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Math Anxiety is a complex problem that can negatively impact math performance, math interest, and career choice. However, it is not clear how these factors differ from one another. Building on previous research, in this study, self-efficacy, test anxiety, and spatial working memory were examined as predictors of math anxiety. It was hypothesized that spatial working memory would be the most related trait of math anxiety. Results indicated that test anxiety was the most related to math anxiety and spatial working memory was the least associated even when accounting for gender. Despite the results contradicting the hypothesis, this study contributes to the understanding of math anxiety by showing how these traits differ and by further clarifying the link between math and test anxiety.

Hypnotic-focused analgesia (HFA) was produced in 20 highly hypnotizable subjects receiving nociceptive stimulations while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The fMRI pattern in brain cortex activation while receiving a painful stimulus was recorded both during nonhypnosis and during HFA. The scanning protocol included the acquisition of a T1-weighted structural scan, 4 functional scans, a T2-weighted axial scan, and a fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) scan. Total imaging time, including localization and structural image acquisitions, was approximately 60minutes. Without HFA, the subjects reported subjective presence of pain, and the cortex primary sensory areas S1, S2, and S3 were activated. During HFA, the subjects reported complete absence of subjective pain and S1, S2, and S3 were deactivated. The findings suggest that HFA may prevent painful stimuli from reaching the sensory brain cortex, possibly through a gate-control mechanism.

The objective of this master thesis is to do a comparative analysis of the law-ful bases between the European law GDPR - General Data Protection Regulation and the Brazilian law LGPD – Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados (in English, General Data Protection Law). The study of legal bases was chosen due to the importance of this topic for both laws since the processing of personal data will only be valid if it is based on one of the authorizing hypotheses of the law. Considering this, the analysis of the differences between the legal bases of European and Brazilian law is evident.

Increasing temperatures and variability of precipitation events due to climate change will lead in the future to higher irrigation demands in agroecosystems. However, the use of secondary treated wasterwater (TWW) could have consequences for the receiving soil environment and its resident microbial communities. The objective of this study was to characterize the importance of soil properties and habitats to the response of soil bacteria and archaea to irrigation with TWW. Two agricultural soils with contrasting textures (loamy sand or silt loam) and, for each, three variants differing in soil organic carbon and nitrogen, as generated by long-term fertilization, were analyzed. For each of these six soils, prokaryotic communities from two habitats, i.e., root-free bulk soil and the rhizosphere of developing cucumber plants in the greenhouse, were characterized. Communities were analyzed by the quantity and diversity of their polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-amplified 16S rRNA genes. To account for TWW-associated nutrient effects, potable water (PW) served as a control. Amplicon sequence analysis showed that prokaryotic communities mainly consisted of bacteria (99.8%). Upon irrigation, regardless of the water quality, prokaryotic diversity declined, pH increased, and no bacterial growth was detected in bulk soil. In contrast, the growth of cucumbers was stimulated by TWW, indicating that plants were the main beneficiaries. Moreover, strong responses were seen in the rhizosphere, suggesting an indirect effect of TWW by altered rhizodepositions. The main bacterial responders to TWW were Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Planctomycetes. Changes in bacterial communities due to TWW were less pronounced in all variants of the silt loam, indicating the importance of clay and soil organic carbon for buffering effects of TWW on soil bacterial communities. Hence, soil organic carbon and soil texture are important parameters that need to be considered when applying TWW in agriculture.

Background Research into social root-causes of poor health within segregated Roma communities in Central and Eastern Europe, i.e. research into how, why and by whom high health-endangering settings and exposures are maintained here, is lacking. The aim of this study was to assess the local setup of health-endangering everyday settings and practices over the long-term in one such community. It is the initial part of a larger longitudinal study qualitatively exploring the social root-causes of poor Roma health status through the case of a particular settlement in Slovakia. Methods The study, spanning 10 years, comprised four methodologically distinct phases combining ethnography and applied medical-anthropological surveying. The acquired data consisted of field notes on participant observations and records of elicitations focusing on both the setup and the social root-causes of local everyday health-endangering settings and practices. To create the here-presented descriptive summary of the local setup, we performed a qualitative content analysis based on the latest World Health Organization classification of health exposures. Results Across all the examined dimensions – material circumstances, psychosocial factors, health-related behaviours, social cohesion and healthcare utilization – all the settlements’ residents faced a wide range of health-endangering settings and practices. How the residents engaged in some of these exposures and how these exposures affected residents’ health varied according to local social stratifications. Most of the patterns described prevailed over the 10-year period. Some local health-endangering settings and practices were praised by most inhabitants using racialized ethnic terms constructed in contrast or in direct opposition to alleged non-Roma norms and ways. Conclusions Our summary provides a comprehensive and conveniently structured basis for grounded thinking about the intermediary social determinants of health within segregated Roma communities in Slovakia and beyond. It offers novel clues regarding how certain determinants might vary therein; how they might be contributing to health-deterioration; and how they might be causally inter-linked here. It also suggests racialized ethnically framed social counter-norms might be involved in the maintenance of analogous exposure setups. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-017-4029-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

This paper discusses the mechanisms by which a low-temperature plasma produced at atmospheric pressure and low power level interacts with the cell membrane of living matter, within the context of the so-called plasma medicine. The different mechanisms of interaction with the cell membrane and cell wall in bacteria are reviewed, with considerations on the possibility of giving rise to resistance to the plasma action. The interaction with animal cells is also considered, from the perspective of exploiting the ability of the plasma to allow the insertion of large molecules, in particular genetic material, into the cells, in the so-called transfection process.

(EN) This dissertation provides a broad understanding of fundamental terminology and an inside view of the digitization workflow and quality control processes. The main foci are on quality assurance during and outside the digitization processes and identification of the most suitable format for access, long term preservation, rendering and reformatting issues. An analysis of selected digitization centers is also included. An application called DIFFER (Determinator of Image File Format propERties) and subsequently The Image Data Validator - DIFFER has been developed using results from previously conducted research. The application utilizes new methods and technologies to help accelerate the whole processing and quality control. The goal was to develop a quality control application for a select group of relevant still image file formats capable of performing identification, characterization, validation and visual/mathematical comparison integrated into an operational digital preservation framework. This application comes with a well-structured graphic user interface, which helps the end user to understand the relationships between various file format properties, detect visual and non visual errors and simplify decision-making. Additional comprehensive annexes, describing the most crucial still image...

A partir de um projeto de Zaha Hadid em Viena, pretende-se discutir as possibilidades de deslimitação do objeto arquitetônico e os possíveis processos de mediação e amálgama com a cidade, e de qual maneira a arquitetura poderia incorporar essa questão no fazer projetual. Parte da premissa da importância de micropolíticas urbanas que se formam e desfazem-se a partir de rastros, o "quase" ausente capaz de produzir diferenças pela mistura, pelo contágio e pelo movimento, parecendo-nos mostrar que tão importante quanto a proxemia, relações de proximidade e fusão é a diastemia, relações baseadas em contaminações pela irradiação, que podem se dar em diferentes graus de intensidade. Aqui, o rastro como uma condição frágil necessária para o surgimento da alteridade. O "além-do-ser" a surgir proveniente daquilo que parece sempre não mais estar lá, seja como uma presença quase ausente (desativada), "invisível", ou como movimento de contaminação suplementar - e conseqüente superação daquilo que parece ser da "natureza" ou próprio de algo - do objeto e/ou territorial, a hibridização. Based on a Zaha Hadid project in Vienna, built on a former railroad extension designed by Otto Wagner, this article discusses the value of urban traces, structures almost absent, in the construction of urban territories. The article presents the possibilities of constitution of the architectural object from possible cases of mediation and amalgamation with the city. It assumes the importance of micro-urban policies that are formed and are disposed from the traces, the "almost" absent capable of producing differences by mixing or by contagion. Here, the trace is a fragile condition necessary for the emergence of alterity. The "beyond of being," that which arises from what seems to always be there no more, is almost absent as a presence, hence "invisible." A partir de un proyecto de Zaha Hadid en Viena, discutiremos las posibilidades de deslimitación del objeto arquitectónico y los posibles procesos de mediación y fusión con la ciudad, y la manera como la arquitectura podría incorporar esas cuestiones en la producción de proyectos. El análisis parte de la premisa de la importancia de las micropolíticas urbanas que se forman y se deshacen a partir de huellas (la "casi" ausencia), capaces de producir diferencias por la mezcla, por contagio y por el movimiento, y que parecen demostrar que tan importante como la proxemia (las relaciones de proximidad y de fusión) es la diastemia, es decir, relaciones basadas en la contaminación por irradiación, que puede darse con diferentes grados de intensidad. Aquí, la huella como una frágil condición necesaria para el surgimiento de la alteridad. El "más allá-del-ser" que surge de lo que parece siempre ya no estar ahí, sea como una presencia casi ausente (inactiva), "invisible", sea como un movimiento de contaminación suplementario - y por consecuencia la superación de lo que parece ser de la "naturaleza" o propio de algo - del objeto, o territorial, la hibridación.

The relative competitive abilities of Agropyron desertorum and Agropyron spicatum were compared using Artemisia tridentata transplants as indicator plants. Although these two tussock grasses have similar shoot growth forms and shoot physiological characteristics, they have substantial differences in their competitive abilities. Artemisia had lower survival, growth, reproduction, and water potential when transplanted into neighborhoods of A. desertorum than in neighborhoods of A. spicatum. Plant attributes associated with the differences in competitive ability were explored. Agropyron desertorum and A. spicatum have remarkably similar potential growth rates at warm soil temperatures. In a prolonged cold soil temperature treatment in the greenhouse, A. desertorum had a 66% greater aboveground relative growth rate than A. spicatum. These differences, however, were not apparent for early spring tiller growth rates in the field. Distinct differences in timing of root growth were found between the two tussock grasses. Aqropyron desertorum exhibited greater root growth during winter and early spring and invaded disturbed soil space more rapidly than A. spicatum, especially if the disturbance occurred soon after the snow had melted. Similarly, A. desertorum proliferated its roots in zones of nutrient enrichment created early in the spring sooner than A. spicatum. No differences in root growth were found between species in zones of nutrient enrichment that were created later in the growing season. Despite differences in early spring root growth, water extraction and radiophosphorus acquisition early in the spring were similar for the two grass species. Later in the spring, A. desertorum extracted more water and radiophosphorus than A. spicatum. Differences in resource extraction between the two species in a specific soil layer occurred weeks before A. spicatum, but not A. desertorurn, had obtained maximum root length. Early root growth probably provides A. desertorum an important head start over A. spicatum in soil exploration each growing season. Differences in resource extraction, however, do not become apparent between the two species of Agropyron until plant demand exceeds soil supply rate to the roots.

Disruption of brain development early in life may underlie the neurobiology behind schizophrenia. We have reported more immature synaptic spines in the frontal cortex (FC) of adult Roman High-Avoidance (RHA-I) rats, a behavioural model displaying schizophrenia-like traits. Here, we performed a whole transcriptome analysis in the FC of 4 months old male RHA-I (n=8) and its counterpart, the Roman Low-Avoidance (RLA-I) (n=8). We identified 203 significant genes with overrepresentation of genes involved in synaptic function. Next, we performed a gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) for genes co-expressed during neurodevelopment. Gene networks were obtained by weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) of a transcriptomic dataset containing human FC during lifespan (n=269). Out of thirty-one functional gene networks, six were significantly enriched in the RHA-I. These were differentially regulated during infancy and enriched in biological ontologies related to myelination, synaptic function, and immune response. We validated differential gene expression in a new cohort of adolescent (=3 months old) RHA-I and RLA-I rats. The results confirmed overexpression of Gsn, Nt5cd1, Ppp1r1b, and Slc9a3r1 in young-adult RHA-I, while Cables1, a regulator of Cdk5 phosphorylation in actin regulation and involved in synaptic plasticity and maturation, was significantly downregulated in adolescent RHA-I. This age-related expression change was also observed for presynaptic components Snap25 and Snap29. Our results show a different maturational expression profile of synaptic components in the RHA-I strain, supporting a shift in FC maturation underlying schizophrenia-like behavioural traits and adding construct validity to this strain as a neurodevelopmental model.