Mechanisms in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis involved in control of autonomic and neuroendocrine functions: A review

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

Electric power costs and the functions of electricity undertakings

Report submitted by the Energy Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

Effect of different exercise programs on the psychological and cognitive functions of people with Parkinson's disease

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of different exercise programs on the psychological and cognitive functions in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Forty-five patients with PD participated in the study. The participants were randomized in three intervention programs: Group-1 (n=15, cognitive-activities), Group-2 (n=15, multimodal exercise) and Group-3 (n=15, exercises for posture and gait). The clinical, psychological and cognitive functions were assessed before and after 4 months of intervention. Univariate analysis did not reveal significant interactions between groups and time (p>0.05). However, univariate analysis for time revealed differences in stress level and memory. Participants showed less physical stress (p<0.01) and overall stress (p < 0.04) and higher performance in episodic declarative memory (p < 0.001) after exercise. These findings suggest that group work with motor or non-motor activities can improve cognitive and psychological functions of patients with PD.

Physical Exercise Improves Peripheral BDNF Levels and Cognitive Functions in Mild Cognitive Impairment Elderly with Different BDNF Val66Met Genotypes

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

Control of respiratory and cardiovascular functions by leptin

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

How do laryngeal and respiratory functions contribute to differentiate actors/actresses and untrained voices?

Purpose. The present study aimed to compare actors/actresses's voices and vocally trained subjects through aerodynamic and electroglottographic (EGG) analyses. We hypothesized that glottal and breathing functions would reflect technical and physiological differences between vocally trained and untrained subjects.Methods. Forty participants with normal voices participated in this study (20 professional theater actors and 20 untrained participants). In each group, 10 male and 10 female subjects were assessed. All participants underwent aerodynamic and EGG assessment of voice. From the Phonatory Aerodynamic System, three protocols were used: comfortable sustained phonation with EGG, voice efficiency with EGG, and running speech. Contact quotient was calculated from EGG. All phonatory tasks were produced at three different loudness levels. Mean sound pressure level and fundamental frequency were also assessed. Univariate, multivariate, and correlation statistical analyses were performed.Results. Main differences between vocally trained and untrained participants were found in the following variables: mean sound pressure level, phonatory airflow, subglottic pressure, inspiratory airflow duration, inspiratory airflow, and inspiratory volume. These variables were greater for trained participants. Mean pitch was found to be lower for trained voices.Conclusions. The glottal source seemed to have a weak contribution when differentiating the training status in speaking voice. More prominent changes between vocally trained and untrained participants are demonstrated in respiratory-related variables. These findings may be related to better management of breathing function (better breath support).

Teaching general concepts about sensors and transfer functions with a voltage divider

This work proposes the use of a simple voltage divider circuit composed by one potentiometer and one resistor to simulate the behavior of the electrical output signal of linear and nonlinear sensors. It is a low cost way to implement practical experiments in classroom and it also enables the analysis of interesting topics of electricity. This work induces naturally to a class guide where students can build and characterize a voltage divider to explore several concepts about sensors output signal. As the result of this teaching activity it is expected that students understand fundamentals of voltage divider, potentiometer operation, fundamental sensor characteristics, transfer function, and, besides, associate directly concepts of physics and mathematics with a practical approach.

Exercise and cognitive functions in Parkinson's disease: Gender differences and disease severity

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Tiered Pricing and Cost Functions: Are Equity, Cost Recovery and Economic Efficiency Compatible Goals?

Suppliers of water and energy are frequently natural monopolies, with their pricing regulated by governmental agencies. Pricing schemes are evaluated by the efficiency of the resource allocation they lead to, the capacity of the utilities to capture their costs and the distributional effects of the policies, in particular, impacts on the poor. One pricing approach has been average cost pricing, which guarantees cost recovery and allows utilities to provide their product at relatively low prices. However, average cost pricing leads to economically inefficient consumption levels, when sources of water and energy are limited and increasing the supply is costly. An alternative approach is increasing block rates (hereafter, IBR or tiered pricing), where individuals pay a low rate for an initial consumption block and a higher rate as they increase use beyond that block. An example of IBR is shown in Figure 1 (on next page), which shows a rate structure for residential water use. With the rates in Figure 1, a household would be charged $0.46 and $0.71 per hundred gallons for consumption below and above 21,000 gallons per month, respectively.

Preliminary Findings on the Effects of Occupational Exposure to Mercury Vapor Below Safety Levels on Visual and Neuropsychological Functions

Objective: To evaluate whether there are visual and neurophysical decrements in workers with low exposure to Hg vapor. Methods: Visual fields, contrast sensitivity, color vision, and neuropsychological functions were measured in 10 workers (32.5 +/- 8.5 years) chronically exposed to Hg vapor (4.3 +/- 2.8 years; urinary Hg concentration 22.3 +/- 9.3 mu g/g creatinine). Results: For the worst eyes, we found altered visual field thresholds, lower contrast sensitivity, and color discrimination compared with controls (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences between Hg-exposed subjects and controls on. neuropsychological tests. Nevertheless, duration of exposure was statistically correlated to verbal memory and depression scores. Conclusions: Chronic exposure to Hg vapor at currently accepted safety levels was found to be associated with visual losses but not with neuropsychological dysfunctions in the sample of workers studied. (J Occup Environ Med. 2009,51:1403-1412)

INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE AND NEUTROPHIL FUNCTIONS IN PLAYERS AFTER A FUTSAL MATCH

de Moura, NR, Cury-Boaventura, MF, Santos, VC, Levada-Pires, AC, Bortolon, JR, Fiamoncini, J, Pithon-Curi, TC, Curi, R, and Hatanaka, E. Inflammatory response and neutrophil functions in players after a futsal match. J Strength Cond Res 26(9): 2507-2514, 2012-Futsal players suffer injuries resulting from muscle fatigue and contact or collision among players. Muscle lesions can be detected by measuring muscle lesion markers such as creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in plasma. After an initial lesion, there is an increase in the plasma levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and proinflammatory cytokines. These mediators may activate neutrophils and contribute to tissue damage and increase susceptibility to invasive microorganisms. In this study, we investigated the effect of a futsal match on muscle lesion markers, cytokines, and CRP in elite players. The basal and stimulated neutrophil responsiveness after a match was also evaluated based on measurements of neutrophil necrosis, apoptosis, phagocytic capacity, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-alpha], interleukin [IL]-8, IL-1 beta, IL-10, and IL-1ra) production. Blood samples were taken from 16 players (26.4 +/- 3.2 years, 70.2 +/- 6.9 kg, 59.7 +/- 5.1 ml.kg(-1).min(-1), sports experience of 4.4 +/- 0.9 years) before and immediately after a match. Exercise increased the serum activities of CK (2.5-fold) and LDH (1.3-fold). Playing futsal also increased the serum concentrations of IL-6 (1.6-fold) and CRP (1.6-fold). The TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-8, IL-1ra, and IL-10 serum levels were not modified in the conditions studied. The futsal match induced neutrophil apoptosis, as indicated by phosphatidylserine externalization (6.0-fold). The exercise induced priming of neutrophils by increasing ROS (1.3-fold), TNF-alpha (5.8-fold), and IL-1 beta (4.8-fold) released in nonstimulated cells. However, in the stimulated condition, the exercise decreased neutrophil function, diminishing the release of ROS by phorbol myristate acetate-stimulated neutrophils (1.5-fold), and the phagocytic capacity (1.6-fold). We concluded that playing futsal induces inflammation, primes and activates neutrophils, and reduces the efficiency of neutrophil phagocytosis immediately after a match.

The massless two-loop two-point function and zeta functions in counterterms of Feynman diagrams

The main part of this thesis describes a method of calculating the massless two-loop two-point function which allows expanding the integral up to an arbitrary order in the dimensional regularization parameter epsilon by rewriting it as a double Mellin-Barnes integral. Closing the contour and collecting the residues then transforms this integral into a form that enables us to utilize S. Weinzierl's computer library nestedsums. We could show that multiple zeta values and rational numbers are sufficient for expanding the massless two-loop two-point function to all orders in epsilon. We then use the Hopf algebra of Feynman diagrams and its antipode, to investigate the appearance of Riemann's zeta function in counterterms of Feynman diagrams in massless Yukawa theory and massless QED. The class of Feynman diagrams we consider consists of graphs built from primitive one-loop diagrams and the non-planar vertex correction, where the vertex corrections only depend on one external momentum. We showed the absence of powers of pi in the counterterms of the non-planar vertex correction and diagrams built by shuffling it with the one-loop vertex correction. We also found the invariance of some coefficients of zeta functions under a change of momentum flow through these vertex corrections.

Zeta and L-functions of elliptic curves

In questa tesi si studiano alcune proprietà fondamentali delle funzioni Zeta e L associate ad una curva ellittica. In particolare, si dimostra la razionalità della funzione Zeta e l'ipotesi di Riemann per due famiglie specifiche di curve ellittiche. Si studia poi il problema dell'esistenza di un prolungamento analitico al piano complesso della funzione L di una curva ellittica con moltiplicazione complessa, attraverso l'analisi diretta di due casi particolari.

Assessment of post-stroke fatigue: the fatigue scale for motor and cognitive functions

Post-stroke fatigue (PSF) is an important but still controversial issue since knowledge on its nature is still humble. The aim of the present study was to characterize PSF beyond the subacute phase.