LE STUDIUM Multidisciplinary Journal

The free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been used for many years as an expression system for genes from parasitic species. We wished to further develop and improve this system by using CRISPR/Cas9 to delete specific genes from C. elegans and replace them with single copies of orthologous genes from the parasite, Haemonchus contortus. Initial experiments focussed on glc-3 which encodes a subunit of the glutamate-gated chloride channels, the target of the avermectin/milbemycin family of anthelmintics. We cloned the promoters from the glc-3 genes of both species and compared the expression patterns of mCherry under the control of both promoters. The C. elegans glc-3 promoter drove expression in a subset of head interneurons, as previously reported whereas the H. contortus promoter drove expression in a pharyngeal motoneuron, M4. We were able to generate heterozygous worms in which one copy of glc-3 was deleted, but we could never obtain homozygous knock-outs. Further investigation of the mRNAs encoded by glc-3 revealed a novel transcript, glc-3T, which encodes a severely truncated form of GLC-3. The presence of such truncated transcripts may explain the unexpected difficulties encountered in attempting to knock out ion channel genes in C. elegans.

The collegiate church of Our Lady in Antwerp played an important role in the development of polyphonic music in the Low Countries and Europe during the long 15th century, with first-rank composers such as Johannes Ockeghem, Johannes Pulloys, Jacobus Barbireau and Jacobus Obrecht as central figures. However, this period has received very little attention, perhaps because it stood in the shadow of the enormous economic and cultural sixteenth-century boom. The fact that much of the earliest source material was lost, among other things due to religious wars and the French Revolution, did not facilitate the research. This is particularly unfortunate because the fundement for the flourishing musical life was laid precisely in this earlier period (cf. the papal singer's bull of 1410). By conducting research both in breadth (interdisciplinary) and depth (extensive documentation from the archives, supplemented by that from the secondary literature and by comparative research in other countries), we nevertheless succeeded in creating a better picture of the mechanisms that lay at the basis of this success. Thus, we learned more about when and how music was performed, how it was perceived by both performers and listeners, how environmental sounds were dealt with, how it fitted in with the religious experience, etc. Contacts with the papal chapels of Rome and Avignon, exchanges with courts in Northern Italy, Spain, France, England, Germany, Hungary rich foundations for musical performances, were an ideal breeding ground for the musical flowering. In other words: contextualising music proved to be essential for a better understanding of the functioning and unprecedented success of the local musical life.

This research project originally proposed to analyze and describe the phenomenon of the extermination of peripheral young people in Amazonia, and to discover to what extent this politics of death (thanatopolitics) constitutes a structuring apparatus of the neoliberal governmentality, by operating a calculation of the value of the human in market-oriented terms, in an outermost region of the neoliberal capitalist order. With the Covid-19 pandemic event, this project had to be renewed to understand which are the normative frameworks and governmental dispositives at stake in the global government of life and death in contemporary capitalism. By the articulation of biopolitics, (neo)liberalism, colonialism, racism and security frameworks, this research concludes by proposing a new concept that function as a grid of understanding for nowadays capitalist governmentality: necroliberalism. 

Oxidation of SO2 to sulfuric acid impacts acid precipitation and aerosol nucleation in Earth’s atmosphere in remote and polluted environments.  This oxidation can take place in both the liquid and gas phase.  Only the gas-phase oxidation is expected to lead to new particles because of the clustering reactions of H2SO4. This aerosol nucleation has a major effect upon air quality and Earth’s radiative balance, and is of crucial importance to the chemistry of the atmosphere. 
The rate limiting step in this process is the reaction of OH radicals with SO2 to form HSO3. The pressure- and temperature-dependent reaction of OH + SO2 has been studied many times previously – since its importance was first recognized in the 1970s. Notwithstanding, some of the most recent literature has cast doubt on much of this data, especially under conditions that are relevant to atmospheric chemistry. 
Here, we present measurements of the rate coefficient using the pulsed laser photolysis–laser induced fluorescence technique as a function of temperature (249–373 K) and of pressure in helium, argon, nitrogen and oxygen bath gases (30–600 Torr). In addition, relative rate measurements using a chamber at 760 Torr (N2, O2 and air) were also performed to corroborate our absolute observations. By utilizing these new data, together with the available literature data, an updated pressure- and temperature-dependent parameterization will be provided. This allows the atmospheric impact of this reaction to be constrained with a new level of certainty.
 

Reconstructed human epidermis (RHE) is an emerging skin model in pharmaceutical, toxicological and cosmetic sciences, yielding scientific and ethical advantages. RHEs remain costly, however, due to consumables and time required for their culture and a short shelf-life. Storing, i.e., freezing RHE could help reduce costs but little is known on the effects of freezing on the barrier function of RHE. We studied such effects using commercial EpiSkin™ RHE stored at −20, −80 and −150 °C for 1 and 10 weeks. We acquired intrinsic Raman spectra in the stratum corneum (SC) of the RHEs as well as spectra obtained following topical application of resorcinol in an aqueous solution. In parallel, we quantified the effects of freezing on the permeation kinetics of resorcinol from time-dependent permeation experiments. Principal component analyses discriminated the intrinsic SC spectra and the spectra of resorcinol-containing RHEs, in each case on the basis of the freezing conditions. Permeation of resorcinol through the frozen RHE increased 3- to 6-fold compared to fresh RHE, with the strongest effect obtained from freezing at −20 °C for 10 weeks. Due to the extensive optimization and standardization of EpiSkin™ RHE, the effects observed in our work may be expected to be more pronounced with other RHEs.

We have recollected most of Leda Rios’ work to present her story and to discuss the place of the female mestizo body in Brazilian society at the beginning of the 20th century. We have carried out the first investigations into the barriers that this writer faced when she began her career. Leda Rios worked in the Brazilian press during the first two decades of the 20th century. After having published several articles and chronicles, as well as two books of poetry and plays, the writer - a young talent who began as a poet at the age of sixteen - gave up writing, at its height of her production, at thirty. Despite the recognition of her work during her time as a writer, Leda Rios has been erased from Brazilian literary history. Only traces of her literary life can be found at the National Library of Rio. We have investigated the obstacles encountered during the Brazilian Belle Epoque period, such as the racism that emerged fiercely at that time, seeking to define social roles and we have studied Rios literary productions. After our research period we concluded that Leda Rios voice was erased from the Brazilian Literary canon mainly by prejudices related to gender issues and racism.  We hope that our research will make her work better known and studied.

A scientific request for an efficient instrument for unambiguous in-situ analysis of the composition of the Solar system rises up, since an abundance of complex organic compounds at planets, moons and interplanetary medium has been experimentally confirmed. New experimental data will unveil chemical history of the Solar System and probable mechanisms of formation of extraterrestrial organic compounds. A space-grade Orbitrap™-based high-resolution mass spectrometer will allow to obtain required data. In scope of this research project, Lab-CosmOrbitrap and OLYMPIA mass analyzer instruments developed within the CosmOrbitrap project were optimized. New sampling systems and ionization mechanisms proposed for the future space-grade instruments have been developed and evaluated. Experimental calibration data for solid (the real Moon fragment) and gaseous samples (He, C2H4, N2 and CO) required for the currently designed space instruments (CRATER, CORALS and HANKA) were measured.

Food professions acquired great importance during the 15th century in Tours thanks to Louis XI, who established there the seat of its court. This specific topic has not yet been extensively investigated, except for the works of Bernard Chevalier, whose interest was mainly focused on butchers and their guild. Hospitality services (both private and public) in particular went through a large urban development, since the presence of the king’s court attracted diplomats, ambassadors, foreign dignitaries, travelers, craftsmen and merchants, that needed to be fed and housed. In addition to that, the geographical position of the city, situated between the Cher and Loire rivers, stimulated trade and market. The rich archival documentation kept in Tours, dated back to the 15th-16th centuries, allows us to further research. The first phase of the project aims actually to deepen the study of the welfare sector.  

This research project is at the crossroads of museography, digital humanities, and Library science. It aims to analyze the transformation of physical areas in heritage spaces (museums, libraries, archives) consequent to the development of digital humanities. Until the present time, research in museography and library science has taken parallel paths that rarely converge. However, today museums, libraries and archives are obliged to rethink their public spaces in light of the fact that new practices of their often identical publics, navigate into virtual worlds generated by the digital revolution. The crucial question today is how to design and develop these new heritage spaces by offering a real dialogue between the physical collections and the digital humanities projects that are developed from them. Our research project aims to take stock of the research carried out in innovative places in order to propose new ways of developing heritage spaces in line with the current of the public. Six geographical areas will be considered (France, Belgium, Netherlands, England, Denmark, and Switzerland).

Synaptic transmission is of critical importance for the neurons to communicate, and abnormalities are observed in neurodegenerative diseases, psychiatric disorders, and intellectual disability. Loss of the synaptic vesicle proteins is shared among these disorders and is being noted as one of the earliest hallmarks of neurogenerative diseases. Therefore, novel therapeutics targeting synapses are fundamental to improve brain plasticity and maintain a healthy brain function.  Here, we propose to normalize synaptic protein levels by targeting unstable synaptic mRNAs using antisense RNA enhancer molecules with the ‘long-term goal’ of developing a therapy for patients with synaptic dysfunction, specifically in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Our ‘hypothesis’ is that stabilization of unstable synaptic mRNA’s by antisense RNA molecules will be effective in enhancing and restore the levels of downregulated synaptic proteins in AD and ALS. As a ‘proof of concept’ antisense RNA molecules targeting 5’UTR regions of unstable synaptic genes (synapsin and synaptophysin) fused to enhancer elements such as SINE. To explore the efficacy and specificity, three different binding domains that span the 5’UTR region and transcription start sites (-40/+32, -40/+4, -14/+4) per gene were prepared and screened in a cell line that endogenously expresses the target genes. Our preliminary results show that SINEUP elements enhanced protein translation of the synapsin dimer by 80% and the monomers by 40%. This significant enhancement can stimulate synaptogenesis, synaptic vesicle recruitment, and maintain the mature synapses. An increase in synaptophysin was also observed. Ex vivo studies using a diseased cell model are in progress to assess phenotype and function. This is a promising step toward targeting synapses in neurodegenerative diseases.