Effects of Ionizing Radiation on Flora Ten Years after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Disaster

The aim of this work is to analyze the effects of ionizing radiation and radionuclides (like 137Cs) in several higher plants located around the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP), evaluating both their adaptive processes and evolution. After the FNPP accident in March 2011 much attention was focused to the biological consequences of ionizing radiation and radionuclides released in the area surrounding the nuclear plant. This unexpected mishap led to the emission of radionuclides in aerosol and gaseous forms from the power plant, which contaminated a large area, including wild forest, cities, farmlands, mountains, and the sea, causing serious problems. Large quantities of 131I, 137Cs, and 134Cs were detected in the fallout. People were evacuated but the flora continued to be affected by the radiation exposure and by the radioactive dusts’ fallout. The response of biota to FNPP irradiation was a complex interaction among radiation dose, dose rate, temporal and spatial variation, varying radiation sensitivities of the different plants’ species, and indirect effects from other events. The repeated ionizing radiations, acute or chronic, guarantee an adaptation of the plant species, demonstrating a radio-resistance. Consequently, ionizing radiation affects the genetic structure, especially during chronic irradiation, reducing genetic variability. This reduction is associated with the different susceptibility of plant species to chronic stress. This would confirm the adaptive theory associated with this phenomenon. The effects that ionizing radiation has on different life forms are examined in this review using the FNPP disaster as a case study focusing the attention ten years after the accident.

Three Essential Elements to Demystify Prejudice and Promote Literacy in Mental Health

The text is based on the scientific research carried out by the author during the many years that she has tried to follow the evolution of mental health at an international level, in Portugal and in the Autonomous Region of Madeira. It is based on the knowledge deepened through critical reflection carried out throughout the training and professional processes in which it has participated. The performance as a professor at the University of Madeira-Health Higher School, the real experience as a provider of specialized nursing care in mental and psychiatric health to population groups living in different communities, the various intervention contexts in which mental healthcare is available, the different circumstances of health and illness observed in people who experience transactional and adaptive processes at various stages of the life cycle are real contributions that have been constituted as a source of essential material for a critical and constructive look at one of the great challenges that health and mental health services and their professionals face in today's societies.

Cognitive, social, and behavioral manifestations of the co-occurrence of autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A systematic review

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is one of the most common comorbidities in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. However, the clinical implications of the co-occurrence of these two disorders are still poorly understood. Based on a preregistered protocol (PROSPERO CRD42020193880), this systematic review identified 34 articles, published between January 1, 2014, and September 1, 2020, on cognitive, adaptive/social, and behavioral manifestations in children and adolescents with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ASD+). The majority of available studies found a tendency toward a significant poorer cognitive performance in individuals with ASD+ compared with those with autism spectrum disorder alone (ASD−). The analysis of social/adaptive processes suggested that ASD+ is associated with lower functioning in comparison with ASD−. Finally, individuals with ASD+ were more likely to develop emotional/behavioral difficulties, in particular externalizing problems. Although some studies did not find differences among the two groups, overall co-occurring ASD+ may constitute a distinctive phenotype with a greater likelihood of cognitive, adaptive dysfunction, and mental health symptoms compared with ASD−. These results may inform the setting up and implementation of care pathways for individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder. Lay abstract This work aimed to review recent research on the characteristics of individuals who have both autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder due to their high co-occurrence. Thirty-four studies were analyzed and main findings summarized in two content domains focusing on areas that could enhance our understanding of the cognitive and behavioral characteristics of individuals with autism spectrum disorder + attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ASD+). Most of the results suggested that ASD+ is a co-occurring condition associated with more severe impairments in cognitive functioning, adaptive behavior, and increased likelihood to present more emotional/behavioral problems. These results will be helpful to provide improved care plans for individuals with both attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder.

Morphofunctional State of the Mature Rats Pituitary Gland under Readaptation Conditions to the Long Influence of Heavy Metal Salts Complex and Correction with L-Tocopherol

The purpose of the study was to study the morphofunctional rearrangements of the structural components of the adenohypophysis of sexually mature male rats under the condition of a 30-day period of readaptation to the long-term influence of salts of heavy metals (zinc, copper, iron, manganese, lead and chromium) and taking a corrector drug. Materials and methods. The experiment was carried out on 24 white sexually mature male rats, which were divided into 1 control and 1 experimental group. The experimental group consisted of rats that consumed ordinary drinking water for 30 days after 90 days of receiving water saturated with a combination of heavy metal salts: zinc (ZnSO4 7H2O) – 5 mg / l, copper (CuSO4 5H2O) mg / l, iron (FeSO4) – 10 mg / l, manganese (MnSO4 5H2O) – 0.1 mg / l, lead (Pb (NO3) 2) – 0.1 mg / l and chromium (K2Cr2O7) – 0.1 mg / l and L-tocopherol corrector. Results and discussion. With a 30-day period of readaptation to the action of a complex of salts of heavy metals, combined with the intake of a corrector drug L-tocopherol, morphological rearrangements of a nonspecific polymorphic nature developed in the structural components of the pituitary gland: compensatory hypertrophy and increased vascularization of the pituitary gland were observed, the state of rheological properties of the blood improved, the number of chromophiles increased and the number of chromophobes decreased, the processes of cyst formation disappeared, the stress from the adaptive processes in the glandulocytes of the adenohypophysis decreased, namely their secretory activity, the expression of Hsp90α receptors in the cytoplasm of adenocytes significantly increased. Negative rearrangements include an increased value of the fibrous component of the connective tissue of the intertrabecular spaces, increased collagenization of the wall of veins and capillaries, preservation of stromal edema, plethora of hemocapillaries, the presence of a small number of adenocytes with signs of vacuolization of the cytoplasm, balloon dystrophy. Conclusion. A comprehensive study of the structural components of the adenohypophysis of the test animals under the condition of a 30-day period of readaptation to long periods of consumption of heavy metal salts and correction with L-tocopherol certainly indicate a number of adaptive and regenerative morphofunctional changes aimed at reducing the stress of adaptive processes on the part of the adenohypophysis in response to cancel the action of the stress factor

Arabskie zapożyczenia leksykalne w języku hiszpańskim

The large number of words from Arabic found in modern Spanish is proof of the deep influence Arabic has had on the Spanish language. Historical sociolinguistic processes which have lasted to the present day indicate that the influence of Arabic culture has been neither brief or superficial. Instead, it has, and continues to have great significance for the language situation of Spain. Much linguistic research has shown how loans from Arabic have been assimilated as they have become part of the lexical resources of modern Spanish. Arabic culture and civilization in the Iberian Peninsula (711-1942) above all involved the sciences, literature, art, architecture, engineering, agriculture, the military, medicine. At that time, Al-Andalus was one of the most influential European centers of science and cultural exchange in Europe. Contacts between Arabic and the Romance languages found in the Iberian Peninsula resulted in numerous loans both from Arabic to the Romance languages and from the Romance languages to Arabic. These topics have been the subject of extensive research conducted from historical, cultural and linguistic points of view. Despite the existence of numerous works concerning Arabic loans, this area requires, further, deeper research. In this article, selected issues concerning Arabic loans in Spanish are analyzed as are the adaptive processes they have undergone and the level of their integration into Spanish. The basis of the analysis is made up of oral and written texts collected in the Corpus de Español del Siglo XXI [CORPES XXI, RAE] – a corpus of contemporary Spanish from the 21st century.

Variation in Plastome Sizes Accompanied by Evolutionary History in Monogenomic Triticeae (Poaceae: Triticeae)

To investigate the pattern of chloroplast genome variation in Triticeae, we comprehensively analyzed the indels in protein-coding genes and intergenic sequence, gene loss/pseudonization, intron variation, expansion/contraction in inverted repeat regions, and the relationship between sequence characteristics and chloroplast genome size in 34 monogenomic Triticeae plants. Ancestral genome reconstruction suggests that major length variations occurred in four-stem branches of monogenomic Triticeae followed by independent changes in each genus. It was shown that the chloroplast genome sizes of monogenomic Triticeae were highly variable. The chloroplast genome of Pseudoroegneria, Dasypyrum, Lophopyrum, Thinopyrum, Eremopyrum, Agropyron, Australopyrum, and Henradia in Triticeae had evolved toward size reduction largely because of pseudogenes elimination events and length deletion fragments in intergenic. The Aegilops/Triticum complex, Taeniatherum, Secale, Crithopsis, Herteranthelium, and Hordeum in Triticeae had a larger chloroplast genome size. The large size variation in major lineages and their subclades are most likely consequences of adaptive processes since these variations were significantly correlated with divergence time and historical climatic changes. We also found that several intergenic regions, such as petN–trnC and psbE–petL containing unique genetic information, which can be used as important tools to identify the maternal relationship among Triticeae species. Our results contribute to the novel knowledge of plastid genome evolution in Triticeae.

Regulation of mitochondrial proteostasis by the proton gradient

Mitochondria adapt to different energetic demands reshaping their proteome. Mitochondrial proteases are emerging as key regulators of these adaptive processes. Here, we use a multi-proteomic approach to demonstrate regulation of the m-AAA protease AFG3L2 by the mitochondrial proton gradient, coupling mitochondrial protein turnover to the energetic status of mitochondria. We identify TMBIM5 (previously also known as GHITM or MICS1) as a Ca2+/H+ exchanger in the mitochondrial inner membrane, which binds to and inhibits the m-AAA protease. TMBIM5 ensures cell survival and respiration, allowing Ca2+ efflux from mitochondria and limiting mitochondrial hyperpolarization. Persistent hyperpolarization, however, triggers degradation of TMBIM5 and activation of the m-AAA protease. The m-AAA protease broadly remodels the mitochondrial proteome and mediates the proteolytic breakdown of respiratory complex I to confine ROS production and oxidative damage in hyperpolarized mitochondria. TMBIM5 thus integrates mitochondrial Ca2+ signaling and the energetic status of mitochondria with protein turnover rates to reshape the mitochondrial proteome and adjust the cellular metabolism.

Identification of natural selection in genomic data with deep convolutional neural network

Background With the increase in the size of genomic datasets describing variability in populations, extracting relevant information becomes increasingly useful as well as complex. Recently, computational methodologies such as Supervised Machine Learning and specifically Convolutional Neural Networks have been proposed to make inferences on demographic and adaptive processes using genomic data. Even though it was already shown to be powerful and efficient in different fields of investigation, Supervised Machine Learning has still to be explored as to unfold its enormous potential in evolutionary genomics. Results The paper proposes a method based on Supervised Machine Learning for classifying genomic data, represented as windows of genomic sequences from a sample of individuals belonging to the same population. A Convolutional Neural Network is used to test whether a genomic window shows the signature of natural selection. Training performed on simulated data show that the proposed model can accurately predict neutral and selection processes on portions of genomes taken from real populations with almost 90% accuracy.

The glycoproteomics of hawk and caiman tears

Background Glycoproteins are important tear components that participate in the stability of the ocular surface. However, the glycopeptides that are present in the tears of wild animals have not yet been described. This work aimed to describe the glycoproteomic profile of roadside hawk (Rupornis magnirostris) and caiman (Caiman latirostris) tears. Methods Tears collected from 10 hawks and 70 caimans using Schirmer tear test strips were used in this study. The samples were submitted to trypsin digestion and separated using a reverse-phase column coupled to a mass spectrometer associated to a nanospray ionization source. The glycoproteins were categorized as: cellular components, biological processes and molecular function, according to the UniProt Knowledgebase. Results As shown by the liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry, all glycopeptides found were classified as N-type. Of the 51 glycoproteins that were identified in the hawk tear film, the most abundant were ovotransferrin, globulins and complement system proteins. In the caiman tear film, 29 glycoproteins were identified. The most abundant caiman glycoproteins were uncharacterized proteins, ATPases, globulins and proteasome components. Ontological characterization revealed that the glycoproteins were extracellular, and the most identified molecular function was endopeptidase activity for both species. Conclusion Glycoproteins are abundant in the tear film of the bird and reptile species studied herein, and all these molecules were shown to have N-type modifications. Location at the extracellular space and an endopeptidase inhibitor activity were the main cell component and molecular function for both species, respectively. These profiles showed differences when compared to human tears, are possibly linked to adaptive processes and can be the basis for further studies on the search of disease biomarkers.