Cognitive performance in childhood: mother and urban environment make the difference

Apesar das controvérsias sobre o conceito e a avaliação da inteligência, o desempenho cognitivo assume um papel fundamental no contexto educativo e são múltiplos os fatores que lhe estão associados. Este estudo toma uma amostra aleatória e representativa de 1201 crianças do 2.º ciclo do ensino básico de escolas públicas portuguesas, com idades entre 9 e 14 anos. Discute-se o impacto das variáveis sociofamiliares (profissão da mãe e do pai, escolaridade da mãe e do pai e meio de pertença urbano vs rural). Os resultados destacam a relevância dessas variáveis para a explicação do desempenho cognitivo dos alunos, especialmente a escolaridade da mãe e o meio urbano de proveniência. Apresentam-se considerações práticas voltadas à equidade do sistema educativo.Despite the controversies over the concept and evaluation of intelligence, cognitive achievement plays a fundamental role in educational context, and multiple factors are related to it. The current study uses a random and representative sample of 1201 2nd grade children from Portuguese public schools, between 9 and 14 years old. This study aims to discuss the impact of social and familial variables (mother and father’s jobs, mother and father’s educational level, and urban or rural environment of belonging). The results highlight the importance of social and familial variables as an explanation to students’ cognitive achievement, with great relevance to mother’s educational level and urban environment of belonging. Practical considerations aiming a better equity in educational system are presented.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

microRNA and mRNA interactions in induced pluripotent stem cell reprogramming of lymphoblastoid cell lines

A large number of Epstein Barr virus (EBV) immortalized lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) have been generated and maintained in genetic/epidemiological studies as a perpetual source of DNA and as a surrogate in vitro cell model. Recent successes in reprograming LCLs into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) has paved the way to generate more relevant in vitro disease models using this existing bioresource. However, the latent EBV infection in the LCLs make them a unique cell type by altering expression of many cellular genes and miRNAs. These EBV induced changes in the LCL miRNome and transcriptome are reversed upon reprogramming into iPSCs, which allows a unique opportunity to better understand the miRNA and mRNA interactions that are EBV induced in LCLs and the changes that takes place during iPSC reprogramming. To identify the potential miRNA-mRNA interactions and better understand their role in regulating the cellular transitions in LCLs and their reprogrammed iPSCs, we performed a parallel genome-wide miRNA and mRNA expression analysis in six LCLs and their reprogrammed iPSCs. A total of 85 miRNAs and 5,228 mRNAs were significantly differentially expressed (DE). The target prediction of the DE miRNAs using TargetScan-Human, TarBase and miRecords databases identified 1,842 mRNA targets that were DE between LCLs and their reprogrammed iPSCs. The functional annotation, upstream regulator and gene expression analysis of the predicted DE mRNA targets suggest the role of DE miRNAs in regulating EBV induced changes in LCLs and self-renewal, pluripotency and differentiation in iPSCs

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma risk associated gene expression phenotypes in Hispanics

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a state of metabolic dysregulation characterized by excessive lipid accumulation into the hepatocytes (hepatic steatosis). It is a major determinant of risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Hispanics in south Texas exhibit one of the highest incidences of NAFLD and HCC in the United States. Methods: We used an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) based hepatocyte (HEP) model to identify high lipid stress induced transcriptomic changes in HEPs to better understand hepatic steatosis associated HCC risk. Well-characterized, iPSC differentiated functional HEPs generated from six participants in our San Antonio Mexican American family study were challenged with high lipid conditions in in-vitro culture. The lipid challenged and vehicle treated HEPs were then analyzed for cellular lipid accumulation, fibrosis, and genome wide gene expression by mRNA-sequencing. Results: Quantitative measures of cellular neutral lipids and fibrosis marker (COL1A1) were significantly increased in lipid challenged HEPs. These measures also showed a high correlation (r2 ≥70%) with individual’s in-vivo liver fat. Genome wide differential gene expression analysis identified 78 genes that were significantly differentially expressed (DE) between lipid challenged and vehicle treated HEPs. Functional annotation analysis showed significant enrichment of DE genes in liver hyperplasia/hyperproliferation functions (27 genes; p-value 2.0x10-2 to 9.2x10-2), and included several genes (PDRG1, PLIN2, CFHR3, ANXA2P3, HBA1, HBA2, HBB) whose altered expression was shown to be associated with HCC risk. Conclusions: We have identified several genes associated with risk for HCC for which expression was significantly dysregulated by a high lipid stress challenge in HEPs

Catalytic performance of bulk and colloidal Co/Al layered double hydroxide with Au nanoparticles in aerobic olefin oxidation

A Co/Al layered double hydroxide material was synthesized in both bulk and exfoliated (colloidal) forms. Anion exchange with methionine allowed immobilization of Au nanoparticles previously prepared by a biomimetic method using an anti-oxidant tea aqueous extract to reduce the Au salt solution. The catalytic performance of bulk and exfoliated clays Au-hybrid materials was assessed in aerobic olefin epoxidation. Both catalysts were very active towards the epoxide products and with very interesting substrate conversion levels after 80 h reaction time. The Au-exfoliated material, where the nanosheets work as large ligands, yielded higher product stereoselectivity in the case of limonene epoxidation. This arises from a confined environment around the Au nanoparticles wrapped by the clay nanosheets modulating access to the catalytic active centres by reagents. Mechanistic assessment was also accomplished for styrene oxidation by DFT methodspublishe

Functional characterization of the iPSC generated hepatocytes using genome-wide transcriptomic analysis

Advances in iPSC technologies now allow us to consider non-invasive large-scale in-vitro disease modeling experiments on disease appropriate cell types in human subjects to better understand human disease pathophysiology, disease genetics and to develop better diagnostic and therapeutic technologies. We performed differential gene expression and functional annotation analysis using genome wide mRNA sequencing data to evaluate the functional and disease modeling potential of iPSC generated hepatocytes. Following the criteria moderated t statistics FDR corrected p-value ≤ 0.05 and fold change-absolute ≥ 2.0, 7,246 genes/transcripts were significantly differentially expressed iPSCs and hepatocytes. The 3,791 of these DE genes/transcripts were significantly upregulated in the hepatocytes and accounted for about 55% of the hepatocytes total expressed transcriptome. The heatmap and principal component analysis suggests a discrete and uniform resetting of cellular transcriptome during iPSC to hepatocyte differentiation. The functional annotation analysis of the 3,791 significantly upregulated hepatocytes genes/transcripts showed significant enrichment hepatocytes associated cellular functions and canonical pathways. The gene known to be associated with various common human liver disorders and toxicities were also significantly enriched in hepatocytes upregulated 3,791 genes/transcripts. These results suggest that iPSC generated hepatocytes have a functional profile very similar to human primary hepatocytes and are suitable for in-vitro modeling of human liver disorders and toxicities

Litter Decomposition of Xaraes-Grass Pasture Subjected to Different Post-Grazing Residuals

Since fertilizers are used less extensively on Xaraes-grass (Brachiaria brizantha) pastures in Brazil because of costs, the main route of nitrogen (N) supply to plants is through nutrient recycling via litter decomposition. One of the strategies used to maintain the supply of N is to manage the pasture correctly by keeping it under grazing pressure so that the amount of recycled nutrients in the residue is sufficient to meet the pasture requirements (Jantalia et al.2006). Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate different residual leaf area indices (RLAI) and determine which one provides the best restoration of pasture leaf area index and nutrient cycling

Information processing among high-performance managers

O propósito deste estudo foi avaliar o processamento da informação de 43 gestores empresariais de desempenho superior. No seu enquadramento teórico recorremos a três modelos: a Teoria dos Papéis Gerenciais de Henry Mintzberg, a Teoria do Processamento da Informação e o Modelo de Processo de Resposta ao Rorschach de John Exner. A ava-liação dos sujeitos recorreu ao método do Rorschach. Os resultados deste estudo mos-traram que esses gerentes são capazes de recolher dados, avaliá-los e estabelecer ran-kings de maneira adequada. Ao mesmo tempo, verifica-se que são capazes de ser objeti-vos e precisos na avaliação dos problemas. Este estilo de processamento de informação possibilita uma interpretação do mundo a partir de um modo de processamento ou de um estilo cognitivo, próprio e característico.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the information processing of 43 business managers with a professional superior performance. The theoretical framework consid-ers three models: the Theory of Managerial Roles of Henry Mintzberg, the Theory of In-formation Processing, and Process Model Response to Rorschach by John Exner. The participants have been evaluated by Rorschach method. The results show that these managers are able to collect data, evaluate them and establish rankings properly. At same time they are capable of being objective and accurate in the problems assessment. This information processing style permits an interpretation of the world around on basis of a very personal and characteristic processing way or cognitive style.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), no âmbito do Fundo de Apoio à Comunidade Científica - Edição de Publicações Periódicas de Natureza Científica

China - América Latina: tensiones en torno a la pesca como recurso estratégico. Estu-dio de caso sobre el Mar Argentino

In order to guarantee its food security, by exhausting the fishing grounds in other regions, China ventures into those surrounding Latin America, with its fishing fleets. It addresses the problem of overfishing, with a focus on the Argentine Sea, from a double perspective: New Political Geography and Geopolitics of Natural Resources, considering fishing as a strategic resource.Para garantizar su propia seguridad alimentaria, por agotamiento de los caladeros en otras regiones, China incursiona en los océanos que rodean América Latina, con sus flotas pesqueras. El presente trabajo aborda la problemática de la sobreexplotación pesquera, con foco en el Mar Argentino, desde las perspectivas de la Nueva Geografía Política y la Geopolítica de los Recursos Naturales, considerando a la pesca como un recurso estratégico

Neurocellular ER Stress Response in Alzheimer\u27s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) Risk

Background: Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) pathology, characterized by neurodegeneration, amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques, and intracellular tangles of hyperphosphorylated Tau, starts in the entorhinal cortex and then spreads to the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. The presence of AD pathology in the hippocampus is strongly correlated with cognitive decline. The hippocampus is also one of the major sites of adult neurogenesis in the brain and accumulating evidence now suggests that adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) that occurs throughout life (albeit declining with age) is essential for cellular homeostasis and hippocampus-dependent cognitive functions, and is severely impaired in ADRD patients. However, the causation of impaired AHN in ADRD patients and its contribution to ADRD-related cognitive decline remains poorly understood. Studies of postmortem AD brain showed elevated levels of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. While the accumulation of Aβ and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles may primarily contribute to ER stress by disruption of Ca2+ and protein homeostasis and the resulting unfolded protein response (UPR) potentially alters AHN by mechanisms yet to be fully understood. Methods: To study the ER stress-associated neurocellular response and its effects on neurocellular homeostasis and neurogenesis, we performed ER stress challenge using Thapsigargin (TG), a specific inhibitor of sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase (SERCA), on induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) derived neural stem cells (NSCs) of two individuals of our Mexican American Family Study (MAFS). We have previously shown that our iPSC-derived NSCs are transcriptionally akin to dorsal neuroepithelium that give rise to the majority of the central nervous system and are a relevant cell type to study developmental and adult neurogenesis. Both pre- and post-ER stress-challenged NSCs were multi-dimensionally phenotyped by quantitative high-content screening and genome-wide mRNA sequencing (mRNAseq) analysis. Results: The high-content phenotypic analysis of the pre- and post-ER stress-challenged NSCs shows evidence of upregulated UPR, a decline in NSC proliferation, an increase in apoptosis, and cellular oxidative stress in post-ER stress-challenged NSCs. A total of 2,300 genes were significantly (moderated t statistics FDR corrected p-value ≤ 0.05 and Fold Change absolute ≥ 2.0) differentially expressed (DE) between pre- and post-ER stress-challenged NSCs. The DE genes showed significant enrichment in protein export, DNA replication, protein processing in ER, cell cycle, and apoptosis KEGG pathways. All three UPR-associated (PERK, ATF6, and IRE1) pathways were significantly upregulated. Due to the short G1 phase, activated NSCs rely on higher expression of CDT1 and CDC6 licensing factors and MCM complex for timely DNA duplication during the cell cycle, ER stress-induced activation of UPR down-regulated CDT1 licensing factor and MCM complex genes in ER stress-challenged NSCs and induced G1 phase cell cycle arrest. The ER stress-challenged NSCs also showed activation of CHOP-mediated apoptosis and down-regulation of neurotransmitter homeostasis and synaptic plasticity-associated genes. Conclusions: Overall our results suggest that ER stress-associated attenuation of NSC self-renewal, increased apoptosis, and dysregulated neurotransmitter homeostasi