PRODUCTION of FREE RADICALS and CATALASE ACTIVITY DURING ACUTE EXERCISE TRAINING IN YOUNG MEN

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are constantly produced by cells that promote cellular oxidative damage and are neutralized by an antioxidant system including superoxide dismutase, glutathione, peroxidase and catalase. Male volunteers were exercised for 20 minutes, three days (60, 70 and 80% of maximum heart rate). Catalase activity and plasma malondialdehyde concentration were measured. The mean age of the volunteers was 25 +/- 7 years, with body mass index 2 of 24.03 +/- 4.32 kg/m(2). Acute exercise training produced an increase of malondialdehyde concentration that was exercise intensity-dependent in young volunteers. However, catalase activity shows a great variability at baseline and the percentual of reduction was exercise intensity-independent in this particular population. Therefore, our study shows that acute cycling exercise promotes an increase of oxidative stress that was exercise intensity-dependent in young volunteers. Furthermore, the antioxidant system measured by catalase activity was effective to counterbalance the ROS production showing a saturation behavior at an intensity of 70% of maximum heart rate.

Patterns of nucleolar activity during spermatogenesis of two triatomines, Panstrongylus megistus and P-herreri

The present work analyzed spermatogenesis in two species of triatomines (genus Panstrongylus) using silver-ion impregnation. The sex chromosomes of P. megistus and P. herreri had nucleolar organizing activity and became strongly impregnated during the phases of meiotic prophase I. Fragmentation of the nucleolus occurred in both species during the meiotic cycle. The nucleolar region could be observed up to diakinesis in meiotic prophase after which only nucleolar bodies and fragments were seen. Postmeiotic reactivation of rRNA synthesis occurred in these two species and was probably related to cell differentiation.

Scientific pedagogy at the end of the 19th century: Some readings and writings in the Portuguese debate

Through the text presented we intend to outline the debate that occurred in Portugal in the transition from the 19th to the 20th centuries. At the time, the imperatives of scientific development had reached education as a basis for the national prosperity. It was believed that Portugal had fallen behind in comparison to the other European countries because it was not capable of constructing a civilization directed by scientific criteria, through the expansion and spreading of culture. The debate over the extension of schools to increasingly broader segments of the population acquires a different meaning when the theorist of Education make use of language from several other areas of knowledge in order to create a mosaic of what has become known, since that time, as the Science of Education.

Patterns of nucleolar activity during spermatogenesis of two triatomines, Panstrongylus megistus and P. herreri

The present work analyzed spermatogenesis in two species of triatomines (genus Panstrongylus) using silver-ion impregnation. The sex chromosomes of P. megistus and P. herreri had nucleolar organizing activity and became strongly impregnated during the phases of meiotic prophase I. Fragmentation of the nucleolus occurred in both species during the meiotic cycle. The nucleolar region could be observed up to diakinesis in meiotic prophase after which only nucleolar bodies and fragments were seen. Postmeiotic reactivation of rRNA synthesis occurred in these two species and was probably related to cell differentiation.

Atenolol reduces salivary activity in pups of spontaneously hypertensive and normotensive rats treated during pregnancy and lactation

The salivary activity in pups of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Wistar (W) rats treated with atenolol during pregnancy, and lactation was evaluated. Atenolol's anti-hypertensive effect on the SHR rats was noticed from the beginning of treatment. Atenolol-treated SHR and Wistar rat pups showed a decrease in salivary gland weight, salivary flow, and protein concentration, with no alteration in salivary amylase activity. Atenolol's effect on salivary glands can interfere with oral health maintenance. Copyright © Informa Healthcare USA, Inc.

Leituras recomendadas para as Escolas Normais no Brasil e na França (século XIX): transferências culturais e de modelos pedagógicos / Recommended readings for Teacher Training Schools in Brazil and France (19th century): transfers of culture and pedag...

Com o objetivo de contribuir para a democratização da memória escolar no Brasil, em especial, da história da formação de professores primários nas décadas finais do século XIX brasileiro (caso paulista) e francês, apresentam-se, resultados de pesquisas de doutorado, desenvolvidas mediante abordagem histórica centrada na análise da configuração textual de três documentos: 1. lista de livros da caixa nº 1 adquirida por Paulo Bourroul, Diretor da Escola Normal de São Paulo (1882-1884), quando de sua viagem à Paris em 1883; 2. lista de livros contidos no relatório de José Estacio Corrêa de Sá e Benevides, Diretor interino da Escola Normal de São Paulo em 1884; 3. Catalogue des bibliothèques des Écoles Normales (1887), publicados pelo Ministro da Instrução Pública e de Belas Artes da França, Jules Ferry. Constatou-se importantes aspectos da cultura escolar relativos ao “ensinar normalistas a ensinar” leitura e escrita decorrentes das transferências culturais e de modelos pedagógicos na relação/representação Brasil-França.

Changes in polyamine, total protein and total carbohydrate content and peroxidase activity during the lifetime of chrysanthemum faroe

The aim of the present work was to evaluate the changes in polyamine (PA) content, peroxidase (POX) activity and levels of total protein and total soluble carbohydrates throughout the lifetime of leaves and inflorescences of chrysantemum 'Faroe' treated with gibberellic acidd (GA3) (used in production practices) and kept at room temperature and cold storage. The treatments were composed of four doses of GA3 (0, 15, 30 and 45 mg L-1) applied at the beggining of flower bud formation (28 days after transplanting of seedlings). After harvesting, the stems (95% of the expanded ligule) were stored at 10ºC and 95% relative humidity for 48 hrs, or kept at room temperature. For biochemical analysis samples of leaves and inflorescences were collected at the 4th, 8th, 12th and 16th day after harvest. The application of GA3 in the field and cold storage increased the content of PAs. There was an increase in POX activity in leaves and inflorescences during postharvest and this increase was related to oxidation of the PAs studied. The amount of proteins and carbohydrates in chrysantemum 'Faroe' decreased during the storage at 25ºC and under cold conditions.

Effects of replica running shoes upon external forces and muscle activity during running

Twelve participants ran (9 km . h(-1)) to test two types of running shoes: replica and original shoes. Ground reaction force, plantar pressure and electromyographic activity were recorded. The shoes were tested randomly and on different days. Comparisons between the two experimental conditions were made by analysis of variance (ANOVA) test (P <= 0.05). The time to first peak, loading rate of the first peak and impulse of the first 75 ms of stance were significantly different between the shoes (P <= 0.05), revealing an increase of impact forces for the replica shoes. The peak plantar pressure values were significantly higher (P <= 0.05) when wearing replica shoes. During running, the contact area was significantly smaller (P <= 0.05) for the replica shoe. The electromyographic activity of the analysed muscles did not show changes between the two shoes in running. These findings suggest that the use of replica running shoes can increase the external load applied to the human body, but may not change the muscle activity pattern during locomotion. This new mechanical situation may increase the risk of injuries in these movements.

Models for the Study of Cortical Activity During Cognitive ans Motor Tasks

This thesis is mainly devoted to show how EEG data and related phenomena can be reproduced and analyzed using mathematical models of neural masses (NMM). The aim is to describe some of these phenomena, to show in which ways the design of the models architecture is influenced by such phenomena, point out the difficulties of tuning the dozens of parameters of the models in order to reproduce the activity recorded with EEG systems during different kinds of experiments, and suggest some strategies to cope with these problems. In particular the chapters are organized as follows: chapter I gives a brief overview of the aims and issues addressed in the thesis; in chapter II the main characteristics of the cortical column, of the EEG signal and of the neural mass models will be presented, in order to show the relationships that hold between these entities; chapter III describes a study in which a NMM from the literature has been used to assess brain connectivity changes in tetraplegic patients; in chapter IV a modified version of the NMM is presented, which has been developed to overcomes some of the previous version’s intrinsic limitations; chapter V describes a study in which the new NMM has been used to reproduce the electrical activity evoked in the cortex by the transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS); chapter VI presents some preliminary results obtained in the simulation of the neural rhythms associated with memory recall; finally, some general conclusions are drawn in chapter VII.

A threshold hypothesis of institutional change: collective action in the Italian Alps during the 13th - 19th centuries.

This dissertation is about collective action issues in common property resources. Its focus is the “threshold hypothesis,” which posits the existence of a threshold in group size that drives the process of institutional change. This hypothesis is tested using a six-century dataset concerning the management of the commons by hundreds of communities in the Italian Alps. The analysis seeks to determine the group size threshold and the institutional changes that occur when groups cross this threshold. There are five main findings. First, the number of individuals in villages remained stable for six centuries, despite the population in the region tripling in the same period. Second, the longitudinal analysis of face-to-face assemblies and community size led to the empirical identification of a threshold size that triggered the transition from informal to more formal regimes to manage common property resources. Third, when groups increased in size, gradual organizational changes took place: large groups split into independent subgroups or structured interactions into multiple layers while maintaining a single formal organization. Fourth, resource heterogeneity seemed to have had no significant impact on various institutional characteristics. Fifth, social heterogeneity showed statistically significant impacts, especially on institutional complexity, consensus, and the relative importance of governance rules versus resource management rules. Overall, the empirical evidence from this research supports the “threshold hypothesis.” These findings shed light on the rationale of institutional change in common property regimes, and clarify the mechanisms of collective action in traditional societies. Further research may generalize these conclusions to other domains of collective action and to present-day applications.

Party Size and Constituency Representation: Evidence from the 19th-Century U.S. House of Representatives

Research on congressional parties assumes, but has not directly shown, that party size affects individual members' calculations. Drawing on a key case from the nineteenth-century House the secession-driven Republican hegemony of 1861 this article explores the hypothesis that party voting not only declines but also becomes more strongly linked to constituency factors as relative party size increases. The analysis reveals that the jump in party size coincides with (1) a decrease in party voting among individual continuing members, (2) a strengthening association between some constituency factors and party voting, and (3) patterns of decline in individual party voting that are explained in part by constituency measures.

Literature in Bosnia and Hercegovina till 19th Century in South Slav Context

Mr. Gajevic traced the development of literacy and literature in Bosnia and Herzegovina from the 12th to the 19th in relation to other south Slavic literatures and civilisations, studying their interrelations, links and influences. From the 12th to the 15th centuries, literature in this area developed under strong influence from the neighbouring South Slavic countries, which were directly connected with more developed foreign cultures and civilisations. The literatures of these countries had differing religious and cultural backgrounds, some developing under Byzantine and Orthodox influence and others as a part of Latin civilisation and the Catholic religion. This led to different and sometimes contradictory literary, religious and other influences on Bosnia and Herzegovina, making spiritual and religious unity for the country virtually impossible. Under the influence of the Bosnian state and church, however, there were signs of a search for compromise, leading to some mixing of the difference traditions. Following the Turkish conquest, however, three denominational communities (Orthodox, Catholic and Muslim) developed in Bosnia and Herzegovina and this became the general framework for life, including literature. This led to three separate literary traditions - Serb-Orthodox, Croat-Catholic and Bosniac-Islamic. This internal disintegration of Bosnian literature did however facilitate the process of integration of some of its denominational traditions with similar traditions in other countries. The third aspect considered in the research was the genesis and expansion of vernacular and folk literature from Bosnia and Herzegovina throughout the South Slavic areas and its contribution to the language and literature integration of four peoples - Serbs, Croats, Bosniacs and Montenegrins. Of special interest here were the aspirations of the Catholic church to establish the Bosnian language as the common South Slavic literary language for its religious and propaganda activities, and the contribution of Vuk Stefanovic Karadzic to the effort to establish the "Bosnian language" as the common literary language of the South Slavic peoples.