Physiological modules for generating discrete and rhythmic movements: action identification by a dynamic recurrent neural network

In this study we employed a dynamic recurrent neural network (DRNN) in a novel fashion to reveal characteristics of control modules underlying the generation of muscle activations when drawing figures with the outstretched arm. We asked healthy human subjects to perform four different figure-eight movements in each of two workspaces (frontal plane and sagittal plane). We then trained a DRNN to predict the movement of the wrist from information in the EMG signals from seven different muscles. We trained different instances of the same network on a single movement direction, on all four movement directions in a single movement plane, or on all eight possible movement patterns and looked at the ability of the DRNN to generalize and predict movements for trials that were not included in the training set. Within a single movement plane, a DRNN trained on one movement direction was not able to predict movements of the hand for trials in the other three directions, but a DRNN trained simultaneously on all four movement directions could generalize across movement directions within the same plane. Similarly, the DRNN was able to reproduce the kinematics of the hand for both movement planes, but only if it was trained on examples performed in each one. As we will discuss, these results indicate that there are important dynamical constraints on the mapping of EMG to hand movement that depend on both the time sequence of the movement and on the anatomical constraints of the musculoskeletal system. In a second step, we injected EMG signals constructed from different synergies derived by the PCA in order to identify the mechanical significance of each of these components. From these results, one can surmise that discrete-rhythmic movements may be constructed from three different fundamental modules, one regulating the co-activation of all muscles over the time span of the movement and two others elliciting patterns of reciprocal activation operating in orthogonal directions.

Identification of the main allergen sensitizers in an Iran asthmatic population by molecular diagnosis

Background: There has been a significant growth in the prevalence of allergy, mainly associated to IgE-mediated disorders such as asthma and rhinitis. The identification of atopy in asthmatic patients through the measurement of specific IgE can help to identify risk factors that cause asthmatic symptoms in patients. The development and use of individualized allergen-based tests by the Component Resolved Diagnosis has been a crucial advance in the accurate diagnosis and control of allergic patients. The objective of this work was to assess the usefulness of molecular diagnosis to identify environmental allergens as possible factors influencing the development and manifestation of asthma in a group of asthmatic patients from Iran. Methods: Studied population: 202 adult asthmatic patients treated at the Loghman Hakim Hospital and Pasteur Institute of Teheran (Iran) from 2011 to 2012. Specific IgE determined by the ImmunoCAP system were used to both evaluate the patients' atopic condition and the molecules involved in the allergic sensitization. SDS-PAGE IgE-immunoblotting associated with mass spectrometry was carried out to study the cockroach IgE-binding sensitizing proteins. Results: Forty-five percent of all patients could be considered atopic individuals. Eighty-two percent of atopic patients were sensitized to pollen allergens. The Salsola kali (Sal k 1) and the Phleum pratense (rPhl p 1 and/or rPhl p 5) major allergens were the most common sensitizers among pollens (71% and 18%, respectively). Thirty-five percent of the atopic population was sensitized to cockroach. Four different allergens, including a previously unknown alpha-amylase, were identified in the cockroach extract. No significant associations could be demonstrated between the severity of asthma and the specific IgE levels in the atopic population. Statistical analysis identified the Sal k 1 as the main protein allergen influencing the development and expression of asthma in the studied population. Conclusions: Pollen and cockroach were the most relevant allergen sources in the asthmatic population. The Salsola kali major allergen was the main cause for sensitization in the atopic patients suffering asthma. Using the Component Resolved Diagnosis, it was possible to identify a new Blattella germanica cockroach allergen (Blattella alpha amylase 53 kDa) that could sensitize a relevant percentage of this population.

As orações subordinadas não classificadas pela NGB agente da passiva modal - locativa

As orações subordinadas agente da passiva, as orações modais e as locativas têm pleno funcionamento na língua portuguesa, embora não tenham seu reconhecimento na Nomenclatura Gramatical Brasileira, o que significa dizer que estas orações não existem, oficialmente, na nossa língua. Este trabalho tem por objetivo demonstrar como este tema é desenvolvido entre os autores de língua portuguesa, entre gramáticos tradicionais, funcionalistas e pedagógicos e sintaticistas e, principalmente, que estas orações são normalmente utilizadas, tanto na língua falada como na escrita. Realizou-se um estudo comparado entre 21 renomados autores de língua portuguesa, em uma detalhada revisão de literatura. Destarte contribui-se para ampliação da pesquisa na área da sintaxe portuguesa a fim de promover uma reflexão aprofundada sobre o tema entre os estudiosos da língua portuguesa ou entre os que, de alguma forma, se interessam pelo nosso idioma. Mas o que importa mesmo como resultado da pesquisa é comprovar o pleno funcionamento destas orações no idioma em movimento, na língua viva. Para tal, compôs-se um pequeno corpus por meio de textos midiáticos. Foram selecionados sessenta recortes dos jornais O Globo, JB e das revistas Veja e CartaCapital, todos on line, que comprovam o uso natural, ou mesmo comum, das orações agente da passiva, das orações modais e locativas. Assim tornou-se possível afirmar que estas orações funcionam plenamente em nosso idioma, encontram, na sintaxe portuguesa, seu habitat natural e ganham vida, graça e força na fala e na escrita dos falantes de língua portuguesa, na nossa fala e na nossa escrita, de nós, brasileiros