Beyond the Conversation: The Pervasive Danger of Slurs

This paper has been funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation under the research project "Disagreement in Attitudes: Normativity, Affective Polarization and Disagreement" (PID2019-109764RB-I00), by the Regional Government of Andalusia under the research projects "Public Disagreements, Affective Polarization and Immigration in Andalusia" (B-HUM-459-UGR18) and "The Inferential Identification of Propositions: A Reconsideration of Classical Dichotomies in Metaphysics, Semantics and Pragmatics" (P18-FR2907), and by the University of Granada under a "Contrato Puente" fellowship and the excellence unit FiloLab-UGR (UCE. PPP2017.04). The authors would also like to thank Alex Davies, Maria Jose Frapolli, Andres Soria, Neftali Villanueva, Dan Zeman, and two anonymous reviewers for Organon F, as well as audiences at EvalLang-2019, FiloLab International Summer School 2019, Epistemological and Cognitive Analyses of Cognition, Beliefs and Knowledge, and the IX Meeting of the Spanish Society for Analytic Philosophy, for their helpful comments and suggestions. DocumentAlthough slurs are conventionally defined as derogatory words, it has been widely noted that not all of their occurrences are derogatory. This may lead us to think that there are “innocent” occur-rences of slurs, i.e., occurrences of slurs that are not harmful in any sense. The aim of this paper is to challenge this assumption. Our thesis is that slurs are always potentially harmful, even if some of their oc-currences are nonderogatory. Our argument is the following. Deroga-tory occurrences of slurs are not characterized by their sharing any specific linguistic form; instead, they are those that take place in what we call uncontrolled contexts, that is, contexts in which we do not have enough knowledge of our audience to predict what the uptake of the utterance will be. Slurs uttered in controlled contexts, by contrast, may lack derogatory character. However, although the kind of context at which the utterance of a slur takes place can make it nonderogatory, it cannot completely deprive it of its harmful potential. Utterances of slurs in controlled contexts still contribute to normalizing their utter-ances in uncontrolled contexts, which makes nonderogatory occur-rences of slurs potentially harmful too.Spanish Government PID2019-109764RB-I00Junta de Andalucia B-HUM-459-UGR18 P18-FR2907University of Granada under a "Contrato Puente" fellowship excellence unit FiloLab-UGR UCE. PPP2017.0

Bioinformatics and transcriptomics analyses of the HrpL regulon in Pseudomonas savastanoi pathovars of woody host.

The species Pseudomonas savastanoi, a member of the Pseudomonas syringae complex, includes four pathovars causing knots or excrescences in woody hosts: P. savastanoi pv. savastanoi (Psv), pv. fraxini (Psf), pv. nerii (Psn) and pv. retacarpa (Psr), comprising isolates from olive, ash, oleander and broom plants, respectively. One of the better characterized pathogenicity factor in this bacterial complex is the type III secretion system (T3SS) and its effector (T3E) repertoire. Transcription of the T3SS structural genes and most of its T3E genes is positively regulated HrpL. We have constructed ∆hrpL mutants in a model strain belonging to each of this four pathovars and analyzed the role of this gene in the pathogenicity of P. savastanoi. As previously reported for Psv and Psn, the hrpL gene is also necessary in Psf and Psr for both symptoms production during a compatible interaction and the induction of the hypersensitive response in a resistant host. To characterize the HrpL regulon, we are currently following two strategies (i) the bioinformatics identification of HrpL-dependent promoters in the genomes of several P. savastanoi pathovars and, (ii) a comparative RNAseq analysis of a wild-type Psv strain and its ∆hrpL mutant. The results obtained will be compared with those published for other P. syringae strains isolated from herbaceous hosts, in order to identify specific HrpL-dependent proteins involved in the interaction with woody hosts.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Hacia la identificación del regulón hrpL en Pseudomonas savastanoi

La especie Pseudomonas savastanoi, perteneciente al complejo Pseudomonas syringae, incluye cepas bacterianas aisladas de diversos huéspedes. Hasta la fecha, se han descrito 4 patovares de P. savastanoi capaces de infectar plantas leñosas: pv. savastanoi (aislados de olivo), pv. nerii (aislados de adelfa), pv. fraxini (aislados de fresno) y pv. retacarpa (aislados de retama). Además, recientemente se ha identificado a P. savastanoi como el agente causal de la necrosis bacteriana de la dipladenia (Mandevilla spp.), cuyo rango de huésped es diferente al de los patovares ya establecidos dentro de esta especie (ver comunicación presentada por E. Caballo-Ponce et al.). Con el objetivo de avanzar en el conocimiento de los factores genéticos determinantes del rango de huésped en P. savastanoi, hemos obtenido los borradores de los genomas de varios aislados pertenecientes a los diferentes patovares de esta especie (incluyendo un aislado de dipladenia). Este trabajo se ha centrado en el análisis bioinformático del repertorio de efectores (T3Es) del sistema de secreción tipo III (T3SS) de los diversos aislados secuenciados. Se ha identificado el conjunto de efectores comunes a todos los patovares de P. savastanoi, así como los efectores específicos de cada uno de ellos. Por otro lado, hemos construido mutantes de pérdida de función del gen hrpL en cepas modelo de cada patovar y en el aislado de dipladenia. Este gen, cuya implicación en patogenicidad se ha estudiado ampliamente en aislados de olivo, codifica un regulador positivo de la transcripción de la mayoría de los T3Es y de otros factores de virulencia. Actualmente estamos analizando el papel del gen hrpL en 1) la patogenicidad de todos los aislados seleccionados y, 2) la expresión de varios T3Es seleccionados.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Análisis bioinformático y funcional del sistema de secreción tipo III en cepas de Pseudomonas savastanoi aisladas de diversos huéspedes

La especie Pseudomonas savastanoi se engloba dentro del complejo Pseudomonas syringae, constituido por un conjunto de bacterias fitopatógenas Gram (-) de gran interés agrícola y económico. Dentro de esta especie, hay descritos actualmente 4 patovares capaces de infectar plantas leñosas: pv. savastanoi (aislados de olivo), pv. nerii (aislados de adelfa), pv. fraxini (aislados de fresno) y pv. retacarpa (aislados de retama). Además, se han aislado cepas de P. savastanoi de otros huéspedes, entre los que se encuentra la dipladenia (Mandevilla spp.), aunque los aislados de esta planta no se han asignado aún a un patovar concreto. Dentro del complejo P. syringae, uno de los factores más importantes para el establecimiento de la enfermedad es el sistema de secreción tipo III (T3SS), así como su repertorio de efectores (T3E), los cuales han sido identificados como uno de los factores más relevantes en la determinación del rango de huésped. Actualmente, los genomas de varios aislados de los patovares savastanoi, nerii, fraxini y retacarpa están disponibles en NCBI. Además, hemos obtenido el borrador de la secuencia de aislados adicionales de P. savastanoi, incluyendo el de una cepa patógena en dipladenia. En la actualidad, estamos llevando a cabo ensayos de patogenicidad cruzada de todas estas cepas en diferentes huéspedes de P. savastanoi, con el objetivo de poder relacionar su especificidad de huésped con sus diferencias genómicas. Análisis bioinformáticos comparativos del T3SS de todas estas cepas y de su repertorio de T3E, nos ha permitido identificar el conjunto de T3E compartido entre todas las cepas, así como los específicos de cada una de ellas. Además, hemos construido mutantes en cepas modelo de cada patovar, así como en el aislado de la dipladenia, del gen hrpA, que codifica la principal proteína estructural del pilus del T3SS, y del gen hrpL, que codifica un activador transcripcional de los genes del T3SS y de la mayoría de sus T3E. En la actualidad, estamos analizando el papel de ambos genes en la patogenicidad de las cepas de P. savastanoi seleccionadas y la expresión de varios T3E que podrían estar implicados en el rango de huésped.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Design of non-anthropomorphic robotic hands for anthropomorphic tasks

In this paper, we explore the idea of designing non- anthropomorphic multi-fingered robotic hands for tasks tha t replicate the motion of the human hand. Taking as input data a finite set of rigid-body positions for the five fingertips, we de- velop a method to perform dimensional synthesis for a kinema tic chain with a tree structure, with five branches that share thr ee common joints. We state the forward kinematics equations of relative dis- placements for each serial chain expressed as dual quaterni ons, and solve for up to five chains simultaneously to reach a numbe r of positions along the hand trajectory. This is done using a h y- brid global numerical solver that integrates a genetic algo rithm and a Levenberg-Marquardt local optimizer. Although the number of candidate solutions in this problem is very high, the use of the genetic algorithm allows us to per form an exhaustive exploration of the solution space to obtain a s et of solutions. We can then choose some of the solutions based on t he specific task to perform. Note that these designs match the ta sk exactly while generally having a finger design radically dif ferent from that of the human hand.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author’s final draft

Type III secretion system effectors and host specificity in Pseudomonas savastanoi pathovars of woody hosts

The species Pseudomonas savastanoi, a member of the Pseudomonas syringae complex, includes five pathovars causing knots or excrescences in woody hosts: P. savastanoi pv. savastanoi, pv. fraxini, pv. nerii, pv. retacarpa (Psr) and pv. mandevillae, comprising isolates from olive, ash, oleander, broom and dipladenia plants, respectively. Comparative genomic analysis of all available P. savastanoi genomes included in these five pathovars defined a total of 45 type III secretion system effector (T3E) genes, including 24 core genes, four genes exclusive of Psr and several genes encoding pathovar-specific truncations. Noticeably, hierarchical clustering based on the presence, absence and truncations of T3E genes, correlated with the core genome phylogeny of these strains, indicating that the five pathovars contain characteristic sets of T3Es, which are thus likely contributing to define their pathogenicity profile. To unravel de role of T3Es in the host specificity of P. savastanoi pathovars we followed two different approaches: i) construction of knock out mutants affected in T3E genes exclusively encoded by specific pathovars and, ii) heterologous expression of T3E genes in strains belonging to pathovars lacking these T3Es or encoding specific truncations. Virulence assays of these strains in their natural hosts and in hosts infected by other P. savastanoi pathovars, allowed us to identify several T3Es with a role in the host specificity of this bacterial pathogen of woody hosts.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Features associated to woody hosts in the bacterial pathogen of olive plants Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. savastanoi

The causal agent of olive knot disease, Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. savastanoi, belongs to the Pseudomonas syringae complex, a bacterial group causing diseases in a broad variety of both woody and herbaceous plant species. Here we summarize our results regarding a set of P. savastanoi pv. savastanoi features exclusively found in the genomes of bacteria from the P. syringae complex isolated from woody hosts. Comparative genomics and evolutionary studies allowed us to identify a 15 kb genomic island (WHOP, from woody host and Pseudomonas), carrying a set of genes involved in degradation of phenolic compounds and exclusively found in bacterial pathogens of woody hosts. Deletion of several WHOP-encoded genes in Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. savastanoi NCPPB 3335 revealed that they play a role in the virulence of the strain in woody olive plants but not in in vitro-grown (nonwoody) plants. In addition, several type III secretion system effectors belonging to the HopAF, HopAO and HopBL families were shown to be clustered across the P. syringae complex according to the woody/herbaceous nature of their host of isolation. Further functional analyses of these virulence factors are needed to facilitate the design of novel strategies directed to control bacterial pathogens of woody hosts.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Comparative Analysis of the Type III Secretion System Effector Repertoires of Pseudomonas savastanoi Pathovars Pathogenic on Woody Hosts

Comunicación de tipo pósterThe species Pseudomonas savastanoi, a member of the Pseudomonas syringae complex, includes four pathovars causing knots or excrescences in woody hosts: P. savastanoi pv. savastanoi (Psv), pv. fraxini (Psf), pv. nerii (Psn) and pv. retacarpa (Psr), comprising isolates from olive, ash, oleander and broom plants, respectively. Pathogenicity of P. savastanoi is dependent, among other factors, on the type III secretion system (T3SS) and its effector (T3E) repertoire. Furthermore, a putative role in the interaction with woody hosts has been suggested for several of these T3E. The recent availability of the genome sequences of several P. savastanoi strains isolated from different hosts has facilitated bioinformatics predictions of their T3SS genes and T3E pools, the study of their distribution in other strains of the P. syringae complex isolated from woody hosts and the functional analysis of several of these secreted proteins. As previously reported for Psv, Psn and Psf, here we show that pathogenicity of Psr ICMP16945, is also dependent on the T3SS. Psv strains NCPPB 3335, ICMP4352 and PseNe107 share a core set of at least 22 T3E, 18 of which are also encoded in Psn ICMP16943, Psf ICMP7711 and Psr ICMP16945. However, these three strains encode truncated versions of 1-2 of these 18 T3E and, Psr ICMP16945 contains three pathovarspecific T3E. Our results also show that several T3E, including HopAO1, are phylogenetically clustered across the P. syringae complex according to the woody/herbaceous nature of their host of isolation, suggesting host specialization of these effectors in this complex.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

Análisis genómico y transcriptómico de los efectores del sistema de secreción tipo III en Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. savastanoi NCPPB 3335

Presentación oralLa especie Pseudomonas savastanoi pertenece al complejo Pseudomonas syringae, el cual está constituido por un conjunto de bacterias fitopatógenas Gram (-) de alto interés agrícola y económico. Dentro de esta especie se han descrito hasta la fecha cuatro patovares capaces de infectar huéspedes leñosos: pv. savastanoi (aislados de olivo), pv. nerii (aislados de adelfa), pv. fraxini (aislados de fresno) y pv. retacarpa (aislados de retama). La cepa NCPPB 3335 del patovar savastanoi (Psv), establecida como modelo para el estudio de la interacción de Pseudomonas patógenas con plantas leñosas, es el agente causal de la tuberculosis del olivo, enfermedad caracterizada por la aparición de tumores en las partes aéreas de la planta. Uno de los factores de patogenicidad de Psv más relevante es el sistema de secreción tipo III (T3SS) y su repertorio de efectores (T3E). La disponibilidad de la secuencia de Psv NCPPB 3335 nos ha permitido la predicción bioinformática de los genes que codifican su T3SS y su repertorio de T3E en base a la homología con otros efectores previamente descritos. Esta cepa presenta un repertorio de efectores constituido por 28 T3E. Con el objetivo de analizar la expresión del repertorio de T3E en Psv, se ha llevado a cabo un análisis RNAseq comparativo entre la cepa silvestre Psv NCPPB 3335 y un mutante de la misma del gen hrpL, el cual codifica un activador transcripcional de los genes del T3SS y de la mayoría de sus T3E. Las secuencias procedentes de este RNAseq se están analizando actualmente y los resultados que se obtengan del mismo nos permitirá no sólo analizar la expresión de los T3E que hemos identificado en esta cepa, sino también caracterizar el regulón HrpL completo en la misma y quizás identificar nuevos posibles T3E. Los resultados obtenidos, se compararán con una predicción de promotores regulados por HrpL (hrp-box), que se llevará a cabo utilizando una herramienta bioinformática generada por nuestro equipo.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Theory of Mind in Alzheimer Disease

Introduction The ability to understand and attribute mental states, including intentions, knowledge and desires, to both ourselves and other people, is referred to as possession of a ‘Theory of Mind’ (ToM). Some studies have revealed an association between ToM abilities and Executive Functioning (EF) capacities Although many types of research had documented executive dysfunction in Alzheimer Disease (AD), the link between executive functions (EFs) and ToM is not yet fully studied in AD. Therefore the main aim of the present study is to know if patients with early AD are able to resolve a First Order False belief task. Method A total of 22 patients with early Alzheimer´s disease were recruited into the study from a dementia speciality clinic in Zaragoza, Spain. In this study, we tested a first-order belief task. Executive function was assessed using “Executive functions and frontal lobes test” (BANFE-2)