424 research outputs found
The impact of exercise in improving executive function impairments among children and adolescents with ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Objective: he goal of this work was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating and comparing exercise related improvements in various executive function (EF) domains among children and adolescents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). Methods: A systematic literature research was conducted in PubMed, CENTRAL, and PsycInfo from October 1st, 2018 through January 30th, 2019 for original peer-reviewed articles investigating the relationship between exercise interventions and improvements in three domains of executive function (working memory, attention/set shifting, and response inhibition) among children and adolescents with ADHD, ASD, and FASD. Effect sizes (ES) were extracted and combined with random-effects meta-analytic methods. Covariates and moderators were then analyzed using meta-regression and subgroup analyses. Results: A total of 28 studies met inclusion criteria, containing information on 1,281 youth (N=1197 ADHD, N= 54 ASD, N=30 FASD). For ADHD, exercise interventions were associated with moderate improvements in attention/set-shifting (ES 0.38, 95% CI 0.01-0.75, k=14) and approached significance for working memory (ES 0.35, 95%CI -0.17-0.88, k=5) and response inhibition (ES 0.39, 95%CI -0.02-0.80, k=12). For ASD and FASD, exercise interventions were associated with large improvements in working memory (ES 1.36, 95%CI 1.08-1.64) and response inhibition (ES 0.78, 95%CI 0.21-1.35) and approached significance for attention/set-shifting (ES 0.69, 95% -0.28-1.66). There was evidence of substantial methodologic and substantive heterogeneity among studies. Sample size, mean age, study design, and the number or duration of intervention sessions did not significantly moderate the relationship between exercise and executive function. Conclusion: Exercise interventions among children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders were associated with moderate improvements in executive function domains. Of note, studies of youth with ASD and FASD tended to report higher effect sizes compared to studies of youth with ADHD, albeit few existing studies. Exercise may be a potentially cost-effective and readily implementable intervention to improve executive function in these populations
Physico-chemical Characterization of Biochar from Selected Ligno-cellulosic Biomass for The Sustainable Utilization
Biochar is a thermal decomposition product known to mitigate climate change and a supplement to enhance soil fertility. The fine-grained, highly porous structure of biochar makes it a popular choice in environmental research. This study aims to assess the Physico-chemical properties and morphological changes in the biochar prepared from feedstocks: sawdust, sugarcane bagasse, and soapnut pith of Sapindus trifoliatus, native to the foothills of Western Ghats, Kerala, at a temperature of 300 oC and 600oC with 30 minutes residence time. The pyrolytic temperature and feedstock type may affect the yield, ash content, volatile matter (VM), fixed carbon (FC), and nutrient composition of biochar. The selection of these two factors is critical before proceeding with charring. The efficiency of biochar was determined through proximate, ultimate, and morphological characterizations. The pH of high-temperature biochar (sawdust biochar, sugarcane bagasse biochar, and soapnut pith biochar prepared at 600oC) was more alkaline (≥7) compared with low-temperature ones. The char yield was highest at 300oC, whereas the fixed carbon was limited. The VM/FC ratio of SDB600 at 1.09±2.3 represents the highest aromaticity and long-term stability. Therefore, SDB600 can be recommended for soil supplementation purposes. The macrospores were uniformly distributed throughout the biochar surface. Sugarcane bagasse pyrolyzed at 600oC (SBB600) possessed the minimum pore diameter (0.87-9.17µm), with the highest surface area; so that it could be an optimum habitat for soil microbiota as well as a suitable adsorbent for environmental remediation applications. The study suggests that biochar made from these ligno-cellulosic feedstocks is a sustainable tool and a value-added product for environmental management
Integrating ecology into macroevolutionary research
On 9 March, over 150 biologists gathered in London for the Centre for Ecology and Evolution spring symposium, ‘Integrating Ecology into Macroevolutionary Research’. The event brought together researchers from London-based institutions alongside others from across the UK, Europe and North America for a day of talks. The meeting highlighted methodological advances and recent analyses of exemplar datasets focusing on the exploration of the role of ecological processes in shaping macroevolutionary patterns
Thin superconducting disk with B-dependent Jc: Flux and current distributions
The critical state in a superconducting thin circular disk with an arbitrary
magnetic field dependence of the critical sheet current, Jc(B), is analyzed.
With an applied field Ba perpendicular to the disk, a set of coupled integral
equations for the flux and current distributions is derived. The equations are
solved numerically, and flux and current profiles are presented graphically for
several commonly used Jc(B) dependences. It is shown that for small Ba the flux
penetration depth can be described by an effective Bean model with a
renormalized Jc entering the leading term. We argue that these results are
qualitatively correct for thin superconductors of any shape. The results
contrast the parallel geometry behavior, where at small Ba the B-dependence of
the critical current can be ignored.Comment: RevTeX, 7 pages including 8 figure
Surrogate light curve models for kilonovae with comprehensive wind ejecta outflows and parameter estimation for AT2017gfo
The electromagnetic emission resulting from neutron star mergers have been
shown to encode properties of the ejected material in their light curves. The
ejecta properties inferred from the kilonova emission has been in tension with
those calculated based on the gravitational wave signal and numerical
relativity models. Motivated by this tension, we construct a broad set of
surrogate light curve models derived for kilonova ejecta. The four-parameter
family of two-dimensional anisotropic simulations and its associated surrogate
explore different assumptions about the wind outflow morphology and outflow
composition, keeping the dynamical ejecta component consistent. We present the
capabilities of these surrogate models in interpolating kilonova light curves
across various ejecta parameters and perform parameter estimation for AT2017gfo
both without any assumptions on the outflow and under the assumption that the
outflow must be representative of solar r-process abundance patterns. Our
parameter estimation for AT2017gfo shows these surrogate models help alleviate
the ejecta property discrepancy while also illustrating the impact of
systematic modeling uncertainties on these properties, urging further
investigation.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures, data available in Zenodo
(https://zenodo.org/record/7335961) and GitHub
(https://github.com/markoris/surrogate_kne
Asymptomatic Plasmodium vivax infections induce robust IgG responses to multiple blood-stage proteins in a low-transmission region of western Thailand
BACKGROUND: Thailand is aiming to eliminate malaria by the year
2024. Plasmodium vivax has now become the dominant species
causing malaria within the country, and a high proportion of
infections are asymptomatic. A better understanding of antibody
dynamics to P. vivax antigens in a low-transmission setting,
where acquired immune responses are poorly characterized, will
be pivotal for developing new strategies for elimination, such
as improved surveillance methods and vaccines. The objective of
this study was to characterize total IgG antibody levels to 11
key P. vivax proteins in a village of western Thailand. METHODS:
Plasma samples from 546 volunteers enrolled in a cross-sectional
survey conducted in 2012 in Kanchanaburi Province were utilized.
Total IgG levels to 11 different proteins known or predicted to
be involved in reticulocyte binding or invasion (ARP, GAMA, P41,
P12, PVX_081550, and five members of the PvRBP family), as well
as the leading pre-erythrocytic vaccine candidate (CSP) were
measured using a multiplexed bead-based assay. Associations
between IgG levels and infection status, age, and spatial
location were explored. RESULTS: Individuals from a
low-transmission region of western Thailand reacted to all 11 P.
vivax recombinant proteins. Significantly greater IgG levels
were observed in the presence of a current P. vivax infection,
despite all infected individuals being asymptomatic. IgG levels
were also higher in adults (18 years and older) than in
children. For most of the proteins, higher IgG levels were
observed in individuals living closer to the Myanmar border and
further away from local health services. CONCLUSIONS: Robust IgG
responses were observed to most proteins and IgG levels
correlated with surrogates of exposure, suggesting these
antigens may serve as potential biomarkers of exposure,
immunity, or both
Full potential LAPW calculation of electron momentum density and related properties of Li
Electron momentum density and Compton profiles in Lithium along , and directions are calculated using Full-Potential Linear
Augmented Plane Wave basis within generalized gradient approximation. The
profiles have been corrected for correlations with Lam-Platzman formulation
using self-consistent charge density. The first and second derivatives of
Compton profiles are studied to investigate the Fermi surface breaks. Decent
agreement is observed between recent experimental and our calculated values.
Our values for the derivatives are found to be in better agreement with
experiments than earlier theoretical results. Two-photon momentum density and
one- and two-dimensional angular correlation of positron annihilation radiation
are also calculated within the same formalism and including the
electron-positron enhancement factor.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures TO appear in Physical Review
Convergence and divergence in the evolution of cat skulls: temporal and spatial patterns of morphological diversity
Background: Studies of biological shape evolution are greatly enhanced when framed in a phylogenetic perspective.
Inclusion of fossils amplifies the scope of macroevolutionary research, offers a deep-time perspective on tempo and mode
of radiations, and elucidates life-trait changes. We explore the evolution of skull shape in felids (cats) through morphometric
analyses of linear variables, phylogenetic comparative methods, and a new cladistic study of saber-toothed cats.
Methodology/Principal Findings: A new phylogenetic analysis supports the monophyly of saber-toothed cats
(Machairodontinae) exclusive of Felinae and some basal felids, but does not support the monophyly of various sabertoothed
tribes and genera. We quantified skull shape variation in 34 extant and 18 extinct species using size-adjusted linear
variables. These distinguish taxonomic group membership with high accuracy. Patterns of morphospace occupation are
consistent with previous analyses, for example, in showing a size gradient along the primary axis of shape variation and a
separation between large and small-medium cats. By combining the new phylogeny with a molecular tree of extant Felinae,
we built a chronophylomorphospace (a phylogeny superimposed onto a two-dimensional morphospace through time). The
evolutionary history of cats was characterized by two major episodes of morphological divergence, one marking the
separation between saber-toothed and modern cats, the other marking the split between large and small-medium cats.
Conclusions/Significance: Ancestors of large cats in the ‘Panthera’ lineage tend to occupy, at a much later stage,
morphospace regions previously occupied by saber-toothed cats. The latter radiated out into new morphospace regions
peripheral to those of extant large cats. The separation between large and small-medium cats was marked by considerable
morphologically divergent trajectories early in feline evolution. A chronophylomorphospace has wider applications in
reconstructing temporal transitions across two-dimensional trait spaces, can be used in ecophenotypical and functional
diversity studies, and may reveal novel patterns of morphospace occupation
Single amino acid change in gp41 region of HIV-1 alters bystander apoptosis and CD4 decline in humanized mice
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The mechanism by which HIV infection leads to a selective depletion of CD4 cells leading to immunodeficiency remains highly debated. Whether the loss of CD4 cells is a direct consequence of virus infection or bystander apoptosis of uninfected cells is also uncertain.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We have addressed this issue in the humanized mouse model of HIV infection using a HIV variant with a point mutation in the gp41 region of the Env glycoprotein that alters its fusogenic activity. We demonstrate here that a single amino acid change (V38E) altering the cell-to-cell fusion activity of the Env minimizes CD4 loss in humanized mice without altering viral replication. This differential pathogenesis was associated with a lack of bystander apoptosis induction by V38E virus even in the presence of similar levels of infected cells. Interestingly, immune activation was observed with both WT and V38E infection suggesting that the two phenomena are likely not interdependent in the mouse model.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We conclude that Env fusion activity is one of the determinants of HIV pathogenesis and it may be possible to attenuate HIV by targeting gp41.</p
Expression and Functional Studies of Ubiquitin C-Terminal Hydrolase L1 Regulated Genes
Deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) have been increasingly implicated in regulation of cellular processes, but a functional role for Ubiquitin C-terminal Hydrolases (UCHs), which has been largely relegated to processing of small ubiquitinated peptides, remains unexplored. One member of the UCH family, UCH L1, is expressed in a number of malignancies suggesting that this DUB might be involved in oncogenic processes, and increased expression and activity of UCH L1 have been detected in EBV-immortalized cell lines. Here we present an analysis of genes regulated by UCH L1 shown by microarray profiles obtained from cells in which expression of the gene was inhibited by RNAi. Microarray data were verified with subsequent real-time PCR analysis. We found that inhibition of UCH L1 activates genes that control apoptosis, cell cycle arrest and at the same time suppresses expression of genes involved in proliferation and migration pathways. These findings are complemented by biological assays for apoptosis, cell cycle progression and migration that support the data obtained from microarray analysis, and suggest that the multi-functional molecule UCH L1 plays a role in regulating principal pathways involved in oncogenesis
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