Why study movement variability in autism?

Autism has been defined as a disorder of social cognition, interaction and communication where ritualistic, repetitive behaviors are commonly observed. But how should we understand the behavioral and cognitive differences that have been the main focus of so much autism research? Can high-level cognitive processes and behaviors be identified as the core issues people with autism face, or do these characteristics perhaps often rather reflect individual attempts to cope with underlying physiological issues? Much research presented in this volume will point to the latter possibility, i.e. that people on the autism spectrum cope with issues at much lower physiological levels pertaining not only to Central Nervous Systems (CNS) function, but also to peripheral and autonomic systems (PNS, ANS) (Torres, Brincker, et al. 2013). The question that we pursue in this chapter is what might be fruitful ways of gaining objective measures of the large-scale systemic and heterogeneous effects of early atypical neurodevelopment; how to track their evolution over time and how to identify critical changes along the continuum of human development and aging. We suggest that the study of movement variability—very broadly conceived as including all minute fluctuations in bodily rhythms and their rates of change over time (coined micro-movements (Figure 1A-B) (Torres, Brincker, et al. 2013))—offers a uniquely valuable and entirely objectively quantifiable lens to better assess, understand and track not only autism but cognitive development and degeneration in general. This chapter presents the rationale firstly behind this focus on micro-movements and secondly behind the choice of specific kinds of data collection and statistical metrics as tools of analysis (Figure 1C). In brief the proposal is that the micro-movements (defined in Part I – Chapter 1), obtained using various time scales applied to different physiological data-types (Figure 1), contain information about layered influences and temporal adaptations, transformations and integrations across anatomically semi-independent subsystems that crosstalk and interact. Further, the notion of sensorimotor re-afference is used to highlight the fact that these layered micro-motions are sensed and that this sensory feedback plays a crucial role in the generation and control of movements in the first place. In other words, the measurements of various motoric and rhythmic variations provide an access point not only to the “motor systems”, but also access to much broader central and peripheral sensorimotor and regulatory systems. Lastly, we posit that this new lens can also be used to capture influences from systems of multiple entry points or collaborative control and regulation, such as those that emerge during dyadic social interactions

Evidence of a decadal solar signal in the Amazon River: 1903 to 2013

It has been shown that tropical climates can be notably influenced by the decadal solar cycle; however, the relationship between this solar forcing and the tropical Amazon River has been overlooked in previous research. In this study, we reveal evidence of such a link by analyzing a 1903-2013 record of Amazon discharge. We identify a decadal flow cycle that is anticorrelated with the solar activity measured by the decadal sunspot cycle. This relationship persists through time and appears to result from a solar influence on the tropical Atlantic Ocean. The amplitude of the decadal solar signal in flow is apparently modulated by the interdecadal North Atlantic variability. Because Amazonia is an important element of the planetary water cycle, our findings have implications for studies on global change.Fil: Antico, Andres. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Hídricas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; ArgentinaFil: Torres, Maria Eugenia. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Hídricas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; Argentin

WhatsApping terror: how media applied instant messaging to cover Barcelona terrorist attack

Audiences love live communication (Deuze, 2011), the possibility of reaching news in real time. Previous research focus on the reporting of natural disasters or emergency news like terrorist attacks show that the concept “news now” (Sheller, 2014) is an audience imperative in those contexts. Bauman’s (2000) liquid society is the objective public of this kind of content, characterized by mobility and the individualization of media consumption. Our paper analyzes how media adapted their publishing strategies to reach this public through mobile instant messaging during Barcelona terrorist attack coverage in August 2017. This type of social news and information flow is characterized by unpredictability, classlessness, and a lack of hierarchy (Rampazzo & Peret, 2017). In order to reach this main goal we applied mixed methods, based on quantitative and qualitative techniques. Firstly, we designed a directory of Spanish media applying Whatsapp and Telegram to connect with audiences. Then we analyzed the content distributed by all national, regional and local media through these platforms from 17th to 21th August 2017. The first informative alert appeared 25 minutes after the van was driven into pedestrians in Las Ramblas. According to our results, 214 headlines in WhatsApp and Telegram were directly connected with the terrorist attack, but not all of them offered the appropriate tone and/or respectful emoticons. Most of the media made a great effort increasing the regularity of their messages during those days, but only the national media focused their MIM (Mobile Instant Messaging) strategy on the attack. Finally we classified the reaction into three types of content: last minute alerts, contextualizing news and solidarity content.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Discrimination, Acculturation, Acculturative Stress, and Latino Psychological Distress: A Moderated-Mediational Model

Prior research has found that perceived discrimination is associated with adverse mental health outcomes among Latinos. However, the process by which this relationship occurs remains an understudied area. The present study investigated the role of acculturative stress in underlying the relationship between perceived discrimination and Latino psychological distress. Also examined was the ability of acculturation to serve as a moderator between perceived discrimination and acculturative stress. Among a sample of Latino adults (N = 669), moderated mediational analyses revealed that acculturative stress mediated the perceived discrimination-psychological distress relationship, and that the link between perceived discrimination and acculturative stress was moderated by Anglo behavioral orientation but not Latino behavioral orientation. The findings are discussed within a stress and coping perspective that identifies the psychological consequences associated with perceived discrimination and acculturative stress

Novel pathway for corrinoid compounds production in lactobacillus

Vitamin B12 or cobalamin is an essential metabolite for humans, which makes it an interesting compound for many research groups that focus in different producer-strains synthesis pathways. In this work, we report the influence of key intermediaries for cobalamin synthesis added to the culture medium in two Lactobacillus (L.) strains, L. reuteri CRL 1098 and L. coryniformis CRL 1001. Here, we report that addition of Co2+ and 5,6-dimethylbenzimidazole increased the corrinoid compounds production in both strains while addition of L-threonine increased only the corrinoid compounds production by CRL 1001 strain. Then, we purified and characterized by LC-MS the corrinoid compounds obtained. Physiological studies besides in silico analysis revealed that L. reuteri CRL 1098 and L. coryniformis CRL 1001 follow different pathways for the last steps of the corrinoid compounds synthesis.Fil: Torres, Andrea Carolina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; ArgentinaFil: Vannini, María Verónica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; ArgentinaFil: Font, Graciela Maria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia; ArgentinaFil: Saavedra, Maria Lucila. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; ArgentinaFil: Taranto, Maria Pia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; Argentin