Apoptosis and apoptotic mimicry: the Leishmania connection

Different death-styles have been described in unicellular organisms. In most cases they evolve with phenotypic features similar to apoptotic death of animal cells, such as phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure, oligonucleosomal DNA fragmentation, and loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potential, hinting that similar mechanisms operate in both situations. However, the biochemical pathways underlying death in unicellular organisms are still unclear. Host recognition of PS exposed on the surface of unicellular parasites is an important feature of the process of infection and progression of the disease. Here, we discuss data showing that entirely different mechanisms of PS exposure co-exist during the life-cycle of Leishmania amazonensis: in the case of promastigotes, a sub-population dies by apoptosis; in the case of amastigotes, the entire population exposes PS, not necessarily followed by apoptotic death. This phenomenon has been called apoptotic mimicry. The elusive caspase-like activities described in protozoa are also discussed.     

An Approach to the Notion of Reflective Teacher and Its Exemplification on Mathematics Education

Within research into the teaching profession, there are two main areas of interest, which have been thoroughly defined and consolidated: teacher’s knowledge and teacher’s professional development. This paper considers the latter area, and specifically sets out to define the concept of the reflective teacher and to show how we have applied this concept in our research. It aims at defining a more precise notion of teachers’ professional development linked to the concept of a reflective teacher, drawing on information from different interdisciplinary sources so as to frame the concept clearly. We discuss the conditions which determine the reflective teacher, and report on how these were put to use in a training course for practising teachers in which participants reflected on challenging episodes from their professional experience. We hope that clarifying this term will enable different educational agents (school teachers, teacher trainers or researchers) to have an informed view that can be interpreted and critiqued, and that it will also be of value to initial teacher training and to in-service courses.     

显示控制软件设计与实现中几个关键技术的探讨

本文重点阐述显控软件的用途、一般构成及特点,并对显控软件设计实现中的几个关键技术进行探讨。这些关键技术已被应用于一个实际的实时系统,此系统运行效果良好。     

我国企业应对跨国公司冲击的战略思考

国外跨国公司的进入不仅有助于打开中国市场，而且对中国的市场及企业的发展形成了巨大的冲击。因此，中国企业只有做出积极的战略决策，才能在激烈的国内外市场竞争中得到可持续发展。     

Effect of carbon tetrachloride poisoning on the plasma levels of aspartate-aminotransferase isoenzymes in the rat

Riassunto Mediante frazionamento cromatografico su colonna di resina a scambio anionico, abbiamo potuto documentare nel siero di ratti intossicati con dosi diverse di CCl₄, incrementi assai significativi sia della componente mitocondriale che citoplasmatica della aspartato-aminotransferasi.     

RNase activities in blood serum of several vertebrates

Résumé Les activités de la RNase ont été déterminées dans le sérum sanguin de 15 espèces de Vertebrés appartenant aux trois groupes définis parBarnard. Les résultats obtenus montrent que les activités de la RNase n'offrent pas de différences (exception faite pour le cobaye), ce qui exclut l'existence d'une relation directe, simple entre RNase pancréatique et sérique. On relève l'interêt phylogénétique de ces protéines et de l'origine de la RNase sérique.     

Development of the middle lamella in rib meristem cells

Resumen La lámina media que separa transversalmente a las células del meristemo radical en columna se desarrolla, en virtud del aporte de pequeñas vesículas del aparato de Golgi, incrementando su espesor desde 0,1–0,2 hasta 0,4–0,5 µ. Las características morfológicas de estas paredes transversales permiten distinguir fácilmente las células hermanas y hasta las 4 células que se originan de 1 célula madre en 2 ciclos de división.     

Hormonal influence on metastatic spread of the Yoshida sarcoma

Zusammenfassung Es wird über die Verbreitung des metastatischen Yoshida-Sarkoms bei Ratten berichtet, die das Sarkom in den Schwanz geimpft erhielten. Die geimpften Tiere wurden mit Testosteron, Cortison und Östrogen behandelt. Die einfache Einpflanzung des Sarkoms ist nicht genügend, um die Verbreitung der Geschwulst zu veranlassen.     

Controlled collisions for multi-particle entanglement of optically trapped atoms

Entanglement lies at the heart of quantum mechanics, and in recent years has been identified as an essential resource for quantum information processing and computation. The experimentally challenging production of highly entangled multi-particle states is therefore important for investigating both fundamental physics and practical applications. Here we report the creation of highly entangled states of neutral atoms trapped in the periodic potential of an optical lattice. Controlled collisions between individual neighbouring atoms are used to realize an array of quantum gates, with massively parallel operation. We observe a coherent entangling-disentangling evolution in the many-body system, depending on the phase shift acquired during the collision between neighbouring atoms. Such dynamics are indicative of highly entangled many-body states; moreover, these are formed in a single operational step, independent of the size of the system.