Investigating the role of Plzf in neural progenitors

Neurogenesis must be tightly regulated both spatially and temporally to give rise to the full spectrum of cells of the nervous system. The promyelocytic leukaemia zinc finger (Plzf) transcription factor is required for maintenance of stem cells of the spermatogonial and haematopoietic systems and is widely expressed throughout the vertebrate central nervous system. I aimed to understand whether Plzf has a role in the maintenance of neural progenitors, using the zebrafish as my model organism. To gain information about the transcriptional targets directly regulated by Plzf in zebrafish, I performed chromatin immunoprecipitation on embryos expressing epitope-tagged Plzfa. This analysis failed to identify targets and subsequent troubleshooting determined that the epitope-tagged Plzfa protein wasn’t functional. Analysis of plzfa and plzfb expression during development reveals that both genes are coexpressed in progenitors in the hindbrain, leading to the hypothesis that the two proteins are functionally redundant. In support of this hypothesis, morpholino-mediated knockdown of the two proteins resulted in a defect in progenitor maintenance. To complement this work, I introduced targeted mutations in the plzfa and plzfb genes using transcription activator-like effector nuclease (TALEN) technology. In contrast to the morpholino-based results, inactivation of these genes did not result in the same defect in progenitor maintenance; leading to the conclusion that previously unknown off-target effects associated with morpholino use caused the phenotype. Finally, I developed a simple and highly efficient technique for the insertion of exogenous DNA into targeted locations into the zebrafish genome, aided by the use of TALENs. Using this technique to analyse plzfa expression complements earlier analysis suggesting that plzfa is expressed in cells actively undergoing neurogenesis. Preliminary functional analysis supports a hypothesis that Plzfa regulates multiple steps during the neurogenic cascade and is important to ensure the correct timing of proneural gene expression during the pathway to differentiation

PIM1 (pim-1 oncogene)

Review on PIM1 (pim-1 oncogene), with data on DNA, on the protein encoded, and where the gene is implicated

Thyroid: Anaplastic (undifferentiated) carcinoma

Review on Thyroid: Anaplastic (undifferentiated) carcinoma, with data on clinics, and the genes involved

AURKB (aurora kinase B)

Review on AURKB, with data on DNA/RNA, on the protein encoded and where the gene is implicated

Wolność człowieka w ujęciu Ojca Świętego Jana Pawła II

"Do rangi powszechnie podzielanej opinii urosło przekonanie, że polski papież Jan Paweł II jest niestrudzonym, autentycznym obrońcą i rzecznikiem prawa wolności osoby ludzkiej. Wydaje mi się, że nie trzeba dziś nikogo o tym przekonywać. Pozostaje natomiast ciągle - zwłaszcza w kontekście współczesnej, hałaśliwej gadaniny na temat wolności ludzkiej - pytanie o to, jak on to prawo rozumie. Powiedzmy od razu, że rozumie je tak, jak prawo wolności osoby ludzkiej rozumie Kościół katolicki. Dlatego też stosunek Jana Pawła II do prawa wolności człowieka omówiony zostanie na historycznej kanwie katolickiej nauki."(...

Transseksualizm z perspektywy eklezjalnej

The article addresses the issue of transsexualism from the point of view of the fundamental aspects of the life of the ecclesial community. Although the Church has not published an extensive document concerning this topic, it has referred to this problem both directly and indirectly. Sex change has been twice referred to in the context of genderism by Pope Francis and directly with the reference to transsexualism by various dicasteries of the Holy See in several notes. On the other hand, the attitude of the Church toward the discussed problem arises indirectly from its teachings on human sexuality. In general, the Church is of the opinion that formal or surgical sex change does not alter the actual sex of a person.Further, the Author focuses on the problem of transsexualism in terms of baptism, ordination, marriage, and religious vows. From the teachings of the Church it arises that a transsexual person cannot be denied baptism before a sex change. After a sex change, baptism assumes the conversion of such a person, their acceptance of the teachings of the Church on this matter, as well as – bearing in mind social relationships based on truth – their return to their original sex in terms of their identity and sex registered at birth, as it is impossible to restore their original sex after it has been surgically reassigned.The Church is also of the opinion that a transsexual person feeling strong disapproval of his or her phenotypic and genital sex cannot enter into matrimony, be ordained, or make any religious vows. Aside from the previously emphasized decisive importance of the original sex of a transsexual person for these forms of life as well as for social and ecclesial roles, other arguments are involved, such as disapproval of one’s own sex, the inability to control one’s sex, sexual self-identification disorders and lability, narcissistic inclinations, problems with building harmonious interpersonal relationships based on truth, as well as the inability of two persons to physically unite in the moral and canonical context, where either one or both of them have undergone a surgical sex change.Artykuł traktuje o transseksualizmie z perspektywy fundamentalnych aspektów życia wspólnoty eklezjalnej. Chociaż Kościół nie wydał na ten temat szerokiego dokumentu, to jednak odniósł się do tego problemu bezpośrednio i pośrednio. Bezpośrednio do kwestii zmiany płci w kontekście genderyzmu odniósł się dwa razy papież Franciszek, a wprost w odniesieniu do transseksualizmu różne dykasterie Stolicy Apostolskiej w kilku stanowiskach. Pośrednio stosunek Kościoła do omawianej problematyki wynika z jego nauczania na temat ludzkiej płciowości. Kościół stoi na stanowisku, iż metrykalna czy chirurgiczna zmiana płci nie zmienia faktycznej płci osoby.W dalszych analizach Autor skupił swoją uwagę na problematyce transseksualizmu rozpatrywanej z perspektywy chrztu św., święceń, małżeństwa i życia zakonnego. Z nauczania Kościoła wynika, że osobie transseksualnej przed zmianą płci nie można odmówić chrztu św. Po zmianie płci chrzest zakłada nawrócenie takiej osoby, pełne przyjęcie nauczania Kościoła w tej materii oraz, mając na uwadze relacje społeczne w prawdzie, powrót do płci pierwotnej w wymiarach podmiotowych i metrykalnych, jako że niemożliwe jest przywrócenie pierwotnej płci w przypadku chirurgicznej jej zmiany.Kościół reprezentuje też stanowisko, że osoba transseksualna intensywnie przeżywająca dezaprobatę dla swojej płci fenotypowo-genitalnej zasadniczo nie może zawrzeć związku małżeńskiego, przystąpić do święceń i do życia zakonnego. Oprócz podkreślonego już decydującego znaczenia pierwotnej płci osoby transseksualnej dla tych form życia i ról społeczno-eklezjalnych, w grę wchodzą też dalsze racje, jak między innymi, dezaprobata dla własnej płci, brak zdolności do panowania nad własną płcią, zakłócona i labilna autoidentyfikacja płciowa, skłonności narcystyczne, problemy w budowaniu harmonijnych relacji interpersonalnych opartych na prawdzie, a także niezdolność do integralnego zjednoczenia cielesnego w rozumieniu moralnym i kanonicznym dwóch osób, z których jedna lub obydwie są po chirurgicznej zmianie płci

PROFUNDIDADE E RECONHECIMENTO: DA COSMOVISÃO RELIGIOSA AO CUIDADO AMBIENTAL "Vision in-depth: from the religious cosmovision to the environement"

Considerando a questão ambiental e a consolidação da Ecologia como paradigma, o autor pondera sobre a contribuição das religiões neste contexto. Destaca particularmente a perspectiva de profundidade e reconhecimento, que marca a postura conectiva das religiões em face da Natureza, compreendida como obra do Criador. Profundidade que assinala a atitude epistemológica do homo religiosus; e reconhecimento que o abre à lógica da dádiva em face dos bens naturais. Assim, as religiões superam a abordagem meramente funcional da Natureza e favorecem a educação ambiental, com cinco aspectos específicos: medida da condição humana, consciência do limite, gratidão, corresponsabilidade, justiça.AbstractConsidering the present “environmental question” and Ecology as a paradigm, Author ponders about the contribution of Religions on ecological issues. He remarks particularly the Religion’s vision in-depth on Universe and gratitude for Nature’s resources, understood as Creator’s gifts. The religious vision in-depth on Universe qualifies a specific epistemology of Nature, characterized by connection between the homo religiosus and Nature in general. The religious gratitude for Nature’s resources develops the “logic of gift” in the human conscience. In this way, Religions overcome a merely functional approach on Nature, promoting the environmental education in five topics: measurement of human condition, conscience of limit, gratitude, co-responsibility and justice

PTHLH (parathyroid hormone-like hormone)

Review on PTHLH (parathyroid hormone-like hormone), with data on DNA, on the protein encoded, and where the gene is implicated

Remote Sensing-Driven Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) Growth Modeling to Inform Offshore Aquaculture Site Selection

Aquaculture increasingly contributes to global seafood production, requiring new farm sites for continued growth. In France, oyster cultivation has conventionally taken place in the intertidal zone, where there is little or no further room for expansion. Despite interest in moving production further offshore, more information is needed regarding the biological potential for offshore oyster growth, including its spatial and temporal variability. This study shows the use of remotely-sensed chlorophyll-a and total suspended matter concentrations retrieved from the Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS), and sea surface temperature from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), all validated using in situ matchup measurements, as input to run a Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) Pacific oyster growth model for a study site along the French Atlantic coast (Bourgneuf Bay, France). Resulting oyster growth maps were calibrated and validated using in situ measurements of total oyster weight made throughout two growing seasons, from the intertidal zone, where cultivation currently takes place, and from experimental offshore sites, for both spat (R2 = 0.91; RMSE = 1.60 g) and adults (R2 = 0.95; RMSE = 4.34 g). Oyster growth time series are further digested into industry-relevant indicators, such as time to achieve market weight and quality index, elaborated in consultation with local producers and industry professionals, and which are also mapped. Offshore growth is found to be feasible and to be as much as two times faster than in the intertidal zone (p < 0.001). However, the potential for growth is also revealed to be highly variable across the investigated area. Mapping reveals a clear spatial gradient in production potential in the offshore environment, with the northeastern segment of the bay far better suited than the southwestern. Results also highlight the added value of spatiotemporal data, such as satellite image time series, to drive modeling in support of marine spatial planning. The current work demonstrates the feasibility and benefit of such a coupled remote sensing modeling approach within a shellfish farming context, responding to real and current interests of oyster producers