Radiographers and radiation protection: education, training and CPD

The increasing use of ionizing radiation for medical purposes emphasizes the concern about safety and justification of using ionizing radiation. This is linked with the use of new and high-dose X-ray technology (particularly CT). According to the UNSCEAR 2010 Report the total number of diagnostic medical examinations (both medical and dental) is estimated to have risen from 2.4 billion (period 1991–1996) to 3.6 billion (period 1997– 2008) - a marked increase in collective doses. An appropriate use of technology aiming diagnostic or therapy and respecting the ALARA principle is a mandatory requisite to safely perform any radiological procedure. Radiation protection is thus, a concern of all specialists in the radiology field ( radiologists, radiographers, medical physicists, among other professional groups). The importance of education and training of these professionals in reducing patients’ doses while maintaining the desired level of quality in medical exposures, as well as precise therapeutic treatments is well recognized. Education, training and continuing professional development (CPD) constitute a triad pointing towards the radiographers’ development of competences in the radiation protection field. This presentation excludes the radiographer role and competences in the fields of ultrasonography and MRI.

Task-oriented training and lower limb strengthening to improve balance and function after stroke: a pilot study

This study investigated the effects of task-oriented training and strengthening of the affected lower limb on balance and function in people who have suffered a stroke. Sixteen male adults, with a mean age of 58 (SD 6.3) years, undergoing outpatient physiotherapy less than 1 month after a single stroke in the territory of the middle cerebral artery were recruited. Participants were allocated to one of two groups: the strengthening group (SG) or control group (CG). The main measures used were the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Barthel Index (BI) and Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS). After 12 weeks of intervention, both groups showed improvements in outcome measures. For BBS, there was a significant difference between groups, with an increase of 26 points in the SG and 11 points in the CG. For BI, the SG improved by 39 points and the CG improved by 22 points. After intervention, the difference between groups was not significant. For MAS, differences were not significant, showing that for both groups intervention programmes did not increase spasticity. In conclusion, physiotherapy intervention for postural control dysfunctions after stroke seems to benefit from strength training of the affected lower limb and the practising functional tasks. A large randomized controlled trial is recommended to further investigate the effects of this intervention.

The influence of experience and training in a group of novice observers: a jackknife alternative free-response receiver operating characteristic analysis

Purpose - The study evaluates the pre- and post-training lesion localisation ability of a group of novice observers. Parallels are drawn with the performance of inexperienced radiographers taking part in preliminary clinical evaluation (PCE) and ‘red-dot’ systems, operating within radiography practice. Materials and methods - Thirty-four novice observers searched 92 images for simulated lesions. Pre-training and post-training evaluations were completed following the free-response the receiver operating characteristic (FROC) method. Training consisted of observer performance methodology, the characteristics of the simulated lesions and information on lesion frequency. Jackknife alternative FROC (JAFROC) and highest rating inferred ROC analyses were performed to evaluate performance difference on lesion-based and case-based decisions. The significance level of the test was set at 0.05 to control the probability of Type I error. Results - JAFROC analysis (F(3,33) = 26.34, p < 0.0001) and highest-rating inferred ROC analysis (F(3,33) = 10.65, p = 0.0026) revealed a statistically significant difference in lesion detection performance. The JAFROC figure-of-merit was 0.563 (95% CI 0.512,0.614) pre-training and 0.677 (95% CI 0.639,0.715) post-training. Highest rating inferred ROC figure-of-merit was 0.728 (95% CI 0.701,0.755) pre-training and 0.772 (95% CI 0.750,0.793) post-training. Conclusions - This study has demonstrated that novice observer performance can improve significantly. This study design may have relevance in the assessment of inexperienced radiographers taking part in PCE or commenting scheme for trauma.

Portuguese newspapers’ front-page and the coverage of European Cultural Capital: Porto 2001 and Guimarães 2012

Portugal hosted in the last thirteen years, two editions of the event European Cultural Capital; this paper intends to illustrate the coverage that Portuguese newspapers (daily newspapers Público, Diário de Notícias, Correio da Manhã and Jornal de Notícias, a weekly newsmagazine Visão and a weekly newspaper Expresso) made, through referrals in front-page and respective developments within the editions, to each of the events and that allows us to define the main moments that marked each of them, patterns of action, the major players, planning and programming types. The European Cultural Capital project elects, from year to year, cities of different EU member states with the main goal of “contributing to bring together the Europe´s people" (words of Mélina Mercouri, Greek Minister of Culture who, in 1985, proposed the launch of this initiative) and encouraging the elected urban space to present new cultural paradigms. In the genesis of this model is the cultural decentralization’s vector, a possibility to medium-sized cities of funding public works, restoring heritage and promoting themselves in touristic terms, of giving visibility to cities away from cultural and creative industries’ major distribution centers. A crucial factor to achieve this goal is media coverage. This paper outline the information that the Portuguese press ran over the two years that elapsed the latest editions of the European Cultural Capital in Portugal, namely that media coverage have deviated from the disclosure of the events’ schedule to suggest itineraries of visit and little or not even question the role that cities, promoting such initiatives, have as places of innovation in terms of cultural policies, artistic production and innovation, in urban and environmental regeneration, in economic revitalization, in training and creating new artists and new audiences and in boosting the confidence of local communities. The content analysis performed to articles shows how press is essential to the promotion of cities as cultural/touristic destinations as it stimulates consumption among residents and attracts visitors, with the possible dire consequence of turning the cultural journalist into an agent of touristic instead of cultural promotion.

XII Iberian-Italian Congress of Financial and Actuarial Mathematics

"The purpose of the XII Iberian-Italian Congress of Financial and Actuarial Mathematics is to provide a meeting point for researchers in Financial Economics from different countries and research backgrounds in universities, government or financial institutions. In fact, the Congress which is currently taking place in Lisbon has been organized to encourage communication and debate among the participants as well as to reinforce the bonds between us.The current edition of the Congress is characterized by the quality and diversity of the papers that have been submitted with special attention to the International Financial Crisis and measures of risk in different financial markets. However, as the Congress Program indicates, there are also parallel sessions about traditional topics in finance such as asset pricing, insurance, corporate finance, etc.Although this Congress has always been organized alternately between Spain and Italy, this year we have the great pleasure of celebrating it in Portugal which will be included as a permanent partner." [prefácio]