Chest associated to motor physiotherapy acutely improves oxygen saturation, heart rate and respiratory rate in premature newborns with periventricular-intraventricular hemorrhage

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

Dynamic behavior of a linear induction motor

Although conventional rotating machines have been largely used to drive underground transportation systems, linear induction motors are also being considered for future applications owing to their indisputable advantages. A mathematical model for the transient behavior analysis of linear induction motors, when operating with constant r.m.s. currents, is presented in this paper. Operating conditions, like phase short-circuit and input frequency variations and also some design characteristics, such as air-gap and secondary resistivity variations, can be considered by means of this modeling. The basis of the mathematical modeling is presented. Experimental results obtained in the laboratory are compared with the corresponding simulations and discussed in this paper.

Síntomas depresivos y trastorno motor en pacientes con enfermedad de Parkinson

Introduction. Complex relations between brain and psychopathology have attracted the interest of researchers, aiming to clarify the neurobiological mechanisms of depression in Parkinson's disease, obviously in addiction to mental features. Aims. The association of motor impairment and decline of personal autonomy with severity of depressive symptoms was the hypothesis of the present study. Aiming to check this hypothesis, the objective of this study consisted in investigating relationships between the severity of depressive symptoms and motor characteristics of Parkinson's disease. Patients and methods. Thirty patients (53 to 80 year-old) with medical diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson's disease in initial clinic stages were studied. The Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, Hoehn-Yahr Scale, and Schwab & England Scale were used to assess the clinic signs and symptoms. The depressive symptoms were identified by complete anamnesis, examination of mental condition, and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and the Anxiety and Depression Scale. Statistical analysis was performed by Pearson's correlation and multiple regression analysis. Results. A significant correlation of severity of depression symptoms with disease stage (p < 0.02), with motor signs (p < 0.008), and with functional performance (p < 0.007) was found. Conclusion. There was significant association between motor impairment and severity of depressive symptoms, and between depression and early disease onset or prolonged duration of Parkinson's disease. © 2007, Revista de Neurología.

Direct and indirect connections between cochlear root neurons and facial motor neurons: Pathways underlying the acoustic pinna reflex in the albino rat

Cochlear root neurons (CRNs) are involved in the acoustic startle reflex, which is widely used in behavioral models of sensorimotor integration. A short-latency component of this reflex, the auricular reflex, promotes pinna movements in response to unexpected loud sounds. However, the pathway involved in the auricular component of the startle reflex is not well understood. We hypothesized that the auricular reflex is mediated by direct and indirect inputs from CRNs to the motoneurons responsible for pinna movement, which are located in the medial subnucleus of the facial motor nucleus (Mot7). To assess whether there is a direct connection between CRNs and auricular motoneurons in the rat, two neuronal tracers were used in conjunction: biotinylated dextran amine, which was injected into the cochlear nerve root, and Fluoro-Gold, which was injected into the levator auris longus muscle. Under light microscopy, close appositions were observed between axon terminals of CRNs and auricular motoneurons. The presence of direct synaptic contact was confirmed at the ultrastructural level. To confirm the indirect connection, biotinylated dextran amine was injected into the auditory-responsive portion of the caudal pontine reticular nucleus, which receives direct input from CRNs. The results confirm that the caudal pontine reticular nucleus also targets the Mot7 and that its terminals are concentrated in the medial subnucleus. Therefore, it is likely that CRNs innervate auricular motoneurons both directly and indirectly, suggesting that these connections participate in the rapid auricular reflex that accompanies the acoustic startle reflex. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

A structure excited by a DC motor of limited power supply and controlled by a pendulum like device

In this paper, a mathematical model is derived via Lagrange's Equation for a shear building structure that acts as a foundation of a non-ideal direct current electric motor, controlled by a mass loose inside a circular carving. Non-ideal sources of vibrations of structures are those whose characteristics are coupled to the motion of the structure, not being a function of time only as in the ideal case. Thus, in this case, an additional equation of motion is written, related to the motor rotation, coupled to the equation describing the horizontal motion of the shear building. This kind of problem can lead to the so-called Sommerfeld effect: steady state frequencies of the 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 is reached, the better part of this energy is consumed to generate large amplitude vibrations of the foundation without sensible change of the motor frequency as before. If additional increase steps in voltage are made, one may reach a situation where the rotor will jump to higher rotation regimes, no steady states being stable in between. As a device of passive control of both large amplitude vibrations and the Sommerfeld effect, a scheme is proposed using a point mass free to bounce back and forth inside a circular carving in the suspended mass of the structure. Numerical simulations of the model are also presented Copyright © 2007 by ASME.

The Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Clinician rating scale (NPI-C): Reliability and validity of a revised assessment of neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia

Background: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) affect almost all patients with dementia and are a major focus of study and treatment. Accurate assessment of NPS through valid, sensitive and reliable measures is crucial. Although current NPS measures have many strengths, they also have some limitations (e.g. acquisition of data is limited to informants or caregivers as respondents, limited depth of items specific to moderate dementia). Therefore, we developed a revised version of the NPI, known as the NPI-C. The NPI-C includes expanded domains and items, and a clinician-rating methodology. This study evaluated the reliability and convergent validity of the NPI-C at ten international sites (seven languages). Methods: Face validity for 78 new items was obtained through a Delphi panel. A total of 128 dyads (caregivers/patients) from three severity categories of dementia (mild = 58, moderate = 49, severe = 21) were interviewed separately by two trained raters using two rating methods: the original NPI interview and a clinician-rated method. Rater 1 also administered four additional, established measures: the Apathy Evaluation Scale, the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Index, and the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia. Intraclass correlations were used to determine inter-rater reliability. Pearson correlations between the four relevant NPI-C domains and their corresponding outside measures were used for convergent validity. Results: Inter-rater reliability was strong for most items. Convergent validity was moderate (apathy and agitation) to strong (hallucinations and delusions; agitation and aberrant vocalization; and depression) for clinician ratings in NPI-C domains. Conclusion: Overall, the NPI-C shows promise as a versatile tool which can accurately measure NPS and which uses a uniform scale system to facilitate data comparisons across studies. Copyright © 2010 International Psychogeriatric Association.

Delay time detection and accommodation for a networked DC motor control

This paper presents a control method that is effective to reduce the degenerative effects of delay time caused by a treacherous network. In present application a controlled DC motor is part of an inverted pendulum and provides the equilibrium of this system. The control of DC motor is accomplished at the distance through a treacherous network, which causes delay time in the control signal. A predictive technique is used so that it turns the system free of delay. A robust digital sliding mode controller is proposed to control the free-delay system. Due to the random conditions of the network operation, a delay time detection and accommodation strategy is also proposed. A computer simulation is shown to illustrate the design procedures and the effectiveness of the proposed method. © 2011 IEEE.

Motor Recovery and Synaptic Preservation after Ventral Root Avulsion and Repair with a Fibrin Sealant Derived from Snake Venom

Background:Ventral root avulsion is an experimental model of proximal axonal injury at the central/peripheral nervous system interface that results in paralysis and poor clinical outcome after restorative surgery. Root reimplantation may decrease neuronal degeneration in such cases. We describe the use of a snake venom-derived fibrin sealant during surgical reconnection of avulsed roots at the spinal cord surface. The present work investigates the effects of this fibrin sealant on functional recovery, neuronal survival, synaptic plasticity, and glial reaction in the spinal motoneuron microenvironment after ventral root reimplantation.Methodology/Principal Findings:Female Lewis rats (7 weeks old) were subjected to VRA and root replantation. The animals were divided into two groups: 1) avulsion only and 2) replanted roots with fibrin sealant derived from snake venom. Post-surgical motor performance was evaluated using the CatWalk system twice a week for 12 weeks. The rats were sacrificed 12 weeks after surgery, and their lumbar intumescences were processed for motoneuron counting and immunohistochemistry (GFAP, Iba-1 and synaptophysin antisera). Array based qRT-PCR was used to evaluate gene regulation of several neurotrophic factors and receptors as well as inflammatory related molecules. The results indicated that the root reimplantation with fibrin sealant enhanced motor recovery, preserved the synaptic covering of the motoneurons and improved neuronal survival. The replanted group did not show significant changes in microglial response compared to VRA-only. However, the astroglial reaction was significantly reduced in this group.Conclusions/Significance:In conclusion, the present data suggest that the repair of avulsed roots with snake venom fibrin glue at the exact point of detachment results in neuroprotection and preservation of the synaptic network at the microenvironment of the lesioned motoneurons. Also such procedure reduced the astroglial reaction and increased mRNA levels to neurotrophins and anti-inflammatory cytokines that may in turn, contribute to improving recovery of motor function. © 2013 Barbizan et al.

The Brazilian version of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Clinician rating scale (NPI-C): Reliability and validity in dementia

ABSTRACT Background: Patients with dementia may be unable to describe their symptoms, and caregivers frequently suffer emotional burden that can interfere with judgment of the patient's behavior. The Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Clinician rating scale (NPI-C) was therefore developed as a comprehensive and versatile instrument to assess and accurately measure neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in dementia, thereby using information from caregiver and patient interviews, and any other relevant available data. The present study is a follow-up to the original, cross-national NPI-C validation, evaluating the reliability and concurrent validity of the NPI-C in quantifying psychopathological symptoms in dementia in a large Brazilian cohort. Methods: Two blinded raters evaluated 312 participants (156 patient-knowledgeable informant dyads) using the NPI-C for a total of 624 observations in five Brazilian centers. Inter-rater reliability was determined through intraclass correlation coefficients for the NPI-C domains and the traditional NPI. Convergent validity included correlations of specific domains of the NPI-C with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Index (CMAI), the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD), and the Apathy Inventory (AI). Results: Inter-rater reliability was strong for all NPI-C domains. There were high correlations between NPI-C/delusions and BPRS, NPI-C/apathy-indifference with the AI, NPI-C/depression-dysphoria with the CSDD, NPI-C/agitation with the CMAI, and NPI-C/aggression with the CMAI. There was moderate correlation between the NPI-C/aberrant vocalizations and CMAI and the NPI-C/hallucinations with the BPRS. Conclusion: The NPI-C is a comprehensive tool that provides accurate measurement of NPS in dementia with high concurrent validity and inter-rater reliability in the Brazilian setting. In addition to universal assessment, the NPI-C can be completed by individual domains. © International Psychogeriatric Association 2013.

Efeitos do treinamento físico sobre o nível de atividade física, capacidade funcional e comprometimento motor na doença de parkinson

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Facilitación del comercio: La promoción del comercio como motor del crecimiento mediante el uso de tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones (TIC)

Tres factores definen las principales dificultades que enfrentan los países en desarrollo en el ámbito de la facilitación del comercio: i) conocimiento y uso insuficientes de la facilitación del comercio y de las técnicas y herramientas relacionadas con las TIC por parte de los gobiernos y las empresas (en especial las pymes); ii) capacidad insuficiente para el análisis de las políticas e instrumentos de política desacertados para desarrollar la facilitación del comercio, y iii) coordinación desacertada de las políticas de negociación para la facilitación comercial. Estos obstáculos tienden a reducir las oportunidades de desarrollo de los países y a incrementar los costos del desarrollo económico y el bienestar social en general.Las Naciones Unidas, por medio de sus cinco comisiones regionales, han puesto en marcha un proyecto cuyo objetivo consiste en divulgar las ventajas de la facilitación del comercio, así como las normas, las herramientas y los requisitos necesarios para aplicarla con eficacia. El proyecto se concentrará en la promoción de la facilitación comercial mediante: a) la mejora del conocimiento y la comprensión, por parte de gobiernos y empresas, del proceso de facilitación del comercio y de la función que en él desempeñan las TIC; b) el perfeccionamiento del uso de TIC en pymes para la facilitación del comercio, y c) la creación de capacidad nacional para las negociaciones sobre facilitación del comercio.

Desenvolvimento de um instrumento portátil para detectar falha em rolamento de motor de indução, pela técnica do envelope, usando um DSP de 16 bits e a transformada de Hilbert

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Entre costas brasílicas: o tráfico interno de escravos em direitura a Amazônia, c.1778-c.1830

Após o final do monopólio exercido pela companhia pombalina, pensada estrategicamente para a Amazônia na segunda metade do século XVIII, emergirá um comércio interno de escravos por via marítima em direitura a estas paragens. Este tráfico de escravos passou a ser visto pelas autoridades régias como um perigo a sobrevivência de seus negócios e da agricultura. Por outro lado, não foram poucos os comerciantes e moradores da área setentrional da colônia e da província que receberam de bom grado a mão de obra africana vinda de áreas costeiras brasílicas. Nesta dissertação, a partir desse tráfico interno de escravos percebo a importância considerável deste comércio negreiro para Amazônia buscando refletir sobre os seus mecanismos de funcionamento e reprodução.

Caracterização de motor aeronaútico utilizando misturas de gasolina de aviação e etanol: aspectos fluidodinâmicos, termodinâmicos e ecológicos

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Permethrin chronic exposure alters motor coordination in rats: Effect of calcium supplementation and amlodipine

Recently was observed that pyrethroids decrease motor coordination and that calcium channels can be important targets for this effect. To contribute with this observation, this work studied the motor coordination and exploration (using hole-board apparatus), and locomotion (using open-field apparatus) of rats exposed to following treatments: permethrin (PM), PM plus calcium gluconate (CG) and PM plus amlodipine (AML). The results obtained show that CG or AML alone not changed the motor coordination while PM decreases it. CG kept the effect of permethrin; AML, however, decreased the values of permethrin to the control. Locomotor activity and exploration, which could confound results of motor coordination, were not modified by treatments. The concentration of PM in brain tissue was increased by the CG and AML. The neurosomatic index (weight brain/body weight) was increased by the PM and PM + CG. In conclusion, the combined results here obtained indicates that the calcium ion and the channels in which it is involved can be important targets for the toxic effect of pyrethroid insecticide permethrin on motor nerve activity of rats. (c) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.