Temporal structure of neural oscillations underlying sensorimotor coordination: a theoretical approach with evolutionary robotics

The temporal structure of neural oscillations has become a widespread hypothetical \mechanism" to explain how neurodynamics give rise to neural functions. Despite the great number of empirical experiments in neuroscience and mathematical and computa- tional modelling investigating the temporal structure of the oscillations, there are still few systematic studies proposing dynamical explanations of how it operates within closed sensorimotor loops of agents performing minimally cognitive behaviours. In this thesis we explore this problem by developing and analysing theoretical models of evolutionary robotics controlled by oscillatory networks. The results obtained suggest that: i) the in- formational content in an oscillatory network about the sensorimotor dynamics is equally distributed throughout the entire range of phase relations; neither synchronous nor desyn- chronous oscillations carries a privileged status in terms of informational content in relation to an agent's sensorimotor activity; ii) although the phase relations of oscillations with a narrow frequency difference carry a relatively higher causal relevance than the rest of the phase relations to sensorimotor coordinations, overall there is no privileged functional causal contribution to either synchronous or desynchronous oscillations; and iii) oscilla- tory regimes underlying functional behaviours (e.g. phototaxis, categorical perception) are generated and sustained by the agent's sensorimotor loop dynamics, they depend not only on the dynamic structure of a sensory input but also on the coordinated coupling of the agent's motor-sensory dynamics. This thesis also contributes to the Coordination Dynam- ics framework (Kelso, 1995) by analysing the dynamics of the HKB (Haken-Kelso-Bunz) equation within a closed sensorimotor loop and by discussing the theoretical implications of such an analysis. Besides, it contributes to the ongoing philosophical debate about whether actions are either causally relevant or a constituent of cognitive functionalities by bringing this debate to the context of oscillatory neurodynamics and by illustrating the constitutive notion of actions to cognition

Order of emergency orders in a company of distribution of electrical energy

The emergence of emergency orders, in the course of services already underway, in an electricity distribution concessionaire is inevitable, characterizing a dynamic scenario. Minimizing the delays resulting from these emergencies is a challenge for companies that provide this type of service. In this way, such companies need strategies to meet the needs of customers while meeting regulatory requirements. Aiming at this routing problem, the following work aims to identify evaluation criteria in the dispatch of these emergency orders and the impacts that these criteria will result in the execution times of these work orders in an electricity distribution company. As findings of this research, we verify that the demand exceeds the capacity of the teams and that the orders end up being passed on to the next day. Through the criteria, it was possible to prioritize commercial and emergency orders and analyze the impact generated

Local and systemic effects of fibrin and cyanoacrylate adhesives on lung lesions in rabbits

OBJECTIVES: Tissue adhesives can be used to prevent pulmonary air leaks, which frequently occur after lung interventions. The objective of this study is to evaluate local and systemic effects of fibrin and cyanoacrylate tissue adhesives on lung lesions in rabbits. METHODS: Eighteen rabbits were submitted to videothoracoscopy + lung incision alone (control) or videothoracoscopy + lung incision + local application of fibrin or cyanoacrylate adhesive. Blood samples were collected and assessed for leukocyte, neutrophil and lymphocyte counts and interleukin-8 levels preoperatively and at 48 hours and 28 days post-operatively. After 28 days, the animals were euthanized for gross examination of the lung surface, and lung fragments were excised for histopathological analysis. RESULTS: Fibrin and cyanoacrylate produced similar adhesion scores of the lung to the parietal pleura. Microscopic analysis revealed uniform low-cellular tissue infiltration in the fibrin group and an intense tissue reaction characterized by dense inflammatory infiltration of granulocytes, giant cells and necrosis in the cyanoacrylate group. No changes were detected in the leukocyte, neutrophil or lymphocyte count at any time-point, while the interleukin-8 levels were increased in the fibrin and cyanoacrylate groups after 48 hours compared with the pre-operative control levels (

Experimental study of histological changes in vascular loops according to the duration of the postoperative period: Application in reconstructive microsurgery

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the histological changes observed in venous grafts subjected to arterial blood flow as a function of the duration of the postoperative period to optimize their use in free flap reconstructions. METHOD: Twenty-five rats (7 females and 18 males) underwent surgery. Surgeries were performed on one animal per week. Five weeks after the first surgery, the same five animals were subjected to an additional surgery to assess the presence or absence of blood flow through the vascular loop, and samples were collected for histological analysis. This cycle was performed five times. RESULTS: Of the rats euthanized four to five weeks after the first surgery, no blood flow was observed through the graft in 80% of the cases. In the group euthanized three weeks after the first surgery, no blood flow was observed in 20% of the cases. In the groups euthanized one to two weeks after the first surgery, blood flow through the vascular loop was observed in all animals. Moreover, intimal proliferation tended to increase with the duration of the postoperative period. Two weeks after surgery, intimal proliferation increased slightly, whereas strong intimal proliferation was observed in all rats evaluated five weeks after surgery. CONCLUSION: Intimal proliferation was the most significant change noted in venous grafts as a function of the duration of the postoperative period and was directly correlated with graft occlusion. In cases in which vascular loops are required during free flap reconstruction, both procedures should preferably be performed during the same surgery

Informação de base ecossistêmica como ferramenta de apoio à gestão costeira integrada da Ilha de Santa Catarina, Brasil

Ecosystems contribute, through direct or indirect Ecosystem Services (ES), for the human well-being. Thus, to maintain ecosystems healthy condition, ecosystem-based management addresses interactions between human activities and environment, focusing on the sustainable use of these services. The aim of this research is to provide support for an integrated coastal management, based on an ecosystemic perspective, for Ilha de Santa Catarina (ISC) and surrounding bays and sea areas, Florianópolis municipality. To reach this goal it is necessary to map the island ecosystems, to analyze the ecosystem services, and to define those services that are basic for the human well-being, that is, services that have the greatest capacity to contribute to a safe and adequate livelihood. The mapping allowed the classification of 14 ecosystems. Marine ecosystems correspond to 51.9% of the study area and the terrestrial ones to 37.3%. The anthropogenic urban and rural areas correspond to 10.8% of the study area. Six basic ESs were identified in the ISC: fish stocks, shoreline protection, aquifer recharge, fresh water supply, pollution mitigation and natural nursery; those associated to 11 mapped ecosystems. The Information System created allowed quantitative and qualitative exploration on ecosystems and their services and improved already existing data. In addition, it established spatial relationships between systems and services, allowing conditions to future research in the region.Os ecossistemas contribuem, por meio de seus Serviços Ecossistêmicos (SEs) diretos ou indiretos, para o bem-estar humano. Desse modo, para que os ecossistemas mantenham uma condição saudável, a gestão com base em ecossistemas aborda as interações homem-meio, para que seus serviços sejam apropriados de maneira sustentável. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo dar subsídios para uma gestão costeira integrada da Ilha de Santa Catarina (ISC) e entorno, município de Florianópolis, com base em uma perspectiva ecossistêmica. Para isso, foram necessários o mapeamento de ecossistemas, a elaboração e a análise de uma matriz de serviços, e a definição dos serviços básicos para o bem-estar humano, ou seja, os serviços que possuem maior capacidade de contribuir para um meio de vida seguro e adequado. O mapeamento realizado possibilitou a classificação de 14 ecossistemas na área de estudo. Os ecossistemas marinhos correspondem a 51,9% e os terrestres a 37,3%. As áreas antropizadas urbanas e rurais correspondem a 10,8% da área de estudo. Foram identificados seis SE básicos na ISC, associados a 11 ecossistemas mapeados: estoque pesqueiro, proteção da linha de costa, recarga de aquífero, recurso hídrico, depuração de poluentes e berçário natural. O Sistema de Informações criado permitiu a realização de consultas quantitativas e qualitativas sobre os ecossistemas e seus serviços e o aperfeiçoamento dos dados apresentados na matriz de sistemas e serviços já existente. Além disso, estabeleceu relações espaciais entre sistemas e serviços, dando condição a futuros trabalhos de pesquisa na região

Heparanase 1 Upregulation Promotes Tumor Progression and Is a Predictor of Low Survival for Oral Cancer

Background: Oral cavity cancer is still an important public health problem throughout the world. Oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) can be quite aggressive and metastatic, with a low survival rate and poor prognosis. However, this is usually related to the clinical stage and histological grade, and molecular prognostic markers for clinical practice are yet to be defined. Heparanase (HPSE1) is an endoglycosidase associated with extracellular matrix remodeling, and although involved in several malignancies, the clinical implications of HPSE1 expression in OSCCs are still unknown.Methods: We sought to investigate HPSE1 expression in a series of primary OSCCs and further explore whether its overexpression plays a relevant role in OSCC tumorigenesis. mRNA and protein expression analyses were performed in OSCC tissue samples and cell lines. A loss-of-function strategy using shRNA and a gain-of-function strategy using an ORF vector targeting HPSE1 were employed to investigate the endogenous modulation of HPSE1 and its effects on proliferation, apoptosis, adhesion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), angiogenesis, migration, and invasion of oral cancer in vitro.Results: We demonstrated that HPSE1 is frequently upregulated in OSCC samples and cell lines and is an unfavorable prognostic indicator of disease-specific survival when combined with advanced pT stages. Moreover, abrogation of HPSE1 in OSCC cells significantly promoted apoptosis and inhibited proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition by significantly decreasing the expression of N-cadherin and vimentin. Furthermore, a conditioned medium of HPSE1-downregulated cells resulted in reduced vascular endothelial growth.Conclusion: Our results confirm the overexpression of HPSE1 in OSCCs, suggest that HPSE1 expression correlates with disease progression as it is associated with several important biological processes for oral tumorigenesis, and can be managed as a prognostic marker for patients with OSCC.Peer reviewe

Global evapotranspiration datasets assessment using water balance in South America

Evapotranspiration (ET) connects the land to the atmosphere, linking water, energy, and carbon cycles. ET is an essential climate variable with a fundamental importance, and accurate assessments of the spatiotemporal trends and variability in ET are needed from regional to continental scales. This study compared eight global actual ET datasets (ETgl) and the average actual ET ensemble (ETens) based on remote sensing, climate reanalysis, land-surface, and biophysical models to ET computed from basin-scale water balance (ETwb) in South America on monthly time scale. The 50 small-to-large basins covered major rivers and different biomes and climate types. We also examined the magnitude, seasonality, and interannual variability of ET, comparing ETgl and ETens with ETwb. Global ET datasets were evaluated between 2003 and 2014 from the following datasets: Breathing Earth System Simulator (BESS), ECMWF Reanalysis 5 (ERA5), Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS), Global Land Evaporation Amsterdam Model (GLEAM), MOD16, Penman–Monteith–Leuning (PML), Operational Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEBop) and Terra Climate. By using ETwb as a basis for comparison, correlation coefficients ranged from 0.45 (SSEBop) to 0.60 (ETens), and RMSE ranged from 35.6 (ETens) to 40.5 mm·month⁻¹(MOD16). Overall, ETgl estimates ranged from 0 to 150 mm·month−1 in most basins in South America, while ETwb estimates showed maximum rates up to 250 mm·month⁻¹. Tgl varied by hydroclimatic regions: (i) basins located in humid climates with low seasonality in precipitation, including the Amazon, Uruguay, and South Atlantic basins, yielded weak correlation coefficients between monthly ETgl and ETwb, and (ii) tropical and semiarid basins (areas where precipitation demonstrates a strong seasonality, as in the São Francisco, Northeast Atlantic, Paraná/Paraguay, and Tocantins basins) yielded moderate-to-strong correlation coefficients. An assessment of the interannual variability demonstrated a disagreement between ETgl and ETwb in the humid tropics (in the Amazon), with ETgl showing a wide range of interannual variability. However, in tropical, subtropical, and semiarid climates, including the Tocantins, São Francisco, Paraná, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Atlantic basins (Northeast, East, and South), we found a stronger agreement between ETgl and ETwb for interannual variability. Assessing ET datasets enables the understanding of land–atmosphere exchanges in South America, to improvement of ET estimation and monitoring for water management

Darwin -— an experimental astronomy mission to search for extrasolar planets

As a response to ESA call for mission concepts for its Cosmic Vision 2015–2025 plan, we propose a mission called Darwin. Its primary goal is the study of terrestrial extrasolar planets and the search for life on them. In this paper, we describe different characteristics of the instrument