Statu Nascendi Research Articles

Epstein-Barr virus LMP2A signaling in statu nascendi mimics a B cell antigen receptor-like activation signal

BackgroundThe latent membrane protein (LMP) 2A of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is expressed during different latency stages of EBV-infected B cells in which it triggers activation of cytoplasmic protein tyrosine kinases. Early studies revealed that an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (ITAM) in the cytoplasmic N-terminus of LMP2A can trigger a transient increase of the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration similar to that observed in antigen-activated B cells when expressed as a chimeric transmembrane receptor. Even so, LMP2A was subsequently ascribed an inhibitory rather than an activating function because its expression seemed to partially inhibit B cell antigen receptor (BCR) signaling in EBV-transformed B cell lines. However, the analysis of LMP2A signaling has been hampered by the lack of cellular model systems in which LMP2A can be studied without the influence of other EBV-encoded factors.ResultsWe have reanalyzed LMP2A signaling using B cells in which LMP2A is expressed in an inducible manner in the absence of any other EBV signaling protein. This allowed us for the first time to monitor LMP2A signaling in statu nascendi as it occurs during the EBV life cycle in vivo. We show that mere expression of LMP2A not only stimulated protein tyrosine kinases but also induced phospholipase C-γ2-mediated Ca2+ oscillations followed by activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk) mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway and induction of the lytic EBV gene bzlf1. Furthermore, expression of the constitutively phosphorylated LMP2A ITAM modulated rather than inhibited BCR-induced Ca2+ mobilization.ConclusionOur data establish that LMP2A expression has a function beyond the putative inhibition of the BCR by generating a ligand-independent cellular activation signal that may provide a molecular switch for different EBV life cycle stages and most probably contributes to EBV-associated lymphoproliferative disorders.

Analysis of hybridization between tetraploid Lotus corniculatus and diploid Lotus stepposus (Fabaceae-Loteae): morphological and molecular aspects

We analyzed variability of morphological characters and genetic polymorphism of inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers in nine natural populations of three Lotus species from Eastern Europe, aiming to provide insights into the nature of the species L. ucrainicus. Nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (nrITS) was used as an additional molecular marker for a small subset of accessions. Analysis of variance, and principal coordinate and principal component analyses were applied for morphological data study. Cluster analysis [unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA)], principal coordinate analysis, and analysis of population genetic structure were used for ISSR pattern study. Morphological and genetic (ISSR, nrITS) evidence suggested hybrid origin of L. × ucrainicus as a result of hybridization between tetraploid species L. corniculatus and diploid species L. stepposus. We conclude that L. × ucrainicus may represent a case of hybrid speciation in statu nascendi, occurring before our very eyes.

Reaction of 1-Aryl-1H-1,2,3-Triazole-4-Carbonyl Chlorides/Isothiocyanates with 3-Amino-5-Methylisoxazole

1-Aryl-1H-1,2,3-triazole-4-carbonyl chlorides were selected as starting materials for the Boulton–Katritzky rearrangement. When 3-amino-5-methylisoxazole was acylated by 1-aryl-1H-1,2,3-triazole-4-carbonyl chlorides, 1-aryl-5-methyl-N-(5-methylisoxazol-3-yl)-1H-1,2,3-triazole-4-carboxamides 5 were obtained and no further rearrangement occurred. On the other hand, when 1-aryl-1H-1,2,3-triazole-4-carbonyl chlorides were first converted into isothiocyanates by the reaction with KSCN and then were allowed to react with 3-amino-5-methylisoxazole 4 in one pot, intermediate thioureas were formed and spontaneously transformed in statu nascendi into 1,2,4-thiadiazole derivatives 6.GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Measurement of Seebeck coefficient of electroplated thermoelectric films in presence of a seed layer

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Podmiotowość prawnomiędzynarodowa Wspólnot Europejskich oraz Unii Europejskiej

One of the main issues in the debate on the Treaty of Lisbon was to determine the legal international status of the European Union. The doctrine of international public law and European law stipulates personality as the ability to acquire rights and enter into international commitments. Before the Treaty of Lisbon came into force a highly animated and varied discussion continued on this issue. Among other things, it concerned the issues of whether international organizations are the subjects of international law, the nature of their subjectivity (primary or secondary), the relationship between the Community’s founding treaties, and, finally, whether European law constitutes an autonomous legal system. The most serious controversies, however, were raised by the legal international qualification of the European Union. In the opinion of a portion of representatives of European law, the EU was considered to be an international organization although it did not have legal personality, in contrast to the European Community. Therefore, it was usually defined as a specific structure in statu nascendi. This dispute was ultimately concluded by the Lisbon Treaty which replaced the three-pillar legal structure with a uniform international organization, and the European Community ceased to function. Yet the new legal system retained the European Atomic Energy Community, which seems an inconsistent and flawed decision, albeit a politically justified solution.

Karyotype Reorganisation in the subtilis Group of Birch Mice (Rodentia, Dipodidae, Sicista): Unexpected Taxonomic Diversity within a Limited Distribution

Conventional cytogenetic studies of Sicista subtilis and S. severtzovi (Dipodidae, Sicistinae), both attributable to the subtilis group of birch mice, revealed extensive karyotype diversity with 2n = 16–26 and NFa values of 26–46 indicating the overwhelming non-Robertsonian nature of chromosomal reorganization in these species. The numerical and structural chromosome variability was principally found in specimens located within a confined region of the East European (Russian) Plain. The approximately 135,000-km² area occurs in the vicinity of the Don River bend between 49°13’N/43°46’E and 51°32’N/36°16’E. The detection of cytotypes sharing similar 2n and NF values, but having morphologically distinct chromosomes, suggests that these may result from polymorphisms present both within recognized species and in cryptic taxa not hitherto described. We conducted a comprehensive, comparative chromosome banding analysis of 52 birch mice (21 localities) referable to the subtilis group and report the presence of 5 distinct karyotypes, each characterized by a combination of stable, variable, and partly overlapping 2n/NFa values. These karyotypes differed from each other by 10–29 structural chromosomal rearrangements (18.1 ± 6.3) that comprised Rb fusions/fissions (42.2%), pericentric inversions (31.1%), and tandem translocations (22.2%). The composition, and the high numbers of these chromosomal changes, is likely to provide an effective means of post-mating isolation, suggesting that taxonomic diversity within the subtilis group is larger than currently accepted. Additionally, we report the frequent fixation of tandem translocations in sample populations, one of which was found in a polymorphic state representing, as far as we are aware, the first case of an in statu nascendi tandem fusion in wild populations. Moreover, our data revealed that bi-armed chromosomes were involved in fusions detected in some of the subtilis taxa. In each instance, however, fusions were preceded by pericentric inversions that transform one or both bi-armed chromosomes into acrocentrics resulting in either centromere-telomere or Robertsonian translocations. Finally, a phylogenetic scenario inferred from a cladistic analysis of the chromosomal data suggests that the extensive karyotypic diversification within the subtilis group in the south-east region of the Russian Plain most likely results from fragmentation of a continuously distributed, ancestral population. It is thought that this occurred at the last glacial maximum (18,000–14,000 years B.P.), and that the process of isolation has been exacerbated by increasing human activity in the region in modern times.

The role of rivers and streams in the migration of alien plants into the Polish Carpathians

The role of rivers and streams in the migration of alien plants into the Polish Carpathians The Carpathians are among the regions of Poland that are generally less susceptible to invasive alien plants. The factor limiting the spread of the species of this group is, above all, the mountain climate. Even species originating from other mountain regions, e.g. the Himalayan Impatiens glandulifera, have their localities only at low elevations, in the Carpathian foothills. In most cases, alien plant species migrate into the Carpathians from the lowlands. The river valleys provide the migration corridors used by alien species in the course of their progress into new territories of the upper mountain localities. The situation along some mountain rivers, where invasive alien species dominate the native vegetation, is dramatic. Their spread is facilitated not only by easy diaspore transport but also by some anthropogenic factors, such as, river engineering and the transformation of riparian habitats and progressing devastation. Currently, we can observe some invasive alien plants "in statu nascendi", developing a new, secondary range in the Carpathians (e.g. Chaerophyllum aureum) or at the foothills, along the Wisła (Vistula) and San river valleys (e.g. Eragrostis albensis). For some species, cities were the destination for the first stage of future migration, e.g. Acer negundo. In the Carpathians, where many national parks and nature reserves are located, the continuous monitoring of the spread of invasive alien plants should be one of the principal activities of botanists.

Myśl komunitariańska w perspektywie debaty nad formułą społeczeństwa obywatelskiego

The objective of this article is to examine how the idea of civic society has shaped in order to prove this concept is ambiguous with rich tradition of thought.Observing modern theoretical and political discussions, it can be stated that the term of civic society occurs just and only in a modern sense, which means total and unjustified rejection of republican input on the development of this idea. The elimination of the thought of Aristotle, Cicero and their Middle Ages and later followers makes a theoretical construction of civic society very complicated and reduces its implementation value. For to show how modern civic society referring to the classical political thought may look, the author presents output of communitarian philosophy, which worked out a novel approach to this problem. This approach varies from the liberal conception with the fact it speaks in favour of civic participation, raises the importance of civic virtues, and prefers ‘positive’ freedom to the ‘negative’ one. Communitarianism in philosophy, like other schools of thought in contemporary political philosophy, can be defined by its response to A Theory of Justice by John Rawls, and also – in my opinion – to the political doctrine in statu nascendi. Communitarianism emphasizes the need of balance the individual rights and interests with those ones of the community as a whole. MacIntyre, Taylor and Walzer argue that individual people are shaped by culture and values of their own communities. Some of communitarian theorists, for example Alisdair MacIntyre, condemn modern politics, especially liberalism and the institutions of a liberal state, as irredeemably fallen. In contrast, Charles Taylor and Michael Walzer offer competing communitarian responses to the contemporary challenge of pluralism, tolerance and freedom. The original approach of communitarianism is not a simple mutation of republicanism, because it rejects its typical dogmas, such as: state and common wealth as natural creations. Whereas the tradition deriving from Aristotle has glorified state and focused the attention of the society on matters of republic, the philosophy of MacIntyre, Taylor and Walzer concentrates on cultivating local and neighbouring communities.

Activity of ozonated water and ozone against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms

SummaryBackgroundThe known bactericidal properties of ozone have not been checked in relation to its action on bacterial biofilms. This is especially true of ozonated fluids. The aim of this study was to investigate the bactericidal activity of ozonated water and that of a mixture of ozone and oxygen against biofilms.Material/MethodsEighteen clinical strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa exhibiting various levels of antibiotic sensitivity were investigated. Bacteria were cultured in biofilm form on polystyrene titration plates for periods of 2 to 72 hours. The biofilms formed in this way were exposed to in statu nascendi ozonated water produced in a prototype device that had been tested in clinical conditions, or to a mixture of oxygen and ozone generated in the same device. Live cells in the biofilm were stained with a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium (MTT) bromide solution. The degree of reduction of viable bacteria following ozone exposure was determined.ResultsOzonated water was found to be an effective bactericidal agent against biofilms after as little as 30 seconds of exposure, while the bactericidal activity of the ozone-oxygen solution was much lower. Prolongation of the duration of biofilm exposure to the gaseous disinfectant to 40 minutes led to a reduction in the viable cell count, which nevertheless remained high.ConclusionsUnlike the ozone-oxygen mixture, ozonated water effectively destroys bacterial biofilms in vitro.

Infectious Speciation Revisited: Impact of Symbiont-Depletion on Female Fitness and Mating Behavior of Drosophila paulistorum

The neotropical Drosophila paulistorum superspecies, consisting of at least six geographically overlapping but reproductively isolated semispecies, has been the object of extensive research since at least 1955, when it was initially trapped mid-evolution in flagrant statu nascendi. In this classic system females express strong premating isolation patterns against mates belonging to any other semispecies, and yet uncharacterized microbial reproductive tract symbionts were described triggering hybrid inviability and male sterility. Based on theoretical models and limited experimental data, prime candidates fostering symbiont-driven speciation in arthropods are intracellular bacteria belonging to the genus Wolbachia. They are maternally inherited symbionts of many arthropods capable of manipulating host reproductive biology for their own benefits. However, it is an ongoing debate as to whether or not reproductive symbionts are capable of driving host speciation in nature and if so, to what extent. Here we have reevaluated this classic case of infectious speciation by means of present day molecular approaches and artificial symbiont depletion experiments. We have isolated the α-proteobacteria Wolbachia as the maternally transmitted core endosymbionts of all D. paulistorum semispecies that have coevolved towards obligate mutualism with their respective native hosts. In hybrids, however, these mutualists transform into pathogens by overreplication causing embryonic inviability and male sterility. We show that experimental reduction in native Wolbachia titer causes alterations in sex ratio, fecundity, and mate discrimination. Our results indicate that formerly designated Mycoplasma-like organisms are most likely Wolbachia that have evolved by becoming essential mutualistic symbionts in their respective natural hosts; they have the potential to trigger pre- and postmating isolation. Furthermore, in light of our new findings, we revisit the concept of infectious speciation and discuss potential mechanisms that can restrict or promote symbiont-induced speciation at post- and prezygotic levels in nature and under artificial laboratory conditions.

Zur Erfahrung des Lernens. Eine Phänomenologische Skizze

He word “learning” has the endless meanings. The learning occurs not only from knowledge but also as knowledge. Learning in this sense depends not only on our initiative. We cannot just resolve to learn. The whole reliable order can reach deadlock.. The old reliable knowledge and ability mismatchwhile we do not yet have any new possibility. Learning in this sense means a kind of “awakening”, in statu nascendi as the response to a challenge. Thus the condition of learning is sensitiveness to the other or to something, while it is possible via agreement that is not always disposed to us because of our peculiar attitudes. We always think more than we can express. Inevitably, we can do more than we anticipate. Only after the other takes this surplus the knowledge and the ability correspond to reality before they are realized. In learning we are met by another, to which we answer as to something.. This Something is always outstripping the meanings and aspirations. That is why this learning in true sense begins not in us. The destiny of every experience concerning us depends on this, while we cannot anticipate it exactly. Thus, the sense of in statu nascendi corresponds to the saying modo praeterito . Â

The Stalinist Self: The Case of Ioseb Jughashvili (1898–1907)

This article explores sense of self exhibited by Ioseb (Soso) Jughashvili, Stalin in statu nascendi, during 1898-1907 period, when he served Russian Social-Democratic Workers Party (RSDWP) as an activist mainly based in Tiflis. Taken in its most abstract form, self is part of human condition. People of all cultures and times are aware of their separate existence. Our minds do not telepathically merge with that of our neighbors. On a more concrete level, though, senses of self vary widely from one cultural context to another. (1) The present article explores young Stalin's self-identification in its sociological aspect, by focusing on question of social classes with which he identified. I argue that he not only obviously identified himself as an intelligent but also throughout period under discussion here continued to assign leading in party committees to intelligenty. In acting as a strong defender of intelligentsia section of party, Jughashvili was inspired by a particular form of Enlightenment discourse that centered on primacy of knowledge, science, and consciousness and remained characteristic of him even as Soviet dictator. At danger of simplifying often subtle analyses, two schools on this question can be distinguished. On one hand, Lev Davidovich Trotskii treats young Stalin as a 'committeeman' par excellence, disinclined to promote workers to leading positions. (2) Isaac Deutscher's Jughashvili belonged to semi-nomad fringe of declasses of intelligentsia. Despite sense of closeness to workers that he brought along from his humble background, he nurtured an attitude ofsceptical distrust toward them. (3) Ronald Suny's treatment of Soso as a consistent defender of party's prerogatives over those of labour organisations can be placed in this tradition. (4) On other hand, a revisionist chord has been struck recently. Robert Himmer argues that Soso took great pride in his own lower-class origins, claimed a proletarian status for himself, and hoped to see intelligentsia segment of party replaced by workers. (5) Alfred Rieber's analysis of Soso's synthetic Georgian-Russian identity included a presentation of self as a proletarian. Jughashvili's claim to be a proletarian would mainly be evinced by his identification with the tendency of 'proletarian steadfastness' (Bolshevik) as opposed to tendency of 'the intelligentsia to vacillate' (Menshevism). (6) Himmer's and Rieber's suggestion that Jughashvili associated himself with allegedly proletarian values to point of creating a proletarian self-presentation seems out of proportion. Whatever he may have written about proletarian virtues, I know of no occasion that Soso was claiming a proletarian status for himself. (7) As a former student of Tiflis Seminary, he was perceived by his comrades as an intelligent, and so he was invariably described in police informers' reports. The work of social historians confirms that it would be unlikely for Jughashvili to have claimed a proletarian status for himself. Revolutionary intellectuals served as a cultural role model for workers in social-democratic movement. (8) Reginald Zelnik traces this pattern back to 1870s, when idea arose that a worker might be shaped by intelligenty into a new kind of person, resembling themselves ... a worker-intelligent. Fluid crossover identities were not uncommon in movement, but students tended only to flirt with externalities of proletarian life? Strikingly, many workers who were dissatisfied with intelligentsia dominance of RSDWP believed they could manage on their own only when they felt they had achieved an intelligentsia status of their own. An intelligent presenting himself as a worker would have struck others as odd. His actions and writings suggest that Jughashvili identified himself with an existing discourse in which members of intelligentsia were seen as agents of Enlightenment and teachers of socialist consciousness. …

Völkerrechtstheorie, Völkerrechtsphilosophie und Völkerrechtsmethodologie, Unterschiede.

The present article mainly rests on knowledges of Philosophy and Epistemology. in the center stands the difference between the Theory of International Public Law (IPL), the Philosophy of IPL and the Methodology of IPL. They are not only pillars of the Science of IPL but also fields of science in statu nascendi, The Science of IPL has additional pillars as the Dogmatic of IPL, the History of IPL und the History of Science of IPL. The Philosophy of IPL has its own Theory and also its own Methodology. The Methodology of IPL has also its own Theory ad its own Philosophy. It is necessary to differentiate among the Methodology of the Dogmatic of IPL and the Methodology of the Sciense of IPL. The IPL is an Ius Coexistentiae between states of different Circles of Culture.

ALLО- AND SYMPATRIC SIBLING SPECIES OF SACCHARОMYСES CEREVISIAE: DNA-DNA REASSOCIATION

Precise DNA-DNA reassociation data were obtained for new biological species S. cariocanus, S. kudriavzevii and S. mikatae, for the first time. The three species showed 25-51 % - of DNA-DNA reassociation with one another and with the known species S. cerevisiae, S. bayanus and S. paradoxus.Only in the combination S. paradoxus × S. cariocanus there was 99 % DNA-DNA homology. Despite high DNA-DNA reassociation value, the two yeasts are genetically isolated: their hybrids are sterile forming non-viable meiotic products (ascospores). Having four reciprocal translocations in its karyotype, S. cariocanus represents species in statu nascendi.

Lack of genetic differentiation among size groups of jumbo squid (Dosidicus gigas)

The population structure of the jumbo squid (Dosidicus gigas) is complex, containing several cohorts and three groups defined by their size (small, medium, and large) and by differences in maturation, growth, and life span. Several authors have indicated the possibility of such groups representing discrete genetic units even at level subspecies or species in statu nascendi. Genetic divergence was tested in samples from the Gulf of California (Mexico) and Peruvian Sea by estimation of population divergence statistics, an exact test of homogeneity of allele frequencies, analysis of molecular variance, and genealogical trees applied to data obtained with two molecular markers: RAPDs and mtDNA sequences identified by SSCPs. Neither significant values of θ (FST) nor significant heterogeneity in allele frequencies were detected. Lack of evidence does not imply complete lack of differentiation among the groups but supports the fact that a geographically spread population can have different size groups without relevant genetic differentiation, implying that the hypothetical genetically differentiated groups can occur in different ecological niches.

Use of thermal analysis in the study of soil Pb immobilization

Immobilization of lead contamination in soils by precipitation of non-assimilable for plants Pb-phosphate was considered. Glassy fertilizer of controlled release rate of the nutrients for plants as a source of phosphate anions was applied. Thermal analysis methods (TG/DTG/DTA) were used for the identification of components of Pb-precipitate, which being in statu nascendi have nonstoichiometric composition and disordered crystallographic structure difficult to identify by XRD method. Application of TA methods permits to demonstrate the negative role of Pb complexing citric acid solution simulating the natural soil conditions, which inhibits the Pb-phosphate of pyromorphite type formation.

Die Entstehung des periphrastischen Perfekts mit haben und sein im Deutschen – eine längst beantwortete Frage?

Abstract The rise of the periphrastic perfect tenses – past participle + have or be – is a phenomenon for which the analysis is especially promising with regards to the research on grammaticalisation. Firstly, it involved several steps of syntactic reanalysis and lexical recategorisation leading to a construction-specific auxiliary verb form. This allows for conclusions to be drawn about processes involved in grammaticalisation in general. Secondly, it is a grammatical change in which both Germanic and Romance languages converged. This allows for conclusions about universal conditions underlying such kinds of change. Thirdly, in German, the rise occurred rather late and within a relatively short period of time. This allows for the observation of the periphrasis in statu nascendi. In this paper, the grammaticalisation process is modeled and explained in a formal framework of generative syntax, also taking into account performance-based changes and contextual aspects providing the conditions for the relevant changes in the grammar. The main claim is that this process of grammaticalisation was terminated by an abrupt parametric change, leading to a syntactically reanalysed form of analytic inflection and the recategorisation of have as an auxiliary. The result was a full paradigm of periphrastic perfect tense. The preconditions for this grammatical change were provided by a sequence of performance-based changes and minor formal reanalyses, giving the process its gradual nature.

The Double Strike Hypothesis of the vitiligo pathomechanism: New approaches to vitiligo and melanoma

Based on current research, we present a consolidated set of theses which explain the pathomechanisms of vitiligo- and melanoma-associated hypopigmentation. The main thesis is the Double Strike Hypothesis, i.e. vitiligo is caused by at least two different major pathomechanisms: an antibody-based pathomechanism and a T-cell-based pathomechanism. The antibody-based pathomechanism is dominant in diffuse vitiligo, while the T-cell based pathomechanism is dominant in localised vitiligo. Based on this main thesis we derive new therapeutical approaches to vitiligo and melanoma by using the different pathomechanisms. Finally we explain why melanoma-associated hypopigmentation as a natural immunotherapy is still in statu nascendi.

Der Micos-Fisch, Höhlenfisch in statu nascendi oder Bastard ?

SUMMARY The Micos Population–cave fish in statu nascendi or hybrid? Observations on the evolution of cavernicoles The Micos-Cave in the Sierra de la Colmena in the State of San Luis Potosi, Mexico, contains a cavernicolous population of Astyanax mexicanus, whose members are for the most part blind, but, in contrast to other cave dwelling populations of the same species, appear almost normal in their pigmentation. Besides these, there are also large eyed and pigmented specimens to be found in this cave. Any transitional stages between the blind and the normal visioned fish are lacking. Offspring of the blind cavernicoles that are raised under light conditions develop a superficially lying eye which is markedly smaller than normal, attaining its size proportional to the light-intensity of the experimental conditions. The size and structure of the eye-remnants of the blind fish as well as the eyes of their offspring are considerably more variable than in the river specimens. Crossings of the blind Micos fish with the river fish Astyanax and also with a blind and unpigmented troglobiont of the same species - Sabinos fish - result in both cases in a more or less intermediate F1-hybrid. A strict inbreeding within the Micos fish, selecting specimens with especially large eyes, produced animals whose eyes are comparable to those of the river fish after only three offspring generations. Electrophoresis studies on the allozyme variability at various loci prove that the Micos fish is genetically only slightly different compared to the river fish. On the other hand in some allele frequencies there is an alternative variation between the two. The Micos fish also differs from the typical troglobionts which are monomorphic at almost all loci examined and also possess alleles that are not found in the river form. Based on the genetic constitution, the Micos fish and the river fish found in the cave do not form a panmictic population. It is also doubtful that the Micos fish is the progeny of a hybrid swarm which previously resulted from a cross between a real troglobiont and the newly arrived river fish, because the Micos fish is in every characteristic genetically very similar to the river fish, whereas no clear traces of troglobiont relationship are found. Thus the Micos fish actually appears to be a cave form in statu nascendi against which the river fish that find their way in from time to time cannot compete.

“…︁ die richtige Art wissenschaftlicher Objekte…︁”: Ein Epilog mit Warren McCullochs Embodiments of Mind

Warren McCulloch marks the brain explicitly as an epistemic object. Since then, to see 'in statu nascendi' what brain research means implies the irrefutability of the truth that the mind is in the head. And it implies to see the contingency of this knowledge. This again allows to ask for more details about the object and its destiny--beginning with the riddle, why McCulloch is not forgotten until today, but his clear designation is forgotten. A comparison between McCulloch's Embodiments of Mind and John von Neumann's The Computer and the Brain should help to follow the traces of this riddle.