Literacy: A cultural influence on functional left-right differences in the inferior parietal cortex

The current understanding of hemispheric interaction is limited. Functional hemispheric specialization is likely to depend on both genetic and environmental factors. In the present study we investigated the importance of one factor, literacy, for the functional lateralization in the inferior parietal cortex in two independent samples of literate and illiterate subjects. The results show that the illiterate group are consistently more right-lateralized than their literate controls. In contrast, the two groups showed a similar degree of left-right differences in early speech-related regions of the superior temporal cortex. These results provide evidence suggesting that a cultural factor, literacy, influences the functional hemispheric balance in reading and verbal working memory-related regions. In a third sample, we investigated grey and white matter with voxel-based morphometry. The results showed differences between literacy groups in white matter intensities related to the mid-body region of the corpus callosum and the inferior parietal and parietotemporal regions (literate > illiterate). There were no corresponding differences in the grey matter. This suggests that the influence of literacy on brain structure related to reading and verbal working memory is affecting large-scale brain connectivity more than grey matter per se

Fabricating consent for an ‘adjustment programme’: crisis narratives of economic journalists in Portugal

Following Greece and Ireland, and preceding Spain and Cyprus, Portugal has been subject to a troika ‘adjustment program’ that lasted from mid-2011 to mid-2014. The implementation of the program was disturbed by ‘surprises’ stemming from its internal tensions, ‘exogenous’ shocks, resistance from the judicial system (the Constitutional Court), and opposition from large sections of the public. As in Greece, the program was experienced by most as a dramatic and traumatic event. Major actors in this drama have obviously been the troika institutions, the Portuguese government and its supporting parties, the Portuguese opposition parties, trade unions and other social movements. Other actors, namely journalists, arguably also played an important role. The research reported in this article is devoted to the role played by economic journalist during the ‘adjustment’ process. This research analyzed the content of the publications (op-eds) of some of the main Portuguese economic journalists prior to and during the period of implementation of the troika’s adjustment program. It surveyed all the publications (op-eds) of six authors between January 1, 2010 and July 30, 2014. The analysis of the journalist’s texts led to the following conclusions: a) the texts are rooted in a particular set of core (neoliberal) beliefs about the economy and its functioning – the ‘consensus view’; b) the crisis is perceived as an opportunity not to be missed to implement long due reforms aimed at approaching reality to the type of economy and society implicit in the ‘consensus view’; c) the texts were mainly concerned with deflecting opposition, or fabricating consent, to the ‘adjustment’.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

The Role of MEG in Unveiling Cognition

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Relationship between bullying behaviours and sleep quality in school-aged children

Do children who practice bullying have more sleep disturbances than those who do not practice bullying? The research questions for this study were 1)Are there are differences in sleep quality between aggressors and non-aggressors and between victims and non-victims? 2)Do aggressors have higher SDI than non-aggressors?3)What are the sleep characteristics in aggressors, non-aggressors, victims and non-victims?The purpose of the study was to analyse whether school-agedchildren who practice bullying have worse sleep quality than those who do not practice it and to identify the characteristics of dysfunctional sleep for aggressors?The research method was a cross-sectional study focusing on quantitative methodology. We analysed and compared the results of two questionnaires: bullying, aggressiveness among children with n= 1109, answered by the children and the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ), with n= 883, answered by the parents. A convenience sample of 8 state and private schools in Portugal was worked upon.The SDI of aggressorsis not significantly different from the SDI of non-aggressors. In the 33 CSHQ items, in seven the aggressors manifest significant differences: they go to bed at the same time less often, "fight" going to bed, sleep poorly, wet the bed more often, have a more agitated sleep, wake up with nightmares and are grumpier.There are no differences between the two groups, as both have high SDI. In the aggressors, the SDI is accentuated in relation to non-aggressors with regard to the following: more difficulty in going to bed at the same time, fight more at bedtime, sleep less, wet the bed, have more agitated sleep, wake up with nightmares more and wake up grumpy.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The scope of preserved procedural memory in amnesia

The finding that patients with amnesia retain the ability to learn certain procedural skills has provided compelling evidence of multiple memory systems in the human brain, but the scope, defining features and ecological significance of the preserved mnemonic abilities have not yet been explored. Here, we tested the hypothesis that subjects with amnesia would be able to learn and retain a broad range of procedural skills, by examining their acquisition and retention performance on five novel experimental tasks. The tasks are based on real-world activities and encompass a broad range of perceptual–motor demands: (i) the weaving task involves weaving pieces of fabric from woollen strings, using a manual weaver’s loom; (ii) the geometric figures task consists of tracing geometric figures with a stylus as they move horizontally across a touch screen monitor; (iii) the control stick task involves tracking a sequence of visual target locations using a joystick control; (iv) the pouring task consists of pouring 200 ml of water from a watering can into a series of graduated cylinders, from a point 20 cm above the cylinders; and (v) the spatial sequence task involves learning an ordered sequence of pushing five spatially distributed buttons without visual guidance. Ten chronic and stable amnesic subjects (nine with bilateral medial temporal lobe damage due to herpes simplex encephalitis or anoxia, and one with thalamic stroke) and 25 matching normal comparison subjects were tested on three occasions: initial learning at time 1; retention at time 2 (24 h later); and retention at time 3 (2 months later). Despite impaired declarative memory for the tasks, the amnesic subjects demonstrated acquisition and retention of the five skills; their learning slopes over repeated trials were comparable with those of comparison subjects. These findings indicate that preserved learning of complex perceptual–motor skills in patients with amnesia is a robust phenomenon, and that it can be demonstrated across a variety of conditions and perceptual– motor demands. The comparability of the tasks employed in this study with real-world activities highlights the potential application of this memory dissociation in the rehabilitation of patients with amnesi

17beta-estradiol promotes the synthesis and the secretion of annexin I in the CCRF-CEM human cell line.

AIMS: Annexin I (ANXA1), a 37kDa member of the annexin family of Ca2+-binding and phospholipid-binding proteins, is particularly abundant in various populations of peripheral blood leukocytes. Since this protein modulates the anti-inflammatory actions of the steroid hormones, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the female sex steroid hormone, 17beta-estradiol (E2beta), on the synthesis and secretion of ANXA1 in the human CCRF-CEM acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell line. METHODS: Complementary reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot assays were performed to study the effect of E2beta on the expression of mRNA and protein ANXA1, respectively. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Treatment of CCRF-CEM cells with E2beta, for 30 min, stimulated the synthesis of ANXA1 mRNA molecules, and increased the cellular level of ANXA1 protein. Moreover, when the cells were incubated with E2beta under the same experimental conditions, a significant increase in the amount of ANXA1 secreted from the cells was also detected. ICI 182,780, a selective inhibitor of the intracellular estrogen receptor, had no effect on the E2beta-stimulated expression and externalisation of ANXA1. Taken together, these results indicate that E2beta induces de novo synthesis of ANXA1 and stimulates its secretion in the CCRF-CEM cell line, apparently through a mechanism independent of the intracellular estrogen receptor

Sleep quality and chronotype of Portuguese school-aged children

Is the perception of school-aged children and parents about the children’s sleep quality and chronotype consistent with their real sleep quality and effective chronotype? The research questions for this study were 1) Do children's sleep perceptions and chronotype differ from real sleep quality and chronotype? 2) Are there differences in sleep quality between genders? 3) What will be the effective quality of sleep and chronotype? The purpose of the study was to analyse the perceptions of children and parents about the children’s sleep quality and chronotype and compare them with effective sleep quality and chronotype, to study sleep quality and chronotype considering gender, and to analyse the perceptions of Portuguese parents about children’s sleep in a migrant context. The research method was a cross-sectional study, quantitative methodology. The data from three questionnaires were analysed with regard to the three study aims: the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) (n=1109 children), the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) (n=883 parents), and the Children's Chronotype Questionnaire (CCTQ) (n=58 parents, Portuguese emigrants in Luxembourg). The samples were collected from 8 Portuguese schools and 2 Luxembourg schools. The PSQI showed high sleep quality, which contradicts the results for CSHQ. Children from state schools (n=538) revealed higher diurnal dysfunction levels compared to the children from private schools (n=571). Females showed best sleep latency and duration. The CSHQ presented general negative sleep quality. The CCTQ demonstrated that parents’ perceptions did not fit with the effective children’s chronotype. The children's perception showed a wellbalanced sleep quality but the results revealed a high incidence of sleep disturbance. There were no statistical differences for gender. Portuguese emigrant parents revealed low awareness of their children’s chronotype and there was significant contrast between parents’ perceptions and the real chronotype of children.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Quality of infant sleep, electronic devices and bullying behaviors in schools

This research investigates the relationship betweenthe quality of infant sleep, the use of electronic devices and of videogames before bedtime and bullying behaviors in school context. Research Questions: Is the quality of infant sleep and the use of electronic devices at bedtime related to bullying? The use of electronic devices before bedtime affects sleep duration and latency? Purpose of the Study: To analyze the relationship between the use of electronic devices before bed and the sleep infant quality. As well as, the relation between the quality of the children sleep duration, children’ sleep latency, use of electronic devices, videogames in a daily basis, and bullying behaviors in school context. Research Methods: Participants are divided into two groups; one of these groups consists of the children who responded to the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index andthe Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ-PT), totalling 860. The other group had a sample of 51 children, the Sociodemographic Questionnaire and the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ-PT) were applied. Findings: A statistically significant relationship was found between sleep quality and use of electronic devices before bed, with the exception of television. As a relationship between sleep quality and bullying behaviors, and also between using electronic gadgets before bedtime and bullying behaviors just for listening to music. Considering the sleep latency, a negative correlation was found with daily videogames use. Conclusions: There seems to be a relationship between sleep quality and bullying behaviors in school, and between the use of electronic devices and sleep quality. Also listening to music at bedtime is positively related to bullying behaviors. On the other hand, the videogames daily use before bedtime affects in a significant manner the children’ sleep latency (and the sleep REM)..info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Dexamethasone-induced and estradiol-induced CREB activation and annexin 1 expression in CCRF-CEM lymphoblastic cells: evidence for the involvement of cAMP and p38 MAPK.

AIMS: Annexin 1 (ANXA1), a member of the annexin family of calcium-binding and phospholipid-binding proteins, is a key mediator of the anti-inflammatory actions of steroid hormones. We have previously demonstrated that, in the human lymphoblastic CCRF-CEM cell line, both the synthetic glucocorticoid hormone, dexamethasone (Dex), and the estrogen hormone, 17beta-estradiol (E2beta), induce the synthesis of ANXA1, by a mechanism independent of the activation of their nuclear receptors. Recently, it was reported that the gene coding for ANXA1 contains acAMP-responsive element (CRE). In this work, we investigated whether Dex and E2beta were able to induce the activation of CRE binding proteins (CREB) in the CCRF-CEM cells. Moreover, we studied the intracellular signalling pathways involved in CREB activation and ANXA1 synthesis in response to Dex and E2beta; namely, the role of cAMP and the p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK). RESULTS: The results show that Dex and E2beta were as effective as the cAMP analogue, dBcAMP, in inducing CREB activation. On the contrary, dBcAMP induced ANXA1 synthesis as effectively as these steroid hormones. Furthermore, the cAMP antagonist, Rp-8-Br-cAMPS, and the specific p38 MAPK inhibitor,SB203580, effectively prevented both Dex-induced, E2beta-induced and dBcAMP-induced CREB activation and ANXA1 synthesis. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our results suggest that,in CCRF-CEM cells, Dex-induced and E2beta-inducedANXA1 expression requires the activation of the transcription factor CREB, which in turn seems to be mediated by cAMP and the p38 MAPK. These findings also suggest that, besides the nuclear steroid hormone receptors, other transcription factors, namely CREB, may play important roles in mediating the anti-inflammatory actions of glucocorticoids and oestrogen hormone

A introdução de competências de gestão na formação médica: uma avaliação multidimensional das expectativas

In the last decades, the organizational dynamics has shown the imperative need to rule the management competences mainly relevant in the health sector. Has this reality been perceived and included in the medical curriculum? Once there is a reformist impulse in the way how the health units are managed, why haven’t most of the Medicine Faculties integrated this domain in their curricular reforms? Hence, there seems to be a strong search for these additional competences, only in a post-graduate phase, above all justified by a better qualification in the medical praxis, in which the doctors are called to decide in scenarios with limited resources and budget constraints. With this work we wish to research the perceptions and eventual motivations of the students in the Medicine Faculties of Portugal to introduce management competences in the ir medical pre-graduate curriculum. Focusing on the medicine students and on the change occurred in the doctors’ behaviour, before and after contacting with this new competence, we aspired to qualify and understand the future graduates’ expectations in what regards this objective. Thus, the use of the Non Linear Canonical Correlation Analysis has allowed not only the multidimensional description of topologies and /or typologies of individuals, but it has also analysed the relations among the various answers, arranged in optimal scales, thus determining similarities / dissimilarities among the shown opinions along the medical training process. From the results it was concluded that there isn’t a majority group expressing a tendency clearly, but rather a distribution of the respondents in the various typologies in every sample, which indicates to the decision-makers a perspective of the curriculum flexible approach, in a different model from the one predominating in the present Medical Education institutions, that still don’t work with the concept of curricular attractors.A dinâmica organizacional que se tem manifestado nas últimas décadas tornou imperativo o domínio de competências de gestão, particularmente relevantes no sector da saúde. Terá sido esta realidade percepcionada e incluída no currículo médico? Existindo um impulso reformista na forma de encarar a gestão de unidades de saúde, por que razão a maioria das Faculdades de Medicina não integrou este domínio nas suas reformas curriculares? Não obstante, parece existir uma forte procura na aquisição destas competências complementares, apenas numa fase pós-graduada, fundamentalmente justificada por uma melhor qualificação na prática médica, na qual os médicos são chamados a decidir em cenários com recursos limitados e constrangimentos orçamentais. Pretendemos com este trabalho, investigar as motivações das Faculdades de Medicina em Portugal para a introdução de competências de gestão no currículo pré e pós-graduado médico. Centrando-nos nos alunos de medicina e na mudança operada no comportamento dos médicos, antes e após contacto com esta nova competência, aspirámos qualificar e entender as expectativas dos futuros licenciados em relação a este objectivo. Assim, o recurso à Análise de Correlações Canónicas Não Lineares permitiu, não só uma descrição multidimensional de topologias e/ou tipologias de indivíduos, como também analisou as relações entre as várias respostas, acomodadas em escalas óptimas, determinando, deste modo, similitudes/dissimilitudes entre as opiniões manifestadas, no decurso do processo de formação médica