Ventrolateral periaqueductal gray lesion attenuates nociception but does not change anxiety-like indices or fear-induced antinociception in mice

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Hypoactivity of the central dopaminergic system and autistic-like behavior induced by a single early prenatal exposure to lipopolysaccharide

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Corticosterone does not change open elevated plus maze-induced antinociception in mice

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

An investigation of electrolytic surface damages and electroplated crhomium effects on fatigue behavior of high strength steel

Fatigue crack initiation occurs at the surface, although sub surface nucleation has also been reported. Localized imperfections like inclusions close to surface and surface small pits can result in crack sources. Coatings are not always beneficial by fatigue point of view too. Mechanical properties of the covering material can change considerably the fatigue behavior of base metal due to residual surface stresses, to micro cracks or to hydrogen embrittlement. This paper is concerned with analysis of electrolytic etch on the fatigue resistance of a 35NCD16 high strength steel in a mechanical condition of (1760 - 1960) MPa, and analysis of electroplated hard chromium effects on the fatigue resistance in a strength condition of 989 MPa. Hardness impression was used as a reference parameter in case of electrolytic etch. In both cases, experimental data showed that fatigue strength of 35NCD16 steel was considerably reduced. Copyright © 2001 Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc.

Voltammetric behavior of nitrofurazone and its hydroxymethyl prodrug with potential anti-chagas activity

Chagas' disease is a serious health problem for Latin America. The situation is worsened by the lack of efficient chemotherapy. The two available commercial drugs, benznidazole and nifurtimox, are more effective in the acute phase of the disease. Nitrofurazone is active against Trypanosoma cruzi, however its high toxicity precludes its current use in parasitosis. Hydroxymethylnitrofurazone is a prodrug of nitrofurazone. It is more active against Trypanosoma cruzi than nitrofurazone, besides being less toxic. This work shows the voltammetric behavior of nitrofurazone and a comparison with those of metronidazole and chloramphenicol using cyclic, linear sweep and differential pulse voltammetries. For these drugs also the prediction of the diffusion coefficients using Wilke-Chang equation was performed. The reduction of nitrofurazone is pH-dependent and in acidic medium the hydroxylamine derivative, involving four electrons, is the principal product formed. In aqueous-alkaline medium and with a glassy carbon electrode pre-treatment the reduction of nitrofurazone occurs in two steps, the first involving one electron to form the nitro-radical anion and the second corresponding to the hydroxylamine derivative formation. Hydroxymethylnitrofurazone presented the same voltammetric behavior and electroactivity, indicating that the molecular modification performed in nitrofurazone did not change its capacity to be reduced. A brief discussion regarding the differences in biological activity between the two compounds is also presented. ©2005 Sociedade Brasileira de Química.

Consumer behavior after the Brazilian power rationing in 2001

In June 2001, after a dry period, the level of the water reservoirs in Brazil was below their operational levels. This situation, combined with other historical factors, led the country into a period of power rationing. As expected, power consumption lowered during this period. After December 2001, when the power rationing ended, electrical utilities expected to return to their normal power consumption in a matter of months, but the level of power consumption only returned to its level around years 2004 2005. Consumer behavior went through a change during this period, and the consumers kept this behavior after, leading to electrical and economical consequences until today. This paper presents an analysis of several factors that led to these events, including historical consumption data and comparisons with similar situations. The objective of this analysis is to give helpful information to electrical utilities, that could deal with similar situations, in their load forecasting studies. © 2006 IEEE.

Digital monitoring of broiler breeder behavior for assessment of thermal welfare

The assessment of welfare issues has been a challenge for poultry producers, and lately welfare standards needs to be reached in order to agree with international market demand. This research proposes the use of continuous behavior monitoring in order to contribute for assessing welfare. A software was developed using the language Clarium. The software managed the recording of data as well as the data searching in the database Firebird. Both software and the observational methodology were tested in a trial conducted inside an environmental chamber, using three genetics of broiler breeders. Behavioral pattern was recorded and correlated to ambient thermal and aerial variation. Monitoring video cameras were placed on the roof facing the used for registering the bird's behavior. From video camera images were recorded during the total period when the ambient was bright, and for analyzing the video images a sample of 15min observation in the morning and 15 min in the afternoon was used, adding up to 30 min daily observation. A specific model so-called behavior was developed inside the software for counting specific behavior and its frequency of occurrence, as well as its duration. Electronic identification was recorded for 24h period. Behavioral video recording images was related to the data recorded using electronic identification.. Statistical analysis of data allowed to identify behavioral differences related to the change in thermal environment, and ultimately indicating thermal stress and departure from welfare conditions.

Running behavior and its energy cost in mice selectively bred for high voluntary locomotor activity

Locomotion is central to behavior and intrinsic to many fitnesscritical activities (e.g., migration, foraging), and it competes with other life-history components for energy. However, detailed analyses of how changes in locomotor activity and running behavior affect energy budgets are scarce. We quantified these effects in four replicate lines of house mice that have been selectively bred for high voluntary wheel running (S lines) and in their four nonselected control lines (C lines). We monitored wheel speeds and oxygen consumption for 24-48 h to determine daily energy expenditure (DEE), resting metabolic rate (RMR), locomotor costs, and running behavior (bout characteristics). Daily running distances increased roughly 50%-90% in S lines in response to selection. After we controlled for body mass effects, selection resulted in a 23% increase in DEE in males and a 6% increase in females. Total activity costs (DEE - RMR) accounted for 50%-60% of DEE in both S and C lines and were 29% higher in S males and 5% higher in S females compared with their C counterparts. Energetic costs of increased daily running distances differed between sexes because S females evolved higher running distances by running faster with little change in time spent running, while S males also spent 40% more time running than C males. This increase in time spent running impinged on high energy costs because the majority of running costs stemmed from postural costs (the difference between RMR and the zero-speed intercept of the speed vs. metabolic rate relationship). No statistical differences in these traits were detected between S and C females, suggesting that large changes in locomotor behavior do not necessarily effect overall energy budgets. Running behavior also differed between sexes: within S lines, males ran with more but shorter bouts than females. Our results indicate that selection effects on energy budgets can differ dramatically between sexes and that energetic constraints in S males might partly explain the apparent selection limit for wheel running observed for over 15 generations. © 2009 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.

An investigations on local and global behavior of a (SMA) oscillator of 3 - DOF driven by a limited power supply

SMART material systems offer great possibilities in terms of providing novel and economical solutions to engineering problems. The technological advantages of these materials over traditional ones are due to their unique microstructure and molecular properties. Smart materials such as shape memory alloys (SMA), has been used in such diverse areas of engineering science, nowadays. In this paper, we present a numerical investigation of the dynamics interaction of a nonideal structure (NIS). We analyze the phenomenon of the passage through resonance region in the steady state processes. We remarked that this kind of problem can lead to the so-called Sommerfeld effect: steady state frequencies of the DC motor will usually increase as more power (voltage) is given to it in a step-by-step fashion. When a resonance condition with the structure it is reached, the better part of this energy it is consumed to generate large amplitude vibrations of the foundation without sensible change of the motor frequency as before. The results obtained by using numerical simulations are discussed in details. Copyright © 2009 by ASME.

Auditory stimulation with music influences the geometric indices of heart rate variability in response to the postural change maneuver

It is poor in the literature the behavior of the geometric indices of heart rate variability (HRV) during the musical auditory stimulation. The objective is to investigate the acute effects of classic musical auditory stimulation on the geometric indexes of HRV in women in response to the postural change maneuver (PCM). We evaluated 11 healthy women between 18 and 25 years old. We analyzed the following indices: Triangular index, Triangular interpolation of RR intervals and Poincar plot (standard deviation of the instantaneous variability of the beat-to beat heart rate [SD1], standard deviation of long-term continuous RR interval variability and Ratio between the short - and long-term variations of RR intervals [SD1/SD2] ratio). HRV was recorded at seated rest for 10 min. The women quickly stood up from a seated position in up to 3 s and remained standing still for 15 min. HRV was recorded at the following periods: Rest, 0-5 min, 5-10 min and 10-15 min during standing. In the second protocol, the subject was exposed to auditory musical stimulation (Pachelbel-Canon in D) for 10 min at seated position before standing position. Shapiro-Wilk to verify normality of data and ANOVA for repeated measures followed by the Bonferroni test for parametric variables and Friedmans followed by the Dunns posttest for non-parametric distributions. In the first protocol, all indices were reduced at 10-15 min after the volunteers stood up. In the protocol musical auditory stimulation, the SD1 index was reduced at 5-10 min after the volunteers stood up compared with the music period. The SD1/SD2 ratio was decreased at control and music period compared with 5-10 min after the volunteers stood up. Musical auditory stimulation attenuates the cardiac autonomic responses to the PCM.

Coordination of construction behavior in the termite Procornitermes araujoi: structure is a stronger stimulus than volatile marking

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Behavior of Montandoniola confusa Streito & Matocq (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) preying upon gall-forming thrips Gynaikothrips ficorum Marchal (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae)

The gall-forming thrips Gynaikothrips ficorum Marchal (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae) is recorded in all regions where its host plant, Ficus microcarpa (Marchal) (Moraceae), has been cultivated as an urban and interior landscape plant species, including potted plants and bonsai. Similarly, the thrips predator Montandoniola confusa Streito & Matocq (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) has generally followed the prey distribution. The gall induced by thrips degrades the plant foliage, and the thrips themselves can be annoying for people both outdoors and indoors. The galls, however, create a microcosm with all developmental stages of the thrips and its predator. In this study we present the first records of M. confusa in South America, document the species' widespread concomitant occurrence across Brazil, and report our studies of three aspects of M. confusa predation upon the eggs, larvae/prepupae, and adults of G. ficorum thrips: (i) functional response of the predator adult female as a function of different densities of thrips eggs, larvae/prepupae and adults separately: (ii) predation on eggs by adult M. confusa with adult thrips present in the gall; and (iii) adult M. confusa prey preferences when all thrips stages occurred simultaneously in the gall. For all three thrips life stages tested, the predator exhibited a type II functional response. Despite the availability of different life stages in the gall, M. confusa adults are capable of preying upon all life stages of G. ficorum, predation was preferentially on thrips eggs, with an estimated similar to 10-fold greater predation on eggs compared to larvae/prepupae and adult thrips. Egg predation was unaffected by the presence of defensive adult thrips in the gall under low densities (<30 eggs/gall) but when egg densities were greater than 30 eggs/gall, it was reduced when adult thrips were present. However, the relative number of thrips adults per gall did not statistically change the outcome. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Behavior of Peruvian carrot (Arracacia xanthorrhiza) and cassava (Manihot esculenta) starches subjected to heat-moisture treatment

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Environmental effects on viscoelastic behavior of carbon fiber/PEKK thermoplastic composites

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Photoperiod modulation of aggressive behavior is independent of androgens in a tropical cichlid fish

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)