פרסומים

Given the potential health benefits (and adverse effects), of polyphenolic and steroidal glycoalkaloids in the diet there is a growing interest in fully elucidating the genetic control of their levels in foodstuffs. Here we carried out profiling of the specialized metabolites in the seeds of theSolanum pennelliiintrogression lines identifying 338 putative metabolite quantitative trait loci (mQTL) for flavonoids, steroidal glycoalkaloids and further specialized metabolites. Two putative mQTL for flavonols and one for steroidal glycoalkaloids were cross-validated by evaluation of the metabolite content of recombinants harboring smaller introgression in the corresponding QTL interval or by analysis of lines from an independently derived backcross inbred line population. The steroidal glycoalkaloid mQTL was localized to a chromosomal region spanning 14 genes, including a previously defined steroidal glycoalkaloid gene cluster. The flavonoid mQTL was further validated via the use of transient and stable overexpression of theSolyc12g098600andSolyc12g096870genes, which encode seed-specific uridine 5 `-diphosphate-glycosyltransferases. The results are discussed in the context of our understanding of the accumulation of polyphenols and steroidal glycoalkaloids, and how this knowledge may be incorporated into breeding strategies aimed at improving nutritional aspects of plants as well as in fortifying them against abiotic stress.

This volume provides a broad perspective on the state of the art in the philosophy and conceptual foundations of quantum mechanics. Its essays take their starting point in the work and influence of Itamar Pitowsky, who has greatly influenced our understanding of what is characteristically non-classical about quantum probabilities and quantum logic, and this serves as a vantage point from which they reflect on key ongoing debates in the field. Readers will find a definitive and multi-faceted description of the major open questions in the foundations of quantum mechanics today, including: Is quantum mechanics a new theory of (contextual) probability? Should the quantum state be interpreted objectively or subjectively? How should probability be understood in the Everett interpretation of quantum mechanics? What are the limits of the physical implementation of computation? The impact of this volume goes beyond the exposition of Pitowsky’s influence: it provides a unique collection of essays by leading thinkers containing profound reflections on the field.

 The work of writers in exile is generally expected to display the theme of nostalgia and the techniques of defamiliarization. It is seldom noted that the experience of a young emigrant is sometimes characterized by bouts of overwhelming poignant happiness, of joy yielded by the senses in response to the natural or even urban scenes. This happiness, against the background of a near-sublime self-sufficiency, is a distinctive feature of Nabokov’s experience of the twenties, despite the painful blows that he received; it is a recurrent theme in his poetry, fiction, and letters. By the late 1930s, for a variety of personal and political reasons, the waves of joy become rare. Instead, Nabokov’s other capacities deepen and gain further development, a modified axiology partly replacing the youthful happiness or compensating for the infrequency of its returns. This paper is devoted to the shift of emphases in Nabokov’s poetics and his thematic concerns after he could no longer base his eschatology on a recurrent experience of joyful oneness with the world.     

  המטרה: לבחון את האופן שבה ילדים שנחקרים בעקבות חשד לפגיעה והתעללות בהם מצד הוריהם מבנים את מושג ה"אהבה".   הנבדקים: 82 ילדים שנחקרו בחקירה פורנזית באמצעות פרוטוקול הריאיון NICHD בעקבות חשד להתעללות מינית או גופנית מצד הוריהם. שיטת מחקר: נערך מחקר איכותני, במסגרתו הראיונות עברו ניתוחי תוכן על מנת לזהות את משמעותו של מושג האהבה בעבור הילדים הנחקרים.   מן הממצאים 54 מן הילדים הופנו לחקירה בעקבות חשד להתעללות גופנית ו-28 בחשד להתעללות מינית, מתוכם 68 חשפו את אירועי ההתעללות לאדם מחוץ למשפחה בטרם התחילה החקירה הפורנזית, ו-14 חשפו אותו במהלך החקירה עצמה. הילדים הנחקרים התייחסו בעצמם ובאופן ספציפי לאהבה בשלושה הקשרים: הניסיון להסביר את אירועי ההתעללות; קשיים בתיאור מעשי ההתעללות; ובמסגרת תיאור התוצאות של חשיפת האירועים. בהמשך לכך, הילדים התייחסו למושג אהבה בתיאורם את אירועי ההתעללות כדרך שבה ההורים מראים להם אהבה, וכאשר הם רצו להגן על הוריהם מפני החוקר-מראיין. אהבה הועלתה על ידי הילדים גם כאשר הם רצו לבטא את הפחד שלהם מפני תוצאות חשיפת ההתעללות והפגיעה המשפטית האפשרית בהורים בעקבותיה. בנוסף, נמצא כי בכל המקרים שנותחו, החוקרים-מראיינים התעלמו מהשימוש של הילדים במושג אהבה ומהמשמעויות הטמונות בו.   המחקר מראה כי תפיסותיהם של ילדים את מושג האהבה הינן מרכזיות במסגרת היחסים שלהם עם הוריהם המתעללים וכי במהלכה של חקירה פורנזית יש להתייחס למשמעויות הטמונות במושג זה.   הסבר מושג: פרוטוקול NICHD – מדריך ראיונות חקירה עם ילדים, קורבנות לכאורה להתעללות מינית. הפרוטוקול נועד לשפר את איכות הריאיון עם הילד על ידי הגברת השימוש של מראיינים באסטרטגיות של תשאול פתוח, כדי לעורר נרטיבים חופשיים, עשירים ומדויקים.       

R system is involved in the development of hepatic leptin resistance and in the regulation of sOb-R levels via CHOP.\\ When the human body has stored enough energy from food, it releases a hormone called leptin that travels to the brain and stops feelings of hunger. This hormone moves through the bloodstream and can affect other organs, such as the liver, which also help control our body�s energy levels. Most people with obesity have very high levels of leptin in their blood, but are resistant to its effects and will therefore continue to feel hungry despite having stored enough energy. One of the proteins that controls the levels of leptin is a receptor called sOb-R, which is released by the liver and binds to leptin as it travels in the blood. Individuals with high levels of this receptor often have less free leptin in their bloodstream and a lower body weight. Another protein that helps the body to regulate its energy levels is the cannabinoid-1 receptor, or CB1R for short. In people with obesity, this receptor is overactive and has been shown to contribute to leptin resistance, which is when the brain becomes less receptive to leptin. Previous work in mice showed that blocking CB1R reduced the levels of leptin and allowed mice to react to this hormone normally again, but it remained unclear whether CB1R affects how other organs, such as the liver, respond to leptin. To answer this question, Drori et al. blocked the CB1R receptor in the liver of mice eating a high-fat diet, either by using a drug or by deleting the gene that codes for this protein. This caused mice to have higher levels of sOb-R circulating in their bloodstream. Further experiments showed that this change in sOb-R was caused by the levels of a protein called CHOP increasing in the liver when CB1R was blocked. Drori et al. found that inhibiting CB1R caused these obese mice to lose weight and have healthier, less fatty livers as a result of their livers no longer being resistant to the effects of leptin. Scientists, doctors and pharmaceutical companies are trying to develop new strategies to combat obesity. The results from these experiments suggest that blocking CB1R in the liver could allow this organ to react to leptin appropriately again. Drugs blocking CB1R, including the one used in this study, will be tested in clinical trials and could provide a new approach for treating obesity.