Effects of Brain Gym® Exercises in Institutionalized Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment

Este estudio tuvo como objetivo comparar los efectos de un programa de ejercicios de Brain Gym® con un programa de gimnasia de mantenimiento en pacientes mayores institucionalizados con deterioro cognitivo. Veintinueve personas institucionalizadas con deterioro cognitivo participaron en dos programas, uno basado en ejercicios de Brain Gym® y otro de gimnasia de mantenimiento, durante 18 semanas. Se emplearon los test Mini-examen cognoscitivo, Fototest, Trail Making Test, Índice de Barthel y el Timed up and Go. No se encontraron mejoras significativas en las variables analizadas. Se observó una tendencia positiva, especialmente en el grupo de gimnasia de mantenimiento, en la función cognitiva global y salud física. En conclusión, los efectos de un programa de ejercicios de Brain Gym® en una muestra de personas mayores institucionalizadas con deterioro cognitivo fueron similares a los de un programa de gimnasia de mantenimiento, sin mejoras significativas de la función cognitiva o independencia funcionalThis study aimed at comparing the effects of a program based on Brain Gym® exercises against a fitness exercise program on the cognitive function and functional independence in institutionalized older adults with cognitive impairment. Twenty-nine institutionalized older adults with cognitive impairment took part either on a Brain Gym® based exercise program or on a fitness exercise program during eighteen weeks. The assessment measures used were the Mini-Examen Cognoscitivo, Fototest, Trail making test, Barthel Index and the Timed up and Go Test. None of the variables analysed improved significantly. A trend towards improvement, particularly in the fitness exercise group, in both cognitive status and functional independence was observed. In conclusion, the performance of a Brain Gym® exercise-based program had the same effects than taking part in a fitness exercise program, with no significant improvements on the cognitive function or functional independence, in a sample of institutionalized older adults with cognitive impairmen

Performances of multi-gap timing RPCs for relativistic ions in the range Z=1-6

We present the performance of Multi-gap timing RPCs under irradiation by fully stripped relativistic ions (gamma*beta=2.7, Z=1-6). A time resolution of 80 ps at high efficiency has been obtained by just using standard `off the shelf' 4-gap timing RPCs from the new HADES ToF wall. The resolution worsened to 100 ps for ~ 1 kHz/cm2 proton flux and for ~ 100 Hz/cm2 Carbon flux. The chambers were operated at a standard field of E=100 kV/cm and showed a high stability during the experiment, supporting the fact that RPCs are a convenient choice when accommodating a very broad range of ionizing particles is needed. The data provides insight in the region of very highly ionizing particles (up to x 36 mips) and can be used to constrain the existing avalanche and Space-Charge models far from the usual `mip valley'. The implications of these results for the general case of detection based on secondary processes (n, gamma) resulting in highly ionizing particles with characteristic energy distributions will be discussed, together with the nature of the time-charge correlation curve.Comment: 31 pages, 19 figures, submitted to JINS

Terapêutica de Ressincronização Cardíaca e Efeito Pró-Arrítmico: um Problema que Deve Ser Lembrado

The demonstrated benefits of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in reducing mortality and hospitalizations for heart failure, improving NYHA functional class and inducing reverse remodeling have led to its increasing use in clinical practice. However, its potential contribution to complex ventricular arrhythmias is controversial.We present the case of a female patient with valvular heart failure and severe systolic dysfunction, in NYHA class III and under optimal medical therapy, without previous documented ventricular arrhythmias. After implantation of a CRT defibrillator, she suffered an arrhythmic storm with multiple episodes of monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (VT), requiring 12 shocks. Subsequently, a pattern of ventricular bigeminy was observed, as well as reproducible VT runs induced by biventricular pacing. Since no other vein of the coronary sinus system was accessible, it was decided to implant an epicardial lead to stimulate the left ventricle, positioned in the left ventricular mid-lateral wall. No arrhythmias were detected in the following six months. This case highlights the possible proarrhythmic effect of biventricular pacing with a left ventricular lead positioned in the coronary sinus venous system

New RPC front-end electronics for hades

Time-of-flight (TOF) detectors are mainly used for both particle identification and triggering. Resistive Plate Chamber (RPC) detectors are becoming widely used because of their excellent TOF capabilities and reduced cost. The new ESTRELA* RPC wall, which is being installed in the HADES detector at Darmstadt GSI, will contain 1024 RPC modules, covering an active area of around 7 m2. It has excellent TOF and good charge resolutions. Its Front-End electronics is based on a 8-layer Mother-Board providing impedance matched paths for the output signals of each of the eight 4-channel Daughter-Boards to the TDC

Cross sections for proton induced high energy γ-ray emission (PIGE) in reaction 19F(p,αγ)16O at incident proton energies between 1.5 and 4 MeV

Plan I2C 2013 by Xunta de Galicia (ES) PEstOE/Fis/UI0275/2014 Sem PDF conforme despacho.We have studied the high energy gamma-rays produced in the reaction 19F(p,αγ)16O for incident proton energies from 1.5 to 4.0 MeV over NaF/Ag and CaF2/Ag thin targets in two different sets of data. Gamma-rays were detected with a High Purity Ge detector with an angle of 130° with respect to the beam axis. The cross-sections for the high energy gamma-rays of 6.129, 6.915 and 7.115 MeV have been measured for the whole group between 5 and 7.2 MeV with accuracy better than 10%. A new energy range was covered and more points are included in the cross-sections data base expanding the existing set of data. Results are in agreement with previous measurements in similar conditions.preprintpublishe

Photoluminescence of Bridged Silsesquioxanes Containing Urea or Urethane Groups with Nanostructures Generated by the Competition between the Rates of Self-Assembly of Organic Domains and the Inorganic Polycondensation

The aim of this study was to investigate the changes produced in the nanostructures and the photoluminescence spectra of bridged silsesquioxanes containing urea or urethane groups, by varying the relative rates between the self-assembly of organic domains and the inorganic polycondensation. Precursors of the bridged silsesquioxanes were 4,4‘-[1,3-phenylenebis(1-methylethylidene)]bis(aniline) and 4,4‘-isopropylidenediphenol, end-capped with 3-isocyanatopropyltriethoxysilane. The inorganic polycondensation was produced using either high or low formic acid concentrations, leading to transparent films with different nanostructures as revealed by FTIR, SAXS, and ²⁹Si NMR spectra. For the bridged silsesquioxanes containing urea groups the self-assembly of organic domains was much faster than the inorganic polycondensation for both formic acid concentrations. However, the arrangement was more regular and the short-range order higher when the rate of inorganic polycondensation was lower. The photoluminescence spectra of the most ordered structures revealed the presence of two main processes:  radiative recombinations in inorganic clusters and photoinduced proton-transfer generating NH₂⁺ and N⁻ defects and their subsequent radiative recombination. In the less-ordered urea-bridged silsesquioxanes a third process was present assigned to a photoinduced proton transfer in H-bonds exhibiting a broad range of strengths. For urethane-bridged silsesquioxanes the driving force for the self-assembly of organic bridges was lower than for urea-bridged silsesquioxanes. When the synthesis was performed with a high formic acid concentration, self-assembled structures were not produced. Instead, large inorganic domains composed of small inorganic clusters were generated. Self-assembly of organic domains took place only when employing low polycondensation rates. For both materials the photoluminescence was mainly due to radiative processes within inorganic clusters and varied significantly with their state of aggregation.The financial support of the National Research Council (CONICET, Argentina), the National Agency for the Promotion of Science and Technology (ANPCyT, Argentina, PICT 14738-03), the University of Mar del Plata, the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic (Project 203/05/2252), and Project Nanoter (Project MAT2004/01347, MEC-DGI, Spain) is gratefully acknowledged. INTEMA and the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry acknowledge the support of the European Network of Excellence Nanofun-Poly for the diffusion of their research results

Electronic Developments for the Hades RPC Wall: Overview and Progress

This contribution presents the current status and progress of the electronics developed for the Resistive Plate Chamber detector of HADES. This new detector for the time-of-flight detection system will contain more than 1000 RPC modules, covering a total active area of around 7 m2. The Front-End electronics consist of custom-made boards that exploit the benefit of the use of commercial components to achieve time resolutions below 100 ps. The Readout electronics, also custom-made, is a multipurpose board providing a 128- channel Time to Digital Converter (TDC) based on the HPTDC chip

Properties of the CsI(Tl) detector elements of the CALIFA detector

In the R3B experiment at FAIR, charged particles with energies up to 600 MeV and forward boosted γ-rays with energies up to 20 MeV need to be detected in scattering experiments. Calorimeters for nuclear physics experiments of this kind, using relativistic radioactive ion beams, require high energy resolution and high efficiency for simultaneous detection of strongly Doppler shifted γ-rays and high-energy charged particles. A calorimeter design that can meet these requirements, using CsI(Tl) scintillators, results in detector elements that may exhibit light output variations with crystal depth, which can limit the attainable resolution. In this paper we present results from a systematic study of 478 detector modules of CALIFA, the R3B calorimeter, in order to determine and minimize such variations. To facilitate further systematic studies we also present results for the total absorption length of the scintillation light, using spectrophotometry, light crosstalk between adjacent detector modules, and surface topography of the CsI(Tl) crystals from atomic force microscopy.Swedish research council | Ref. 2017-03986Swedish research council | Ref. 2014-06644Swedish research council | Ref. 2013-04178Swedish research council | Ref. 2012-04550BMBF, Alemania | Ref. 05P15WOFNABMBF, Alemania | Ref. 05P19WOFN1BMBF, Alemania | Ref. 05P15RDFN1BMBF, Alemania | Ref. 05P19RDFN