Toute alliance donne à penser que les êtres humains sont capables de se lier par un engagement réciproque. Ce faisant, ils sont appelés à témoigner d'une solidarité vouée à se déployer dans le temps de l'alliance. Le chrétien négro-africain est appelé à assumer ses engagements dans ses alliances traditionnelles et modernes aussi bien que dans l'Alliance christique. De là, la nécessité d'une réflexion éthique susceptible d'articuler ces alliances et d'éclairer le Négro-africain. Une réflexion éthico-théologique peut contribuer à relever ce défi en Afrique noire subsaharienne. Ce problème n'a pas échappé aux préoccupations théologiques dans cette partie du continent. Quelques monographies théologiques en témoignent. Mais ces études, à notre connaissance, se sont cantonnées aux alliances ancestrales. Or, il importe de prendre en compte aussi les alliances modernes dans lesquelles est engagé le chrétien négro-africain. Pour interpeller ce dernier et éclairer sa conscience afin qu'il assume sa vie en alliance, nous procédons au discernement de ses alliances humaines à la lumière de la théologie morale de l'Alliance. A cette fin, notre recherche s'articule sur la triple démarche herméneutique d'une théologie contextuelle. La première partie qui analyse le contexte de l'étude, esquisse les alliances négro-africaines. Le premier chapitre porte sur les alliances socio-culturelles traditionnelles : les alliances matrimoniales, les alliances amicales et les alliances anthropocosmiques. Au second chapitre, il est question des alliances modernes tant politico-économiques qu'humanitaires. Dans la deuxième partie qui décontextualise la question de l'étude, nous analysons l'Alliance biblique et ses enjeux éthiques respectivement dans le Premier Testament au chapitre premier et le Nouveau Testament au second chapitre. Notre approche éthico-théologique s'appuie surtout sur J. L'Hour, A. Wénin dans le cadre vétérotestamentaire et sur H. Wattiaux et P. Beauchamp dans la perspective néotestamentaire. La troisième partie qui recontextualise l'étude entend placer les alliances négro-africaines dans la lumière de la morale biblique de l'Alliance. Le chapitre premier est consacré à l'évaluation théologique des alliances ancestrales à partir des études théologiques déjà réalisées dans la perspective négro-africaine. Le dernier chapitre commence par la lecture éthico-théologique des alliances modernes et se termine par une description du profil éthique du partenaire négro-africain du Dieu de Jésus-Christ. En entrant dans l'Alliance résultant de l'initiative d'amour de Dieu pour l'humanité, le Négro-africain effectue et met au jour ce qu'il est et est appelé à devenir : un être qui n'est pas libre d'aimer ou de ne pas aimer, mais un être libre pour aimer. Le projet d'agapè de l'Alliance met les projets de solidarité des alliances dans une perspective telle que le service de la dignité humaine devient la pierre de touche de l'humanisation. Si la quête de l'humanisation est l'horizon de l'agir humain, l'identité et la spécificité de l'allié du Dieu de Jésus-Christ consiste à aimer, grâce à l'agapè de l'Alliance baptismale, à la manière de Jésus-Christ. En effet la manière d'être et d'aimer de celui-ci marque de son empreinte le chemin de l'humanisation : se servir de ses capacités pour humaniser l'homme et la société. L'éthique de l'Alliance aide le Négro-africain à prendre conscience de la limite et des faiblesses de son humanité. Ainsi l'amène-t-elle à apprécier et à vivre autrement les valeurs de solidarité, à contribuer au renouvellement des alliances d'Afrique aussi bien qu'à la reconstruction d'une humanité authentique de paix, de justice, d'égalité, de fraternité…dans le respect de la dignité humaine. Aimer, c'est participer de la nature théandrique du Christ. C'est à ce prix que le chrétien négro-africain assume au cœur de ses alliances humaines l'intuition célèbre de saint Augustin : " Dilige et quod vis fac " (Aime et fais ce que tu veux ).

La capacidad de las leguminosas de establecer una asociación simbiotica con bacterias de suelo es de fundamental importancia para la incorporación de nitrógeno a los ecosistemas, particularmente en sistemas agronómicos. En el presente trabajo de tesis se estudió la dinámica de la asociación de transcriptos (mRNAs) y miRNAs a complejos traduccionales durante las etapas tempranas de la simbiosis. Para ello, inicialmente, se puso a punto de la técnica de purificación por afinidad de ribosomas y polisomas (TRAP) en Medicago truncatula. Se cuantificó la variación de los niveles de asociación a polisomas de quince mRNAs en respuesta a la inoculación con su simbionte Sinorhizobium meliloti. Se identificó un grupo de genes, cuyos mRNAs no varían significativamente a nivel de abundancia celular, pero que se regulan positivamente a nivel de su asociación a polisomas en respuesta al rizobio. Este grupo incluyó genes que codifican receptores de tipo quinasas requeridos para la infección bacteriana o la organogénesis del nódulo y factores de transcripción de la familia GRAS y NF-Y. Posteriormente, se evaluaron los niveles de asociación a polisomas de los mRNAs seleccionados en los tejidos específicos de la raíz involucrados en la formación de nódulos: epidermis, córtex y floema. Este análisis permitió identificar mRNAs que se asocian diferencialmente a polisomas en los distintos tipos celulares durante las etapas tempranas de la simbiosis. Por otro lado, se evaluó la presencia de pequeños RNAs (sRNAs) en los complejos traduccionales purificados mediante TRAP. Los sRNAs seleccionados, incluyendo miRNAs de 21 y 22 nts y tasiRNAs, se encontraron asociados a complejos traduccionales. En particular, los niveles de miR169 presentes en polisomas disminuyeron significativamente en respuesta a la inoculación. Esta dismunución se vió acompañada de un incremento en la asociación a polisomas de su gen blanco, NF-YA1, y de los niveles de la proteína en las raíces inoculadas. Estos resultados indican que tanto los mRNAs como los miRNAs estarían sometidos a un reclutamiento diferencial a polisomas y expone la importancia de la traducción selectiva durante la simbiosis. La extensión de la técnica TRAP a M. truncatula abre la posibilidad de profundizar este nivel de regulación tanto a nivel de raíz completa como de tipos celulares específicos en asociaciones simbióticas como la nodulación y la micorrización arbuscular. El presente trabajo de tesis contribuye a sustentar la relevancia de los niveles de regulación post-transcripcional en los cambios de la expresión génica que ocurren durante el establecimiento de una asociación simbiótica de importancia ecológica y agronómica.

ABSTRACTThis thesis situates the Harry Potter books into the greater body of food studies and into the extant children's literary tradition through an examination of how food can be used to understand cultural identity. Food is a biological need, but because we have created social rules and rituals around food consumption and sharing, there is more to eating than simple nutritional value. The Harry Potter series is as much about overcoming childhood adversity, and good versus evil, as it is about magic, and food in the Harry Potter series is both abundant and relevant to the narrative, context, and themes of the books. Sweets such as candy, puddings, and cakes, help construct both wizard and Muggle identity in addition to serving as a bridge between readers and characters. How the characters use sweets to create and reinforce friendships or exclude those who do not belong is important, especially since children usually lack other cultural capital and, in their worlds, food is reward, treat, and punishment. Examples of this are shown in the scene where Harry first travels on the Hogwarts Express, in the ways the Dursleys deny Harry birthday celebrations, and in how holidays are celebrated by the witches and wizards in the series.The sharing of food in the novels builds tensions, creates bonds, and codes different characters as "acceptable" or "unacceptable" based on their willingness, or refusal, to share food. Teatime and feasting are examples of how food is shared by analogous and disparate groups of people in the series. Tea is served most often by those in subordinate positions of power, but is one way in which the characters can socialize and create community. Feasts at the beginning and end of the school term bookmark the year by immersing students and faculty into a shared world at first, and then by sending them back to their families, aware of their own triumphs and accomplishments. When feasts are used to unite outside groups, such as before the Triwizard Tournament, the ways that different foods are embraced or rejected serve to reinforce identity and inclusion.Using cultural studies methods in conjunction with food studies and Reader-Response critical theory, this thesis argues that food in the Harry Potter series represents the socially constructed identities of the characters within the texts, and also serves to bridge the gap between the readers and the characters.

The present investigation was undertaken in order to develop a method that would result in a synchronous in vitro maturation of nucleus and cytoplasm of porcine oocytes. A series of nine experiments was set up to compare various types and combinations of sera and porcine follicular fluid (pFF). A further important investigative feature was the testing of the use of a goat serum antibody against the maturation-inhibiting hormone inhibin. In addition, two feeder layer systems were tested as to their suitability for the in vitro maturation of porcine oocytes and their in vitro cultivation when fertilised. The oocytes were harvested by cutting open ovarian follicles of slaughtered peripubertal sows. They were washed three times in PBS + 10% foetal calf serum (FCS) and subsequently transferred to a maturation medium (TCM199 + Protein source/Feeder layer), where they were incubated at 39°C and 5% CO2 for 46 hours. In Experiments 1 - 4, the percentage of metaphase II oocytes that developed was determined (maturation rate). In Experiments 1 and 2, the cultured oocytes were stained with Giemsa and the degree of expansion of the mucified cumulus oopherus after maturation was assessed. The Giemsa stain was replaced by Lacmoid stain in Experiments 3 and 4. In Experiments 5 - 9, the oocytes matured in vitro were fertilised in order to ascertain the efficiency of their cytoplasmic maturation. In these latter five experiments, both the rate of cellular division and the integrity of the blastomeres' cytoplasm were investigated (FDA staining). Also, the number of zygotes containing two or m! ore embryonal nuclei were counted (Hoechst A 33342 staining). In the first experiment of this series, the influence of different concentrations of FCS on the maturation rate of porcine oocytes was tested (n = 192 - 258 oocytes/group). From the results of this experiment, the recommended concentration of FCS needed to be added to the basic maturation medium (TCM199) was found to be 5% as this resulted in the best maturation rate (48%), and an optimally expanded cumulus (quality 1) in 47% of the oocytes. A slightly higher degree of maturation (50%) tended to be present when just 1% FCS was added, but only 23% of the oocytes had an optimal expansion of their cumulus oophorus. The generally used standard of adding 10% FCS to the maturation medium provided only middling success (39% maturation rate, 23% quality I oocytes). The fundamental necessity of FCS in the maturation medium was also confirmed by the results from the first test group where no FCS was present: just 27% metaphase II oocytes developed and only 17% had an optimally expanded cumulus. Experiment 2 looked at the effects of an inhibin-antibody-containing goat serum on the maturation of porcine oocytes (n = 162 - 307 oocytes/group). The first control group grown with only 10% pFF showed the best degree of maturation both with respect to the rate of maturation and the expansion of the cumulus oopherus (83% and 87%, resp.). The groups of oocytes grown in maturation media containing anti-inhibin antibodies did not grow so well as those with pFF, but they tended to grow better than those groups without this antibody (61% and 70% vs 64% and 61%, resp.). As a second control group grown with a heat-inactivated goat serum without the anti-inhibin antibodies resulted in the poorest results (47% maturation rate). It can be concluded that the addition of the anti-inhibin antibody promotes maturationof porcine oocytes The third experiment (n = 61 - 86 oocytes/group) looked anew at the use of various concentrations of the anti-inhibin goat serum, whereby in this series pFF was used as the basic protein source and not, as in Experiment 2, the heat-inactivated goat serum. All three media containing the anti-inhibin antibody tended to have better maturation rates than the three media without this antibody (71%, 71% and 65% vs 58%, 67% and 68%, resp.). In Experiment 4, twelve different test groups (n = 74 - 116 oocytes/group) were set up in order to test not only the effect of differing serum concentrations, but also the influence of two feeder-layer combinations on the in vitro maturation of porcine oocytes. All the test groups with a feeder layer [Buffalo Rat Liver cells (BRL) or porcine oviduct feeder layer (pEIL); Groups 2,3,5,6,8,9,11 and 12] showed significantly better degrees of maturation than the test groups without feeder layers (Groups 1,4,7,10). The best maturation results were attained with 10% pFF and a BRL feeder layer (88% metaphase II oocytes), where less than half of these developed in the culture media without serum/pFF and a feeder layer (40% metaphase II oocytes). The test groups with both the antibody-containing goat serum and pEIL or BRL tended to grow better than those groups with the non-heat-inactivated goat serum and a pEIL or BRL feeder layer (81% and 78% vs 74% and 70%, resp.). Maturation rates ! of 79% were achieved in the test groups 11 and 12 grown with BRL or pEIL but without serum or pFF, which shows that a feeder layer can replace the function of serum in in vitro culture. In order to test their degree of cytoplasmic maturation, the oocytes in Experiment 5 were not stained directly after maturation but were fertilised in vitro and their rate of division was determined (n = 109 - 139 oocytes/group). Using the same test situation as in Experiment 3, more oocytes were matured and fertilised. Those test groups without the anti-inhibin antibody which had shown a poor result in Experiment 3 showed in this new test series a tendency for a higher rate of division (32%, 32% and 34%). Those oocytes grown on media with the lowest concentrations of anti-inhibin exhibited an equivalent rate of division to this. In comparison, the group which had exhibited the highest maturation rate in Experiment 3 - the group grown on the medium containing only 10% pFF - now showed the lowest rate of division (25%). As the test situation for these two experiments were the same, this result indicates that there is a great discrepancy between the degree of nuclear and cytopl! asmic maturation induced by the various additives to the basic culture medium. The degree of cytoplasmic maturation of the oocytes was then assessed in Experiment 6 (n = 158-220 oocytes/group). The test situations in this experiment, whereby the oocytes were cultured with a feeder layer mirrored those set up in experiment 4. The best rates of division occurred in the culture with 9% pFF, 1% anti-inhibin and a BRL feeder layer (38%). The worst results occurred in the culture without either a protein source or a feeder layer. The rate of division of all the other test groups lay between 25 and 32%. In Experiment 7, a complex system of judgement for the classification of the test groups was used (n = 84-137 oocytes/group). The rate of division, the integrity of the cytoplasm and the number of nuclei after in vitro fertilisation were assessed for every oocyte. The design of this experiment was the same as for Experiment 6. The worst results for all three criteria were found in those test groups without a feeder layer. A cultivation constellation of 9% pFF, 1% anti-inhibin and a BRL feeder layer produced the best results for the rate of division, vitality and the percentage of zygotes with 2 or more nuclei (39%, 89% and 40%, resp.). The cultures with 9% pFF, 1% anti-inhibin and pEIL had a 35% rate of division, 94% vital oocytes and 50% fertilised oocytes containing 2 or more nuclei. These two methods of cultivation can both, therefore, be recommended for the in vitro maturation of porcine oocytes. Experiment 8 considered the use of a feeder layer not only for the maturation phase but also for the subsequent culture of the embryo (n = 68-80 oocytes/group). The best results in both culture phases were obtained with a BRL feeder layer system (66% division rate, 84% vital oocytes and 78% oocytes with 2 or more nuclei). In comparison, the maturation and embryo cultures without feeder layers exhibited a rate of division of 18%, 48% vital oocytes, and 25% oocytes with 2 or more nuclei. As in comparison to the feeder-layer-supported embryo cultures, there were significantly poorer results for all three parameters in those cultures where a feeder layer was not used during the embryonal culture phase, it may be concluded that within the scope of this research work, feeder layers have a positive effect on both these phases of oocyte cultivation. In Experiment 9, in vitro matured oocytes were compared with in vivo matured oocytes (n = 127-130 oocytes/group). The immature oocytes were matured in vitro on oviduct feeder layers and then cultivated, while the mature oocytes were collected from superovulated sows. The success of the different maturation systems were then tested by embryo transfer. The mature oocytes in each group were fertilised in vitro and the resulting embryos were implanted in synchronised recipient sows. A viable pregnancy could not be produced in any of the test groups.

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Thesis (M.A.)--Wisconsin. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 80-81).

En un contexto postdictatorial latinoamericano y en particular en Chile, donde la utopía socialista ha fracasado, instalándose un sistema democrático neoliberal que continúa en buena medida con los diseños sociales impuestos por las dictaduras, asistimos a una operación oficial de desmemoria destinada a borrar la huella del trauma. A raíz de ello, no es extraño el surgimiento de una escritura que se resiste al olvido y que intenta visibilizar experiencias que el discurso oficial pretende dejar fuera de la historia. Es así como la reconstitución de la memoria y el trabajo del duelo, se asumen como ejes que van articulando tanto la ficción como el testimonio. La (pre)ocupación por la memoria tiene que ver con una resistencia al borramiento y al olvido, y así las distintas subjetividades e identidades se van forjando a partir de este contexto. La novela Cansado ya del sol, de Alejandra Costamagna (2002), se inscribe dentro de este proceso. Este trabajo tiene como propósito analizar la (re)creación identitaria de la protagonista a partir de la reconstitución de la memoria y el trabajo del duelo. Desde mi perspectiva, esta identidad sólo se forja a partir de su descubrimiento sexual/memorioso, que culmina en el momento de la muerte del padre, asumiendo así una doble pérdida que le permitirá escarbar en el pasado por tanto tiempo silenciado.

M.A. (Islamic Studies) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.A. (African Languages) / Please refer to full text to view abstract