Effects of visuospatial tasks on desensitization to emotive memories

Objectives: Vivid and intrusive memories of extreme trauma can disrupt a stepwise approach to imaginal exposure. Concurrent tasks that load the visuo-spatial sketchpad (VSSP) of working memory reduce memory vividness during imaginal exposure. Such tasks may help maintain a progressive exposure protocol while minimizing distress during treatment. The current study tested whether relief of distress from a competing VSSP load during emotive imagery is at the cost of impaired desensitization. Design: This study examined repeated exposure to emotive memories using 18 unselected undergraduates, using a within-subjects design. Method: Participants recalled three positive and three negative self-related memories, and rated the vividness and emotiveness of the image. Participants then received all three conditions (Eye Movements; Visual Noise; Control) in a counterbalanced order. One positive and one negative recollection were used for each condition. They then rated the vividness of the image and their emotional response before proceeding to the next trial. There were 8 trials for each image. At a noninterference session one week later, participants recalled each image, rating its vividness and their emotional response. Results: Consistent with previous research, vividness and distress during imaging were lower during eye movements than in exposure alone, with passive visual interference giving intermediate results. A small reduction in emotional responses a week later was of similar size for the three conditions

Spatial distribution of bed variables, animal welfare indicators, and milk production in a closed compost-bedded pack barn with a negative tunnel ventilation system

This research aimed to characterize, evaluate and compare the spatial distribution of the leading bed variables, animal welfare indicators, and milk production in a closed compost-bedded pack barn (CBP) with a negative tunnel ventilation system, for summer and winter periods. The study was carried out in a CBP located in the Zona da Mata region, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The geostatistical modeling technique evaluated the variables of temper ature, moisture content, and pH (on the surface and depth of 0.20m) across the length of the bed. Bed samples were characterized for carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and C:N ratio. Cows housed in the CBP were assessed for locomotion and hygiene scores and average milk production. To evaluate the thermoregulation of the cows, the respiratory rate (RR) and surface temperature (ST) were measured. Geostatistical analysis showed spatial dependence and the non-uniformity of the spatial distribution of bed variables. The worst levels of bed tem perature and moisture were found in the regions close to the evaporative cooling plate, surrounding the feeding alley, and in the region with the highest cow stocking. The C:N ratio, obtained in both climatic seasons of the year, remained outside the recommended range for ideal composting. During the summer and winter, the bed variables’ values suggest that the material was below levels for optimal composting; however, the aerated inner layer was biologically active. The high animal density significantly impacted the worsening of the bed moisture content and internal temperature. In general, dairy cows showed adequate hygiene (score of 1 and 2) and locomotion (score of 0 and 1) scores for the two climatic seasons evaluated, indicating good welfare conditions. In relation to RR and ST, the summer period presented less favorable environmental conditions. During winter, the average milk production was 28.1 ± 7.2 kg day-1, and during summer, it was 26.9 ± 6.7 kg day-1

On Aharonov-Casher bound states

In this work bound states for the Aharonov-Casher problem are considered. According to Hagen's work on the exact equivalence between spin-1/2 Aharonov-Bohm and Aharonov-Casher effects, is known that the $\boldsymbol{\nabla}\cdot\mathbf{E}$ term cannot be neglected in the Hamiltonian if the spin of particle is considered. This term leads to the existence of a singular potential at the origin. By modeling the problem by boundary conditions at the origin which arises by the self-adjoint extension of the Hamiltonian, we derive for the first time an expression for the bound state energy of the Aharonov-Casher problem. As an application, we consider the Aharonov-Casher plus a two-dimensional harmonic oscillator. We derive the expression for the harmonic oscillator energies and compare it with the expression obtained in the case without singularity. At the end, an approach for determination of the self-adjoint extension parameter is given. In our approach, the parameter is obtained essentially in terms of physics of the problem.Comment: 11 pages, matches published versio

"high Doses Of Riboflavin And The Elimination Of Dietary Red Meat Promote The Recovery Of Some Motor Functions In Parkinson's Disease Patients. C.g. Coimbra And V.b.c. Junqueira. Brazilian Journal Of Medical And Biological Research, 36: 1409-1417, 2003"

[No abstract available]37912971299Coimbra, C.G., Junqueira, V.B.C., High doses of riboflavin and the elimination of dietary red meat promote the recovery of some motor functions in Parkinson's disease patients (2003) Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research, 36, pp. 1409-1417Pare, S., Burr, S.I., Ross, S.E., Effect of day-time protein restriction on nutrient intakes of free-living Parkinson's disease patients (1992) American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 55, pp. 701-707Simon, N., Gantcheva, R., Bruguerolle, B., Viallet, F., The effects of a normal protein diet on levodopa plasma kinetics in advanced Parkinson's disease (2004) Parkinsonism and Related Disorders, 10, pp. 137-142Fahn, S., Elton, R.L., Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (1987) Recent Developments in Parkinson's Disease, 2, pp. 153-164. , Members of the UPDRS Development Committee Fahn S, Marsden CD, Calne DB & Goldstein M (Editors), MacMillan Health Care Information, Florham Park, NJ, USABaldereschi, M., DiCarlo, A., Vanni, P., Ghetti, A., Carbonin, P., Amaducci, L., Inzitani, D., Italian longitudinal study on aging working group. Lifestyle related risk factors for Parkinson's disease: A populational study (2003) Acta Neurologica Scandinavica, 108, pp. 239-244Tsai, C.H., Lo, S.K., See, L.C., Chen, H.Z., Chen, R.S., Weng, Y.H., Chang, F.C., Lu, C.S., Environmental risk factors of young onset Parkinson's disease (2002) Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery, 104, pp. 328-333Tanner, C.M., Epidemiological clues to the cause of Parkinson's disease (1994) Movement Disorders 3, pp. 124-146. , Marsden CD & Fahn S (Editors) Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UKGolbe, L.I., Farrel, T.M., Davis, P.H., Case-control study of early life dietary factors in Parkinson's disease (1988) Archives of Neurology, 45, pp. 350-353Abbot, R.D., Ross, G.W., White, C.R., Sanderson, W.T., Burchfiel, C.M., Kashon, M., Sharp, D.S., Petrovitch, H., Environment, lifestyle, and physical precursors of clinical Parkinson's disease: Recent findings from the Honolulu-Asia aging study (2003) Journal of Neurology, 250 (SUPPL. 3), pp. III30-III3

Teleparallel Gravity and Dimensional Reductions of Noncommutative Gauge Theory

We study dimensional reductions of noncommutative electrodynamics on flat space which lead to gauge theories of gravitation. For a general class of such reductions, we show that the noncommutative gauge fields naturally yield a Weitzenbock geometry on spacetime and that the induced diffeomorphism invariant field theory can be made equivalent to a teleparallel formulation of gravity which macroscopically describes general relativity. The Planck length is determined in this setting by the Yang-Mills coupling constant and the noncommutativity scale. The effective field theory can also contain higher-curvature and non-local terms which are characteristic of string theory. Some applications to D-brane dynamics and generalizations to include the coupling of ordinary Yang-Mills theory to gravity are also described.Comment: 31 pages LaTeX; References adde

Development of a digital twin operational platform using Python Flask

The digital twin concept has developed as a method for extracting value from data, and is being developed as a new technique for the design and asset management of high-value engineering systems such as aircraft, energy generating plant, and wind turbines. In terms of implementation, many proprietary digital twin software solutions have been marketed in this domain. In contrast, this paper describes a recently released open-source software framework for digital twins, which provides a browser-based operational platform using Python and Flask. The new platform is intended to maximize connectivity between users and data obtained from the physical twin. This paper describes how this type of digital twin operational platform (DTOP) can be used to connect the physical twin and other Internet-of-Things devices to both users and cloud computing services. The current release of the software—DTOP-Cristallo—uses the example of a three-storey structure as the engineering asset to be managed. Within DTOP-Cristallo, specific engineering software tools have been developed for use in the digital twin, and these are used to demonstrate the concept. At this stage, the framework presented is a prototype. However, the potential for open-source digital twin software using network connectivity is a very large area for future research and development

Computational Physics on Graphics Processing Units

The use of graphics processing units for scientific computations is an emerging strategy that can significantly speed up various different algorithms. In this review, we discuss advances made in the field of computational physics, focusing on classical molecular dynamics, and on quantum simulations for electronic structure calculations using the density functional theory, wave function techniques, and quantum field theory.Comment: Proceedings of the 11th International Conference, PARA 2012, Helsinki, Finland, June 10-13, 201

Quantum Griffiths effects and smeared phase transitions in metals: theory and experiment

In this paper, we review theoretical and experimental research on rare region effects at quantum phase transitions in disordered itinerant electron systems. After summarizing a few basic concepts about phase transitions in the presence of quenched randomness, we introduce the idea of rare regions and discuss their importance. We then analyze in detail the different phenomena that can arise at magnetic quantum phase transitions in disordered metals, including quantum Griffiths singularities, smeared phase transitions, and cluster-glass formation. For each scenario, we discuss the resulting phase diagram and summarize the behavior of various observables. We then review several recent experiments that provide examples of these rare region phenomena. We conclude by discussing limitations of current approaches and open questions.Comment: 31 pages, 7 eps figures included, v2: discussion of the dissipative Ising chain fixed, references added, v3: final version as publishe