprisingly stable over a wide range of morphological scales

La figura del traductor jurídico: reflexiones en tornoa la profesión y la formación

Con el presente artículo pretendemos aportar unas reflexiones en torno al traductor jurídico, una figura profesional que desempeña un papel fundamental en los escenarios supranacionales actuales, caracterizados por la intensificación de las relaciones internacionales tanto en el plano de la actividad económica y empresarial como en el de la cooperación judicial. En este contexto, el traductor jurídico se convierte en el principal garante de una comunicación efectiva más allá de las barreras lingüísticas cuyos servicios son requeridos por múltiples entidades como organizaciones internacionales, instituciones y empresas privadas, despachos de abogados, notarías, juzgados o clientes particulares. Lo anterior implica que al traductor jurídico le incumbe la traducción de textos de notable complejidad y muy variada naturaleza, desde los documentos de carácter jurídico, económico-financiero o administrativo hasta los documentos contractuales o notariales. Con este trasfondo, centraremos nuestra atención en la realidad de la práctica profesional de la traducción jurídica, haremos una incursión en las necesidades formativas de este ámbito específico y concluiremos con la presentación del enfoque curricular adoptado en el Máster Universitario en Traducción Jurídico-Financiera de la Universidad Pontificia Comillas.Cet article prétend aborder quelques réflexions concernant le rôle du traducteur juridique, une figure de proue dans tous les milieux et contextes supra–nationaux, caractérisés par un développement constant des relations internationales, économiques, financières et judiciaires. Dans ce contexte le traducteur juridique devient le principal garant pour que toutes les communications soient effectives au delà des barrières linguistiques répondant ainsi favorablement à la demande des organisations internationales, institutions, entreprises, tribunaux, bureaux d´avocats, et clients qui réclament ce service. Ceci signifie que le traducteur est responsable de textes d´une grande complexité et de nature variée: documents juridiques, économiques-financiers, administratifs, contractuels ainsi que tous les documents qui correspondent aux activités notariales. Tout ceci nous pousse à analyser la réalité de la pratique professionnelle de la traduction juridique et nous faisons une incursion dans les besoins de formation dans ce domaine de spécialité. Nous conclurons en présentant l´approche adoptée dans le Mastère de Traduction Juridique et Financière de l´Université Pontificia Comillas (Madrid).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Estudio preliminar sobre el ejercicio de la interpretación y traducción judicial en España

This article explores, from a critical point of view, if the current training given to court interpreters and translators in Spain is sufficient in preparing them to do an adequate job in the courtroom and presents the opinions of legal professionals who work with interpreters and translators on a daily basis. We aim to present a new perspective, one that has not been sufficiently covered in existing curricula: that of the users of courtroom interpreting and translation services. Data comes from personal interviews and an anonymous survey of judicial legal professionals to know their views on the work carried out by interpreters and translators as well as their suggestions for improving the quality of the interpreting and translation services. This is a preliminary and partial analysis that requires a deeper study which we hope to undertake in the future.En este artículo analizaremos, desde un punto de vista crítico, si la formación que reciben actualmente en España los intérpretes y traductores judiciales en las universidades españolas es suficiente para desempeñar su trabajo con calidad ante los tribunales, y la confrontaremos con la opinión que tienen los profesionales del Derecho que trabajan habitualmente con intérpretes y traductores. Trataremos de recoger así una perspectiva nueva y no contemplada suficientemente hasta ahora en los planes de formación reglada: la del colectivo al que sirve el intérprete y traductor judicial. Los datos provienen de entrevistas personales y una encuesta anónima dirigida a operadores judiciales con el fin de conocer su punto de vista sobre el trabajo que realizan actualmente los intérpretes y traductores y sus propuestas para mejorar la calidad del mismo. Se trata de un estudio preliminar y parcial que necesita de análisis más profundos que esperamos acometer en el futuro

A Preliminary Study About The Quality of Courtroom Interpreting and Translation in Spain

En este artículo analizaremos, desde un punto de vista crítico, si la formación que reciben actualmente en España los intérpretes y traductores judiciales en las universidades españolas es suficiente para desempeñar su trabajo con calidad ante los tribunales, y la confrontaremos con la opinión que tienen los profesionales del Derecho que trabajan habitualmente con intérpretes y traductores. Trataremos de recoger así una perspectiva nueva y no contemplada suficientemente hasta ahora en los planes de formación reglada: la del colectivo al que sirve el intérprete y traductor judicial. Los datos provienen de entrevistas personales y una encuesta anónima dirigida a operadores judiciales con el fin de conocer su punto de vista sobre el trabajo que realizan actualmente los intérpretes y traductores y sus propuestas para mejorar la calidad del mismo. Se trata de un estudio preliminar y parcial que necesita de análisis más profundos que esperamos acometer en el futuro.This article explores, from a critical point of view, if the current training given to court interpreters and translators in Spain is sufficient in preparing them to do an adequate job in the courtroom and presents the opinions of legal professionals who work with interpreters and translators on a daily basis. We aim to present a new perspective, one that has not been sufficiently covered in existing curricula: that of the users of courtroom interpreting and translation services. Data comes from personal interviews and an anonymous survey of judicial legal professionals to know their views on the work carried out by interpreters and translators as well as their suggestions for improving the quality of the interpreting and translation services. This is a preliminary and partial analysis that requires a deeper study which we hope to undertake in the future

Estudio preliminar sobre el ejercicio de la interpretación y traducción judicial en España

En este artículo analizaremos, desde un punto de vista crítico, si la formación que reciben actualmente en España los intérpretes y traductores judiciales en las universidades españolas es suficiente para desempeñar su trabajo con calidad ante los tribunales, y la confrontaremos con la opinión que tienen los profesionales del Derecho que trabajan habitualmente con intérpretes y traductores. Trataremos de recoger así una perspectiva nueva y no contemplada suficientemente hasta ahora en los planes de formación reglada: la del colectivo al que sirve el intérprete y traductor judicial. Los datos provienen de entrevistas personales y una encuesta anónima dirigida a operadores judiciales con el fin de conocer su punto de vista sobre el trabajo que realizan actualmente los intérpretes y traductores y sus propuestas para mejorar la calidad del mismo. Se trata de un estudio preliminar y parcial que necesita de análisis más profundos que esperamos acometer en el futuro.This article explores, from a critical point of view, if the current training given to court interpreters and translators in Spain is sufficient in preparing them to do an adequate job in the courtroom and presents the opinions of legal professionals who work with interpreters and translators on a daily basis. We aim to present a new perspective, one that has not been sufficiently covered in existing curricula: that of the users of courtroom interpreting and translation services. Data comes from personal interviews and an anonymous survey of judicial legal professionals to know their views on the work carried out by interpreters and translators as well as their suggestions for improving the quality of the interpreting and translation services. This is a preliminary and partial analysis that requires a deeper study which we hope to undertake in the future

Cellular mechanisms for integral feedback in visually guided behavior

Sensory feedback is a ubiquitous feature of guidance systems in both animals and engineered vehicles. For example, a common strategy for moving along a straight path is to turn such that the measured rate of rotation is zero. This task can be accomplished by using a feedback signal that is proportional to the instantaneous value of the measured sensory signal. In such a system, the addition of an integral term depending on past values of the sensory input is needed to eliminate steady-state error [proportional-integral (PI) control]. However, the means by which nervous systems implement such a computation are poorly understood. Here, we show that the optomotor responses of flying Drosophila follow a time course consistent with temporal integration of horizontal motion input. To investigate the cellular basis of this effect, we performed whole-cell patch-clamp recordings from the set of identified visual interneurons [horizontal system (HS) cells] thought to control this reflex during tethered flight. At high stimulus speeds, HS cells exhibit steady-state responses during flight that are absent during quiescence, a state-dependent difference in physiology that is explained by changes in their presynaptic inputs. However, even during flight, the membrane potential of the large-field interneurons exhibits no evidence for integration that could explain the behavioral responses. However, using a genetically encoded indicator, we found that calcium accumulates in the terminals of the interneurons along a time course consistent with the behavior and propose that this accumulation provides a mechanism for temporal integration of sensory feedback consistent with PI control

Columnar cells necessary for motion responses of wide-field visual interneurons in Drosophila

Wide-field motion-sensitive neurons in the lobula plate (lobula plate tangential cells, LPTCs) of the fly have been studied for decades. However, it has never been conclusively shown which cells constitute their major presynaptic elements. LPTCs are supposed to be rendered directionally selective by integrating excitatory as well as inhibitory input from many local motion detectors. Based on their stratification in the different layers of the lobula plate, the columnar cells T4 and T5 are likely candidates to provide some of this input. To study their role in motion detection, we performed whole-cell recordings from LPTCs in Drosophila with T4 and T5 cells blocked using two different genetically encoded tools. In these flies, motion responses were abolished, while flicker responses largely remained. We thus demonstrate that T4 and T5 cells indeed represent those columnar cells that provide directionally selective motion information to LPTCs. Contrary to previous assumptions, flicker responses seem to be largely mediated by a third, independent pathway. This work thus represents a further step towards elucidating the complete motion detection circuitry of the fly

Risk factors and characteristics influencing humoral response to COVID-19 vaccination in patients after allogeneic stem cell transplantation

IntroductionVaccination against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is approved and recommended for immunocompromised patients such as patients after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT). Since infections represent a relevant cause of transplant related mortality we analyzed the advent of immunization to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in a bicentric population of allogeneic transplanted patients.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed data of allo-SCT recipients in two German transplantation centers for safety and serologic response after two and three SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations. Patients received mRNA vaccines or vector-based vaccines. All patients were monitored for antibodies against SARS-CoV2-spike protein (anti-S-IgG) with an IgG ELISA assay or an EIA Assay after two and three doses of vaccination.ResultsA total of 243 allo-SCT patients underwent SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. The median age was 59 years (range 22-81). While 85% of patients received two doses of mRNA vaccines, 10% had vector-based vaccines and 5% received a mixed vaccination. The two vaccine doses were well tolerated with only 3% patients developing a reactivation of graft versus host disease (GvHD). Overall, 72% of patients showed a humoral response after two vaccinations. In the multivariate analysis age at time of allo-SCT (p=0.0065), ongoing immunosuppressive therapy (p= 0.029) and lack of immune reconstitution (CD4-T-cell counts <200/μl, p< 0.001) were associated with no response. Sex, intensity of conditioning and the use of ATG showed no influence on seroconversion. Finally, 44 out of 69 patients that did not respond after the second dose received a booster and 57% (25/44) showed a seroconversion.DiscussionWe showed in our bicentric allo-SCT patient cohort, that a humoral response could be achieve after the regular approved schedule, especially for those patients who underwent immune reconstitution and were free from immunosuppressive drugs. In over 50% of the initial non-responders after 2-dose vaccination, a seroconversion can be achieved by boostering with a third dose

Rapid Plant Identification Using Species- and Group-Specific Primers Targeting Chloroplast DNA

Plant identification is challenging when no morphologically assignable parts are available. There is a lack of broadly applicable methods for identifying plants in this situation, for example when roots grow in mixture and for decayed or semi-digested plant material. These difficulties have also impeded the progress made in ecological disciplines such as soil- and trophic ecology. Here, a PCR-based approach is presented which allows identifying a variety of plant taxa commonly occurring in Central European agricultural land. Based on the trnT-F cpDNA region, PCR assays were developed to identify two plant families (Poaceae and Apiaceae), the genera Trifolium and Plantago, and nine plant species: Achillea millefolium, Fagopyrum esculentum, Lolium perenne, Lupinus angustifolius, Phaseolus coccineus, Sinapis alba, Taraxacum officinale, Triticum aestivum, and Zea mays. These assays allowed identification of plants based on size-specific amplicons ranging from 116 bp to 381 bp. Their specificity and sensitivity was consistently high, enabling the detection of small amounts of plant DNA, for example, in decaying plant material and in the intestine or faeces of herbivores. To increase the efficacy of identifying plant species from large number of samples, specific primers were combined in multiplex PCRs, allowing screening for multiple species within a single reaction. The molecular assays outlined here will be applicable manifold, such as for root- and leaf litter identification, botanical trace evidence, and the analysis of herbivory

Iota-Carrageenan Is a Potent Inhibitor of Influenza A Virus Infection

The 2009 flu pandemic and the appearance of oseltamivir-resistant H1N1 influenza strains highlight the need for treatment alternatives. One such option is the creation of a protective physical barrier in the nasal cavity. In vitro tests demonstrated that iota-carrageenan is a potent inhibitor of influenza A virus infection, most importantly also of pandemic H1N1/2009 in vitro. Consequently, we tested a commercially available nasal spray containing iota-carrageenan in an influenza A mouse infection model. Treatment of mice infected with a lethal dose of influenza A PR8/34 H1N1 virus with iota-carrageenan starting up to 48 hours post infection resulted in a strong protection of mice similar to mice treated with oseltamivir. Since alternative treatment options for influenza are rare, we conclude that the nasal spray containing iota-carrageenan is an alternative to neuraminidase inhibitors and should be tested for prevention and treatment of influenza A in clinical trials in humans