Generating female freedom among women's relationships in rugby union : narratives of sexual difference

Women's rugby relationships are generally analysed from the point of view of men's rugby, otherwise they are overlooked, or treated as incidental. By contrast, the overall aim of this study is to make sense of women's rugby experiences and relations to rugby as a sport in terms of the feminine friendship relationships they forge and develop through on-field play and the informal culture surrounding the game. This research was conducted and written from the perspective of an active participant as both observer and "research subject". Within the framework of Italian sexual difference thought, it is a dialogue between the main concepts which ground this thought and data concerning women's rugby experiences as gathered from my recollection of personal experiences; participant observation in one team in Barcelona and two in London; twelve conversational interviews with my best rugby friends from Barcelona and London; as well as innumerable informal conversations with friends and other rugby women. I have chosen sexual difference theory to make sense of women's rugby relationships because it allows me to approach women's experiences in rugby from the premise that women are not required to imitate or reverse men's rugby meanings in order to make sense of their experiences. This theory derives from Irigaray's premise that women and men are two irreducible subjects. Thus, this study challenges the existence of a neutral or abstract human being. In short, one of the central aims of this research is to challenge the belief that men's rugby experiences are neutral and abstract and, therefore, can be unproblematically applied to women's rugby. The premise that underpins this investigation is a belief in women's rugby experiences as both illustrative and creative extensions, through on-field play and off-field friendships, of the biological, historical and socially interwoven specificity of women's relationships. Thus, another purpose of this study is to engage the reader with the world of women's rugby and at the same time to delve into the analysis of the significant consequences engendered by women's intense relationships in rugby. The ultimate goal of this project is to show how meaningful relationships in women's rugby can strengthen women's beliefs in themselves and dissolve the doubts that women have about their specific ways of perceiving, organizing and "wording" the world (Richardson, 1996). This research is devoted to strengthening and supporting the concept of female existence as original in itself and capable of taking symbolic form. This research also explores the possibilities that alternative ways of writing about women's rugby experiences and relationships offer to sport feminists' sociology. For this reason, throughout the data chapters I have combined sexual difference theoretical concepts with creative non-fiction narratives of women's rugby relationships and experiences. This means that, inspired by my own experiences, recollections and conversational interviews with other rugby women about their experiences, I have created stories that interweave my subjectivity as a rugby player and as a listener with the experiences of others as narrated to me.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Integrative transcriptome and proteome analyses define marked differences between Neospora caninum isolates throughout the tachyzoite lytic cycle

Neospora caninum is one of the main causes of transmissible abortion in cattle. Intraspecific variations in virulence have been widely shown among N. caninum isolates. However, the molecular basis governing such variability have not been elucidated to date. In this study label free LC-MS/MS was used to investigate proteome differences between the high virulence isolate Nc-Spain7 and the low virulence isolate Nc-Spain1H throughout the tachyzoite lytic cycle. The results showed greater differences in the abundance of proteins at invasion and egress with 77 and 62 proteins, respectively. During parasite replication, only 19 proteins were differentially abundant between isolates. The microneme protein repertoire involved in parasite invasion and egress was more abundant in the Nc-Spain1H isolate, which displays a lower invasion rate. Rhoptry and dense granule proteins, proteins related to metabolism and stress responses also showed differential abundances between isolates. Comparative RNA-Seq analyses during tachyzoite egress were also performed, revealing an expression profile of genes associated with the bradyzoite stage in the low virulence Nc-Spain1H isolate. The differences in proteome and RNA expression profiles between these two isolates reveal interesting insights into likely mechanisms involved in specific phenotypic traits and virulence in N. caninum. Significance The molecular basis that governs biological variability in N. caninum and the pathogenesis of neosporosis has not been well-established yet. This is the first study in which high throughput technology of LC-MS/MS and RNA-Seq is used to investigate differences in the proteome and transcriptome between two well-characterized isolates. Both isolates displayed different proteomes throughout the lytic cycle and the transcriptomes also showed marked variations but were inconsistent with the proteome results. However, both datasets identified a pre-bradyzoite status of the low virulence isolate Nc-Spain1H. This study reveals interesting insights into likely mechanisms involved in virulence in N. caninum and shed light on a subset of proteins that are potentially involved in the pathogenesis of this parasite

Proteomic Characterization of Host-Pathogen Interactions during Bovine Trophoblast Cell Line Infection by

Despite the importance of bovine neosporosis, relevant knowledge gaps remain concerning the pathogenic mechanisms of . Infection of the placenta is a crucial event in the pathogenesis of the disease; however, very little is known about the relation of the parasite with this target organ. Recent studies have shown that isolates with important variations in virulence also show different interactions with the bovine trophoblast cell line F3 in terms of proliferative capacity and transcriptome host cell modulation. Herein, we used the same model of infection to study the interaction of with these target cells at the proteomic level using LC-MS/MS over the course of the parasite lytic cycle. We also analysed the proteome differences between high- (Nc-Spain7) and low-virulence (Nc-Spain1H) isolates. The results showed that mitochondrial processes and metabolism were the main points of -host interactions. Interestingly, Nc-Spain1H infection showed a higher level of influence on the host cell proteome than Nc-Spain7 infection

Analysis of local and peripheral immune response developed in sheep experimentally infected with Toxoplasma gondii at different times of gestation

Trabajo presentado al: 4th International Meeting on Apicomplexa in Farm Animals. (11-14 October 2017 - Madrid, Spain).Toxoplasmosis is one the main infectious causes of reproductive failure in sheep where the time of gestation when sheep are infected affects the clinical and lesional outcome of the disease. In order to investigate the variations of local and peripheral immune responses during gestation, pregnant sheep were infected at early, mid and late gestation and subsequently culled at 2, 3 and 4 weeks post infection. In those sheep inoculated during the second term, serological antibodies were detected earlier and the increase in serological γ-IFN was higher than in the other infected animals. Regarding the local immune response at the placenta, infiltration of inflammatory cells was mainly found in the maternal septa, although it also invaded foetal mesenchyme adjacent to the lesions. The increase in the number of T lymphocytes was observed only in ewes infected during the second and last terms of gestation while the increase of B cells occurred in sheep infected at the first and second terms. The expression of iba-1 antigen by macrophages was more frequent after infection during the first term whereas macrophages expressing lysozyme, CD163 or calprotectin were more frequent in infections at mid-gestation. A significant increase in the transcription of γ-IFN, when compared to control animals, occurred after infections in the first and second term, while TNF-α and IL-10 transcription increased only in the second and last term, respectively. There were no differences when comparing transcription of cytokines between animals infected at different terms of gestation. This study shows that the time of gestation when infection occurs has a clear influence over the pathogenesis of ovine toxoplasmosis as a greater inflammatory response was found after inoculating sheep at the second term of gestation. This finding may explain the later invasion of the placenta by the parasite at early and mid gestation described in previous studies.This study was founded by AGL2016-75935-C2-2-R and LE080U16 research grants.Peer Reviewe

Impact of buffer charge on the reliability of carbon doped AlGaN/GaN-on-Si HEMTs

Charge trapping and transport in the carbon doped GaN buffer of an AlGaN/GaN-on-Si HEMT have been investigated. Back-gating and dynamic RON experiments show how the onset of leakage in the strain relief layer at a lower field than that through the upper part of the structure can result in serious long-term trapping leading to current collapse under standard device operating conditions. Controlling current-collapse requires control of not only the layer structures and its doping, but also the precise balance of leakage in each layer

Foetal periventricular leucomalacia as the main lesion in abortion during the acute phase of ovine toxoplasmosis

Trabajo presentado al: ApiCOWplexa in Farm Animals/ 3rd lnternational Meeting on Apicomplexan Parasites in Farm Animals. (Edimburgo, 30th Junio al 3rd Julio, 2015).Peer Reviewe

Crosstalk between Neospora caninum and the bovine host at the maternal-foetal interface determines the outcome of infection

19 páginas, 9 figuras, 1 tabla.Neospora caninum is an apicomplexan cyst-forming parasite that is considered one of the main causes of abortion. The pathogenic mechanisms associated with parasite virulence at the maternal-foetal interface that are responsible for the outcome of infection are largely unknown. Here, utilizing placentomes from cattle experimentally infected with high-virulence (Nc-Spain7) and low-virulence (Nc-Spain1H) isolates, we studied key elements of the innate and adaptive immune responses, as well as components of the extracellular matrix (ECM), at 10 and 20 days post-infection (dpi). The low-virulence isolate elicited a robust immune response characterized by upregulation of genes involved in pathogen recognition, chemokines and pro-inflammatory cytokines, crucial for its adequate control. In addition, Nc-Spain1H triggered the expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines and other mechanisms implicated in the maintenance of ECM integrity to ensure foetal survival. In contrast, local immune responses were initially (10 dpi) impaired by Nc-Spain7, allowing parasite multiplication. Subsequently (20 dpi), a predominantly pro-inflammatory Th1-based response and an increase in leucocyte infiltration were observed. Moreover, Nc-Spain7-infected placentomes from animals carrying non-viable foetuses exhibited higher expression of the IL-8, TNF-α, iNOS and SERP-1 genes and lower expression of the metalloproteases and their inhibitors than Nc-Spain7-infected placentomes from animals carrying viable foetuses. In addition, profound placental damage characterized by an alteration in the ECM organization in necrotic foci, which could contribute to foetal death, was found. Two different host-parasite interaction patterns were observed at the bovine placenta as representative examples of different evolutionary strategies used by this parasite for transmission to offspring.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competi‑ tiveness (AGL2013-44694-R and AGL2016-75935-C2-1-R) and the Community of Madrid (PLATESA2-CM P2018/BAA-4370). Laura Jiménez-Pelayo was fnan‑ cially supported by a fellowship from the University Complutense of Madrid (including two research stays in 2017 and 2018) and Marta García-Sánchez was fnancially supported through a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (BES-2014-070723). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewe

Peripheral and placental immune responses in sheep after experimental infection with "Toxoplasma gondii" at the three terms of gestation

P. 1-9Although it is known that gestation could infuence the clinical course of ovine toxoplasmosis, the precise efect of the term of gestation when sheep are infected are yet mostly unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the peripheral and placental immune responses developed in pregnant sheep after experimental infection with Toxoplasma gondiiat diferent times of gestation. Thirty‑six pregnant sheep were allocated in diferent groups, orally inocu‑lated with sporulated oocysts of T. gondiiat early, mid and late gestation and culled within 30 days post‑infection. The peripheral humoral and cytokine responses were evaluated, as well as the transcription of cytokines at the placenta. Serological analysis revealed that, regardless the term of gestation when infected, specifc IgG against T. gondiiwere detected from day 8 post‑infection and there was an early peripheral release of IFN‑γ at the frst week post‑infection followed by a short peak of IL10 and TNF‑α at the second week post‑infection. There were no signifcant diferences in this response between infected groups. At the placenta, a similar increase in transcription of IFN‑γ, and TNF‑α was found at the three terms of gestation, while IL‑4 increased mainly at the frst and second terms and IL‑10 transcription was higher at the last term. While these fndings show that both Th1 and Th2 cytokines play a key role in the patho‑genesis of ovine toxoplasmosis and that placental and peripheral immune responses do not closely correlate, there seems to be no clear modulation of these responses along the gestation.S

Interactions between marine megafauna and plastic pollution in Southeast Asia

Southeast (SE) Asia is a highly biodiverse region, yet it is also estimated to cumulatively contribute a third of the total global marine plastic pollution. This threat is known to have adverse impacts on marine megafauna, however, understanding of its impacts has recently been highlighted as a priority for research in the region. To address this knowledge gap, a structured literature review was conducted for species of cartilaginous fishes, marine mammals, marine reptiles, and seabirds present in SE Asia, collating cases on a global scale to allow for comparison, coupled with a regional expert elicitation to gather additional published and grey literature cases which would have been omitted during the structured literature review. Of the 380 marine megafauna species present in SE Asia, but also studied elsewhere, we found that 9.1 % and 4.5 % of all publications documenting plastic entanglement (n = 55) and ingestion (n = 291) were conducted in SE Asian countries. At the species level, published cases of entanglement from SE Asian countries were available for 10 % or less of species within each taxonomic group. Additionally, published ingestion cases were available primarily for marine mammals and were lacking entirely for seabirds in the region. The regional expert elicitation led to entanglement and ingestion cases from SE Asian countries being documented in 10 and 15 additional species respectively, highlighting the utility of a broader approach to data synthesis. While the scale of the plastic pollution in SE Asia is of particular concern for marine ecosystems, knowledge of its interactions and impacts on marine megafauna lags behind other areas of the world, even after the inclusion of a regional expert elicitation. Additional funding to help collate baseline data are critically needed to inform policy and solutions towards limiting the interactions of marine megafauna and plastic pollution in SE Asia

HisAK70: Progress towards a vaccine against different forms of leishmaniosis

Background: Leishmania major and Leishmania infantum are among the main species that are responsible for cutaneous leishmaniosis (CL) and visceral leishmaniosis (VL), respectively. The leishmanioses represent the second-largest parasitic killer in the world after malaria. Recently, we succeeded in generating a plasmid DNA (pCMV-HISA70m2A) and demonstrated that immunized mice were protected against L. major challenge. The efficacy of the DNA-vaccine was further enhanced by the inclusion of KMP-11 antigen into the antibiotic-free plasmid pVAX1-asd. Methods: Here, we describe the use of a HisAK70 DNA-vaccine encoding seven Leishmania genes (H2A, H2B, H3, H4, A2, KMP11 and HSP70) for vaccination of mice to assess the induction of a resistant phenotype against VL and CL. Results: HisAK70 was successful in vaccinated mice, resulting in a high amount of efficient sterile hepatic granulomas associated with a hepatic parasite burden fully resolved in the VL model; and resulting in 100 % inhibition of parasite visceralization in the CL model. Conclusions: The results suggest that immunization with the HisAK70 DNA-vaccine may provide a rapid, suitable, and efficient vaccination strategy to confer cross-protective immunity against VL and CL.This work was partially supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (AGL2010-17394 and AGL2013-44100R) and PLATESA (P2013/ABI-2906) from the Comunidad de Madrid (Spain).Peer Reviewe