111 research outputs found
Therianthropes in a Cartesian and an Animistic Cosmology: Beyond-the-Pale Monsters versus Being-in-the World Others
The nature of human-animal hybrid beings (or therianthropes) is examined in an Animistic (traditional San Bushman) and a Cartesian (Early Modern Western) cosmology. In each ontological ambiguity is imagined and conceptualized in different terms. One of them is through monstrosity, which, in the Western schema, is equated with human-animal hybridity. This equivalence threatens the boundaries and categories that buttress western cosmology, through a being â the human-animal hybrid â deemed a conceptual and epistemological abomination. It elicits a category crisis that is as much cerebral as it is visceral as the were-beings it conceives are feared and demonized. No such valences attach to therianthropes in the cosmology described in this paper. It is an âentangledâ cosmology shot through with ambiguity and fluidity in which human-animal hybridity is neither abominable nor feared. Instead, as a pervasive and salient theme of San world view and lifeways, especially its expressive and ritual spheres, along with hunting, ontological mutability becomes an integral component of peopleâs thoughts and lives and thereby normalized and naturalized. Beings partaking of this state are deemed another species of being with whom humans engage as other-than-humans, on shared social terms. Monsters are beings who negate or transgress the moral foundation of the social order. San monstrosity, conceptually and phenomenologically, becomes thereby a matter of deviation from social (moral) pre/proscriptions rather than from classificatory (ontological) ones. This basic conceptual difference notwithstanding, we also find a fundamental commonality: the inversion, through monsters and monstrosity, of each cosmologyâs underlying epistemic matrices, of structure and ambiguity, respectively
Gamma Dor and Gamma Dor - Delta Sct Hybrid Stars In The CoRoT LRa01
A systematic search for gamma Dor and gamma Dor - delta Scuti hybrid
pulsators was conducted on the CoRoT LRa01 Exo-archive yielding a total of 418
gamma Dor and 274 hybrid candidates. After an automatic jump correction 194 and
167 respectively, show no more obvious jumps and were investigated in more
detail. For about 25\% of these candidates classification spectra from the
Anglo-Australian Observatory (AAO) are available. The detailed frequency
analysis and a check for combination frequencies together with spectroscopic
information allowed us to identify I) 34 gamma Dor stars which show very
different pulsation spectra where mostly two modes dominate. Furthermore, a
search for regularities in their oscillation spectra allowed to derive
recurrent period spacings for 5 of these gamma Dor stars. II) 25 clear hybrid
pulsators showing frequencies in the gamma Dor and delta Sct domain and are of
A-F spectral type.Comment: Proceedings of the 4th HELAS International Conference held in
Lanzarote, 201
Conodonts from the âPelmatozoan Limestoneâ (Upper Ordovician), northern Sevilla, Ossa-Morena Zone (Spain)
27 pĂĄginas, 1 figura, 2 tablas, 2 lĂĄminas.[EN] Several limestone levels of the âCaliza de Pelmatozoosâ were sampled for conodonts in sections of the
CerrĂłn del Hornillo and Valle synclines. The conodont fauna includes: Amorphognathus ordovicicus, A. aff. ordovicicus,
Amorphognathus sp., Amorphognathus? sp., Drepanoistodus cf. suberectus, Drepanoistodus? sp., Hamarodus
europaeus, Icriodella cf. superba, Istorinus erectus, Panderodus gracilis, Plectodina tenuis?, Sagittodontina robusta,
Scabbardella altipes, Scabbardella sp A., Walliserodus amplissimus? y Walliserodus? sp. This association is attributed
to the Amorphognathus ordovicus Zone by the presence of the index species, and to the Sagittodontina-Scabbardella
Biofacies of the Mediterranean Province of conodonts by the relative abundance of these two taxa. This fauna is close
related to coeval associations from several localities of the Iberian Peninsula, except that of the Malaguide Complex,
but the presence of Plectodina and Drepanoistodus suggest possible faunal exchange with Anglo-Baltic faunas.[ES] El estudio para conodontos de numerosos niveles de la âCaliza de Pelmatozoosâ en secciones de los sinclinales
del CerrĂłn del Hornillo y del Valle ha permitido identificar los taxones: Amorphognathus ordovicicus, A. aff.
ordovicicus, Amorphognathus sp., Amorphognathus? sp., Drepanoistodus cf. suberectus, Drepanoistodus? sp.,
Hamarodus europaeus, Icriodella cf. superba, Istorinus erectus, Panderodus gracilis, Plectodina tenuis?,
Sagittodontina robusta, Scabbardella altipes, Scabbardella sp A., Walliserodus amplissimus? y Walliserodus? sp. Esta
asociaciĂłn, que se adscribe a la Provincia MediterrĂĄnea de conodontos, es atribuida a la Zona de Amorphognahus ordovicicus,
Kralodvoriense, por la presencia del taxĂłn nominal. Dentro de esta provincia ha sido posible identificar la
Biofacies de Sagittodontina-Scabbardella por la abundancia relativa de ambos taxones. Si bien existe una gran similitud
entre esta fauna y las de edad equivalente reconocidas en el ĂĄmbito de dicha provincia, la presencia de Plectodina
y Drepanoistodus sugieren que el ĂĄrea de estudio se encontraba emplazada en latitudes mĂĄs bajas que el resto de la
PenĂnsula IbĂ©rica, exceptuando la del Complejo MalĂĄguide, y que este hecho favoreciĂł el intercambio faunal con las
provincias BritĂĄnica y BĂĄltica de conodontos.Este trabajo es una contribuciĂłn al proyecto
PATRIORSI (CGL2006-07628/BTE) del
Ministerio de Ciencia e InnovaciĂłn, al proyecto
IGCP 503 âOrdovician Palaeogeography
and Palaeoclimatologyâ y Grupo UCM
910231.Peer reviewe
Impact of an in-hospital endocarditis team and a state-wide endocarditis network on perioperative outcomes
Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) requires multidisciplinary management. We established an endocarditis team within our hospital in 2011 and a state-wide endocarditis network with referring hospitals in 2015. We aimed to investigate their impact on perioperative outcomes. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from patients operated on for IE in our center between 01/2007 and 03/2018. To investigate the impact of the endocarditis network on referral latency and pre-operative complications we divided patients into two eras: before ( n = 409) and after ( n = 221) 01/2015. To investigate the impact of the endocarditis team on post-operative outcomes we conducted multivariate binary logistic regression analyses for the whole population. KaplanâMeier estimates of 5-year survival were reported. Results: In the second era, after establishing the endocarditis network, the median time from symptoms to referral was halved (7 days (interquartile range: 2â19) vs. 15 days (interquartile range: 6â35)), and pre-operative endocarditis-related complications were reduced, i.e., stroke (14% vs. 27%, p < 0.001), heart failure (45% vs. 69%, p < 0.001), cardiac abscesses (24% vs. 34%, p = 0.018), and acute requirement of hemodialysis (8% vs. 14%, p = 0.026). In both eras, a lack of recommendations from the endocarditis team was an independent predictor for in-hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio: 2.12, 95% CI: 1.27â3.53, p = 0.004) and post-operative stroke (adjusted odds ratio: 2.23, 95% CI: 1.12â4.39, p = 0.02), and was associated with worse 5-year survival (59% vs. 40%, log-rank < 0.001). Conclusion: The establishment of an endocarditis network led to the earlier referral of patients with fewer pre-operative endocarditis-related complications. Adhering to endocarditis team recommendations was an independent predictor for lower post-operative stroke and in-hospital mortality, and was associated with better 5-year survival
The astrocyte-produced growth factor HB-EGF limits autoimmune CNS pathology
Central nervous system (CNS)-resident cells such as microglia, oligodendrocytes and astrocytes are gaining increasing attention in respect to their contribution to CNS pathologies including multiple sclerosis (MS). Several studies have demonstrated the involvement of pro-inflammatory glial subsets in the pathogenesis and propagation of inflammatory events in MS and its animal models. However, it has only recently become clear that the underlying heterogeneity of astrocytes and microglia can not only drive inflammation, but also lead to its resolution through direct and indirect mechanisms. Failure of these tissue-protective mechanisms may potentiate disease and increase the risk of conversion to progressive stages of MS, for which currently available therapies are limited. Using proteomic analyses of cerebrospinal fluid specimens from patients with MS in combination with experimental studies, we here identify Heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF) as a central mediator of tissue-protective and anti-inflammatory effects important for the recovery from acute inflammatory lesions in CNS autoimmunity. Hypoxic conditions drive the rapid upregulation of HB-EGF by astrocytes during early CNS inflammation, while pro-inflammatory conditions suppress trophic HB-EGF signaling through epigenetic modifications. Finally, we demonstrate both anti-inflammatory and tissue-protective effects of HB-EGF in a broad variety of cell types in vitro and use intranasal administration of HB-EGF in acute and post-acute stages of autoimmune neuroinflammation to attenuate disease in a preclinical mouse model of MS. Altogether, we identify astrocyte-derived HB-EGF and its epigenetic regulation as a modulator of autoimmune CNS inflammation and potential therapeutic target in MS. Linnerbauer and colleagues find that HB-EGF produced by reactive astrocytes is protective during autoimmune neuroinflammation, but epigenetically suppressed during late stages
Bias correction of OMI HCHO columns based on FTIR and aircraft measurements and impact on top-down emission estimates
Spaceborne formaldehyde (HCHO) measurements constitute an excellent proxy for the sources of non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs). Past studies suggested substantial overestimations of NMVOC emissions in state-of-the-art inventories over major source regions. Here, the QA4ECV (Quality Assurance for Essential Climate Variables) retrieval of HCHO columns from OMI (Ozone Monitoring Instrument) is evaluated against (1) FTIR (Fourier-transform infrared) column observations at 26 stations worldwide and (2) aircraft in situ HCHO concentration measurements from campaigns conducted over the USA during 2012â2013. Both validation exercises show that OMI underestimates high columns and overestimates low columns. The linear regression of OMI and aircraft-based columns gives Ω=0,651 Ω+2,95 x 10, molec. cm , with Ω and Ω the OMI and aircraft-derived vertical columns, whereas the regression of OMI and FTIR data gives Ω= 6,59 Ω + 2.02 x 10, molec. cm . Inverse modelling of NMVOC emissions with a global model based on OMI columns corrected for biases based on those relationships leads to much-improved agreement against FTIR data and HCHO concentrations from 11 aircraft campaigns. The optimized global isoprene emissions ( 445 Tgyr) are 25â% higher than those obtained without bias correction. The optimized isoprene emissions bear both striking similarities and differences with recently published emissions based on spaceborne isoprene columns from the CrIS (Cross-track Infrared Sounder) sensor. Although the interannual variability of OMI HCHO columns is well understood over regions where biogenic emissions are dominant, and the HCHO trends over China and India clearly reflect anthropogenic emission changes, the observed HCHO decline over the southeastern USA remains imperfectly elucidated
SuperCYP: a comprehensive database on Cytochrome P450 enzymes including a tool for analysis of CYP-drug interactions
Much of the information on the Cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs) is spread across literature and the internet. Aggregating knowledge about CYPs into one database makes the search more efficient. Text mining on 57 CYPs and drugs led to a mass of papers, which were screened manually for facts about metabolism, SNPs and their effects on drug degradation. Information was put into a database, which enables the user not only to look up a particular CYP and all metabolized drugs, but also to check tolerability of drug-cocktails and to find alternative combinations, to use metabolic pathways more efficiently. The SuperCYP database contains 1170 drugs with more than 3800 interactions including references. Approximately 2000 SNPs and mutations are listed and ordered according to their effect on expression and/or activity. SuperCYP (http://bioinformatics.charite.de/supercyp) is a comprehensive resource focused on CYPs and drug metabolism. Homology-modeled structures of the CYPs can be downloaded in PDB format and related drugs are available as MOL-files. Within the resource, CYPs can be aligned with each other, drug-cocktails can be âmixedâ, SNPs, protein point mutations, and their effects can be viewed and corresponding PubMed IDs are given. SuperCYP is meant to be a platform and a starting point for scientists and health professionals for furthering their research
Asteroseismology and Interferometry
Asteroseismology provides us with a unique opportunity to improve our
understanding of stellar structure and evolution. Recent developments,
including the first systematic studies of solar-like pulsators, have boosted
the impact of this field of research within Astrophysics and have led to a
significant increase in the size of the research community. In the present
paper we start by reviewing the basic observational and theoretical properties
of classical and solar-like pulsators and present results from some of the most
recent and outstanding studies of these stars. We centre our review on those
classes of pulsators for which interferometric studies are expected to provide
a significant input. We discuss current limitations to asteroseismic studies,
including difficulties in mode identification and in the accurate determination
of global parameters of pulsating stars, and, after a brief review of those
aspects of interferometry that are most relevant in this context, anticipate
how interferometric observations may contribute to overcome these limitations.
Moreover, we present results of recent pilot studies of pulsating stars
involving both asteroseismic and interferometric constraints and look into the
future, summarizing ongoing efforts concerning the development of future
instruments and satellite missions which are expected to have an impact in this
field of research.Comment: Version as published in The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review, Volume
14, Issue 3-4, pp. 217-36
Upper limits on the strength of periodic gravitational waves from PSR J1939+2134
The first science run of the LIGO and GEO gravitational wave detectors
presented the opportunity to test methods of searching for gravitational waves
from known pulsars. Here we present new direct upper limits on the strength of
waves from the pulsar PSR J1939+2134 using two independent analysis methods,
one in the frequency domain using frequentist statistics and one in the time
domain using Bayesian inference. Both methods show that the strain amplitude at
Earth from this pulsar is less than a few times .Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure, to appear in the Proceedings of the 5th Edoardo
Amaldi Conference on Gravitational Waves, Tirrenia, Pisa, Italy, 6-11 July
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