Using the conflict principle of the Stroop task, “effect of interference in color naming”, the present study proposes to create a computational version of the emotional Stroop task, called TREFACE, for its acronyms ...Using the conflict principle of the Stroop task, “effect of interference in color naming”, the present study proposes to create a computational version of the emotional Stroop task, called TREFACE, for its acronyms in Portuguese “Teste de Reconhecimento de Expressões Faciais com Conflito Emocional” (Facial Expression Recognition Test with Emotional Conflict). In this protocol, four fixed styles of presentation were generated according to the condition: Congruent Word Reading, Incongruent Word Reading, Congruent Recognition of Face Expression and Incongruent Recognition of Face Expression, counterbalanced in terms of each facial expression, word and gender of the photo character. Forty-two healthy volunteers completed the task. Results revealed that a task associated with word reading allows better performance than a task associated with face recognition. It was also identified that in the congruent condition, there is an advantage in terms of the correct responses. Additionally, the data regarding recognition of face expression showed greater difficulty when the image was not congruent with the word. In general, the results suggest that the emotional attribute can compromise the ability to recognize the faces, reaching the functioning of mechanisms such as cognitive control and regulation of emotions. Thus, the TREFACE paradigm can be considered a good assessment tool for monitoring emotional conflict, in addition to presenting itself as a new instrument in Portuguese language for assessing emotional working memory in healthy individuals and, eventually, in different pathologies that affect the functioning of cortical areas related to executive functions.展开更多
TREFACE (Test for Recognition of Facial Expressions with Emotional Conflict) is a computerized model for investigating the emotional factor in executive functions based on the Stroop paradigm, for the recognition of e...TREFACE (Test for Recognition of Facial Expressions with Emotional Conflict) is a computerized model for investigating the emotional factor in executive functions based on the Stroop paradigm, for the recognition of emotional expressions in human faces. To investigate the influence of the emotional component at the cortical level, the electroencephalographic (EEG) recording technique was used to measure the involvement of cortical areas during the execution of certain tasks. Thirty Brazilian native Portuguese-speaking graduate students were evaluated on their anxiety and depression levels and on their well-being at the time of the session. The EEG recording was performed in 19 channels during the execution of the TREFACE test in the 3 stages established by the model-guided training, reading, and recognition—both with congruent conditions, when the image corresponds to the word shown, and incongruent condition, when there is no correspondence. The results showed better performance in the reading stage and in congruent conditions, while greater intensity of cortical activation in the recognition stage and in incongruent conditions. In a complementary way, specific frontal activations were observed: intense theta frequency activation in the left extension representing the frontal recruitment of posterior regions in information processing;also, activation in alpha frequency in the right frontotemporal line, illustrating the executive processing in the control of attention, in addition to the dorsal manifestation of the prefrontal side, for emotional performance. Activations in beta and gamma frequencies were displayed in a more intensely distributed way in the recognition stage. The results of this mapping of cortical activity in our study can help to understand how words and images of faces can be regulated in everyday life and in clinical contexts, suggesting an integrated model that includes the neural bases of the regulation strategy.展开更多
The CBM （chromoblastomycosis） is a disease caused by dematiaceous fungi, which has the species Fonsecaea pedrosoi as main agent. This fungus is found in warm and moist climates, characteristically found in the amazo...The CBM （chromoblastomycosis） is a disease caused by dematiaceous fungi, which has the species Fonsecaea pedrosoi as main agent. This fungus is found in warm and moist climates, characteristically found in the amazonic lands of the region, where its environmental isolation was once described. This research aimed to identify the healthy population exposed to agent F. pedrosoi in four villages located in the Legal Amazon. In order to clarify the risk factors for allergic immune exposure, a survey was conducted by the technique of delayed skin reaction （IDR） with the metabolic antigen （chromomycin） in 449 healthy individuals. The results showed that 14.9% （67 subjects） were IDR positive, with induration 〉 5 mm. Multivariate analysis with logistic regression for risk factors： living in the village of Z6 Pedro （municipality of Bacabeira in the state of Maranhao, Brazil）,展开更多
AIM:To analyze the role of rs12979860 and rs8099917polymorphisms in hepatitis C virus(HCV)genotype 1infection of Brazilians.METHODS:A total of 145 adult patients diagnosed with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C(CHC)who h...AIM:To analyze the role of rs12979860 and rs8099917polymorphisms in hepatitis C virus(HCV)genotype 1infection of Brazilians.METHODS:A total of 145 adult patients diagnosed with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C(CHC)who had completed a 48-wk regimen of pegylated-interferonα-2a or-2b plus ribavirin combination therapy were recruited from six large urban healthcare centers and199 healthy blood donors(controls)from a single site between January 2010 and January 2012.Data on the patients’response to treatment was collected.Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism genotyping of the interleukin(IL)28B gene fragment encompassing the single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)rs12979860(C/T)and rs8099917(T/G)was carried out for 79 of the CHC patients and 199 of the controls.Bi-directional amplicon sequencing of the two SNPs was carried out for the remaining 66 CHC patients.RESULTS:SNP rs12979860 genotyping was successful in 99.5%of the controls and 97.2%of the CHC patients,whereas the SNP rs8099917 genotyping was successful in 95.5%of the controls and 100%of the CHC patients.The genotype and allele distributions for both rs12979860 and rs8099917 were significantly different between the control and CHC patient groups,with significantly higher genotype frequencies of CC and TT in the controls(P=0.037 and 0.046,respectively)and of TT and GG in the CHC patients(P=0.0009and 0.0001,respectively).Analysis of the CHC patients who achieved sustained virological response(SVR)to treatment(n=55)indicated that the rs12979860 C allele and CC genotype were predictors of SVR(P=0.02).No significant correlation was found between rs8099917 genotypes and treatment response,but carriers of the T allele showed significantly higher rates of SVR(P=0.02).Linkage disequilibrium analysis of the group that achieved SVR showed a significant association between rs12979860 and rs8099917(P=0.07).CONCLUSION:The higher allele frequency of rs12979860 C and rs8099917 T observed in non-HCVinfected individuals may indicate a potential protective role for these IL28B-related polymorphisms.展开更多
This paper proposes a method for optimal placement of synchronized PMUs （phasor measurement units） in electrical power systems using a MCGA （modified canonical genetic algorithm）, which the goal is to determine th...This paper proposes a method for optimal placement of synchronized PMUs （phasor measurement units） in electrical power systems using a MCGA （modified canonical genetic algorithm）, which the goal is to determine the minimum number of PMUs, as well as the optimal location of these units to ensure the complete topological observability of the system. In case of more than one solution, a strategy of analysis of the design matrix rank is applied to determine the solution with the lower number of critical measurements. In the proposed method of placement, modifications are made in the crossover and mutation genetic operators, as well as in the formation of the subpopulation, and are considered restrictive hypotheses in the search space to improve the performance in solving the optimization problem. Simulations are performed using the IEEE 14-bus, IEEE 30-bus and New England 39-bus test systems. The proposed method is applied on the IEEE 118-bus test system considering the presence of observable zones formed by conventional measurements.展开更多
Objective: To assess preoperative and postoperative spirometry values in patients undergoing lobectomy for sequelae of pulmonary tuberculosis. Method: A total of 20 patients (10 males) with history of treatment for tu...Objective: To assess preoperative and postoperative spirometry values in patients undergoing lobectomy for sequelae of pulmonary tuberculosis. Method: A total of 20 patients (10 males) with history of treatment for tuberculosis and presenting with symptomatic sequelae (repeat infection or hemoptysis) who sought assistance at the chest surgery outpatient clinic between 11.09.07 and 04.02.10, were selected for the study. Only patients that met theeligibility criteria (symptomatic, submitted to tuberculosis treatment) were included in the study. The age of patients ranged from 15 to 56 years (mean: 35.75 years). The average treatment time for tuberculosis was 6 months and onset of symptoms occurred between 01 and 32 years after treatment. To assess the impact of surgery on the variables VC, FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, FEF and PEF preoperative values were compared with postoperative values at 1st, 3rd, 6th and 12th month using the paired t test. The level of significance (α) applied for all tests was 5% where a value of p 0.05 was considered significant. Results: 11 patients were treated because of recurrent infections and 9 because of haemoptysis. The most common lobectomy was right upper lobectomy (7 patients), followed by left upper lobectomy (6 patients), left lower lobectomy (6 patients), and right middle lobectomy (1 patient). There were no postoperative complications. There was no postoperative mortality. Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, it can be concluded that, at the 12th postoperative month, spirometric parameters of patients with tuberculosis sequelae submitted to lobectomy had returned to preoperative levels.展开更多
We studied the process of offspring production in queenless colonies of Acromyrmex subterraneus brunneus, and particularly evaluated the ovary development of workers as a function of their age. For this, subcolonies w...We studied the process of offspring production in queenless colonies of Acromyrmex subterraneus brunneus, and particularly evaluated the ovary development of workers as a function of their age. For this, subcolonies were set up and evaluated at different periods of isolation from the queen （2, 4 and 6 months）, besides individually labeled age groups. The subcolonies were assessed according to offspring production and ovaries containing oocytes or not. The evaluations showed worker oviposition and development of males originating from worker-laid eggs. At 2 months＇ absence of the queen, eggs and larvae were found, with eggs in a higher proportion than larvae. After 4 months, the proportion of eggs had reduced while larvae had increased, and a pupa was found in one subcolony. At 6 months, besides a higher share of larvae, one pupa and one adult male were found. Dissection of workers revealed ovaries containing oocytes during the periods of evaluation. Only a group of medium-sized and large workers, 23.3%, 20.9% and 37.5% of the population from each period assessed in queenless subcolonies respectively, presented developed oocytes in the ovary. The same was observed in colonies with a queen, with 17.6%, 19.6% and 7.8% of the group of dissected workers from each time period, respectively. With respect to worker age, we observed by dissection of the ovary, that the greatest percentage of individuals with ovarioles containing oocytes occurred at 45 days （6 weeks） up to 90 days （12 weeks）. These results probably are associated with the workers reproduction and the laying of trophic and reproductive eggs in colonies with and without a queen; these eggs have distinct functions in each situation.展开更多
文摘Using the conflict principle of the Stroop task, “effect of interference in color naming”, the present study proposes to create a computational version of the emotional Stroop task, called TREFACE, for its acronyms in Portuguese “Teste de Reconhecimento de Expressões Faciais com Conflito Emocional” (Facial Expression Recognition Test with Emotional Conflict). In this protocol, four fixed styles of presentation were generated according to the condition: Congruent Word Reading, Incongruent Word Reading, Congruent Recognition of Face Expression and Incongruent Recognition of Face Expression, counterbalanced in terms of each facial expression, word and gender of the photo character. Forty-two healthy volunteers completed the task. Results revealed that a task associated with word reading allows better performance than a task associated with face recognition. It was also identified that in the congruent condition, there is an advantage in terms of the correct responses. Additionally, the data regarding recognition of face expression showed greater difficulty when the image was not congruent with the word. In general, the results suggest that the emotional attribute can compromise the ability to recognize the faces, reaching the functioning of mechanisms such as cognitive control and regulation of emotions. Thus, the TREFACE paradigm can be considered a good assessment tool for monitoring emotional conflict, in addition to presenting itself as a new instrument in Portuguese language for assessing emotional working memory in healthy individuals and, eventually, in different pathologies that affect the functioning of cortical areas related to executive functions.
文摘TREFACE (Test for Recognition of Facial Expressions with Emotional Conflict) is a computerized model for investigating the emotional factor in executive functions based on the Stroop paradigm, for the recognition of emotional expressions in human faces. To investigate the influence of the emotional component at the cortical level, the electroencephalographic (EEG) recording technique was used to measure the involvement of cortical areas during the execution of certain tasks. Thirty Brazilian native Portuguese-speaking graduate students were evaluated on their anxiety and depression levels and on their well-being at the time of the session. The EEG recording was performed in 19 channels during the execution of the TREFACE test in the 3 stages established by the model-guided training, reading, and recognition—both with congruent conditions, when the image corresponds to the word shown, and incongruent condition, when there is no correspondence. The results showed better performance in the reading stage and in congruent conditions, while greater intensity of cortical activation in the recognition stage and in incongruent conditions. In a complementary way, specific frontal activations were observed: intense theta frequency activation in the left extension representing the frontal recruitment of posterior regions in information processing;also, activation in alpha frequency in the right frontotemporal line, illustrating the executive processing in the control of attention, in addition to the dorsal manifestation of the prefrontal side, for emotional performance. Activations in beta and gamma frequencies were displayed in a more intensely distributed way in the recognition stage. The results of this mapping of cortical activity in our study can help to understand how words and images of faces can be regulated in everyday life and in clinical contexts, suggesting an integrated model that includes the neural bases of the regulation strategy.
文摘The CBM （chromoblastomycosis） is a disease caused by dematiaceous fungi, which has the species Fonsecaea pedrosoi as main agent. This fungus is found in warm and moist climates, characteristically found in the amazonic lands of the region, where its environmental isolation was once described. This research aimed to identify the healthy population exposed to agent F. pedrosoi in four villages located in the Legal Amazon. In order to clarify the risk factors for allergic immune exposure, a survey was conducted by the technique of delayed skin reaction （IDR） with the metabolic antigen （chromomycin） in 449 healthy individuals. The results showed that 14.9% （67 subjects） were IDR positive, with induration 〉 5 mm. Multivariate analysis with logistic regression for risk factors： living in the village of Z6 Pedro （municipality of Bacabeira in the state of Maranhao, Brazil）,
基金Supported by Grants from the Research Fund from University of Region of Joinville,FAP-UNIVILLE
文摘AIM:To analyze the role of rs12979860 and rs8099917polymorphisms in hepatitis C virus(HCV)genotype 1infection of Brazilians.METHODS:A total of 145 adult patients diagnosed with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C(CHC)who had completed a 48-wk regimen of pegylated-interferonα-2a or-2b plus ribavirin combination therapy were recruited from six large urban healthcare centers and199 healthy blood donors(controls)from a single site between January 2010 and January 2012.Data on the patients’response to treatment was collected.Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism genotyping of the interleukin(IL)28B gene fragment encompassing the single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)rs12979860(C/T)and rs8099917(T/G)was carried out for 79 of the CHC patients and 199 of the controls.Bi-directional amplicon sequencing of the two SNPs was carried out for the remaining 66 CHC patients.RESULTS:SNP rs12979860 genotyping was successful in 99.5%of the controls and 97.2%of the CHC patients,whereas the SNP rs8099917 genotyping was successful in 95.5%of the controls and 100%of the CHC patients.The genotype and allele distributions for both rs12979860 and rs8099917 were significantly different between the control and CHC patient groups,with significantly higher genotype frequencies of CC and TT in the controls(P=0.037 and 0.046,respectively)and of TT and GG in the CHC patients(P=0.0009and 0.0001,respectively).Analysis of the CHC patients who achieved sustained virological response(SVR)to treatment(n=55)indicated that the rs12979860 C allele and CC genotype were predictors of SVR(P=0.02).No significant correlation was found between rs8099917 genotypes and treatment response,but carriers of the T allele showed significantly higher rates of SVR(P=0.02).Linkage disequilibrium analysis of the group that achieved SVR showed a significant association between rs12979860 and rs8099917(P=0.07).CONCLUSION:The higher allele frequency of rs12979860 C and rs8099917 T observed in non-HCVinfected individuals may indicate a potential protective role for these IL28B-related polymorphisms.
文摘This paper proposes a method for optimal placement of synchronized PMUs （phasor measurement units） in electrical power systems using a MCGA （modified canonical genetic algorithm）, which the goal is to determine the minimum number of PMUs, as well as the optimal location of these units to ensure the complete topological observability of the system. In case of more than one solution, a strategy of analysis of the design matrix rank is applied to determine the solution with the lower number of critical measurements. In the proposed method of placement, modifications are made in the crossover and mutation genetic operators, as well as in the formation of the subpopulation, and are considered restrictive hypotheses in the search space to improve the performance in solving the optimization problem. Simulations are performed using the IEEE 14-bus, IEEE 30-bus and New England 39-bus test systems. The proposed method is applied on the IEEE 118-bus test system considering the presence of observable zones formed by conventional measurements.
文摘Objective: To assess preoperative and postoperative spirometry values in patients undergoing lobectomy for sequelae of pulmonary tuberculosis. Method: A total of 20 patients (10 males) with history of treatment for tuberculosis and presenting with symptomatic sequelae (repeat infection or hemoptysis) who sought assistance at the chest surgery outpatient clinic between 11.09.07 and 04.02.10, were selected for the study. Only patients that met theeligibility criteria (symptomatic, submitted to tuberculosis treatment) were included in the study. The age of patients ranged from 15 to 56 years (mean: 35.75 years). The average treatment time for tuberculosis was 6 months and onset of symptoms occurred between 01 and 32 years after treatment. To assess the impact of surgery on the variables VC, FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, FEF and PEF preoperative values were compared with postoperative values at 1st, 3rd, 6th and 12th month using the paired t test. The level of significance (α) applied for all tests was 5% where a value of p 0.05 was considered significant. Results: 11 patients were treated because of recurrent infections and 9 because of haemoptysis. The most common lobectomy was right upper lobectomy (7 patients), followed by left upper lobectomy (6 patients), left lower lobectomy (6 patients), and right middle lobectomy (1 patient). There were no postoperative complications. There was no postoperative mortality. Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, it can be concluded that, at the 12th postoperative month, spirometric parameters of patients with tuberculosis sequelae submitted to lobectomy had returned to preoperative levels.
文摘We studied the process of offspring production in queenless colonies of Acromyrmex subterraneus brunneus, and particularly evaluated the ovary development of workers as a function of their age. For this, subcolonies were set up and evaluated at different periods of isolation from the queen （2, 4 and 6 months）, besides individually labeled age groups. The subcolonies were assessed according to offspring production and ovaries containing oocytes or not. The evaluations showed worker oviposition and development of males originating from worker-laid eggs. At 2 months＇ absence of the queen, eggs and larvae were found, with eggs in a higher proportion than larvae. After 4 months, the proportion of eggs had reduced while larvae had increased, and a pupa was found in one subcolony. At 6 months, besides a higher share of larvae, one pupa and one adult male were found. Dissection of workers revealed ovaries containing oocytes during the periods of evaluation. Only a group of medium-sized and large workers, 23.3%, 20.9% and 37.5% of the population from each period assessed in queenless subcolonies respectively, presented developed oocytes in the ovary. The same was observed in colonies with a queen, with 17.6%, 19.6% and 7.8% of the group of dissected workers from each time period, respectively. With respect to worker age, we observed by dissection of the ovary, that the greatest percentage of individuals with ovarioles containing oocytes occurred at 45 days （6 weeks） up to 90 days （12 weeks）. These results probably are associated with the workers reproduction and the laying of trophic and reproductive eggs in colonies with and without a queen; these eggs have distinct functions in each situation.
