Remote Islands as Fictional and Metaphorical Places in Cervantes, Fletcher and Shakespeare

Islands have always occupied a significant place in literature and have been a source of inspiration for the literary imagination. Fictional islands have existed as either lost paradises, or places where law breaks down under physical hardships and a sense of entrapment and oppression. Islands can be sites of exotic fascination, of cultural exchange and of great social and political upheaval. However, they are more than mere locations since to be in a place implies being bound to that place and appropriating it. That means that the islands narrow boundaries, surrounded by the sea and cut off from mainland, can create bridges between the real and the imaginary as a response to cultural and social anxieties, frequently taking the form of eutopias/dystopias, Edens, Arcadias, Baratarias, metatexts, or cultural crossroads, deeply transforming that particular geographical location. This article is concerned with insularity as a way of interrogating cultural and political practices in the early modern period by looking at the works of Cervantes, Fletcher and Shakespeare where insular relations are characterized by tensions of different sort. The arrival of Prospero and Miranda, Periandro and Auristela (The Trials of Persiles and Segismunda), and Albert and Aminta (The Sea Voyage) to their respective islands take us to a different world, revealing different political and cultural interests and generating multiple perspectives on the shifting relationship between culture, society and power

Expanding applications of the Nano Intravital Device as a platform for exploring tumor microenvironments

The tumor microenvironment has been demonstrated to be a key determinant in the progression of cancer. Unfortunately, the mechanisms behind the different microenvironments (cytokine gradients, hypoxia, hypoglycemia, etc) have not been fully elucidated. Identifying these mechanisms can lead to targeted, individualized therapy to prevent metastasis. The Nano Intravital Device (NANIVID) is a microfabricated, implantable device designed to initiate specific microenvironments in vivo so that the time course of the effects can be observed. With both spatial and temporal control over the induced environments, the affected regions of the tumor can be compared to the rest of the tumor. The NANIVID was first used to establish cytokine gradients to monitor the migration of invasive cancer cells. The three projects that comprise this work expand the applications of the NANIVID to establish the device as a robust platform for investigating tumor microenvironment interactions. The first project released chemical mimics from the device to induce the cellular hypoxic response in tumors to determine how hypoxia affects the fate of disseminated tumor cells. The second project used the NANIVID in combination with an atomic force microscope to investigate the altered mechanics of migrating invasive cancer cells. The final project was to develop a cell counter to monitor the isolation of the invasive subpopulation of cells that were drawn into the device using a chemoattractant. These three projects demonstrate the potential of the NANIVID as a platform for investigating the tumor microenvironment

Standoff detection of bacterial spores by field deployable coherent Raman spectroscopy

: Vibrational spectroscopies offer great potential for standoff detection of chemical and biological warfare agents, avoiding contamination to the operator and equipment. Among them, particularly promising is Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) spectroscopy, using synchronized pump/Stokes laser pulses to set up a vibrational coherence of target molecules at a laser focus, which is read by further interaction with a probe pulse, resulting in the emission of a coherent beam detectable at a distance. CARS has previously demonstrated the capability to detect bacterial spores based on the Raman spectrum of the characteristic molecule calcium dipicolinate (CaDPA); however, a complex and bulky laser technology, which is only suitable for a laboratory environment, was employed. Here we develop a broadband CARS setup based on a compact, industrial grade ytterbium laser system. We demonstrate high signal-to-noise ratio detection of Bacillus atrophaeus spores at a concentration of 105 cfu/mm2, at a standoff distance of 1 m, and an acquisition time of 1 s. Our system, which combines chemical specificity and sensitivity along with improved ruggedness and portability, paves the way to a new generation of instruments for real-world standoff detection of chemical and biological threats

Cartografia e diplomacia: usos geopolíticos da informação toponímica (1750-1850)

O artigo explora dimensões geopolíticas da toponímia, registradas em documentos cartográficos, desde as reformas empreendidas pelo consulado pombalino em meados do século XVIII, até às primeiras décadas do século XIX, em meio ao processo de afirmação do Estado imperial pós-colonial.This paper explores the geopolitical dimensions of toponymy as registered in cartographic documents dating from the reforms pushed through by the consulate of Marquis of Pombal in the mid 18th century to the early decades of the 19th century, as the post-colonial imperial State established itself

Payload Hardware and Experimental Protocol for Testing the Effect of Space Microgravity on the Resistance to Gentamicin of Stationary-Phase Uropathogenic Escherichia Coli and Its Sigma (sup S)-Deficient Mutant

Human immune response is compromised and bacteria can become more antibiotic resistant in space microgravity (MG). We report that under low-shear modeled microgravity (LSMMG) stationary-phase uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) become more resistant to gentamicin (Gm). UPEC causes urinary tract infections (UTIs), reported to afflict astronauts; Gm is a standard treatment, so these findings could impact astronaut health. Because LSMMG has been shown to differ from MG, we report here preparations to examine UPEC's Gm sensitivity during spaceflight using the E. coli Anti-Microbial Satellite (EcAMSat) on a free flying nanosatellite in low Earth orbit. Within EcAMSats payload, a 48-microwell fluidic card contains and supports study of bacterial cultures at constant temperature; optical absorbance changes in cell suspensions are made at three wavelengths for each microwell and a fluid-delivery system provides growth medium and predefined Gm concentrations. Performance characterization is reported for spaceflight prototypes of this payload system. Using conventional microtiter plates, we show that Alamar Blue (AB) absorbance changes due to cellular metabolism accurately reflect E. coli viability changes: measuring AB absorbance onboard EcAMSat will enable telemetry of spaceflight data to Earth. Laboratory results using payload prototypes are consistent with wellplate and flask findings of differential sensitivity of UPEC and its delta rpoS strain to Gm. Space MG studies using EcAMSat should clarify inconsistencies from previous space experiments on bacterial antibiotic sensitivity. Further, if sigma (sup s) plays the same role in space MG as in LSMMG and Earth gravity, EcAMSat results would facilitate utilizing our previously developed terrestrial UTI countermeasures in astronauts

BioSentinel: Mission Summary and Lessons Learned From the First Deep Space Biology CubeSat Mission

Launched on Artemis I, BioSentinel carries a biology experiment into deep space for the first time in 50 years. A 6U CubeSat form factor was utilized for the spacecraft, which included technologies newly developed or adapted for operations beyond Earth orbit. The spacecraft carries onboard budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as an analog to human cells to test the biological response to deep space radiation. This was the maiden deep-space voyage for many of the subsystems, and the first time to evaluate their performance in flight operation. Flying a CubeSat beyond LEO comes with unique challenges with respect to trajectory uncertainty and mission operations planning. The nominal plan was a lunar fly-by, followed by an insertion into heliocentric orbit. However, some possible scenarios included lunar eclipses that could have severely impacted the power budget during that phase of the mission, while others could have resulted in a “retrograde” hyperbola at swing-by resulting in the spacecraft traveling inward toward Earth or even towards a collision with the lunar surface. The commissioning phase of the mission was successful and completed a week ahead of schedule. It did not come without its exciting moments and challenges. First contact with the spacecraft uncovered that the vehicle was unexpectedly tumbling after deployment, a situation that needed to be corrected urgently. The mission operations team executed a contingency plan to stabilize the spacecraft, with just moments to spare before the battery ran out of power. The BioSensor payload onboard the spacecraft is a complex instrument that includes microfluidics, optical systems, sensor control electronics, as well as the living yeast cells. BioSentinel also includes a TimePix radiation sensor implemented by JSC’s RadWorks group. Total dose and Linear Energy Transfer (LET) spectrum data are compared to the rate of cell growth and metabolic activity measured in the S. cerevisiae cells. BioSentinel mature nanosatellite technologies included: deep space communications and navigation, autonomous attitude control and momentum management, and micro-propulsion systems, to provide an adaptable nanosatellite platform for deep space uses. This paper discusses the performance of the BioSentinel spacecraft through the mission phase, and includes lessons learned from challenges and anomalies. BioSentinel had many successes and will be a pathfinder for future deep space CubeSats and biology missions

EcAMSat: Small Satellite to Examine E. coli's Response in Microgravity to the Antibiotic Gentamicin

We have successfully flown the EcAMSat (Escherichia coli Antimicrobial Satellite) free-flyer mission. This was a 6U small satellite that autonomously conducted an experiment in low Earth orbit to explore the impact of the space environment on antibiotic resistance in uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) and the role a particular sigma factor plays in the response. After being held in stasis during transport to orbit, two strains a wildtype UPEC and an isogenic mutant with a deleted gene that encodes a sigma factor were grown to stationary phase in a fluidic card inside EcAMSat's payload, then incubated with three concentrations of the antibiotic gentamicin. The payload then administered alamarBlue, a redox indicator, into all wells of the fluidic card. The cells were then incubated for 144 hours and metabolic activity was measured optically using the payloads' LED and detector system. Data were then telemetered to the ground and compared to a control experiment conducted in an identical satellite in a lab. The results of this experiment will help us better understand important therapeutic targets for treating bacterial infections on Earth and in space. Such targets are particularly relevant to deep-space and long-duration missions where crew may be more susceptible to infection and treatments for them may work differently

EcAMSat: A Small Satellite Flown to Explore the Role a Sigma Factor Plays in E. coli's Response to the Antibiotic Gentamicin

We have successfully flown the EcAMSat (Escherichia coli Antimicrobial Satellite) free-flyer mission. This was a 6U (six unit - CubeSat) small satellite that autonomously conducted an experiment in low Earth orbit to explore the impact of the space environment on antibiotic resistance in uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) and the role a particular sigma factor plays in the response. After being held in stasis during transport to orbit, two strains - a wildtype UPEC and an isogenic mutant with a deleted gene that encodes a sigma factor - were grown to stationary phase in a fluidic card inside EcAMSat's payload, then incubated with three concentrations of the antibiotic gentamicin. The payload then administered alamarBlue (registered trademark), a redox indicator, into all wells of the fluidic card. The cells were then incubated for 144 hours and metabolic activity was measured optically using the payloads' LED (Light-Emitting Diode) and detector system. Data were then telemetered to the ground and compared to a control experiment conducted in an identical satellite in a lab. The results of this experiment will help us better understand important therapeutic targets for treating bacterial infections on Earth and in space. Such targets are particularly relevant to deep-space and long-duration missions where crew may be more susceptible to infection and treatments for them may work differently

EcAMSat: Effect of Space-Flight on Antibiotic Resistance of a Pathogenic Bacterium and its Genetic Basis

Human immune response is compromised in space and incidence of urinary tract infections (UTI) in astronauts has been reported. We have found that the causative agent of UTI, the uropathogenic Escherichia coli, becomes more resistant to gentamicin (Gm), which is commonly used to treat this disease, under modeled microgravity conditions (MMG), the increase being controlled by the stress response master regulator, s. While the wild type bacterium becomes virtually invincible under MMG, the strain missing this sigma factor barely survives. We report here preparatory ground work for testing this finding in space flight on a nanosatellite. We have shown that the effect of Gm treatment on culture viability is directly correlated to increased Alamar Blue (AB) reduction; we have identified conditions to keep the experimental elements - the bacterial cultures, Gm, and AB - in a state of viability and potency to permit successful spaceflight experimentation given the necessary constraints. Spaceflight kinetics of AB reduction will be transmitted from the satellite via telemetry. The PharmaSat hardware previously used for space experimentation with yeast was modified to permit studies with bacteria by reducing the filter pore size and increasing fluidics volume to enable more fluid exchanges. Several verification tests have been run using the nanosatellite's flight software and prototype hardware. Cells were grown to stationary phase to induce the s-controlled stress resistance and treated with Gm. Without Gm, the mutant took longer than the wild type to reduce the AB; this time difference increased almost 8 fold at 55 g/mL Gm concentration. Thus, using flight hardware the mutant shows similarly increased sensitivity to Gm compared to the wild type to that found in our pilot microtiter plate experiments. Previous inflight experiments have given contradictory results concerning bacterial antibiotic resistance; none has yet explored the involvement of specific genes in this phenomenon. With our system ready to fly in late 2015/early 2016, these questions can be approache

Colonial Metaphors: Symbolic Approaches to the Chaco Tierra Adentro

La expresión tierra adentro pertenece al vocabulario de las fuentes coloniales y es también utilizada en el ámbito académico para los estudios de frontera; sin embargo, aún no hemos reflexionado sobre sus usos y sentidos. En este trabajo adopto una perspectiva etnográfica orientada a las fronteras del Chaco durante el siglo XVIII, con la intención de abordar la dimensión simbólica de tierra adentro, atendiendo a los distintos sentidos adheridos a ella durante la Colonia y a las prácticas de dominación asociadas a esas significaciones. Considero, también, su incorporación como categoría de análisis a los estudios académicos sobre los espacios de frontera. Los datos provienen de un gran número de documentos escritos durante la Colonia y fueron examinados desde la propuesta de la antropología histórica: la crítica textual y contextual, la lectura transversal y la interpretación de las situaciones sociales del pasado, entre otras. Tierra adentro condensa un amplio abanico de significados arraigados en el imaginario colonial, que condicionaron la percepción de los grupos indígenas no sometidos y de sus territorios; esos significados ?que se expresan en términos metafóricos? promovieron y habilitaron políticas de sometimiento; el uso de esta expresión en el ámbito académico va de la mano de cierta conceptualización sobre la tierra adentro sobre la que recién se ha comenzado a reflexionar. Este trabajo aporta a la desnaturalización de una expresión habitualmente utilizada, pero sobre cuyos significados intrínsecos aún no se han formulado definiciones ni debates. De esta manera, contribuye a la discusión crítica en cuanto al uso y los alcances teóricos del vocabulario heredado de las fuentes documentales para la investigación histórico-antropológica y propone algunos aspectos comunes que podrían aplicarse a otros espacios concebidos como tierra adentro durante la experiencia colonial.The expression tierra adentro belongs to the language of colonial sources and although it is also used in academia in border studies, we are yet to reflect on its uses and meanings. In this work, I adopt an ethnographic perspective focusing on the frontiers of the Chaco province during the 18th century, in order to address the symbolic dimension of the tierra adentro, paying attention to the different meanings attached to it during the colonial period and the practices of domination associated with those meanings. I also consider its incorporation as a category of analysis in academic border studies. The data come from a large number of documents written during the colonial period, which I examined based on historical anthropology approach: Textual and contextual criticism, transversal reading, and interpretation of past social situations, among others. Tierra adentro condenses a wide range of meanings rooted in the colonial imaginary, which conditioned the perception of non-submissive indigenous groups and their territories; these meanings —expressed in metaphorical terms— promoted and enabled policies of submission. The use of this expression in the academic sphere goes hand in hand with a certain conceptualization of tierra adentro which has only recently begun to be addressed. This work supports the denaturalization of an expression that is commonly used but whose intrinsic meanings have not yet been properly defined or debated. Accordingly, it adds to the critical discussion regarding the use and theoretical scope of the vocabulary acquired from documentary sources for historical-anthropological research and it proposes some common aspects that could be applied to other spaces that were conceived as tierra adentro during the colonial experience.Fil: Lucaioli, Carina Paula. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Centro de Investigaciones Sociales. Instituto de Desarrollo Económico y Social. Centro de Investigaciones Sociales; Argentin