Depth of segments and circles through points enclosing many points: a note

Neumann-Lara and Urrutia showed in 1985 that in any set of n points in the plane in general positionthere is always a pair of points such that any circle through them contains at least (n-2)/60 points. In a series of papers, this result was subsequently improved till n/4.7, which is currently the best known lower bound. In this paper we propose a new approach to the problem that allows us, by using known results about j-facets of sets of points in $R^3$, to give a simple proof of a somehow stronger result: there is always a pair of points such that any circle through them has, both inside and outside, at least n/4.7 points.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

Has IMF Advice Changed After the Crisis?

When the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was created, its purpose was to support the new system of fixed exchange rate regimes. With the breakdown of the par-value system, its article on exchange-rate arrangements?Article IV?had to be revised. Per the revised version, the IMF would annually write reports on countries? economic situation and provide policy recommendations. (?)Has IMF Advice Changed After the Crisis?

Early Gabapentin Treatment during the Latency Period Increases Convulsive Threshold, Reduces Microglial Activation and Macrophage Infiltration in the Lithium-Pilocarpine Model of Epilepsy

The lithium-pilocarpine model of epilepsy reproduces several features of temporal lobe epilepsy in humans, including the chronological timeline of an initial latency period followed by the development of spontaneous seizures. Epilepsy therapies in humans are implemented, as a rule, after the onset of the spontaneous seizures. We here studied the potential effect on epileptogenesis of starting an early treatment during the latency period, in order to prevent the development of spontaneous seizures. Adult male Wistar rats were treated with 3 mEq/kg LiCl, and 20 h later 30 mg/kg pilocarpine. Once status epilepticus (SE) was achieved, it was allowed to last for 20 min, and then motor seizures were controlled with the administration of 20 mg/kg diazepam. At 1DPSE (DPSE, days post-status epilepticus), animals started to receive 400 mg/kg/day gabapentin or saline for 4 days. At 5DPSE, we observed that SE induced an early profuse microglial and astroglial reactivity, increased synaptogenic trombospondin-1 expression and reduced AQP4 expression in astroglial ending feet. Blood brain barrier (BBB) integrity seemed to be compromised, as infiltrating NG2+ macrophages and facilitated access to the CNS was observed by transplanting eGFP+ blood cells and bone marrow-derived progenitors in the SE animals. The early 4-day gabapentin treatment successfully reduced microglial cell reactivity and blood-borne cell infiltration, without significantly altering the mRNA of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β and TNFα immediately after the treatment. After 21DSPE, another group of animals that developed SE and received 4 days of gabapentin treatment, were re-exposed to subconvulsive accumulative doses of pilocarpine (10 mg/kg/30 min) and were followed by recording the Racine scale reached. Early 4-day gabapentin treatment reduced the Racine scale reached by the animals, reduced animal mortality, and reduced the number of animals that achieved SE (34% vs. 72%). We conclude that early gabapentin treatment following SE, during the latency period, is able to reduce neuroinflammation and produces a persistent effect that limits seizures and increases convulsive threshold, probably by restricting microglial reactivity and spurious synaptogenesis.Fil: Rossi, Alicia Raquel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia ; ArgentinaFil: Murta, Verónica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia ; ArgentinaFil: Auzmendi, Jerónimo Andrés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia ; ArgentinaFil: Ramos, Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia ; Argentin

Study of novel energy metabolism pathways in anaerobic bacteria

Energy conservation in chemotrophic anaerobic bacteria is achieved by two possible processes, substrate level phosphorylation (SLP) and electron transfer phosphorylation (ETP). This second mechanism, also known as respiration, involves chemiosmotic coupling. However, a third mechanism for energy coupling was recently proposed: the flavin-based electron bifurcation (FBEB). (...)Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Measuring the impact of experience on the relation between distance and M&A performance

Taking the literature on the effects of experience on M&A performance, I draw a model with the intent of examining the impact of experience on the relation between distance and M&A performance outcome. In addition, I theorize that the negative effect of distance on acquisition performance is positively moderated by prior M&A experience. Using a sample of 156 M&As in a time period of 7 years, it was not possible to achieve significant results to demonstrate the theorized main hypotheses. Nonetheless, findings suggest that prior acquisition experience helps reduce the effect of cultural and economic distance on M&A performance. Title: Measuring the impact of experience on the relation between distance and M&A performance

Análise de diferentes protocolos de terapia de movimento induzida por restrição em AVE: revisão sistemática

Projeto de Graduação apresentado à Universidade Fernando Pessoa como parte dos requisitos para obtenção do grau de Licenciada em FisioterapiaObjectivo: Analisar diferentes protocolos de terapia de movimento induzida por restrição (CIMT) quanto ao tempo e duração de tratamento, tempo de restrição e duração de acidente vascular encefálico (AVE), bem como determinar os efeitos de CIMT comparando com outros tratamentos. Metodologia: Pesquisa computorizada nas bases de dados Pubmed e PEDro. Resultados: Foram incluídos nesta revisão sistemática 11 artigos que obedeceram aos critérios de inclusão e exclusão, com o total de participantes de 698 pessoas. Sete dos estudos avaliaram efeitos do CIMT comparando com terapia usual, um estudo comparou efeitos do CIMT com terapia usual intensiva (com o mesmo tempo de tratamento), outro dos estudos comparou as três referidas anteriormente. Um estudo avaliou os efeitos do uso de uma luva de restrição e por fim um estudo comparou os efeitos do CIMT num grupo de pacientes com AVE crónico e outro agudo. Conclusão: Há discordância entre os autores quanto à eficácia de CIMT comparado com terapia convencional, bem como à duração dos seus benefícios. O CIMT é uma técnica elegível para pacientes com AVE agudo e crónico. Quanto ao tempo de restrição, não há concordância entre os autores. Já quanto ao tempo de tratamento encontram-se resultados benéficos em tratamentos de 6h/dia, como também em tratamentos de 2h/dia.Objective: To analyze different protocols of constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) as to the time and duration of treatment, time constraint and duration of stroke, and to determine the effects of CIMT compared with other treatments. Methodology: computerized search in the Pubmed database and PEDro. Results: We included in this systematic review of 11 articles that met the inclusion criteria and exclusion of participants with total of 698 people. Seven studies evaluated the effects of CIMT compared with usual therapy, one study compared the effects of intensive CIMT usual therapy (with the same treatment time), and another study compared the three mentioned above. One study evaluated the effects of using a glove restriction and finally a study comparing the effects of CIMT in a group of patients with chronic stroke and other acute. Conclusion: There is disagreement among authors as to the efficacy of CIMT compared with conventional therapy, as well as the duration of their benefits. The CIMT is a technique for eligible patients with acute and chronic stroke. As to the time constraint, there is no agreement among authors. As for the treatment time are also found to be beneficial in 6h/dia treatments as well as treatments in 2h/day results

Myocardial strain analysis with high temporal resolution MRI tagging: extended 3D motion tracking in normal and LBBB hearts

Tese de doutoramento em Biofísica, apresentada à Universidade de Lisboa através da Faculdade de Ciências, 200