Executive functions in insomnia disorder: a systematic review and exploratory meta-analysis

Background: Executive functions (EFs) are involved in the control of basic psychological processes such as attention and memory and also contribute to emotion regulation. Research on the presence of EFs impairments in insomnia yielded inconsistent results. Therefore, we performed a systematic review of the literature on three EFs: inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility in adults with insomnia in order to investigate the presence and magnitude of insomnia-related EFs impairments. Methods: PubMed, Scopus, Medline, and PsycINFO were searched. Risk of bias assessment of included studies was performed by two independent researchers. Findings were summarised using both a narrative approach and meta-analysis. Cohen’s d was calculated at 95% confidence interval (CI) as effect size of between groups differences. Results: Twenty-eight studies comparing adult individuals with a diagnosis of insomnia and healthy controls on neuropsychological measures of EFs were included. Narrative synthesis revealed substantial variability across study findings. Factors that were primarily hypothesised to account for this variability are: objective sleep impairments and test sensitivity. Exploratory meta-analysis showed impaired performance of small to moderate magnitude in individuals with insomnia as compared to controls in reaction times, but not accuracy rates, of inhibitory control (d = −0.32, 95% CI: −0.52 to −0.13) and cognitive flexibility tasks (d = −0.30, 95% CI: −0.59 to −0.01). Performance in working memory tasks was also significantly impacted (d = −0.19, 95% CI: −0.38 to −0.00). Effects sizes were larger when insomnia was associated with objective sleep impairments, rather than normal sleep. Conclusions: We gathered evidence supporting small to moderate deficits in EFs in individuals with insomnia. Due to the small sample size results should be considered preliminary and interpreted carefully

Aging and Rejuvenation with Fractional Derivatives

We discuss a dynamic procedure that makes the fractional derivatives emerge in the time asymptotic limit of non-Poisson processes. We find that two-state fluctuations, with an inverse power-law distribution of waiting times, finite first moment and divergent second moment, namely with the power index mu in the interval 2<mu <3, yields a generalized master equation equivalent to the sum of an ordinary Markov contribution and of a fractional derivative term. We show that the order of the fractional derivative depends on the age of the process under study. If the system is infinitely old, the order of the fractional derivative, ord, is given by ord=3-mu . A brand new system is characterized by the degree ord=mu -2. If the system is prepared at time -ta<0$ and the observation begins at time t=0, we derive the following scenario. For times 0<t<<ta the system is satisfactorily described by the fractional derivative with ord=3-mu . Upon time increase the system undergoes a rejuvenation process that in the time limit t>>ta yields ord=mu -2. The intermediate time regime is probably incompatible with a picture based on fractional derivatives, or, at least, with a mono-order fractional derivative.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

O programa nacional de fortalecimento da agricultura familiar no Brasil: uma análise sobre a distribuição regional e setorial dos recursos.

No Brasil, as políticas públicas para o espaço rural sempre tenderam a priorizar a agricultura patronal, em detrimento dos agricultores familiares. Todavia, os estudos realizados pelos órgãos FAO - INCRA deram subsídio para a criação do Programa Nacional de Fortalecimento da Agricultura Familiar (PRONAF), resultando em um novo direcionamento dos investimentos públicos, os quais passaram a contemplar o segmento dos agricultores familiares. Entende-se o PRONAF como uma política não-compensatória, que, apesar de seus problemas, tem contribuído de fato para mudanças e melhorias no espaço agrário brasileiro. Desde sua criação no final da década de 1990, o PRONAF passou por várias mudanças em sua estrutura administrativa e operacional, a fim de alcançar seus objetivos e adequar-se face a complexa realidade social agrária brasileira. Sendo assim, o presente estudo visa discutir as ações do Estado por meio desse Programa, a partir de suas linhas de atuação, bem como analisar a distribuição de suas concessões de crédito regional e setorialmente. Assim, os procedimentos metodológicos utilizados para a realização deste trabalho compreendem pesquisa bibliográfica e documental, além de pesquisa em fontes secundárias, no intuito de obter dados e informações relevantes para a análise das relações sociais estabelecidas em meio a esse processo de concretização e espacialização desse Programa. Dentre as implicações do PRONAF pode-se notar em âmbito nacional, uma diminuição da disparidade regional brasileira, bem como a preocupação que o Programa tem demonstrado com os aspectos socioculturais locais e regionais, como forma de garantir que seus investimentos perpassem a dimensão econômica, mas valorize outras dimensões, a exemplo dos elementos culturais

The confined hydrogen atom with a moving nucleus

We study the hydrogen atom confined to a spherical box with impenetrable walls but, unlike earlier pedagogical articles on the subject, we assume that the nucleus also moves. We obtain the ground-state energy approximately by means of first--order perturbation theory and by a more accurate variational approach. We show that it is greater than the one for the case in which the nucleus is clamped at the center of the box. Present approach resembles the well-known treatment of the helium atom with clamped nucleus

The useful potential of using existing data to uniquely identify predictable wind events and regimes, part 1

Correlations between standard meteorological data and wind power generation potential were developed. Combined with appropriate wind forecasts, these correlations can be useful to load dispatchers to supplement conventional energy sources. Hourly wind data were analyzed for four sites, each exhibiting a unique physiography. These sites are Amarillo, Texas; Ludington, Michigan; Montauk Point, New York; and San Gorgonio, California. Synoptic weather maps and tables are presented to illustrate various wind 'regimes' at these sites

Tilt Angle Optimization in Two-Tier Cellular Networks - A Stochastic Geometry Approach

In this work, we address the antenna tilt optimization problem for a two tier cellular network consisting of macrocells and femtocells, where both tiers share the same spectrum and their positions are modelled via two independent Poisson Point Processes (PPPs). First, we derive the coverage probability for a traditional cellular network consisting only of macrocells and obtain the optimum tilt angle that maximises the overall energy efficiency (EE). Gains of up to 400% in EE were found for a scenario (approximately) equivalent to a hexagonal cell deployment with cell radius of 200 m when the optimum tilt was selected. We then proceed to model the Heterogeneous Network (HetNet) scenario where femtocells are also deployed in the network’s area. We observe that the macro users performance is highly sensitive to the interference emanating from the femtocell tier. In order to circumvent this issue, interference coordination by employing a guard zone for the macrocell user is proposed. Subsequently, we formulate a joint optimization problem where we derive both, the radius of a guard zone protecting the macro user and the tilt angle that maximize the EE of the network

Uma perspectiva naturalista do usuário de design

Este estudo reúne uma série de informações sobre design centrado no usuário e naturalismo. Através da compilação e análise de dados bibliográficos, breves conhecimentos sobre cada tema foram relacionados com o intuito de apresentar uma perspectiva naturalista do usuário de produtos de design. O método de pesquisa utilizado foi a investigação bibliográfica, que abrange as áreas de design, design centrado no usuário e naturalismo filosófico. Exemplificando as relações entre essas áreas, alguns conhecimentos obtidos pela neurociência fornecem uma perspectiva naturalista do usuário de design, de modo a mostrar como fatores biológicos podem influenciar sua interação com objetos de design.Abstract: This study collects a range of information about user-centered design and naturalism. Through the compilation and analysis of bibliographic data, brief knowledge of each theme were related to present a naturalistic perspective of the user of design products. The research method employed was a bibliographic search, covering the areas of design, user-centered design and philosophical naturalism. Exemplifying the relations between these areas, some knowledge from neuroscience provide a naturalistic perspective of the user of design products, in order to show how biological factors influence his interaction with design objects

Utilização de minhocas na estabilização de resíduos orgânicos: Vermicompostagem.

Criação das minhocas.bitstream/CNPAB-2010/27133/1/cot008.pdfed. rev. mod

A Method for Combining Experimentation and Molecular Dynamics Simulation to Improve Cohesive Zone Models for Metallic Microstructures

Fracture processes within a material begin at the nanometer length scale at which the formation, propagation, and interaction of fundamental damage mechanisms occur. Physics-based modeling of these atomic processes quickly becomes computationally intractable as the system size increases. Thus, a multiscale modeling method, based on the aggregation of fundamental damage processes occurring at the nanoscale within a cohesive zone model, is under development and will enable computationally feasible and physically meaningful microscale fracture simulation in polycrystalline metals. This method employs atomistic simulation to provide an optimization loop with an initial prediction of a cohesive zone model (CZM). This initial CZM is then applied at the crack front region within a finite element model. The optimization procedure iterates upon the CZM until the finite element model acceptably reproduces the near-crack-front displacement fields obtained from experimental observation. With this approach, a comparison can be made between the original CZM predicted by atomistic simulation and the converged CZM that is based on experimental observation. Comparison of the two CZMs gives insight into how atomistic simulation scales

Período apropriado para a substituição de copa do cajueiro anão precoce ou para a enxertia direta no campo.

O estudo tem o objetivo de apresentar uma alternativa para formacão de pomares de cajueiro anão precoce, em razão da grande dificuldade de disponibilidade de mudas enxertadas a época própria para plantio.bitstream/CNPAT-2010/11938/1/Pa-044.pd