Search results for "CONDITIONING"
showing 10 items of 632 documents
Pre-imaginal conditioning alters adult sex pheromone response in
2018
Pheromones are chemical signals that induce innate responses in individuals of the same species that may vary with physiological and developmental state. In Drosophila melanogaster, the most intensively studied pheromone is 11-cis-vaccenyl acetate (cVA), which is synthezised in the male ejaculatory bulb and is transferred to the female during copulation. Among other effects, cVA inhibits male courtship of mated females. We found that male courtship inhibition depends on the amount of cVA and this effect is reduced in male flies derived from eggs covered with low to zero levels of cVA. This effect is not observed if the eggs are washed, or if the eggs are laid several days after copulation. …
How preconditioning and pretensioning of grafts used in ACLigaments surgical reconstruction are influenced by their mechanical time-dependent charact…
2021
Abstract Purpose Consensus about a pre-implant preparation protocol adaptable to any graft used in Anterior Cruciate Ligament reconstruction is still lacking. In fact, there is not agreement on reliable metrics that consider both specific graft dimensional characteristics, such as its diameter, and the inherent properties of its constitutive material, i.e. ligaments or tendons. Aim of the present study was to investigate and propose the applied engineering stress as a possible metrics. Methods Preconditioning and pretensioning protocol involved groups of grafts with different section (10 or 32 mm2) and materials (i.e. human patellar and hamstring tendons, and synthetic grafts). A 140 N load…
Moderate exercise is an antioxidant: Upregulation of antioxidant genes by training
2006
Exercise causes oxidative stress only when exhaustive. Strenuous exercise causes oxidation of glutathione, release of cytosolic enzymes, and other signs of cell damage. However, there is increasing evidence that reactive oxygen species (ROS) not only are toxic but also play an important role in cell signaling and in the regulation of gene expression. Xanthine oxidase is involved in the generation of superoxide associated with exhaustive exercise. Allopurinol (an inhibitor of this enzyme) prevents muscle damage after exhaustive exercise, but also modifies cell signaling pathways associated with both moderate and exhaustive exercise in rats and humans. In gastrocnemius muscle from rats, exerc…
Bicuspid aortic valve and sports: From the echocardiographic evaluation to the eligibility for sports competition
2021
Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is the most common congenital heart defect in adults. Although a BAV may remain without clinical consequences for a lifetime, it can deteriorate in aortic valve stenosis and regurgitation and aortic dilatation. Unfortunately, the impact of regular training on patients with BAV and its natural course is not fully understood, although preliminary evidence suggests that the progression of valvular disease occurs primarily in an independent manner from sports practice. The current review aims to report how to perform a comprehensive echocardiographic examination in athletes with BAV and analyze the current literature on the influence of sports practice and how it imp…
People comfort and artwork saving in museums: comparing indoor requisites
2009
In museums, environmental indoor conditions should, contemporaneously, preserve the exhibited works of art and ensure the comfort conditions for people. Unfortunately, human and artworks requirements are characterised by different values of the physical indoor parameters that, occasionally, could become conflicting. In the paper, these problems are addressed by means of a literature analysis, with a specific attention to thermal comfort conditions of people. The possibility of finding common ranges of values for both requisites is finally discussed. Some recent technical recommendations on the matter have also been considered for indicating some HVAC equipment and appliances to be adopted i…
Monitoring results and analysis of thermal comfort conditions in experimental buildings for different heating systems and ventilation regimes during …
2017
This paper focuses on the long-term monitoring of thermal comfort and discomfort parameters in five small test buildings equipped with different heating and cooling systems. Calculations of predicted percentage of dissatisfied people (PPD) index and discomfort factors are provided for the room in winter season running three different heating systems – electric heater, air-air heat pump and air-water heat pump, as well as for the summer cooling with split type air conditioning systems. It is shown that the type of heating/cooling system and its working regime has an important impact on thermal comfort conditions in observed room. Recommendations for the optimal operating regimes and choice o…
Inside the Thompson laboratory during the “cerebellar years” and the continuing cerebellar story
2011
This paper is based on the talk by one of the authors (DL) given at the symposium for the retirement of RF Thompson (RF Thompson: A bridge between 20th and 21st century neuroscience). We first make some informal observations of the historical times and research conditions in the Thompson laboratory when the cerebellum was found to play a critical role in eye lid classical conditioning, the "cerebellar years". These conditions influenced our collaborative international program on the phenomenon known as "transfer of training" or "savings". Our research shows that the appearance of "savings" is an artifact of the order of testing, and depends upon the functioning of the contralateral interpos…
Towards reactive navigation and attention skills for 3D intelligent characters
2003
This paper presents a neural design which is able to provide the necessary reactive navigation and attention skills for 3D embodied agents (virtual humanoids or characters). Based on Grossberg's neural model of conditioning [6], as recently implemented by Chang and Gaudiando [7], and according to the Adaptative Resonance Theory (ART) and the neuroscientific concepts associated, the neural design introduced has been divided in two main phases. Firstly, an environmentcategorization phase, where an on-line pattern recognition and categorization of the current agent sensory input data is carried out by a self organizing neural network, which will finally provide the agent's short term memory la…
A new apparatus for the study of avoidance conditioning in fishes
1981
An apparatus for the study of avoidance conditioning in fishes is described. The chamber is cylindrical in shape, with shocking electrodes placed above and below the animals, and response is defined as swimming a predetermined distance in either direction along a circumferential path. This apparatus has several advantages over the conventional shuttlebox: (1)There is little constraint on the direction of swimming; (2) the magnitude of response (swimming distance) required for avoidance can easily be varied over a wide range; and (3) variation in the effectiveness of shock with the position of the animal relative to the position of the electrodes is minimized. Some sample data obtained in a …
Building integrated solar thermal design: assessment of performances of a low cost solar wall in a typical Italian building
2016
Abstract Present work deals with the topic of building integration of solar thermal collector (BIST) as a refurbishment measure. Such equipment, more than its main function as heating generator, plays a specific role as a building component (envelope finishes, thermal insulation layer, roof cover etc). Consequently, from a heat transfer point of view, an integrated component affects twice the global building balance: supporting the thermal plant (i.e. providing heat for final uses) and modifying the wall heat-transfer pattern (i.e. reducing thermal losses). In turn, the collector performance itself is influenced by the wall structure (back losses reduction). Present work proposes a method f…