Pragmatic language disorder in Parkinson's disease and the potential effect of cognitive reserve

It is known that patients with Parkinson\u2019s Disease (PD) may show deficits in several areas of cognition, including speech and language abilities. One domain of particular interest is pragmatics, which refers to the capacity of using language in context for a successful communication. Several studies showed that some specific aspects of pragmatics \u2013 both in production and in comprehension \u2013 might be impaired in patients with PD. However, a clear picture of pragmatic abilities in PD is still missing, as most of the existing studies focused on specific aspects of the pragmatic competence rather than on sketching a complete pragmatic profile. Moreover, little is known on the potential role of protective factors in compensating the decline of communicative skills as the disease progresses. The present study has two aims: (1) to provide a complete picture of pragmatic abilities in patients with PD, by using a comprehensive battery (Assessment of Pragmatic Abilities and Cognitive Substrates, APACS) and by investigating the relationship with other aspects of cognitive functioning (e.g., working memory and Theory of Mind) and (2) to investigate whether Cognitive Reserve, i.e., the resilience to cognitive impairment provided by life experiences and activities, may compensate for the progressive pragmatic deficits in PD. We found that patients with PD, compared to healthy matched controls, had worse performance in discourse production and in the description of scenes, and that these impairments were tightly correlated with the severity of motor impairment, suggesting reduced intentionality of engaging in a communicative exchange. Patients with PD showed also an impairment in comprehending texts and humor, suggesting a problem in inferring from stories, which was related to general cognitive impairment. Notably, we did not find any significant difference between patients and controls in figurative language comprehension, a domain that is commonly impaired in other neurodegenerative diseases. This might be indicative of a specific profile of pragmatic impairment in patients with PD, worth of further investigation. Finally, Cognitive Reserve measures showed a high degree of association with pragmatic comprehension abilities, suggesting that the modification of life-styles could be a good candidate for compensating the possible problems in understanding the pragmatic aspects of language experienced by patients with PD

Redes observação e a evolução tecnológica contribuindo para o desenvolvimento de modelos matemáticos na Meteorologia no século XX.

O objetivo deste trabalho é promover uma reflexão relacionada às características da evolução científica e institucional do campo científico da Meteorologia que possibilitaram, a partir de meados do século XX, a utilização de modelos matemáticos para fins de previsão do tempo. A Meteorologia é uma ciência relativamente jovem, se comparada à Matemática ou à Física, e que tem ganhado destaque desde a última metade do século XX. Alguns historiadores apontam que, antes do advento dos computadores e da ameaça do aquecimento global, a Meteorologia não possuia um carisma e uma velocidade de progresso que pudesse atrair eventuais historiadores. No entanto, a própria significância das preocupações sociais com o clima e suas alterações que marcaram a segunda metade do século XX, acabaram por gerar interesse pelas análises históricas relacionadas à Meteorologia. Estas análises apontam a especial relevância da evolução/ revolução tecnológica ocorrida no século XVII, com a invenção de vários instrumentos de medição como o barômetro e ou termômetro que permitiram que a Meteorologia passasse a ser uma ciência de bases quantitativas. No século XIX, a Meteorologia teve novo impulso com a invenção de instrumentos mais modernos para medição e do telégrafo aliada à sua ampla utilização por redes de observação meteorológica. Estas condições tornaram possível a geração de mapas sinópticos de previsão e a criação de sistemas de monitoramento e alarmes. Com isto, os serviços meteorológicos passaram a chamar a atenção dos Estados Nacionais. A evolução tecnológica e as formas institucionais criadas para o fornecimento de serviços meteorológicos - notadamente marcadas pelas redes de observação apoiadas pelo telégrafo - fornecem elementos para entender a evolução das técnicas utilizadas para atividades de previsão do tempo nos séculos XIX e XX. No século XX, a evolução tecnológica, calcada no desenvolvimento de tecnologias de informação e comunicação, permitiu o desenvolvimento de modelos matemáticos de previsão do tempo. O desenvolvimento do computador ENIAC, na década de 1950, possibilitou o cálculo da primeira previsão numérica do tempo. Este trabalho apresenta, sob uma forma revisional, o contexto tecnológico, organizacional e histórico que criou condições para a consolidação dos modelos de previsão numérica no campo da Meteorologia.Simpósio temático "Ciência&Tecnologia-Sociedade-História: Abordagens construtivistas"

Mercado de AgroTIC e transferência de tecnologia.

Este capítulo busca analisar o mercado de TIC aplicadas ao setor agropecuário no Brasil e os modelos e formas de disponibilização de tecnologias geradas pela Embrapa Informática Agropecuária com foco em diferentes públicos de interesse. Unidade temática de pesquisa da Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (Embrapa), a Embrapa Informática Agropecuária vem desde 1985 desenvolvendo soluções de tecnologia de informação para o setor agropecuário

Redes agrometeorológicas: histórico e estudos de casos em agrometeorologia.

RESUMO: Este trabalho objetiva identificar as origens de ações em rede na meteorologia, relatada a partir do século XIX, considerando os aspectos tecnológicos e institucionais que contribuíram para viabilizar sua formação. O artigo contempla também a análise de duas experiências envolvendo redes no campo da Meteorologia Agrícola que visam contribuir para a redução de riscos agrícolas associados às condições do tempo e clima em território brasileiro. Os casos analisados foram: a implementação do Zoneamento Agrícola de Riscos Climáticos e o desenvolvimento do sistema Agritempo

Mercado de aplicativos móveis (Apps) para uso na agricultura.

Resumo: Este artigo apresenta as características gerais do mercado de aplicativos móveis e seu uso na agropecuária. O trabalho envolveu revisões de literatura e pesquisa mercadológica nos websites que acompanham e analisam constantemente este mercado. Tendo em vista a grande popularização dos Apps na vida quotidiana por meio do desenvolvimento do mercado de smartphones, busca-se, com este trabalho, oferecer informações atualizadas e relevantes visando popularizar o uso de aplicativos pelos atores envolvidos na produção agrícola como gestores, consultores, extensionistas e produtores de diversos portes. O foco da pesquisa foi a busca de aplicativos móveis na área de Agrometeorologia para embasar as atividades da equipe do projeto ?Aperfeiçoamento e evolução do sistema Agritempo: foco em ferramentas móveis, Web 2.0, WebGIS e estratégias de disseminação da tecnologia ? Agritempo2?.SIAGRO 2014

Analytical solution of the optimal laser control problem in two-level systems

The optimal control of two-level systems by time-dependent laser fields is studied using a variational theory. We obtain, for the first time, general analytical expressions for the optimal pulse shapes leading to global maximization or minimization of different physical quantities. We present solutions which reproduce and improve previous numerical results.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figure

Network as a strategy to break silos and promote open innovation.

Abstract: Objectives: The central objective of this paper is to propose and test a model for the development of network governance structures to respond to the silo effect in the innovation management process in a large research organization. Method: A case study was used with the objective of building a governance model that could address the problems derived from the silo effect. To achieve the objective, validation workshops were held, with teams being challenged to reflect on the mechanisms and basic rules used to assemble the model. Results: The efforts made to inhibit the silo effect in the organization investigated were successful. Internal events were held to exchange knowledge between research centers, which resulted in greater stimulation of connections between these and other actors throughout the innovation ecosystem. Conclusions: The governance model adopted to mitigate the problems derived from the silo effect proved to be effective in promoting interaction between research centers on issues related to open innovation. The model, supported by mechanisms and basic rules inserted in the key actions, proved to be efficient in promoting a more intense relationship between the research units of the institution studied, resulting in new network actions

Intellectual property & technology transfer practices of public Brazilian science and technology institutes: multiple case studies.

The "Technological Innovation Act", promulgated in Brazil in 2004, represents the main legal framework implemented to promote technological innovation and to delineate a favorable scenario for scientific development in Brazil. It regulates specially the relationship between Scientific and Technological Institutions (STI) - such as universities and public research institutes - and private companies in Brazil. Among other things, the law determines that each STI should compose a Technological Innovation Center (NIT, as its acronym in Portuguese) to act as an interface of the STI and its markets. These centers are equivalent to what is internationally called Technology Transfer Office and have as main responsibility to transfer the knowledge and inventions generated at Public Research Institutes (PRI) to private sector.This paper describes and provides some reflections upon the experience of three NIT, located in the State of São Paulo (Brazil): Innovation Agency of University of Campinas (Inova/ Unicamp); Innovation Agency of Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) and Embrapa Informatics of Agriculture. The analysis was focused on the following issues: history, legal structure and organizational model, mission and activities, relationships and results.RWIO 2014

Trail Overexpression Inversely Correlates with Histological Differentiation in Intestinal-Type Sinonasal Adenocarcinoma

Introduction. Despite their histological resemblance to colorectal adenocarcinoma, there is some information about the molecular events involved in the pathogenesis of intestinal-type sinonasal adenocarcinomas (ITACs). To evaluate the possible role of TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) gene defects in ITAC, by investigating the immunohistochemical expression of TRAIL gene product in a group of ethmoidal ITACs associated with occupational exposure. Material and Methods. Retrospective study on 23 patients with pathological diagnosis of primary ethmoidal ITAC. Representative formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded block from each case was selected for immunohistochemical studies using the antibody against TRAIL. Clinicopathological data were also correlated with the staining results. Results. The immunohistochemical examination demonstrated that poorly differentiated cases showed a higher percentage of TRAIL expressing cells compared to well-differentiated cases. No correlation was found with other clinicopathological parameters, including T, stage and relapses. Conclusion. The relationship between upregulation of TRAIL and poorly differentiated ethmoidal adenocarcinomas suggests that the mutation of this gene, in combination with additional genetic events, could play a role in the pathogenesis of ITAC

Analytic calculation of nonadiabatic transition probabilities from monodromy of differential equations

The nonadiabatic transition probabilities in the two-level systems are calculated analytically by using the monodromy matrix determining the global feature of the underlying differential equation. We study the time-dependent 2x2 Hamiltonian with the tanh-type plus sech-type energy difference and with constant off-diagonal elements as an example to show the efficiency of the monodromy approach. The application of this method to multi-level systems is also discussed.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figure