Regulation of Gene Expression of Methionine Sulfoxide Reductases and Their New Putative Roles in Plants

Oxidation of methionine to methionine sulfoxide is a type of posttranslational modification reversed by methionine sulfoxide reductases (Msrs), which present an exceptionally high number of gene copies in plants. The side-form general antioxidant function-specific role of each Msr isoform has not been fully studied. Thirty homologous genes of Msr type A (MsrA) and type B (MsrB) that originate from the genomes of Arabidopsis thaliana, Populus trichocarpa, and Oryza sativa were analyzed in silico. From 109 to 201 transcription factors and responsive elements were predicted for each gene. Among the species, 220 and 190 common transcription factors and responsive elements were detected for the MsrA and MsrB isoforms, respectively. In a comparison of 14 MsrA and 16 MsrB genes, 424 transcription factors and responsive elements were reported in both types of genes, with almost ten times fewer unique elements. The transcription factors mainly comprised plant growth and development regulators, transcription factors important in stress responses with significant overrepresentation of the myeloblastosis viral oncogene homolog (MYB) and no apical meristem, Arabidopsis transcription activation factor and cup-shaped cotyledon (NAC) families and responsive elements sensitive to ethylene, jasmonate, sugar, and prolamine. Gene Ontology term-based functional classification revealed that cellular, metabolic, and developmental process terms and the response to stimulus term dominated in the biological process category. Available experimental transcriptomic and proteomic data, in combination with a set of predictions, gave coherent results validating this research. Thus, new manners Msr gene expression regulation, as well as new putative roles of Msrs, are proposed.

Representações sociais acerca da hemodiálise para pacientes portadores de doença renal crônica [Social representations of hemodialysis among patients with chronic kidney disease] [Representaciones sociales sobre hemodiálisis para pacientes con enfermedad renal crónica]

Objetivo: analisar as representações sociais dos pacientes portadores de doença renal crônica em fase terminal acerca da hemodiálise. Metodologia: o referencial teórico-metodológico utilizado é a Teoria das Representações Sociais. Os cenários do estudo foram dois centros de diálise do Rio de Janeiro, onde foram incluídos 100 pacientes que realizam hemodiálise. Para a produção de dados, realizada de outubro a dezembro de 2015, foi utilizada a técnica de evocações livres, a partir do termo indutor hemodiálise. Resultados: foram obtidas 434 palavras, que após padronização foram reduzidas a 173 termos, submetidos ao software Evoc para a construção do quadro de quatro casas e da análise de similitude. Conclusão: o termo “vida” foi o mais fortemente evocado, associado aos termos dependência, salvação e sobrevivência. Além disso, a hemodiálise também suscitou as imagens de tristeza, pânico, cansativo, obrigação e conformado.ABSTRACTObjective: to analyze the social representations of patients on hemodialysis in the terminal phase of chronic renal disease. Methodology: the theoretical methodological framework used was Social Representations Theory. The study scenarios were two dialysis centers in Rio de Janeiro, where 100 patients undergoing hemodialysis were included. Data were produced, from October to December 2015, using the free evocation technique, from the stimulus-term “hemodialysis”. Results: 434 words were obtained, which were reduced to 173 terms after standardization, and submitted to EVOC software to construct the four-box charts and analyze for similarity. Conclusion: the term most strongly evoked was life, associated with the terms dependence, salvation and survival. Moreover, hemodialysis also prompted images of sadness, panic, tiring, obligation and resigned.RESUMENObjetivo: analizar las representaciones sociales de pacientes con enfermedad renal crónica en fase terminal acerca de la hemodiálisis. Metodología: el marco teórico-metodológico utilizado es la Teoría de las Representaciones Sociales. Los escenarios de estudio fueron dos centros de diálisis en Río de Janeiro, donde se incluyeron 100 pacientes en hemodiálisis. Para la producción de datos, realizada de octubre a diciembre de 2015, se utilizó la técnica de evocación libre, a partir del término inductor de hemodiálisis. Resultados: se obtuvieron 434 palabras que, tras la estandarización fueron reducidas a 173 términos, sometidos al software EVOC para la construcción del marco de cuatro casas y del análisis de similitud. Conclusión: el término "vida" fue el más fuertemente evocado, asociado a los términos dependencia, salvación y supervivencia. Por otra parte, la hemodiálisis también despertó las imágenes de tristeza, pánico, cansancio, obligación y conformidad.

Using Word Associations as a Formative Assessment for Understanding Phylogenetics

It is commonly said that perception is everything. Political candidates are judged by how the public understands their platforms; consumers make purchases based on how they view the products; and business executives make corporate decisions based on potential outcomes of business deals. Likewise, a person's preconception of a topic can change how they learn about and associate that knowledge. Topics with a shared vocabulary between science and common language, such as the terms used when teaching evolution and phylogenetic trees, are especially subject to misconceptions stemming from a lack of understanding how the terminology is used in science. One way to assess the preconceptions students have about specific topics is through using free association techniques. Free association word recall (word association) activities ask students to recall words and phrases associated with stimulus term. Educators can use student responses to learn how students understand and organize prior knowledge, and thus structure subsequent instruction activities to target the revealed preconceptions of the topic.

Mere Exposure to Stimulus and Response Terms and Paired-Associate Learning

Subjects learned four-item paired-associate lists by the method of anticipation. Items were composed from Turkish-like words which the subject had either never seen previously or which had been exposed 16 times in a previous familiarization process designed to minimize the induction of verbal satiation. Analysis of the data indicated significant facilitation of learning due to familiarization with the stimulus term and a significant interaction of stimulus and response terms. The experiment demonstrates the likely importance of the encoding of stimulus terms in the learning of paired-associate lists and shows that mere exposure to materials can modify later response to those materials.

Effects of Type of Recall Test and Spaced Presentations of Stimulus Terms, Response Terms and Stimulus-Response Terms on Retention in Paired-Associate Learning

The present experiment tested the effects of reinforcement type (stimulus term, response term, and stimulus-response pairs) and type of recall-retention test (stimulus type or response type) as between- S variables and delay-of-reinforcement interval as a within- S variable on retention in paired-associate learning. The analysis showed that type of reinforcement and delay-of-reinforcement interval resulted in significant effects. Type of recall-retention test was not significant and interactions were nonsignificant.