The complex interactions between obesity, metabolism and the brain

Obesity is increasing at unprecedented levels globally, and the overall impact ofobesity on the various organ systems of the body is only beginning to be fullyappreciated. Because of the myriad of direct and indirect effects of obesity causingdysfunction of multiple tissues and organs, it is likely that there will be heterogeneityin the presentation of obesity effects in any given population. Taken together, theserealities make it increasingly difficult to understand the complex interplay betweenobesity effects on different organs, including the brain. The focus of this review isto provide a comprehensive view of metabolic disturbances present in obesity, theirdirect and indirect effects on the different organ systems of the body, and to discussthe interaction of these effects in the context of brain aging and the development ofneurodegenerative diseases.Fil: Uranga, Romina Maria. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca; ArgentinaFil: Keller, Jeffrey Neil. Louisiana State University System; Estados Unido

Self-monitoring and the Initiation of Long and Short-term Romantic Relationships

Self-monitoring is the degree to which an individual censors or controls their behavior to fit a particular social environment (Snyder, 1974). High self-monitors are very aware of what others might think of them and modify their behavior to create a positive public image (Snyder, 1974). When considering a potential partner, high self-monitors value physical attractiveness more highly than low self-monitors (Leone & Hawkins, 2006). High self-monitors are also more socially skilled, talkative, expressive, and more likely to initiate humor than low self-monitors (Funder & Harris, 1986). These qualities are related to the fact that high self-monitors tend to be more popular than low self-monitors, who are more likely to be distrustful, irritable, and anxious (Funder & Harris, 1986). Additionally, high self-monitors tend to have greater romantic popularity (Speed & Gangestad, 1997). In a study by Snyder and Simpson (1984), individuals who were not dating one person exclusively had a greater number of partners the previous year if they were high as opposed to low self-monitors. This supports the assertion by Rowatt, DeLue, Strickhouser, and Gonzalez (2001), that high and low self-monitors have different preferences for whom they expect to have a short-term, compared to a long-term relationship with. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to explore the nature of these differences. A novel relative, rather than absolute, assessment method will be used. We hypothesize that high self-monitors are more likely than low self-monitors to express a willingness to enter into both short-term and long-term relationships based solely on judgments of physical attractiveness

Narratives in a drug court setting

The purpose of the project is to develop and evaluate a writing unit that could be used to teach adult students in a drug court program. The project is based on theories behind narrative therapy, its use in the treatment of persons with addiction problems, and how the reframing of students\u27 own life stories through writing can bring about change. By using writing prompts as both therapeutic and educational tools, the author hoped to improve the students\u27 life-coping skills and their writing abilities. The unit consists of paragraph writing, essay writing, reflective writing that focused on past events, and using computers to compose and format texts. The author evaluated a preliminary draft of the unit by submitting it to four education professionals with a questionnaire. Data was also collected from the author\u27s students by means of surveys, interviews, and writing samples. Feedback from the professionals and the students guided the revision of the unit. The questionnaire, survey, and interview questions used in the project and the preliminary and final revised drafts of the teaching unit are included

How does the chromatin fiber deal with topological constraints?

In the nuclei of eukaryotic cells, DNA is packaged through several levels of compaction in an orderly retrievable way that enables the correct regulation of gene expression. The functional dynamics of this assembly involves the unwinding of the so-called 30 nm chromatin fiber and accordingly imposes strong topological constraints. We present a general method for computing both the twist and the writhe of any winding pattern. An explicit derivation is implemented for the chromatin fiber which provides the linking number of DNA in eukaryotic chromosomes. We show that there exists one and only one unwinding path which satisfies both topological and mechanical constraints that DNA has to deal with during condensation/decondensation processes.Comment: Presented in Nature "News and views in brief" Vol. 429 (13 May 2004). Movies available at http://www.lptl.jussieu.fr/recherche/operationE_fichiers/Page_figurePRL.htm

A relação entre planos privados de saúde e uso de serviços médicos e odontológicos no sistema de saúde brasileiro

To describe the last place of medical and dental health service used in relation to private health plans, and examine the effect of being registered in the primary healthcare system through the Family Health Strategy (FHS). This was a cross-sectional study using data from Brazil’s 2008 National Household Survey. Multinomial logistic regression was performed to analyze how a private health plan and enrollment in the FHS influenced the use of health services. Results showed that individuals with a private health plan tend to use medical and dental services more than individuals without such a plan. However, many individuals with a private health plan used public services or paid out-of-pocket services, mainly for dental care. Among individuals without a private plan, being enrolled in the FHS reduced the use of out-of-pocket private services, regardless of age, income or educational level. Enrollment in the FHS increased the chances of using public services, and the effect of this enrollment is greater among those who have a private plan. Policies to strengthen public primary healthcare and to expand the FHS should be encouraged within the universal health systemO objetivo deste estudo foi descrever os locais usados na última visita a serviços médicos e odontológicos no Brasil em relação à posse de plano privados de saúde, e examinar o efeito de estar cadastrado na Estratégia de Saúde da Família (ESF). Este é um estudo transversal que utiliza dados da Pesquisa Nacional de Amostra Domiciliar (PNAD) de 2008 no Brasil. Regressão logística multinomial foi realizada para analisar a influência da posse de plano privado de saúde e o cadastro na ESF no uso do serviço de saúde. Os resultados mostraram que os indivíduos com plano de saúde tendem a usar mais os serviços médico -odontológicos do que indivíduos sem plano privado. Porém, muitos indivíduos com planos usam serviços públicos ou privados com pagamento direto, principalmente para serviços odontológicos. Dentre indivíduos sem plano, estar cadastrado na ESF reduziu as chances de uso de serviços privados com pagamento direto, independente de idade, renda e nível educacional. Estar cadastrado na ESF aumentou o uso de serviços públicos e o efeito foi mais forte dentre indivíduos com planos privados. Políticas para fortalecer a atenção primária à saúde e expandir a ESF devem ser incentivada

Novelties in Oxypetalum (Apocynaceae-Asclepiadoideae) for the Argentine Flora

Including the results reported in this paper, there are 41 species of Oxypetalum (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae) that occur in Argentina, eight of them endemic: O. arenicola, O. fontellae, O. gracile, O. lynchianum, O. longipedunculatum, O. pubescens, O. tucumanense and O. teyucuarense. The last is a new species from the Paraje Teyú Cuaré, San Ignacio, Misiones Province, Argentina, which is described and illustrated here. It shares some morphological features with O. jorgensenii, but, overall, it does not closely resemble any other species of the genus morphologically in its unique assemblage of characteristics. In addition to this new species, we here report two additional species for the first time in ArgentinaFil: Keller, Hector Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Nordeste. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste (i); ArgentinaFil: Farinaccio, Maria Ana. Universidade Federal Do Mato Grosso Do Sul; Brasi

The Poleward Transport of Moisture and Clouds in the Antarctic

第6回極域科学シンポジウム[OM] 極域気水圏11月16日（月）　統計数理研究所 セミナー室2（D304

APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PROCEDIMENTO ANALÍTICO PARA A DETERMINAÇÃO DE MOLIBDÊNIO DISPONÍVEL EM SOLO E FERTILIZANTE ORGÂNICO

Com o objetivo de desenvolver metodologia analítica para a determinação de molibdênio (fração disponível), em amostras de solo e de fertilizante orgânico, aperfeiçoou-se procedimento que utiliza solução de acetato de amônio 1,0 mol.L-1 como meio extrator, pH 6,5 a 7,0, agitação por 7 horas e medida por Espectrometria de Absorção Atômica em Forno de Grafite (GFAAS, temperatura de atomização de 2650 °C, limite de detecção de 2,0 ng Mo. mL-1). Palavras-chave: Solo, fertilizante orgânico , molibdêni

Selective vulnerability of neurons to acute toxicity after proteasome inhibitor treatment: Implications for oxidative stress and insolubility of newly synthesized proteins

Maintaining protein homeostasis is vital to cell viability, with numerous studies demonstrating a role for proteasome inhibition occurring during the aging of a variety of tissues and, presumably, contributing to the disruption of cellular homeostasis during aging. In this study we sought to elucidate the differences between neurons and astrocytes in regard to basal levels of protein synthesis, proteasome-mediated protein degradation, and sensitivity to cytotoxicity after proteasome inhibitor treatment. In these studies we demonstrate that neurons have an increased vulnerability, compared to astrocyte cultures, to proteasome-inhibitor-induced cytotoxicity. No significant difference was observed between these two cell types in regard to the basal rates of protein synthesis, or basal rates of protein degradation, in the pool of short-lived proteins. After proteasome inhibitor treatment neuronal crude lysates were observed to undergo greater increases in the levels of ubiquitinated and oxidized proteins and selectively exhibited increased levels of newly synthesized proteins accumulating within the insoluble protein pool, compared to astrocytes. Together, these data suggest a role for increased oxidized proteins and sequestration of newly synthesized proteins in the insoluble protein pool, as potential mediators of the selective neurotoxicity after proteasome inhibitor treatment. The implications for neurons exhibiting increased sensitivity to acute proteasome inhibitor exposure, and the corresponding changes in protein homeostasis observed after proteasome inhibition, are discussed in the context of both aging and age-related disorders of the nervous system.Fil: Dasuri, Kalavathi. State University of Louisiana; Estados UnidosFil: Ebenezer, Philip J.. State University of Louisiana; Estados UnidosFil: Zhang, Le. State University of Louisiana; Estados UnidosFil: Fernandez Kim, Sun Ok. State University of Louisiana; Estados UnidosFil: Uranga, Romina Maria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca; ArgentinaFil: Gavilán, Elena. State University of Louisiana; Estados UnidosFil: Di Blasio, Alessia. State University of Louisiana; Estados UnidosFil: Keller, Jeffrey N.. State University of Louisiana; Estados Unido

M&m's: An error budget and performance simulator code for polarimetric systems

Although different approaches to model a polarimeter's accuracy have been described before, a complete error budgeting tool for polarimetric systems has not been yet developed. Based on the framework introduced by Keller & Snik, in 2009, we have developed the M&m's code as a first attempt to obtain a generic tool to model the performance and accuracy of a given polarimeter, including all the potential error contributions and their dependencies on physical parameters. The main goal of the code is to provide insight on the combined influence of many polarization errors on the accuracy of any polarimetric instrument. In this work we present the mathematics and physics based on which the code is developed as well as its general structure and operational scheme. Discussion of the advantages of the M&m's approach to error budgeting and polarimetric performance simulation is carried out and a brief outlook of further development of the code is also given.Comment: Publ. date: 09/201