The Influence of Moderate Hypercapnia on Neural Activity in the Anesthetized Nonhuman Primate

Hypercapnia is often used as vasodilatory challenge in clinical applications and basic research. In functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), elevated CO2 is applied to derive stimulus-induced changes in the cerebral rate of oxygen consumption (CMRO2) by measuring cerebral blood flow and blood-oxygenation-level–dependent (BOLD) signal. Such methods, however, assume that hypercapnia has no direct effect on CMRO2. In this study, we used combined intracortical recordings and fMRI in the visual cortex of anesthetized macaque monkeys to show that spontaneous neuronal activity is in fact significantly reduced by moderate hypercapnia. As expected, measurement of cerebral blood volume using an exogenous contrast agent and of BOLD signal showed that both are increased during hypercapnia. In contrast to this, spontaneous fluctuations of local field potentials in the beta and gamma frequency range as well as multiunit activity are reduced by ∼15% during inhalation of 6% CO2 (pCO2 = 56 mmHg). A strong tendency toward a reduction of neuronal activity was also found at CO2 inhalation of 3% (pCO2 = 45 mmHg). This suggests that CMRO2 might be reduced during hypercapnia and caution must be exercised when hypercapnia is applied to calibrate the BOLD signal

Consistency of impact assessment protocols for non-native species

Standardized tools are needed to identify and prioritize the most harmful non-native species (NNS). A plethora of assessment protocols have been developed to evaluate the current and potential impacts of non-native species, but consistency among them has received limited attention. To estimate the consistency across impact assessment protocols, 89 specialists in biological invasions used 11 protocols to screen 57 NNS (2614 assessments). We tested if the consistency in the impact scoring across assessors, quantified as the coefficient of variation (CV), was dependent on the characteristics of the protocol, the taxonomic group and the expertise of the assessor. Mean CV across assessors was 40%, with a maximum of 223%. CV was lower for protocols with a low number of score levels, which demanded high levels of expertise, and when the assessors had greater expertise on the assessed species. The similarity among protocols with respect to the final scores was higher when the protocols considered the same impact types. We conclude that all protocols led to considerable inconsistency among assessors. In order to improve consistency, we highlight the importance of selecting assessors with high expertise, providing clear guidelines and adequate training but also deriving final decisions collaboratively by consensus

Research on auxiliary and new-special cloths via hand-made and machine-made by knitting and combining methods from special (fantasia) knitting yarns and materials

Bu çalışma; özel fantazi örme ipliklerinin düz el örme makinelerinde kumaş haline getirilmesi ve bu kumaşların özel fantazi örme giysi olarak konfeksiyonlanması planına göre uygulanmış ve değerlendirilmiştir. Uygulamalarda hammadde olarak pamuk (kesikli elyaf), floş ve polyester (flament elyaf) iplikleri çok katlı ve örülmüş fantazi iplikler haline getirildikten sonra düz el örme makinelerinde örme kumaş haline dönüştürülmüşlerdir. Daha sonra aynı kumaşlar fantazi bayan kazağı olarak konfeksiyonlanmıştır. Gerek iplik oluşumu, gerekse kumaş ve giysi oluşumu aşamalarında çeşitli fiziksel ölçümler, kontroller, zaman etüdü ve değerlendirmeler yapılmıştır. Çalışma esas olarak beş bölümden oluşmaktadır. Birinci bölümde (Giriş), çalışmanın amacı ve kapsamı; İkinci bölümde (Kaynak Araştırması), konu ile ilgili temel kaynak bilgileri; Üçüncü bölümde ( Materyal ve Yöntem), önce gerekli materyal ve çalışma ortamı bilgileri; sonrada çalışma ve değerlendirme yöntemleri açıklanmıştır. Dördüncü bölümde (Uygulamalar ve Bulgular), yapılan uygulamalar ve bunlardan elde edilen bulgular verilmiştir. Beşinci bölümde (Tartışma ve Sonuç) ise; iplik, kumaş ve giysi uygulamalarında elde edilen bulguların karşılıklı tartışması yapılarak sonuçları değerlendirilmiştir. Elde edilen bulgular ipliklerde, fiziki yapı durumları ve maksimum kopma kuvveti (N), % uzama değerleri; Örülmüş kumaşlarda, fiziki yapı durumları ve fiziksel ölçüm değerleri olan kumaş sıklığı (s/cm, ç/cm), ağırlık (gr/pr), genişlik (cm), % büzülme ve üretim zamanları; konfeksiyonlanmış giysilerde ise yine örülmüş kumaşlarda olduğu gibi fiziki yapı durumları, fiziksel ölçüm değerleri ve üretim zamanları bakımından her grubun kendi aralarında tartışması yapılarak sonuçlar fiziki yapı şekilleri, çizelge, grafik ve yorum şeklinde değerlendirilmiştir.This study are applied and evaluated for making cloths via flat hand-knitting machines employing special fantasia knitting yarns and then for making special fantasia knit-cioths from them. Cotton (short fiber), rayon and polyester (filament fibers) yarns are used to obtain multi-plied and knitted fantasia yarns, and then these yams are used to obtain knitted-cloth in flat hand-knitting machines. The fabrics are used to make fantasia lady pull-overs. Various physical measurement, controls, time-study and evaluations are made in the stages of yarn, fabric and cloth preparations. This study mainly consists of five chapters. In the first chapter (introduction), the purpose and contents of the study are given, In the second chapter (literature review), fundamental knowledge related to the subject is provided, In the third chapter (materials and methods), first material and study environment are introduced and then study and evaluation methods are presented, In the fourth chapter (research and results), the results obtained from practical work are furnished and finally, In the fifth chapter (discussion and conclusion), the results obtained from the stages of yarn, fabric and cloth are discussed and evaluated. The results obtained from yarns contain their physical structures, maximum breaking force (N), elongation values (%). The results obtained from knitted clothes accommodate their physical structures, threads per length (ft/cm, S/cm), fabric weight (g/panel), fabric width, shrinkage (%) and their production times. In caje of clothing, the results contain their physical structures, physical measurement values and their production times. Discussion for each group are made and the results are presented in the from of figures, tables and interpretation.MAKİSAN/BURSAAKSAN/BURS

Radially-Poled Stoichiometric Lithium Tantalate Microresonators for Nonlinear-Optical Applications

Whispering gallery-mode microresonators guide light by total internal reflection and exhibit exceptionally high quality factors and small mode volumes. If such a microresonator is fabricated from a nonlinear-optical material, one can benefit from these properties for efficient optical frequency conversion. One of the well-known second-order nonlinear-optical materials for these microresonators is periodically-poled lithium niobate (PPLN) because of its high second-order susceptibility and wide transmission window. Thus PPLN-based whispering gallery-mode microresonators are efficient platforms for higher-harmonic generation of ultraviolet light using a near-infrared pump source in the telecom range [1], for low-input-power optical parametric oscillation [2] and for frequency comb up- and down-conversion from the near-infrared region to the visible, ultraviolet and mid-infrared regions [3]

Fadiga aguda no pré e pós-parto e fatores determinantes - doi:10.5020/18061230.2007.p60

The aim of this study was to examine and to compare the severity of the acute fatigue levels in women during the prepartum and the postpartum periods, to define patients’ characteristics and pregnancy associated changes related to acute fatigue and to learn about the impact of pre- and postpartum fatigue on some daily activities. This cross-sectional study was carried out in the Sakarya Women and Children’s Hospital, Turkey. 128 pregnant women who were expected to deliver in due time were included into the study. The data was collected using a questionnaire prepared by the researchers containing the “Brief Fatigue Inventory” as well as the sociodemographic questions. For the statistical analysis, matched t-test, correlations and variance analyses were used. The obtained results showed a mean prepartum and postpartum Acute Fatigue Inventory (AFI) scores of 5.77 ± 1.97 and 6.49 ± 1.48, respectively (p0.05) We conclude that in the postpartum period, women were significantly more distressed and consequently, acute fatigue syndrome was more severe compared to prepartum period.Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar e comparar a gravidade dos níveis de fadiga aguda em mulheres durante os períodos de pré-parto e o pós-parto, definindo as características e modificações associadas a gravidez relacionadas com a fadiga e conhecer o impacto da fadiga em algumas atividades diárias. Utilizou-se o método transversal no Hospital de Mulheres e Crianças de Sarakaya, Turquia. Um total de 128 mulheres grávidas em processo de trabalho de parto a termo foram incluídas neste estudo. Os dados foram coletados utilizando um questionário elaborado pelos pesquisadores contendo o Inventario de Fatiga Reduzido (Brief Fatigue Inventory - AFI), bem como as questões sócio-demográficas. Para a análise estatística foi utilizado o teste t-Student pareado, análises de correlação e de variância. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram uma média de AFI no pré e pós parto de 5,77 ± 1,97 e 6,49 ± 1,48 respectivamente (p< 0,001). Houve diferenças significativas no humor, na relação interpessoal e nos escores de gozo de vida (p= 0,005; p= 0,033; p= 0,000, respectivamente). Por outro lado, em relação a atividades comprometidas pela fadiga, a habilidade de andar e realização de rotinas diárias não tiveram diferenças em níveis significativos. Concluise que no período pós-parto a mulher é significativamente mais submetida a estresse e conseqüentemente a síndrome de fadiga aguda foi mais intensa quando comparada com o período pré-parto