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The paper analyzes the concept of digital corporeality and identity and their representation in virtual images of digital fashion. Digital fashion is a new field of fashion that develops in the interdisciplinary space made of information technology, gaming industry and digital art. The article assumes that the digital fashion body depends neither on the human nor the human body. The digital body is non-human and it explicitly represents a posthumanist corporeality as a cyborg formation (D. Haraway). It assembles through machinery and becomes randomly fixed assemblages (G. Deleuze, F. Guattari; M. Delande). The author draws on concepts of new materialism, including the concept of the plane of immanence by G. Deleuze and F. Guattari’s, J. Bennett’s vibrant matter and K. Barad’s agential realism. New materialism shows radical change of the digital corporeality discourse. The author analyzes digital fashion projects posted on digital fashion retail platforms, such as The Fabricant, Dematerialised, DressX, Artisant, and works of digital designers who have gained fame through participation in digital shows. В статье анализируются понятия цифровой телесности и идентичности и их репрезентации в виртуальных образах цифровой моды. Цифровая мода — новая область моды, которая развивается в междисциплинарном пространстве информационных технологий, игровой индустрии и цифрового искусства. В статье предполагается, что цифровое тело нового направления моды не зависит ни от человека, ни от человеческого тела. Цифровое тело является нечеловеческим, и оно становится воплощением постгуманистической телесности, своего рода киборгом (Д. Харауэй). Собранное посредством машин, оно превращается в случайные ассамбляжи (Ж. Делёз, Ф. Гваттари; М. Деланда). Автор опирается на новые материалистические концепции, в том числе на понятие план имманентности Ж. Делёза и Ф. Гваттари, вибрирующую материю Дж. Беннет и агентный реализм К. Барад. Обращение к новому материализму позволяет показать радикальное изменение дискурса о цифровой телесности. Автор анализирует проекты цифровой моды, размещенные на платформах The Fabricant, Dematerialized, DressX, Artisant, а также работы цифровых дизайнеров, получивших известность благодаря участию в цифровых показах.

Purpose: This study aims to discuss to what extent are WMPs practical tools for circular and sustainable waste management in universities, presenting, therefore, a case study of the usage of WMP in the Brazilian public universities and comparing this scenario with the international context. Design/methodology/approach: The WMPs were identified by online search and analyzed according to qualitative indicators (spatial-temporal distribution, year, extent and virtual availability), and through circularity and sustainability criteria, using a proposed checklist. Findings: Even being mandatory instruments, only 17% of the 103 public universities in Brazil had a WMP identified, and, among these plans, 55% were restricted to healthcare services waste, only 15% covered all university campuses. Although most of the available plans indicate measures for more sustainable waste management (e.g., recyclable waste collection on campus), they lack specific deadlines for presented goals on waste management, treating waste management at a more emergency pace than in well-structured long-term planning. Originality/value: Numerous studies have discussed waste management strategies for universities worldwide, but few have addressed the usage and structure of WMPs. A case study of the Brazilian situation in light of the international scenario is of great value in understanding the differences between universities in terms of waste management, and with strong potential to support the structuring of more solid environmental policies in universities, especially in developing countries.

This article examines whether a three-year learning-based work community intervention resulted in changes in working community-related interaction factors and occupational well-being among Finnish and Estonian school staff. It reports the types of changes in working community-related interaction factors and their associations to the subjective occupational well-being and general occupational well-being of the working community. The initial quantitative survey data were collected in Finland (n = 486) and Estonia (n = 1330) in 2010 using the "Well-being at your work index questionnaire." The same measurement tool was used in 2013 to collect final survey data from school staff members in Finland (n = 545) and Estonia (n = 974). The data were analyzed statistically with percent, mean, SD, Mann-Whitney test, sum variables, one-way analysis of variance and Spearman's correlation. Changes were detected in factors related to working community interaction; in particular, statistically significant changes in work management and time use were detected in Finnish schools. Working atmosphere and appreciation of others' work, cooperation and information, and work management and time use were associated to both the subjective occupational well-being and general occupational well-being of the working community. Schools should plan and implement development activities to promote the subjective occupational well-being and general working community occupational well-being. Development work should focus on working community-related interaction, such as trust between workers. Principals should draw particular attention to principal-subordinate relationships and to providing information about changes.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) can cause significant disease in immunocompromised patients, and treatment options are limited by toxicities. CSJ148 is a combination of two anti-HCMV human monoclonal antibodies (LJP538 and LJP539) that bind to and inhibit the functions of viral HCMV glycoprotein B (gB) and the pentameric complex, consisting of glycoproteins gH, gL, UL128, UL130, and UL131. In this phase 2, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, we evaluated the safety and efficacy of CSJ148 for prophylaxis of HCMV in patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. As would be expected in the study population, all the patients (100%) reported at least one treatment-emergent adverse event. There were 22 deaths during this study, and over 80% of the patients receiving placebo or CSJ148 developed at least one adverse event of grade 3 or higher severity. No subject who received antibody developed a hypersensitivity- or infusion-related reaction. CSJ148-treated patients showed trends toward decreased viral load, shorter median duration of preemptive therapy, and fewer courses of preemptive therapy. However, the estimated probability that CSJ148 decreases the need for preemptive therapy compared to placebo was 69%, with a risk ratio of 0.89 and a 90% credible interval of 0.61 to 1.31. The primary efficacy endpoint was therefore not met, indicating that CSJ148 did not prevent clinically significant HCMV reactivation in recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplants. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under identifier NCT02268526 and at EudraCT under number 2017-002047-15.).

Estudos sobre o impacto e a gestão da diversidade e da diferença cultural presente em equipes globais em empresas e organizações internacionais ainda são discretos, apesar de modelos teóricos sobre o tema serem frequentemente publicados. Esta pesquisa qualitativa, descritiva de cunho interpretativista buscou, através da aplicação de um questionário a dois (2) trabalhadores que compõem uma equipe global em uma organização internacional, contribuir para este campo de estudos, ao verificar se e quais aspectos da Competência Intercultural (CI) estão presentes na compreensão do trabalho em equipes globais destes indivíduos. As discussões e análises mostram que as diferenças linguísticas e culturais influenciam grandemente o trabalho de equipes globais e que o desenvolvimento de aspectos que compõem a CI é indispensável para a obtenção dos melhores resultados. Palavras-chave: Equipes globais. Organizações internacionais. Diversidade e Diferença cultural. Competência intercultural.

Nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice, a model of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, have a defect in natural killer (NK) cell-mediated functions. Here we show impairment in an activating receptor, NKG2D, in NOD NK cells. While resting NK cells from C57BL/6 and NOD mice expressed equivalent levels of NKG2D, upon activation NOD NK cells but not C57BL/6 NK cells expressed NKG2D ligands, which resulted in downmodulation of the receptor. NKG2D-dependent cytotoxicity and cytokine production were decreased because of receptor modulation, accounting for the dysfunction. Modulation of NKG2D was mostly dependent on the YxxM motif of DAP10, the NKG2D-associated adaptor that activates phosphoinositide 3 kinase. These results suggest that NK cells may be desensitized by exposure to NKG2D ligands.

O objetivo deste trabalho é, primeiramente, discutir o uso de dois termos que representam perspectivas diferentes acerca do ensino/aprendizagem da língua inglesa na contemporaneidade: “inglês como língua estrangeira” (ILE) e “inglês como língua franca” (ILF), com o auxílio teórico de autores como House (1999), Seidlhofer (2001, 2004, 2011), Graddol (2006), Jenkins (2006, 2007, 2011), Cogo e Dewey (2012), entre outros. Aliado a isso, na sequência, almeja-se a compreensão das consequências que o uso da tradução interlingual pode trazer para o processo de ensino/aprendizagem do idioma dentro das duas perspectivas delineadas, ou seja, ILE e ILF. Isso será feito, relacionando-se, por um lado, a perspectiva filosófica desconstrutivista da tradução como prática de (re)criação e “originalidade” (DERRIDA, 1967, 2011; ARROJO, 2002) à perspectiva do ILF como meio de comunicação. Por outro lado, a visão logocêntrica de tradução como transporte de signos e cópia do “original” será associada à perspectiva do ILE, a qual, sabidamente, ancora-se na busca pelo desempenho idêntico àquele do falante nativo. Será visto, portanto, que a adoção de diferentes perspectivas de ensino/aprendizagem da língua em pauta pode levar a consequências divergentes, tanto nas escolhas pedagógicas do tradutor quanto no desenvolvimento da competência comunicativa do aprendiz.

Both in vivo data in preclinical cancer models and in vitro data with T cells from patients with advanced cancer support a role for Tim-3 blockade in promoting effective anti-tumor immunity. Consequently, there is considerable interest in the clinical development of antibody-based therapeutics that target Tim-3 for cancer immunotherapy. A challenge to this clinical development is the fact that several ligands for Tim-3 have been identified: galectin-9, phosphatidylserine, HMGB1, and most recently, CEACAM1. These observations raise the important question of which of these multiple receptor:ligand relationships must be blocked by an anti-Tim-3 antibody in order to achieve therapeutic efficacy. Here, we have examined the properties of anti-murine and anti-human Tim-3 antibodies that have shown functional efficacy and find that all antibodies bind to Tim-3 in a manner that interferes with Tim-3 binding to both phosphatidylserine and CEACAM1. Our data have implications for the understanding of Tim-3 biology and for the screening of anti-Tim-3 antibody candidates that will have functional properties in vivo.

Purpose: This paper aims to present the baseline results of a research and development project targeted to improve the occupational well-being of school staff and maintain their ability to work, in Finland and Estonia. It reveals the most problematic factors in the various aspects of the school community and professional competence and outlines development needs in the school communities. Design/methodology/approach: The overall project design is action research, conducted during 2009-2013 in the SHE (Schools for Health in Europe) network in Finland and Estonia. The baseline survey data were collected in 2009-2010 with a web-based Well-being at your work index questionnaire and analysed statistically using descriptive statistics, sum variables of factors and Mann-Whitney tests. Findings: The general opinions of the Finnish school staffs were more affirmative than those of Estonian school staffs regarding their own personal occupational well-being in comparison with the best in the profession (p=0.000). However, the Finns were more critical than the Estonians when estimating the general well-being of the staff in their working community, maintenance of their ability to work, the aspects of the school community and professional competence and development needs in the school communities. Research limitations/implications: The results cannot be widely generalised due to the geographically defined samples, but they can be suggestive in comparable situations in Finland and Estonia. Originality/value: There is a need to develop the occupational well-being of school staff and maintenance of their ability to work in the school communities: specific interventions will be developed on the basis of the results obtained from the project schools. (Contains 4 tables and 2 figures.)

RNAi screens have implicated hundreds of host proteins as HIV-1 dependency factors (HDFs). While informative, these early studies overlap poorly due to false positives and false negatives. To ameliorate these issues, we combined information from the existing HDF screens together with new screens performed with multiple orthologous RNAi reagents (MORR). In addition to being traditionally validated, the MORR screens and the historical HDF screens were quantitatively integrated by the adaptation of an established analysis program, RIGER, for the collective interpretation of each gene’s phenotypic significance. False positives were addressed by the removal of poorly expressed candidates through gene expression filtering, as well as with GESS, which identifies off-target effects. This workflow produced a quantitatively integrated network of genes that modulate HIV-1 replication. We further investigated the roles of GOLGI49, SEC13, and COG in HIV-1 replication. Collectively, the MORR-RIGER method minimized the caveats of RNAi screening and improved our understanding of HIV-1–host cell interactions.

A Lagoa do Vigário está localizada no município de Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, e sofreu um processo de aterramento na década de 80 para que o acesso dos moradores ao centro da cidade fosse facilitado. Devido ao processo irregular de ocupação espontânea e a delimitação de áreas de risco estabelecidas pela Prefeitura de Campos, os moradores estão sendo remanejados para os conjuntos habitacionais construídos pela Prefeitura. Dado este fato, o presente estudo tem como objetivo valorar economicamente a Lagoa do Vigário através da percepção socioambiental da população local e verificar quais fatores socioeconômicos tem influência para o valor. Para tanto, a técnica utilizada foi o Método de Valoração Contingente, o qual consiste em captar o valor econômico de ativos ambientais através da aplicação de questionários, assim como a utilização da regressão linear para verificar quais fatores socioeconômicos contribuem para o valor da Disposição a Pagar. Uma amostra de 50 indivíduos foi questionada acerca de sua disposição a pagar (DAP) pela permanência, manutenção e acesso do ativo ambiental. Da população entrevistada, 100% estariam dispostos a pagar alguma quantia para continuar morando no local tendo manutenção e acesso ao bem. A DAP média estimada foi de R$ 5,98 mensais. Palavras-Chave: Valoração, Disposição a Pagar, Área de Preservação Permanente.

Trata-se de um estudo da aplicabilidade da Justiça Restaurativa, no caso de crime de lesão corporal leve praticado contra a mulher no âmbito doméstico ou familiar, tendo como ponto central a vítima e não a lei, analisando a vontade daquela, como pressuposto primeiro, para a manutenção ou não dos laços afetivos que a prendem ao seu agressor. Destaca-se o julgamento da Ação Direta de Inconstitucionalidade n. 4.424, que proporciona uma nova leitura ao artigo 16 da Lei Maria da Penha, o qual autoriza o Ministério Público a instaurar a ação pública, sem necessidade de representação da vítima, excluindo-a do processo e, consequentemente, desconsiderando sua capacidade de realizar escolhas na vida. Esse entendimento atribuído pela Suprema Corte contraria a nova filosofia da Criminologia crítica, baseada em princípios de conciliação e mediação, com o objetivo de humanizar a pena e fazer com que a vítima participe da construção da solução do conflito, bem como de buscar o sentimento de responsabilidade, respeito e arrependimento do agressor. Palavras-chave: Justiça restaurativa. Vitimização. Lei Maria da Penha. Judiciário.

HIV-1 depends on many host factors for propagation. Other host factors, however, antagonize HIV-1 and may have profound effects on viral activation. Curing HIV-1 requires the reduction of latent viral reservoirs that remain in the face of antiretroviral therapy. Using orthologous genetic screens, we identified bromodomain containing 4 (BRD4) as a negative regulator of HIV-1 replication. Antagonism of BRD4, via RNA interference or with a small molecule inhibitor, JQ1, both increased proviral transcriptional elongation and alleviated HIV-1 latency in cell-line models. In multiple instances, JQ1, when used in combination with the NF-κB activators Prostratin or PHA, enhanced the in vitro reactivation of latent HIV-1 in primary T cells. These data are consistent with a model wherein BRD4 competes with the virus for HIV-1 dependency factors (HDFs) and suggests that combinatorial therapies that activate HDFs and antagonize HIV-1 competitive factors may be useful for curing HIV-1 infection.

Este trabalho tem como objetivo discutir as vantagens obtidas com a utilização de atividades de tradução interlingual para o professor de língua inglesa do ensino regular público, no qual fatores de depreciação impedem o sucesso do ensino de língua inglesa. A tradução, vista sob a perspectiva desconstrutivista, é entendida como atividade de leitura, produção e desenvolvimento textual e, desta forma, enriquecimento linguístico e pode ser reforçada pelos pressupostos da linguística textual. Considerando as proposições colocadas pelos Parâmetros Curriculares Nacionais para o ensino fundamental, verificou-se, por meio de estudo de literatura pertinente e de pesquisa empírica, que as atividades de leitura e tradução levam o aluno a ter uma consciência crítica não somente em relação à linguagem, mas, sobretudo, em relação a aspectos sociopolíticos, interacionais, culturais e identitários.

BackgroundViruses can evade immune surveillance, but the underlying mechanisms are insufficiently understood. Here, we sought to understand the mechanisms by which natural killer (NK) cells recognize HIV-1-infected cells and how this virus can evade NK-cell-mediated immune pressure.Methods and findingsTwo sequence mutations in p24 Gag associated with the presence of specific KIR/HLA combined genotypes were identified in HIV-1 clade C viruses from a large cohort of infected, untreated individuals in South Africa (n = 392), suggesting viral escape from KIR+ NK cells through sequence variations within HLA class I-presented epitopes. One sequence polymorphism at position 303 of p24 Gag (TGag303V), selected for in infected individuals with both KIR2DL3 and HLA-C*03:04, enabled significantly better binding of the inhibitory KIR2DL3 receptor to HLA-C*03:04-expressing cells presenting this variant epitope compared to the wild-type epitope (wild-type mean 18.01 ± 10.45 standard deviation [SD] and variant mean 44.67 ± 14.42 SD, p = 0.002). Furthermore, activation of primary KIR2DL3+ NK cells from healthy donors in response to HLA-C*03:04+ target cells presenting the variant epitope was significantly reduced in comparison to cells presenting the wild-type sequence (wild-type mean 0.78 ± 0.07 standard error of the mean [SEM] and variant mean 0.63 ± 0.07 SEM, p = 0.012). Structural modeling and surface plasmon resonance of KIR/peptide/HLA interactions in the context of the different viral sequence variants studied supported these results. Future studies will be needed to assess processing and antigen presentation of the investigated HIV-1 epitope in natural infection, and the consequences for viral control.ConclusionsThese data provide novel insights into how viruses can evade NK cell immunity through the selection of mutations in HLA-presented epitopes that enhance binding to inhibitory NK cell receptors. Better understanding of the mechanisms by which HIV-1 evades NK-cell-mediated immune pressure and the functional validation of a structural modeling approach will facilitate the development of novel targeted immune interventions to harness the antiviral activities of NK cells.

HIV-2 and SIVMAC are AIDS-causing, zoonotic lentiviruses that jumped to humans and rhesus macaques, respectively, from SIVSM-bearing sooty mangabey monkeys. Cross-species transmission events such as these sometimes necessitate virus adaptation to species-specific, host restriction factors such as TRIM5. Here, a new human restriction activity is described that blocks viruses of the SIVSM/SIVMAC/HIV-2 lineage. Human T, B, and myeloid cell lines, peripheral blood mononuclear cells and dendritic cells were 4 to >100-fold less transducible by VSV G-pseudotyped SIVMAC, HIV-2, or SIVSM than by HIV-1. In contrast, transduction of six epithelial cell lines was equivalent to that by HIV-1. Substitution of HIV-1 CA with the SIVMAC or HIV-2 CA was sufficient to reduce HIV-1 transduction to the level of the respective vectors. Among such CA chimeras there was a general trend such that CAs from epidemic HIV-2 Group A and B isolates were the most infectious on human T cells, CA from a 1° sooty mangabey isolate was the least infectious, and non-epidemic HIV-2 Group D, E, F, and G CAs were in the middle. The CA-specific decrease in infectivity was observed with either HIV-1, HIV-2, ecotropic MLV, or ALV Env pseudotypes, indicating that it was independent of the virus entry pathway. As2O3, a drug that suppresses TRIM5-mediated restriction, increased human blood cell transduction by SIVMAC but not by HIV-1. Nonetheless, elimination of TRIM5 restriction activity did not rescue SIVMAC transduction. Also, in contrast to TRIM5-mediated restriction, the SIVMAC CA-specific block occurred after completion of reverse transcription and the formation of 2-LTR circles, but before establishment of the provirus. Transduction efficiency in heterokaryons generated by fusing epithelial cells with T cells resembled that in the T cells, indicative of a dominant-acting SIVMAC restriction activity in the latter. These results suggest that the nucleus of human blood cells possesses a restriction factor specific for the CA of HIV-2/SIVMAC/SIVSM and that cross-species transmission of SIVSM to human T cells necessitated adaptation of HIV-2 to this putative restriction factor.

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To replicate, viruses must gain access to the host cell's resources. Interferon (IFN) regulates the actions of a large complement of interferon effector genes (IEGs) that prevent viral replication. The interferon inducible transmembrane protein family members, IFITM1, 2 and 3, are IEGs required for inhibition of influenza A virus, dengue virus, and West Nile virus replication in vitro. Here we report that IFN prevents emergence of viral genomes from the endosomal pathway, and that IFITM3 is both necessary and sufficient for this function. Notably, viral pseudoparticles were inhibited from transferring their contents into the host cell cytosol by IFN, and IFITM3 was required and sufficient for this action. We further demonstrate that IFN expands Rab7 and LAMP1-containing structures, and that IFITM3 overexpression is sufficient for this phenotype. Moreover, IFITM3 partially resides in late endosomal and lysosomal structures, placing it in the path of invading viruses. Collectively our data are consistent with the prediction that viruses that fuse in the late endosomes or lysosomes are vulnerable to IFITM3's actions, while viruses that enter at the cell surface or in the early endosomes may avoid inhibition. Multiple viruses enter host cells through the late endocytic pathway, and many of these invaders are attenuated by IFN. Therefore these findings are likely to have significance for the intrinsic immune system's neutralization of a diverse array of threats.

Cyclophilins (Cyps), the intracellular receptors for Cyclosporine A (CsA), are responsible for peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerisation and for chaperoning several membrane proteins. Those functions are inhibited upon CsA binding. Albeit its great benefits as immunosuppressant, the use of CsA has been limited by undesirable nephrotoxic effects, including sodium retention, hypertension, hyperkalemia, interstial fibrosis and progressive renal failure in transplant recipients. In this report, we focused on the identification of novel CypB-interacting proteins to understand the role of CypB in kidney function and, in turn, to gain further insight into the molecular mechanisms of CsA-induced toxicity. By means of yeast two-hybrid screens with human kidney cDNA, we discovered a novel interaction between CypB and the membrane Na/K-ATPase β1 subunit protein (Na/K-β1) that was confirmed by pull-down, co-immunoprecipitation and confocal microscopy, in proximal tubule-derived HK-2 cells. The Na/K-ATPase pump, a key plasma membrane transporter, is responsible for maintenance of electrical Na+ and K+ gradients across the membrane. We showed that CypB silencing produced similar effects on Na/K-ATPase activity than CsA treatment in HK-2 cells. It was also observed an enrichment of both alpha and beta subunits in the ER, what suggested a possible failure on the maturation and routing of the pump from this compartment towards the plasma membrane. These data indicate that CypB through its interaction with Na/K-β1 might regulate maturation and trafficking of the pump through the secretory pathway, offering new insights into the relationship between cyclophilins and the nephrotoxic effects of CsA.

Peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerases (PPIs) catalyze cis/trans isomerization of peptide bonds preceding proline residues. The involvement of PPI family members in protein refolding has been established in test tube experiments. Surprisingly, however, no data is available on the involvement of endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident members of the PPI family in protein folding, quality control or disposal in the living cell. Here we report that the immunosuppressive drug cyclosporine A (CsA) selectively inhibits the degradation of a subset of misfolded proteins generated in the ER. We identify cyclophilin B (CyPB) as the ER-resident target of CsA that catalytically enhances disposal from the ER of ERAD-L(S) substrates containing cis proline residues. Our manuscript presents the first evidence for enzymatic involvement of a PPI in protein quality control in the ER of living cells.

Anurans from an inselberg in southeastern Brazil were studied using a sample ofsixty tank of bromeliads Alcantharea sp. We found 153 tadpoles of S. arduous, 21adults of S. arduous, 30 adults of T. miliaris, and two adults of Scinax x-signatus,which were not considered in our analyses. Tadpoles of S. arduous were present in35% of the analyzed plants. Adults of S. arduous (bromeligeneous) occurred in 25%of analyzed plants, while adults of T. miliaris (bromelicolous) occurred in 30%.Apparently the presence of toe pads in S. arduous allow them to occupy the centerportion of bromeliads, while T. miliaris, which lack pads on their toes, were foundon the base of the plant axils. The number of anuran species and the abundance ofindividuals found were low. This may be a result of the high altitude of our studiedsite or a restriction imposed by the saxicolous environment, such as high temperaturesand low humidity during the day. Both species can be considered generalist feedersdue to their wide variety of ingested prey. Formicidae was their main prey but wasabsent segregation in the bromeliads. Blattodea was very common inside the bromeliadaxils and represented the most signifi cant prey by weight in both frog species. Weconclude that both anurans forage inside and outside of bromeliads. Trophic nichebreadth in S. arduous was larger than in T. miliaris. Even both species being commoninhabitants of the same environment, they demonstrated a marked spatial segregationin the bromeliads. Based on their diet, however, there may be disputes for territoryoutside of the bromeliads.

Possibilities of using tidal phenomena for the development of a monitoring technique of apparent resistivity Rho(a) variation registration, and the analysis of previous studies, are considered in this paper. The properties of tidal deformation of the Earth’s crust are analyzed. The high accuracy of Rho(a) measurements (not more than 1% error) using modern audiomagnetotelluric (AMT) instruments allows measurement of small changes in the apparent resistivity (2-3 %). The results of AMT monitoring in different geological settings show a good correlation between Rho(a) variations with amplitudes of 3-8 % and variations of the vertical tidal deformations, dH. Tidal Rho(a) variations are easily observed in heterogeneous geological environments, but they are not observed at sites with a thick homogeneous sedimentary cover. Both direct and inverse correlations between Rho(a) and dH plots were observed, which can be explained by the dependence of the degree of water saturation in the rocks: direct correlations between Rho(a) and dH appear in dry rocks with high resistivity and inverse correlations are observed in water saturated rocks with low resistivity. As a result of the monitoring performed at a site with anisotropic rocks, an inverse correlation for Epolarization and a direct correlation for B-polarization were observed. These results show that the AMT sounding method can be applied to the monitoring of the stress-strain state of rocks prior to earthquakes.

BACKGROUND: Migration of mammalian cells is a complex cell type and environment specific process. Migrating hematopoietic cells assume a rapid amoeboid like movement when exposed to gradients of chemoattractants. The underlying signaling mechanisms remain controversial with respect to localization and distribution of chemotactic receptors within the plasma membrane and the role of PI 3-kinase activity in cell polarization. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We present a novel model for the investigation of human leukocyte migration. Monocytic THP-1 cells transfected with the alpha(2A)-adrenoceptor (alpha(2A)AR) display comparable signal transduction responses, such as calcium mobilization, MAP-kinase activation and chemotaxis, to the noradrenaline homologue UK 14'304 as when stimulated with CCL2, which binds to the endogenous chemokine receptor CCR2. Time-lapse video microscopy reveals that chemotactic receptors remain evenly distributed over the plasma membrane and that their internalization is not required for migration. Measurements of intramolecular fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) of alpha(2A)AR-YFP/CFP suggest a uniform activation of the receptors over the entire plasma membrane. Nevertheless, PI 3-kinase activation is confined to the leading edge. When reverting the gradient of chemoattractant by moving the dispensing micropipette, polarized monocytes--in contrast to neutrophils--rapidly flip their polarization axis by developing a new leading edge at the previous posterior side. Flipping of the polarization axis is accompanied by re-localization of PI-3-kinase activity to the new leading edge. However, reversal of the polarization axis occurs in the absence of PI 3-kinase activation. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Accumulation and internalization of chemotactic receptors at the leading edge is dispensable for cell migration. Furthermore, uniformly distributed receptors allow the cells to rapidly reorient and adapt to changes in the attractant cue. Polarized monocytes, which display typical amoeboid like motility, can rapidly develop a new leading edge facing the highest chemoattractant concentration at any site of the plasma membrane, including the uropod. The process appears to be independent of PI 3-kinase activity.