359 research outputs found

    A growing disconnection from nature is evident in cultural products

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    Human connection with nature is widely believed to be in decline, even though empirical evidence on the magnitude and temporal pattern of the change is scarce. Studying works of popular culture in English throughout the 20th century and later, we document a cultural shift away from nature, beginning in the 1950s. Since then, references to nature have been decreasing steadily in fiction, song lyrics, and film storylines. No parallel decline is observed in references to the human-made environment. These findings are cause for concern, not only because they imply foregone benefits from engagement with nature, but also because cultural products are agents of socialization that can evoke curiosity, respect, and concern for the natural world

    Feeding the rural tourism strategy? Food and notions of place and identity

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    The humble rural cuisine has now been thrust at the forefront of economic development strategies. This conceptual paper is a contribution to a growing critical awareness of the operations of the food industry and helps to foster a critical understanding of how, if at all, local food and its associated culture can help sustain rural tourism particularly and rural communities generally. It is inspired by literature about the international political economy of food and the many experiences of local food development, and is aware of the contrast between the structure of the industry and the hopes associated with its practice on the ground. The paper thus argues that, beyond the glamour and hype, there are those who gain, as well as those who lose, from the current food fad. While it explains the causes of the contemporary craze with food, the paper also interrogates the naıšve expectations often placed in food as a motor of rural development, and as the panacea for struggling rural communities. The empirical data on which this chapter is based are drawn from 18 short chapters explaining the history of various “traditional dishes” from the islands of the broad North Atlantic that feature in a recent food publication.peer-reviewe

    DNA barcoding of Brazilian sea turtles (Testudines)

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    Five out of the seven recognized species of sea turtles (Testudines) occur on the Brazilian coast. The Barcode Initiative is an effort to undertake a molecular inventory of Earth biodiversity. Cytochrome Oxidase c subunit I (COI) molecular tags for sea turtle species have not yet been described. In this study, COI sequences for the five species of sea turtles that occur in Brazil were generated. These presented widely divergent haplotypes. All observed values were on the same range as those already described for other animal groups: the overall mean distance was 8.2%, the mean distance between families (Dermochelyidae and Cheloniidae) 11.7%, the mean intraspecific divergence 0.34%, and the mean distance within Cheloniidae 6.4%, this being 19-fold higher than the mean divergence observed within species. We obtained species-specific COI barcode tags that can be used for identifying each of the marine turtle species studied

    Lethal effect of high concentrations of Parecoxib and Flunixin meglumine on the in vitro culture of bovine embryos

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    Abstract Since cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors have been pointed out as potential treatments to increase pregnancy rates after embryo transfer, the present experiment aimed to evaluate the effects of flunixin meglumine (FM) and parecoxib (P), a COX-1 and 2 or COX-2 specific inhibitor, respectively, on the development of bovine embryos until the hatched blastocyst stage. In vitro produced bovine embryos were cultured in media with different concentrations of FM (0.14; 1.4; 14; 140 or 1400 ”g/ml) or P (0.09; 0.9; 9; 90 or 900 ”g/ml) and the production rates were evaluated. Concentrations of FM ≀14 ”g/ml and P ≀90 ”g/ml did not impair embryo development, although compiled data from non-lethal FM concentrations (≀14 ”g/ml) indicated a toxic effect enough to decrease the hatching rate of blastocysts. Concentrations of FM at 140 and 1400 ”g/ml and P at 900 ”g/ml were lethal as no cleavage was detected on presumptive zygotes

    Ethnoontology: Ways of world‐building across cultures

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    This article outlines a program of ethnoontology that brings together empirical research in the ethnosciences with ontological debates in philosophy. First, we survey empirical evidence from heterogeneous cultural contexts and disciplines. Second, we propose a model of cross‐cultural relations between ontologies beyond a simple divide between universalist and relativist models. Third, we argue for an integrative model of ontology building that synthesizes insights from different fields such as biological taxonomy, cognitive science, cultural anthropology, and political ecology. We conclude by arguing that a program of ethnoontology provides philosophers both with insights about traditional issues such as debates about natural kinds and with novel strategies for connecting philosophy with pressing global issues such as the conservation of local environments and the self‐determination of Indigenous communities

    Extracellular vesicles from pluripotent stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells acquire a stromal modulatory proteomic pattern during differentiation

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    Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) obtained from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) constitute an interesting alternative to classical MSCs in regenerative medicine. Among their many mechanisms of action, MSC extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a potential suitable substitute for MSCs in future cell-free-based therapeutic approaches. Unlike cells, EVs do not elicit acute immune rejection, and they can be produced in large quantities and stored until ready to use. Although the therapeutic potential of MSC EVs has already been proven, a thorough characterization of MSC EVs is lacking. In this work, we used a label-free liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry proteomic approach to identify the most abundant proteins in EVs that are secreted from MSCs derived from PSCs (PD-MSCs) and from their parental induced PSCs (iPSCs). Next, we compared both datasets and found that while iPSC EVs enclose proteins that modulate RNA and microRNA stability and protein sorting, PD-MSC EVs are rich in proteins that organize extracellular matrix, regulate locomotion, and influence cell–substrate adhesion. Moreover, compared to their respective cells, iPSCs and iPSC EVs share a greater proportion of proteins, while the PD-MSC proteome appears to be more specific. Correlation and principal component analysis consistently aggregate iPSCs and iPSC EVs but segregate PD-MSC and their EVs. Altogether, these findings suggest that during differentiation, compared with their parental iPSC EVs, PD-MSC EVs acquire a more specific set of proteins; arguably, this difference might confer their therapeutic properties.Fil: la Greca, Alejandro DamiĂĄn. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂ­ficas y TĂ©cnicas; ArgentinaFil: Solari, Claudia MarĂ­a. Ministerio de Ciencia. TecnologĂ­a e InnovaciĂłn Productiva. Agencia Nacional de PromociĂłn CientĂ­fica y TecnolĂłgica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂ­ficas y TĂ©cnicas. Oficina de CoordinaciĂłn Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de QuĂ­mica BiolĂłgica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de QuĂ­mica BiolĂłgica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Furmento, VerĂłnica Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂ­ficas y TĂ©cnicas; ArgentinaFil: Lombardi, Antonella. Universidad de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Biani, MarĂ­a Celeste. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂ­ficas y TĂ©cnicas; ArgentinaFil: Aban, Cyntia Estefania. Ministerio de Ciencia. TecnologĂ­a e InnovaciĂłn Productiva. Agencia Nacional de PromociĂłn CientĂ­fica y TecnolĂłgica; ArgentinaFil: Moro, LucĂ­a Natalia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂ­ficas y TĂ©cnicas; ArgentinaFil: GarcĂ­a, Marcela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂ­ficas y TĂ©cnicas; ArgentinaFil: Guberman, Alejandra Sonia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂ­ficas y TĂ©cnicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂ­ficas y TĂ©cnicas. Oficina de CoordinaciĂłn Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de QuĂ­mica BiolĂłgica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de QuĂ­mica BiolĂłgica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Sevlever, Gustavo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂ­ficas y TĂ©cnicas; ArgentinaFil: Miriuka, Santiago Gabriel. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Luzzani, Carlos Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂ­ficas y TĂ©cnicas; Argentin
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