Limiting glutamate transmission in a Vglut2-expressing subpopulation of the subthalamic nucleus is sufficient to cause hyperlocomotion

The subthalamic nucleus (STN) is a key area of the basal ganglia circuitry regulating movement. We identified a subpopulation of neurons within this structure that coexpresses Vglut2 and Pitx2, and by conditional targeting of this subpopulation we reduced Vglut2 expression levels in the STN by 40%, leaving Pitx2 expression intact. This reduction diminished, yet did not eliminate, glutamatergic transmission in the substantia nigra pars reticulata and entopeduncular nucleus, two major targets of the STN. The knock-out mice displayed hyperlocomotion and decreased latency in the initiation of movement while preserving normal gait and balance. Spatial cognition, social function, and level of impulsive choice also remained undisturbed. Furthermore, these mice showed reduced dopamine transporter binding and slower dopamine clearance in vivo, suggesting that Vglut2-expressing cells in the STN regulate dopaminergic transmission. Our results demonstrate that altering the contribution of a limited population within the STN is sufficient to achieve results similar to STN lesions and high-frequency stimulation, but with fewer side effects.

Limiting glutamate transmission in a Vglut2-expressing subpopulation of the subthalamic nucleus is sufficient to cause hyperlocomotion

The subthalamic nucleus (STN) is a key area of the basal ganglia circuitry regulating movement. We identified a subpopulation of neurons within this structure that coexpresses Vglut2 and Pitx2, and by conditional targeting of this subpopulation we reduced Vglut2 expression levels in the STN by 40%, leaving Pitx2 expression intact. This reduction diminished, yet did not eliminate, glutamatergic transmission in the substantia nigra pars reticulata and entopeduncular nucleus, two major targets of the STN. The knock-out mice displayed hyperlocomotion and decreased latency in the initiation of movement while preserving normal gait and balance. Spatial cognition, social function, and level of impulsive choice also remained undisturbed. Furthermore, these mice showed reduced dopamine transporter binding and slower dopamine clearance in vivo, suggesting that Vglut2-expressing cells in the STN regulate dopaminergic transmission. Our results demonstrate that altering the contribution of a limited population within the STN is sufficient to achieve results similar to STN lesions and high-frequency stimulation, but with fewer side effects.

Modelagem dinâmica e simulação computacional de poços de petróleo verticais e direcionais com elevação por bombeio mecânico

LINS, Filipe C. A. et al. Modelagem dinâmica e simulação computacional de poços de petróleo verticais e direcionais com elevação por bombeio mecânico. In: CONGRESSO BRASILEIRO DE PESQUISA E DESENVOLVIMENTO EM PETRÓLEO E GÁS, 5. 2009, Fortaleza, CE. Anais... Fortaleza: CBPDPetro, 2009.

Twitter e ciberativismo: o movimento social da hashtag #ForaMicarla em Natal-RN

The spatial and temporal fluidity conditioned by the technologies of social interaction online have been allowing that collective actions of protest and activism arise every day in cyberspace - the cyber-activism. If before these actions were located in geographical boundaries, today's demands and mobilizations extrapolate the location, connect to the global, and at the same time, return to the regional through digital virtuality. Within this context of the relationship between digital technology and global flow of sociability, emerges in October 2010 the social movement of the hashtag "#ForaMicarla", which means the dissatisfaction of cibernauts from Natal of Twitter with the current management of the municipality of Natal-RN, Micarla de Sousa (Green Party). We can find in the center of this movement and others who appeared in the world at the same time a technological condition of Twitter, with the hashtag "#". Given this scenario, this research seeks to analyze how the relationship of the agents of movement hashtag "ForaMicarla", based on the principle that it was formed in the Twitter network and is maintained on the platform on a daily basis, it can create a new kind of political culture. Thus, this study discusses theoretically the importance of Twitter and movements that emerge on the platform and through it to understand the social and political demands of the contemporary world and this public sphere, which now seems to include cyberspace

Contribuição ao desenvolvimento de ontologias para processos petroquímicos : estudo de caso em uma planta DEA

In the last decades, the oil, gas and petrochemical industries have registered a series of huge accidents. Influenced by this context, companies have felt the necessity of engaging themselves in processes to protect the external environment, which can be understood as an ecological concern. In the particular case of the nuclear industry, sustainable education and training, which depend too much on the quality and applicability of the knowledge base, have been considered key points on the safely application of this energy source. As a consequence, this research was motivated by the use of the ontology concept as a tool to improve the knowledge management in a refinery, through the representation of a fuel gas sweetening plant, mixing many pieces of information associated with its normal operation mode. In terms of methodology, this research can be classified as an applied and descriptive research, where many pieces of information were analysed, classified and interpreted to create the ontology of a real plant. The DEA plant modeling was performed according to its process flow diagram, piping and instrumentation diagrams, descriptive documents of its normal operation mode, and the list of all the alarms associated to the instruments, which were complemented by a non-structured interview with a specialist in that plant operation. The ontology was verified by comparing its descriptive diagrams with the original plant documents and discussing with other members of the researchers group. All the concepts applied in this research can be expanded to represent other plants in the same refinery or even in other kind of industry. An ontology can be considered a knowledge base that, because of its formal representation nature, can be applied as one of the elements to develop tools to navigate through the plant, simulate its behavior, diagnose faults, among other possibilities

Instâncias da representação imagética hiper-real

The approach that undertakes this work revolves around the emergence of iconic structures on reflecting about the meaning of different methods of image representation through which the contemporaneity reveals itself. At baseline, three aspects are considered looking for an analytical ontology of the act of representation and imagery: the transition of representation in the oral culture of societies for writing, from these to typography, and finally the creation of a representation device. Resorted to, therefore, the argument by some genealogy reference points that technological instances such as writing, printing and photography, the evolution of this process, correspond, in itself, a consequent shift technique, for each representation precedent. In the area of the image, the most salient aspect of this change in foward process is the emergence of hyper-reality: the instances of hyper-realistic representation. In the Western context, the 'simulation of the world' - essential idea of mimesis is the work of an autonomous an conventional system. It should be noted, then the fact that under unreflective of the post-industrial societies, the mass-media image is coating with natural or fake code including - according to Baudrillard - tends to replace the real world in the "perpetuation of a large chain of simulacra." Hence in modern times, in the postindustrial society, during the crisis of the representation regimen and perception, centered in the referent. In this limit, new settings are established by aesthetic representations of imagery in contemporary culture: establishing spaces of simulation [Jean Baudrillard] the spectacle [Guy Debord] and hypermodernity [Gilles Lipovetsky] in which they operate. In these assemblages, saps the emergence of Hyper-reality Representation Instances - as seen in this study aesthetic events to configure itineraries of a new sensibility. It is the nature of this practice sign-iconic, ingrained in the creation of current artistic expression, which this research engaged in peering: the hyper-realistic setting, taking empirical support central to contemporary imagery production, diverse formats of analog representation.

Movimento de borboletas frugívoras e conectividade funcional em uma paisagem de Mata Atlântica

An organisms movement within and between habitats is an essential trait of life history, one that shapes population dynamics, communities and ecosystems in space and time. Since the ability to perceive and react to specific conditions varies greatly between organisms, different movement patterns are generated. These, in turn, will reflect the way species persist in the original habitat and surrounding patches. This study evaluated patterns of movement of frugivorous butterflies in order to estimate the connectivity of a landscape mosaic in an area of Atlantic Forest. For this purpose, we used the capture-mark-recapture method on butterflies trapped with fermented fruit bait in three distinct habitats. The first represents a typical Atlantic forest fragment, while the other two represent man-made matrix habitats. One contains a coconut plantation and the other a plantation of the exotic Acacia mangium species. Five traps were randomly placed in each landscape unit in areas of 40 x 40m. Using recapture data and relating it to distance between captures and habitat structure, I found that movement frequencies, both within and between landscape units were different for the analyzed species, suggesting that they do not interpret and react to the landscape in the same way. Thus this study was able to measure landscape functional connectivity. For most species, the exchange between forest and coconut plantations occurred with low frequency compared to exchanges between the forest and acacia plantations, which share more structural similarities. This seems to indicate that a matrix that is more similar to patches of native vegetation can shelter species, permit their movement and, consequently, contribute to the landscape connectivity

São Paulo do Potengi :uma cidade, seu pároco, e suas práticas educativas (1950-1980)

This research work named São Paulo do Potengi RN: a common town to a uncommon movement in the trails of movement of Natal (1950 1980), has the finality to reconstitute an educational defined moment at São Paulo do Potengi, Rio Grande do Norte county by the movement of Natal experience through archdiocese of this town. The central worry came to the learning of educational practicing by usual activities of radiophonic schools, syndicalism education and leadership training which converged to a public power construction of base democracy in order to incorporate a political project of social transformation of reality. We detach the figure of Monsenhor Expedito Sobral de Medeiros who shared his fifty-six strict life and was the majority leadership on the educational and religious practisimes developed there

Trajetória profissional e rupturas epistemológicas na educação física e na atuação do professor

This dissertation is the result of concerns with the theoretical-methodological and pedagogical learning processes occurred in the practice of physical education in school, which accompany me since the initial training, when I experienced learning in a piecemeal fashion, focused on technicality and sportivization. In order to better qualify the pedagogical interventions of physical education in school, I have always been worried on applying what I received at the University, but the routine of classes was always demanding others doings. In this sense, there were many moments of epistemological ruptures occurred in my training, in which I always sought new investment in training to account for the provision of a more humanistic and grounded in real educational precepts physical education. To that end I had to reflect on the pedagogical interventions throughout my training, in order not to carry out the activities as heavy doings, but as metamorphoses of knowledge and thus generating learning for students. Thus, this dissertation fits into this context with the overall goal of discussing my professional career, considering the epistemological ruptures of Physical Education, occurred in my training and expertise. The objective is also to identify the contributions of these formations in professional activities, centered on storytelling and reflection of significant experiences in the teaching of sports and Physical Education. We highlight the paradigm shifts, leaving the gymnastic methods, through dance-physical education method, psychomotor, reaching the contemporary critical theories experienced from the culture of movement as well as its implications for professional practice. We chose a qualitative research, using the autobiographical method, using as sources or techniques, narratives, photographic recording and video samples. In the studies within the area of education, for the most part, qualitative research came to oppose the positivist view of the quantification on analysis of social phenomena. New ideas were appearing in order to present innovative perspectives to understand the real. The survey data will be presented in narrated form (descriptive), analyzed based on the theoretical framework that guides the study, especially authors who discuss school physical education, vocational training and body conception. We believe our study may be of relevance for training in Physical Education that as from pedagogical reflections in certain historical realities, envisions being able to open new perspectives for the performance of other physical education teachers

Oportunidades de melhoria ergonômica das exigências físicas da atividade jangadeira em Ponta Negra Natal-RN

The fishing is an activity with rafts marked by unpredictability, poor tools, physical stress, awkward postures, risk of accidents and incidents, which contribute to insecurity in the context of activity. This study aimed to contribute to reducing of physical effort and the biomechanical impacts in jangadeiro activity of artisanal fishing using jangadas on the beach of Ponta Negra, Natal-RN. To achieve this purpose the methodology of the Work Ergonomic Analysis - WEA became a reference using techniques such as observational and interactional observation notes, photographs, videos, action conversational and listening verbalizations. The resulting activity in health jangadeiro, discussed in this research were: static postural assessment, flexibility of movement of shoulder flexion-extension, flexibility of the hamstrings and lower back, grip and musculoskeletal pain. It was found from observations, interactions and activity analysis, that in carrying out fishing rafts are frequent awkward postures associated with demand for power and many are already feeling the jangadeiros reflections of years of life dedicated to this work. These have already adopted some measures to manage the activity, such as job rotation during the expedition of capture. Therefore, there is a need to expand these measures of activity management, as well as design and capabilities of the raft, seeking positive changes in the activity and consequently the quality of life jangadeiro

Construção e avaliação térmica de um fogão solar tipo caixa

The present work presents a contribution in the study of modelings of transference of heat for foods submitted to the experimental tests in the considered solar oven, where the best modeling for the beefburger of chicken in study was evaluated, comparing the results, considering this food as a half-infinite(1er object considered model) and,after that, considered the chicken beefburger as a plain plate in transient regimen in two distinct conditions: not considering and another model considering the contribution of the generation term, through the Criterion of Pomerantsev. The Sun, beyond life source, is the origin of all the energy forms that the man comes using during its history and can be the reply for the question of the energy supplying in the future, a time that learns to use to advantage in rational way the light that this star constantly special tax on our planet. Shining more than the 5 billion years, it is calculated that the Sun still in them will privilege for others 6 billion years, or either, it is only in the half of its existence and will launch on the Earth, only in this year, 4000 times more energy that we will consume. Front to this reality, would be irrational not to search, by all means technical possible, to use to advantage this clean, ecological and gratuitous power plant. In this dissertation evaluate the performance of solar cooker of the type box. Laboratory of Solar Energy of the Federal University of the Great River of North - UFRN was constructed by the group (LES) a model of solar stove of the type box and was tested its viability technique, considering modeling foods submitted when baking in the solar oven, the cooker has main characteristic the easiness of manufacture and assembly, the low cost (was used material accessible composition to the low income communities) and simplicity in the mechanism of movement of the archetype for incidence of the direct solar light. They had been proposals modeling for calculations of food the minimum baking time, considering the following models of transference of heat in the transient state: object the halfinfinite, plain plate and the model of the sphere to study the necessary temperature for the it bakes of bread (considering spherical geometry). After evaluate the models of transmission of heat will be foods submitted you the processes of to it bakes of, the times gotten for the modeling with the experimental times of it bakes in the solar oven had been compared, demonstrating the modeling that more good that it portraies the accuracies of the results of the model

Viabilidade técnica de uma rota não convencional para a produção de leite de cabra em pó em cooperativas do Rio Grande do Norte

Nowadays, Brazil has both the greatest goat herd and the greatest goat milk production of South America. The state of Rio Grande do Norte, located in northeast of Brazil, has an average year production of three thousand cubic meters of goat milk in natura. Part of this milk production is homemade and it comes from small farms, which unite in rural cooperatives created to encourage the production and implementation of industrial processes for preservation and processing of milk. Results presented by literature and obtained from preliminary essays in this thesis show that non conventional dryer of spouted bed with inert particles is able to produce powder milk from in natura milk (cattle or goat), with the same quality of spray dryer, however, operating at low cost. The method of drying in spouted bed consists of injecting milk emulsion on the bed of inert particles gushed by hot air. This emulsion covers the particles with a thin film, which dries and is reduced to powder during the circulation of inerts inside the bed. The powder is dragged by exhaustion air and separated in the cyclone. The friction among particles resulted from the particles circulation, encourages high taxes of shear in the thin film of emulsion, breaking the cohesive forces and making this process possible. Studying the drying process and the powder goat milk production in one unit of spouted bed with inert particles, seeing the development of a low cost technological route for powder milk production is the aim of this thesis. The powder milk produced by this route must attend the local demand of food industries which need an intermediate product to be used as a food ingredient (ice-cream, milk candy). In order to reach this aim, this thesis approaches the aspects related to physical, thermodynamics and physic-chemicals characteristics of goat milk, whose complete data are still inexistent in the literature. The properties of materials are of great importance to the project of any process which involves the operations of transportation of movement, heat and mass quantity, such as the dryers which operate in fluid dynamically active regime, like the spouted bed. It was obtained new data related to the goat milk properties in function of concentration of solids and temperature. It is also important to mention the study developed about the kinetic of solids retention in the bed of inert particles during the drying of goat milk. It was found more adequate processes conditions to the proposed technological route to be implemented in small and micro-industries, with simplifications in the system of milk injection as well as in the form of operation of the dryer. Important data were obtained for a posterior stage of this research which involves the v modeling, simulation, control and optimization of the process. The results obtained in this thesis, in relation to process performance as well as to the quality of produced powder milk validate the proposal of using the spouted bed dryer in the production of powder goat milk

As sentenças com é ruim que no português brasileiro

Based on studies on the structure of copulates sentences in Brazilian Portuguese (PB), according to grammar theory, it s analyzed on this dissertation, the complex copulate sentences what, in the PB, initiated by the formation é ruim que in the PB, bringing the hypothesis that they can have one predicacional reading (PRED) and other especificacional reading (ESP). It s revealed what, though they are similar slightly, that makes the different that are triggered is structural configuration of sentence and the form as come emerged the its constituents: that of PRED interpretation, that we defined as Common Copulate Sentence (or SCC), it s checked that the constituent ruim, and only it, is predicate of a Small Clause, and appears in the structure on even position wherein is pronounced, not passing by the method of movement, from where introduce wide predication on all subject, that is the CP built-in; those sentences é ruim que understanding ESP, that denominate of Negative Copulate Sentence (or SCN), whereas the fixed expression contradict or right what is asserted in built-in, it s perceived what the ruim is a part of this fixed expression, and surely crystallized, which appears in structure per movement, germinated as adjunct of Inflexional Phrase (IP) and being elevation to specifier to FocP (or SpecFocP), where acquires discursive interpretation of focus. Besides the mode as the ruim or the fixed expression emerge in that sentences, the relation between the copula and main verb likewise contribute to distinguish the sentences: 1) regarding flexion of mode, when is a SCC, the copula must be in the mode indicative, and the main verb, in the subjunctive; when is a SCN, copula and main verb must be always on indicative; 2) regarding flexion of temp, both the copula as main verb of the SCC can be flexed, whereas at the SCN, the main verb can vary in present, past and future, but the copula should appear, necessarily, in third persona of present of indicative, what confirms our hypothesis that there is an fixed expression at the copulate sentences with é ruim que ESP. Other two evidences are pointed as characteristics that distinguish the sentence with é ruim que PRED of sentence with é ruim que ESP: 1) in semantics, the constituent ruim equals not good, that has appreciation, when the reading will PRED; already the pair é ruim equals not, at the ESP; 2) in prosody, there discrete sound elevation the ruim on the other constituents of SCC, PRED, while there is accentuated acoustic elevation on the ruim of SCN, ESP. Our search it is grounded in authors as Zanfeliz (2000), Modesto (2001), Mioto (2003), Kato & Ribeiro (2006), Lobo (2006), Quarezemin (2006, 2009, 2011, 2012) e Resenes (2009), researchers that devoted their attention on studies the formation and organization of the constituents of cleaved sentences and focalization of constituent, basing itself in approach generative of linguistic

Sujeito e liberdade no pensamento de Michel Foucault

The leitmotif of this dissertation research is on the relationship between two fields of questioning in the Foucauldian works that may be considered, at a first glance, irreconcilable: the understanding of subject as the result of determinations, on the one hand, and its ethical stance of seeking the creation of liberty, on the other. Since, despite this apparent inconsistency, both ideas are present with much emphasis on the work of the French thinker, to understand the way Foucault articulated these two ideas was necessary to elucidate and interrelate the way in which he thought about the concepts of subject, power and liberty. Traveling with the author his intellectual itinerary, it was revealed that his conception of subject and liberty can be reconciled (although maintaining its problematic nature) and, also, both are inextricably linked each one as a result of the other. Tracing, with the author, his intellectual itinerary, it was also possible to identify and describe the fruitful conceptual tools for thinking about our own determinations and about the possibilities we have of creating new subjectivities and liberating experiences

Efeitos do treino em esteira com suporte parcial de peso e do método de facilitação neuromuscular proprioceptiva na marcha hemiparética: estudo comparativo

Objective: To compare the effects of the treadmill training with partial body-weight support (TPBWS) and Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) method on gait of subjects with chronic stroke. Design: Quasi-experimental study. Setting: Laboratorial research. Participants: Twenty-three subjects (13 men and 10 women), with a mean age of 56,7 ± 8,0 years and a mean time since the onset of the stroke of 27,7 ± 20,3 months, and able to walk with personal assistance or assistive devices. Interventions: Two experimental groups underwent gait training based on PNF method (PNF group, n=11) or using the TPBWS - Gait Trainer System 2, Biodex, USA (TPBWS group, n=12), for three weekly sessions, during four weeks. Measures: Evaluation of motor function - using the Stroke Rehabilitation Assessment of Movement (STREAM) and the motor subscale of the Functional Independence Measure (motor FIM) -, and kinematic gait analyze with the Qualisys System (Qualisys Medical AB, Gothenburg, Sweden) were carried out before and after the interventions. Results: Increases in the STREAM scores (F=49.189, P<0.001) and in motor FIM scores (F=7.093, P=0.016), as well as improvement in symmetry ratio (F=7.729, P=0.012) were observed for both groups. Speed, stride length and double-support time showed no change after training. Differences between groups were observed only for the maximum ankle dorsiflexion over the swing phase (F=6.046, P=0.024), which showed an increase for the PNF group. Other angular parameters remain unchanged. Conclusion: Improvement in motor function and in gait symmetry was observed for both groups, suggesting similarity of interventions. The cost-effectiveness of each treatment should be considered for your choice