Supplemental Material for Cognitive Performance in High-Altitude Andean Residents Compared With Low-Altitude Populations: From Childhood to Older Age

This study aims to analyze the effect of high-altitude environment on drivers’ mental workload (MW), situation awareness (SA), and driving behaviour (DB), and to explore the relationship among those driving performances. Based on a survey, the data of 356 lowlanders engaging in driving activities at Tibetan Plateau (high-altitude group) and 341 lowlanders engaging in driving activities at low altitudes (low-altitude group) were compared and analyzed. The results suggest that the differences between the two groups are noteworthy. Mental workload of high-altitude group is significantly higher than that of low-altitude group, and their situation awareness is lower significantly. The possibility of risky driving behaviours for high-altitude group, especially aggressive violations, is higher. For the high-altitude group, the increase of mental workload can lead to an increase on aggressive violations, and the situation understanding plays a full mediating effect between mental workload and aggressive violations. Measures aiming at the improvement of situation awareness and the reduction of mental workload can effectively reduce the driving risk from high-altitude environment for lowlanders.

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Effect of high altitude on human placental amino acid transport

Journal of Applied Physiology ◽

10.1152/japplphysiol.00691.2019 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 128 (1) ◽

pp. 127-133 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Owen. R. Vaughan ◽

Fredrick Thompson ◽

Ramón. A. Lorca ◽

Colleen G. Julian ◽

Theresa L. Powell ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Birth Weight ◽

Amino Acid ◽

High Altitude ◽

Sea Level ◽

Amino Acid Transport ◽

Acid Uptake ◽

Acid Transport ◽

Transport Capacity ◽

System A ◽

Low Altitude

Women residing at high altitudes deliver infants of lower birth weight than at sea level. Birth weight correlates with placental system A-mediated amino acid transport capacity, and severe environmental hypoxia reduces system A activity in isolated trophoblast and the mouse placenta. However, the effect of high altitude on human placental amino acid transport remains unknown. We hypothesized that microvillous membrane (MVM) system A and system L amino acid transporter activity is lower in placentas of women living at high altitude compared with low-altitude controls. Placentas were collected at term from healthy pregnant women residing at high altitude (HA; >2,500 m; n = 14) or low altitude (LA; <1,700 m; n = 14) following planned, unlabored cesarean section. Birth weight, but not placenta weight, was 13% lower in HA pregnancies (2.88 ± 0.11 kg) compared with LA (3.30 ± 0.07 kg, P < 0.01). MVM erythropoietin receptor abundance, determined by immunoblot, was greater in HA than in LA placentas, consistent with lower placental oxygen levels at HA. However, there was no effect of altitude on MVM system A or L activity, determined by Na+-dependent [14C]methylaminoisobutyric acid uptake and [3H]leucine uptake, respectively. MVM abundance of glucose transporters (GLUTs) 1 and 4 and basal membrane GLUT4 were also similar in LA and HA placentas. Low birth weights in the neonates of women residing at high altitude are not a consequence of reduced placental amino acid transport capacity. These observations are in general agreement with studies of IUGR babies at low altitude, in which MVM system A activity is downregulated only in growth-restricted babies with significant compromise. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Babies born at high altitude are smaller than at sea level. Birth weight is dependent on growth in utero and, in turn, placental nutrient transport. We determined amino acid transport capacity in placentas collected from women resident at low and high altitude. Altitude did not affect system A amino acid transport across the syncytiotrophoblast microvillous membrane, suggesting that impaired placental amino acid transport does not contribute to reduced birth weight in this high-altitude population.

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Seasonal and Altitudinal Prevalence of Fascioliasis in Buffalo in Eastern Nepal

Journal of Nepal Agricultural Research Council ◽

10.3126/jnarc.v4i1.19689 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

pp. 48-53

Author(s):

Ramesh Prasad Sah ◽

Hari Kumar Prasai ◽

Jiban Shrestha ◽

Md Hasanuzzaman Talukder ◽

AKM Anisur Rahman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Risk ◽

High Altitude ◽

Sea Level ◽

Rainy Season ◽

Meat Production ◽

Parasitic Diseases ◽

Sedimentation Technique ◽

Risk Period ◽

Pasture Contamination ◽

Low Altitude

Buffalo is the most important livestock commodities for milk, meat production and several other multipurpose uses distributed densely from southern tarai to northern mid-hills in Nepal. Among several internal parasitic diseases fascioliasis is highly economic one caused by Fasciola in buffaloes. However, there are only few studies carried on prevalence of fascioliasis emphasizing buffaloes in relation to seasonal (summer and rainy, and winter) and altitudinal variations. Therefore, we examined prevalence of fascioliasis seasonally and vertically. For the purpose, we selected two districts of eastern Nepal and sampled from low altitude area known as Madhesha ranging from 175-200, Dhankuta from 800-1200 m, and Murtidhunga from 1800-2200 m elevation from the sea level, representing tarai, mid hills and high hills, respectively. Altogether from February 2013 to January 2014 at every two months interval we collected 798 fecal samples from buffaloes; 282 from Murtidhunga, 239 from Dhankuta and 277 from Madhesha. The samples were examined microscopically for the presence of Fasciola eggs using sedimentation technique. Results showed that overall prevalence of fascioliasis in buffaloes was 39.9% (319/798), ranging highest 42.6%in Madhesha followed by 39.7% in Murtidhunga and 37.2% in Dhankuta, respectively. The prevalence of fascioliasis was found to be significantly (p <0.05) high in winter (44.9%) comparing to rainy season (34.4%). The prevalence of fascioliasis in buffaloes was relatively higher in low altitude than high altitude, although it was not statistically significant (p <0.05). In our findings the female buffaloes showed higher prevalence for fascioliasis than in male. Since the fascioliasis in buffaloes is highly endemic, thus strategic deworming in high risk period is recommended along with measure to prevent pasture contamination with buffalo feces.

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Morphological variation in Leptorhynchos squamatus (Gnaphalieae: Asteraceae)

Australian Systematic Botany ◽

10.1071/sb01018 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 205 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Christina Flann ◽

Pauline Y. Ladiges ◽

Neville G. Walsh

Keyword(s):

High Altitude ◽

Morphological Variation ◽

Environmental Conditions ◽

Leaf Size ◽

Alpine Plants ◽

The Other ◽

Herbarium Specimens ◽

South Eastern ◽

Eastern Australia ◽

Low Altitude

A study of morphological variation in Leptorhynchos squamatus (Labill.) Less. across its range in south-eastern Australia was undertaken to test the hypothesis that L. squamatus includes two taxa. Phenetic pattern analyses of both field-collected and herbarium specimens on the basis of morphology confirmed two major groups. Bract, cypsela, pappus bristle and leaf characters were particularly important in separating the two groups. The taxa are separated by altitude differences with one being a low-altitude plant found in many habitats and the other being a high-altitude taxon that is a major component of alpine meadows. Lowland plants have dark bract tips, fewer and wider pappus bristles than alpine plants, papillae on the cypselas and more linear leaves. A somewhat intermediate population from the Major Mitchell Plateau in the Grampians shows some alpine and some lowland characters but is included in the lowland taxon. Seeds from five populations (two alpine, two lowland and Major Mitchell) were germinated and plants grown for 18 weeks under four controlled sets of environmental conditions. The experiment showed that leaf size and some other characters are affected by environmental conditions, but that there are underlying genetic differences between the lowland and alpine forms. Leptorhynchos squamatus subsp. alpinus Flann is described here to accommodate the highland taxon.

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Species Richness and Traditional Knowledge of Macrofungi (Mushrooms) in the Awing Forest Reserve and Communities, Northwest Region, Cameroon

Journal of Mycology ◽

10.1155/2017/2809239 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2017 ◽

pp. 1-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Tonjock Rosemary Kinge ◽

Nkengmo Apiseh Apalah ◽

Theobald Mue Nji ◽

Ache Neh Acha ◽

Afui Mathias Mih

Keyword(s):

High Altitude ◽

Traditional Knowledge ◽

Group Discussion ◽

Descriptive Statistics ◽

Microsoft Excel ◽

Forest Reserve ◽

Pictorial Presentation ◽

Mycorrhizal Associations ◽

Low Altitude ◽

Northwest Region

Macrofungi are diverse in their uses as food and medicine and several species serve as decomposers and also form mycorrhizal associations. Awing forest reserve is diverse in plants and fungi species. However, no work has been carried out to assess the diversity and traditional knowledge of macrofungi in the area. Diversity surveys were carried out in three altitudes using transects of 50×20 m for six months in 2015. Ethnomycology studies were carried out in fifteen communities using focus group discussion, pictorial presentation, and questionnaires. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics in Microsoft Excel 2010. Seventy-five species belonging to thirty families were identified by morphology. Thirty-six species were found only in the low altitude, 16 in the mid altitude, and 16 species in high altitude. One species was common to low and mid altitude and also low and high altitude; five species were common to mid and high altitude while there was no species common to all three altitudes. The indigenes of the Awing communities commonly called mushroom “Poh” and use it mainly as food and medicine and in mythological beliefs. The most utilized species as food and medicine included Termitomyces titanicus, Laetiporus sulphureus, and Ganoderma sp.

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Submaximal exercise testing at low altitude for prediction of exercise tolerance at high altitude

Journal of Travel Medicine ◽

10.1093/jtm/tay011 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 25 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Martin Burtscher ◽

Michael Philadelphy ◽

Hannes Gatterer ◽

Johannes Burtscher ◽

Rudolf Likar

Keyword(s):

High Altitude ◽

Exercise Testing ◽

Exercise Tolerance ◽

Submaximal Exercise ◽

Submaximal Exercise Testing ◽

Low Altitude

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Effects of between-person differences and within-person changes in symptoms of anxiety and depression on older age cognitive performance

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291717002896 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 48 (8) ◽

pp. 1350-1358 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

E. J. Laukka ◽

D. Dykiert ◽

M. Allerhand ◽

J. M. Starr ◽

I. J. Deary

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Function ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Negative Mood ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Population Based ◽

Older Age ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Sample Mean ◽

Assessment And Treatment ◽

Lothian Birth Cohort

AbstractBackgroundAnxiety and depression are both important correlates of cognitive function. However, longitudinal studies investigating how they covary with cognition within the same individual are scarce. We aimed to simultaneously estimate associations of between-person differences and within-person variability in anxiety and depression with cognitive performance in a sample of non-demented older people.MethodsParticipants in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1921 study, a population-based narrow-age sample (mean age at wave 1 = 79 years, n = 535), were examined on five occasions across 13 years. Anxiety and depression were measured with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and cognitive performance was assessed with tests of reasoning, logical memory, and letter fluency. Data were analyzed using two-level linear mixed-effects models with within-person centering.ResultsDivergent patterns were observed for anxiety and depression. For anxiety, between-person differences were more influential; people who scored higher on HADS anxiety relative to other same-aged individuals demonstrated poorer cognitive performance on average. For depression, on the other hand, time-varying within-person differences were more important; scoring higher than usual on HADS depression was associated with poorer cognitive performance relative to the average level for that participant. Adjusting for gender, childhood mental ability, emotional stability, and disease burden attenuated these associations.ConclusionsThe results from this study highlight the importance of addressing both between- and within-person effects of negative mood and suggest that anxiety and depression affect cognitive function in different ways. The current findings have implications for assessment and treatment of older age cognitive deficits.

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Influence of Cultivar on the Postharvest Hardening of Trifoliate Yam (Dioscorea dumetorum) Tubers

Advances in Agriculture ◽

10.1155/2016/2658983 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2016 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Christian Siadjeu ◽

Emmanuel Akdowa Panyoo ◽

Gabriel Mahbou Somo Toukam ◽

Joseph Martin Bell ◽

Benoit Nono ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Altitude ◽

Breeding Program ◽

Ambient Conditions ◽

Flesh Colour ◽

Physiological Maturity ◽

Yellow Flesh ◽

Low Altitude ◽

Trifoliate Yam

The influence of cultivar on the postharvest hardening ofDioscorea dumetorumtubers was assessed. 32 cultivars ofD. dumetorumtubers were planted in April 2014, harvested at physiological maturity, and stored under prevailing tropical ambient conditions (19–28°C, 60–85% RH) for 0, 5, 14, 21, and 28 days. Samples were evaluated for cooked hardness. Results showed that one cultivar, Ibo sweet 3, was not affected by the hardening phenomenon. The remaining 31 were all subject to the hardening phenomenon at different degree. Cooked hardness increased more rapidly in cultivars with many roots on the tuber surface compared to cultivars with few roots on the tuber surface. When both the characteristics flesh colour and number of roots on tuber surface were associated, cooked hardness in cultivars with yellow flesh and many roots increased more rapidly than in cultivars with white flesh and many roots, whereas cooked hardness in cultivars with yellow flesh and few roots increased more slowly than in cultivars with white flesh and few roots. Accessions collected in high altitude increased more rapidly compared to accessions collected in low altitude. The cultivar Ibo sweet 3 identified in this study could provide important information for breeding program ofD. dumetorumagainst postharvest hardening phenomenon.

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