149 research outputs found
Brothers are better than nothing: first report of incestuous mating and inbreeding depression in a freshwater decapod crustacean
This study aimed at evaluating the effect of one generation of full-sibling mating on traits related to the fitness of the gregarious freshwater shrimp Neocaridina davidi, both under optimal and stressful (i.e. starvation) laboratory conditions. Females were maintained either with their brothers (Inbreeding treatment) or non-brothers (Outbreeding treatment), and the first and second broods were used to evaluate egg production and juvenile quality, respectively. The latter was analyzed in a 60-day period following hatching under optimal rearing conditions, and in a 20-day period following hatching under food deprivation conditions. All surviving females from both treatments mated and spawned, indicating that mating with brothers was as likely as mating with non-brothers. With respect to offspring production, inbreeding had no effect on fecundity and fertilization success, but negatively affected the number of hatched juveniles. These results suggest that egg loss was higher in inbred clutches, possibly due to lower embryonic survival. On the other hand, the effect of inbreeding on growth was absent for embryos and for juveniles under optimal rearing conditions, while it was significant for juveniles starved for 10 consecutive days following hatching. Inbreeding depression for survival was only detected in juveniles from stages S8-S9 under optimal rearing conditions. Overall, the present results show that N. davidi fitness decreases after one generation of full-sibling mating. The use of a potentially weak food deprivation protocol and/or the evaluation of only one inbred generation could explain the absence or subtle inbreeding depression for some of the evaluated traits. No evident relationship between life-history traits and the existence and magnitude of inbreeding was found when comparing our results with those previously reported in high-fecundity marine crustaceans and low-fecundity terrestrial crustaceans.Fil: Tropea, Carolina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientÃficas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Biodiversidad y BiologÃa Experimental y Aplicada. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Biodiversidad y BiologÃa Experimental y Aplicada; ArgentinaFil: Marciano, Agustina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientÃficas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Biodiversidad y BiologÃa Experimental y Aplicada. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Biodiversidad y BiologÃa Experimental y Aplicada; ArgentinaFil: Lopez, Laura Susana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientÃficas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Biodiversidad y BiologÃa Experimental y Aplicada. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Biodiversidad y BiologÃa Experimental y Aplicada; Argentin
Dynamics of adolescents' smartphone use and well-being are positive but ephemeral
Well-being and smartphone use are thought to influence each other. However, previous studies mainly focused on one direction (looking at the effects of smartphone use on well-being) and considered between-person effects, with self-reported measures of smartphone use. By using 2548 assessments of well-being and trace data of smartphone use collected for 45 consecutive days in 82 adolescent participants (M = 13.47, SD = 1.62, 54% females), the present study disentangled the reciprocal and individual dynamics of well-being and smartphone use. Hierarchical Bayesian Continuous Time Dynamic Models were used to estimate how a change in frequency and duration of smartphone use predicted a later change in well-being, and vice versa. Results revealed that (i) when participants used the smartphone frequently and for a longer period, they also reported higher levels of well-being; (ii) well-being positively predicted subsequent duration of smartphone use; (iii) usage patterns and system dynamics showed heterogeneity, with many subjects showing reciprocal effects close to zero; finally, (iv) changes in well-being tend to persist longer than changes in the frequency and duration of smartphone use
A new database of healthy and pathological voices☆ Ugo Cesari a, Giuseppe De Pietro b, Elio Marciano c, Ciro Niri d, Giovanna Sannino,b, Laura Verde e a Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital (Policlinico) Federico II of Naples, Via S.Pansini, 5 Naples, Italy b Institute of High Performance Computing and Networking (ICAR-CNR), Via Pietro Castellino, 111, Naples, Italy c Area of Audiology, Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive and Odontostomatological Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via S.Pansini, 5, Naples, Italy d Independent Doctor Surgeon Specialized in Audiology and Phoniatrics, Naples, Italy e Department of Engineering, University of Naples Parthenope, Centro Direzionale di Napoli, Isola C4, Naples, Italy
In the era of Edge-of-Things computing for the accomplishment of smart healthcare systems, the
availability of accurate and reliable databases is important to provide the right tools for researchers
and business companies to design, develop and test new techniques, methodologies
and/or algorithms to monitor or detect the patient’s healthcare status. In this paper, the study
and building of the VOice ICar fEDerico II (VOICED) database are presented, useful for anybody
who needs voice signals in her/his research activities. It consists of 208 healthy and pathological
voices collected during a clinical study performed following the guidelines of the medical SIFEL
(Società Italiana di Foniatria e Logopedia) protocol and the SPIRIT (Standard Protocol Items:
Recommendations for Interventional Trials) 2013 Statement. For each subject, the database
contains a recording of the vowel /a/ of five seconds in length, lifestyle information, the medical
diagnosis, and the results of two specific medical questionnaires
Lifestyle Behaviours of Children and Adolescents During the First Two Waves of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Switzerland and Their Relation to Well-Being: An Observational Study
Objectives: To describe changes in adherence to recommendations for physical activity (PA), screen time (ST), and sleep duration over the first two waves of the pandemic in Switzerland, and to assess the associations of these lifestyle behaviours with life satisfaction and overall health as well-being indicators.Methods: In this observational study, we included 2,534 participants (5–16 years) from four Swiss cantons. Participants, or their parents, completed repeated questionnaires and reported on their (child’s) lifestyle and well-being, between June 2020 and April 2021. We used linear and logistic regression models to assess the associations between lifestyle and well-being.Results: The percentage of children meeting the recommendations for PA and ST decreased from the pre-pandemic period to the first wave, with a slight recovery during the second wave. Participants meeting all three recommendations during the second wave were more likely to report excellent health (OR: 1.65 [95% CI: 1.00–2.76]) and higher life satisfaction (β: 0.46 [0.16–0.77]) in early 2021 than participants not meeting any recommendation.Conclusion: We showed a substantial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s and adolescents’ lifestyle, and a positive association between meeting lifestyle recommendations and well-being
Experimental test of Non-Commutative Quantum Gravity by VIP-2 Lead
Pauli Exclusion Principle (PEP) violations induced by space-time
non-commutativity, a class of universality for several models of Quantum
Gravity, are investigated by the VIP-2 Lead experiment at the Gran Sasso
underground National Laboratory of INFN. The VIP-2 Lead experimental bound on
the non-commutative space-time scale excludes -Poincar\'e far
above the Planck scale for non vanishing ``electric-like" components of
, and up to Planck scales if they are
null. Therefore, this new bound represents the tightest one so far provided by
atomic transitions tests. This result strongly motivates high sensitivity
underground X-ray measurements as critical tests of Quantum Gravity and of the
very microscopic space-time structure.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figures. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with
arXiv:2209.0007
Strongest atomic physics bounds on Non-Commutative Quantum Gravity Models
Investigations of possible violations of the Pauli Exclusion Principle
represent critical tests of the microscopic space-time structure and
properties. Space-time non-commutativity provides a class of universality for
several Quantum Gravity models. In this context the VIP-2 Lead experiment sets
the strongest bounds, searching for Pauli Exclusion Principle violating
atomic-transitions in lead, excluding the -Poincar\'e Non Commutative
Quantum Gravity models far above the Planck scale for non-vanishing
``electric-like'' components, and up to
Planck scales if .Comment: 7 pages, 2 figure
NEUROINFLAMAÇÃO NA ESCLEROSE LATERAL AMIOTRÓFICA
A esclerose lateral amiotrófica (ELA) esporádica é uma doença neurodegenerativaque acomete o neurônio motor. Sua etiologia ainda não foi totalmente esclarecida e é considerada multifatorial. O objetivo desse trabalho é fazer uma revisão narrativa sobre os mecanismos fisiopatológicos da ELA esporádica, com foco no papel da neuroinflamação, além de descrever estudos envolvendo a pesquisa de biomarcadores de diagnóstico e prognóstico. O processo de neuroinflamação na ELA é considerado secundário à s alterações que levam à morte neuronal, podendo influenciar na taxa de progressão dadoença. Existem diversos estudos sobre o perfil dos fatores inflamatóriosna ELA, por vezes com resultados contraditórios, reforçando a dificuldade de análise desses fatores num organismo dinâmico. Ainda assim, no contexto da ELA, o estudo de possÃveis biomarcadores diagnósticos e/ou prognósticos é válido e de grande interesse, pois permitiria um avanço nos ensaios clÃnicos que buscam novos tratamentos, bem como na condução e planejamento de cada caso
The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment: Exploring Fundamental Symmetries of the Universe
The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early Universe, the
dynamics of the supernova bursts that produced the heavy elements necessary for
life and whether protons eventually decay --- these mysteries at the forefront
of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early
evolution of our Universe, its current state and its eventual fate. The
Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) represents an extensively developed
plan for a world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions. LBNE
is conceived around three central components: (1) a new, high-intensity
neutrino source generated from a megawatt-class proton accelerator at Fermi
National Accelerator Laboratory, (2) a near neutrino detector just downstream
of the source, and (3) a massive liquid argon time-projection chamber deployed
as a far detector deep underground at the Sanford Underground Research
Facility. This facility, located at the site of the former Homestake Mine in
Lead, South Dakota, is approximately 1,300 km from the neutrino source at
Fermilab -- a distance (baseline) that delivers optimal sensitivity to neutrino
charge-parity symmetry violation and mass ordering effects. This ambitious yet
cost-effective design incorporates scalability and flexibility and can
accommodate a variety of upgrades and contributions. With its exceptional
combination of experimental configuration, technical capabilities, and
potential for transformative discoveries, LBNE promises to be a vital facility
for the field of particle physics worldwide, providing physicists from around
the globe with opportunities to collaborate in a twenty to thirty year program
of exciting science. In this document we provide a comprehensive overview of
LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics
worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will
possess.Comment: Major update of previous version. This is the reference document for
LBNE science program and current status. Chapters 1, 3, and 9 provide a
comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the
landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate
and the capabilities it will possess. 288 pages, 116 figure
The polymorphism L412F in TLR3 inhibits autophagy and is a marker of severe COVID-19 in males
The polymorphism L412F in TLR3 has been associated with several infectious diseases. However, the mechanism underlying this association is still unexplored. Here, we show that the L412F polymorphism in TLR3 is a marker of severity in COVID-19. This association increases in the sub-cohort of males. Impaired macroautophagy/autophagy and reduced TNF/TNFα production was demonstrated in HEK293 cells transfected with TLR3L412F-encoding plasmid and stimulated with specific agonist poly(I:C). A statistically significant reduced survival at 28 days was shown in L412F COVID-19 patients treated with the autophagy-inhibitor hydroxychloroquine (p = 0.038). An increased frequency of autoimmune disorders such as co-morbidity was found in L412F COVID-19 males with specific class II HLA haplotypes prone to autoantigen presentation. Our analyses indicate that L412F polymorphism makes males at risk of severe COVID-19 and provides a rationale for reinterpreting clinical trials considering autophagy pathways. Abbreviations: AP: autophagosome; AUC: area under the curve; BafA1: bafilomycin A1; COVID-19: coronavirus disease-2019; HCQ: hydroxychloroquine; RAP: rapamycin; ROC: receiver operating characteristic; SARS-CoV-2: severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; TLR: toll like receptor; TNF/TNF-α: tumor necrosis factor
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