Critical Thinking Activities and the Enhancement of Ethical Awareness: An application of a ‘Rhetoric of Disruption’ to the undergraduate general education classroom

This article explores how critical thinking activities and assignments can function to enhance students’ ethical awareness and sense of civic responsibility. Employing Levinas’s Othercentered theory of ethics, Burke’s notion of ‘the paradox of substance’, and Murray’s concept of ‘a rhetoric of disruption’, this article explores the nature of critical thinking activities designed to have students question their (often taken-for-granted) moral assumptions and interrogate their (often unexamined) moral identities. This article argues that such critical thinking activities can trigger a metacognitive destabilization of subjectivity, understood as a dialectical prerequisite (along with exposure to otherness) for increased ethical awareness. This theoretical model is illustrated through a discussion of three sample classroom activities designed to destabilize moral assumptions and identity, thereby clearing the way for a heightened acknowledgment of otherness. In so doing, this article provides an alternative (and dialectically inverted) strategy for addressing one of the central goals of many General Education curricula: the development of ethical awareness and civic responsibility. Rather than introducing students to alternative perspectives and divergent cultures with the expectation that heightened moral awareness will follow, this article suggests classroom activities and course assignments aimed at disrupting moral subjectivity and creating an opening in which otherness can be more fully acknowledged and the diversity of our world more fully appreciated

Overexpression of Mcl-1 exacerbates lymphocyte accumulation and autoimmune kidney disease in lpr mice

Cell death by apoptosis has a critical role during embryonic development and in maintaining tissue homeostasis. In mammals, there are two converging apoptosis pathways: the ‘extrinsic’ pathway, which is triggered by engagement of cell surface ‘death receptors’ such as Fas/APO-1; and the ‘intrinsic’ pathway, which is triggered by diverse cellular stresses, and is regulated by prosurvival and pro-apoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family of proteins. Pro-survival Mcl-1, which can block activation of the proapoptotic proteins, Bax and Bak, appears critical for the survival and maintenance of multiple haemopoietic cell types. To investigate the impact on haemopoiesis of simultaneously inhibiting both apoptosis pathways, we introduced the vavP-Mcl-1 transgene, which causes overexpression of Mcl-1 protein in all haemopoietic lineages, into Faslpr/lpr mice, which lack functional Fas and are prone to autoimmunity. The combined mutations had a modest impact on myelopoiesis, primarily an increase in the macrophage/monocyte population in Mcl-1tg/lpr mice compared with lpr or Mcl-1tg mice. The impact on lymphopoiesis was striking, with a marked elevation in all major lymphoid subsets, including the non-conventional double-negative (DN) T cells (TCRβ+ CD4– CD8– B220+ ) characteristic of Faslpr/lpr mice. Of note, the onset of autoimmunity was markedly accelerated in Mcl-1tg/lpr mice compared with lpr mice, and this was preceded by an increase in immunoglobulin (Ig)-producing cells and circulating autoantibodies. This degree of impact was surprising, given the relatively mild phenotype conferred by the vavP-Mcl-1 transgene by itself: a two- to threefold elevation of peripheral B and T cells, no significant increase in the non-conventional DN T-cell population and no autoimmune disease. Comparison of the phenotype with that of other susceptible mice suggests that the development of autoimmune disease in Mcl-1tg/lpr mice may be influenced not only by Ig-producing cells but also other haemopoietic cell types

Use of a fluorescence-based approach to assess short-term responses of the alga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata to metal stress

This work explores the use of fluorescent probes to evaluate the responses of the green alga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata to the action of three nominal concentrations of Cd(II), Cr(VI), Cu(II) and Zn(II) for a short time (6 h). The toxic effect of the metals on algal cells was monitored using the fluorochromes SYTOX Green (SG, membrane integrity), fluorescein diacetate (FDA, esterase activity) and rhodamine 123 (Rh123, mitochondrial membrane potential). The impact of metals on chlorophyll a (Chl a) autofluorescence was also evaluated. Esterase activity was the most sensitive parameter. At the concentrations studied, all metals induced the loss of esterase activity. SG could be used to effectively detect the loss of membrane integrity in algal cells exposed to 0.32 or 1.3 mol L1 Cu(II). Rh123 revealed a decrease in the mitochondrial membrane potential of algal cells exposed to 0.32 and 1.3 mol L1 Cu(II), indicating that mitochondrial activity was compromised. Chl a autofluorescence was also affected by the presence of Cr(VI) and Cu(II), suggesting perturbation of photosynthesis. In conclusion, the fluorescence-based approach was useful for detecting the disturbance of specific cellular characteristics. Fluorescent probes are a useful diagnostic tool for the assessment of the impact of toxicants on specific targets of P. subcapitata algal cells.The authors thank the FCT Strategic Project PEst-OE/EQB/LA0023/2013. Manuela D. Machado gratefully acknowledges the post-doctoral grant from FCT (SFRH/BPD/72816/2010)

Combined loss of the BH3-only proteins Bim and Bmf restores B-cell development and function in TACI-Ig transgenic mice.

Terminal differentiation of B cells depends on two interconnected survival pathways, elicited by the B-cell receptor (BCR) and the BAFF receptor (BAFF-R), respectively. Loss of either signaling pathway arrests B-cell development. Although BCR-dependent survival depends mainly on the activation of the v-AKT murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog 1 (AKT)/PI3-kinase network, BAFF/BAFF-R-mediated survival engages non-canonical NF-κB signaling as well as MAPK/extracellular-signal regulated kinase and AKT/PI3-kinase modules to allow proper B-cell development. Plasma cell survival, however, is independent of BAFF-R and regulated by APRIL that signals NF-κB activation via alternative receptors, that is, transmembrane activator and CAML interactor (TACI) or B-cell maturation (BCMA). All these complex signaling events are believed to secure survival by increased expression of anti-apoptotic B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl2) family proteins in developing and mature B cells. Curiously, how lack of BAFF- or APRIL-mediated signaling triggers B-cell apoptosis remains largely unexplored. Here, we show that two pro-apoptotic members of the 'Bcl2 homology domain 3-only' subgroup of the Bcl2 family, Bcl2 interacting mediator of cell death (Bim) and Bcl2 modifying factor (Bmf), mediate apoptosis in the context of TACI-Ig overexpression that effectively neutralizes BAFF as well as APRIL. Surprisingly, although Bcl2 overexpression triggers B-cell hyperplasia exceeding the one observed in Bim(-/-)Bmf(-/-) mice, Bcl2 transgenic B cells remain susceptible to the effects of TACI-Ig expression in vivo, leading to ameliorated pathology in Vav-Bcl2 transgenic mice. Together, our findings shed new light on the molecular machinery restricting B-cell survival during development, normal homeostasis and under pathological conditions. Our data further suggest that Bcl2 antagonists might improve the potency of BAFF/APRIL-depletion strategies in B-cell-driven pathologies

Comparative Assessment of Climate Change Scenarios Based on Aquatic Food Web Modeling

In the years 2004 and 2005, we collected samples of phytoplankton, zooplankton, and macroinvertebrates in an artificial small pond in Budapest (Hungary). We set up a simulation model predicting the abundances of the cyclopoids, Eudiaptomus zachariasi, and Ischnura pumilio by considering only temperature and the abundance of population of the previous day. Phytoplankton abundance was simulated by considering not only temperature but the abundances of the three mentioned groups. When we ran the model with the data series of internationally accepted climate change scenarios, the different outcomes were discussed. Comparative assessment of the alternative climate change scenarios was also carried out with statistical methods

A higher activation threshold of memory CD8+ T cells has a fitness cost that is modified by TCR affinity during Tuberculosis

All relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files except for the primary TCR sequences. The data files for the primary TCR sequences are publicly deposited in the University of Massachusetts Medical School’s institutional repository, eScholarship@UMMS. The permanent link to the data is http://dx.doi.org/10.13028/M2CC70T cell vaccines against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and other pathogens are based on the principle that memory T cells rapidly generate effector responses upon challenge, leading to pathogen clearance. Despite eliciting a robust memory CD8+ T cell response to the immunodominant Mtb antigen TB10.4 (EsxH), we find the increased frequency of TB10.4-specific CD8+ T cells conferred by vaccination to be short-lived after Mtb challenge. To compare memory and naïve CD8+ T cell function during their response to Mtb, we track their expansions using TB10.4-specific retrogenic CD8+ T cells. We find that the primary (naïve) response outnumbers the secondary (memory) response during Mtb challenge, an effect moderated by increased TCR affinity. To determine whether the expansion of polyclonal memory T cells is restrained following Mtb challenge, we used TCRβ deep sequencing to track TB10.4-specific CD8+ T cells after vaccination and subsequent challenge in intact mice. Successful memory T cells, defined by their clonal expansion after Mtb challenge, express similar CDR3β sequences suggesting TCR selection by antigen. Thus, both TCR-dependent and -independent factors affect the fitness of memory CD8+ responses. The impaired expansion of the majority of memory T cell clonotypes may explain why some TB vaccines have not provided better protection.This work was supported by NIH R01 AI106725 as well as fellowship funding to SC from NIH AI T32 007061 and the UMass GSBS Millennium Program. The Small Animal Biocontainment Suite was supported in part by Center for AIDS Research Grant P30 AI 060354. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mechanics rules cell biology

Cells in the musculoskeletal system are subjected to various mechanical forces in vivo. Years of research have shown that these mechanical forces, including tension and compression, greatly influence various cellular functions such as gene expression, cell proliferation and differentiation, and secretion of matrix proteins. Cells also use mechanotransduction mechanisms to convert mechanical signals into a cascade of cellular and molecular events. This mini-review provides an overview of cell mechanobiology to highlight the notion that mechanics, mainly in the form of mechanical forces, dictates cell behaviors in terms of both cellular mechanobiological responses and mechanotransduction

Climate related shifts in the NCP ecosystem, and consequences for future spatial planning

Een uitgebreide meetinspanning op de Noordzee, in combinatie met wiskundige en statistische modellering, laat zien dat de klimaatveranderingen in de vorm van een verandering in de overheersende windrichting, een toename van de windsnelheid, een toename van de zeewatertemperatuur, als wel als een toenemende CO2 concentratie van de atmosfeer, niet alleen leidt tot een verandering van de samenstelling van het zeewater in de vorm van bijvoorbeeld opgelost anorganisch koolstof en zuurgraad, maar ook tot een, zei het beperkte, verlaging van de productiviteit van op en in de zeebodem levende filterende organismen, die op hun beurt het voedsel zijn van bodembewonende vissen

Ethical communication and intercultural responsibility: a philosophical perspective

The ethical dimension of dialogue represents a major concern in the context of current research in intercultural responsibility. In this paper, I discuss the modalities in which the notion of competence is used to conceptualise responsibility and the relationship between self and other in intercultural research, in order to critique the Cartesian presuppositions of intercultural communication theory. I argue that models of competence and responsibility that are employed to design intercultural training operate within the paradigm of the autonomous rational agent that informs Kantian ethical thinking. I contrast the model of the competent intercultural speaker that emerges in intercultural research with the distinction proposed by Levinas between the saying and the said (le dire and le dit, meaning the event of speech and the content of speech), to suggest two scenarios of intercultural interaction that show two different approaches to responsibility, one operating in the dimension of the said and the other in the dimension of the saying. Thus, in this paper, I discuss the implications of Levinas's reflection on the nature of language for the development of an ethical framework that addresses the limitations of current conceptualisations in intercultural communication theory of competence and responsibility

Anti‑algal activity of the 12‑5‑12 gemini surfactant results from its impact on the photosynthetic apparatus

A rapid amplification of algal population has a negative impact on the environment and the global economy. Thus, control of algal proliferation is an important issue and effective procedures which reduce algal blooms and control algal fouling are highly desired. Gemini surfactants are considered to have a low environmental impact, therefore they seem to be a promising group of detergents which could reduce algal blooms in water systems. Furthermore, due to their emulsifying properties they could replace algaecides added to antifouling paints and decrease algae adhesion to various surfaces. In this study the toxic effect of the 12-5-12 gemini surfactant was investigated on Chlorella cells and close attention was paid to a potential mechanism of its action. At the high cell density (10.05 × 107 cells/mL) a dose-dependent cell death was found and the IC50 value was reached at the concentration of 19.6 µmol/L after 72-h exposure to the surfactant. The decrease in chlorophyll autofluorescence shows that the photosynthetic apparatus seems to be the target of the tested compound. The presented studies indicate that gemini surfactants could effectively reduce algal blooms in water systems, and if added to paints, they could decrease algal growth on external building walls or other water immersed surfaces