Logging into diaspora? Online identity narratives among the Romanian migrants in Ireland

Focusing on identity as a dynamic process, this research investigates the way members of the Romanian community in Ireland narrate and perform their cultural identities. Identities are not just a matter of possessing a certain cultural inventory (Barth, 1969) and they should be understood as relations rather than objects (Madianou, 2005). The way people define themselves and the way they draw boundaries between who they are and who is the ‘other’, is what really gives contour to the blurry concept of identity. Thus I adopt a constructivist approach to identity, one that focuses not solely on the ‘content’ of the diasporic identity (its cultural values, rituals, beliefs, belonging etc.), but also on the boundaries with other groups. It is at the boundaries that symbolic space is negotiated and identities are fiercely debated, constructed and re-constructed. The role of media in shaping these identities is explored. Through the circulation of cultural values, media have an important impact on the way people view themselves and others. However, this research does not attribute media an all-powerful role in shaping cultures and identities of its audiences, but considers the process through which the audience (in this case ethnic minorities) actively create a meaning for media content. Furthermore media refer not only to the content transmitted, but also to mediation, creating and maintaining bonds between people and encouraging debate. Habermas widely discussed the idea of a media dominated ‘public sphere’ as a ‘space’ where cultural meanings are circulated and negotiated. From this perspective this research investigates in depth the role of the Romanian Community Online Discussion Forum (www.romaniancommunity.net) as an essential space for lively debate, a ‘round table’ where Romanians discuss about their lives in Ireland, the ‘fate’ of the motherland, and their diasporic identities

A Novel t(8;14)(q24;q11) Rearranged Human Cell Line as a Model for Mechanistic and Drug Discovery Studies of NOTCH1-Independent Human T-Cell Leukemia

MYC-translocated T-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is a rare subgroup of T-ALL associated with CDKN2A/B deletions, PTEN inactivation, and absence of NOTCH1 or FBXW7 mutations. This subtype of T-ALL has been associated with induction failure and aggressive disease. Identification of drug targets and mechanistic insights for this disease are still limited. Here, we established a human NOTCH1-independent MYC-translocated T-ALL cell line that maintains the genetic and phenotypic characteristics of the parental leukemic clone at diagnosis. The University of Padua T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia 13 (UP-ALL13) cell line has all the main features of the above described MYC-translocated T-ALL. Interestingly, UP-ALL13 was found to harbor a heterozygous R882H DNMT3A mutation typically found in myeloid leukemia. Chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with high-throughput sequencing for histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27) acetylation revealed numerous putative super-enhancers near key transcription factors, including MYC, MYB, and LEF1. Marked cytotoxicity was found following bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) inhibition with AZD5153, suggesting a strict dependency of this particular subtype of T-ALL on the activity of super-enhancers. Altogether, this cell line may be a useful model system for dissecting the signaling pathways implicated in NOTCH1-independent T-ALL and for the screening of targeted anti-leukemia agents specific for this T-ALL subgroup

Water and Development: Good Governance after Neoliberalism

Water has always been a crucial catalyst for human development. In Africa, competition among different sectors for this scarce resource remains a critical challenge to water managers and decision-makers. 'Water and Development' examines a range of issues, from governance to solar distillation, from gender to water pumps, using a range of research methods, from participant observation to GIS and SPSS data analysis. Throughout, however, there is the unifying thread of developing a participatory and sustainable approach to water which recognises it as an essential public necessity. The result is essential reading both for students of development and the environment and for NGOs and policy-makers seeking a robust and transformational approach to water and development

Neuregulin-1 beta Induces Mature Ventricular Cardiac Differentiation from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Contributing to Cardiac Tissue Repair

Stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (CMs) are often electrophysiologically immature and heterogeneous, which represents a major barrier to their in vitro and in vivo application. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine whether Neuregulin-1 beta (NRG-1 beta) treatment could enhance in vitro generation of mature working-type CMs from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells and assess the regenerative effects of these CMs on cardiac tissue after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). With that purpose, adult mouse fibroblast-derived iPS from alpha-MHC-GFP mice were derived and differentiated into CMs through NRG-1 beta and/or dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) treatment. Cardiac specification and maturation of the iPS was analyzed by gene expression array, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, immunofluorescence, electron microscopy, and patch-clamp techniques. In vivo, the iPS-derived CMs or culture medium control were injected into the peri-infarct region of hearts after coronary artery ligation, and functional and histology changes were assessed from 1 to 8 weeks post-transplantation. On differentiation, the iPS displayed early and robust in vitro cardiogenesis, expressing cardiac-specific genes and proteins. More importantly, electrophysiological studies demonstrated that a more mature ventricular-like cardiac phenotype was achieved when cells were treated with NRG-1 beta and DMSO compared with DMSO alone. Furthermore, in vivo studies demonstrated that iPS-derived CMs were able to engraft and electromechanically couple to heart tissue, ultimately preserving cardiac function and inducing adequate heart tissue remodeling. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that combined treatment with NRG-1 beta and DMSO leads to efficient differentiation of iPS into ventricular-like cardiac cells with a higher degree of maturation, which are capable of preserving cardiac function and tissue viability when transplanted into a mouse model of AMI