What a transparent Romance language with a Germanic gender-determiner mapping tells us about gender retrieval: Insights from European Portuguese

The study of the representation and processing of grammatical gender during language production has encountered mixed results regarding which conditions must be met to observe gender effects and whether these reflect the selection of gender values or competition between elements of agreement. The answer seems to depend on the number of determiners associated with each gender and on the language being explored. The present study aims to assess this issue through three picture-word interference tasks in European Portuguese. This is a transparent Romance language featuring a one-to-one gender-determiner mapping system similar to opaque Germanic languages. Conditions of gender in/congruency between targets and distractors were considered, along with gender transparency and agreement. We observed a gender congruency effect restricted to noun phrases. Importantly, the effect was modulated by transparency, which seems relevant regardless of agreement. To explain the results, we adapted the Dual-Route Model of language comprehension to productionThis work was supported by the Government of Spain, Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, through the Training program for Academic Staff (Ayudas para la Formación del Profesorado Universitario, FPU [FPU16/06983]); the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation [research project PID2019-110583GB-I00]; the Galician Government [grant for research groups ED431B 2022/2019]; and the Foundation for Science and Technology of Portugal [IF / 00784/2013 / CP1158 / CT0013]. Finally, the study has also been partially supported by the FCT and the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education through national funds and co-financed by FEDER through COMPETE2020 under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement [POCI-01-0145- FEDER-007653]S

A novel VIVO–pyrimidinone complex: synthesis, solution speciation and human serum protein binding

The pyrimidinones mhcpe, 2-methyl-3H-5-hydroxy-6-carboxy-4-pyrimidinone ethyl ester (mhcpe, 1), 2,3- dimethyl-5-benzyloxy-6-carboxy-4-pyrimidinone ethyl ester (dbcpe, 2) and N-methyl-2,3-dimethyl-5- hydroxy-6-carboxyamido-4-pyrimidinone (N-MeHOPY, 3), are synthesized and their structures determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The acid–base properties of 1 are studied by potentiometric and spectrophotometric methods, the pKa values being 1.14 and 6.35. DFT calculations were carried out to determine the most stable structure for each of the H2L+, HL and L− forms (HL = mhcpe) and assign the groups involved in the protonation–deprotonation processes. The mhcpe− ligand forms stable complexes with VIVO2+ in the pH range 2 to 10, and potentiometry, EPR and UV-Vis techniques are used to identify and characterize the VIVO–mhcpe species formed. The results are consistent with the formation of VIVO, (VIVO)L, (VIVO)L2, (VIVO)2L2H−2, (VIVO)L2H−1, (VIVO)2L2H−3, (VIVO)LH−2 species and VIVO-hydrolysis products. Calculations indicate that the global binding ability of mhcpe towards VIVO2+ is similar to that of maltol (Hmaltol = 3-hydroxy-2-methyl-4H-pyran-4-one) and lower than that of 1,2-dimethyl-3-hydroxy-4- pyridinone (Hdhp). The interaction of VIVO-complexes with human plasma proteins (transferrin and albumin) is studied by circular dichroism (CD), EPR and 51V NMR spectroscopy. VIVO–mhcpe–protein ternary complexes are formed in both cases. The binding of VIVO2+ to transferrin (hTF) in the presence of mhcpe involves mainly (VIVO)1(hTF)(mhcpe)1, (VIVO)2(hTF)(mhcpe)1 and (VIVO)2(hTF)(mhcpe)2 species, bound at the FeIII binding sites, and the corresponding conditional formation constants are determined. Under the conditions expected to prevail in human blood serum, CD data indicate that the VIVO–mhcpe complexes mainly bind to hTF; the formation of VIVO–hTF–mhcpe complexes occurs in the presence of FeIII as well, distinct EPR signals being clearly obtained for FeIII–hTF and to VIVO–hTF–mhcpe species. Thus this study indicates that transferrin plays the major role in the transport of VIVO–mhcpe complexes under blood plasma conditions in the form of ternary VIV–ligand–protein complexes.The authors are grateful to the Fundo Europeu para o Desenvolvimento Regional, Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), the POCI 2010 Programme, the Portuguese NMR Network (IST-UTL Center), PEst-OE/QUI/UI0100/2011, University of A Coruña and the Spanish-Portuguese Bilateral Programme (Acção Integrada E-56/05, Acción integrada HP2004- 0074)

Lipid profile adjustments may contribute to warming acclimation and to heat impact mitigation by elevated [CO2] in Coffea spp

This work was supported by European Union, Program Horizon 2020, call H2020-SFS-2016-2, action RIA, and Portuguese national funds from Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (project PTDC/ASP-AGR/31257/2017; Funding from CNPq (fellowships to E. Campostrini, F.L. Partelli, and F.M. DaMatta) is also acknowledged.An unexpected heat resilience, and the mitigation of heat impacts by elevated [CO2] were recently reported in Coffea spp. Plants must maintain membrane fluidity and integrity to cope with temperature changes, which requires an adequate lipid dynamics. This work provides the lipid profile (galactolipids, GL; phospholipids, PL; sulfolipids, SL) of chloroplast membranes, and the expression of a set of genes related to lipid metabolism in Coffea arabica L. (cv. Icatu and IPR108) and C. canephora cv. Conilon CL153, under elevated [CO2] (380 or 700 μL L−1), heat (25/20, 31/25, 37/30 and 42/34 °C, day/night) and their interaction. Major membrane lipids alterations, different among genotypes, included: A) responsiveness of total fatty acids (TFAs) synthesis to [CO2] (except IPR108) and heat (except CL153); stronger remodeling (unsaturation degree) in the 700-plants from 37/30 °C to 42/34 °C, coordinated at transcriptional level with the down-regulation of fatty acid desaturase FAD3 gene (C. arabica) and up-regulation of lipoxygenase genes LOX5A (CL153 and Icatu) and LOX5B (Icatu) at the highest temperature; B) quantitative and qualitative modifications in GL (monogalactosyldiacylglycerol, MGDG; digalactosyldiacylglycerol, DGDG), PL (phosphatidylcholine, PC; phosphatidylglycerol, PG), and SL (sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol, SQDG) classes, prompted by heat, elevated [CO2], and, especially, the interaction, in CL153 and Icatu. Overall membrane enrichment with MGDG and DGDG as a result of heat and [CO2] interaction in these genotypes, but at the highest temperature only in Icatu the high [CO2] maintained greater contents and unsaturation values of these GLs than in the 380-plants. C) Among PL classes, PG seems to play an active role in heat acclimation of C. arabica genotypes, increasing in 700-plants at 42/34 °C. Globally, Icatu often showed changes closer to those of heat tolerant cv. CL153 than to cv. IPR108. Overall, lipid profile adjustments in chloroplast membranes, from TFAs bulk until FA unsaturation within each class, are expected to contribute to long-term acclimation to climate changes in coffee plant.publishersversionpublishe

Protective Response Mechanisms to Heat Stress in Interaction with High [CO2] Conditions in Coffea spp.

This work was supported by national funds from Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia through the projects PTDC/AGRPRO/3386/2012, the research units UID/AGR/04129/2013 (LEAF) and UID/GEO/04035/2013 (GeoBioTcc), as well through the grant SFRH/BPD/47563/2008 (AT) co-financed through the POPH program subsidized by the European Social Fund. Brazilian funding from CAPES (grams PDSE: 000427/2014-04, W.P. Rodrigues; 0343/2014-05, MM; 12226/12-2, LM), CNPq and Fapemig (fellowships to FDM, FP, and EC) are also greatly acknowledged.Modeling studies have predicted that coffee crop will be endangered by future global warming, but recent reports highlighted that high [CO2] can mitigate heat impacts on coffee. This work aimed at identifying heat protective mechanisms promoted by CO2 in Coffea arabica (cv. Icatu and IPR108) and Coffea canephora cv. Conilon CL153. Plants were grown at 25/20 degrees C (day/night), under 380 or 700 mu L CO2 L-1, and then gradually submitted to 31/25, 37/30, and 42/34 degrees C. Relevant heat tolerance up to 37/30 degrees C for both [CO2] and all coffee genotypes was observed, likely supported by the maintenance or increase of the pools of several protective molecules (neoxanthin, lutein, carotenes, ohtocopherol, HSP70, raffinose), activities of antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione reductase (GR), catalase (CAT), and the upregulated expression of some genes (ELIP, Chaperonin 20). However, at 42/34 degrees C a tolerance threshold was reached, mostly in the 380 -plants and Icatu. Adjustments in raffinose, lutein, beta-carotene, alpha-tocopherol and HSP70 pools, and the upregulated expression of genes related to protective (FLIPS, HSP70, Chape 20, and 60) and antioxidant (CAT, CuSOD2, APX Cyt, APX ChI) proteins were largely driven by temperature. However, enhanced [CO2] maintained higher activities of GR (Icatu) and CAT (Icatu and IPR108), kept (or even increased) the Cu,Zn-SOD, APX, and CAT activities, and promoted a greater upregulation of those enzyme genes, as well as those related to HSP70, ELIPs, Chaperonins in CL153, and Icatu. These changes likely favored the maintenance of reactive oxygen species (ROS) at controlled levels and contributed to mitigate of photosystem II photoinhibition at the highest temperature. Overall, our results highlighted the important role of enhanced [CO2] on the coffee crop acclimation and sustainability under predicted future global warming scenarios.publishersversionpublishe

Hyperoxemia and excess oxygen use in early acute respiratory distress syndrome : Insights from the LUNG SAFE study

Publisher Copyright: © 2020 The Author(s). Copyright: Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.Background: Concerns exist regarding the prevalence and impact of unnecessary oxygen use in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We examined this issue in patients with ARDS enrolled in the Large observational study to UNderstand the Global impact of Severe Acute respiratory FailurE (LUNG SAFE) study. Methods: In this secondary analysis of the LUNG SAFE study, we wished to determine the prevalence and the outcomes associated with hyperoxemia on day 1, sustained hyperoxemia, and excessive oxygen use in patients with early ARDS. Patients who fulfilled criteria of ARDS on day 1 and day 2 of acute hypoxemic respiratory failure were categorized based on the presence of hyperoxemia (PaO2 > 100 mmHg) on day 1, sustained (i.e., present on day 1 and day 2) hyperoxemia, or excessive oxygen use (FIO2 ≥ 0.60 during hyperoxemia). Results: Of 2005 patients that met the inclusion criteria, 131 (6.5%) were hypoxemic (PaO2 < 55 mmHg), 607 (30%) had hyperoxemia on day 1, and 250 (12%) had sustained hyperoxemia. Excess FIO2 use occurred in 400 (66%) out of 607 patients with hyperoxemia. Excess FIO2 use decreased from day 1 to day 2 of ARDS, with most hyperoxemic patients on day 2 receiving relatively low FIO2. Multivariate analyses found no independent relationship between day 1 hyperoxemia, sustained hyperoxemia, or excess FIO2 use and adverse clinical outcomes. Mortality was 42% in patients with excess FIO2 use, compared to 39% in a propensity-matched sample of normoxemic (PaO2 55-100 mmHg) patients (P = 0.47). Conclusions: Hyperoxemia and excess oxygen use are both prevalent in early ARDS but are most often non-sustained. No relationship was found between hyperoxemia or excessive oxygen use and patient outcome in this cohort. Trial registration: LUNG-SAFE is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02010073publishersversionPeer reviewe

Formação técnica do agente comunitário de saúde: desafios e conquistas da Escola Técnica de Saúde do Tocantins Technical training of community health agents: challenges and achievements of the Technical School of Health of Tocantins

Este relato versa sobre a experiência da Escola Técnica de Saúde do Tocantins no processo educativo de formação técnica dos agentes comunitários de saúde. Trata-se aqui de apresentar como esses agentes foram capacitados para atuar junto à equipe multiprofissional de saúde em uma perspectiva profissional transformadora da realidade, crítica, reflexiva e ética, destacando-se o desenvolvimento das ações de integração social, promoção da saúde e prevenção de agravos na família e na comunidade. A formação técnica do agente comunitário de saúde incluiu três módulos, totalizando uma carga horária de 1.200 horas. No primeiro módulo, foram contemplados temas como a contextualização, aproximação e dimensionamento do perfil profissional do agente; no segundo, a promoção da saúde e a prevenção de doenças dirigidas a grupos específicos e doenças prevalentes; e no terceiro, a promoção, a prevenção e o monitoramento das situações em Vigilância em Saúde. Para esta formação, a Escola Técnica de Saúde do Tocantins optou pela descentralização das salas de aula (69 turmas) em 18 polos formativos, atendendo a demanda dos 139 municípios do estado, facilitando a participação dos 2.219 alunos-servidores que concluíram o itinerário completo da formação.<br>This report deals with the experience of the Technical School of Health of Tocantins in the educational process of technical training of community health agents. It presents how these agents were trained to work with the multidisciplinary health care team in a critical, reflective, and ethical reality changing professional approach. The report also highlights the development of actions of social integration, health promotion and the prevention of disorders in the family and community. Technical training of community health agents includes three modules, with a total workload of 1,200 hours. In the first module issues such as background, approach and design of the professional profile of the agent were contemplated; in the second, health promotion and disease prevention targeted at specific groups and prevalent diseases, and in the third, the promotion, prevention and monitoring of situations of Health Surveillance. The Technical School of Health of Tocantins opted for the decentralization of classrooms (69 classes) in 18 training poles, meeting the demand of the 139 municipalities in the state, facilitating the participation of 2,219 students/civil servants who have completed the entire training curriculum

Brewer's yeast as a clean label ingredient for replacement of phosphates in hams

Phosphates are common additives in the meat industry. They are used to increase the water retention capacity. They act in buffering, emulsification, colour stability, inhibition of lipid oxidation, antibacterial activity and protein dispersing properties. Excessive consumption inhibits absorption of minerals, causes kidney diseases and colorectal cancer. Brewer's yeasts are sets of strains responsible for beer fermentation. Often Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which consume sucrose, maltose and maltotriose, producing ethanol and CO². Studies show that brewer's yeast as a meat food ingredient may produce the same functions as phosphate. In this study we evaluated the potential use of brewers yeast to substitute phosphate in meat products. Hams with brewers yeasts extracts were evaluated for appearance and texture properties. Comparing with control samples, with and without phosphates, and three commercial phosphate substitutes. The impact of different treatments on colour was evaluated by the difference (Delta E test) between two colours in a L*a*b* colour space. The texture properties: hardness, cohesiveness, elasticity, gumminess, chewiness and resilience were evaluated by the TPA test (Texture Profile Analysis) of double compression. Extracts were obtained through hydrothermal treatment at high temperatures, using an autohydrolysis reactor in different temperatures and extraction times (i) only with water and solvent and (ii) with sodium hydroxide as a solvent at two concentrations. They were tested at 6.5 g/kg, the phosphate concentration in the model matrix, and 13.3 g/kg, the maximum concentration indicated to be added of the commercial phosphate substitutes tested. Hams produced with brewers yeasts extracted with NaOH 1M showed no significant differences (p<0.05) to the controls with phosphates and commercial substitutes. Providing similar colour, cohesiveness, elasticity, hardness, gumminess and chewiness. Concluding that these extracts could be an alternative for replacing phosphates in hams.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The key role of coligands in novel ruthenium(II)-cyclopentadienyl bipyridine derivatives: Ranging from non-cytotoxic to highly cytotoxic compounds

A new family of eight ruthenium(II)-cyclopentadienyl bipyridine derivatives, bearing nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorous and carbonyl sigma bonded coligands, has been synthesized. Compounds bearing nitrogen bonded coligands were found to be unstable in aqueous solution, while the others presented appropriate stabilities for the biologic assays and pursued for determination of IC50 values in ovarian (A2780) and breast (MCF7 and MDAMB231) human cancer cell lines. These studies were also carried out for the [5: HSA] and [6: HSA] adducts (HSA = human serum albumin) and a better performance was found for the first case. Spectroscopic, electrochemical studies by cyclic voltammetry and density functional theory calculations allowed us to get some understanding on the electronic flow directions within the molecules and to find a possible clue concerning the structural features of coligands that can activate bipyridyl ligands toward an increased cytotoxic effect. X-ray structure analysis of compound [Ru(eta(5)-C5H5)(bipy)(PPh3)][PF6] (7; bipy = bipyridine) showed crystallization on C2/c space group with two enantiomers of the [Ru(eta(5)-C5H5)(bipy)(PPh3)](+) cation complex in the racemic crystal packing. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc All rights reserved

Searching for gallium bioactive compounds: Gallium(III) complexes of tridentate salicylaldehyde semicarbazone derivatives

In the search for gallium bioactive compounds five Ga(III) complexes, [Ga(III)(L-H)(2)](NO(3)), with tridentate salicylaldehyde semicarbazone derivatives as ligands (L) have been synthesized and characterized in the solid state and in solution by different techniques. The crystal structure of [Ga(III)(L4-H)(2)](NO(3))center dot 2H(2)O, where L4 is 3-ethoxysalicylaldehyde semicarbazone, was solved by X-ray diffraction methods. The gallium(III) ion is in a distorted octahedral environment, coordinated to two nearly planar and mutually perpendicular 3-ethoxysalicylaldehyde semicarbazonato anions acting as tridentate ligands through their phenol and carbonyl oxygen atoms and their azomethine nitrogen atom. Their biological potential has been explored by evaluating their activity on Mycobacterium tuberculosis, causative agent of tuberculosis, and their cytotoxicity on tumor cell lines. Three different human tumor cell lines were selected that show different degrees of resistance to metallodrugs: ovarian A2780 (low resistance), breast MCF7 (medium resistance) and prostate PC3 (high resistance) cells. Although the complexes have not shown activity on M. tuberculosis, complexation with gallium has led to the enhancement of the cytotoxic potencies of the organic compounds. Those complexes that contain a bromide substituent at the phenolate ring have shown the highest cytotoxicities. In particular, [Ga(III)(L2-H)(2)](NO(3)), where L2 is 5-bromosalicylaldehyde semicarbazone, has shown a remarkable cytotoxicity on A2780 tumor cell line with an IC(50) value of the same order than cisplatin (IC(50) (Ga-L2) = 2.4 +/- 0.3 mu M; IC(50) (cisplatin) = 2.0 +/- 0.1 mu M, 72 h incubation at 37 degrees C). Interestingly, this complex has also shown moderate cytotoxicity against MCF7 and PC3 cells (IC(50) (MCF7) = 30 +/- 6; IC(50) (PC3) = 18 +/- 3 mu M). Therefore, this gallium compound could be considered a promising wide spectrum potential anti-tumor agent. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP