Acompanha 1 CD-ROM / Orientador: Roberto Jorge da Silva Franco / Banca: Fernando Almeida / Banca: Eduardo Aguilar Arca / Resumo: Pacientes com doença renal crônica usualmente apresentam intolerância ao exercício e aumento de rigidez arterial. O objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar a associação entre o condicionamento físico e a pressão arterial central, espessura da camada íntima-média de carótida e rigidez arterial em pacientes com doença renal crônica, além de analisar a interação desses fatores com as variáveis clínicas e laboratoriais. Foi avaliada a pressão arterial central, velocidade de onda de pulso e índice de amplificação de 22 pacientes utilizando o aparelho Sphygmocor. Também foi determinada a espessura da camada íntima-média de carótida por meio da ultrasonografia. O condicionamento físico foi avaliado pela medida do VO2 máximo, estimado por ergometria utilizando o protocolo de Bruce. De acordo com o VO2 máximo, 2 grupos de pacientes foram obtidos. Grupo I (GI) com valores abaixo da mediana e Grupo II (GII) com valores acima. O GI apresentou diferenças estatísticas com relação à velocidade da onde de pulso e do índice de amplificação, configurando maior rigidez arterial. Os valores de massa gorda, proteína C-reativa, hemoglobina e albumina foram estatisticamente diferentes entre os grupos. A massa gorda e proteína C-reativa foram maiores no GI do que no GII. A hemoglobina e albumina, ao contrário, foram maiores no GII do que no GI. A espessura da camada íntima-média de carótida e a pressão arterial central foram similares entre os grupos. Melhor condicionamento físico foi associado com menor rigidez arterial em pacientes com doença renal crônica / Abstract: Chronic kidney disease patients usually presents exercise intolerance and increased arterial stiffness. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between physical fitness and the degree of arterial stiffness in chronic kidney disease patients, as well to analyze its relation with clinical variables. Twenty-two patients were evaluated by central blood pressure, pulse wave velocity and augmentation index using Sphygmocor device. Carotid intima-media wall thickness was assessed by ultrasonography and fitness performance estimated by VO2 max using Bruce protocol treadmill test. Patients were distributed in two groups according to the median value obtained for VO2 max: Group 1 (GI) with VO2 max below the median and Group 2 (GII) with values above the median. The GI presented significant increase of pulse wave velocity and augmentation index configuring higher arterial stiffness for this group. Other clinical variables as fat mass, C-reactive protein, were higher in GI and hemoglobin and albumin, on the contrary, were higher in GII Carotid intima-media wall thickness and central blood pressure were similar in both groups. Better fitness was associated with lower arterial stiffness in CKD patients / Mestre

The main objective of the study is to verify the accuracy of the approximate hand calculation method used extensively by the engineers for the calculation of the rigidity of shear walls with openings. Different types of shear walls are considered varying in the dimensions and positions of the opening, however, maintaining the same basic material properties. The results obtained by the hand calculation are compared to the finite element approach to check for the discrepancy. The finite element analysis software NISA/DISPLAY IV and SAP2000 is considered for the purpose.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:27:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2011-02-25Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:36:03Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 shiraishi_fg_me_botfm.pdf: 1396975 bytes, checksum: ae8938a765c04aaf60bdc962bdb062da (MD5) / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / Pacientes com doença renal crônica usualmente apresentam intolerância ao exercício e aumento de rigidez arterial. O objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar a associação entre o condicionamento físico e a pressão arterial central, espessura da camada íntima-média de carótida e rigidez arterial em pacientes com doença renal crônica, além de analisar a interação desses fatores com as variáveis clínicas e laboratoriais. Foi avaliada a pressão arterial central, velocidade de onda de pulso e índice de amplificação de 22 pacientes utilizando o aparelho Sphygmocor. Também foi determinada a espessura da camada íntima-média de carótida por meio da ultrasonografia. O condicionamento físico foi avaliado pela medida do VO2 máximo, estimado por ergometria utilizando o protocolo de Bruce. De acordo com o VO2 máximo, 2 grupos de pacientes foram obtidos. Grupo I (GI) com valores abaixo da mediana e Grupo II (GII) com valores acima. O GI apresentou diferenças estatísticas com relação à velocidade da onde de pulso e do índice de amplificação, configurando maior rigidez arterial. Os valores de massa gorda, proteína C-reativa, hemoglobina e albumina foram estatisticamente diferentes entre os grupos. A massa gorda e proteína C-reativa foram maiores no GI do que no GII. A hemoglobina e albumina, ao contrário, foram maiores no GII do que no GI. A espessura da camada íntima-média de carótida e a pressão arterial central foram similares entre os grupos. Melhor condicionamento físico foi associado com menor rigidez arterial em pacientes com doença renal crônica / Chronic kidney disease patients usually presents exercise intolerance and increased arterial stiffness. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between physical fitness and the degree of arterial stiffness in chronic kidney disease patients, as well to analyze its relation with clinical variables. Twenty-two patients were evaluated by central blood pressure, pulse wave velocity and augmentation index using Sphygmocor device. Carotid intima-media wall thickness was assessed by ultrasonography and fitness performance estimated by VO2 max using Bruce protocol treadmill test. Patients were distributed in two groups according to the median value obtained for VO2 max: Group 1 (GI) with VO2 max below the median and Group 2 (GII) with values above the median. The GI presented significant increase of pulse wave velocity and augmentation index configuring higher arterial stiffness for this group. Other clinical variables as fat mass, C-reactive protein, were higher in GI and hemoglobin and albumin, on the contrary, were higher in GII Carotid intima-media wall thickness and central blood pressure were similar in both groups. Better fitness was associated with lower arterial stiffness in CKD patients

Kyoto University (京都大学) / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第15317号 / 工博第3196号 / 新制||工||1481(附属図書館) / 27795 / 京都大学大学院工学研究科建築学専攻 / (主査)教授 加藤 直樹, 教授 門内 輝行, 教授 竹脇 出 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当

The Tolerance/Intolerance of Ambiguity literature is plagued by conceptual confusion and methodological inadequacies. In particular, formulations of the construct and the instruments constructed to measure it suffer from a number of faults, including (1) incomplete and logically inconsistent definitions, (2) confusion regarding the relation between Tolerance/Intolerance of Ambiguity and Rigidity, (3) test confounds such as verbal ability and reactivity, (4) problems of item interpretation due to their verbal nature, (5) low estimates of internal consistency, and (6) questionable construct validity. In this study, a reconceptualization of Tolerance/Intolerance of Ambiguity was distinguished from the construct of Rigidity, and a non-verbal measure was developed which employs ambiguous figures as item stimuli and reaction statements as a response format for each item. Figural stimuli were utilized in order to circumvent confounding factors such as verbal ability, reactivity, and "fakeability." Analysis of 142 ambiguous figures yielded five categories which served as subscales of the test. After pilot testing and refinement, the psychometric properties of the resultant 30-item test, the Figural Measure of Ambiguity Tolerance (FMAT), were investigated by including it as part of battery of tests administered to high school, college, and university students (N=160). This battery included verbal and non-verbal tests of Authoritarianism, Intolerance of Ambiguity and Cognitive Ability chosen so as to allow for an evaluation of construct validity via examination of a Multi-Trait, Multi-Method correlation matrix. A second matrix, generated by adjusting for verbal and non-verbal Cognitive Ability, was also examined. In addition, a criterion-group referencing approach was used to examine construct validity. The Figural Measure of Ambiguity Tolerance showed evidence of good internal consistency reliability at the subscale and total scale levels. The a priori subscale structure was well-supported by factor-analytic results. Results of the validation portion of the study were inconclusive in that evidence of construct validity was minimal for all the measures involved. Given the limitations of previous conceptualizations and current verbal tests of Tolerance/Intolerance of Ambiguity, however, the results support the viability of this non-verbal measurement approach. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

Sensory substitution--The replacing of an impaired sensory channel by a properly functioning one--is possibly best manifested today in attempts to provide visual aids for the blind. The tactile vision substitution system (T.V.S.S.) is an example of one such visual aid. The system presents patterned tactile stimulation to the skin of the observer provided by the output of a closed-circuit television system. Research conducted with congenitally blind Ss in evaluation of the T.V.S.S. has provided useful information concerning the potentialities and limitations of the prototype systems, similarities and differences between tactile and visual perception, and the development of "visual" perception in the congenitally blind Investigation demonstrated that the congenitally blind Ss can learn to make valid judgements of three-dimensional displays with the T.V.S.S. Such judgements are made on the basis of properties contained in the proximal stimulation properties analogous to the monocular clues of depth presence in vision, such as linear-perspective, apparent elevation in the visual field, size change as a function of distance, occlusion, and texural gradients. Similarities have been noted between judgements made by sighted Ss using vision and by blind Ss using the T.V.S.S. on comparable tasks. A display consisting of two slightly displaced alternating lights is perceived in both situations as a single spot of light moving back-and-forth between two display boundaries. A rotating drum made up of alternate black and white stripes is, when stopped, perceived as briefly moving in the opposite direction. External localization of the source of stimulation also occurs with both sensory inputs. The major differences between the visual and tactile inputs that have been noted have occurred in form recognition tacks. Although blind Ss using the patterned tactile stimulation are able to identify both geometric forms and abstract patterns, accuracy is consistently lower than that of sighted Ss using vision, and the latencies for the blind Ss are significantly longer. It is hypothesized that the longer latencies for the blind Ss using the T.V.S.S. can be accounted for primarily by the need to hand-position the television camera during scanning. A major factor in the lower accuracy for the tactile group is the noted difficulty in detecting and identifying display features located within a mass of stimulation. This difficulty with internal display detail may be a function of sensory inhibition and/or masking. The research findings support a concept of sensory substitution as well as a theory of perception which stresses the modality of many qualities contained in visible displays. Further research is needed to determine the significance of sensor movement--either eye movements or camera manipulation--in the perceptual process.

Previous studies on retardates with rigidity of boundaries phenomena have not been concerned with the presence of brain injury. The primary objective of this experiment was to ascertain the degree of difference in rigidity between brain injured and non-brain injured retardates.

No description available.

Early efforts to relate personality rigidity and perceptual rigidity have left volumes of data which are somewhat ambiguous and largely inconclusive. These studies have, in general, rested upon two assumptions: (1) that any measure of perceptual rigidity may be related to a measure of personality rigidity, and (2) that the relationship between the two variables is linear. Subsequent data have placed both assumptions in doubt. Several studies indicate that only certain forms of perceptual rigidity may be directly related to personality rigidity (Baer, 1961; Bogen, 1962; Chown, 1959). Other studies have, directly or indirectly, introduced the possibility of a non-linear relationship between the two variables (Christie, Havel, & Seidenberg, 1958; Rokeach, 1960; Taylor, 1960). Apparently, then, the search for this particular link between personality and perception needs additional effort,. This study dealt with the relationship between personality rigidity, as measured by Rokeach's dogmatism scale, and three measures of perceptual rigidity: closure, perseveration, and frequency of hypotheses.

Proteins are dynamic molecules involved in virtually every chemical process in our bodies. Understanding how they flex and bend provides fundamental insights to their functions. At the atomic level, protein motion cannot be observed using existing experimental methods. To gain insights into these motions, simulation methods are used. However such simulations are computationally expensive. Rigidity analysis is a fast, alternative graph-based method to molecular simulations, that gives information about the flexibility properties of molecules modeled as mechanical structures. Due to the lack of convenient tools for curating protein data, the usefulness of rigidity analysis has been demonstrated on only a handful of proteins to infer several of their biophysical properties. Previous studies also relied on heuristics to determine which choice of modeling options of important stabilizing interactions allowed for extracting relevant biological observations from rigidity analysis results. Thus there is no agreed-upon choice of modeling of stabilizing interactions that is validated with experimental data. In this thesis we make progress towards large-scale validation of protein flexibility using rigidity analysis. We have developed the KINARI software to test the predictive power of using rigidity analysis to infer biophysical properties of proteins. We develop new tools for curating protein data files and for generating biological functional forms and crystal lattices of molecules. We show that rigidity analysis of these biological assemblies provides structural and functional information that would be missed if only the unprocessed data of protein structures were analyzed. To provide a proof-of-concept that rigidity analysis can be used to perform fast evaluation of in silico mutations that may not be easy to perform in vitro, we have developed KINARI-Mutagen. Finally, we perform a systematic study in which we vary how hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions are modeled when constructing a mechanical framework of a protein. We propose a general method to evaluate how varying the modeling of these important inter-atomic interactions affects the degree to which rigidity parameters correlate with experimental stability data.