Blowout García, Mario T; Castro, Sal
2011, 20110321, 2011-03-21
eBook, Book
In March 1968, thousands of Chicano students walked out of their East Los Angeles high schools and middle schools to protest decades of inferior and discriminatory education in the so-called "Mexican ...Schools." During these historic walkouts, or "blowouts," the students were led by Sal Castro, a courageous and charismatic Mexican American teacher who encouraged the students to make their grievances public after school administrators and school board members failed to listen to them. The resulting blowouts sparked the beginning of the urban Chicano Movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s, the largest and most widespread civil rights protests by Mexican Americans in U.S. history.This fascinatingtestimonio, or oral history, transcribed and presented in Castro's voice by historian Mario T. Garcia, is a compelling, highly readable narrative of a young boy growing up in Los Angeles who made history by his leadership in the blowouts and in his career as a dedicated and committed teacher.Blowout!fills a major void in the history of the civil rights and Chicano movements of the 1960s, particularly the struggle for educational justice.
Creating a just and sustainable planet will require not only small changes, but also systemic transformations in how humans relate to the planet and to each other, i.e., social–ecological ...transformations. We suggest there is a need for collaborative environments where experimentation with new configurations of social–ecological systems can occur, and we refer to these as transformative spaces. In this paper, we seek a better understanding of how to design and enable the creation of transformative spaces in a development context. We analyse nine case studies from a previous special issue on Designing Transformative Spaces that aimed to collect examples of cutting-edge action-oriented research on transformations from the Global South. The analysis showed five design phases as being essential: Problem Definition Phase; Operationalisation Phase; Tactical Phase; Outcome Phase; and Reflection Phase. From this synthesis, we distilled five key messages that should be considered when designing research, including: (a) there are ethical dilemmas associated with creating a transformative space in a system; (b) it is important to assess the readiness of the system for change before engaging in it; (c) there is a need to balance between ‘safe’ and ‘safe-enough’ spaces for transformation; (d) convening a transformative space requires an assemblage of diverse methodological frameworks and tools; and (e) transformative spaces can act as a starting point for institutionalising transformative change. Many researchers are now engaging in transdisciplinary transformations research, and are finding themselves at the knowledge–action interface contributing to transformative space-making. We hope that by analysing experiences from across different geographies we can contribute towards better understanding of how to navigate the processes needed for the urgent global transformations that are being called for to create a more equitable and sustainable planet Earth.
Optical beam steering (BS) has multiple applications in fields like target seeking and tracking, optical tweezers, billboard displays and many others. In this work, a two-dimensional beam deflector ...based on blaze gratings is presented. Phase-only 1D blaze gratings have been prepared using maskless Direct Laser Writing (DLW) resulting in high-resolution structures in indium-tin oxide (ITO) coated glass wafers. The device is composed of two identical 1D liquid crystal (LC) cells cascaded orthogonally back-to-back, with a resultant active area of 1.1 × 1.1 mm
. The 1D cells have been prepared with 144 pixels each with a 7.5 µm pitch. The total 288 pixels are driven by a custom made 12-bit Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) electronic driver, allowing for an arbitrarily high resolution. The system performance is documented, and the efficiency of the system has been tested. A maximum diagonal steering angle of ± 3.42° was achieved.
Full text
Available for:
IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Background and aims
Smokers tend to have a lower body weight than non‐smokers, but also more abdominal fat. It remains unclear whether or not the relationship between smoking and abdominal obesity is ...causal. Previous Mendelian randomization (MR) studies have investigated this relationship by relying upon a single genetic variant for smoking heaviness. This approach is sensitive to pleiotropic effects and may produce imprecise causal estimates. We aimed to estimate causality between smoking and abdominal obesity using multiple genetic instruments.
Design
MR study using causal analysis using summary effect estimates (CAUSE) and latent heritable confounder MR (LHC‐MR) methods that instrument smoking using genome‐wide data, and also two‐sample MR (2SMR) methods.
Setting
Genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) summary statistics from participants of European ancestry, obtained from the GWAS and Sequencing Consortium of Alcohol and Nicotine use (GSCAN), Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Traits (GIANT) Consortium and the UK Biobank.
Participants
We used GWAS results for smoking initiation (n = 1 232 091), life‐time smoking (n = 462 690) and smoking heaviness (n = 337 334) as exposure traits, and waist–hip ratio (WHR) and waist and hip circumferences (WC and HC) (n up to 697 734), with and without adjustment for body mass index (adjBMI), as outcome traits.
Measurements
Smoking initiation, life‐time smoking, smoking heaviness, WHR, WC, HC, WHRadjBMI, WCadjBMI and HCadjBMI.
Findings
Both CAUSE and LHC‐MR indicated a positive causal effect of smoking initiation on WHR (0.13 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.10, 0.16 and 0.49 (0.41, 0.57), respectively and WHRadjBMI (0.07 (0.03, 0.10) and 0.31 (0.26, 0.37). Similarly, they indicated a positive causal effect of life‐time smoking on WHR 0.35 (0.29, 0.41) and 0.44 (0.38, 0.51) and WHRadjBMI 0.18 (0.13, 0.24) and 0.26 (0.20, 0.31). In follow‐up analyses, smoking particularly increased visceral fat. There was no evidence of a mediating role by cortisol or sex hormones.
Conclusions
Smoking initiation and higher life‐time smoking may lead to increased abdominal fat distribution. The increase in abdominal fat due to smoking is characterized by an increase in visceral fat. Thus, efforts to prevent and cease smoking can have the added benefit of reducing abdominal fat.
Full text
Available for:
BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
The striatum is the largest entrance to the basal ganglia. Diverse neuron classes make up striatal microcircuit activity, consisting in the sequential activation of neuronal ensembles. How different ...neuron classes participate in generating ensemble sequences is unknown. In control mus musculus brain slices in vitro, providing excitatory drive generates ensemble sequences. In Parkinsonian microcircuits captured by a highly recurrent ensemble, a cortical stimulus causes a transitory reconfiguration of neuronal groups alleviating Parkinsonism. Alternation between neuronal ensembles needs interconnectivity, in part due to interneurons, preferentially innervated by incoming afferents. One main class of interneuron expresses parvalbumin (PV+ neurons) and mediates feed‐forward inhibition. However, its more global actions within the microcircuit are unknown. Using calcium imaging in ex vivo brain slices simultaneously recording dozens of neurons, we aimed to observe the actions of PV+ neurons within the striatal microcircuit. PV+ neurons in active microcircuits are 5%–11% of the active neurons even if, anatomically, they are <1% of the total neuronal population. In resting microcircuits, optogenetic activation of PV+ neurons turns on circuit activity by activating or disinhibiting, more neurons than those actually inhibited, showing that feed‐forward inhibition is not their only function. Optostimulation of PV+ neurons in active microcircuits inhibits and activates different neuron sets, resulting in the reconfiguration of neuronal ensembles by changing their functional connections and ensemble membership, showing that neurons may belong to different ensembles at different situations. Our results show that PV+ neurons participate in the mechanisms that generate alternation of neuronal ensembles, therefore provoking ensemble sequences.
Using calcium imaging to evaluate the function of PV+ neurons. We found they are 5%–11% of active neurons. Optogenetic activation of PV+ neurons in resting microcircuit increases total activity, while optogenetic activation in active microcircuits inhibits and activates different neuron sets, reconfiguring neuronal ensembles by changing functional connections and ensemble membership. PV+ neurons participate in the mechanisms that generate alternation of neuronal ensembles, therefore provoking ensemble sequences.
Full text
Available for:
BFBNIB, DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The market of wearable devices has been growing over the past decades. Smart wearables are usually part of IoT (Internet of things) systems and include many functionalities such as physiological ...sensors, processing units and wireless communications, that are useful in fields like healthcare, activity tracking and sports, among others. The number of functions that wearables have are increasing all the time. This result in an increase in power consumption and more frequent recharges of the battery. A good option to solve this problem is using energy harvesting so that the energy available in the environment is used as a backup power source. In this paper, an energy harvesting system for solar energy with a flexible battery, a semi-flexible solar harvester module and a BLE (Bluetooth
Low Energy) microprocessor module is presented as a proof-of-concept for the future integration of solar energy harvesting in a real wearable smart device. The designed device was tested under different circumstances to estimate the increase in battery lifetime during common daily routines. For this purpose, a procedure for testing energy harvesting solutions, based on solar energy, in wearable devices has been proposed. The main result obtained is that the device could permanently work if the solar cells received a significant amount of direct sunlight for 6 h every day. Moreover, in real-life scenarios, the device was able to generate a minimum and a maximum power of 27.8 mW and 159.1 mW, respectively. For the wearable system selected, Bindi, the dynamic tests emulating daily routines has provided increases in the state of charge from 19% (winter cloudy days, 4 solar cells) to 53% (spring sunny days, 2 solar cells).
Full text
Available for:
IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Changes in life history traits are often considered speciation triggers and can have dramatic effects on the evolutionary history of a lineage. Here, we examine the consequences of changes in two ...life history traits, host‐type and phoresy, in the hypermetamorphic blister beetles, Meloidae. Subfamilies Nemognathinae and Meloinae exhibit a complex life cycle involving multiple metamorphoses and parasitoidism. Most genera and tribes are bee‐parasitoids, and include phoretic or nonphoretic species, while two tribes feed on grasshopper eggs. These different life strategies are coupled with striking differences in species richness among clades. We generated a mitogenomic phylogeny for Nemognathinae and Meloinae, confirming the monophyly of these two clades, and used the dated phylogeny to explore the association between diversification rates and changes in host specificity and phoresy, using state‐dependent speciation and extinction (SSE) models that include the effect of hidden traits. To account for the low taxon sampling, we implemented a phylogenetic‐taxonomic approach based on birth‐death simulations, and used a Bayesian framework to integrate parameter and phylogenetic uncertainty. Results show that the ancestral hypermetamorphic Meloidae was a nonphoretic bee‐parasitoid, and that transitions towards a phoretic bee‐parasitoid and grasshopper parasitoidism occurred multiple times. Nonphoretic bee‐parasitoid lineages exhibit significantly higher relative extinction and lower diversification rates than phoretic bee‐and grasshopper‐parasitoids, but no significant differences were found between the latter two strategies. This suggests that Orthopteran host shifts and phoresy contributed jointly to the evolutionary success of the parasitoid meloidae. We also demonstrate that SSE models can be used to identify hidden traits coevolving with the focal trait in driving a lineage's diversification dynamics.
Full text
Available for:
BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Midkine (MK) is a neurotrophic factor that participates in the embryonic central nervous system (CNS) development and neural stem cell regulation, interacting with sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). ...Chondroitin sulfate (CS) is the natural ligand in the CNS. In this work, we describe the interactions between a library of synthetic models of CS‐types and mimics. We did a structural study of this library by NMR and MD (Molecular Dynamics), concluding that the basic shape is controlled by similar geometry of the glycosidic linkages. Their 3D structures are a helix with four residues per turn, almost linear. We have studied the tetrasaccharide‐midkine complexes by ligand observed NMR techniques and concluded that the shape of the ligands does not change upon binding. The ligand orientation into the complex is very variable. It is placed inside the central cavity of MK formed by the two structured beta‐sheets domains linked by an intrinsically disordered region (IDR). Docking analysis confirmed the participation of aromatics residues from MK completed with electrostatic interactions. Finally, we test the biological activity by increasing the MK expression using CS tetrasaccharides and their capacity in enhancing the growth stimulation effect of MK in NIH3T3 cells.
The spatial structures of the active complex of midkine and synthetic chondroitin sulfate tetrasaccharides have been solved by NMR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations. The rigid ligand is enclosed by a flexible receptor, with an intrinsically disordered region. The 3D structure of the ligands remains as a helical, almost lineal structure, independently of the aromatic substituents introduced.
Full text
Available for:
BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
PDF
