Whole body regeneration and developmental competition in two botryllid ascidians

Background Botryllid ascidians are a group of marine invertebrate chordates that are colonial and grow by repeated rounds of asexual reproduction to form a colony of individual bodies, called zooids, linked by a common vascular network. Two distinct processes are responsible for zooid regeneration. In the first, called blastogenesis, new zooids arise from a region of multipotent epithelium from a pre-existing zooid. In the second, called whole body regeneration (WBR), mobile cells in the vasculature coalesce and are the source of the new zooid. In some botryllid species, blastogenesis and WBR occur concurrently, while in others, blastogenesis is used exclusively for growth, while WBR only occurs following injury or exiting periods of dormancy. In species such as Botrylloides diegensis, injury induced WBR is triggered by the surgical isolation of a small piece of vasculature. However, Botryllus schlosseri has unique requirements that must be met for successful injury induced WBR. Our goal was to understand why there would be different requirements between these two species. Results While WBR in B. diegensis was robust, we found that in B. schlosseri, new zooid growth following injury is unlikely due to circulatory cells, but instead a result of ectopic development of tissues leftover from the blastogenic process. These tissues could be whole, damaged, or partially resorbed developing zooids, and we defined the minimal amount of vascular biomass to support ectopic regeneration. We did find a common theme between the two species: a competitive process exists which results in only a single zooid reaching maturity following injury. We utilized this phenomenon and found that competition is reversible and mediated by circulating factors and/or cells. Conclusions We propose that WBR does not occur in B. schlosseri and that the unique requirements defined in other studies only serve to increase the chances of ectopic development. This is likely a response to injury as we have discovered a vascular-based reversible competitive mechanism which ensures that only a single zooid completes development. This competition has been described in other species, but the unique response of B. schlosseri to injury provides a new model to study resource allocation and competition within an individual.

The Importance of Using Hashtags on Raising Awareness about Social Issues

Hashtags are a great way for people to search for topics on social networks that have a common theme. This study tried to explore the importance and power of hashtags that have gained popularity, on raising awareness about social issues. 252 participants (118 males and 134 females) participated in this study. In order to collect data, a questionnaire survey was used. The final questionnaire consisted of 20 items. It was a 4-point Likert scale: (1) Strongly disagree, (2) Disagree, (3) Agree, (4) Strongly agree. Means, standard deviations, a t-test and degrees were scored to analyze the participants’ responses to the items of questionnaire. The results revealed that the overall degree of the expected benefits of using hashtags on raising the awareness about social events was high. Moreover, the results also revealed that there were no statistically significant differences, regarding gender (male and female).

Psychological Compassion as Portrayed in Dorothea in Eliot’s Middlemarch and Louisa in Dickens’ Hard Times

This article has a cogent argument to investigate the similarities and differences between Eliot and Dickens’ techniques in revealing the insight natural expressions of compassion by analyzing the heroines’ characteristics portrayed in the common theme of their selected novels. This article adopts the Seven-Stage Model of Maslow’s (1970) Motivation Theory to analyze Dorothea in Eliot’s Middlemarch and Louisa in Dickens’ Hard Times. According to Maslow, individuals should satisfy the models’ conceptual expressions completely to reach an ultimate level, which is self-actualization needs. In this regard, Maslow maintained that those who have reached the pyramid’s peak are capable of love. The findings of this study indicate that Eliot shines by enhancing many prominent feminine touches, emotional and aesthetic concepts, and passionate experiences in her heroines’ personalities much more than Dickens who ignores them. For instance, Dorothea in Eliot’s Middlemarch satisfies all the conceptual expressions of the model’s self-actualization needs perfectly, while Louisa in Dickens’ Hard Times has many problems, particularly in getting love, esteem, as well as cognitive, aesthetic, and self-actualization needs. So, Eliot’s excellence suggests a powerful contribution by refuting and criticizing the Victorian masculine stereotypical mottos that women could not express more than half of life and they could not feel a passion.

The Chryses Episode as an Epichoric Hymn

This chapter discusses hexametrical hymns in the archaic period that were closely tied to local rituals, such as processions, sacrifices, libations and so forth, that focused on epichoric deities and that detailed the interactions between the gods and men and how good relations might be established between them. The discussion is framed around the well-known Chryses episode in the Iliad and argues that a good deal of the first book of the poem—how Agamemnon insults Apollo’s priest, how the god responds with the widespread slaughter of the Greeks, and how eventually the god is mollified—was originally composed as a freestanding hexametrical hymn to Apollo designed for performance in the local sanctuary of Apollo Smintheus on the Troad. The chapter focuses on the unanticipated paean-singing at Chryse and the two variant proems to an “older Iliad” that seem to reflect an earlier stage of composition, in which the poem began by focusing on the anger of Apollo (a common theme, for a local hymn), rather than the anger of Achilles, and discusses a variety of other cases in which shorter epichoric hymns seem to have been embedded into Panhellenic narratives: the so-called “Hymn to the Muses” at the start of the Hesiodic Theogony, the Eleusinian episode at the heart of the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, or the Delian and Crisaean sections of the Homeric Hymn to Apollo.

24th “Nantes Actualités en Transplantation” and 4th “LabEx Immunotherapy-Graft-Oncology” NAT and IGO Joint Meeting “New Horizons in Immunotherapy”

The 24th edition of the annual NAT conference (Nantes Actualités Transplantation) and the 4th edition of the biennial LabEx IGO meeting (Immunotherapy Graft Oncology) were held jointly around a common theme: “New horizons in immunotherapy”, on May 31st and June 1st 2021 to highlight new findings in the fields of transplantation, autoimmunity and cancer.

3. Blasphemy and religion

‘Blasphemy and religion’ evaluates the concept of blasphemy in religion, looking at the common theme emerging across the world religions. In Islam, ‘blasphemy’ is about protecting the community from fitnah (civil unrest). In Hinduism and Buddhism, it is about preventing adharma (non-dharma or anti-dharma). In the Bible, blasphemy is a crime of lèse-majesté, concerned with protecting the dignity of socially revered gods and men. In each case, blasphemy is social, political, and religious, and prohibiting blasphemy is about protecting community cohesion. The relationship between blasphemy and religious violence and the concept of inner-religious blasphemy is an interesting point of discussion here.

Challenges and Opportunities for eLearning During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The year in review

In 2020-2021, elearning became essential at all levels of education due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This editorial provides a year in review for eLearn Magazine. A common theme was the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic in online education and opportunities for overcoming these challenges.

Vaccine Hesitancy of Healthcare Workers: Another Challenge in the Fight Against Covid-19 in Istanbul

Objective: Healthcare workers (HCWs), are often seen as the most reliable source of vaccine-related information for their patients; nevertheless, various studies show that HCWs experience vaccine hesitation. In this study, the aim was to determine the reasons for vaccine hesitation among HCWs working in a large public hospital and its affiliated units in Istanbul. Method: A descriptive method for collecting qualitative data was designed for this study. The data of the HCWs was analyzed in line with the vaccine hesitancy factors put forward by the WHO. Results: The most important vaccine hesitancy theme that emerged was the fear and lack of confidence in the vaccines, which was expressed at a higher rate than any other theme in all HCWs. The most cited reason for fear/lack of confidence in the vaccine was the fear of its side effects. It was observed that the HCWs who reported hesitation about vaccination due to pregnancy and breastfeeding consisted of women. The second most common theme for vaccine hesitation was reported as an inconvenience in accessing the vaccines. Although HCWs have priority, they stated that their reason for vaccine hesitancy was due to heavy personal or workloads. The final theme was about complacency, or thinking they do not need the vaccine. Conclusion: Vaccine hesitation is a challenge that can be overcome with detailed monitoring and policy making. Although the vaccine seems to be more significant, we do not want to see vaccine hesitancy grow more than the vaccine itself.