A Cross-Cultural Study of the Social Experience of Giftedness

The phenomenon of social coping among students with gifts and talents (SWGT) is not well understood. In interviews with elementary-, middle-, and high-school aged SWGT (N = 90; 50% female) from the United States, United Kingdom, South Korea, Ireland, and France, the universality of awareness of visibility of their exceptional abilities, high expectations and pressure to achieve from adults and peers, and peer jealousy and rejection, was confirmed. In all countries, SWGT were concerned about peers’ upward social comparison and the effects of their outperformance on peers’ feelings. SWGT attempted to hide their abilities or conform to peers’ behaviors. Prosocial helping behaviors were found among SWGT in nearly all age groups and a focus on the self was a useful coping strategy to students in all countries except France. Parallels are drawn between these findings and Goffman’s (1963) stigma theory

Lingual frenulum alteration and chewing interference

OBJETIVO: verificar se indivíduos com alteração do frênulo da língua apresentam alteração na mobilidade da língua e na mastigação. MÉTODOS: a casuística desta pesquisa foi composta por dois grupos, um alvo e outro controle, cada um deles com 10 indivíduos. O grupo alvo apresentava alteração de frênulo da língua. Todos foram submetidos aos protocolos de avaliação de frênulo da língua e de mastigação. As provas de mobilidade da língua e de mastigação foram filmadas. Todos os frênulos da língua foram fotografados. RESULTADOS: os dados coletados mostraram que os indivíduos com alteração do frênulo têm 5,447 vezes mais chance de apresentar alteração na mobilidade da língua que indivíduos com frênulo normal. Os indivíduos com alterações da mobilidade da língua não mantiveram constância quanto ao tempo mastigatório. Quanto à mastigação no Modo de Trituração, 100% dos indivíduos do grupo controle utilizaram os dentes posteriores. Entre os indivíduos com alteração do frênulo da língua, 47% mastigaram usando os dentes posteriores e 53% utilizaram os dentes anteriores e/ou fizeram amassamento com a língua. Com relação as atipias musculares, os indivíduos com alteração de frênulo possuíram 5,714 vezes mais chance de apresentá-las durante a mastigação que os indivíduos do grupo controle. CONCLUSÃO: indivíduos com alterações do frênulo da língua apresentaram alterações dos movimentos da língua e alterações na mastigação.PURPOSE: to check if individuals with lingual frenulum alteration demonstrate chewing interference. METHODS: the casuistry of this research was carried out with two groups, a target and a control group, each one with ten individuals. The target group had lingual frenulum alteration. All subjects were submitted to lingual frenulum and chewing evaluation protocols. This procedure was recorded. RESULTS: the collected samples showed that individuals with lingual frenulum alteration have 5.447 times more chances of show tongue mobility alteration than individuals with normal frenulum. Subjects with tongue mobility alteration haven't kept regularity when it comes to mastication period. As for the chewing, on the grinding mode, 100% of the control group used the back teeth. Among the subjects with frenulum alteration, 47% used the back teeth and 53% chewed with the front teeth and/or mashing with the tongue. Regarding muscle atypical movements, individuals with frenulum alteration have 5.714 times more chances to show them during the chewing than individuals from the control group. CONCLUSION: individuals with lingual frenulum alteration showed tongue mobility alteration and mastication alterations

On the logical operators of quantum codes

I show how applying a symplectic Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization to the normalizer of a quantum code gives a different way of determining the code's logical operators. This approach may be more natural in the setting where we produce a quantum code from classical codes because the generator matrices of the classical codes form the normalizer of the resulting quantum code. This technique is particularly useful in determining the logical operators of an entanglement-assisted code produced from two classical binary codes or from one classical quaternary code. Finally, this approach gives additional formulas for computing the amount of entanglement that an entanglement-assisted code requires.Comment: 5 pages, sequel to the findings in arXiv:0804.140

Multiple shifts and fractional integration in the us and uk unemployment rates

This paper analyses the long-run behaviour of the US and UK unemployment rates by testing for possibly fractional orders of integration and multiple shifts using a sample of over 100 annual observations. The results show that the orders of integration are higher than 0 in both series, which implies long memory. If we assume that the underlying disturbances are white noise, the values are higher than 0.5, i.e., nonstationary. However, if the disturbances are autocorrelated, the orders of integration are in the interval (0, 0.5), implying stationarity and mean-reverting behaviour. Moreover, when multiple shifts are taken into account, unemployment is more persistent in the US than in the UK, implying the need for stronger policy action in the former to bring unemployment back to its original level

Trim17, novel E3 ubiquitin-ligase, initiates neuronal apoptosis

Accumulating data indicate that the ubiquitin-proteasome system controls apoptosis by regulating the level and the function of key regulatory proteins. In this study, we identified Trim17, a member of the TRIM/RBCC protein family, as one of the critical E3 ubiquitin ligases involved in the control of neuronal apoptosis upstream of mitochondria. We show that expression of Trim17 is increased both at the mRNA and protein level in several in vitro models of transcription-dependent neuronal apoptosis. Expression of Trim17 is controlled by the PI3K/Akt/GSK3 pathway in cerebellar granule neurons (CGN). Moreover, the Trim17 protein is expressed in vivo, in apoptotic neurons that naturally die during post-natal cerebellar development. Overexpression of active Trim17 in primary CGN was sufficient to induce the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis in survival conditions. This pro-apoptotic effect was abolished in Bax(-/-) neurons and depended on the E3 activity of Trim17 conferred by its RING domain. Furthermore, knock-down of endogenous Trim17 and overexpression of dominant-negative mutants of Trim17 blocked trophic factor withdrawal-induced apoptosis both in CGN and in sympathetic neurons. Collectively, our data are the first to assign a cellular function to Trim17 by showing that its E3 activity is both necessary and sufficient for the initiation of neuronal apoptosis. Cell Death and Differentiation (2010) 17, 1928-1941; doi: 10.1038/cdd.2010.73; published online 18 June 201

A MEDIAÇÃO DO ORIENTADOR EDUCACIONAL NA PARCERIA FAMÍLIA/ESCOLA

Resumo: A família é o espaço onde acontece o primeira educação dos sujeitos e onde o ser humano aprende a conviver. Essa célula passou por várias transformações ao longo do tempo, porém não pode ser negligente e transferir sua responsabilidade para a escola. Para superar os desafios do mundo contemporâneo, os dois principais pilares da construção da humanidade, família e escola, precisam trabalhar juntos, cada um em seu papel e missão, objetivando o desenvolvimento pleno do indivíduo. Evidencia-se, dessa forma, a necessidade de haver uma parceria entre as duas instituições para sustentar uma relação de harmonia e conseguir resultados educacionais produtivos. É nesse contexto que o presente estudo se baseia, com o objetivo de ressaltar a importânciado trabalho do Orientador Educacional como mediador dessa associação. Essa função, indispensável para o processo de ensino-aprendizagem, é exercida por um pedagogo especializado, que deve fazer um trabalho de chamamento e acolhimento das famílias, conscientizando-as de seu comprometimento com a tarefa de capacitar a criança para o bem-viver em sociedade

Downregulation of Mcl-1 has anti-inflammatory pro-resolution effects and enhances bacterial clearance from the lung

Phagocytes not only coordinate acute inflammation and host defense at mucosal sites, but also contribute to tissue damage. Respiratory infection causes a globally significant disease burden and frequently progresses to acute respiratory distress syndrome, a devastating inflammatory condition characterized by neutrophil recruitment and accumulation of protein-rich edema fluid causing impaired lung function. We hypothesized that targeting the intracellular protein myeloid cell leukemia 1 (Mcl-1) by a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (AT7519) or a flavone (wogonin) would accelerate neutrophil apoptosis and resolution of established inflammation, but without detriment to bacterial clearance. Mcl-1 loss induced human neutrophil apoptosis, but did not induce macrophage apoptosis nor impair phagocytosis of apoptotic neutrophils. Neutrophil-dominant inflammation was modelled in mice by either endotoxin or bacteria (Escherichia coli). Downregulating inflammatory cell Mcl-1 had anti-inflammatory, pro-resolution effects, shortening the resolution interval (R(i)) from 19 to 7 h and improved organ dysfunction with enhanced alveolar–capillary barrier integrity. Conversely, attenuating drug-induced Mcl-1 downregulation inhibited neutrophil apoptosis and delayed resolution of endotoxin-mediated lung inflammation. Importantly, manipulating lung inflammatory cell Mcl-1 also accelerated resolution of bacterial infection (R(i); 50 to 16 h) concurrent with enhanced bacterial clearance. Therefore, manipulating inflammatory cell Mcl-1 accelerates inflammation resolution without detriment to host defense against bacteria, and represents a target for treating infection-associated inflammation

Fetal in vivo continuous cardiovascular function during chronic hypoxia.

Although the fetal cardiovascular defence to acute hypoxia and the physiology underlying it have been established for decades, how the fetal cardiovascular system responds to chronic hypoxia has been comparatively understudied. We designed and created isobaric hypoxic chambers able to maintain pregnant sheep for prolonged periods of gestation under controlled significant (10% O2) hypoxia, yielding fetal mean P(aO2) levels (11.5 ± 0.6 mmHg) similar to those measured in human fetuses of hypoxic pregnancy. We also created a wireless data acquisition system able to record fetal blood flow signals in addition to fetal blood pressure and heart rate from free moving ewes as the hypoxic pregnancy is developing. We determined in vivo longitudinal changes in fetal cardiovascular function including parallel measurement of fetal carotid and femoral blood flow and oxygen and glucose delivery during the last third of gestation. The ratio of oxygen (from 2.7 ± 0.2 to 3.8 ± 0.8; P < 0.05) and of glucose (from 2.3 ± 0.1 to 3.3 ± 0.6; P < 0.05) delivery to the fetal carotid, relative to the fetal femoral circulation, increased during and shortly after the period of chronic hypoxia. In contrast, oxygen and glucose delivery remained unchanged from baseline in normoxic fetuses. Fetal plasma urate concentration increased significantly during chronic hypoxia but not during normoxia (Δ: 4.8 ± 1.6 vs. 0.5 ± 1.4 μmol l(-1), P<0.05). The data support the hypotheses tested and show persisting redistribution of substrate delivery away from peripheral and towards essential circulations in the chronically hypoxic fetus, associated with increases in xanthine oxidase-derived reactive oxygen species.This work was supported by the British Heart Foundation.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via http://dx.doi.org/10.1113/JP27109

Pyrolysis final temperature effects on biochar stability.

Pyrolysis technology can be used for producing biochar and bio-oil simultaneously, as an effective and sustainable mean to produce renewable bioenergy and a carbon rich soil amendment that can be used for carbon sequestration and agronomic benefits. However, pyrolysis products yields and biochar stability are strongly affected by the feedstock and pyrolysis variables, especially the final temperature. This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of pyrolysis final temperature on biochar stability after thermochemical oxidation. For this experiment, two species of hardwood and two species of softwood with particle size between 0.5 and 2.0 mm were pyrolized at five different final temperatures (350, 400, 450, 500 and 550°C) for 60 min at an muffle furnace with limited supply of O2. Thermochemical oxidation was performed for the solid products (biochar). As pyrolysis final temperature increased, biochar stability increased as well, indicating that these materials would be more resistant to degradation when applied into soil