Hydra tropomyosin TROP1 is expressed in head-specific epithelial cells and is a major component of the cytoskeletal structure that anchors nematocytes

A cDNA clone encoding a 253 amino acid tropomyosin was isolated from Hydra in a differential screen for headspecific genes. The Hydra tropomyosin gene, designated trop1, is a single copy gene, lacks introns and is strongly expressed in tentacle-specific epithelial cells. Analysis of protein synthesis in head and gastric tissue indicated a high rate of tropomyosin synthesis in head tissue. Immunolocalization of tropomyosin in tentacle tissue revealed a cushion-like tropomyosin-containing structure within battery cells at the base of nematocytes. The structure appears to form part of the cytoskeletal anchor for nematocytes. Tropomyosin cushions were also observed in epithelial cells along the body column, which contain mounted stenotele nematocytes

Design and fabrication of a low cost implantable bladder pressure monitor

In the frame of the Flemish Community funded project Bioflex we developed and fabricated an implant for short term (< 7 days) bladder pressure monitoring, and diagnosis of incontinence. This implant is soft and flexible to prevent damaging the bladder's inner wall. It contains a standard flexible electronic circuit connected to a battery, which are embedded in surface treated silicone to enhance the biocompatibility and prevent salt deposition. This article describes the fabrication of the pill and the results of preliminary cytotoxicity tests. The electronic design and its tests, implantation and the result of the in-vivo experimentation will be presented in other articles

Selected Private Higher Educational Institutions In Metro Manila: A DEA Efficiency Measurement

This paper measures the technical efficiency of 16 selected colleges and universities in Metro Manila, Philippines, using academic data for the SY 2001 – 2005. Using the data envelopment analysis (DEA), on average, schools posted 0.807 index score and need additional 19.3% efficiency growth to be efficient. Overall, there are top four efficient schools, with an average technical efficiency score between 99-100%, representing 25% of the sample. The slacks and efficient targets results have school’s policy decision-making implications: Through DEA, schools have a reference set of actual values and accurate information for performance improvement on their resource allocation usage and output targets. The benchmarking characteristics of DEA may help school’s administrators aspire for better performance by learning from other efficient schools. 

Substrate doping: A strategy for enhancing reactivity on gold nanocatalysts by tuning sp bands

We suggest that the reactivity of Au nanocatalysts can be greatly increased by doping the oxide substrate on which they are placed with an electron donor. To demonstrate this, we perform density functional theory calculations on a model system consisting of a 20-atom gold cluster placed on a MgO substrate doped with Al atoms. We show that not only does such substrate doping switch the morphology of the nanoparticles from the three-dimensional tetrahedral form to the two-dimensional planar form, but it also significantly lowers the barrier for oxygen dissociation by an amount proportional to the dopant concentration. At a doping level of 2.78%, the dissociation barrier is reduced by more than half, which corresponds to a speeding up of the oxygen dissociation rate by five orders of magnitude at room temperature. This arises from a lowering in energy of the s and p states of Au. The d states are also lowered in energy, however, this by itself would have tended to reduce reactivity. We propose that a suitable measure of the reactivity of Au nanoparticles is the difference in energy of sp and d states

UHE Belo Monte: el estudio de impacto ambiental y sus contradicciones

Este número da Revista Brasileira de Iniciação Científica publica os artigos com os resultados das pesquisas de Iniciação Científica 2016/17 da Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana (UNILA). A UNILA é uma das novas universidades federais brasileiras, iniciando suas atividades em 2010. Já em 2011, começa a funcionar seu Programa de Iniciação Científica (IC). A IC é uma das prioridades da política de pesquisa da UNILA. Seu aporte em bolsas de IC é superior ao de fontes externas como CNPq e Fundação Araucária. Em seus seis anos de existência, o Programa de IC tem promovido a difusão da cultura científica entre os estudantes, contribuído com sua formação e os estimulado ao ingresso na pós-graduação.Analisando o planejamento e execução do projeto UHE Belo Monte, o artigo compara as normas que regem o licenciamento de empreendimentos hidrelétricos com a sua controvertida implementação prática. complexidade do processo de licenciamento ambiental como mecanismo de proteção do meio ambiente dos possíveis impactos das atividades humanas é cotejada com o histórico de exploração de recursos naturais da região Amazônica, além do contexto das políticas econômicas desenvolvimentistas.Analyzing the planning and execution of the Belo Monte HPP project, the article aims to compare the environmental law framework valid in Brazil with their controversial enforcement. The environmental impact assessment as a mechanism to protect the environment from the possible impacts of human activities is studied, along with the historical perspective of Amazon natural resources exploitation and the context of Brazilian’s economic development policies.Analizando el planeamiento y la ejecución del proyecto UHE Belo Monte, el artículo compara las normas que rigen el licenciamiento de emprendimientos hidroeléctricos con su controvertida implantación práctica. La complejidad del proceso de licenciamiento ambiental como mecanismo de protección del medio ambiente de los posibles impactos de las actividades humanas es cotejada con el histórico de explotación de recursos naturales de la región Amazónica y el contexto de las políticas económicas del desarrollismo

Lieux de l’identité : Quelques réflexions sur le devoir de porter témoignage face à l’impératif de construire au présent le lien social (Hommage à Aimé Césaire)

Déjà en 1939, Aimé Césaire s’est présenté comme bouche parlant au nom et à la place de ceux qui étaient réduits au silence par l’oppression coloniale ou raciale. Face au long passé de la réduction au silence des esclaves et de leurs descendants, le monde contemporain doit ouvrir l’espace public non seulement à l’histoire, mais également à la mémoire de l’esclavage et de la traite. Les afrodescendants ne racontent pas seulement, ils performent également leurs mémoires afin de rendre présents leurs ascendants réduits à l’esclavage. Écouter ces mémoires permet de reconstruire le lien social afin qu’ils se sentent citoyens du monde multiculturel, cosmopolite et séculier, avait récemment écrit Henry Louis Gates.As early as 1939, Aimé Césaire took on the role of spokesperson for those who had been reduced to silence as a result of colonial or racial oppression. Faced with the long tradition of voicelessness of slaves and their descendants, the contemporary world must open up public space not only to the history but also to the memory of slavery and of the slave trade. People of African descent not only narrate their memories but also perform them in order to recall their enslaved ancestors. Listening to their memories means reconstructing social ties in order that they may feel that they are, as Henry Louis Gates puts it, truly “citizens of a multicultural, cosmopolitan, secular world.