Thermodynamics of Heat Shock Response

Production of heat shock proteins are induced when a living cell is exposed to a rise in temperature. The heat shock response of protein DnaK synthesis in E.coli for temperature shifts from temperature T to T plus 7 degrees, respectively to T minus 7 degrees is measured as function of the initial temperature T. We observe a reversed heat shock at low T. The magnitude of the shock increases when one increase the distance to the temperature $T_0 \approx 23^o$, thereby mimicking the non monotous stability of proteins at low temperature. Further we found that the variation of the heat shock with T quantitatively follows the thermodynamic stability of proteins with temperature. This suggest that stability related to hot as well as cold unfolding of proteins is directly implemented in the biological control of protein folding. We demonstrate that such an implementation is possible in a minimalistic chemical network.Comment: To be published in Physical Review Letter

Autoimmune diseases and new-onset atrial fibrillation:a UK Biobank study

AimsThe underlying mechanisms of atrial fibrillation (AF) are largely unknown. Inflammation may underlie atrial remodelling. Autoimmune diseases, related to increased systemic inflammation, may therefore be associated with new-onset AF.Methods and resultsParticipants from the population-based UK Biobank were screened for rheumatic fever, gastrointestinal autoimmune diseases, autoimmune diseases targeting the musculoskeletal system and connective tissues, and neurological autoimmune diseases. Between 2006 and 2022, participants were followed for incident AF. Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were performed to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to quantify associations. 494 072 participants free from AF were included (median age 58.0 years, 54.8% women). After a median of 12.8 years, 27 194 (5.5%) participants were diagnosed with new-onset AF. Rheumatic fever without heart involvement (HR, 95% CI: 1.47, 1.26–1.72), Crohn’s disease (1.23, 1.05–1.45), ulcerative colitis (1.17, 1.06–1.31), rheumatoid arthritis (1.39, 1.28–1.51), polyarteritis nodosa (1.82, 1.04–3.09), systemic lupus erythematosus (1.82, 1.41–2.35), and systemic sclerosis (2.32, 1.57–3.44) were associated with a larger AF risk. In sex-stratified analyses, rheumatic fever without heart involvement, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, seropositive rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic and enteropathic arthropathies, systemic sclerosis and ankylosing spondylitis were associated with larger AF risk in women, whereas only men showed a larger AF risk associated with ulcerative colitis.ConclusionsVarious autoimmune diseases are associated with new-onset AF, more distinct in women. Our findings elaborate on the pathophysiological differences in autoimmunity and AF risk between men and women

Back to the future : the Arab uprisings and state (re)formation in the Arab world

This article contributes to debates that aim to go beyond the “democratization” and “post-democratization” paradigms to understand change and continuity in Arab politics. In tune with calls to focus on the actualities of political dynamics, the article shows that the literatures on State Formation and Contentious Politics provide useful theoretical tools to understand change/continuity in Arab politics. It does so by examining the impact of the latest Arab uprisings on state formation trajectories in Iraq and Syria. The uprisings have aggravated a process of regime erosion – which originated in post-colonial state-building attempts – by mobilizing sectarian and ethnic identities and exposing the counties to geo-political rivalries and intervention, giving rise to trans-border movements, such as ISIS. The resulting state fragmentation has obstructed democratic transition in Syria and constrained its consolidation in Iraq.PostprintPeer reviewe

Political Regimes and Sovereign Credit Risk in Europe, 1750-1913

This article uses a new panel data set to perform a statistical analysis of political regimes and sovereign credit risk in Europe from 1750 to 1913. Old Regime polities typically suffered from fiscal fragmentation and absolutist rule. By the start of World War I, however, many such countries had centralized institutions and limited government. Panel regressions indicate that centralized and?or limited regimes were associated with significant improvements in credit risk relative to fragmented and absolutist ones. Structural break tests also reveal close relationships between major turning points in yield series and political transformations

Risks, alternative knowledge strategies and democratic legitimacy: the conflict over co-incineration of hazardous industrial waste in Portugal.

The decision to incinerate hazardous industrial waste in cement plants (the socalled ‘co-incineration’ process) gave rise to one of the most heated environmental conflicts ever to take place in Portugal. The bitterest period was between 1997 and 2002, after the government had made a decision. Strong protests by residents, environmental organizations, opposition parties, and some members of the scientific community forced the government to backtrack and to seek scientific legitimacy for the process through scientific expertise. The experts ratified the government’s decision, stating that the risks involved were socially acceptable. The conflict persisted over a decade and ended up clearing the way for a more sustainable method over which there was broad social consensus – a multifunctional method which makes it possible to treat, recover and regenerate most wastes. Focusing the analysis on this conflict, this paper has three aims: (1) to discuss the implications of the fact that expertise was ‘confiscated’ after the government had committed itself to the decision to implement co-incineration and by way of a reaction to the atmosphere of tension and protest; (2) to analyse the uses of the notions of ‘risk’ and ‘uncertainty’ in scientific reports from both experts and counter-experts’ committees, and their different assumptions about controllability and criteria for considering certain practices to be sufficiently safe for the public; and (3) to show how the existence of different technical scientific and political attitudes (one more closely tied to government and the corporate interests of the cement plants, the other closer to the environmental values of reuse and recycling and respect for the risk perception of residents who challenged the facilities) is closely bound up with problems of democratic legitimacy. This conflict showed how adopting more sustainable and lower-risk policies implies a broader view of democratic legitimacy, one which involves both civic movements and citizens themselves

Targeting intratumoral B cells with rituximab in addition to CHOP in angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma. A clinicobiological study of the GELA.

Background In angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, symptoms linked to B-lymphocyte activation are common, and variable numbers of CD20(+) large B-blasts, often infected by Epstein-Barr virus, are found in tumor tissues. We postulated that the disruption of putative B-T interactions and/or depletion of the Epstein-Barr virus reservoir by an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody (rituximab) could improve the clinical outcome produced by conventional chemotherapy. DESIGN AND METHODS: Twenty-five newly diagnosed patients were treated, in a phase II study, with eight cycles of rituximab + chemotherapy (R-CHOP21). Tumor infiltration, B-blasts and Epstein-Barr virus status in tumor tissue and peripheral blood were fully characterized at diagnosis and were correlated with clinical outcome. RESULTS: A complete response rate of 44% (95% CI, 24% to 65%) was observed. With a median follow-up of 24 months, the 2-year progression-free survival rate was 42% (95% CI, 22% to 61%) and overall survival rate was 62% (95% CI, 40% to 78%). The presence of Epstein-Barr virus DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (14/21 patients) correlated with Epstein-Barr virus score in lymph nodes (P<0.004) and the detection of circulating tumor cells (P=0.0019). Despite peripheral Epstein-Barr virus clearance after treatment, the viral load at diagnosis (>100 copy/μg DNA) was associated with shorter progression-free survival (P=0.06). Conclusions We report here the results of the first clinical trial targeting both the neoplastic T cells and the microenvironment-associated CD20(+) B lymphocytes in angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, showing no clear benefit of adding rituximab to conventional chemotherapy. A strong relationship, not previously described, between circulating Epstein-Barr virus and circulating tumor cells is highlighted

Understanding the rift, the (still) uneasy bedfellows of History and Organization Studies

Although the use of History has become increasingly discussed and more widely applied within Organization Studies (OS), its relevance for OS still remains far from centrally accepted. This article historicizes the relationship between Sociology and History as a means of better understanding the tensions, perceived and real, that exist between History and Organization Studies. In particular we analyse three differences of epistemological standpoint (method, objectivity and usefulness) that are commonly seen as the foundation stones to incompatibility. Perhaps surprisingly for an analysis of apparent disciplinary differences, we find that these distinctions in terms of approach, once closely examined, are rarely clear-cut and historians and OS scholars are frequently closer in intention and method than they are distant. However, despite their large intersection of interests, we argue that important distinctions between the two fields should be acknowledged. Our contribution to the debates over the need for more historical approaches within OS therefore centrally rests on abandoning aspirations for fully integrative models of working together, in favour of cooperative modes that concede the fields’ differences. This subtle shift of emphasis will, we believe, greatly benefit OS scholars who hope to include historical perspectives in their work

Civil Society Activism in Italy Across Different Fields: A Multifaceted Picture of Solidarity in Hard Times

Over the last years, Italian civil society organisations have been working on a daily basis to mitigate the impact of both the global economic crisis and the refugee crisis, which have increased social vulnerabilities. Relying on the data gathered through 30 in-depth interviews with transnational solidarity organisations’ representatives, this chapter analyses solidarity practices in three fields of activity: disability, unemployment and migration. Results show that solidarity attitudes, practices and discourses are strongly influenced by the policy domain in which the organisations are active. Furthermore, the crisis led organisations to search for new strategies and approaches, even though it has been an ineffective vector of transnationalisation due to lack of resources, and the necessity to cope with pressing needs at national and local level/s.Results presented in book have been obtained through the project ‘European paths to transnational solidarity at times of crisis: Conditions, forms, role-models and policy responses’ (TransSOL). This project was funded by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No. 649435)