Scotin, a novel p53-inducible proapoptotic protein located in the ER and the nuclear membrane

p53 is a transcription factor that induces growth arrest or apoptosis in response to cellular stress. To identify new p53-inducible proapoptotic genes, we compared, by differential display, the expression of genes in spleen or thymus of normal and p53 nullizygote mice after γ-irradiation of whole animals. We report the identification and characterization of human and mouse Scotin homologues, a novel gene directly transactivated by p53. The Scotin protein is localized to the ER and the nuclear membrane. Scotin can induce apoptosis in a caspase-dependent manner. Inhibition of endogenous Scotin expression increases resistance to p53-dependent apoptosis induced by DNA damage, suggesting that Scotin plays a role in p53-dependent apoptosis. The discovery of Scotin brings to light a role of the ER in p53-dependent apoptosis

Recording from two neurons: second order stimulus reconstruction from spike trains and population coding

We study the reconstruction of visual stimuli from spike trains, recording simultaneously from the two H1 neurons located in the lobula plate of the fly Chrysomya megacephala. The fly views two types of stimuli, corresponding to rotational and translational displacements. If the reconstructed stimulus is to be represented by a Volterra series and correlations between spikes are to be taken into account, first order expansions are insufficient and we have to go to second order, at least. In this case higher order correlation functions have to be manipulated, whose size may become prohibitively large. We therefore develop a Gaussian-like representation for fourth order correlation functions, which works exceedingly well in the case of the fly. The reconstructions using this Gaussian-like representation are very similar to the reconstructions using the experimental correlation functions. The overall contribution to rotational stimulus reconstruction of the second order kernels - measured by a chi-squared averaged over the whole experiment - is only about 8% of the first order contribution. Yet if we introduce an instant-dependent chi-square to measure the contribution of second order kernels at special events, we observe an up to 100% improvement. As may be expected, for translational stimuli the reconstructions are rather poor. The Gaussian-like representation could be a valuable aid in population coding with large number of neurons

A self-assessment tool for social responsibility in higher education. Reporting on a national policy development process in Portugal

Purpose Providing higher education institutions (HEIs) with a tool for self-assessing their social responsibility (SR) that generates the information and knowledge necessary to a strategic approach to adopting the Green Paper recommendations about the SR of HEIs. Setting out the collaborative policy development process to construct the tool “Indicators of SR of HEIs” (ISRHEI). Design/methodology/approach After a literature review, including self-assessment (SA) tools and leading guidelines, a working group of 24 Portuguese HEIs was created to co-construct the ISRHEI tool, which was then subject to validation in a pilot study. Findings There are 34 indicators in the ISRHEI tool, structured by sequential levels according to the HEI alignment with SR (policies, procedures, practices and monitoring along a strategic continuum) hoping to achieve impacts on the organisational, educational, cognitive and social level. Originality/value This is an innovative and national policy development process for SR in Portugal. It gives insights into guiding documents, SA indicators for SR and the process of developing consensus on this topic amongst 24 HEIs in Portugal. The ISRHEI tool is tailored to the specific characteristics and level of development of HEIs.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Surgical Treatment of Intravenous Leiomyomatosis: The Role of the IVC Filter

IntroductionIntravenous leiomyomatosis is a rare, life-threatening intravenous tumor associated with uterine leiomyomata.ReportThis report describes the case of a 45-year-old woman with a history of weakness and exertional dyspnea, and an extensive intracaval mass extending to the right side of the heart. The tumor was successfully removed in a two-stage surgical procedure with an inferior vena cava (IVC) filter deployed before the second stage. An extensive DVT was observed postoperatively.DiscussionSurgical removal is the only effective treatment for intravenous leiomyomatosis, and the rate of recurrence remains unclear. An IVC filter should be placed routinely to prevent postoperative or late (in case of recurrence) pulmonary embolism

Origin and spectroscopic determination of trigonal anisotropy in a heteronuclear single-molecule magnet

W-band ({\nu} ca. 94 GHz) electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy was used for a single-crystal study of a star-shaped Fe3Cr single-molecule magnet (SMM) with crystallographically imposed trigonal symmetry. The high resolution and sensitivity accessible with W-band EPR allowed us to determine accurately the axial zero-field splitting terms for the ground (S =6) and first two excited states (S =5 and S =4). Furthermore, spectra recorded by applying the magnetic field perpendicular to the trigonal axis showed a pi/6 angular modulation. This behavior is a signature of the presence of trigonal transverse magnetic anisotropy terms whose values had not been spectroscopically determined in any SMM prior to this work. Such in-plane anisotropy could only be justified by dropping the so-called 'giant spin approach' and by considering a complete multispin approach. From a detailed analysis of experimental data with the two models, it emerged that the observed trigonal anisotropy directly reflects the structural features of the cluster, i.e., the relative orientation of single-ion anisotropy tensors and the angular modulation of single-ion anisotropy components in the hard plane of the cluster. Finally, since high-order transverse anisotropy is pivotal in determining the spin dynamics in the quantum tunneling regime, we have compared the angular dependence of the tunnel splitting predicted by the two models upon application of a transverse field (Berry-phase interference).Comment: 13 pages, 9 figure

Runoff at the micro-plot and slope scale following wildfire, central Portugal

Through their effects on soil properties and vegetation/litter cover, wildfires can strongly enhance overland flow generation and accelerate soil erosion [1] and, thereby, negatively affect land-use sustainability as well as downstream aquatic and flood zones. Wildfires are a common phenomenon in present-day Portugal, devastating in an average year some 100.000 ha of forest and woodlands and in an exceptional year like 2003 over 400.000 ha. There therefore exists a clear need in Portugal for a tool that can provide guidance to post-fire land management by predicting soil erosion risk, on the one hand, and, on the other, the mitigation effectiveness of soil conservation measures. Such a tool has recently been developed for the Western U.S.A. [3: ERMiT] but its suitability for Portuguese forests will need to be corroborated by field observations. Testing the suitability of existing erosion models in recently burned forest areas in Portugal is, in a nutshell, the aim of the EROSFIRE projects. In the first EROSFIRE project the emphasis was on the prediction of erosion at the scale of individual hill slopes. In the ongoing EROSFIRE-II project the spatial scope is extended to include the catchment scale, so that also the connectivity between hill slopes as well as channel and road processes are being addressed. Besides ERMiT, the principal models under evaluation for slope-scale erosion prediction are: (i) the variant of USLE [4] applied by the Portuguese Water Institute after the wildfires of 2003; (ii) the Morgan–Morgan–Finney model (MMF) [5]; (iii) MEFIDIS [6]. From these models, MEFIDIS and perhaps MMF will, after successful calibration at the slope scale, also be applied for predicting catchment-scale sediment yields of extreme events