Alterations in brain connectivity due to plasticity and synaptic delay

Brain plasticity refers to brain's ability to change neuronal connections, as a result of environmental stimuli, new experiences, or damage. In this work, we study the effects of the synaptic delay on both the coupling strengths and synchronisation in a neuronal network with synaptic plasticity. We build a network of Hodgkin-Huxley neurons, where the plasticity is given by the Hebbian rules. We verify that without time delay the excitatory synapses became stronger from the high frequency to low frequency neurons and the inhibitory synapses increases in the opposite way, when the delay is increased the network presents a non-trivial topology. Regarding the synchronisation, only for small values of the synaptic delay this phenomenon is observed

Discards in the common fisheries policy: the evolution of the policy

This chapter deals with the development of the European Union (EU) discard policy over time. It describes the process from 1992, when the issue of discards was first recognised in the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) reform process, to the Landing Obligation (LO) adopted in 2013. It analyses the context to which policy choices were made that shaped the present format of the EU LO, how it is being implemented and the impact it is having on associated fisheries management measures. Finally, future possible policy developments are examined

Eficácia de Beauveria bassiana para o controle de Hedypathes betulinus em erva-mate, Ilex paraguariensis.

O controle das pragas da erva-mate, dentre as quais a broca-da-erva-mate, Hedypathes betulinus, é limitado principalmente a técnicas silviculturais e catação manual, pois não é permitida a aplicação de agroquímicos nessa cultura. A fim de contribuir com informações para o controle biológico de H. betulinus, o presente trabalho teve por objetivos determinar a eficácia e o número de aplicações anuais do micoinseticida à base do fungo entomopatogênico Beauveria bassiana para o controle dessa praga. Os experimentos foram conduzidos em uma área de erva-mate em monocultura, no município de Campo Alegre, SC, Brasil. O formulado foi pulverizado no tronco e na base das árvores, de acordo com um cronograma de duas ou três aplicações, em diferentes meses do ano. Constatou-se a eficácia com a utilização do formulado, sendo que os dados de captura das áreas tratadas diferiram estatisticamente da testemunha e do tratamento com catação manual. Contudo, não houve diferença estatística entre os tratamentos com duas e três aplicações, sendo capturados, respectivamente, 18,4% e 17,7% dos insetos marcados. Assim, apenas duas pulverizações com B. bassiana realizadas nos meses de novembro e fevereiro são eficientes para o controle de H. betulinus e manutenção do inóculo na área de erva-mate em monocultur

Desenvolvimento de cultivares de bananeiras tipoNanica em função de níveis de adubação.

A exigência por nutrientes da bananeira é extremamente elevada, porém nem sempre é dada a devida atenção a este fator, o que tem levado a baixas produções e a suscetibilidade as doenças, principalmente a Sigatoka-negra e ao mal-do-Panamá, o que vem ocasionando aumento nos custos de produção. Para isso, a Embrapa Mandioca e Fruticultura introduziu diversos híbridos, na qual apresentam tolerância a estas doenças. Além da EMBRAPA, a APTA - Instituto Agronômico (IAC) selecionou uma cultivar tolerante à Sigatoka-negra, denominada Nanicão IAC 2001

Probing the ejecta of evolved massive stars in transition: A VLT/SINFONI K-band survey

Massive evolved stars in transition phases, such as Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs), B[e] Supergiants (B[e]SGs), and Yellow Hypergiants (YHGs), are not well understood, and yet crucial steps in determining accurate stellar and galactic evolution models. The circumstellar environments of these stars reveal their mass-loss history, identifying clues to both their individual evolutionary status and the connection between objects of different phases. Here we present a survey of 25 such evolved massive stars (16 B[e]SGs, 6 LBVs, 2 YHGs, and 1 Peculiar Oe star), observed in the K-band with the Spectrograph for INtegral Field Observation in the Near-Infrared (SINFONI; R = 4500) on the ESO VLT UT4 8 m telescope. The sample can be split into two categories based on spectral morphology: one group includes all of the B[e]SGs, the Peculiar Oe star, and two of the LBVs, while the other includes the YHGs and the rest of the LBVs. The difference in LBV spectral appearance is due to some objects being in a quiescent phase and some objects being in an active or outburst phase. CO emission features are found in 13 of our targets, with first time detections for MWC 137, LHA 120-S 35, and LHA 115-S 65. From model fits to the CO band heads, the emitting regions appear to be detached from the stellar surface. Each star with ^12CO features also shows ^13CO emission, signaling an evolved nature. Based on the level of ^13C enrichment, we conclude that many of the B[e]SGs are likely in a pre-Red Supergiant phase of their evolution. There appears to be a lower luminosity limit of log L/L_solar = 5.0 below which CO is not detected. The lack of CO features in several high luminosity B[e]SGs and variability in others suggests that they may in fact be LBV candidates, strengthening the connection between these two very similar transition phases.Comment: 20 pages, 13 figures, 7 tables. Accepted for publication in A&

Complementary action of chemical and electrical synapses to perception

Acknowledgements This study was possible by partial financial support from the following agencies: Fundação Araucária, EPSRC-EP/I032606/1, CNPq No. 441553/2014-1, CAPES No. 17656-12-5 and Science Without Borders Program— Process Nos. 17656125, 99999.010583/2013-00 and 245377/2012-3.Peer reviewedPostprin