The tricarboxylic acid (TCA) or Krebs cycle, which takes place in prokaryotic cells and in the mitochondria of eukaryotic cells, is central to life on Earth and participates in key events such as energy production and anabolic processes. Despite its relevance, it is not perceived as tightly regulated compared to other key metabolisms such as glycolysis/gluconeogenesis. A better understanding of the functioning of the TCA cycle is crucial due to mitochondrial function impairment in several diseases, especially those that occur with (...) neurodegeneration. This article revisits what is known about the regulation of the Krebs cycle and hypothesizes the need for large‐scale, rapid regulation of TCA cycle enzyme activity. Evidence of mitochondrial enzyme activity regulation by activation/deactivation of protein kinases and phosphatases exists in the literature. Apart from indirect regulation via G protein‐coupled receptors (GPCRs) at the cell surface, signaling upon activation of GPCRs in mitochondrial membranes may lead to a direct regulation of the enzymes of the Krebs cycle. Hormonal‐like regulation by posttranscriptional events mediated by activable kinases and phosphatases deserve proper assessment using isolated mitochondria. Also see the video abstract here: https://youtu.be/aBpDSWiMQyI. (shrink)

Meister Eckhart escribió textos en alemán y en latín. Pero, fuera del ámbito de los estudios eckhartianos, es conocido sobre todo por su obra alemana. De la obra latina, los textos menos frecuentados son los llamados “sermones latinos”: una serie de notas o borradores que podrían haber servido como material preparatorio para lo que en el Prologus generalis in Opus tripartitum el mismo Eckhart llama el Opus sermonum, del que no tenemos más noticia que la del Prologus mencionado. En castellano, (...) el destino de la obra latina de Eckhart no ha sido hasta ahora demasiado afortunado. Pocas son las traducciones. Y, en cuanto a los “sermones latinos”, ninguno ha sido traducido todavía. Ofrecemos la traducción de uno de estos sermones, el XXXVII, en el que Eckhart comenta un texto de Pablo (Efesios 4, 1-6): Unus deus et pater omnium. En el estudio preliminar se ofrece (1) una introducción a la obra latina de Eckhart en general y, en particular, a los “sermones latinos” y (2) un comentario del texto traducido. (shrink)

Since most of the functions in cells are mediated by multimeric protein complexes, the determination of protein–protein interactions is an important step in the study of cellular mechanisms. Traditionally, after screening for possible target interactors by means of a yeast two‐hybrid screen, several methods are used to validate the initial result before carrying out functional experiments. Nowadays, non‐invasive fluorescence‐based methods like Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer (BRET) and Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) are widely used in the study of protein–protein interactions (...) in living cells. In the present review, we address the individual strengths and weaknesses of both RET approaches, providing information on their possible future use in the study of G protein‐coupled receptor oligomerization. BioEssays 30:82–89, 2008. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (shrink)

Qué hacemos para reparar a las víctimas, hacer justicia, acabar con la impunidad y por la construcción de la memoria histórica. En la mayoría de países democráticos el conocimiento del pasado, así como la reparación y justicia para las víctimas de períodos represivos, son parte de los cimientos del propio sistema. Por el contrario, en el caso de España, la debilidad de la democracia tiene su raíz en la impunidad de la dictadura, el abandono de las víctimas y la ausencia (...) de políticas de memoria. Hablar de memoria histórica no es una vuelta al pasado: es una necesidad del presente, pues no seremos una democracia plena sin antes reparar y dignificar a las víctimas. Casi cuatro décadas después de la muerte de Franco, queda mucho por hacer. La insuficiente ley de memoria histórica, las vías judiciales abiertas, la acción del movimiento ciudadano; y la responsabilidad de los distintos agentes políticos y sociales, centran nuestras propuestas para construir una memoria democrática. Es decir, para construir democracia. (shrink)

Reseña d ela obra de Stefania Zanardi, _Umanesimo e umanesimi. Saggio introduttivo alla storiografia di Eugenio Garin_, Milano, Franco Angeli, 2019, 129 pp.

Paraconsistency is the study of logical systems with a non-explosive negation such that a pair of contradictory formulas (with respect to such negation) does not necessarily imply triviality, discordant to what would be expected by contemporary logical orthodoxy. From a purely logical point of view, the significance of paraconsistency relies on the meticulous distinction between the general notions of contradictoriness and triviality of a theory—respectively, the fact that a given theory proves a proposition and its negation, and the fact that (...) a given theory proves any proposition (in the language of its underlying logic). Aside from this simple rationale, the formal techniques and approaches that meet the latter definitional requirement are manifold. Furthermore, it is not solely the logical-mathematical properties of such systems that are open to debate. Rather, there are several foundational and philosophical questions worth studying, including the very question about the nature of the contradictions allowed by paraconsistentists. This entry aims to advance a brief account of some distinct approaches to paraconsistency, providing a panorama on the development of paraconsistent logic. (shrink)

The important yet contradictory role of innovation in society calls for a philosophy of innovation. Critically exploring innovation in relation to values, the economy and social change, Rafael Ziegler proposes a collaborative theory and practice of innovation that aims to liberate possibilities for our common futures. Following cues from the arts and drawing on the innovation literature across the social sciences, this book exposes pro-innovation bias and the gospel of disruptive change. Not only entrepreneurs but also civic networks and (...) tinkerers are discussed as sources of innovation, and social change as a balancing act of innovation, exnovation and restoration. The discussion of capabilitarian, communitarian, liberal, republican and socialist ideas of justice and innovation leads Ziegler to a transformative proposal: 'enough innovation' based on enough for all and with respect for all. This is a thought-provoking read for scholars working on sustainability-transformation, democratic, responsible and social innovation, and philosophy of economics. (shrink)

An Innovating approach to Plato’s philosophy Through a careful survey of several significant Platonic texts, mainly focussing on the nature of knowledge, Essays on Plato’s Epistemology offers the reader a fresh and promising approach to Plato’s philosophy as a whole. From the very earliest reception of Plato’s philosophy, there has been a conflict between a dogmatic and a sceptical interpretation of his work and thought. Moreover, the two sides are often associated, respectively, with a metaphysical and an anti-metaphysical approach. This (...) book, continuing a line of thought that is nowadays strongly present in the secondary literature – and also followed by the author in over thirty years of research –, maintains that a third way of thinking is required. Against the widespread view that an anti-dogmatic philosophy must go together with an anti-metaphysical stance, Trabattoni shows that for Plato, on the contrary, a sober and reasonable assessment of both the powers and limits of human reason relies on a proper metaphysical outlook. (shrink)

Since the publication of Alexander Weheliye’s Habeas Viscous (2014), a devastating critique of biopolitics from the perspective of Black feminist theory, I have been on the lookout for a critique o...

This book aims to provide original solutions to a range of highly debated problems among scholars of Plato's Phaedo, along with an overall interpretation of the dialogue. For each of the topics (or Platonic passages) analysed, the book provides a detailed assessment and discussion of the latest scholarship. On the basis of this approach, From Death to Life: Key Themes in Plato's Phaedo offers partially or widely innovative interpretations (particularly with regard to the knowability of the Forms, "recollection", the doctrine (...) of the soul as a harmony, the problem of causes, and the so-called "second voyage"). This book will undoubtedly spark debate among scholars both in terms of the critical assessment of the theses it proposes and of the objections it raises against alternative interpretations. (shrink)