Adherence to health-related behaviors: effectiveness of implementation intentions and posthypnotic suggestion in college students

Resumo: Com base no conceito de implementação de intenções (Gollwitzer, 1993, 1999) e na teoria do contexto de resposta de Kirsch & Lynn (1997), o presente trabalho testou a eficácia de uma intervenção combinada de implementação de intenções com hipnose e sugestão pós-hipnótica na promoção da adesão a uma tarefa simples (avaliação do humor) e uma tarefa difícil (actividade física). Os participantes são estudantes universitários de uma universidade na Nova Jérsia, (N=124, Estudo 1, EUA) e em Lisboa (N=323, Estudo 2, Portugal). Em ambos os estudos os participantes foram seleccionados a partir de uma amostra mais vasta baseado num escrutínio da sua sugestibilidade hipnótica avaliada por meio da Escala de Grupo de Sugestibilidade Hipnótica de Waterloo-Stanford (WSGC): Forma C. O Estudo 1 usou um desenho factorial do tipo 2x2x3 (tipo de intenção formada x hipnose x nível de sugestionabilidade) e o Estudo 2 usou um desenho factorial do tipo 2 x 2x 2 x 4 (tipo de tarefa x tipo de intenção formada x hipnose x nível de sugestionabilidade). No Estudo 1 foi pedido aos participantes que corressem todos os dias e durante três semanas durante 5 minutos, que medissem a sua pulsação antes e depois da actividade física e que mandassem um e-mail ao experimentador, fornecendo assim uma medida comportamental e uma medida de auto-relato. Aos participantes no grupo de intenções de meta foi apenas pedido que corressem todos os dias. Aos participantes no grupo de implementação de intenções foi pedido que especificasses com exactidão quando e onde iriam correr e enviar o e-mail. Para além disso, cerca de metade dos participantes foram hipnotizados e receberam uma sugestão pós-hipnótica em que lhes foi sugerido que o pensamento de correr todos os dias lhes viria à mente sem esforço no momento apropriado. A outra metade dos participantes não recebeu qualquer sugestão hipnótica. No Estudo 2 foi seguido o mesmo procedimento, mas a cerca de metade dos participantes foi atribuída uma tarefa fácil (enviar um Adherence to health-related behaviors ix SMS com a avaliação diária do seu estado de humor naquele momento) e à outra metade da amostra foi atribuída a tarefa de exercício físico atrás descrita (tarefa difícil). Os resultados do estudo 1 mostraram uma interacção significativa entre o nível de sugestionabilidade dos participantes e a sugestão pós-hipnótica (p<.01) indicando que a administração da sugestão pós-hipnótica aumentou a adesão nos participantes muito sugestionáveis, mas baixou a adesão nos participantes pouco sugestionáveis. Não se encontraram diferenças entre os grupos que formaram intenções de meta e os que formaram implementação de intenções. No Estudo 2 os resultados indicaram que os participantes aderiram significativamente mais à tarefa fácil do que à tarefa difícil (p<.001). Os resultados não revelaram diferenças significativas entre as condições implementações de intenções, hipnose e as duas estratégias combinadas, indicando que a implementação de intenções não foi eficaz no aumento da adesão às duas tarefas propostas e não beneficiou da combinação com as sugestões pós-hipnóticas. A utilização da hipnose com sugestão pós-hipnótica significativamente reduziu a adesão a ambas as tarefas. Dado que não existiam instrumentos em Português destinados a avaliar a sugestionabilidade hipnótica, traduziu-se e adaptou-se para Português Escala de Grupo de sugestibilidade hipnótica de Waterloo-Stanford (WSGC): Forma C. A amostra Portuguesa (N=625) apresentou resultados semelhantes aos encontrados nas amostras de referência em termos do formato da distribuição dos padrões da pontuação e do índice de dificuldade dos itens. Contudo, a proporção de estudantes portugueses encontrada que pontuaram na zona superior de sugestionabilidade foi significativamente inferior à proporção de participantes na mesma zona encontrada nas amostras de referência. No sentido de lançar alguma luz sobre as razões para este resultado, inquiriu-se alguns dos participantes acerca das suas atitudes face à hipnose utilizando uma versão portuguesa da Escala de Valência de Atitudes e Crenças face à Hipnose e comparou-se com a opinião de Adherence to health-related behaviors xAbstract: On the basis of Gollwitzer’s (1993, 1999) implementation intentions’ concept, and Kirsch & Lynn’s (1997) response set theory, this dissertation tested the effectiveness of a combined intervention of implementation intentions with hypnosis with posthypnotic suggestions in enhancing adherence to a simple (mood report) and a difficult (physical activity) health-related task. Participants were enrolled in a university in New Jersey (N=124, Study 1, USA) and in two universities in Lisbon (N=323, Study 2, Portugal). In both studies participants were selected from a broader sample based on their suggestibility scores using the Waterloo-Stanford Group C (WSGC) scale of hypnotic susceptibility and then randomly assigned to the experimental groups. Study 1 used a 2x2x3 factorial design (instruction x hypnosis x level of suggestibility) and Study 2 used a 2 x 2x 2 x 4 factorial design (task x instructions x hypnosis x level of suggestibility). In Study 1 participants were asked to run in place for 5 minutes each day for a three-week period, to take their pulse rate before and after the activity, and to send a daily email report to the experimenter, thus providing both a self-report and a behavioral measure of adherence. Participants in the goal intention condition were simply asked to run in place and send the e-mail once a day. Those in the implementation intention condition were further asked to specify the exact place and time they would perform the physical activity and send the e-mail. In addition, half of the participants were given a post-hypnotic suggestion indicating that the thought of running in place would come to mind without effort at the appropriate moment. The other half did not receive a posthypnotic suggestion. Study 2 followed the same procedure, but additionally half of the participants were instructed to send a mood report by SMS (easy task) and half were assigned to the physical activity task described above (difficult task). Adherence to health-related behaviors vii Study 1 result’s showed a significant interaction between participant’s suggestibility level and posthypnotic suggestion (p<.01) indicating that posthypnotic suggestion enhanced adherence among highly suggestible participants, but lowered it among low suggestible individuals. No differences between the goal intention and the implementation intentions groups were found. In Study 2, participants adhered significantly more (p<.001) to the easy task than to the difficult task. Results did not revealed significant differences between the implementation intentions, hypnosis and the two conditions combined, indicating that implementation intentions was not enhanced by hypnosis with posthypnotic suggestion, neither was effective as single intervention in enhancing adherence to any of the tasks. Hypnosis with posthypnotic suggestion alone significantly reduced adherence to both tasks in comparison with participants that did not receive hypnosis. Since there were no instruments in Portuguese language to asses hypnotic suggestibility, the Waterloo-Stanford Group C (WSGC) scale of hypnotic susceptibility was translated and adapted to Portuguese and was used in the screening of a sample of college students from Lisbon (N=625). Results showed that the Portuguese sample has distribution shapes and difficulty patterns of hypnotic suggestibility scores similar to the reference samples, with the exception of the proportion of Portuguese students scoring in the high range of hypnotic suggestibility, that was found lower than the in reference samples. In order to shed some light on the reasons for this finding participant’s attitudes toward hypnosis were inquired using a Portuguese translation and adaptation of the Escala de Valencia de Actitudes y Creencias Hacia la Hipnosis, Versión Cliente, and compared with participants with no prior hypnosis experience (N=444). Significant differences were found between the two groups with participants without hypnosis experience scoring higher in factors indicating misconceptions and negative attitudes about hypnosis.

B-learning quality: dimensions, criteria and pedagogical approach

Measuring the quality of a b-learning environment is critical to determine the success of a b-learning course. Several initiatives have been recently conducted on benchmarking and quality in e-learning. Despite these efforts in defining and examining quality issues concerning online courses, a defining instrument to evaluate quality is one of the key challenges for blended learning, since it incorporates both traditional and online instruction methods. For this paper, six frameworks for quality assessment of technological enhanced learning were examined and compared regarding similarities and differences. These frameworks aim at the same global objective: the quality of e-learning environment/products. They present different perspectives but also many common issues. Some of them are more specific and related to the course and other are more global and related to institutional aspects. In this work we collected and arrange all the quality criteria identified in order to get a more complete framework and determine if it fits our b-learning environment. We also included elements related to our own b-learning research and experience, acquired during more than 10 years of experience. As a result we have create a new quality reference with a set of dimensions and criteria that should be taken into account when you are analyzing, designing, developing, implementing and evaluating a b-learning environment. Besides these perspectives on what to do when you are developing a b-learning environment we have also included pedagogical issues in order to give directions on how to do it to reach the success of the learning. The information, concepts and procedures here presented give support to teachers and instructors, which intend to validate the quality of their blended learning courses.

Building a knowledge and learning society in Portugal - Adult students in technological schools and higher education institutions

Chapter in Merrill, Barbara (ed.) (2009) Learning to Change? The Role of Identity and Learning Careers in Adult Education. Hamburg: Peter Lang Publishers. URL: http://www.peterlang.com/ index.cfm?vID=58279&vLang=E&vHR=1&vUR=2&vUUR=1

Students’ reading behavior: digital vs. print preferences in portuguese context

The aim of this paper is to present the main Portuguese results from a multi-national study on reading format preferences and behaviors from undergraduate students from Polytechnic Institute of Porto (Portugal). For this purpose we apply an adaptation of the Academic Reading Questionnaire previously created by Mizrachi (2014). This survey instrument has 14 Likert-style statements regarding the format influence in the students reading behavior, including aspects such as ability to remember, feelings about access convenience, active engagement with the text by highlighting and annotating, and ability to review and concentrate on the text. The importance of the language and dimension of the text to determine the preference format is also inquired. Students are also asked about the electronic device they use to read digital documents. Finally, some demographic and academic data were gathered. The analysis of the results will be contextualized on a review of the literature concerning youngsters reading format preferences. The format (digital or print) in which a text is displayed and read can impact comprehension, which is an important information literacy skill. This is a quite relevant issue for class readings in academic context because it impacts learning. On the other hand, students preferences on reading formats will influence the use of library services. However, literature is not unanimous on this subject. Woody, Daniel and Baker (2010) concluded that the experience of reading is not the same in electronic or print context and that students prefer print books than e-books. This thesis is reinforced by Ji, Michaels and Waterman (2014) which report that among 101 undergraduates the large majority self-reported to read and learn more when they use printed format despite the fact that they prefer electronically supplied readings instead of those supplied in printed form. On the other side, Rockinson-Szapkiw, et al (2013) conducted a study were they demonstrate that e-textbook is as effective for learning as the traditional textbook and that students who choose e-textbook had significantly higher perceived learning than students who chose to use print textbooks.

Decision Support for Energy Contracts Negotiation with Game Theory and Adaptive Learning

This paper presents a decision support methodology for electricity market players’ bilateral contract negotiations. The proposed model is based on the application of game theory, using artificial intelligence to enhance decision support method’s adaptive features. This model is integrated in AiD-EM (Adaptive Decision Support for Electricity Markets Negotiations), a multi-agent system that provides electricity market players with strategic behavior capabilities to improve their outcomes from energy contracts’ negotiations. Although a diversity of tools that enable the study and simulation of electricity markets has emerged during the past few years, these are mostly directed to the analysis of market models and power systems’ technical constraints, making them suitable tools to support decisions of market operators and regulators. However, the equally important support of market negotiating players’ decisions is being highly neglected. The proposed model contributes to overcome the existing gap concerning effective and realistic decision support for electricity market negotiating entities. The proposed method is validated by realistic electricity market simulations using real data from the Iberian market operator—MIBEL. Results show that the proposed adaptive decision support features enable electricity market players to improve their outcomes from bilateral contracts’ negotiations.

Learning networks and moodle use in online courses: a social network analysis study

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Doutor em Ciências da Educação Especialidade em Tecnologias, Redes e Multimédia na Educação e Formação

Avaliação clínica na disfunção fronto-estriatal : movimento e cognição

RESUMO: Os circuitos fronto-estriatais constituem um sistema em ansa fechada que une diversas regiões do lobo frontal aos gânglios da base, participando, com outras áreas cerebrais, no controlo do movimento, cognição e comportamento. As Distonias Primárias, a Doença de Parkinson e a Hidrocefalia de Pressão Normal, são doenças do movimento caracterizadas por disfunção do circuito fronto-estriatal motor. A conectividade funcional entre as diversas ansas do sistema fronto-estriatal, permite prever que as doenças do movimento possam também acompanhar-se de sintomas da esfera cognitiva e comportamental, cuja avaliação seria importante no manejo diagnóstico e terapêutico dos doentes. Objectivos Os nossos objectivos foram avaliar, por estudos clínicos, a relação entre sintomas motores, cognitivos e comportamentais em três doenças do movimento com fisiopatologias diversas - distonias Primárias, Doença de Parkinson e Hidrocefalia de Pressão Normal - analisando os dados sob a perspectiva teórica fornecida pelo conhecimentos dos vários circuitos frontoestriatais. Os nossos objectivos específicos para cada doença foram: a) Distonias Primárias: avaliação de disfunção executiva em doentes com Distonia Primária e relação com a gravidade dos sintomas motores b) Doença de Parkinson: 1. avaliação breve das funções mentais nas fases iniciais da doença, incluindo análise longitudinal para determinação de factores preditivos para declínio cognitivo; 2. relação entre a função motora e cognitiva e a Perturbação do Comportamento do sono REM, incluindo análise longitudinal; 3.avaliação de sintomas psiquiátricos, de um ponto de vista global e especificamente com incidência sobre as Perturbações do Controlo do Impulso (PCI). c) Hidrocefalia de Pressão Normal: 1. caracterização das alterações da marcha, incluindo comparação com a Doença de Parkinson; 2. caracterização das alterações cognitivas e da relação entre estas e a disfunção da marcha; 3. estudo evolutivo das alterações da marcha e cognitiva em doentes submetido a cirurgia e doentes não submetidos a cirurgia. Métodos: A Distonia Primária, a Doença de Parkinson e a Hidrocefalia de Pressão Normal foram diagnosticadas segundo critérios clínicos validados. Sempre que justificado, foram recrutados grupos de controlo, com indivíduos sem doença, emparelhados para idade, sexo e grau de escolaridade. Os doentes foram avaliados com instrumentos de aplicação clinica directa, incluindo escalas de função motora, testes neuropsicológicos globais e dirigidos às funções executivas e escalas de avaliação psiquiátrica. Testes aplicados nas Distonias Primárias: Unified Dystonia Rating Scale, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, teste de Stroop, teste de cubos da WAIS, Teste de Retenção Visual de Benton; na Doença de Parkinson: Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), REM-sleep behaviour disorder Questionnaire; Symptom Chek-list 90-R, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, FAS (fluência verbal lexical) Nomeação de Animais (Fluência verbal semântica), prova de repetição de dígitos (WAIS), Rey auditory verbal learning test, teste de Stroop, matrizes progressivas de Raven, Questionnaire for Impulsive-Compulsive Disorders; na HPN: prova cronometrada de marcha,MMSE, prova de memória imediata da WAIS, prova de repetição de dígitos (WAIS), FAB, desenho complexo de Rey, teste de Stroop, cancelamento de letras, teste Grooved Pegboard. Os doentes com HPN foram também submetidos a estudo imagiológico. A avaliação estatística foi adaptada às características de cada um dos estudos.Resultados Distonias Primárias: encontrámos défices de função executiva, envolvendo dificuldade na mudança entre sets cognitivos, bem como correlação significativa entre as pontuações nos testes cronometrados e a gravidade dos sintomas motores. Doença de Parkinson: os doentes com DP obtiveram pontuações significativamente inferiores na FAB e em sub-testes do MMSE (memória e função visuo-espacial). A pontuação no MMSE encontrava-se significativamente correlacionada com itens da função motora não relacionados com o tremor. A disfunção da marcha, a disartria, o fenótipo não tremorígeno, a presença de alucinações e pontuação abaixo do ponto de corte na MMSE, foram factores preditivos de demência na avaliação longitudinal. A rigidez e a disartria foram factores preditivos de declínio nas funções frontais. A disfunção frontal foi factor preditivo de declínio na pontuação do MMSE. Encontrámos uma prevalência elevada de RBD nas fases iniciais da DP, que o estudo longitudinal mostrou ser factor preditivo de declínio motor, nomeadamente por agravamento da bradicinésia. Encontrámos também uma prevalência elevada de sintomas psiquiátricos, nomeadamente psicose, depressão, ansiedade, somatização e sintomas obsessivo-compulsivos. As PCI não se encontravam relacionadas com o fenótipo motor, com as complicações motoras do tratamento dopaminérgico ou com a disfunção cognitiva. HPN: os doentes com HPN e os DP apresentaram um padrão disfunção da marcha semelhante, caraterizado por passos curtos, lentidão e dificuldades de equilíbrio, sendo os sintomas mais graves na HPN. Os doentes de Parkinson com maior duração de doença, maior dose de dopaminérgicos e fenótipo motor acinético-rígido apresentaram um padrão de disfunção da marcha de gravidade semelhante ao encontrado na HPN. As alterações vasculares da substância branca, em particular as encontradas na região frontal, encontravam-se negativamente correlacionadas com a melhoria da marcha após PL. O estudo das funções cognitivas mostrou um padrão de atingimento global, com valores mais baixos na cópia do desenho complexo de Rey. Os resultados nas provas de função cognitiva não se encontravam significativamente correlacionados com os resultados na prova da marcha. A progressão na disfunção da marcha encontrava-se relacionada com o tratamento não cirúrgico, idade superior na primeira avaliação, presença de lesões da substância branca, e presença de factores de risco vascular, ao passo que não foram encontrados factores que predissessem de modo significativo o agravamento da função cognitiva. Conclusões: Os resultados dos diversos estudos, evidenciam a presença de alterações cognitivas e comportamentais nas três doenças de movimento. O padrão destas alterações e o modo como estas se relacionaram com os sintomas motores variou de doença para doença. Nas Distonias primárias, a perseveração cognitiva poderá ser o sintoma correspondente à perseveração motora própria da doença, sugerindo disfunção no circuito dorso-lateral frontoestriatal. A correlação entre a gravidade motora da doença e o resultado nos testes cognitivos cronometrados, poderá ser o efeito da relação entre bradicinésia e bradifrenia. Na Doença de Parkinson, o espectro de alterações é mais acentuado, espelhando a disseminação do processo degenerativo no SNC. Para além dos sintomas de disfunção executiva, sugerindo disfunção das tês ansas não motoras, existem sinais de disfunção cognitiva global, estas com uma influência mais significativa no desenvolvimento da demência. A relação entre os diferentes sintomas motores e cognitivos é também complexa, embora se evidencie uma dissociação significativa entre o tremor, sem relação com os sintomas não motores, e os sintomas motores não tremorígenos, relacionados com o declínio cognitivo. Enquanto que a presença de RBD parece ser um factor preditivo de agravamento motor, os sintomas psiquiátricos, também muito frequentes, apresentam uma relação menos clara com a função motora. Destes, os sintomas obsessivo-compulsivos são aqueles que com mais frequência se atribuem a disfunção do sistema fronto-estriatal, nomeadamente da ansa orbito-frontal. As PCI também não mostraram ter relação com os sintomas motores ou cognitivos. Na HPN, é patente o carácter fronto-estriatal das alterações da marcha, demonstrado tanto na sua caracterização quanto no efeito deletério das lesões vasculares da substância branca do lobo frontal na recuperação da marcha após PL. As alterações cognitivas parecem ter um padrão mais difuso, o que talvez explique a falta de correlação com os sintomas motores - esta dissociação pode ser causada quer por diferença nos mecanismos fisiopatológicos quer por presença de comorbilidades cognitivas. --------- ABSTRACT: Fronto-striatal circuits constitute a closed loop system which connects different parts of the frontal lobes to the basal ganglia. They are engaged in motor, cognitive and behavioural control. Primary Dystonia, Parkinson's Disease and Normal-Pressure Hydrocephalus are movement disorders caused by disturbance of the motor fronto-striatal circuit. The existence of cognitive and behavioural dysfunction in these movement disorders is predictable, given the functional connectivity between the several distinct loops of the circuit. Evaluation of cognitive and behavioural dysfunction in these three disorders is thus both of clinical and theoretical relevance. Objectives Our objectives were to evaluate, by clinical means, the relation between motor, cognitive and behavioural symptoms in three movement disorders with different pathophysiological backgrounds - Primary Dystonia, Parkinson's Disease and Normal-Pressure Hydrocephalus - and to analyse the study results under the theoretical framework formed by present knowledge of the fronto-estriatal system. Specific objectives: a) Primary Dystonia: executive dysfunction assessment and correlation analysis with motor dysfunction severity; b) Parkinson's Disease: 1. brief cognitive assessment in the early stages of disease, including a longitudinal analysis for determination of predictive factors for cognitive decline; 2. to investigate the relation between RBD and cognitive and motor dysfunction, including a longitudinal analysis; 3. psychiatric symptom assessment, with particular incidence on Impulse Control Disorders; c) Normal-Pressure Hydrocephalus: 1. gait dysfunction characterization and comparison with Parkinson's Disease patients; 2. determination of cognitive dysfunction profile and its relation with gait dysfunction; 3. follow-up study of cognitive and motor outcome in patients submitted and not submitted to shunt surgery. Methods: Primary Dystonia, Parkinson's Disease and Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus were diagnosed according to clinically validate criteria. Where warranted, we recruited control groups formed by healthy individuals, matched for age, sex and educational level. Patients were evaluated with instruments of direct clinical application, including motor function scales, neuropsychological tests aimed at global and executive functions and psychiatric rating scales. Tests used in Primary Dystonia: Unified Dystonia Rating Scale, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Stroop Test, Cube Assembly test (WAIS), Benton’s Visual Retention Test; in Parkinson's Disease: Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) , Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE), REM-sleep behavior disorder Questionnaire, Symptom Check-list 90- R, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, FAS (phonetic verbal fluency), semantic verbal fluency test, digit span test (WAIS), auditory verbal learning test,Stroop test, Raven's progressive Matrices, Questionnaire for Impulsive-Compulsive Disorders; in NPH: timed walking test, MMSE, immediate memory task (WAIS), digit span test (WAIS), FAB, Rey’s Complex Figure test, Stroop test, letter cancellation test, Perdue Pegboard test. NPH patients were also subjected to an imaging study. Statistics were adapted to the characteristics of each study.Results: Primary Dystonia: we found set-shifting deficits as well as significant correlation between timed neuropsychological tests and dystonia severity. Parkinson's Disease: PD patients had significantly lower scores on the FAB and on the memory and visuo-spatial tests of the MMSE; MMSE scores were significantly correlated to non-tremor motor scores; gait dysfunction and speech scores, non-tremor motor phenotype, hallucinations and scores bellow cut-off on the MMSE were predictive of dementia at follow-up; speech and rigidity scores were predictive of frontal type decline; frontal dysfunction was predictivy of decline in MMSE scores; RBD bradykinesia worsening; psychiatric symptoms were prevalent, particularly Psychosis, Depression, Anxiety, Somatisation and Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms; Impulse Control Disorders were unrelated to motor phenotype,motor side effects of dopamine treatment and executive function; NPH: gait dysfunction was worse in NPH when compared to PD patients, although the pattern was similarly characterized by slowness, short steps and disequilibrium; PD patients whose gait disturbance was as severe as that of NPH patients were characterized by longer disease duration, predominance of non-tremor motor scores, more advanced disease stage and higher dopamine dose; frontal white matter lesions correlated negatively with improvement after LP; cognitive function assessment revealed wide spread deficits, with lower results on the drawing of the complex figure of Rey, which were not significantly correlated to gait dysfunction; older age, white matter lesions and the presence of vascular risk factors were predictive factors for motor but not cognitive function worsening. Conclusion: Results from our studies highlight the presence of cognitive and behavioural dysfunction in all three movement disorders. Symptom pattern and the relation with ovement derangement varied according to the disease. In Primary Dystonia, set-shifting difficulties could be the cognitive counterpart of motor perseveration characteristic of this disorder, suggesting dysfunction of the dorso-lateral circuit. The relation between timed tests and dystonia severity could suggest a relation between bradyphrenia and bradykinesia in Primary Dystonia. In Parkinson's Disease patients, the spectrum of non-motor symptoms is wider, probably reflecting the spread of neurodegeneration beyond the fronto-striatal circuits. While frontal type deficits predominate, suggestive of dorso-lateral and orbito-frontal dysfunction, non-frontal deficits were also apparent in the initial stages of disease, and were predictive of dementia at follow-up. The relationship between cognitive and motor symptoms is complex, although the results strongly suggest a dissociation between tremor symptoms, which bore no relation with non-motor symptoms, and non-tremor symptoms,whichwas frequent, and a predictive factor for which were related with cognitive decline. While RBD was found to be a predictive factor for bradykinesia worsening, psychiatric symptoms, which were also frequent, showed no apparent relation with motor dysfunction. Relevant to our theoretical consideration was the high prevalence of OCS, which have been attributed to orbito-frontal dysfunction. As to the particular case of ICD, we found no relation either with motor or cognitive dysfunction. The fronto-striatal nature of gait dysfunction in NPH is suggest by the clinical characterization study and by the effects of frontal white matter lesions on gait recovery after LP, whereas cognitive dysfunction presented a more diffuse pattern, which could explain the lack or relation with gait assessment results and also the different outcome on the longitudinal study - this dissociation could be caused by a real difference in pathophysiological mechanisms or, in alternative, be due to the existence of cognitive comorbidities.

Learning Activities with Semantic. Hypermedia in Higher Education

The increasing use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in diverse professional and personal contexts calls for new knowledge, and a set of abilities, competences and attitudes, for an active and participative citizenship. In this context it is acknowledged that universities have an important role innovating in the educational use of digital media to promote an inclusive digital literacy. The educational potential of digital technologies and resources has been recognized by both researchers and practitioners. Multiple pedagogical models and research approaches have already contributed to put in evidence the importance of adapting instructional and learning practices and processes to concrete contexts and educational goals. Still, academic and scientific communities believe further investments in ICT research is needed in higher education. This study focuses on educational models that may contribute to support digital technology uses, where these can have cognitive and educational relevance when compared to analogical technologies. A teaching and learning model, centered in the active role of the students in the exploration, production, presentation and discussion of interactive multimedia materials, was developed and applied using the internet and exploring emergent semantic hypermedia formats. The research approach focused on the definition of design principles for developing class activities that were applied in three different iterations in undergraduate courses from two institutions, namely the University of Texas at Austin, USA and the University of Lisbon, Portugal. The analysis of this study made possible to evaluate the potential and efficacy of the model proposed and the authoring tool chosen in the support of metacognitive skills and attitudes related to information structuring and management, storytelling and communication, using computers and the internet.

Learning new tricks: Corticostriatal dynamics during novel skill learning

Learning novel actions and skills is a prevalent ability across multiple species and a critical feature for survival and competence in a constantly changing world. Novel actions are generated and learned through a process of trial and error, where an animal explores the environment around itself, generates multiple patterns of behavior and selects the ones that increase the likelihood of positive outcomes. Proper adaptation and execution of the selected behavior requires the coordination of several biomechanical features by the animal. Cortico-basal ganglia circuits and loops are critically involved in the acquisition, learning and consolidation of motor skills.(...)

Management consulting labs-Galp loyalty learning experience

The purpose of this project was to analyze Galp’s loyalty approach in the Portuguese fuel market given the industry context, namely the entry of hypermarket and the resulting increase in competitiveness. The team performed analyses based on analytical models, qualitative research and internal interviews in order to assess Galp’s potential in the field of loyalty and consumers’ behavior. The final recommendations were based on incremental improvements to the Galp’s existing loyalty tool and an innovative paradigm change of the approach to loyalty.

Size of gastroesophageal varices: its behavior after the surgical treatment of portal hypertension

The size of gastroesophageal varices is one of the most important factors leading to hemorrhage related to portal hypertension. An endoscopic evaluation of the size of gastroesophageal varices before and after different operations for portal hypertension was performed in 73 patients with schistosomiasis, as part of a randomized trial: proximal splenorenal shunt (PSS n=24), distal splenorenal shunt (DSS n=24), and esophagogastric devascularization with splenectomy (EGDS n=25). The endoscopic evaluation was performed before and up to 10 years after the operations. Variceal size was graded according to Palmer's classification: grade 1 -- up to 3 mm, grade 2 -- from 3 to 6 mm, grade 3 -- greater than 6 mm, and were analyzed in four anatomical locations: inferior, middle or superior third of the esophagus, and proximal stomach. The total number of points in the pre-operative grading minus the number of points in the post-operative grading gave a differential grading, allowing statistical comparison among the surgical groups. Good results, in terms of disappearance or decrease of variceal size, were observed more frequently after PSS than after DSS or EGDS - 95.8%, 83.3%, and 72%, respectively. When differential grading was analyzed, a statistically significant difference was observed between PSS and EGDS, but not between proximal and distal splenorenal shunts. In conclusion, shunt surgeries were more efficient than devascularization in diminishing variceal size.

An interactive learning approach to accounting classes

This working paper explores the use of interactive learning tools, such as business simulations, to facilitate the active learning process in accounting classes. Although business simulations were firstly introduced in the United States in the 1950s, the vast majority of accounting professors still use traditional teaching methods, based in end-of-chapter exercises and written cases. Moreover, the current students’ generation brings new challenges to the classroom related with their video, game, internet and mobile culture. Thus, a survey and an experimentation were conducted to understand, on one hand, if accounting professors are willing to adjust their teaching methods with the adoption of interactive learning tools and, on the other hand, if the adoption of interactive learning tools in accounting classes yield better academic results and levels of satisfaction among students. Students using more interactive learning approaches scored significantly higher means than others that did not. Accounting professors are clearly willing to try, at least once, the use of an accounting simulator in classes.

Interaction paradigms versus age-related user profiles: an evaluation on content selection

Novel input modalities such as touch, tangibles or gestures try to exploit human's innate skills rather than imposing new learning processes. However, despite the recent boom of different natural interaction paradigms, it hasn't been systematically evaluated how these interfaces influence a user's performance or whether each interface could be more or less appropriate when it comes to: 1) different age groups; and 2) different basic operations, as data selection, insertion or manipulation. This work presents the first step of an exploratory evaluation about whether or not the users' performance is indeed influenced by the different interfaces. The key point is to understand how different interaction paradigms affect specific target-audiences (children, adults and older adults) when dealing with a selection task. 60 participants took part in this study to assess how different interfaces may influence the interaction of specific groups of users with regard to their age. Four input modalities were used to perform a selection task and the methodology was based on usability testing (speed, accuracy and user preference). The study suggests a statistically significant difference between mean selection times for each group of users, and also raises new issues regarding the “old” mouse input versus the “new” input modalities.

Práticas centradas na família: identificação de comportamentos para uma prática de qualidade nos distritos de Braga, Viana do Castelo e Vila Real

Dissertação de mestrado em Educação Especial (área de especialização em Intervenção Precoce)

Potential implications of ketamine anesthesia on zebrafish behavior

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Psicologia