The design and function of birds’ nests

All birds construct nests in which to lay eggs and/or raise offspring. Traditionally, it was thought that natural selection and the requirement to minimize the risk of predation determined the design of completed nests. However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that sexual selection also influences nest design. This is an important development as while species such as bowerbirds build structures that are extended phenotypic signals whose sole purpose is to attract a mate, nests contain eggs and/or offspring, thereby suggesting a direct tradeoff between the conflicting requirements of natural and sexual selection. Nest design also varies adaptively in order to both minimize the detrimental effects of parasites and to create a suitable microclimate for parents and developing offspring in relation to predictable variation in environmental conditions. Our understanding of the design and function of birds’ nests has increased considerably in recent years, and the evidence suggests that nests have four nonmutually exclusive functions. Consequently, we conclude that the design of birds’ nests is far more sophisticated than previously realized and that nests are multifunctional structures that have important fitness consequences for the builder/s

The molecular disk surrounding the protostellar binary L1551 IRS5

The inner three arcminutes surrounding the Class 0/1 binary protostar L1551 IRS5 have been observed using the J=1→0 transitions of the HCO+, H13CO+, 12CO and 13CO molecular species. Since the line core of HCO+ is self reversed over a substantial part of our map, observations of isotopomers such as H13CO+ are required in order to estimate the mass of the molecular gas in the immediate vicinity of IRS5. Our observations demonstrate the presence of a large ( ~ 7000 AU radius) dense, possibly rotating, molecular disk with a mass of a few M⊙ oriented perpendicular to the major axis of an extended molecular outflow. The disk is surrounded by an envelope with a radius of ~ 10 000 AU that contains two massive (each ~ 1 M⊙) clumps. One of these features appears to be kinematically disconnected from both the disk and the molecular outflow

De-Novo Transcriptome Sequencing of a Normalized cDNA Pool from Influenza Infected Ferrets

The ferret is commonly used as a model for studies of infectious diseases. The genomic sequence of this animal model is not yet characterized, and only a limited number of fully annotated cDNAs are currently available in GenBank. The majority of genes involved in innate or adaptive immune response are still lacking, restricting molecular genetic analysis of host response in the ferret model. To enable de novo identification of transcriptionally active ferret genes in response to infection, we performed de-novo transcriptome sequencing of animals infected with H1N1 A/California/07/2009. We also included splenocytes induced with bacterial lipopolysaccharide to allow for identification of transcripts specifically induced by Gram-negative bacteria. We pooled and normalized the cDNA library in order to delimit the risk of sequencing only highly expressed genes. While normalization of the cDNA library removes the possibility of assessing expression changes between individual animals, it has been shown to increase identification of low abundant transcripts. In this study, we identified more than 19000 partial ferret transcripts, including more than 1000 gene orthologs known to be involved in the innate and the adaptive immune response

Collaborative Design Work in Technology Education

Peer reviewe

First NH3 detection of the Orion Bar

Odin has successfully observed three regions in the Orion A cloud, i.e. Ori KL, Ori S and the Orion Bar, in the 572.5 GHz rotational ground state line of ammonia, ortho-NH3 (J,K) = (1,0) -> (0,0), and the result for the Orion Bar represents the first detection in an ammonia line. Several velocity components are present in the data. Specifically, the observed line profile from the Orion Bar can be decomposed into two components, which are in agreement with observations in high-J CO lines by Wilson et al. 2001. Using the source model for the Orion Bar by these authors, our Odin observation implies a total ammonia abundance of NH3/H2 = 5E-9.Comment: 4 pages with 2 figures, accepted for publication in A&

A very young star forming region detected by the ISOPHOT Serendipity Survey

We present a multi-wavelength study of the star forming region ISOSS J 20298+3559, which was identified by a cross-correlation of cold compact sources from the 170 micron ISOPHOT Serendipity Survey (ISOSS) database coinciding with objects detected by the MSX, 2MASS and IRAS infrared surveys. ISOSS J 20298+3559 is associated with a massive dark cloud complex (M ~ 760 M$_{\odot}$) and located in the Cygnus X giant molecular cloud. We derive a distance of 1800 pc on the basis of optical extinction data. The low average dust temperature (T ~ 16 K) and large mass (M ~ 120 M$_{\odot}$) of the dense inner part of the cloud, which has not been dispersed, indicates a recent begin of star formation. The youth of the region is supported by the early evolutionary stage of several pre- and protostellar objects discovered across the regio n: I) Two candidate Class 0 objects with masses of 8 and 3.5 M$_{\odot}$, II) a gravitationally bound, cold (T ~ 12 K) and dense (n(H$_{2}$) \~ 2 x 10$^{5}$ cm$^{-3}$) cloud core with a mass of 50 M$_{\odot}$ and III) a Herbig B2 star with a mass of 6.5 M$_{\odot}$ and a bolometric luminosity of 2200 L$_{\odot}$, showing evidence for ongoing accretion and a stellar age of less than 40000 years. The dereddened SED of the Herbig star is well reproduced by an accretion disc + star model. The externally heated cold cloud core is a good candidate for a massive pre-protostellar object. The star formation efficiency in the central cloud region is about 14 %.Comment: 14 pages, 14 figures, 7 tables. Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

Unknown cadaver: its historical and academic importance for human anatomy

Observações feitas na maioria das universidades brasileiras estrangeiras, e, inclusive, em algumas sobre o aspecto acadêmico do uso de cadáveres humanos como principal material que suporta e direciona a Anatomia Humana nos cursos da área da saúde, traz, dentre outras conclusões de caráter didático, uma questão de formação, muito mais importante do que uma simples questão de, apenas, informação universitária. Há de se concordar que, mesmo com o fabuloso avanço tecnológico e suas possibilidades, nossas universidades hoje, primam mais pela questão informativa do que propriamente pela formativa, ao passo que ternos consciência de que o ser humano necessita igualmente de ambas. Em consequência disto, o principal objetivo deste trabalho é enfocar o valor acadêmico do cadáver, evidenciando sua importante relação histórica, sem a qual a Anatomia não existiria e, certamente, a Medicina também não teria ultrapassado suas fronteiras limitadas do passado. O fato de ser este um trabalho realizado em uma universidade brasileira é revestido de responsabilidade e determinação em tentar colocar a figura do cadáver humano no lugar, no qual ele realmente deva estar, não apenas como simples material e instrumento de ensino da anatomia, mas também como lição de vida através da morte, criando Ciência e Arte, valorizando sua importância no contexto artístico e religioso, fatores estes imprescindíveis para a formação sócio-cultural humana. Por outro lado, este estudo com abordagem de caráter acadêmico, tornou-se dificil quanto a bibliografia específica, tendo sido feita portanto, quase toda a sua pesquisa em tratados históricos e anatômicos e, apenas alguns poucos trabalhos sobre a importância do cadáver para a Anatomia. Neste trabalho, procuramos usar ilustrações e figuras como documentação de caráter informativo e estético. Assim sendo, para uma abordagem mais ampla, o cadáver foi discutido desde sua relação histórica e acadêmica, até os dias de hoje, onde ainda se enfrenta, quase, as mesmas dificuldades do passado, no que diz respeito as questões de doação de corpo e órgãos, que deixaram de ser apenas institucionalmente acadêmicas, para ser mais rigorosamente sociais, segundo as Leis vigentes.Observations about most of brazilian universities and, even some of foreign ones, concerning the academic aspects of the use of human cadavers or corpses as the principal human anatomy method of studying, which maintain the basic courses of Health Sciences Field, that is, the cadaver or corpse himself should be also seen as a noble and magnificent way of transmitting knowledge and human values. Indeed, these observations have been showing some didactic results concerning much more, a matter of individual information than individual formation itself. Nowadays, this happens because scholasticism, differently from the past, seems to emphasize quantitative rather than qualitative teaching philosophy. We must admit that, even living in a technological era and being able to take advantages of its possibilities, our universities today emphasize much more the information itself than individual formation of our professionals of tomorrow, while we know that the individual needs both, equally. Therefore, the main goal of this work is focusing the academic importance of the human cadaver or corpse as a practical studying material, which is related to the own history of the practical Anatomy and consequently Medicine and, if it were not because of that, Medicine itself would not have gone beyond its limited frontiers of the past. On the other hand, the inedited academic meaning of this work became too difficult to come abroad, because of its specific bibliographical lack among scientific publications and, that's why, most of its text was found in the old Health Sciences, books and texts in general. However, another particular characteristic of this work is the great number of pictures and illustrations, which enrich the present text and substitute the lack of similar works' bibliography, In this work, the corpse is seen, from his historical relation and academical aspects the to present circumstances, where the need for anatomical study faces the same difficulties of the past, when Vesalius opened the way to the study of Human Anatomy, but as we know many years passed before Anatomy could be taught to medical students by means of dissection, the only method by which physicians and surgeons can fully acquire this knowledge. The scarcity of anatomical material seemed to be over at the present time, when laws were just enacted, such as specified law for the use of the corpse, organs and structures donation, that unfortunately did not solve the old and permanent problem, such as the absence of corpses for anatomical dissections.BV UNIFESP: Teses e dissertaçõe

Construction and immunogenicity in a prime-boost regimen of a Semliki Forest virus-vectored experimental HIV clade A vaccine.

A novel, experimental subunit human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine, SFV.HIVA, was constructed. This consists of Semliki Forest virus (SFV), which is a suitable vaccine vector for use in humans, and a passenger gene encoding HIVA, which is an immunogen derived from HIV-1 clade A that is being currently tested in clinical trials of combined DNA- and modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA)-vectored vaccines in Oxford (UK) and Nairobi (Kenya). In the mouse, the SFV.HIVA vaccine was highly immunogenic for T cell-mediated immune responses and induced T cell memory that lasted for at least 6 months. SFV.HIVA was also compared to the vaccines currently used in the clinical trials and was shown to be as effective in T cell induction as pTHr.HIVA DNA but less immunogenic than MVA.HIVA. When tested in a prime-boost regimen, SFV.HIVA-induced responses could be boosted by MVA.HIVA. This work is a part of a long-term effort to build a panel of subunit vaccines expressing a common immunogen, which will allow both a direct comparison of various vaccine vectors and combined vaccination regimens in humans and provide more flexibility and/or a potential optimization of vaccinations for individuals based on their pre-existing anti-vector immunity