Anti-Inflammatory activity of a polyphenolic extract from Arabidopsis thaliana in in vitro and in vivo models of Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder and the primary form of dementia in the elderly. One of the main features of AD is the increase in amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptide production and aggregation, leading to oxidative stress, neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. Polyphenols are well known for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects and have been proposed as possible therapeutic agents against AD. Here, we investigated the effects of a polyphenolic extract of Arabidopsis thaliana (a plant belonging to the Brassicaceae family) on inflammatory response induced by Aβ. BV2 murine microglia cells treated with both Aβ25⁻35 peptide and extract showed a lower pro-inflammatory (IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α) and a higher anti-inflammatory (IL-4, IL-10, IL-13) cytokine production compared to cells treated with Aβ only. The activation of the Nrf2-antioxidant response element signaling pathway in treated cells resulted in the upregulation of heme oxygenase-1 mRNA and in an increase of NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 activity. To establish whether the extract is also effective against Aβ-induced neurotoxicity in vivo, we evaluated its effect on the impaired climbing ability of AD Drosophila flies expressing human Aβ1⁻42. Arabidopsis extract significantly restored the locomotor activity of these flies, thus confirming its neuroprotective effects also in vivo. These results point to a protective effect of the Arabidopsis extract in AD, and prompt its use as a model in studying the impact of complex mixtures derived from plant-based food on neurodegenerative diseases

Examination on total ozone column retrievals by Brewer spectrophotometry using different processing software

The availability of long-term records of the total ozone content (TOC) represents a valuable source of information for studies on the assessment of short-and long-term atmospheric changes and their impact on the terrestrial ecosystem. In particular, ground-based observations represent a valuable tool for validating satellite-derived products. To our knowledge, details about software packages for processing Brewer spectrophotometer measurements and for retrieving the TOC are seldom specified in studies using such datasets. The sources of the differences among retrieved TOCs from the Brewer instruments located at the Italian stations of Rome and Aosta, using three freely available codes (Brewer Processing Software, BPS; O3Brewer software; and European Brewer Network (EUBREWNET) level 1.5 products) are investigated here. Ground-based TOCs are also compared with Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) TOC retrievals used as an independent dataset since no other instruments near the Brewer sites are available. The overall agreement of the BPS and O3Brewer TOC data with EUBREWNET data is within the estimated total uncertainty in the retrieval of total ozone from a Brewer spectrophotometer (1%). However, differences can be found depending on the software in use. Such differences become larger when the instrumental sensitivity exhibits a fast and dramatic drift which can affect the ozone retrievals significantly. Moreover, if daily mean values are directly generated by the software, differences can be observed due to the configuration set by the users to process single ozone measurement and the rejection rules applied to data to calculate the daily value. This work aims to provide useful information both for scientists engaged in ozone measurements with Brewer spectrophotometers and for stakeholders of the Brewer data products available on Web-based platforms

The rise in female labour force participation in South Africa : an analysis of household survey data , 1995-2001.

Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.In the 1990s nationally representative and detailed household survey data became available for the first time in South Africa, opening up opportunities to examine some of the key movements in the labour market especially. This thesis investigates one of these: the continued and dramatic rise in female labour force participation that has occurred in post-apartheid South Africa over the period 1995 to 2001. The rise in women's participation, also referred to as the 'feminisation' of the labour market, is a phenomenon that has been observed and analysed in many countries around the world, and yet has remained largely undocumented in South Africa. The 'feminisation' that has been recorded in the international literature generally refers to the rise in women's share of the labour force coupled with a rise in women's share of employment. What is striking in the South African case, however, is that over the period under review here regular employment opportunities in the formal sector of the economy have been indisputably limited, and yet female labour force participation has continued to increase. The increase in participation has translated mainly into a rise in unemployment and in generally low-paying forms of self-employment in the informal sector. This raises the question why so many more women chose to enter the labour market over this period in spite of their dismal prospects, a question that is explored as far as possible in this study given the constraints imposed by the data available. This thesis is presented in three main parts. The first part consists of a review of the economic theory of female labour supply and a review of the international literature on the trends, causes and consequences associated with the rise in female labour force participation over time. The second and largest part of the thesis consists of an empirical analysis of the factors driving the rise in female labour force participation in South Africa. The broad trends in the labour force between 1995 and 2001 are documented, some of the supply-side correlates of labour force participation are explored descriptively, and then the determinants of the rise in female labour force participation in South Africa over this period are tested more thoroughly in a multivariate regression and decomposition analysis. The final part of the study turns to the question of what the rise in female labour force participation has 'bought' women in terms of access to employment and earnings for those women who did have work in the period under review

Measuring Problematic Facebook Use among Adolescents and Young Adults with the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale: A Psychometric Analysis by Applying Item Response Theory

The Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale (BFAS) is widely used, but psychometric evidence by applying Item Response Theory (IRT) is lacking. Considering the advantages of this psychometric approach, the aim of study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the BFAS among adolescents and young adults. Participants were 1134 (50% males, Mean age = 20.7, SD = 3.5, range = 14–33 years) Italian high school students and undergraduates. The unidimensionality of the scale was confirmed (χ2/df = 2.8, CFI = 0.99, TLI = 0.98, and RMSEA = 0.04 [C.I. = 0.02–0.06]) and IRT analysis showed that the scale assesses medium and high levels of the trait, and that it is useful in order to discriminate different levels of Problematic Facebook use (PFU) within this range of trait, in which the scale is sufficiently informative. The relationships of BFAS θ scores with theoretically related constructs provided support to the validity of the scale. In accordance with previous studies, BFAS scores were positively correlated with Problematic Internet use and problematic Social Network use, negatively correlated with self-esteem, and positively related to loneliness. The Differential Item Functioning (DIF) analysis showed that BFAS is invariant across gender, and only one item had uniform and small-in-size DIF. Additionally, we tested age invariance. Since only 17% of the BFAS items were non-invariant, we determined that the BFAS exhibited minor non-invariance as a whole. An analysis of the adequacy of the polythetic and monothetic criteria to define the range of the trait indicative of problematic use was also conducted. Overall, this study offers evidence that BFAS is a valuable and useful scale for measuring high levels of PFU among Italian adolescents and young adults

Investigating the well-being of rural women in South Africa.

Accepted for publication to Agenda 84,2010; co-published by Unisa Press and Taylor and Francis.In this Focus piece we explore differences in the well-being of men and women in rural and urban areas. We use quantitative data from a nationally representative household survey in 2008 to measure income poverty and access to services in the households that men and women live in. In addition, we complement this analysis with a range of subjective measures of well-being collected in the survey, which allow us to identify differences in the lived experiences of men and women within their households. We find that, according to both the objective and subjective measures of well-being that we explore, African women living in rural areas are the most disadvantaged group in South Africa

Variabilidade espacial e temporal do pH e do OD na superfície do reservatório Iraí-PR

Orientador : Prof. Dr. Tony Vinicius Moreira SampaioTese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências da Terra, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geografia. Defesa: Curitiba, 01/08/2016Inclui referências : fls. 118-138Área de concentraçãoResumo: Este trabalho procura retratar a importância da análise espaço-temporal para o conhecimento do estado ambiental de recursos hídricos, uma vez que a qualidade da água pode variar significativamente num corpo da água, a depender de fatores internos e externos. Um dos problemas na definição da qualidade da água é a falta de leis normativas que determinem a quantidade de pontos e frequência de coleta, o que possibilita existir diferentes metodologias de análise que indicam a qualidade de um corpo hídrico, gerando dúvidas quanto acurácia das informações. Dessa forma, o estudo tem como objetivo verificar a variabilidade espaço-temporal das variáveis pH e OD e assim, avaliar se existe uma estrutura de compartimentos (zona fluvial, zona intermediária e zona lacustre) no reservatório Iraí. A área de estudo é o reservatório Iraí localizado na região metropolitana de Curitiba/PR. Foram realizadas campanhas mensais durante um ano (2013/14), com amostragens de 15 e 33 pontos, analisadas em superfície. Para análise e modelagem dos dados aplicou-se a estatística descritiva e ferramentas de geoestatística, krigagem ordinária, aplicadas no software ArcGis 10.0. As ferramentas de geoestatística representaram 58,3% das coletas apresentando efeito pepita zero para variável pH e, 41,6% com baixo efeito pepita para variável OD. As coletas que utilizaram 33 pontos apresentaram maior efeito pepita. Assim, o grid amostral de 15 pontos foi suficiente para utilizar as ferramentas de geoestatística. O resultado mostrou que tanto a variável pH quanto o OD não apresentaram em todas as coletas os três compartimentos bem definidos como o esperado. A variabilidade espacial do pH, comparado com OD, mostrou mais próximo da existência dos compartimentos e com variabilidade de norte para sul. A maior variabilidade de pH ocorreu na zona intermediária do reservatório, isto pode ser decorrente da existência de uma estrada submersa. O OD apresentou maior variabilidade de oeste para leste. A variabilidade do pH e do OD pode ter sido influenciada principalmente pelo vento, macrófitas e precipitação. Em relação à análise temporal, o pH e o OD não teriam variabilidade superficial representada por duas amostragens/ano. O OD foi o que apresentou maior variabilidade dentro da mesma estação. Os modelos de distribuição dos resíduos indicaram baixos valores e bem distribuídos, com pouco efeito de borda. Palavras-chave: Ambiente lêntico. Parâmetros físico-químicos. Variabilidade espaçotemporal. Geoestatística.Abstract: This research aims to portray the importance of the space-temporal analysis for knowing the environmental state of the hydrous resources, once the water quality can be varied on a body of water, depending on external and internal factors. A problem to define accurately the quality of water is the lack of normative laws, which are able to determine the amount of points and the frequency on the water samples collect. This fact makes possible several different methodologies for analysis, indicating the quality of a hydrous body, giving inaccurate information results. This way, the present study aims to verify the spatiotemporal variation on the variables pH and OD, evaluating if there is a compartment structure in Iraí reservoir. The area to be studied is Iraí reservoir, which is located into the metropolitan area of Curitiba, Parana State, in Brazil. Montlhy campaigns were made, in a year period (2013/14), with samples of 15 and 33 points, analyzed on surface. In order to analyze and model the data, descriptive statistics was applied, as well as tools of geostatistics, ordinary kriging, applied on the ArcGis 10.0 software. The tools of geostatistics represented 58,3% of the collects which presented zero nugget effect for the pH variable, and 41,6% with low nugget effect for the OD variable. The collections that used 33 points showed higher nugget effect. Thus, the sampling grid of 15 points was enough to use the geostatistical tools. The results could show that the pH variable, as well as the OD variable did not present very well defined compartments, as it was expected. The spatial pH variability, being compared to OD demonstrated closer to the compartment existence with north-south variability. The greatest pH variability occurred in the middle zone of the reservoir, this may be due to the existence of a submerged road. The OD showed greater variability west to east. Variability of pH and OD may have been influenced mainly by wind and rainfall macrophytes. Regarding the temporal analysis, pH and the OD surface variability would not be represented by two sampling / year. The OD showed the greatest variability within the same season. Residue distribution models showed low values and well distributed, with little edge effect. Key words: Lentic environment. Physico-chemical parameters. Variability spatiotemporal. Geostatistics

AVALIAÇÃO DA CARGA SUSPENSA TOTAL (CST) E DE METAIS NA BACIA DO CÓRREGO PINHALZINHO II NO MUNICÍPIO DE UMUARAMA – PR

To evaluate the anthropogenic influence on water quality in the basin of the Pinhalzinho II stream in the northwest Umuarama Paranaense, we sought in this work, to determine the total suspended load (CST) and the concentrations of metals: Cu, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cr, Pb, Cd, Se and Zn in the waters. For this purpose we selected four sampling points in the basin. Water samples were collected seasonally in order to analyze all the seasons, due to different weather conditions. Partial results show higher Fe and Mn, which lie above the values allowed by the CONAMA Resolution 357/2005. The total suspended load is mainly composed of organic matter. Key words: environment degradation, soil use, metals, total suspended loadVisando avaliar a influência antrópica na qualidade hídrica da bacia do córrego Pinhalzinho II, em Umuarama no noroeste Paranaense, buscou-se nesse trabalho, determinar a carga suspensa total (CST) e as concentrações dos metais: Cu, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cr, Pb, Cd, As, Se e Zn nas águas. Para isso foram selecionados quatro pontos de amostragem na bacia. As amostras de água foram coletadas sazonalmente com o intuito de analisar todas as estações do ano, em decorrência das diferentes condições de clima. Os resultados parciais evidenciam teores elevados de Fe e Mn, que se encontram acima dos valores permitidos pela resolução CONAMA nº357/2005. A carga suspensa total é composta principalmente por matéria orgânica. Palavras-chave: Degradação ambiental, usos do solo, metais, carga suspensa tota

Aerosol Single Scattering Albedo retrieval in the UV range: an application to OMI satellite validation

Abstract. The aerosol Single Scattering Albedo (SSA) and Absorbing Aerosol Optical Depth (AAOD) at 320.1 nm are derived at Rome site by the comparison between Brewer and modelled spectra. The UVSPEC radiative transfer model is used to calculate the UV irradiances for different SSA values, taking into account as input data total ozone and Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) obtained from Brewer spectral measurements. The accuracy in determining SSA depends on the aerosol amount and on Solar Zenith Angle (SZA) value: SSA uncertainty increases when AOD and SZA decrease. The monthly mean values of SSA and AAOD during the period January 2005–June 2008 are analysed, showing a monthly and seasonal variability. It is found that the SSA and AAOD averages are 0.80±0.08 and 0.056±0.028, respectively. AAOD retrievals are also used to quantify the error in the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) surface UV products due to absorbing aerosols, not included in the current OMI UV algorithm. OMI and Brewer UV irradiances at 324.1 nm and Erythemal Dose Rates (EDRs) under clear sky conditions, are compared as a function of AAOD. Three methods are considered to investigate on the applicability of an absorbing aerosol correction on OMI UV data at Rome site. Depending on the correction methodology, the bias value decreases from 18% to 2% for spectral irradiance at 324.1 nm and from 25% to 8% for EDR

Drosophila CG3303 is an essential endoribonuclease linked to TDP-43-mediated neurodegeneration

Endoribonucleases participate in almost every step of eukaryotic RNA metabolism, acting either as degradative or biosynthetic enzymes. We previously identified the founding member of the Eukaryotic EndoU ribonuclease family, whose components display unique biochemical features and are flexibly involved in important biological processes, such as ribosome biogenesis, tumorigenesis and viral replication. Here we report the discovery of the CG3303 gene product, which we named DendoU, as a novel family member in Drosophila. Functional characterisation revealed that DendoU is essential for Drosophila viability and nervous system activity. Pan-neuronal silencing of dendoU resulted in fly immature phenotypes, highly reduced lifespan and dramatic motor performance defects. Neuron-subtype selective silencing showed that DendoU is particularly important in cholinergic circuits. At the molecular level, we unveiled that DendoU is a positive regulator of the neurodegeneration-associated protein dTDP-43, whose downregulation recapitulates the ensemble of dendoU-dependent phenotypes. This interdisciplinary work, which comprehends in silico, in vitro and in vivo studies, unveils a relevant role for DendoU in Drosophila nervous system physio-pathology and highlights that DendoU-mediated neurotoxicity is, at least in part, contributed by dTDP-43 loss-of-function