The particularity of emotional words. A grounded approach

This work focuses on emotional concepts. We define concepts as patterns of neural activation that re-enact a given external or internal experience, for example the interoceptive experience related to fear. Concepts are mediated and expressed through words. In the following, we will use “words” to refer to word meanings, assuming that words mediate underlying concepts. Since emotional concepts and the words that mediate them are less related to the physical environment than concrete ones, at first sight they might be depicted as abstract concepts. Evidence coming from several studies shows, instead, that the issue is more complex. In this work, we will briefly outline the debate and illustrate results from recent studies on comprehension of concrete, emotional and abstract words in children and adults. We will argue that emotional words can be accounted for from a grounded perspective and will contend that emotional words represent a particular set of words that differs from both the concrete and purely abstract ones

Manejo de espécies forrageiras em consórcio com milho safrinha.

O propósito deste documento é fornecer algumas informações sobre o cultivo consorciado de milho com espécies forrageiras dos gêneros Urochloa e Panicum, de forma a proporcionar maiores subsídios na tomada de decisão quanto à adoção deste sistema visando a sustentabilidade de sistemas produtivos de grãos e de carne/leite, pela utilização do componente forrageiro em duplo propósito para fornecer forragem no período de maior escassez de alimento e, ainda, viabilizar o SPD pelo resíduo depositado na superfície do solo.Editado por: Germani Concenço, Gessi Ceccon

Manejo de espécies forrageiras em consórcio com milho safrinha.

O propósito deste documento é fornecer algumas informações sobre o cultivo consorciado de milho com espécies forrageiras dos gêneros Urochloa e Panicum, de forma a proporcionar maiores subsídios na tomada de decisão quanto à adoção deste sistema visando a sustentabilidade de sistemas produtivos de grãos e de carne/leite, pela utilização do componente forrageiro em duplo propósito para fornecer forragem no período de maior escassez de alimento e, ainda, viabilizar o SPD pelo resíduo depositado na superfície do solo.Editado por: Germani Concenço, Gessi Ceccon

Definizione, acquisizione sperimentale ed elaborazione di traiettorie di riferimento della mano umana per la sintesi di architetture protesiche di arto superiore

This paper reports an essential part of a wider research activity, which entails the development of a procedure for the Determination of the Optimal Prosthesis Architecture (DOPA) for a given upper limb amputee. A fundamental algorithm of the DOPA procedure performs the kinematic analysis of several prosthetic arm models (also with less than the six degrees of freedom normally required to correctly execute a generic manipulation task). The algorithm must simulate the execution of important daily living activities performed by a prosthesis and thus it requires reference trajectories of the hand. By means of experimental analysis, 59 trajectories of the hand of an able-bodied subject were acquired to identify a modality to correctly perform the corresponding tasks. This paper illustrates in detail the stages of task analysis, experimental acquisition and data processing in order to define the required reference trajectories. The obtained reference trajectories are a temporal succession of the hand pose (position and orientation). A customized algorithm automatically selects the most relevant poses to be considered for the definition of the reference trajectory. The hand pose is reported in the Cartesian Space by means of Natural Coordinates. In order to correctly execute a given task the pose error admitted for the end-effector of the different architectures is associated to each trajectory. In particular, the critical problem to express the orientation error is solved by means of the use of Spherical Rotation Coordinates

Changing ideas about others' intentions: updating prior expectations tunes activity in the human motor system

Predicting intentions from observing another agent’s behaviours is often thought to depend on motor resonance – i.e., the motor system’s response to a perceived movement by the activation of its stored motor counterpart, but observers might also rely on prior expectations, especially when actions take place in perceptually uncertain situations. Here we assessed motor resonance during an action prediction task using transcranial magnetic stimulation to probe corticospinal excitability (CSE) and report that experimentally-induced updates in observers’ prior expectations modulate CSE when predictions are made under situations of perceptual uncertainty. We show that prior expectations are updated on the basis of both biomechanical and probabilistic prior information and that the magnitude of the CSE modulation observed across participants is explained by the magnitude of change in their prior expectations. These findings provide the first evidence that when observers predict others’ intentions, motor resonance mechanisms adapt to changes in their prior expectations. We propose that this adaptive adjustment might reflect a regulatory control mechanism that shares some similarities with that observed during action selection. Such a mechanism could help arbitrate the competition between biomechanical and probabilistic prior information when appropriate for prediction

Evaluation of the recovery 15n-ammonium nitrate in capim-Marandu grass pasture and corn cultivated in a crop-livestock integration.

The study aimed at evaluating the total nitrogen accumulation and the nitrogen accumulated in the intercropping corn and B. brizantha evaluating the total nitrogen concentration from the fertilizer ammonium nitrate under different rates (15NH4NO3) applied in the forages plants after corn harvest, and the residual effect of this practice in the following corn crop in the next growing season

RF communication with implantable wireless device: effects of beating heart on performance of miniature antenna

The frequency response of an implantable antenna is key to the performance of a wireless implantable sensor. If the antenna detunes significantly, there are substantial power losses resulting in loss of accuracy. One reason for detuning is because of a change in the surrounding environment of an antenna. The pulsating anatomy of the human heart constitutes such a changing environment, so detuning is expected but this has not been quantified dynamically before. Four miniature implantable antennas are presented (two different geometries) along with which are placed within the heart of living swine the dynamic reflection coefficients. These antennas are designed to operate in the short range devices frequency band (863-870 MHz) and are compatible with a deeply implanted cardiovascular pressure sensor. The measurements recorded over 27 seconds capture the effects of the beating heart on the frequency tuning of the implantable antennas. When looked at in the time domain, these effects are clearly physiological and a combination of numerical study and posthumous autopsy proves this to be the case, while retrospective simulation confirms this hypothesis. The impact of pulsating anatomy on antenna design and the need for wideband implantable antennas is highlighted

Previous intercropping corn with palisadegrass in a tropical region as affecting soil fertility and annual crops nutrition and grain yields.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the introduction of perennial forage as a previous cultivation in the soil fertility and on the five followed cash crop nutrition and grain yield in a tropical region

Nitrogen fertilization (15 NH4 NO3) of palisadegrass and residual effect on subsequent no-tillage corn.

ABSTRACT - Nitrogen is required in large amounts by plants and their dinamics in corn and perennial forages intercropped is little known. This study analyzed the efficiency of nitrogen fertilization (15NH4NO3) applied after corn grain harvest to palisadegrass (Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu) in intercrops sown at two times, as well as the N residual effect on the subsequent corn crop. The field experiment was performed in Botucatu, São Paulo State, in southeastern Brazil, on a structured Alfisol under no-tillage. The experiment was arranged in a randomized block design in a split plot scheme with four replications. The main plots consisted of two intercropping systems (corn and palisadegrass sown together and palisadegrass sown later, at corn top-dressing fertilization). The subplots consisted of four N rates (0, 30, 60, and 120 kg ha-1 N). The subplots contained microplots, in which enriched ammonium nitrate (15NH4NO3) was applied at the same rates. The time of intercrop sowing affected forage dry matter production, the amount of fertilizer-derived N in and the N use efficiency by the forage plants. Nitrogen applied in autumn to palisadegrass intercropped with corn, planted either at corn sowing or at N top-dressing fertilization, increased the forage yield up to a rate of 60 kg ha-1 The amount of fertilizer-derived N by the forage plants and the fertilizer use efficiency by palisadegrass were highest 160 days after fertilization for both intercrop sowing times, regardless of N rates. Residual N did not affect the N nutrition of corn plants grown in succession to palisadegrass, but increased grain yield at rates of 60 and 120 kg ha-1 N, when corn was grown on palisadegrass straw from the intercrop installed at corn fertilization (top-dressing). Our results indicated that the earlier intercropping allowed higher forage dry matter production. On the other hand, the later intercrop allowed a higher corn grain yield in succession to N-fertilized palisadegrass. RESUMO - O nitrogênio é requerido em grandes quantidades pelas plantas e sua dinâmica no consórcio entre milho e forrageiras tropicais perenes é pouco conhecida. Objetivou-se avaliar a eficiência de utilização da adubação nitrogenada (15NH4NO3) no capim-marandu (Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu), proveniente de duas épocas de consórcios com o milho, realizadas após a colheita da cultura granífera, bem como o efeito residual no milho cultivado em sucessão. O experimento foi conduzido na Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas da UNESP em Botucatu, SP, em Nitossolo Vermelho sob sistema plantio direto. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos casualizados em parcelas subdivididas. As parcelas foram constituídas pelas épocas de consórcio: milho e capim-marandu semeados simultaneamente; e capim-marandu semeado na adubação de cobertura do milho. As subparcelas foram compostas pelas doses de 30, 60 e 120 kg ha-1 de N, aplicadas no capim-marandu após a colheita da cultura do milho. Nas subparcelas, foram alocadas microparcelas para aplicação de nitrato de amônio enriquecido (15NH4NO3) nessas mesmas doses. A época de implantação do consórcio influenciou a produção de massa de matéria seca da forrageira, a quantidade de N na planta proveniente do fertilizante e a eficiência de utilização do N pelas plantas forrageiras. A aplicação de N no outono no capimmarandu, implantado por meio do consórcio com o milho, tanto na semeadura quanto na adubação nitrogenada de cobertura, proporcionou aumento de produtividade da forrageira até a dose de 60 kg ha-1. Os maiores acúmulos de N e a eficiência de utilização do fertilizante pelo capim-marandu, oriundo de ambas as épocas de consórcio, ocorreram aos 160 dias após a fertilização, independentemente das doses de N. O residual das doses de N, aplicadas no capimmarandu, não interferiu na nutrição nitrogenada do milho em sucessão, porém incrementou a produtividade de grãos nas doses de 60 e 120 kg ha-1 de N, quando o cereal foi cultivado sobre palhada proveniente do consórcio implantado na adubação de cobertura do milho. Com base nos resultados, pode-se inferir que a implantação antecipada do consórcio proporciona maior produtividade de massa de matéria seca da forrageira, enquanto quando implantado mais tarde propicia maior produtividade de grãos do milho em sucessão à forrageira adubada com N

Evaluation of the recovery 15n-ammonium nitrate in capim-Marandu grass pasture and corn cultivated in a crop-livestock integration.

The study aimed at evaluating the total nitrogen accumulation and the nitrogen accumulated in the intercropping corn and B. brizantha evaluating the total nitrogen concentration from the fertilizer ammonium nitrate under different rates (15NH4NO3) applied in the forages plants after corn harvest, and the residual effect of this practice in the following corn crop in the next growing season