Acelaração do universo e criação gravitacional de matéria escura fria: novos modelos e testes observacionais

Recent astronomical observations (involving supernovae type Ia, cosmic background radiation anisotropy and galaxy clusters probes) have provided strong evidence that the observed universe is described by an accelerating, flat model whose space-time properties can be represented by the FriedmannRobertsonWalker (FRW) metric. However, the nature of the substance or mechanism behind the current cosmic acceleration remains unknown and its determination constitutes a challenging problem for modern cosmology. In the general relativistic description, an accelerat ing regime is usually obtained by assuming the existence of an exotic energy component endowed with negative pressure, called dark energy, which is usually represented by a cosmological constant ¤ associated to the vacuum energy density. All observational data available so far are in good agreement with the concordance cosmic ¤CDM model. Nevertheless, such models are plagued with several problems thereby inspiring many authors to propose alternative candidates in the relativistic context. In this thesis, a new kind of accelerating flat model with no dark energy and fully dominated by cold dark matter (CDM) is proposed. The number of CDM particles is not conserved and the present accelerating stage is a consequence of the negative pressure describing the irreversible process of gravitational particle creation. In order to have a transition from a decelerating to an accelerating regime at low redshifts, the matter creation rate proposed here depends on 2 parameters (y and ߯): the first one identifies a constant term of the order of H0 and the second one describes a time variation proportional to he Hubble parameter H(t). In this scenario, H0 does not need to be small in order to solve the age problem and the transition happens even if there is no matter creation during the radiation and part of the matter dominated phase (when the ß term is negligible). Like in flat ACDM scenarios, the dimming of distant type Ia supernovae can be fitted with just one free parameter, and the coincidence problem plaguing the models driven by the cosmological constant. ACDM is absent. The limits endowed with with the existence of the quasar APM 08279+5255, located at z = 3:91 and with an estimated ages between 2 and 3 Gyr are also investigated. In the simplest case (ß = 0), the model is compatible with the existence of the quasar for y > 0:56 whether the age of the quasar is 2.0 Gyr. For 3 Gyr the limit derived is y > 0:72. New limits for the formation redshift of the quasar are also established

Lateral septal area alpha(1)-and alpha(2)-adrenoceptors differently modulate baroreflex activity in unanaesthetized rats

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Testes cinemáticos em cosmologia com decaimento do vácuo

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior

Análise em conjunta de testes cosmológicos

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior

Desempenho de pacientes com acidente vascular encefalico em testes de reconhecimento de tividades de vida diaria com frequencia autocontrolada e pre- determinada Luciana Protásio de Melo Natal 2009

The stimulation of motor learning is an important component to a rehabilitation and type of practice used is de basic importance to Physiotherapy. The motor skills are the types more basic of behavior that subjects must acquire throughout its lives and observational learning one of forms for its acquisition. Objective: This study aimed to compare performance of patients post- stroke on test of recognition of activities of day life using self-controlled and externally determined practice. Intervention: Forty subjects had been evaluated, 20 stroke patients (the mean age was 57,9?}6,7 years, schooling 6,7?}3,09 years and time of injury 23,4?}17,2 months) and 20 health subjects (the mean age 55,4?}5,9 years and schooling 8?}3,7 years). All was evaluated about independence functional (FIM) and cognitive state (MMSE), and patients were also evaluated about neurologic state (NIHSS). Later, all realized a recognition of activities of day life test (drink water and speak to telephone) on self-controlled (PAUTO and CAUTO) and externally determined (P20 and C20) frequency. The stroke subjects also were examined for a three-dimensional system of kinematic analysis, when they have drink water. The statistic analysis was realized for chi-square and t Student tests. Results: This was not difference, about number of rightness, between groups of self-controlled and externally determined practice (p0,005), and also not between patients and control groups (p0,005). Patients mean velocity (PAUTO: 141,1mm/sec and P20: 141,6mm/sec) and peak velocity (PAUTO: 652,1mm/sec and P20: 598,6mm/sec) were reduced, as well as the angles reached for elbow (PAUTO: 66,60 and 124,40; P20: 66,30 and 128,50 extension e flexion respectively) regarding literature. Conclusions: The performance on recognition of activities of day life test was similar between on self-controlled and externally determined frequency, showing both technique may be used to stimulate motor learning on chronic patients after stroke

Avaliação muscular respiratória: adaptação do mano vacuômetro nacional para a avaliação da pressão inspiratória nasal e nível de intensidade da ventilação voluntária máxima em sujeitos saudáveis

The clinical importance of evaluating the respiratory muscles with a variety of tests has been proposed by several studies, once that the combination of several tests would allow a better diagnosis and therefore, a better clinical follow of disorders of the respiratory muscles. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of adapting a national electronic manovacuometer to measure the nasal inspiratory pressure (study 1) and analyze the level of load intensity of maximum voluntary ventilation, as well as the variables that may influence this maneuver in healthy subjects (study 2). We studied 20 healthy subjects by a random evaluation of two measures of SNIP in different equipments: a national and an imported. In study 2 it was analyzed the intensity of the load of MVV test, change in pressure developed during the maneuver, the possible differences between genders, and the correlations between the flow developed in the test and the result of MVV. In study 1 it was found the average for both measures of nasal inspiratory pressures: 125 ± 42.4 cmH2O for the imported equipment and 131.7 ± 28.7 cmH2O for the national one. Pearson analysis showed a significant correlation between the average, with a coefficient r = 0.63. The average values showed no significant differences evaluated by paired t test (p> 0.05). In the Bland-Altman analysis it was found a BIAS = 7 cmH2O, SD 32.9 and a confidence interval of - 57.5 cmH2O up to 71.5 cmH2O. In the second study it was found significant differences between the genders in the air volume moved, being higher in males 150.9 ± 13.1 l / min vs 118.5 ± 15.7 L / min for (p = 0.0002, 95% CI 44.85 to 20:05). Regarding the inspiratory and expiratory loading, they were significantly higher in men than in women, peak inspiratory pressure (34.7 ± 5.3 cmH2O vs 19.5 ± 4.2 cmH2O, 95% CI - 18.0 to -12.3, p <0.0001), peak expiratory (33.8 vs. 23.1 ± 5.9 cmH2O ± 5.4 cmH2O, 95% CI -17.1 to - 4.6, p <0.0001), and the delta pressure (59.7 ± 10 cmH2O vs 36.8 ± 8.3 cmH2O, 95% CI 14.5 to 31.2, p <0.0002). The Pearson correlation showed that the flow generated by the maneuver is strongly correlated with the delta-expiratory pressure / inspiratory (r2= 0.83,R = 0.91, 95%IC 0.72 a 0.97 e p< 0.0001).Through these results we suggest that the national electronic manovacuometer is feasible and safe to perform the sniff test in healthy subjects. For the MVV, there are differences between the genders in the intensity of pressure developed during the maneuver. We found a load intensity considered low during the MVV, and found a strong correlation between the flow generated in the test and the delta pressure expiratory / inspiratory

Comparação das respostas fisiológicas entre diferentes testes funcionais em obesos

obesity affects rightly functional capacity diminishing the cardiovascular system efficiency and oxygen uptake (VO2). Field tests, such as, Incremental Shuttle Walking Test (ISWT) and Six Minute Walk Test (6MWT) has been employed as alternative of Cardiopulmonary Exercise Test (CPX), to functional assessing for conditions which transport of oxygen to peripheral is diminished. Nevertheless, the knowing about metabolic variables response in real time and it comparing among different maximal and submaximal tests in obese is absent. Aim: to compare cardiopulmonary, metabolic response during CPX, ISWT and 6MWT and to analyse it influence of adiposity markers in obese. Material e Method: crosssectional, prospective study. Obese included if: (BMI>30Kg/m2; FVC>80%), were assessed as clinical, anthropometric (BMI, body adiposity index-BAI, waist-WC, hip- HC and neck-NC circumferences) and spirometry (forced vital capacity-FVC, Forced expiratory volume-1°second-FEV1, maximal voluntary ventilation-MVV) variables. Obese performed the sequence of tests: CPX, ISWT and 6MWT. Throughout tests was assessed breath-by-breath by telemetry system (Cortex-Biophysik-Metamax3B) variables; oxygen uptake on peak of activity (VO2peak); carbon dioxide production (VCO2); Volume Expiratory (VE); ventilatory equivalents for VO2 (VE/VO2) and CO2 (VE/VCO2); respiratory exchange rate (RER) and perceived effort-Borg6-20). Results: 15 obese (10women) 39.4+10.1years, normal spirometry (%CVF=93.7+9.7) finished all test. They have BMI (43.5+6.6kg/m2) and different as %adiposity (BAI=50.0+10.5% and 48.8+16.9% respectively women and men). Difference of VO2ml/kg/min and %VO2 were finding between CPX (18.6+4.0) and 6MWT (13.2+2.5) but not between ISWT (15.4+2.9). Agreement was found for ISWT and CPX on VO2Peak (3.2ml/kg/min; 95%; IC-3.0 9.4) and %VO2 (16.4%). VCO2(l/min) confirms similarity in production for CPX (2.3+1.0) and ISWT (1.7+0.7) and difference for 6MWT (1.4+0.6). WC explains more the response of CPX and ISWT than other adiposity markers. Adiposity diminishes 3.2% duration of CPX. Conclusion: ISWT promotes similar metabolic and cardiovascular response than CPX in obese. It suggesting that ISWT could be useful and reliable to assess oxygen uptake and functional capacity in obese

Determinação da solução ótima do problema de fluxo de potência ótimo via análise de sensibilidade

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

Um método eficiente para resolução do problema de Despacho Ótimo de Reativos com controle discreto do TAP dos transformadores

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

Estudo da preferência manual durante o desenvolvimento ontogenético em sagüi comum ( Callithix jacchus)

The study of manual preference is a widely used approach to investigate cerebral laterality in nonhuman primates. However, in New World primates, little is known about the ontogenesis of hand use asymmetry, in both forced and spontaneous activities, as well as how they correlate with sexual hormones. Accordingly, a longitudinal study was conducted on the manual preference of 6 female and 4 male common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus). The study included the record of forced tests to reach for the food using only one hand (forced activity) and activities such as grooming (auto and social), scratching, grasping the food and hanging, in weekly sessions from the infantile (4 months) to the early adult phase (15 months). Feces samples were also collected, at least once a week, to evaluate the level of gonadal steroids and their influence on these behaviors. In the forced activity, the results confirm the influence of the development period on manual preference during feeding, shown by the increase in lateral stability when grasping the food between the juvenile and adult phases. During this period, a sexual hormone effect on development was also observed, mainly of progesterone in females and androgen in males, but no difference between sexes was found. In the females, progesterone also influenced the manual preference index, with a proportional increase in the degree of manual asymmetry during puberty. With respect to spontaneous activities, the animals showed proportional use of both hands when scratching, hanging, holding the food and grooming. A positive correlation was also found between the preference for holding the food in forced activities and in spontaneous activities

O Núcleo genuíno lateral dorsal do tálamo do sagüi (callithrix jacchus): Pprojeção retiniana, caracterização citoarquitetônica e neuroquimica da principal estação visual primária.

The thalamus plays an important role in the sensorial processing information, in this particular case, the visual information. Several neuronal groups have been characterized as conductors and processors of important sensorial information to the cerebral cortex. The lateral geniculate complex is one to them, and appears as a group very studied once it is responsible, in almost all totality, for the processing of visual information. Among the nuclei that constitute the lateral geniculate complex we highlight the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus (DLG), the main thalamic relay for the visual information. This nucleus is located rostral and lateral to medial geniculate nucleus and ventral to thalamic pulvinar nucleus in most of the mammals. In the primates humans and non-humans, it presents as a laminate structure, arranged in layers, when observed in coronal sections. The objective of this work was to do a mapping of the retinal projections and a citoarchictetonic and neurochemical characterization of DLG in the marmoset (Callithrix jacchus), a New World primate. The retinal projections were traced by anterograde transport of subunit b of cholera toxin (CTb), the citoarchicteture was described by Nissl method, and to neurochemical characterization immunohistochemicals technical were used to examine the main neurotransmitters and neuroatives substances present in this neural center. In DGL of marmoset thalamus, in coronal sections labeled by Nissl method, was possible to visualize the division of this nucleus in four layers divided in two portions: magnocellular and parvocellular. The retinal projections were present being visualized fibers and terminals immunorreactives to CTb (IR-CTb) in the DLG ipsilateral and contralateral. And through the immunohistochemicals techniques was observed that DLG contain cells, fibers and/or terminals immunoreactives against neuronal nuclear protein, subunits of AMPA 15 glutamate receptors (GluR1, GluR2/3, GluR4), choline acetyltransferase, serotonin, glutamic acid decarboxylase, binding calcium proteins (calbindin, parvalbumin and calretinin), vasopressin, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, and an astrocyte protein, glial fibrillary acidic protein.

Efeito da coesão semântica sobre a discriminação de itens emocionais em testes de memória de reconhecimento de palavras

Highly emotional itens are best remembered in emotional memory tasks than neutral items. An example of emotional item that benefits declarative memory processes are the taboo words. These words undergo from a conventional prohibition, imposed by tradition or custom. Literature suggests that the strongest recollection these words is due to emotional arousal, as well as, the fact that they form a cohesive semantic group, which is a positive additive effect. However, studies with semantic lists show that cohesion can have a negative effect of interference, impairing memory. We analyzed, in two experiments, the effect of arousal and semantic cohesion of taboo words on recognition tests, comparing with into two other word categories: semantically related and without emotional arousal (semantic category) and neutral, with low semantic relation (objects). Our results indicate that cohesion has interfered whith the performance of the test by increasing the number of false alarms. This effect was strongly observed in the semantic category of words in both experiments, but also in the neutral and taboo words, when both were explicitly considered as semantic categories through the instruction of the test in Experiment 2. Despite the impairment induced by semantic cohesion in both experiments, the taboo words were more discriminated than others, and this result agrees with the indication of the emotional arousal as the main factor for the best recollection of emotional items in memory tests

Esquemas alternativos para o passo de parametrização do método da continuação baseados em parâmetros físicos

O método de fluxo de carga convencional é considerado inadequado para se obter o ponto de máximo carregamento (PMC) de sistemas de potência, devido à singularidade da matriz Jacobiana neste ponto. Os métodos da continuação são ferramentas eficientes para a solução deste tipo de problema, visto que técnicas de parametrização podem ser utilizadas para evitar a singularidade da matriz Jacobiana. Neste trabalho, novas opções para a etapa de parametrização do método da continuação são apresentadas. Mostra-se que variáveis com claro significado físico podem ser utilizadas na etapa de parametrização. As seguintes variáveis foram testadas: perda total de potência ativa e reativa, potência ativa e reativa na barra de referência, potência reativa das barras de geração, e as perdas de potência ativa e reativa nas linhas de transmissão (LT). Além de facilitar a implementação computacional do método de continuação, as técnicas de parametrização apresentadas simplificam a definição matemática e o entendimento do método por parte de engenheiros de potência, visto que os métodos de continuação existentes na literatura sempre utilizam técnicas de parametrização complexas, e de interpretação puramente geométrica. Resultados obtidos com a nova metodologia para os sistemas testes do IEEE (14, 30, 57 e 118 barras) mostram que as características de convergência do método de fluxo de carga convencional são melhoradas na região do PMC. Além disso, durante o traçado das curvas PV, as diversas técnicas de parametrização podem ser comutadas entre si possibilitando o cálculo de todos os pontos da curva com um número reduzido de iterações. Diversos testes são realizados para proporcionar a comparação do desempenho dos esquemas de parametrização propostos.

Técnicas de parametrização global para o fluxo de carga continuado

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

Fluxo de carga continuado utilizando estratégia de parametrização geométrica baseada em parâmetros físicos

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