Cross-language speech perception in context : advantages for recent language learners and variation across language-specific acoustic cues

This dissertation explores the relationship between language experience and sensitivity to language-specific segmental cues by comparing cross-language speech perception in monolingual English listeners and Spanish-English bilinguals. The three studies in this project use a novel language categorization task to test language-segment associations in listeners’ first and second languages. Listener sensitivity is compared at two stages of development and across a variety of language backgrounds. These studies provide a more complete analysis of listeners’ language-specific phonological categories than offered in previous work by using word-length stimuli to evaluate segments in phonological contexts and by testing speech perception in listeners’ first language as well as their second language. The inclusion of bilingual children also allows connections to be drawn between previous work on infants’ perception of segments and the sensitivities of bilingual adults. In three experiments, participants categorized nonce words containing different classes of English- and Spanish-specific sounds as sounding more English-like or Spanish-like; target segments were either a phonemic cue, a cue for which there is no analogous sound in the other language, or a phonetic cue, a cue for which English and Spanish share the category but for which each language varies in its phonetic implementation. The results reveal a largely consistent categorization pattern across target segments. Listeners from all groups succeeded and struggled with the same subsets of language-specific segments. The same pattern of results held in a task where more time was given to make categorization decisions. Interestingly, for some segments the late bilinguals were significantly more accurate than monolingual and early bilingual listeners, and this was the case for the English phonemic cues. There were few differences in the sensitivity of monolinguals and early bilinguals to language-specific cues, suggesting that the early bilinguals’ exposure to Spanish did not fundamentally change their representations of English phonology, but neither did their proficiency in Spanish give them an advantage over monolinguals. The comparison of adult listeners with children indicates that the Spanish-speaking children who grow to be early bilingual adults categorize segments more accurately than monolinguals – a pattern that is neutralized in the adult results. These findings suggest that variation in listener sensitivity to language-specific cues is largely driven by inherent differences in the salience of the segments themselves. Listener language experience modulates the salience of some of these sounds, and these differences in cross-language speech perception may reflect how recently a language was learned and under what circumstances.Linguistic

Producción de especies aromáticas: obtención y usos de los aceites esenciales relacionados a su bioactividad

En la historia de la humanidad el hombre ha hecho uso de esencias para diversos fines como curar afecciones, aromatizar ambientes, saborizar comidas y mejorar su calidad de vida. Actualmente el uso de aceites esenciales está en franca expansión, principalmente en la industria alimenticia, farmacéutica, perfumística y cosmética, en reemplazo de productos sintéticos.Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP) - Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales (FCAF

Producción de especies aromáticas: obtención y usos de los aceites esenciales relacionados a su bioactividad

En la historia de la humanidad el hombre ha hecho uso de esencias para diversos fines como curar afecciones, aromatizar ambientes, saborizar comidas y mejorar su calidad de vida. Actualmente el uso de aceites esenciales está en franca expansión, principalmente en la industria alimenticia, farmacéutica, perfumística y cosmética, en reemplazo de productos sintéticos.Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP) - Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales (FCAF

Producción de especies aromáticas: obtención y usos de los aceites esenciales relacionados a su bioactividad

En la historia de la humanidad el hombre ha hecho uso de esencias para diversos fines como curar afecciones, aromatizar ambientes, saborizar comidas y mejorar su calidad de vida. Actualmente el uso de aceites esenciales está en franca expansión, principalmente en la industria alimenticia, farmacéutica, perfumística y cosmética, en reemplazo de productos sintéticos.Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP) - Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales (FCAF

Plasma β-III tubulin, neurofilament light chain and glial fibrillary acidic protein are associated with neurodegeneration and progression in schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a progressive disorder characterized by multiple psychotic relapses. After every relapse, patients may not fully recover, and this may lead to a progressive loss of functionality. Pharmacological treatment represents a key factor to minimize the biological, psychological and psychosocial impact of the disorder. The number of relapses and the duration of psychotic episodes induce a potential neuronal damage and subsequently, neurodegenerative processes. Thus, a comparative study was performed, including forty healthy controls and forty-two SZ patients divided into first-episode psychosis (FEP) and chronic SZ (CSZ) subgroups, where the CSZ sub group was subdivided by antipsychotic treatment. In order to measure the potential neuronal damage, plasma levels of β-III tubulin, neurofilament light chain (Nf-L), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) were performed. The results revealed that the levels of these proteins were increased in the SZ group compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Moreover, multiple comparison analysis showed highly significant levels of β-III tubulin (P = 0.0002), Nf-L (P = 0.0403) and GFAP (P < 0.015) in the subgroup of CSZ clozapine-treated. In conclusion, β-III tubulin, Nf-L and GFAP proteins may be potential biomarkers of neurodegeneration and progression in SZFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia | Ref. SFRH/BD/135623/20Instituto de Salud Carlos III | Ref. P16/00405Ministerio de Sanidad, Igualdad y Política Social | Ref. 2017I054Agencia del Conocimiento en Salud | Ref. PRIS2-17Xunta de Galicia | Ref. IN607C-2017/02Xunta de Galicia | Ref. IN607B 2018/1

Human breast milk microRNAs, potential players in the regulation of nervous system

Human milk is the biological fluid with the highest exosome amount and is rich in microRNAs (miRNAs). These are key regulators of gene expression networks in both normal physiologic and disease contexts, miRNAs can influence many biological processes and have also shown promise as biomarkers for disease. One of the key aspects in the regeneration of the nervous system is that there are practically no molecules that can be used as potential drugs. In the first weeks of lactation, we know that human breast milk must contain the mechanisms to transmit molecular and biological information for brain development. For this reason, our objective is to identify new modulators of the nervous system that can be used to investigate neurodevelopmental functions based on miRNAs. To do this, we collected human breast milk samples according to the time of delivery and milk states: mature milk and colostrum at term; moderate and very preterm mature milk and colostrum; and late preterm mature milk. We extracted exosomes and miRNAs and realized the miRNA functional assays and target prediction. Our results demonstrate that miRNAs are abundant in human milk and likely play significant roles in neurodevelopment and normal function. We found 132 different miRNAs were identified across all samples. Sixty-nine miRNAs had significant differential expression after paired group comparison. These miRNAs are implicated in gene regulation of dopaminergic/glutamatergic synapses and neurotransmitter secretion and are related to the biological process that regulates neuron projection morphogenesis and synaptic vesicle transport. We observed differences according to the delivery time and with less clarity according to the milk type. Our data demonstrate that miRNAs are abundant in human milk and likely play significant roles in neurodevelopment and normal function.Sociedad de Pediatría Gallega | Ref. BecaSOPEGA2016Axencia Galega de Innovación | Ref. IN607B-2018/17Axencia Galega de Innovación | Ref. PI20/00937Axencia Galega de Innovación | Ref. IN606A-2019/02

DOCument Scraping for Student Research: From Documents to Knowledge

Laboratorio de enseñanza-aprendizaje-proinvestigación para incentivar la vocación investigadora mediante la inmersión en procesos de extracción de datos (scraping), fomento de capacidades transversales y métodos de la investigación científica, en el ámbito de las Ciencias de la Documentació

Mutational spectrum in a worldwide study of 29,700 families with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations.

The prevalence and spectrum of germline mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 have been reported in single populations, with the majority of reports focused on White in Europe and North America. The Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2 (CIMBA) has assembled data on 18,435 families with BRCA1 mutations and 11,351 families with BRCA2 mutations ascertained from 69 centers in 49 countries on six continents. This study comprehensively describes the characteristics of the 1,650 unique BRCA1 and 1,731 unique BRCA2 deleterious (disease-associated) mutations identified in the CIMBA database. We observed substantial variation in mutation type and frequency by geographical region and race/ethnicity. In addition to known founder mutations, mutations of relatively high frequency were identified in specific racial/ethnic or geographic groups that may reflect founder mutations and which could be used in targeted (panel) first pass genotyping for specific populations. Knowledge of the population-specific mutational spectrum in BRCA1 and BRCA2 could inform efficient strategies for genetic testing and may justify a more broad-based oncogenetic testing in some populations

Canagliflozin and renal outcomes in type 2 diabetes and nephropathy

BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of kidney failure worldwide, but few effective long-term treatments are available. In cardiovascular trials of inhibitors of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2), exploratory results have suggested that such drugs may improve renal outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS In this double-blind, randomized trial, we assigned patients with type 2 diabetes and albuminuric chronic kidney disease to receive canagliflozin, an oral SGLT2 inhibitor, at a dose of 100 mg daily or placebo. All the patients had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 30 to &lt;90 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 of body-surface area and albuminuria (ratio of albumin [mg] to creatinine [g], &gt;300 to 5000) and were treated with renin–angiotensin system blockade. The primary outcome was a composite of end-stage kidney disease (dialysis, transplantation, or a sustained estimated GFR of &lt;15 ml per minute per 1.73 m2), a doubling of the serum creatinine level, or death from renal or cardiovascular causes. Prespecified secondary outcomes were tested hierarchically. RESULTS The trial was stopped early after a planned interim analysis on the recommendation of the data and safety monitoring committee. At that time, 4401 patients had undergone randomization, with a median follow-up of 2.62 years. The relative risk of the primary outcome was 30% lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group, with event rates of 43.2 and 61.2 per 1000 patient-years, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59 to 0.82; P=0.00001). The relative risk of the renal-specific composite of end-stage kidney disease, a doubling of the creatinine level, or death from renal causes was lower by 34% (hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.81; P&lt;0.001), and the relative risk of end-stage kidney disease was lower by 32% (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.86; P=0.002). The canagliflozin group also had a lower risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.67 to 0.95; P=0.01) and hospitalization for heart failure (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.80; P&lt;0.001). There were no significant differences in rates of amputation or fracture. CONCLUSIONS In patients with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease, the risk of kidney failure and cardiovascular events was lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group at a median follow-up of 2.62 years

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition)

In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. For example, a key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process versus those that measure fl ux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process including the amount and rate of cargo sequestered and degraded). In particular, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation must be differentiated from stimuli that increase autophagic activity, defi ned as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (inmost higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium ) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the fi eld understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. It is worth emphasizing here that lysosomal digestion is a stage of autophagy and evaluating its competence is a crucial part of the evaluation of autophagic flux, or complete autophagy. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. Along these lines, because of the potential for pleiotropic effects due to blocking autophagy through genetic manipulation it is imperative to delete or knock down more than one autophagy-related gene. In addition, some individual Atg proteins, or groups of proteins, are involved in other cellular pathways so not all Atg proteins can be used as a specific marker for an autophagic process. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field