Lifestyle factors and neuroimaging metrics as predictors of cognitive performance in healthy aging

Despite all the advances made in health-related and psychological sciences, advancing age continues to be accompanied by cognitive decline. Aging is usually associated with major changes in the structure and functioning of the brain that lead to impairments in multiple cognitive functions. The trajectories of age-related effects on the brain and cognition exhibit considerable differences across cognitive domains and across individuals, and investigating approaches and factors that might prevent brain and cognitive decline during aging is considered a topic of great scientific and public health relevance. The overall goal of this thesis was to evaluate age-related differences in brain structure and functional connectivity to further our understanding of the neural mechanisms involved in age-related declines in cognition. This thesis also aimed to investigate the influence of lifestyle factors on age differences in cognition, and in that regard, I focused on the effects of sleep quality and physical activity on memory. In Study 1, I assessed the impact of aging on grey matter volume of the medial temporal lobe MTL and prefrontal cortex PFC and compared the relative contributions of MTL and PFC structures to age differences in associative memory. My findings emphasize the critical role of the frontal lobes, and the control processes they subserve, in determining the detrimental effects of age on memory. Additionally, I observed that the relationship between frontal grey matter volume and memory was not moderated by age or sex, suggesting that greater volume in PFC structures relates to better memory performance across the lifespan and in both sexes. In Study 2, I assessed the effects of age on functional brain networks. Given the essential role of the arousal system (ARAS) in cortical activation and previous findings of disrupted ARAS functioning with age, I investigated the hypothesis that age-related changes in ARAS-cortical functional connectivity may contribute to commonly observed age-related differences in cortical connectivity. The findings of this study showed that the arousal system is functionally connected to widespread cortical regions and suggest that age differences in functional connectivity within the cortex may be driven by age-related changes in the brainstem and these altered connectivity patterns have important implications for cognitive health. In Study 3, I investigated the relationship between sleep quality, physical activity, and memory in middle-age and older adults, in addition to assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on participants’ mood and sleep quality. Our results showed that people who were more active reported better sleep quality and showed better memory, and better sleep quality was associated with better memory. Moreover, our findings also showed that some of the beneficial effects of physical activity on cognition are partially mediated by improved sleep. Additionally, this study indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic had a deleterious effect on people’s sleep quality and overall well-being. Taken together, these studies suggest that aging is associated with disruptive effects on brain structure and function, and that these changes are associated with age-related cognitive decline. Additionally, our study supported the association between lifestyle factors, more specifically, sleep quality and physical activity, and cognitive performance during aging

Nivel de riesgo y aparición de úlceras por presión en pacientes en estado crítico

ResumenLa úlcera por presión es un evento constante en salud pública, un problema persistente en las unidades críticas y una preocupación de enfermería al verse involucrada en el cuidado que demanda el 50% más del tiempo utilizado.ObjetivoDescribir el riesgo de aparición de las úlceras por presión en los pacientes ingresados en la unidad de cuidados críticos, con relación al tiempo de medición y estadio.MétodosEstudio cuantitativo, observacional, descriptivo y longitudinal. Muestra conformada por 31 pacientes. El instrumento fue aplicado en 4 momentos: al ingreso, a las 24 y 72h y al séptimo día de estancia. En cada medición se determinó el riesgo con la escala Braden y se valoró la piel.ResultadoEl 100% de los pacientes tuvo alto riesgo al ingreso y 24h; se redujo en un 71% a los 7 días. El 6.4% desarrolló úlcera por presión al ingreso, el 12.9% a las 24h y el 35.5% a las 72h. En general el 45.2% de los pacientes considerados como de alto riesgo manifestaron úlcera por presión a los 7 días de estancia hospitalaria. Se observó una correlación entre las variables nivel de riesgo y aparición de úlcera por presión a las 72h (rs p=0.04).ConclusiónA pesar de que se reduce el riesgo a la mitad en las primeras 72h, aumenta la incidencia de úlcera por presión en ese mismo lapso; así, es importante que se realicen evaluaciones y revaloraciones desde el ingreso y durante los 7 primeros días de estancia hospitalaria en los pacientes críticamente enfermos utilizando un instrumento de valor predictivo.AbstractPressure ulcer are a constant event in public health, a persistent problem in units of critical care, and a nursing concern due to the longtime of care they need to be addressed.ObjectiveTo describe the risk of developing pressure ulcer which patients admitted into the critical care taking in consideration the time of measurement and stay.MethodsThis is a quantitative, observational, descriptive, and longitudinal study with a sample of 31 patients. The instrument was administered at four times: at entry, during the 24 and 72hours, and at the seventh day of stay. In each measurement, the risk was assessed through the Braden scale. The skin status was also assessed.Result100% of patients were at high risk during the first 24hours; and 71% of them were at high risk at the seventh day of admission. 6.4% developed a pressure ulcer during admission, 12.9% at 24hours, and 35.5% at 72hours. In general, 45.2% of the patients considered in high risk developed some pressure ulcer at the seventh day of stay. A correlation was observed among the variables risk level and pressure sores at 72hours (rs P=.04>).ConclusionAlthough the risk is reduced to the half during the first 72hours, the incidence of pressure ulcer increases in the same period; thus, it is important to perform assessments and re-appraisements to the critically ill patients using a predictive instrument since hospital admission and during the first seven days of stay

MOBILE MAPPING FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE: THE SURVEY OF THE COMPLEX OF ST. JOHN OF THE HERMITS IN PALERMO (ITALY)

During the 11th and 12th century, the Arab-Norman architectural style characterized the most beautiful and important Cultural Heritage buildings in Sicily, and especially in Palermo (Italy). The relevance of these monuments is highlighted by their inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites List in 2015. For many years, the University of Palermo has been studying and documenting several Arab-Norman cultural assets, and in particular, the complex of St. John of the Hermits in Palermo (Italy). A first detailed 3D survey of the main structures of this complex was carried out using a terrestrial laser scanner while the 3D survey of the entire complex was made using a Mobile Mapping System (MMS). The paper describes the workflow and the results of the mobile mapping survey undertaken with a Handheld Mobile Laser Scanner (HMLS) based on Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping (SLAM) technologies. The work allowed surveying the entire site with an extremely fast acquisition and obtaining the geometric information useful for historical architectural valuations. In addition, due to the characteristics of the site, the work enabled the assessment of the HMLS data processing testing different automatic algorithms for point cloud filtering

Theoretical knock-outs on biological networks

Peer reviewedPreprin

Behavior of a Model Dynamical System with Applications to Weak Turbulence

We experimentally explore solutions to a model Hamiltonian dynamical system derived in Colliander et al., 2012, to study frequency cascades in the cubic defocusing nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation on the torus. Our results include a statistical analysis of the evolution of data with localized amplitudes and random phases, which supports the conjecture that energy cascades are a generic phenomenon. We also identify stationary solutions, periodic solutions in an associated problem and find experimental evidence of hyperbolic behavior. Many of our results rely upon reframing the dynamical system using a hydrodynamic formulation.Comment: 22 pages, 14 figure

Smart cities and smart tourism: what future do they bring?

We have sought to understand the current state of the art on smart tourism and on smart cities. Furthermore, we have sought to understand community awareness and the will to embrace innovation, as they are decisive factors to acquire base knowledge and overcome barriers in (soon to be) overpopulated cities and for those who are looking for a limited time culture experience - known as tourists. We live in an age where technology is increasingly present in our lives and provides us solutions to societal problems. Problems such as traffic, infrastructure and natural resources management, or even increasing citizens’ participation in governance, bringing them closer to decision-making. The objective is to understand the current level of people’s knowledge about the impact that technologies have on the society in which we live and their perception of the usefulness in solving these same problems. Therefore, an anonymous questionnaire was carried out (176 valid answers were received), as well as a focus group with two experts on the Smart Cities subject. What future is brought by those who live and breathe technology? Are people willing to accept a paradigm shift?This work is financed by the ERDF – European Regional Development Fund through the Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation - COMPETE 2020 Programme and by National Funds through the Portuguese funding agency, FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia within project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-031309 entitled “PromoTourVR - Promoting Tourism Destinations with Multisensory Immersive Media”.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The draft genome of Andean Rhodopseudomonas sp. strain AZUL predicts genome plasticity and adaptation to chemical homeostasis

The genus Rhodopseudomonas comprises purple non-sulfur bacteria with extremely versatile metabolisms. Characterization of several strains revealed that each is a distinct ecotype highly adapted to its specific micro-habitat. Here we present the sequencing, genomic comparison and functional annotation of AZUL, a Rhodopseudomonas strain isolated from a high altitude Andean lagoon dominated by extreme conditions and fluctuating levels of chemicals. Average nucleotide identity (ANI) analysis of 39 strains of this genus showed that the genome of AZUL is 96.2% identical to that of strain AAP120, which suggests that they belong to the same species. ANI values also show clear separation at the species level with the rest of the strains, being more closely related to R. palustris. Pangenomic analyses revealed that the genus Rhodopseudomonas has an open pangenome and that its core genome represents roughly 5 to 12% of the total gene repertoire of the genus. Functional annotation showed that AZUL has genes that participate in conferring genome plasticity and that, in addition to sharing the basal metabolic complexity of the genus, it is also specialized in metal and multidrug resistance and in responding to nutrient limitation. Our results also indicate that AZUL might have evolved to use some of the mechanisms involved in resistance as redox reactions for bioenergetic purposes. Most of those features are shared with strain AAP120, and mainly involve the presence of additional orthologs responsible for the mentioned processes. Altogether, our results suggest that AZUL, one of the few bacteria from its habitat with a sequenced genome, is highly adapted to the extreme and changing conditions that constitute its niche.Fil: Guardia, Aisha E. Ingeniería de Interfases y Bioprocesos. Instituto de Tecnología de Materiales (INTEMA-CONICET-UNMdP); Argentina.Fil: Busalmen, Juan P. Ingeniería de Interfases y Bioprocesos. Instituto de Tecnología de Materiales (INTEMA-CONICET-UNMdP); Argentina.Fil: Wagner, Agustín. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina.Fil: Di Capua, Cecilia Beatriz. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR-CONICET-UNR); Argentina.Fil: Cortez, Néstor. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR-CONICET-UNR); Argentina.Fil: Beligni, María V. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas (IIB-CONICET-UNMdP); Argentina