Threat perception and familiarity moderate the androgen response to competition in women

Social interactions elicit androgen responses whose function has been posited to be the adjustment of androgen-dependent behaviors to social context. The activation of this androgen response is known to be mediated and moderated by psychological factors. In this study we tested the hypothesis that the testosterone (T) changes after a competition are not simply related to its outcome, but rather to the way the subject evaluates the event. In particular we tested two evaluative dimensions of a social interaction: familiarity with the opponent and the subjective evaluation of the outcome as threat or challenge. Challenge/threat occurs in goal relevant situations and represent different motivational states arising from the individuals' subjective evaluation of the interplay between the task demands and coping resources possessed. For challenge the coping resources exceed the task demands, while threat represents a state where coping resources are insufficient to meet the task demands. In this experiment women competed in pairs, against a same sex opponent using the number tracking test as a competitive task. Losers appraised the competition outcome as more threatening than winners, and displayed higher post-competition T levels than winners. No differences were found either for cortisol (C) or for dehydroepiandrosterone. Threat, familiarity with the opponent and T response were associated only in the loser condition. Moderation analysis suggests that for the women that lost the competition the effect of threat on T is moderated by familiarity with the opponent.FCT grant: (RG-LVT-331-2352), FCT PhD fellowship (SFRH/BD/68528/2010)

Testosterone response to competition in males is unrelated to opponent familiarity or threat appraisal

It has been proposed in the literature that the testosterone (T) response to competition in humans may be modulated by cognitive variables. In a previous experiment with a female sample we have reported that opponent familiarity and threat appraisal moderated the T response to competition in women. With this experiment we aim to investigate if these variables have the same impact on males T response to competition, extending the previous findings in our lab. Forty male participants (20 dyads) were recruited to engage in a same sex, face to face competition using the Number Tracking Test as a competitive task. Levels of T, cortisol (C) and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) were measured before and 20 min after the competition. Results show that losers report higher levels of threat than winners and increased their T levels after the competition, however this T change was not predicted by opponent familiarity or threat appraisal. No variation was detected for C and DHEA levels. These findings suggest that there could be sex differences for the moderators/mediators of the T response to competition in humans.FCT fellowship: SFRH/BD/68528/2010, FCT strategic grant: (PEst-OE/MAR/UI0331/2011)

Vinhos que pensam - parte ii|iii: utilização da condutividade elétrica aparente do solo na instalação e gestão das culturas: exemplificação na vinha

Vinhos que pensam - parte ii|iii: utilização da condutividade elétrica aparente do solo na instalação e gestão das culturas: exemplificação na vinh

Vinhos que pensam - parte i|iii: gestão do vigor vegetativo da vinha a partir de sensores ativos multiespectrais próximos

Vinhos que pensam - parte i|iii: gestão do vigor vegetativo da vinha a partir de sensores ativos multiespectrais próximo

Bioresorbable ureteral stents from natural origin polymers

In this work, stents were produced from natural originpolysaccharides. Alginate, gellan gum, and a blend ofthese with gelatin were used to produce hollow tube (stents)following a combination of templated gelation and criticalpoint carbon dioxide drying. Morphological analysis of thesurface of the stents was carried out by scanning electronmicroscopy. Indwelling time, encrustation, and stability ofthe stents in artificial urine solution was carried out up to 60days of immersion. In vitro studies carried out with simulatedurine demonstrated that the tubes present a high fluid uptakeability, about 1000%. Despite this, the materials are able tomaintain their shape and do not present an extensive swellingbehavior. The bioresorption profile was observed to behighly dependent on the composition of the stent and it canbe tuned. Complete dissolution of the materials may occurbetween 14 and 60 days. Additionally, no encrustation wasobserved within the tested timeframe. The ability to resistbacterial adherence was evaluated with Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and two Gram-negatives Escherichia coliDH5 alpha and Klebsiella oxytoca. For K. oxytoca, no differenceswere observed in comparison with a commercialstent (BiosoftVR duo, Porges), although, for S. aureus alltested compositions had a higher inhibition of bacterialadhesion compared to the commercial stents. In case ofE. coli, the addition of gelatin to the formulations reducedthe bacterial adhesion in a highly significant manner comparedto the commercial stents. The stents produced by thedeveloped technology fulfill the requirements for ureteralstents and will contribute in the development of biocompatible and bioresorbable urinary stents.Contract grant sponsor: the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013); contract grant number: REGPOT-CT2012-316331POLARIS Contract grant sponsor: Novel smart and biomimetic materials for innovative regenerative medicine approaches”; contract grant number: RL1 – ABMR – NORTE-01-0124-FEDER-000016; North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (ON.2 – O Novo Norte), National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF), European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Contract grant sponsor: FCT post-doc; contract grant numbers: SFRH/BPD/39333/2007, SFRH/BPD/90533/20

VINHOS QUE PENSAM - parte I/III GESTÃO DO VIGOR VEGETATIVO DA VINHA A PARTIR DE SENSORES ATIVOS MUTIESPECTRAIS PRÓXIMOS

Costumo dizer que o projeto “Vinhos que pensam” nasceu de um aperto de mão entre a equipa de Agricultura de Precisão da Universidade de Évora e a Fundação Eugénio de Almeida, nasceu sem financiamento próprio mas com uma visão muito clara de criar valor social na área da vitivinicultura Alentejana. Passados 6 anos, julgamos que o conhecimento produzido é relevante para a atividade e gestão vitivinícola Alentejana, no entanto, novas perguntas surgem todos os anos e dessa forma somos alimentados na motivação de prosseguir com este projeto, ao qual, outras entidades e vontades se vão agora também associando. A Agrobótica, muito recentemente, desafiou-nos a apresentar os resultados mais relevantes do projeto “Vinhos que pensam” e com o maior prazer lhe dissemos que sim, no entanto, colocou-se-nos um problema, os resultados mais relevantes, muito dificilmente caberiam num único artigo, como tal, decidimos dividir tais resultados em três artigos, este primeiro mais virado para os aspetos da gestão do vigor da vegetação da vinha; o segundo mais virado para os sensores geoelétricos do solo e sua aplicação na gestão e estudo do solo; e por fim, um terceiro mais virado para aspetos da nutrição das plantas considerando a interação solo/planta e a utilização dos sensores multiespectrais

A perturbação das capacidades construtivas nos doentes afásicos

Inexistent

Compatibility studies of Olanzapine pre-formulated with excipients by thermal analysis: preliminary study

Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to investigate drug-excipient interactions and, in consequence, their compatibility. For this purpose, binary mixtures of olanzapine drug substance and the excipients croscarmellose sodium, magnesium stearate and microcrystalline cellulose, were prepared and analysed. By the analysis of the binary mixtures DSC and TG curves it were observed changes on the temperature and enthalpy values of the drug melting and decomposition peak, with the likely formation of intermediate substances.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

[C-11]PIB PET imaging can detect white and grey matter demyelination in a non-human primate model of progressive multiple sclerosis

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating and inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. Its diagnosis is clinical, often confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging. This image modality, however, is not ideal for discrimination of demyelination in grey and white matter regions from inflammatory lesions. Positron Emission Tomography (PET), using specific radiopharmaceuticals, can be a tool to differentiate between these processes. The radiopharmaceutical [C-11]PIB is widely used for detection of beta-amyloid plaques, but has also been suggested for the analysis of myelin content due to its consistent uptake in white matter. The aim of this study was to evaluate [C-11]PIB PET imaging as a tool for detecting demyelinated regions in white and grey matter of non-human primate model of progressive MS. Methods: Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) was induced in marmosets by injection of re-combinant human myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (rhMOG) emulsified in either Incomplete Freund's Adjuvant (IFA) or Complete Freund's Adjuvant (CFA). [C-11]PIB PET images were acquired prior to immunization (baseline) and after symptoms were present (end of experiment). Brain tissue was isolated for histochemical analysis. Results: All rhMOG/IFA-treated and rhMOG/CFA-treated animals showed clinical signs of EAE. The rhMOG/CFA group presented a significant [C-11]PIB uptake reduction only in the left motor cortex (9%, P = 0.011). For the rhMOG/IFA group, significant decrease in [C-11]PIB uptake was observed in the whole brain (15%, P = 0.015), in the right hemisphere of body of corpus callosum (34%, P = 0.02), splenium of corpus callosum (38%, P = 0.004), hippocampus (19%, P = 0.036), optic tract (13%, P = 0.025), thalamus (14%, P = 0.041), Globus pallidus (23%, P = 0.017), head of caudate nucleus (25%, P = 0.045), tail of caudate nucleus (29%, P = 0.003), putamen (28%, P = 0.047) and left hemisphere of body of corpus callosum (14%, P = 0.037) and head of caudate nucleus (23%, P = 0.023). [C-11]PIB uptake significantly correlated with luxol fast blue histology (myelin marker), both in the rhMOG/IFA (r(2) = 0.32, P <0.0001) and the rhMOG/CFA group (r(2) = 0.46, P <0.0001). Conclusion: [C-11]PIB PET imaging is an efficient tool for detecting demyelination in grey and white matter, in a non-human primate model of progressive MS