Social and political psychologists have focused on how liberals and conservatives differ from one another and have developed a vast literature on individual differences and fixed attributes that ...distinguish ideological groups. However, ideological orientations might be more contextual and flexible than what is often portrayed in research. We present a novel look at ideological variability as an intragroup phenomenon that makes liberals and conservatives nuanced, heterogeneous, and more similar to one another—important perspectives for reducing ideological stereotyping and polarization. In this paper, we review patterns showing ideological variability and overlap in thinking, emotions, attitudes, and behaviors across the lifespan, geographical regions, status groups, and diverse cultures around the world. By understanding the social psychological and situational factors associated with intragroup variability in ideology, we can develop more culturally inclusive models of ideology and map out better solutions to polarization.
In the placenta, 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11β-HSD2) limits fetal glucocorticoid exposure and its inhibition has been associated to low birth weight. Its expression, encoded by the ...HSD11B2 gene is regulated by DNA methylation. We hypothesized that maternal diets supplemented with folic acid (FA) during pregnancy modify the expression of placental HSD11B2 through gene methylation. Wistar rats were fed with high (8 mg/kg) or normal low (1mg/kg, control) levels of FA during pregnancy. Concentrations of mRNA and protein in placentas were determined by qRT-PCR and Western blot respectively. Methylation in five CpG sites of the placental HSD11B2 promoter (-378 to -275) was analyzed by bacterial cloning and subsequent sequencing. In the FA-supplemented group, mRNA and protein levels of 11β-HSD2 decreased by 58% and increased by 89%, respectively, only in placentas attached to males. In controls, most CpG sites were not methylated except for the CpG2 site which was 80% methylated. CpG2 methylation level increased under the FA treatment; however, only in placentas attached to females was this increase significant (113%). This change was not related to HSD11B2 expression. Fetal weight of females from FA- supplemented mothers was 6% higher than females from control mothers. In conclusion, this is the first study reporting that FA over supplementation during pregnancy modifies the placental HSD11B2 gene expression and methylation in a sex-dependent manner, suggesting that maternal diets with high content of FA can induce early sex-specific responses, which may lead to long-term consequences for the offspring.
Exposure to heat stress (HS) detrimentally affects pig performance. This study explored whether a dietary phytogenic solution based on
spp. (PHY) could enhance the thermal tolerance of heat-stressed ...growing pigs. Forty-two individually housed pigs were randomly assigned to three treatments: thermoneutral pigs on a control diet (TN-C) and pigs subjected to HS fed the control diet either without (HS-C) or with supplemental PHY (HS-PHY). The TN-C group exhibited increased average daily gain (ADG) and feed intake (FI) compared to both HS-C (
< 0.01) and HS-PHY pigs (
< 0.05) and better feed efficiency compared to HS-C pigs only (
< 0.01). However, the HS-PHY pigs showed significantly higher FI (
< 0.01) and ADG (
< 0.05) compared to HS-C pigs. HS pigs displayed higher body temperatures (BTs) than TN pigs (
< 0.01), yet HS-PHY pigs experienced a lesser increase in BT compared to HS-C pigs (
< 0.05). Supplementation with PHY mitigated some effects of HS, increasing serum superoxide dismutase and catalase activity, reducing HSP90 expression in
muscle, and elevating jejunal villus height compared to HS-C pigs (
< 0.05), reaching levels akin to TN-C pigs. Additionally, PHY supplementation resulted in lower serum urea levels than HS-C pigs (
< 0.01) and similar myosin gene expression to TN-C pigs (
> 0.1), suggesting enhanced amino acid post-absorptive utilization for lean tissue growth. In conclusion, dietary PHY supplementation partially offset the adverse effects of HS on pig performance by improving thermal tolerance.
The unambiguous identification of varieties within the Pseudostrobus complex is a key step to facilitate tree selection and monitoring in the wild as well as in plantations. Molecular tools provide a ...powerful approach for species delimitation; however, the use of DNA barcodes in this group has met limited success due to widespread haplotype sharing from lineage sorting, hybridization and introgression. Here, we evaluate the utility of real-time PCR coupled with high-resolution melting (HRM) to discriminate among Pinus pseudostrobus Lindl. var. pseudostrobus, apulcensis and oaxacana, from wild populations in central and southern Mexico, using chloroplast DNA sequence variants located within the clpP, ycf2, trnL(UAA)–trnT(UGU) and trnI(CAU)–trnF(GAA) loci. The markers ycf2/trnL(UAA)–trnT(UGU) produced clear melting patterns that separated the varieties pseudostrobus and oaxacana from type var. apulcensis, whereas clpP discriminated over 60% of var. oaxacana individuals. This assay underlines the usefulness of these less-used DNA regions as potential biological markers and exhibits the effect of geography on allele distribution and the likely presence of hybrids among the species and varieties.
The aim of this work was to use glycerol (Gly) and sorbitol (Sor) as plasticizers with oxidized starch potato (OS) to produce biodegradable and environmentally friendly films, and to demonstrate the ...resulting physicochemical and functional viability without subtracting the organoleptic characteristics of the food. Analyses by water vapor permeability (WVP), attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectra (ATR-FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), tensile strength (TS), and transparency (UV) showed that the best film result was with 1.5 g of Gly and 2.0 g of Sor, conferred shine, elasticity 19.42 ± 6.20%, and mechanical support. The starch oxidized to 2.5%, contributing a greater transparency of 0.33 ± 0.12 and solubility of 78.90 ± 0.94%, as well as less permeability to water vapor 6.22 ± 0.38 gmm−2 d−1 kPa−1. The films obtained provide an alternative for use in food due to their organic compounds, excellent visual presentation, and barrier characteristics that maintain their integrity and, therefore, their functionality.
The use of solar energy through thermochemical processes is an important approach to drive endothermic reactions to produce solar fuels such as hydrogen or syngas. This work reports the preparation ...and the thermophysical characterization of a porous composite based on zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) and nickel cobaltite (NiCo2O4) nanoparticles for applications in thermochemical processes at high temperatures. The ZrO2 supports were modified with NiCo2O4 nanoparticles by a low-cost and straightforward impregnation process following by thermal treatment at 773 K. The impregnated NiCo2O4 obtained is formed by nanoparticles with an average size of 50 nm favoring a complete and homogenous covering of ZrO2 supports. The thermal properties of ZrO2 supports and NiCo2O4@ZrO2 composites were evaluated in the temperature range from 300 to 1250 K. Besides, the solar absorbance and thermal emittance values were measured. After depositing the nickel cobaltite nanoparticles in the supports, it has been observed that the thermal properties have changed slightly so that the added nanoparticles do not significantly change the thermal performance of the materials. The nickel cobaltite nanoparticles deposited on the surface of the ZrO2 supports causes a strong increase in solar absorbance. This improves the efficiency of solar thermal conversion. Our results have shown that NiCo2O4@ZrO2 has excellent characteristics to be used in solar thermochemical processes.
•NiCo2O4 nanoparticles with 50 nm size.•NiCo2O4@ZrO2 with potential application in thermochemical processes.•NiCo2O4 nanoparticles with high solar absorption.•Thermal conductance decreases in the interface ZrO2–NiCo2O4.•A thermal conductivity model based on material porosity and porous shape.
Abstract Life expectancy has increased worldwide alongside a rise in disability prevalence during old age. The impact and interrelationship among the precursors of disability in midlife remain to be ...better understood. Furthermore, investigating whether lifestyle factors may potentially influence health outcomes and the prognosis of vascular disease could be especially relevant among the middle-aged population, which is a priority subpopulation when prevention is the goal. This is an observational, cross-sectional and population-based study. Participants, between 50 and 55 years old, are randomly selected from the municipality of Toledo (Spain). There are six non-consecutive days for the assessments, providing enough rest between evaluations. Participants perform the interview of the Toledo Study for Healthy Aging. Blood pressure monitoring and a resting electrocardiogram are also recorded. Then, resting peripheral and cerebral vascular measurements along with muscle size and architecture are assessed. Blood and urine samples, and body composition data are collected after an overnight fasting. On a different visit, physical performance and muscle function tests are performed. Additionally, brain magnetic resonance imaging is conducted. And finally, an accelerometer is given to the participants for a week. Frailty is evaluated by Frailty Trait Scale and Fried Frailty Phenotype. This project will shed light on the associations between frailty, early cognitive impairment, and vascular aging during midlife, and on the role that lifestyles play in their development. Lastly, this project will provide meaningful implications for public health strategies aimed at promoting healthy aging in later life.
Exposing pigs to heat stress (HS) seems to modify the intestinal microbiota which may compromise the integrity of the small intestine epithelia. Probiotics, live microorganisms, can help pigs to ...maintain a healthy intestinal environment. Eighty pigs (21.6 ± 3.4 kg body weight) exposed to HS or thermal neutral (TN) conditions were used to evaluate the effect of a Bacillus subtilis-based probiotic on performance, body temperature, and intestinal integrity. Treatments were: TN pigs fed a control diet without (TN-C) or with 1 × 106 CFU probiotic/g of feed (TN-P), and HS pigs fed a control without (HS-C) or with probiotic (HS-P). The control diet was formulated with wheat, soybean meal, and free amino acids (AA). Feed and water were freely available during the 21-d study. At completion, samples from duodenum, jejunum, and ileum were collected to analyze epithelial histology and tight junction protein expression; antioxidant activity, and free AA and metabolites in serum. Relative abundance of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Escherichia coli, and Bacillus in ileal content was analyzed. Ambient temperature in the TN room ranged from 19 to 25 °C, and in HS room from 30 to 38.5 °C. Intestinal temperature in HS-P pigs was lower than in HS-C pigs. Weight gain and feed intake reduced, but feed:gain and respiration rate increased in HS compared to TN pigs, regardless of diet (P < 0.01). Probiotic increased weight gain and improved feed:gain (P < 0.05) in both TN and HS pigs, but feed intake did not differ. Heat stress decreased villi height in jejunum and villi height:crypt depth in duodenum and jejunum (P < 0.05). Probiotic increased villi height in duodenum and ileum, and villi height:crypt depth in all small intestine segments (P < 0.05). Relative abundance of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium tended to reduce, and E. coli tended to increase (P < 0.10) in ileal content of HS-C pigs. Ileal relative abundance of Bacillus was higher (P < 0.01) in HS-P pigs than in HS-C and TN-C pigs. Cystathionine, homocysteine, hydroxylysine, α-amino-adipic acid, citrulline, α-amino-n-butyric acid, P-Ser, and taurine were higher in HS than in TN pigs (P < 0.05). These data confirm the negative effect of HS on performance, body temperature, and intestinal integrity of pigs. These data suggest that supplementing 1 × 106 CFU probiotic/g of feed based on Bacillus subtilis DSM 32540 may help to counteract the negative effects of HS on the performance and intestinal integrity of pigs.
The regioselective opening of the ring E in spirostan sapogenins provides new dihydropyran derivatives. This novel side chain is obtained after a Lewis acid mediated acetolysis followed by an ...alkaline workup. The reaction mechanism is analyzed via density functional theory computations, and both experimental and computational data support the formation of an oxacarbenium intermediate. The behavior of the title skeletons under acidic conditions is also investigated.
Benzopyrene is a high-molecular-weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon that is highly recalcitrant and induces carcinogenic effects. CsrA is a conserved regulatory protein that controls the ...translation and stability of its target transcripts, having negative or positive effects depending on the target mRNAs. It is known that
Bacillus licheniformis
M2-7 has the ability to grow and survive in certain concentrations of hydrocarbons such as benzopyrene, prompted in part by CsrA, as is present in gasoline. However, there are a few studies that reveal the genes involved in that process. To identify the genes involved in the
Bacillus licheniformis
M2-7 degradation pathway, the plasmid pCAT-sp containing a mutation in the
catE
gene was constructed and used to transform
B. licheniformis
M2-7 and generate a CAT1 strain. We determined the capacity of the mutant
B. licheniformis
(CAT1) to grow in the presence of glucose or benzopyrene as a carbon source. We observed that the CAT1 strain presented increased growth in the presence of glucose but a statistically considerable decrease in the presence of benzopyrene compared with the wild-type parental strain. Additionally, we demonstrated that the Csr system positively regulates its expression since it was observed that the expression of the gene in the mutant strain LYA12 (M2-7
csrA
::
Sp, SpR
) was considerably lower than that in the wild-type strain. We were thus able to propose a putative regulation model for
catE
gene in
B. licheniformis
M2-7 strain by CsrA regulator in the presence of benzopyrene.
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