La Relacion entre el Departamento de Estado y la Industria cinematografica de Hollywood en la era Bush (2001-2009)

Trabajo de conclusión de curso presentado al Instituto Latino-Americano de Economía, Sociedad y Política (ILAESP) de la Universidad Federal de Integración Latino-Americana, como requisito parcial para la obtención del titulo de Bacharel en Relaciones Internacionales e Integración. Orientadora: Dra. Tereza Maria Spyer. Co-orientador: Ms. Eduardo Dias Fonseca.El presente trabajo tiene por objetivo mostrar los indicios encontrados sobre la relación establecida entre el Departamento de Estado de los Estados Unidos y la Motion Pictures Association of America (MPAA), el órgano principal que nuclea a las seis productoras de Hollywood más importantes: Walt Disney, Universal, Warner Bros., Paramount, Columbia y Fox, en los años que comprenden la presidencia del republicano George W. Bush, 2001-2009. Por medio del análisis de tres de ellas, Disney, Universal y Warner Bros., el trabajo busca reflejar cuales son algunos de los elementos encontrados que manifiestan el fuerte contacto entre ambos organismos. Teniendo como presupuestos principales a la teoría critica impulsada por Robert Cox, en donde las fuerzas tanto institucionales como ideales serán centrales, emprendemos el estudio de los elementos que Bush coloca en la agenda gubernamental, como la Ley Patriótica y la Estrategia de Seguridad Nacional en su lucha global contra el terrorismo. Analizando también por otra parte el proceso histórico vivido en la industria cinematográfica desde su creación hasta la actualidad, atravesando el sistema de estudios y su reconfiguración, así como nuevos actores que surgen para quitar protagonismo a las películas, para llegar así a la exposición de los elementos, entre los que se encuentran la censura histórica llevada a cabo por el Código Hays, el sistema de Clasificación por edades y los premios Oscars, que conseguimos vislumbrar sobre lo que entendemos como indicios en la relación histórica establecida entre el Departamento de Estado y la Industria Cinematográfica de Hollywood.The objective of the present paper is to demonstrate the indications over the established relations between the State Department of United States and the Motion Pictures Association of America (MPAA), main organ witch centers the most important Hollywood producers: Walt Disney, Universal, Warner Bros., Paramount, Columbia and Fox, over the years that comprehend George W. Bush’s (2001-2009) republican presidency. By the analysis of three of them, Disney, Universal and Warner Bros., this paper seeks to reflect about some of the encountered elements that manifest strong contact between these organisms. The main presuppositions are the elements in Critical Theory from Robert W. Cox., in such the institutional forces and the Ideal forces are going to be central, initiating the study of the elements that bush set on government’s agenda, such as the Patriotic Law and the National Security Strategy in his global strike on terrorism. Investigating, also, the historical process overtaken by the cinematographic industry since its creation until nowadays through the studios systems and its reconfiguration. Also new actors that emerges to take off the protagonism from the movies. To get at the elements exposition, between those we have an historical censorship undertaken by the Hays Code, the age classification system and the Oscars, as what we could perceive like evidences on the historical relation between the Department of State and Hollywood’s Cinema Industr

Las relaciones internacionales entre Brasil y Argentina en la zona Misionera: Litigios Fronterizos, Tratados Internacionales y Cr ́ onicas de Viajes (1860-1914)

Anais do II Encontro de Iniciação Científica e de Extensão da Unila - Sessão de História - 03/07/13 – 13h30 às 18h30 - Unila-PTI - Bloco 09 – Espaço 02 – Sala 03El principal resultado del proyecto ”Levantamiento de Fuentes Hist ́ oricas del Parque Naci- onal y Cataratas del Iguaz ́ u (Brasil-Argentina 1860-1914)”y del Plan de trabajo ”Expediciones Cient ́ ıficas Argentinas y la construcci ́on de los paisajes Salto Victoria y Cataratas del Iguaz ́ u”fue la formaci ́ on de un archivo documental sobre los conflictos internacionales en la definici ́on fron- teriza Brasil/Argentina en la llamada ”Zona Misionera”, espacio geogr ́a fico hoy perteneciente a la provincia de Misiones en Argentina, y a los estados de Paran ́a, Santa Catarina y R ́ ıo Grande del Sur en Brasil. Adem ́as del levantamiento de fuentes, tuvimos el objetivo de desarrollar, en la practica, una investigaci ́on interdisciplinar que aproximase la Historia y las Relaciones In- ternacionales en sus discusiones te ́orico-metodol ́ogicas. Encontramos este soporte en el campo definido como Historia de las Relaciones Internacionales profundizando, las concepciones te ́oricas sobre frontera y paisaje. Las lecturas te ́oricas de autores como Stuart Hall, Robert Watson, Si- mon Schama y Nogueira & Messari, brindaron referencias importantes que acabaron guiando e instrumentalizando la parte metodol ́ogica de la investigaci ́on, que constituyo la b ́ usqueda de fuentes documentales. Buscamos en estos documentos subsidios para las discusiones sobre las definiciones de limites y fronteras en la formaci ́ on del Parque Nacional de Iguaz ́ u en cuanto a la constituci ́on del paisaje Cataratas del Iguaz ́ u. Los locales visitados en Argentina fueron la Biblioteca Nacional y el Instituto Geogr ́a fico Militar, donde hicimos levantamiento, selecci ́on, catalogaci ́on y fotograf ́ ıa digital de las fuentes. Adem ́as de eso, realizamos una b ́ usqueda online de libros y art ́ ıculos. De este trabajo result ́o un catalogo con 73 libros y 21 art ́ ıculos, de los cuales 43 los poseemos digitalizados. En este material se encuentran tratados internacionales, relatos de viajes y expediciones cient ́ ıficas, mapas e im ́agenes (fotograf ́ ıas, obras de arte, grabados). De forma paralela y tan importante como el levantamiento de fuentes, fue posible desarrollar una discusi ́on hist ́orica sobre la cuesti ́on de limites y fronteras que incluy ́o el espacio de las Catara- tas y el Parque Nacional de Iguaz ́ u. Destacamos la pregunta sobre el papel del presidente de los Estados Unidos de Am ́erica Grover Cleveland como arbitro internacional en el territorio en disputa y las consecuencias de este laudo arbitral en la pertenencia del paisaje ?Cataratas del Iguaz ́ u?, lo que nos lleva a las perspectivas de investigaciones futuras. Destacamos, todav ́ ıa, la presentaci ́ on de los resultados preliminares en dos eventos cient ́ ıficos que nos permiti ́o compartir y recibir recomendaciones de investigadores con experiencia en el ́ area, para continuar desarrol- lando nuestra investigaci ́on que seguir ́a con la intenci ́on de entender, mediante el an ́ alisis de la bibliograf ́ ıa encontrada, las relaciones pol ́ ıticas y diplom ́ aticas en la zona fronteriza a las Cata- ratas y al Parque Nacional de Iguaz ́ u.Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana (UNILA

Performance of V3-based HIV-1 sero subtyping in HIV endemic areas

HIV-1 serosubtyping based on reactivity to peptides from the V3 region of gp120 is a low-cost and easy to perform procedure often used in geographical areas with high prevalence and incidence of HIV infection. We evaluated the performance of V3-based serotyping on 148 sera from 118 HIV-1-infected individuals living in Uganda, with estimated dates of seroconversion. Of the 148 tested samples, 68 (46.0%) specifically reacted with only one of the V3 peptides included in the test (SP), 64 (43.2%) did not react with any peptide (NR) and 16 (10.8%) reacted with two or more peptides (CR). According to the estimated seroconversion date, the large majority of samples collected early after infection belonged to the NR group. These samples had also a low Avidity Index. In contrast, samples collected later after infection belonged mainly to CR and SP groups and had also a higher avidity index. These results indicate that the performance of V3-based assays depends on maturation of HIV-specific immune response and can be significantly lowered when these tests are carried out on specimens collected from recently infected individuals

The c-kit Ligand, Stem Cell Factor, Can Enhance Innate Immunity Through Effects on Mast Cells

Mast cells are thought to contribute significantly to the pathology and mortality associated with anaphylaxis and other allergic disorders. However, studies using genetically mast cell–deficient WBB6F1-KitW/KitW-v and congenic wild-type (WBB6F1-+/+) mice indicate that mast cells can also promote health, by participating in natural immune responses to bacterial infection. We previously reported that repetitive administration of the c-kit ligand, stem cell factor (SCF), can increase mast cell numbers in normal mice in vivo. In vitro studies have indicated that SCF can also modulate mast cell effector function. We now report that treatment with SCF can significantly improve the survival of normal C57BL/6 mice in a model of acute bacterial peritonitis, cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Experiments in mast cell–reconstituted WBB6F1-KitW/KitW-v mice indicate that this effect of SCF treatment reflects, at least in part, the actions of SCF on mast cells. Repetitive administration of SCF also can enhance survival in mice that genetically lack tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, demonstrating that the ability of SCF treatment to improve survival after CLP does not solely reflect effects of SCF on mast cell– dependent (or –independent) production of TNF-α. These findings identify c-kit and mast cells as potential therapeutic targets for enhancing innate immune responses

A new catechol-functionalized polyamidoamine as an effective SPION stabilizer

A synthetic strategy was established for decorating and stabilizing superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) with a zwitterionic linear polyamidoamine (PAA). The strategy was successfully tested with a PAA coded ISA23 previously found endowed with interesting biological properties, such as biocompatibility, degradability in aqueous media and stealth-like properties when injected in test animals. A post-synthetic functionalization with catechol-bearing moieties of a preformed PAA was successfully carried out. ISA23 was obtained by polyaddition reactions of methyl-piperazine and 2,2-bis(acrylamidoacetic) acid. It was functionalized using nitrodopamine and 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide as coupling agent, to randomly form amide bonds with 17% of ISA23 carboxylic groups (ISA23-ND). SPIONs were prepared by a thermal decomposition synthesis in 1-octadecene with oleic acid, and then transferred in water by two distinct ligand exchange procedures: i) the direct displacement of oleate molecules from SPION surface by ISA23 in a biphasic (n-hexane/water) environment; ii) the two-step method involving an intermediate small molecule, tetramethylammonium hydroxide, used as a transient transfer agent, which was in turn exchanged with ISA23-ND in a second exchange step occurring in water. The two-step procedure provided a SPION@PAA nanocomposite more stable than that obtained by the one-step procedure in the presence of an applied external magnetic field. ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, \u3b6-potential and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed the presence of the ISA23 on the SPION surface. In particular, TGA showed that the ISA23-ND amount on the NPs accounted for 26% of the overall nanocomposite mass. The nanocomposite size was determined by both TEM (21.1\ub12.9 nm) and DLS measurements (hydrodynamic size 100\ub128 nm). SPION@ISA23-ND were re-suspended after lyophilization reverting to their pristine dimensions. The SPION@ISA23-ND adsorption of BSA in water, considered as the first stage of phagocytosis, was very low, suggesting that ISA23 could impart stealthiness to SPION@ISA23-ND. 1H-NMR relaxivity measurements showed an r2 value of 158 s-1 mmol-1 L (vs 100 s-1 mmol-1L for Endorem\uae) at relevant clinical fields for magnetic resonance imaging (from 0.2 to 1.5 T). SPION@ISA23-ND was tested on HeLa cells and their internalization was visualized by reflectance microscopy. Finally, with the aim of prepare a new dual magneto-optical system, a synthetic procedure to decorate SPION@ISA23-ND with a fluorescent dye was devised, even though the emission intensity of the resultant conjugate was lower than expected, possibly due to luminescence quenching caused by the closeness of emitting moieties to the SPION surface

Activation and nuclear translocation of PKCε promotes skeletal muscle cell differentiation via HMGA1 downregulation

The role of novel PKCs in skeletal muscle differentiation has recently emerged. PKCθ is the most expressed isoform of PKCs in muscle and it promotes the fusion of myoblasts [1]. Recently, we have demonstrated that PKCε is implicated in myocardiocyte differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells [2] but the role of PKCε in skeletal muscle cell regeneration has only recently emerged [3]. We here demonstrate that both nuclear and cytoplasmic fractions of PKCε are up-regulated during in vitro C2C12 cell line and satellite cell differentiation. We also show that PKCε is able to modulate myogenic differentiation genes via a downmodulation of HMGA1 proteins that promotes myogenin accumulation and mature myoblast formation. To study the effects of PKCε on muscle regeneration, we have used the in vivo model of CTX-induced skeletal muscle injury. We show that the upregulation of PKCε also occurs in vivo, particularly in the centro-nucleated regenerating fibers that are derived from the fusion process of the resident satellite cells, suggesting a role for PKCε in human satellite cell-driven muscle repair and substitution, with clinically relevant implications in human muscle pathology