Intervenção em redes sociais eleva funções de atenção e memória em idosas: um estudo neuropsicológico

The cognitive functions of elderly people who interact online were assessed. Interventional research of a descriptive-analytical nature was conducted. A sample of 41 elderly women was evaluated both before and after the intervention. The data analysis was carried out using the Friedman test, with a significance level set at p ≤ 0.05. The empirical material was examined through content analysis. A significant improvement in cognitive functions of attention and memory in the groups that underwent the intervention was observed. It is concluded that cognitive training on social networks can promote healthy aging by improving certain cognitive functions in the elderly.As funções cognitivas de pessoas idosas que interagem na internet foram avaliadas. Uma pesquisa intervencionista de caráter descritivo-analítico foi conduzida. Uma amostra de 41 idosas foi avaliada antes e depois da intervenção. A análise dos dados foi realizada utilizando o teste Friedman, com um nível de significância estabelecido em p ≤ 0,05. O material empírico foi examinado através da análise de conteúdo. Uma melhoria significativa nas funções cognitivas de atenção e memória nos grupos que passaram pela intervenção foi observada. Conclui-se que o treinamento cognitivo nas redes sociais pode promover um envelhecimento saudável ao melhorar certas funções cognitivas em idosos.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A regeneração florestal afeta a fauna de tripes fungívoros (Insecta: Thysanoptera) na Mata Atlântica

Forest regeneration can affect the soil-dwelling insect fauna by promoting an increase in tree diversity and accelerating the accumulation of litter biomass in this environment. This study evaluated the effect of forest regeneration of Atlantic Forest fragments on the fungus-feeding thrips community. In each fragment, two treatments were selected: (i) intermediate successional stage (ISS) and (ii) early successional stage (ESS). Each treatment had three transects, each one with 10 sampling units, comprising 240 sampling units. We sampled 221 adult thrips, 135 individuals in the ISS, and 86 individuals in the ESS. We found 35 Thysanoptera species in 15 genera, all of them belonging to Phlaeothripidae. Abundance, richness, and Shannon’s diversity were higher in the ISS than in the ESS. The low number of individuals and high species richness suggests a remarkable distribution of thrips fauna in the litter. Although some taxa were more related to ISS, species composition structure did not differ between successional stages. Our study indicates that the fungivorous thrips fauna associated with litter was affected by the different natural regeneration states, suggesting that these fungivorous insects are sensitive to different successional stages.  A regeneração florestal pode afetar a fauna de insetos que habitam o solo, ao promover um aumento na diversidade de árvores e acelerar o acúmulo de biomassa da serapilheira nesse ambiente. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o efeito da regeneração florestal de fragmentos da Mata Atlântica na comunidade de tripes fungívoros. Em cada fragmento, foram selecionados dois tratamentos: (i) estágio sucessional intermediário e (ii) estágio sucessional inicial. Cada tratamento compreendeu três transectos, cada um com 10 unidades amostrais, totalizando 240 unidades amostrais. Foram amostrados 221 tripes adultos, 135 nas áreas de sucessão intermediária e 86 indivíduos nas áreas de sucessão inicial.  Encontramos 35 espécies de Thysanoptera em 15 gêneros, todos pertencentes à família Phlaeothripidae. Abundância, riqueza e diversidade de Shannon foram maiores em locais de sucessão intermediária. Esse baixo número de indivíduos e a alta riqueza de espécies sugerem uma distribuição notável da fauna de tripes na serapilheira. Embora alguns táxons estivessem mais relacionados ao estágio intermediário de sucessão, a estrutura de composição das espécies não diferiu entre os tratamentos. Nosso estudo indica que a fauna de tripes fungívoros associada à serapilheira foi afetada pelos diferentes estados de regeneração natural, sugerindo que esses insetos são sensíveis a diferentes estágios sucessionais

Ground-Dwelling and Vegetation Ant Fauna in Southern Brazilian Grasslands

Non-forest ecosystems, as natural grasslands from Southern Brazil, are still neglected in conservation policies. Measuring their biodiversity is one of the main steps to generate management strategies for these habitats. This study aims to (i) describe grassland ant richness and composition in Rio Grande do Sul state, and (ii) compare ant communities sampled on the ground and in grassland vegetation, adding to our knowledge of habitat use patterns and vegetation associated species. Six sites were sampled, three belonging to the Pampa biome and three in highland region from the Atlantic Forest biome. Ant fauna was collected once per year in summer during four years in each site with pitfalls traps and sweeping nets. Overall, 29,812 ant individuals were sampled belonging to eight subfamilies, 30 genera e 106 species. The grasslands of Pampa accumulated 91 species and 45 exclusive species, while highland grasslands summed up 61 species and only 15 exclusive species. Species composition differs between biomes as well as between sampling methods. Ant communities sampled from vegetation represented a clear subset of the fauna sampled with pitfall traps, and indication analysis showed only two species associated with this stratum: Myrmelachista gallicola and Pseudomyrmex nr. flavidulus. This study highlights the importance of Southern Brazilian grasslands and the need for specific conservation strategies for the natural grasslands from each biome

Influence of distance from adjacent forest fragments on aphids(Hemiptera: Aphididae) parasitoidism in wheat fields in Parana State, Brazil.

En los paisajes agrícolas, los hábitats no cultivados tales como fragmentos forestales pueden desempeñar una importante función para los enemigos naturales, pero también pueden favorecer a algunas plagas. Sin embargo, hay pocos estudios en regiones neotropicales. Así, el objetivo de este estudio fue investigar el parasitoidismo en áfidos a dos distancias (25 y 525 m) desde fragmentos forestales adyacentes a un cultivo de trigo. La investigación fue desarrollada en cuatro cultivos de trigo ubicados en el norte del Estado de Paraná, Brasil durante la temporada agrícola de 2009. En total fueron recolectados 8392 áfidos pertenecientes a dos especies, de los cuales 589 estaban parasitados por seis especies de parasitoides. En las cuatro áreas de estudio, la abundancia de áfidos y el parasitismo no mostraron una clara relación con la distancia desde los fragmentos forestales (25 y 525 m). Además se observó una relación inversa denso dependiente entre los áfidos y su parasitoidismo. En resumen, este estudio no respalda la hipótesis de mayor parasitismo de áfidos en las cercanías de los fragmentos forestales, sin embargo es el primer estudio en la región Neotropical, siendo necesario efectuar más investigación para mejorar la comprensión de esta interacción tritrófica

Effects of acute caffeine ingestion on the physical performance of amateur American football athletes

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of acute caffeine ingestion (5 mg.kg-1) on jump, isometric strength and repeated sprint performance in amateur American football athletes. Twelve players (24.6 ± 3.66 years and 115.18 ± 24.35 kg of body weight) ingested a dose of caffeine (5 mg.kg−1) or placebo 60 min prior to a testing session consisting of: 1) countermovement jump (CMJ); 2) isometric mid-tight pull (IMTP); and 3) 3-line drills (200-yd shuttle runs with a 2-minute rest between sprints). Two testing sessions were performed using a double-blind, counterbalanced, crossover design during a pre-season training camp. Results indicated: Caffeine ingestion improved CMJ performance (p = 0.035), but no differences were observed on IMTP strength (p = 0.22) and line drill performance (total time: p = 0.65, and fatigue (%): p = 0.75) when compared to placebo condition. Conclusion: Acute caffeine ingestion improved jump performance, but not isometric strength and repeated sprint with change-of-direction performance in amateur American Football athletes

Evidence for Reduced Specific Star Formation Rates in the Centers of Massive Galaxies at z = 4

We perform the first spatially-resolved stellar population study of galaxies in the early universe (z = 3.5 - 6.5), utilizing the Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey (CANDELS) imaging dataset over the GOODS-S field. We select a sample of 418 bright and extended galaxies at z = 3.5 - 6.5 from a parent sample of ~ 8000 photometric-redshift selected galaxies from Finkelstein et al. (2015). We first examine galaxies at 3.5< z < 4.0 using additional deep K-band survey data from the HAWK-I UDS and GOODS Survey (HUGS) which covers the 4000A break at these redshifts. We measure the stellar mass, star formation rate, and dust extinction for galaxy inner and outer regions via spatially-resolved spectral energy distribution fitting based on a Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm. By comparing specific star formation rates (sSFRs) between inner and outer parts of the galaxies we find that the majority of galaxies with the high central mass densities show evidence for a preferentially lower sSFR in their centers than in their outer regions, indicative of reduced sSFRs in their central regions. We also study galaxies at z ~ 5 and 6 (here limited to high spatial resolution in the rest-frame ultraviolet only), finding that they show sSFRs which are generally independent of radial distance from the center of the galaxies. This indicates that stars are formed uniformly at all radii in massive galaxies at z ~ 5 - 6, contrary to massive galaxies at z < 4.Comment: Accepted to ApJ, 20 pages, 15 figure

Detection of Lyman-Alpha Emission From a Triple Imaged z=6.85 Galaxy Behind MACS J2129.4-0741

We report the detection of Ly$\alpha$ emission at $\sim9538$\AA{} in the Keck/DEIMOS and \HST WFC3 G102 grism data from a triply-imaged galaxy at $z=6.846\pm0.001$ behind galaxy cluster MACS J2129.4$-$0741. Combining the emission line wavelength with broadband photometry, line ratio upper limits, and lens modeling, we rule out the scenario that this emission line is \oii at $z=1.57$. After accounting for magnification, we calculate the weighted average of the intrinsic Ly$\alpha$ luminosity to be $\sim1.3\times10^{42}~\mathrm{erg}~\mathrm{s}^{-1}$ and Ly$\alpha$ equivalent width to be $74\pm15$\AA{}. Its intrinsic UV absolute magnitude at 1600\AA{} is $-18.6\pm0.2$ mag and stellar mass $(1.5\pm0.3)\times10^{7}~M_{\odot}$, making it one of the faintest (intrinsic $L_{UV}\sim0.14~L_{UV}^*$) galaxies with Ly$\alpha$ detection at $z\sim7$ to date. Its stellar mass is in the typical range for the galaxies thought to dominate the reionization photon budget at $z\gtrsim7$; the inferred Ly$\alpha$ escape fraction is high ($\gtrsim 10$\%), which could be common for sub-$L^*$ $z\gtrsim7$ galaxies with Ly$\alpha$ emission. This galaxy offers a glimpse of the galaxy population that is thought to drive reionization, and it shows that gravitational lensing is an important avenue to probe the sub-$L^*$ galaxy population.Comment: Accepted by ApJ Letter