Efeitos da nicotina no complexo do septo medial na via septo hipocampal em camundongos anestesiados por Ketamina

Nicotine administration in humans and rodents enhances memory and attention, and also has a positive effect in Alzheimer's Disease. The Medial Septum / Diagonal Band of Broca complex (MS/DBB) – a main cholinergic system – massively projects to the hippocampus through the fimbria-fornix, and this pathway is called the septohippocampal pathway. It has been demonstrated that the MS/DBB acts directly on the local field potential (LFP) rhythmic organization of the hippocampus, especially in the rhythmogenesis of Theta (4-8Hz) – an oscillation intrinsically linked to hippocampus mnemonic function. In vitro experiments gave evidence that nicotine applied to the MS/DBB generates a local network Theta rhythm within the MS/DBB. Thus, the present study proposes to elucidate the function of nicotine in the MS/DBB on the septo-hippocampal pathway. In vivo experiments compared the effect of MS/DBB microinfusion of saline (n=5) and nicotine (n=8) on Ketamine/Xylazine anaesthetized mice. We observed power spectrum density in the Gamma range (35 to 55 Hz) increasing in both structures (Wilcoxon Rank-Sum test, p=0.038) but with no change in coherence between these structures in the same range (Wilcoxon Rank-Sum test, p=0.60). There was also a decrease in power of the ketamineinduced Delta oscillation (1 to 3 Hz). We also performed in vitro experiments on the effect of nicotine on membrane voltage and action potential. We patch-clamped 22 neurons in current-clamp mode; 12 neurons were responsive to nicotine, half of them increased firing rate and other 6 decreased, and they significantly differed in action potential threshold (-47.3±0.9 mV vs. -41±1.9 mV, respectively, p=0.007) and halfwidth time (1.6±0.08 ms vs. 2±0.12 ms, respectively, p=0.01). Furthermore, we performed another set of in vitro experiments concerning the connectivity of the three major neuronal populations of MS/DBB that use acetylcholine, GABA or glutamate as neurotransmitter. Paired patch-clamp recordings found that glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons realize intra-septal connections that produce sizable currents in MS/DBB postsynaptic neurons. The probability of connectivity between different neuronal populations gave rise to a MS/DBB topology that was implemented in a realistic model, which corroborates that the network is highly sensitive to the generation of Gamma rhythm. Together, the data available in the full set of experiments suggests that nicotine may act as a cognitive enhancer, by inducing gamma oscillation in the local circuitry of the MS/DBB.

Introduction of novel video-based tasks to clinical fMRI: Comparing traditional fMRI tasks with novel video-based tasks for mapping brain language areas

Recently, blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has become a routine clinical procedure for localization of language and motor brain regions and has been replacing more invasive preoperative procedures. However, the fMRI results from these tasks are not always reproducible even from the same patient. Evaluating the reproducibility of language and speech mapping is especially complicated due to the complex brain circuitry that may become activated during the functional task. Non-language areas such as sensory, attention, decision-making, and motor brain regions may also be activated in addition to the specific language regions during a traditional sentence-completion task. In this study, I test a new approach, which utilizes 4-minute video-based tasks, to map language and speech brain regions for patients undergoing brain surgery. Results from 35 subjects have shown that the video-based task activates Wernicke’s area, as well as Broca’s area in most subjects. The computed laterality indices, which indicate the dominant hemisphere from that functional task, have indicated left dominance from the video-based tasks. This study has shown that the video-based task may be an alternative method for localization of language and speech brain regions for patients who are unable to complete the sentence-completion task.

Women’s football. Notes for a social history of women’s sport in Spain, 1900-1936

In the context of demands by the European feminist movement at the beginning of the 20th century, in Spain women’s sport flagged up aspirations to what were considered to be male practices. The first experiences of women in football stand out because of their use of the media to appear as a symbol of social transformation to modernity in the 20th century. It was not in vain that women’s football highlighted the demands of the feminist movements, although it did come up against male disapproval from an opposing group. The research sets out from a bibliographical and media review of specialist press and sports news of the time. Other current studies have also been considered in order to place it in a social and historical focus on sport. This has enabled us to highlight that football in Spain was established as an unequivocal space for (re) producing male hegemony where women were relegated to the representation of a symbolic ritual in a scenario of accessory and condescension.

Proyección y política cultural estadounidense en argentina (1928-1941)

El objetivo del artículo es analizar algunos aspectos de los orígenes de la “política cultural” estadounidense en Argentina. La atención se concentrará en el pasaje desde las declaraciones del presidente Hoover, que contribuyeron a favorecer un clima útil y propicio a la intensificación de los intercambios, a los primeros pasos concretos realizados en el periodo de la presidencia de Roosevelt. Se tratará, en particular, de individualizar las características de la cooperación establecida entre organismos estadounidenses y argentinos para favorecer la proyección cultural estadounidense en el país y el intercambio cultural entre Estados Unidos y Argentina, donde se iba intensificando la difusión de un sentimiento anti-imperialista, y que era entonces objetivo de formas de propaganda particularmente agresivas por parte de los regímenes totalitarios.

Ventajas de aplicar la triangulación empresarial entre España, China y América Latina. Una relación win-win para todos los polos

España tiene la oportunidad de desempeñar un papel importante en el proceso de internacionalización de las empresas chinas hacia Europa y América Latina gracias a la histórica experiencia de las multinacionales españolas en estas regiones. Puesto que las relaciones diplomáticas entre España y China gozan de buena sintonía, si España aprovecha la posición de privilegio respecto al resto de economías europeas, el gigante asiático podría estar interesado en el apoyo de España en América Latina, propiciando así la implantación de iniciativas de cooperación entre los tres polos. Los puntos clave para construir una relación win-win en clave triangular es la importancia de un socio local para profundizar en su despliegue internacional en América Latina, que las empresas chinas requieren, además del expertise y know-how necesarios en los procesos operativos, siendo en estos ámbitos las empresas españolas las mejor posicionadas.

Adaptación a la alimentación natural de Gallotia simonyi (Sauria, Lacertidae) en cautividad

[ES] El lagarto gigante de El Hierro (Gallotia simonyi) es un lacértido endémico seriamente amenazado de extinción, y objeto de un plan de recuperación que consiste en la cría en cautividad y en la futura reintroducción en un nuevo hábitat. G. simonyi es una especie principalmente herbívora cuya dieta en cautividad no guardaba relación con los alimentos presentes en el área propuesta para la reintroducción. Se ha llevado a cabo una experiencia consistente en cambiar los hábitos alimenticios de un grupo de individuos de G. simonyi mantenidos en cautividad en el Centro de Recuperación del Lagarto Gigante de El Hierro. Se estableció un período de adaptación controlado para comprobar si consumían los elementos vegetales existentes en el área susceptible de ser colonizada.

Liberación experimental de dos lagartos gigantes de El Hierro (Gallotia simonyi) criados en cautividad.

[ES] El lagarto gigante de El Hierro (Gallotia simonyi machadoi: Lacertidae) es un endemismo insular en peligro de extinción. Tan sólo se conoce una población de pocos ejemplares en la isla de El Hierro (Islas Canarias). En 1986 se inició la cría en cautividad con fines conservacionistas, pero la ausencia de criterios para su reintroducción ha provocado que, actualmente, los efectivos en cautividad superen el tamaño estimado de la población silvestre. Con el fin de calibrar la viabilidad de un plan de reintroducción basado en la liberación de lagartos criados en cautividad, dos machos adultos, provistos de radiocollares, fueron liberados en un lugar preseleccionado de la isla, dentro del área de distribución histórica de la especie (La Dehesa).

Predación de Gallotia simonyi por gatos cimarrones

[ES] El lagarto gigante de El Hierro (Gallotia simonyi machadoi) es uno de los reptiles más cercanos a la extinción en todo el mundo (GROOMBRIDGE, 1993). Se conoce una sola población silvestre de este lacértido herbívoro de gran tamaño (MACHADO, 1985b), endémico de la isla de El Hierro (280 km2, 1500 m, Islas Canarias) y cuyos efectivos numéricos en cuanto a adultos y subadultos se cifraron entre 120 y 150 individuos en el verano de 1995 mediante métodos de marcado y recaptura (PÉREZ-MELLADO et al., 1997).

Hallux rigidus: Arthroplasty or arthrodesis. What technique produces better results?

Hallux rígidus (HR) affects the first metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ) between 35% and 60% of the population over 65 years and there are multiple ways of treatment. Depending on the radiological stage where you find the deformity determines the procedure to be performed; in the early stages cheilectomy techniques and corrective osteotomy is performed while the more advanced ratings, the surgeon chooses destructive techniques considered as arthrodesis and arthroplasty. This final of degree project aims to focus on 1 MTPJ destructive techniques to clarify which of the procedures generates better results by a number of parameters; outcomes of the American Orthopaedic Foot scale and Ankle Society Hallux metatarsophalangeal Interphalangeal-scale (AOFAS), range of motion (ROM) of the 1ºAMTF, radiological classification. As for the implant arthroplasty technique, this article offers information on material and design that generates better relating to patient characteristics such as age, inflammatory joint diseases, viability and durability of the implant results. The conclusion from this review is that the values obtained in the arthrodesis according AOFAS decrease due to loss of mobility, but both techniques have similar values of effectiveness and concludes with the decision that the technique used is determined taking into account various factors and patient characteristics. Keywords: Hallux rígidus; (Hallux Rígidus) and surgery treatment; Hallux Rígidus arthrodesis; Hallux Rígidus arthroplasty; Hallux Rígidus (arthroplasty and arthrodesis).

Lucrecio, "De rerum natura": Sentido y coherencia del prólogo

El prólogo del De rerum natura de Lucrecio (1.1-148) parece ser un tema gastado: ha sido tratado decenas de veces tanto por su excelente calidad como por los problemas que plantea. Pero esperamos poder dar un nuevo sentido y solución a ambos aspectos. En primer lugar, el himno a Venus no es una mera convención, sino que respira sentimiento religioso; Venus no personifica a la naturaleza, sino al placer y la felicidad y ni la hegemonía que se dice ejerce Venus, ni las plegarias que contiene el himno contradicen la teología epicúrea. Todavía más, nos parece que el himno constituye una auténtica epifanía religiosa muy propia de la teología epicúrea. En segundo lugar, suponiendo que el autor ha tomado como tema compartido los schemata o grados de dificultad de la intellectio retórica en el texto de 1.50-148, se intentan solucionar las dificultades de coherencia del texto.

Diseño e instalación de sistema de riego localizado y aspersión de 15 hectáreas en la finca de la UNA El Plantel, Masaya, 2016.

El presente trabajo de culminación de estudio comprende la descripción de las distintas etapas que se realizó el proyecto de Diseño e instalación de riego localizado y aspersión en la finca El Plantel, propiedad de la Universidad Nacional Agraria (UNA). En la primera etapa se realizó la perforación del pozo, se utilizó un equipo de perforación marca Bucyrus-Erie” por el método de Percusión y Tipo de Broca “California”, en un periodo de 35 días, acumulando un total de 420 horas máquina-hombres para obtener una profundidad de 500 pies. Se encontró el nivel estático del agua a los 170 pies y manto acuífero a los 175 pies de profundidad. Se instaló un equipo de bombeo sumergible de 100 HP, 460 voltios, acoplado a un motor FRANKLIN eléctrico. Se realizaron cuatro pruebas de aforamiento con un nivel estático inicial de 169.5 pies con un caudal de descarga libre de 650 galones por minuto y dos pruebas de recuperación del nivel dinámico. La segunda etapa está comprendida por el levantamiento topográfico planimétrico y altimétrico para trazar las curvas a nivel del área comprendida para el posterior diseño de sistemas de riego. Tercera etapa en donde se realizó la lotificación del área, según los diferentes cultivos propuestos y en la última etapa se realizó el diseño hidráulico y geométrico de los distintos sistemas definiendo las dimensiones de tuberías, espaciamiento, accesorios, válvulas, aspersores, goteros, cintas, distancia entre aspersores y caudales por unidad de riego y presión de trabajo.

Análise e modelagem do escoamento transitório de fluidos de perfuração

Drilling fluids present a thixotropic behavior and they usually gel when at rest. The sol-gel transition is fundamental to prevent the deposit of rock fragments, generated by drilling the well, over the drill bit during eventual stops. Under those conditions, high pressures are then required in order to break-up the gel when circulation is resumed. Moreover, very high pressures can damage the rock formation at the bottom of the well. Thus, a better understanding of thixotropy and the behavior of thixotropic materials becomes increasingly important for process control. The mechanisms that control thixotropy are not yet well defined and modeling is still a challenge. The objective of this work is to develop a mathematical model to study the pressure transmission in drilling fluids. This work presents a review of thixotropy and of different mathematical models found in the literature that are used to predict such characteristic. It also shows a review of transient flows of compressible fluids. The problem is modeled as the flow between the drillpipe and the annular region (space between the wall and the external part of the drillpipe). The equations that describe the problem (mass conservation, momentum balance, constitutive and state) are then discretized and numerically solved by using a computational algorithm in Fortran. The model is validated with experimental and numerical data obtained from the literature. Comparisons between experimental data obtained from Petrobras and calculated by three viscoplastic and one pseudoplastic models are conducted. The viscoplastic fluids, due to the yield stress, do not fully transmit the pressure to the outlet of the annular space. Sensibility analyses are then conducted in order to evaluate the thixotropic effect in pressure transmission.

Megabalanus azoricus (Pilsbry, 1916) : building a scientific basis for its management

Tese de Doutoramento, Biologia (Ciências do Mar), 5 de Julho de 2013, Universidade dos Açores.

Purificação, caracterização e atividade bioinseticida de um inibidor de tripsina de sementes de Crotalaria pallida

A proteinaceous trypsin inhibitor was purified from Crotalaria pallida seeds by ammonium sulphate fractionation, affinity chromatography on immobilized Trypsin-Sepharose and TCA precipitation. The trypsin inhibitor, named ITC, had Mr of 32.5 kDa by SDS-PAGE and was composed by two subunits with 27.7 and 5.6 kDa linked by disulphide bridges, a typical characteristic of Kunitz-Inhibitor family. ITC was stable until 50°C, and at 100°C its residual activity was of about 60%. Also, ITC was stable at pHs 2 to 12. The inhibition of trypsin by ITC was non-competitive, with a Ki of 8,8 x 10-7M. ITC inhibits weakly other serine proteinases such as chymotrypsin and elastase. The inhibition of papain (44% of inhibition), a cysteine proteinase was an indicative of the bi-functionality of ITC. In vitro assays against digestive proteinases from several Lepdoptera, Diptera and Coleoptera pests were made. ITC inhibited in 100% digestive enzymes of Ceratitis capitata (fruit fly), Spodoptera frugiperda and Alabama argillacea, the last one being a cotton pest. It also inhibited in 74.4% Callosobruchus maculatus (bean weevil) digestive enzymes, a Coleoptera pest. ITC, when added in artificial diet models, affected weakly the development of C. capitata larvae and it had a WD50 of 2.65% to C. maculatus larvae

“Colorir para agir”: educar pela arte, para a paz

O projeto “Colorir para agir” foi concebido e implementado com o objetivo de alertar para a problemática crescente da violência escolar e contribuir para a prevenção e diminuição das práticas agressivas de crianças em idade escolar, procurando valorizar a convivência harmoniosa entre pares. Aliando a educação não formal às artes, este programa de intervenção desenvolveu um conjunto de atividades no âmbito das artes plásticas, abrangendo 21 crianças, com idades compreendidas entre os 6 e os 13 anos de um Agrupamento de Escolas de Valongo do Vouga, no concelho de Águeda (Portugal). Estas culminaram na realização de um mural gigante pintado na parede exterior da instituição, que ficou como símbolo da não violência escolar e da educação para a paz.