On alpha stable distribution of wind driven water surface wave slope

We propose a new formulation of the probability distribution function of wind driven water surface slope with an $\alpha$-stable distribution probability. The mathematical formulation of the probability distribution function is given under an integral formulation. Application to represent the probability of time slope data from laboratory experiments is carried out with satisfactory results. We compare also the $\alpha$-stable model of the water surface slopes with the Gram-Charlier development and the non-Gaussian model of Liu et al\cite{Liu}. Discussions and conclusions are conducted on the basis of the data fit results and the model analysis comparison.Comment: final version of the manuscript: 25 page

The Influence of the Evolutionary Past on the Mind: An Analysis of the Preference for Landscapes in the Human Species

According to some evolutionary psychologists, landscapes preferences in the human species are influenced by their evolutionary past. Because the Pleistocene savanna is the least inhospitable landscape, it was the most suitable environment for survival and influenced the evolution of hominids in such a way that even today the human being has a universal preference for these environments. However, there is controversy regarding this statement, because in some studies it was evidenced that people prefer images of landscapes that are similar to those of the environment where they live. In this sense, we want to test whether there is indeed a preference for images of the savanna landscape and how the current environmental context may influence this preference. We performed a study in three environmental contexts with different landscapes in order to be able to observe the influence of the familiar landscape on landscape preference, of which two rural communities — one presenting a landscape similar to the deciduous seasonal forest and another presenting a savanna-like landscape — that totaled 132 participants and one urban community with 189 participants. The stimulus consisted of 12 images representing the six major terrestrial biomes and two images of urban landscapes. The variables analyzed were the emotional responses and the preference of the participants in relation to the images of landscapes. We analyzed the data using the Kruskal–Wallis test. The obtained result did not corroborate the idea of universal preference for images of savanna landscape. The image of Rainforest landscape was the preferred one among all the three environmental contexts studied. In this way, the preference for landscape may have been shaped at different periods of human evolutionary history, and not just during the period when hominids lived on the savannah. As much as selective pressures of the Pleistocene savanna have shaped the human mind during the evolutionary history, other factors and different types of environments may have influenced human preferences for landscapes. Thus, evolutionary psychologists who analyze human preferences for images of landscapes, guided by the idea of the past influencing the present, must be cautious before generalizing their results, especially if other variables such as the cultural ones are not controlled

Evaluation of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor, nerve growth factor and memory in adult rats survivors of the neonatal meningitis by Streptococcus agalactiae

AbstractStreptococcus agalactiae (GBS) is a major cause of severe morbidity and mortality in neonates and young infants, causing sepsis, pneumonia and meningitis. The survivors from this meningitis can suffer serious long-term neurological consequences, such as, seizures, hearing loss, learning and memory impairments. Neurotrophins, such as nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) control the neuronal cell death during the brain development and play an important role in neuronal differentiation, survival and growth of neurons. Neonate Wistar rats, received either 10μL of sterile saline as a placebo or an equivalent volume of GBS suspension at a concentration of 1×106cfu/mL. Sixty days after induction of meningitis, the animals underwent behavioral tests, after were killed and the hippocampus and cortex were retired for analyze of the BDNF and NGF levels. In the open-field demonstrated no difference in motor, exploratory activity and habituation memory between the groups. The step-down inhibitory avoidance, when we evaluated the long-term memory at 24h after training session, we found that the meningitis group had a decrease in aversive memory when compared with the long-term memory test of the sham group. BDNF levels decreased in hippocampus and cortex; however the NGF levels decreased only in hippocampus. These findings suggest that the meningitis model could be a good research tool for the study of the biological mechanisms involved in the behavioral alterations secondary to GBS meningitis

Effects of Delayed Cord Clamping on 4-Month Ferritin Levels, Brain Myelin Content, and Neurodevelopment: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective To evaluate whether placental transfusion influences brain myelination at 4 months of age. Study design A partially blinded, randomized controlled trial was conducted at a level III maternity hospital in the US. Seventy-three healthy term pregnant women and their singleton fetuses were randomized to either delayed umbilical cord clamping (DCC, \u3e5 minutes) or immediate clamping (ICC, \u3c20 \u3eseconds). At 4 months of age, blood was drawn for ferritin levels. Neurodevelopmental testing (Mullen Scales of Early Learning) was administered, and brain myelin content was measured with magnetic resonance imaging. Correlations between myelin content and ferritin levels and group-wise DCC vs ICC brain myelin content were completed. Results In the DCC and ICC groups, clamping time was 172 ± 188 seconds vs 28 ± 76 seconds (P \u3c .002), respectively; the 48-hour hematocrit was 57.6% vs 53.1% (P \u3c .01). At 4 months, infants with DCC had significantly greater ferritin levels (96.4 vs 65.3 ng/dL, P = .03). There was a positive relationship between ferritin and myelin content. Infants randomized to the DCC group had greater myelin content in the internal capsule and other early maturing brain regions associated with motor, visual, and sensory processing/function. No differences were seen between groups in the Mullen testing. Conclusion At 4 months, infants born at term receiving DCC had greater ferritin levels and increased brain myelin in areas important for early life functional development. Endowment of iron-rich red blood cells obtained through DCC may offer a longitudinal advantage for early white matter development

Group-IV graphene- and graphane-like nanosheets

We performed a first principles investigation on the structural and electronic properties of group-IV (C, SiC, Si, Ge, and Sn) graphene-like sheets in flat and buckled configurations and the respective hydrogenated or fluorinated graphane-like ones. The analysis on the energetics, associated with the formation of those structures, showed that fluorinated graphane-like sheets are very stable, and should be easily synthesized in laboratory. We also studied the changes on the properties of the graphene-like sheets, as result of hydrogenation or fluorination. The interatomic distances in those graphane-like sheets are consistent with the respective crystalline ones, a property that may facilitate integration of those sheets within three-dimensional nanodevices

A INVENÇÃO DO DISCURSO VERDE NA AMAZÔNIA

O presente texto faz parte das reflexões da pesquisa:  Interfaces do discurso verde na Amazônia.  O objetivo que motivou a escrita deste artigo  é repensar e discutir os conceitos, as implicações sociológicas, antropológicas e discursivas dos termos freqüentemente usados por governos amazônicos da  tríade para o desenvolvimento  verde.  Nestes espaços  (Acre, Amazonas e Amapá)  o discurso assume conotação imprescindível, pois ele é  constitutivo  e construtor de um poder estatal ampliado. O poder é percebido nos jogos ideológicos uma vez que ‘’a materialidade ideológica só seja possível de ser apreendida a partir da materialidade lingüística’’,  (PÊCHEUX,  1988, p.116),  que aparece nas formações discursivas,  ou seja, a ideologia do discurso  aparece no dizer concreto de cada sujeito. O discurso torna-se práxis neste assujeitamento ideológico que conduz cada pessoa a acreditar que, a partir de sua livre vontade, pode se colocar, sob a forma discursiva, no lugar de uma ou outra classe social. Pois, se espera que a população local, induzida por estas políticas as legitimem, as incorporem, as defendam, as elejam como ótimas e corretas do ponto de vista das mudanças do mundo atual