'The show must go on': Event dramaturgy as consolidation of community

Event dramaturgy and cultural performance have not been examined in the literature from a strategic standpoint of fostering the social value of events. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore the case of the Water Carnival, a celebratory event in a rural community of Southwest Texas, demonstrating the essence of this event as a symbolic social space, wherein event participants instantiate a shared and valued sense of community. A hermeneutical approach was employed, interpreting the event and its symbolisms as a text, combined with findings from ethnographic fieldwork, including participant observation, in-depth interviews and analysis of archival documents. The study examines the ways that dramaturgy in the Water Carnival helps frame the ongoing public discourse for community improvement and enhances social capital. The implications of the study for social leverage of events are discussed. It is suggested that a foundation for strategic social planning is the understanding of events as symbolic social spaces and their embeddedness in community development, which can be accomplished when events are pertinent to public discourse, address community issues, represent an inclusive range of stakeholders, and promote cooperation

Inhibition of Nitric Oxide Production in Activated Macrophages Caused by Toxoplasma gondii Infection Occurs by Distinct Mechanisms in Different Mouse Macrophage Cell Lines

Toxoplasma gondii, the causative agent of toxoplasmosis, is a widespread intracellular parasite able to infect virtually any nucleated cell. T. gondii infection of activated macrophages inhibits nitric oxide (NO) production; however, parasite effectors responsible for this block have not been defined. Macrophage populations are extremely heterogeneous, responding differently to stimuli and to parasite infection. Here we evaluated the inhibition of NO production caused by T. gondii infection of J774-A1 and RAW 264.7 macrophages and assessed the role of several known parasite virulence factors in this phenotype. Infection of activated macrophages from both macrophage lines reduced NO production, however, the mechanism of this decrease was different. Consistent with previous reports, infected J774-A1 macrophages had reduced iNOS expression and lower number of iNOS positive cells. In contrast, T. gondii infection of RAW 264.7 macrophages did not alter iNOS expression or the number of iNOS positive cells, and yet it led to lower levels of NO production. Deletion of a number of previously defined virulence factors including ROP kinases that disrupt innate immune factors, TgIST which blocks STAT1 activation, as well as the secretory trafficking proteins ASP5 and MYR1, did not alter the phenotype of decreased NO production. Taken together our findings indicate that T. gondii infection inhibits NO production of activated macrophages by different mechanisms that involve reduction of iNOS expression vs. iNOS impairment, and suggest that a novel parasite effector is involved in modulating this important host defense pathway

Photosynthesis down-regulation precedes carbohydrate accumulation under sink limitation in Citrus

Photosynthesis down-regulation due to an imbalance between sources and sinks in Citrus leaves could be mediated by excessive accumulation of carbohydrates. However, there is limited understanding of the physiological role of soluble and insoluble carbohydrates in photosynthesis regulation and the elements triggering the down-regulation process. In this work, the role of non-structural carbohydrates in the regulation of photosynthesis under a broad spectrum of source-sink relationships has been investigated in the Salustiana sweet orange. Soluble sugar and starch accumulation in leaves, induced by girdling experiments, did not induce down-regulation of the photosynthetic rate in the presence of sinks (fruits). The leaf-to-fruit ratio did not modulate photosynthesis but allocation of photoassimilates to the fruits. The lack of strong sink activity led to a decrease in the photosynthetic rate and starch accumulation in leaves. However, photosynthesis down-regulation due to an excess of total soluble sugars or starch was discarded because photosynthesis and stomatal conductance reduction occurred prior to any significant accumulation of these carbohydrates. Gas exchange and fluorescence parameters suggested biochemical limitations to photosynthesis. In addition, the expression of carbon metabolism-related genes was altered within 24 h when strong sinks were removed. Sucrose synthesis and export genes were inhibited, whereas the expression of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase was increased to cope with the excess of assimilates. In conclusion, changes in starch and soluble sugar turnover, but not sugar content per se, could provide the signal for photosynthesis regulation. In these conditions, non-stomatal limitations strongly inhibited the photosynthetic rate prior to any significant increase in carbohydrate levels. © The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.This work was supported by the Conselleria de Cultura, Educacio i Esport de la Generalitat Valenciana [GV/2007/213 and GV/2009/034].González Nebauer, S.; Renau Morata, B.; Guardiola, JL.; Molina Romero, RV. (2011). Photosynthesis down-regulation precedes carbohydrate accumulation under sink limitation in Citrus. Tree Physiology. 31(2):169-177. doi:10.1093/treephys/tpq103S16917731

Metabolic alterations triggered by silicon nutrition is there a signaling role for silicon?

Although the beneficial role of silicon (Si) in stimulating the growth and development of many plants is generally accepted, our knowledge concerning the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying this response remains far from comprehensive. Considerable effort has been invested in understanding the role of Si on plant disease, which has led to several new and compelling hypotheses; in unstressed plants, however, Si is believed to have no molecular or metabolic effects. Recently, we have demonstrated that Si nutrition can modulate the carbon/nitrogen balance in unstressed rice plants. Our findings point to an important role of Si as a signaling metabolite able to promote amino acid remobilization. In this article we additionally discuss the agronomic significance of these novel observations and suggest Si nutrition as an important target in future attempts to improve yields of agronomic crops

Estado e agricultores familiares: uma análise interpretativa sobre o desenvolvimento rural no Sul de Minas Gerais.

Este trabalho procurou identificar como os atores sociais vinculados à agricultura familiar (lideranças de produtores familiares, profissionais de ciências agrárias, autoridades municipais, pesquisadores e professores universitários) interpretam o papel do Estado para o desenvolvimento dessa categoria na região sul de Minas Gerais. Com relação à coleta de dados, utilizou-se a técnica "focused interview". Os entrevistados foram seledonados pelo método não-probabilístico de amostragem por julgamento. Os resultados revelaram que a interpretação feita pelos entrevistados aproxima-se mais da perspectiva do Estado patrimonialistaburocrático autoritário, tendo em vista que os depoimentos dos entrevistados corroboram com a reprodução das relações de dependência dos agricultores familiares em relação ao Estado. Por outro lado, alguns atores reconhecem a necessidade de mecanismos que incentivem a participação social, no entanto, salientaram que a mobilização dos produtores familiares na região ainda é incipiente e desarticulada

Rationales, rhetoric and realities:FIFA’s World Cup in South Africa 2010 and Brazil 2014

The 2010 FIFA World Cup was heralded by mainstream media outlets, the local organisers, the South African government and FIFA as an unequivocal success. The month-long spectacle saw South Africa take centre stage and host the world’s largest single sporting event. This occurred against a backdrop of rationales and promises made that the event would leave lasting legacies for all, in particular marginalised South Africans. The reality is quite different. In this article we consider the South African World Cup in the build up to Brazil 2014. We argue that the rationales and rhetoric are similar in both countries and suggest the reality for Brazil 2014 will be the same as South Africa 2010 in that the mega-event will be primarily funded by significant public investment, while the primary beneficiaries will be private capital and FIFA