Marginalized Philosophy: Rocky Horror Picture Show and the Unseen Influence

Rocky Horror Picture Show is often examined for commentary upon fluidity and conditioning of gender, but when placed in the twenty-first century society, the meaning and message is distorted. Rather than a commentary on gender alone, I intend to examine and prove how the Rocky Horror Picture Show is a commentary upon 1970s society, man in relation to the various meanings of nature, boundaries, liminality, and in communion with literary themes, philosophical issues concerning sin, and human nature dating back to ancient society

Biologische Regulierung der Weißen Fliege im Kohlanbau im kombinierten Einsatz mit Kulturschutznetzen

Die Kohlmottenschildlaus, Aleyrodes proletella [Hom.,Aleyrodidae] hat sich in ganz Deutschland zu einem wichtigen Schädling in Kohlgemüse, insbesondere Rosenkohl, entwickelt. In einem dreijährigen Projekt wurde die Barrierewirkung von feinmaschigen Kulturschutznetzen (0.8x0.8mm) in Kombination mit einem inundativen Einsatz des natürlich vorkommenden Parasitoiden Encarsia tricolor in Parzellenversuchen untersucht. Durch die alleinige Anwendung der Kulturschutznetze war der Kohlmottenschildlausbefall zum Befallsmaximum im September in allen drei Versuchsjahren um 77% verringert gegenüber der Kontrolle ohne Netz . Durch die Ausbringung von E. tricolor unter die Netze stieg die Partasitierung signifikant gegenüber der Netzvariante ohne Ausbringung an. Eine Verfrühung der Ausbringung um 3 Wochen (Anfang Juli) in 2009 brachte eine signifikante Befallsreduktion um ca. 40%. Der vorgestellte Regulierungsansatz wird hinsichtlich weiterer Optimierung und seines Potentials für die Praxis diskutiert

Ca2+-controlled competitive diacylglycerol binding of protein kinase C isoenzymes in living cells

The cellular decoding of receptor-induced signaling is based in part on the spatiotemporal activation pattern of PKC isoforms. Because classical and novel PKC isoforms contain diacylglycerol (DAG)-binding C1 domains, they may compete for DAG binding. We reasoned that a Ca2+-induced membrane association of classical PKCs may accelerate the DAG binding and thereby prevent translocation of novel PKCs. Simultaneous imaging of fluorescent PKC fusion proteins revealed that during receptor stimulation, PKCα accumulated in the plasma membrane with a diffusion-limited kinetic, whereas translocation of PKCɛ was delayed and attenuated. In BAPTA-loaded cells, however, a selective translocation of PKCɛ, but not of coexpressed PKCα, was evident. A membrane-permeable DAG analogue displayed a higher binding affinity for PKCɛ than for PKCα. Subsequent photolysis of caged Ca2+ immediately recruited PKCα to the membrane, and DAG-bound PKCɛ was displaced. At low expression levels of PKCɛ, PKCα concentration dependently prevented the PKCɛ translocation with half-maximal effects at equimolar coexpression. Furthermore, translocation of endogenous PKCs in vascular smooth muscle cells corroborated the model that a competition between PKC isoforms for DAG binding occurs at native expression levels. We conclude that Ca2+-controlled competitive DAG binding contributes to the selective recruitment of PKC isoforms after receptor activation

Anwendung natürlich vorkommender Gegenspieler der Kohlmottenschildlaus (KMSL) in Kohlgemüse im kombinierten Einsatz mit Kulturschutznetzen

Ziel des Verbundvorhabens war die Erarbeitung einer kombinierten Regulierungsstrategie für die Kohlmottenschildlaus Aleyrodes proletella in Ökologischem Kohlgemüse, mit den zwei Ansatzpunkten Kulturschutznetz & natürlichen Gegenspielern. Das sofortige Abdecken von Rosenkohl mit feinmaschigem Kulturschutznetz (0,8 x 0,8mm) ab dem Verpflanzen bis Ende Oktober erzielte durchgängig 77% Befallssenkung in der Hauptbefallsphase im September. Aufdecken der Netze für mechanische Unkrautbekämpfung bildet ein kritisches Zeitfenster für Initialbefall. Verzicht auf Hacken durch Anwendung einer biologisch abbaubaren Mulchfolie brachte allerdings keinen zusätzlichen Regulationserfolg. Die unter Netz eingesetzte Schlupfwespe Encarsia tricolor und der Marienkäfer Clitostethus arcuatus wurden von der Katz Biotech AG bezogen. Stetige Qualitätskontrollen und der Erarbeitung von Kenndaten zum eingesetzten Zuchtstamm von E. tricolor ermöglichten erste erfolgreiche Anpassungen im Produktionsverfahren. Im Parzellenversuch stimmten verschiedene Dosierungsstufen von E. tricolor mit den Wiederfundraten im Feld und dem jeweiligen Parasitierungsgraden gut überein. Die anfänglich schwachen Parasitierungswerte 2007/08 ließen sich in 2009 auf bis zu 33% steigern. Letzteres Parasitierungsergebnis unter Netz war befallssenkend, mit 23% Mehrertrag (+23dt/ha) gegenüber der Vergleichsvariante. C. arcuatus erwies sich in 2007/2008 als Nutznießer hoher Schädlingsdichten mit unzureichendem Regulationspotential und wurde deshalb in 2009 nicht weiter eingesetzt. Auf Praxisflächen mit Punktfreilassungen von E. tricolor lag die Parasitierung 2008/09 um bis zu 50% höher als in der Referenz ohne Freilassung. In 2009 wurde durch zeitlich vorverlegte Erstfreilassungen eine deutliche Befallreduktion von knapp 60% erzielt. Bezüglich des Einsatzes von E. tricolor wurden wesentliche Meilensteine (Etablierungsfähigkeit, Regulierungseffekt, ertragswirksame Feldeffizienz) erfolgreich abgedeckt Es besteht aber weiterer Untersuchungsbedarf hinsichtlich des Optimierungsspielraums bei Freilassungstermin, -intervall und -menge

Using the Power of Questions to Organize for Progressive Education

Progressive education is widely admired and rarely implemented in schools. In this commentary, a group of educators—K-8 teachers and administrators and teacher education students and faculty—discuss their shared journey as they come together to study their own practice in schools committed to this model of teaching and learning. While acknowledging the reality that progressive education is most often found in in areas of economic privilege, they nonetheless challenge teachers to engage in “thoughtful participation, description, and dialogue,” in some fashion, as a means of counteracting the demands of the current reform climate

Drosophila melanogaster MNK/Chk2 and p53 regulate multiple DNA repair and apoptotic pathways following DNA damage

We have used genetic and microarray analysis to determine how ionizing radiation (IR) induces p53-dependent transcription and apoptosis in Drosophila melanogaster. IR induces MNK/Chk2-dependent phosphorylation of p53 without changing p53 protein levels, indicating that p53 activity can be regulated without an Mdm2-like activity. In a genome-wide analysis of IR-induced transcription in wild-type and mutant embryos, all IR-induced increases in transcript levels required both p53 and the Drosophila Chk2 homolog MNK. Proapoptotic targets of p53 include hid, reaper, sickle, and the tumor necrosis factor family member EIGER: Overexpression of Eiger is sufficient to induce apoptosis, but mutations in Eiger do not block IR-induced apoptosis. Animals heterozygous for deletions that span the reaper, sickle, and hid genes exhibited reduced IR-dependent apoptosis, indicating that this gene complex is haploinsufficient for induction of apoptosis. Among the genes in this region, hid plays a central, dosage-sensitive role in IR-induced apoptosis. p53 and MNK/Chk2 also regulate DNA repair genes, including two components of the nonhomologous end-joining repair pathway, Ku70 and Ku80. Our results indicate that MNK/Chk2-dependent modification of Drosophila p53 activates a global transcriptional response to DNA damage that induces error-prone DNA repair as well as intrinsic and extrinsic apoptosis pathways

The HP1 Homolog Rhino Anchors a Nuclear Complex that Suppresses piRNA Precursor Splicing

SummarypiRNAs guide an adaptive genome defense system that silences transposons during germline development. The Drosophila HP1 homolog Rhino is required for germline piRNA production. We show that Rhino binds specifically to the heterochromatic clusters that produce piRNA precursors, and that binding directly correlates with piRNA production. Rhino colocalizes to germline nuclear foci with Rai1/DXO-related protein Cuff and the DEAD box protein UAP56, which are also required for germline piRNA production. RNA sequencing indicates that most cluster transcripts are not spliced and that rhino, cuff, and uap56 mutations increase expression of spliced cluster transcripts over 100-fold. LacI::Rhino fusion protein binding suppresses splicing of a reporter transgene and is sufficient to trigger piRNA production from a trans combination of sense and antisense reporters. We therefore propose that Rhino anchors a nuclear complex that suppresses cluster transcript splicing and speculate that stalled splicing differentiates piRNA precursors from mRNAs

N7-Methylation of the Coronavirus RNA Cap Is Required for Maximal Virulence by Preventing Innate Immune Recognition

The ongoing coronavirus (CoV) disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome CoV 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Understanding the immunological and pathological processes of coronavirus diseases is crucial for the rational design of effective vaccines and therapies for COVID-19. Previous studies showed that 2′-O-methylation of the viral RNA cap structure is required to prevent the recognition of viral RNAs by intracellular innate sensors. Here, we demonstrate that the guanine N7-methylation of the 5′ cap mediated by coronavirus nonstructural protein 14 (nsp14) contributes to viral evasion of the type I interferon (IFN-I)-mediated immune response and pathogenesis in mice. A Y414A substitution in nsp14 of the coronavirus mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) significantly decreased N7-methyltransferase activity and reduced guanine N7-methylation of the 5′ cap in vitro. Infection of myeloid cells with recombinant MHV harboring the nsp14-Y414A mutation (rMHVnsp14-Y414A) resulted in upregulated expression of IFN-I and ISG15 mainly via MDA5 signaling and in reduced viral replication compared to that of wild-type rMHV. rMHVnsp14-Y414A replicated to lower titers in livers and brains and exhibited an attenuated phenotype in mice. This attenuated phenotype was IFN-I dependent because the virulence of the rMHVnsp14-Y414A mutant was restored in Ifnar−/− mice. We further found that the comparable mutation (Y420A) in SARS-CoV-2 nsp14 (rSARS-CoV-2nsp14-Y420A) also significantly decreased N7-methyltransferase activity in vitro, and the mutant virus was attenuated in K18-human ACE2 transgenic mice. Moreover, infection with rSARS-CoV-2nsp14-Y420A conferred complete protection against subsequent and otherwise lethal SARS-CoV-2 infection in mice, indicating the vaccine potential of this mutant. IMPORTANCE Coronaviruses (CoVs), including SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19, use several strategies to evade the host innate immune responses. While the cap structure of RNA, including CoV RNA, is important for translation, previous studies indicate that the cap also contributes to viral evasion from the host immune response. In this study, we demonstrate that the N7-methylated cap structure of CoV RNA is pivotal for virus immunoevasion. Using recombinant MHV and SARS-CoV-2 encoding an inactive N7-methyltransferase, we demonstrate that these mutant viruses are highly attenuated in vivo and that attenuation is apparent at very early times after infection. Virulence is restored in mice lacking interferon signaling. Further, we show that infection with virus defective in N7-methylation protects mice from lethal SARS-CoV-2, suggesting that the N7-methylase might be a useful target in drug and vaccine development

Mental Health Among Medical Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Eight European Countries: Cross-sectional Survey Study

BACKGROUND The death toll of COVID-19 topped 170,000 in Europe by the end of May 2020. COVID-19 has caused an immense psychological burden on the population, especially among doctors and nurses who are faced with high infection risks and increased workload. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to compare the mental health of medical professionals with nonmedical professionals in different European countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. We hypothesized that medical professionals, particularly those exposed to COVID-19 at work, would have higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. We also aimed to determine their main stressors and most frequently used coping strategies during the crisis. METHODS A cross-sectional online survey was conducted during peak COVID-19 months in 8 European countries. The questionnaire included demographic data and inquired whether the participants were exposed to COVID-19 at work or not. Mental health was assessed via the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales32 (23.53)-21 (DASS-21). A 12-item checklist on preferred coping strategies and another 23-item questionnaire on major stressors were completed by medical professionals. RESULTS The sample (N=609) consisted of 189 doctors, 165 nurses, and 255 nonmedical professionals. Participants from France and the United Kingdom reported experiencing severe/extremely severe depression, anxiety, and stress more often compared to those from the other countries. Nonmedical professionals had significantly higher scores for depression and anxiety. Among medical professionals, no significant link was reported between direct contact with patients with COVID-19 at work and anxiety, depression, or stress. "Uncertainty about when the epidemic will be under control" caused the most amount of stress for health care professionals while "taking protective measures" was the most frequently used coping strategy among all participants. CONCLUSIONS COVID-19 poses a major challenge to the mental health of working professionals as a considerable proportion of our participants showed high values for depression, anxiety, and stress. Even though medical professionals exhibited less mental stress than nonmedical professionals, sufficient help should be offered to all occupational groups with an emphasis on effective coping strategies