Percepción de la creatividad en niños, padres y pares: efectos en la producción creativa

Objetivo. El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar la percepción de la creatividad en niños, padres ypares, y el efecto de estas percepciones sobre la producción creativa de los niños en actividades de papel ylápiz. Método. Participaron 359 alumnos de 9 a 13 años de diferentes escuelas y colegios de la provincia deEntre Ríos de la República Argentina. Para conocer la producción creativa, los niños completaron la pruebade figuras del Test de Pensamiento Creativo de Torrance Forma B. Para estudiar la valoración de los pares,padres y niños sobre la creatividad se aplicó el Sociograma “Compañero creativo”, la Escala de PersonalidadCreadora (versión heteroevaluación a los padres o tutores) y la versión autoevaluación a los niños de 11 a 13años. Resultados. Los resultados mostraron que tanto la percepción parental (F (2, 356) = 6.55, p = 0.002),así como la evaluación que realizan los pares (F (2, 356) = 4.90, p = 0.008) sobre la creatividad mejoran laproducción creativa del niño en las tareas de papel y lápiz. No se encontraron diferencias significativas en laproducción creativa según la evaluación del niño sobre su propia creatividad. Conclusión. Los datos muestranla importancia cardinal de los factores contextuales, particularmente, la percepción de los padres y de lospares en los procesos de formación del yo en cuanto a las competencias y habilidades que son necesarias pararealizar una actividad creadora.

Gambogic Acid, a Natural Product Inhibitor of Hsp90

A high-throughput screening of natural product libraries identified (−)-gambogic acid (1), a component of the exudate of Garcinia harburyi, as a potential Hsp90 inhibitor, in addition to the known Hsp90 inhibitor celastrol (2). Subsequent testing established that 1 inhibited cell proliferation, brought about the degradation of Hsp90 client proteins in cultured cells, and induced the expression of Hsp70 and Hsp90, which are hallmarks of Hsp90 inhibition. Gambogic acid also disrupted the interaction of Hsp90, Hsp70, and Cdc37 with the heme-regulated eIF2α kinase (HRI, an Hsp90-dependent client) and blocked the maturation of HRI in vitro. Surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy indicated that 1 bound to the N-terminal domain of Hsp90 with a low micromolar Kd, in a manner that was not competitive with the Hsp90 inhibitor geldanamycin (3). Molecular docking experiments supported the posit that 1 binds Hsp90 at a site distinct from Hsp90s ATP binding pocket. The data obtained have firmly established 1 as a novel Hsp90 inhibitor and have provided evidence of a new site that can be targeted for the development of improved Hsp90 inhibitors

The R1441C mutation alters the folding properties of the ROC domain of LRRK2

LRRK2 is a 250 kDa multidomain protein, mutations in which cause familial Parkinson's disease. Previously, we have demonstrated that the R1441C mutation in the ROC domain decreases GTPase activity. Here we show that the R1441C alters the folding properties of the ROC domain, lowering its thermodynamic stability. Similar to small GTPases, binding of different guanosine nucleotides alters the stability of the ROC domain, suggesting that there is an alteration in conformation dependent on GDP or GTP occupying the active site. GTP/GDP bound state also alters the self-interaction of the ROC domain, accentuating the impact of the R1441C mutation on this property. These data suggest a mechanism whereby the R1441C mutation can reduce the GTPase activity of LRRK2, and highlights the possibility of targeting the stability of the ROC domain as a therapeutic avenue in LRRK2 disease

Generation and characterization of an endogenously tagged SPG11-human iPSC line by CRISPR/Cas9 mediated knock-in

Pathogenic bi-allelic variants in the SPG11 gene result in rare motor neuron disorders such as Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia type 11, Charcot-Marie Tooth, and Juvenile Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis-5. The main challenge in SPG11-linked disease research is the lack of antibodies against SPG11 encoded spatacsin. Here, we describe the CRISPR/Cas9 mediated generation and validation of an endogenously tagged SPG11- human iPSC line that contains an HA tag at the C-terminus of SPG11. The line exhibits multi-lineage differentiation potential and holds promise for studying the role of spatacsin and for the elucidation of SPG11-associated pathogenesis

HIV-1 glycan density drives the persistence of the mannose patch within an infected individual.

CAPRISA, 2016.Abstract available in pdf

Whole-Genome Sequencing of Individuals from a Founder Population Identifies Candidate Genes for Asthma

Asthma is a complex genetic disease caused by a combination of genetic and environmental risk factors. We sought to test classes of genetic variants largely missed by genome-wide association studies (GWAS), including copy number variants (CNVs) and low-frequency variants, by performing whole-genome sequencing (WGS) on 16 individuals from asthma-enriched and asthma-depleted families. The samples were obtained from an extended 13-generation Hutterite pedigree with reduced genetic heterogeneity due to a small founding gene pool and reduced environmental heterogeneity as a result of a communal lifestyle. We sequenced each individual to an average depth of 13-fold, generated a comprehensive catalog of genetic variants, and tested the most severe mutations for association with asthma. We identified and validated 1960 CNVs, 19 nonsense or splice-site single nucleotide variants (SNVs), and 18 insertions or deletions that were out of frame. As follow-up, we performed targeted sequencing of 16 genes in 837 cases and 540 controls of Puerto Rican ancestry and found that controls carry a significantly higher burden of mutations in IL27RA (2.0% of controls; 0.23% of cases; nominal p = 0.004; Bonferroni p = 0.21). We also genotyped 593 CNVs in 1199 Hutterite individuals. We identified a nominally significant association (p = 0.03; Odds ratio (OR) = 3.13) between a 6 kbp deletion in an intron of NEDD4L and increased risk of asthma. We genotyped this deletion in an additional 4787 non-Hutterite individuals (nominal p = 0.056; OR = 1.69). NEDD4L is expressed in bronchial epithelial cells, and conditional knockout of this gene in the lung in mice leads to severe inflammation and mucus accumulation. Our study represents one of the early instances of applying WGS to complex disease with a large environmental component and demonstrates how WGS can identify risk variants, including CNVs and low-frequency variants, largely untested in GWAS

Divisions, Areas, and Ensembles - Opera - UNT Opera onstage

Photograph from a UNT Opera stage production. A man wearing a blue coat over a pale vest and blue pants raises an arm while moving. Behind the man, large red cloths with shapes cut out of them hang above the stage

Divisions, Areas, and Ensembles - Opera - UNT Opera onstage

Photograph from a UNT Opera stage production. A man wearing a black tricorn, a blue coat over a yellow vest, a white shirt, and pale pants stands next to a man who is dressed in a striped vest worn over a white shirt and dark pants. The man in the blue coat stands stiffly while the man wearing the long vest raises his left hand and puts his right hand on the other man's shoulder

Divisions, Areas, and Ensembles - Opera - UNT Opera onstage

Photograph from a UNT Opera stage production. A woman sitting on a patterned couch wears a dark vest over a white shirt and striped skirt, a small string instrument held in her arms as she looks off to the side. Next to her sits a woman wearing a pink dress, her head turned to face a man dressed in a black tricorn, blue coat, and white pants who leans down towards her while holding onto the couch