Formal Modeling and Analysis Techniques for High Level Petri Nets

Petri Nets are a formal, graphical and executable modeling technique for the specification and analysis of concurrent and distributed systems and have been widely applied in computer science and many other engineering disciplines. Low level Petri nets are simple and useful for modeling control flows but not powerful enough to define data and system functionality. High level Petri nets (HLPNs) have been developed to support data and functionality definitions, such as using complex structured data as tokens and algebraic expressions as transition formulas. Compared to low level Petri nets, HLPNs result in compact system models that are easier to be understood. Therefore, HLPNs are more useful in modeling complex systems. There are two issues in using HLPNs - modeling and analysis. Modeling concerns the abstracting and representing the systems under consideration using HLPNs, and analysis deals with effective ways study the behaviors and properties of the resulting HLPN models. In this dissertation, several modeling and analysis techniques for HLPNs are studied, which are integrated into a framework that is supported by a tool. For modeling, this framework integrates two formal languages: a type of HLPNs called Predicate Transition Net (PrT Net) is used to model a system's behavior and a first-order linear time temporal logic (FOLTL) to specify the system's properties. The main contribution of this dissertation with regard to modeling is to develop a software tool to support the formal modeling capabilities in this framework. For analysis, this framework combines three complementary techniques, simulation, explicit state model checking and bounded model checking (BMC). Simulation is a straightforward and speedy method, but only covers some execution paths in a HLPN model. Explicit state model checking covers all the execution paths but suffers from the state explosion problem. BMC is a tradeoff as it provides a certain level of coverage while more efficient than explicit state model checking. The main contribution of this dissertation with regard to analysis is adapting BMC to analyze HLPN models and integrating the three complementary analysis techniques in a software tool to support the formal analysis capabilities in this framework. The SAMTools developed for this framework in this dissertation integrates three tools: PIPE+ for HLPNs behavioral modeling and simulation, SAMAT for hierarchical structural modeling and property specification, and PIPE+Verifier for behavioral verification.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS: EFFECTS OF WALKING EXERCISE IN CHRONIC MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS: EFFECTS OF WALKING EXERCISE IN CHRONIC MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN O'Connor S.R.1, Tully M.A.2, Ryan B.3, Baxter D.G.3, Bradley J.M.1, McDonough S.M.11University of Ulster, Health & Rehabilitation Sciences Research Institute, Newtownabbey, United Kingdom, 2Queen's University, UKCRC Centre of Excellence for Public Health (NI), Belfast, United Kingdom, 3University of Otago, Centre for Physiotherapy Research, Dunedin, New ZealandPurpose: To examine the effects of walking exercise on pain and self-reported function in adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain.Relevance: Chronic musculoskeletal pain is a major cause of morbidity, exerting a substantial influence on long-term health status and overall quality of life. Current treatment recommendations advocate various aerobic exercise interventions for such conditions. Walking may represent an ideal form of exercise due to its relatively low impact. However, there is currently limited evidence for its effectiveness.Participants: Not applicable.Methods: A comprehensive search strategy was undertaken by two independent reviewers according to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) and the recommendations of the Cochrane Musculoskeletal Review Group. Six electronic databases (Medline, CINAHL, PsychINFO, PEDro, Sport DISCUS and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) were searched for relevant papers published up to January 2010 using MeSH terms. All randomised or non-randomised studies published in full were considered for inclusion. Studies were required to include adults aged 18 years or over with a diagnosis of chronic low back pain, osteoarthritis or fibromyalgia. Studies were excluded if they involved peri-operative or post-operative interventions or did not include a comparative, non exercise or non-walking exercise control group. The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force system was used to assess methodological quality. Data for pain and self-reported function were extracted and converted to a score out of 100.Analysis: Data were pooled and analyzed using RevMan (v.5.0.24). Statistical heterogeneity was assessed using the X2 and I2 test statistics. A random effects model was used to calculate the mean differences and 95% CIs. Data were analyzed by length of final follow-up which was categorized as short (≤8 weeks post randomisation), mid (2-12 months) or long-term (>12 months).Results: A total of 4324 articles were identified and twenty studies (1852 participants) meeting the inclusion criteria were included in the review. Overall, studies were judged to be of at least fair methodological quality. The most common sources of likely bias were identified as lack of concealed allocation and failure to adequately address incomplete data. Data from 12 studies were suitable for meta-analysis. Walking led to reductions in pain at short (<8 weeks post randomisation) (-8.44 [-14.54, -2.33]) and mid-term (>8 weeks - 12 month) follow-up (-9.28 [-16.34, -2.22]). No effect was observed for long-term (>12 month) data (-2.49 [-7.62, 2.65]). For function, between group differences were observed for short (-11.57 [-16.06, -7.08]) and mid-term data (-13.26 [-16.91, -9.62]). A smaller effect was also observed at long-term follow-up (-5.60 [-7.70, -3.50]).Conclusions: Walking interventions were associated with statistically significant improvements in pain and function at short and mid-term follow-up. Long-term data were limited but indicated that these effects do not appear to be maintained beyond twelve months.Implications: Walking may be an effective form of exercise for individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain. However, further research is required which examines longer term follow-up and dose-response issues in this population.Key-words: 1. Walking exercise 2. Musculoskeletal pain 3. Systematic reviewFunding acknowledgements: Department of Employment and Learning, Northern Ireland.Ethics approval: Not applicable.

The relationship between early and intermediate level spatial vision during typical development and in autism spectrum disorder

Certaines recherches ont investigué le traitement visuel de bas et de plus hauts niveaux chez des personnes neurotypiques et chez des personnes ayant un trouble du spectre de l’autisme (TSA). Cependant, l’interaction développementale entre chacun de ces niveaux du traitement visuel n’est toujours pas bien comprise. La présente thèse a donc deux objectifs principaux. Le premier objectif (Étude 1) est d’évaluer l’interaction développementale entre l’analyse visuelle de bas niveaux et de niveaux intermédiaires à travers différentes périodes développementales (âge scolaire, adolescence et âge adulte). Le second objectif (Étude 2) est d’évaluer la relation fonctionnelle entre le traitement visuel de bas niveaux et de niveaux intermédiaires chez des adolescents et des adultes ayant un TSA. Ces deux objectifs ont été évalué en utilisant les mêmes stimuli et procédures. Plus précisément, la sensibilité de formes circulaires complexes (Formes de Fréquences Radiales ou FFR), définies par de la luminance ou par de la texture, a été mesurée avec une procédure à choix forcés à deux alternatives. Les résultats de la première étude ont illustré que l’information locale des FFR sous-jacents aux processus visuels de niveaux intermédiaires, affecte différemment la sensibilité à travers des périodes développementales distinctes. Plus précisément, lorsque le contour est défini par de la luminance, la performance des enfants est plus faible comparativement à celle des adolescents et des adultes pour les FFR sollicitant la perception globale. Lorsque les FFR sont définies par la texture, la sensibilité des enfants est plus faible comparativement à celle des adolescents et des adultes pour les conditions locales et globales. Par conséquent, le type d’information locale, qui définit les éléments locaux de la forme globale, influence la période à laquelle la sensibilité visuelle atteint un niveau développemental similaire à celle identifiée chez les adultes. Il est possible qu’une faible intégration visuelle entre les mécanismes de bas et de niveaux intermédiaires explique la sensibilité réduite des FFR chez les enfants. Ceci peut être attribué à des connexions descendantes et horizontales immatures ainsi qu’au sous-développement de certaines aires cérébrales du système visuel. Les résultats de la deuxième étude ont démontré que la sensibilité visuelle en autisme est influencée par la manipulation de l’information locale. Plus précisément, en présence de luminance, la sensibilité est seulement affectée pour les conditions sollicitant un traitement local chez les personnes avec un TSA. Cependant, en présence de texture, la sensibilité est réduite pour le traitement visuel global et local. Ces résultats suggèrent que la perception de formes en autisme est reliée à l’efficacité à laquelle les éléments locaux (luminance versus texture) sont traités. Les connexions latérales et ascendantes / descendantes des aires visuelles primaires sont possiblement tributaires d’un déséquilibre entre les signaux excitateurs et inhibiteurs, influençant ainsi l’efficacité à laquelle l’information visuelle de luminance et de texture est traitée en autisme. Ces résultats supportent l’hypothèse selon laquelle les altérations de la perception visuelle de bas niveaux (local) sont à l’origine des atypies de plus hauts niveaux chez les personnes avec un TSA.

Knowledge of the patients regarding leprosy and adherence to treatment

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. It is known for its great disfiguring capacity and is considered an extremely serious disease to public health worldwide. The state of Ceará ranks 13th in number of cases of leprosy in Brazil, and fourth in Northeastern region, with an average of 2,149 new cases diagnosed every year. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge of leprosy patients regarding treatment, and to assess the level of treatment adherence and its possible barriers. The study was conducted in the reference center for dermatology, from September 2010 to October 2010, in Fortaleza, Ceará. The study data were collected by means of a structured interview, along with the Morisky-Green test, in order to assess treatment adherence and barriers to adherence. A total of 70 patients were interviewed, out of whom 66 were new cases. The majority of patients were between 42 and 50 years old, and 37 (52.9%) were male. Most patients were clinically classified as presentingmultibacillary leprosy (80%), and 78.6% of them were from Fortaleza, Brazil. The Morisky-Green test indicated that 62.9% of patients presented a low level of adherence (p < 0.005), despite claiming to aware of the disease risks. However, it was observed that 57.1% of the patients had no difficulty adhering to treatment, while 38.6% reported little difficulty. This study shows that despite the patients claiming to be familiar with leprosy and its treatment, the Morisky-Green test clearly demonstrated that they actually were not aware of the principles of therapy, which is evidenced by the low degree of treatment adherence

Alveolite

A etiologia da alveolite é desconhecida. Considera-se não haver uma causa específica, mas sim uma associação de factores inerentes ao seu aparecimento. O diagnóstico é realizado, geralmente, entre o 2º e 5º dia após exodontia, sendo bastante claro. Manifesta-se por uma dor aguda e pulsátil, mal controlada com analgésicos, e de apresentação clínica uma inflamação da mucosa em torno do alvéolo, com parcial ou total perda do coágulo, apresentando-se este vazio ou com tecido necrótico e/ou restos alimentares. Pode ainda haver uma exposição óssea. Diversas são as taxas de incidência, variando consoante os factores de risco predisponentes da doença. São estes a idade, género, ciclo menstrual e toma de contraceptivos orais (nas mulheres), trauma cirúrgico e experiência do médico, a indicação da extração, bem como características do dente a ser extraído, ainda as técnicas e anestesia usadas, bem como remanescentes ósseos e/ou radiculares, uso de retalhos e suturas, patologias sistémicas, medicação e cuidados pós-operatórios do doente. Todos estes podem ter impacto no desenvolvimento desta condição, devendo o médico dentista eliminá-los e reduzi-los ao máximo. A prevenção aplica-se a medidas não farmacológicas, como redução de factores de risco, em combinação a terapia farmacológica, de modo a favorecer uma correta cicatrização. Recurso a soluções antissépticas, medicação tópica (intra-alveolar) e prescrição sistémica de antibióticos e anti-inflamatórios não esteroides são algumas dessas medidas. Ao nível do tratamento, vários métodos e materiais estão disponíveis no mercado. Por ser uma condição que o próprio organismo “combate”, o objectivo terapêutico passa basicamente pela redução dos sintomas debilitantes do paciente e controlo bacteriano. A opção é individual, uma vez que não existe nenhum tratamento com características ideais, sendo os resultados na literatura bastante discrepantes. Limpeza do alvéolo, medicação intra-alveolar (tópica) e/ou sistémica, bem como terapia com laser de baixa intensidade, são algumas opções. A administração antibiótica deve ser reservada para casos especiais, não devendo ser abordada como método de rotina. Analgésicos são uma opção, podendo ser aconselhada consoante o quadro clínico doloroso. Também o reforço para uma higiene oral rigorosa, com irrigação do alvéolo para evitar detritos e impactação alimentar (no caso de não existirem obtundantes intra-alveolares) devem ser preocupação do médico dentista. Deve haver um seguimento regular do paciente, especialmente se aplicados medicamentos tópicos, para avaliação e renovação (se necessário) do curativo até recuperação. O médico dentista deve saber identificar um caso de alveolite, encontrando-se informado e consciente das várias opções preventivas e terapêuticas. Estudos mais claros e objectivos são necessários na procura de critérios de diagnóstico genéricos da doença, bem como terapêuticas preventivas e de tratamentos com taxas de sucesso altas e suportadas por evidência científica. Para que, desta forma, seja elaborado um protocolo universal a seguir na prática clínica.

Knowledge of the patients regarding leprosy and adherence to treatment

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. It is known for its great disfiguring capacity and is considered an extremely serious disease to public health worldwide. The state of Ceará ranks 13th in number of cases of leprosy in Brazil, and fourth in Northeastern region, with an average of 2,149 new cases diagnosed every year. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge of leprosy patients regarding treatment, and to assess the level of treatment adherence and its possible barriers. The study was conducted in the reference center for dermatology, from September 2010 to October 2010, in Fortaleza, Ceará. The study data were collected by means of a structured interview, along with the Morisky-Green test, in order to assess treatment adherence and barriers to adherence. A total of 70 patients were interviewed, out of whom 66 were new cases. The majority of patients were between 42 and 50 years old, and 37 (52.9%) were male. Most patients were clinically classified as presentingmultibacillary leprosy (80%), and 78.6% of them were from Fortaleza, Brazil. The Morisky-Green test indicated that 62.9% of patients presented a low level of adherence (p < 0.005), despite claiming to aware of the disease risks. However, it was observed that 57.1% of the patients had no difficulty adhering to treatment, while 38.6% reported little difficulty. This study shows that despite the patients claiming to be familiar with leprosy and its treatment, the Morisky-Green test clearly demonstrated that they actually were not aware of the principles of therapy, which is evidenced by the low degree of treatment adherence

Literacia em diabetes nos alunos do ensino superior público do concelho de Mirandela

A literacia em diabetes parece ser uma das ferramentas fundamentais para combater o aumento de prevalência desta patologia crónica que tem crescido exponencialmente ao longo dos anos quer a nível mundial, quer a nível nacional. Com este estudo pretendeu-se avaliar o nível de literacia em diabetes nos estudantes do ensino superior público do concelho de Mirandela, para, em consequência, fornecer algumas diretrizes para a proposta de um projeto de intervenção nesta comunidade. Teve como objetivos específicos: validar o questionário dos conhecimentos da Diabetes (QCD); relacionar os níveis de conhecimento sobre diabetes com as variáveis sociodemográficas e clinicas. A amostra estudada compreende 432 alunos do ensino superior público do concelho de Mirandela que reponderam ao questionário no período de 15 de fevereiro a 18 de março de 2016. Verificou-se que a aplicação do questionário dos conhecimentos da diabetes (QCD; Sousa & McIntyre, 2003) que avalia os conhecimentos das pessoas acerca da diabetes e seu tratamento, parece ser aceitável na população em geral e o modelo bidimensional obtido com a análise fatorial confirmatória revelou bons índices de ajustamento. Os resultados indicaram um reduzido nível de literacia em diabetes na amostra de participantes e o seu desconhecimento está associado a mitos e falsos conceitos mais do que a incerteza; que o conhecimento na dimensão duração da doença era maior que na dimensão conhecimento global da diabetes (causas, controlo, tratamento e complicações); os alunos mais novos possuem mais conhecimento sobre a diabetes, o género feminino parece revelar maior conhecimento do que o masculino, que os alunos que residem no concelho de Mirandela apresentam menor conhecimento do que os restantes e que os alunos que possuem e residem com familiares com diabetes possuem mais conhecimento do que os outros, embora apresentem igualmente elevado desconhecimento por mitos e falsos conceitos. Conclui-se que existe uma necessidade de aposta em projetos educacionais comunitários para aumentar a literacia em diabetes.

Multi-purpose adaptable business tier components based on Call Level Interfaces

Call Level Interfaces (CLI) play a key role in business tiers of relational and on some NoSQL database applications whenever a fine tune control between application tiers and the host databases is a key requirement. Unfortunately, in spite of this significant advantage, CLI are low level API, this way not addressing high level architectural requirements. Among the examples we emphasize two situations: a) the need to decouple or not to decouple the development process of business tiers from the development process of application tiers and b) the need to automatically adapt business tiers to new business and/or security needs at runtime. To tackle these CLI drawbacks, and simultaneously keep their advantages, this paper proposes an architecture relying on CLI from which multi-purpose business tiers components are built, herein referred to as Adaptable Business Tier Components (ABTC). Beyond the reference architecture, this paper presents a proof of concept based on Java and Java Database Connectivity (an example of CLI).

ABTC: multi-purpose adaptable business tier components based on Call Level Interfaces

Call Level Interfaces (CLI) are low level API that play a key role in database applications whenever a fine tune control between application tiers and the host databases is a key requirement. Unfortunately, in spite of this significant advantage, CLI were not designed to address organizational requirements and contextual runtime requirements. Among the examples we emphasize the need to decouple or not to decouple the development process of business tiers from the development process of application tiers and also the need to automatically adapt to new business and/or security needs at runtime. To tackle these CLI drawbacks, and simultaneously keep their advantages, this paper proposes an architecture relying on CLI from which multi-purpose business tiers components are built, herein referred to as Adaptable Business Tier Components (ABTC). This paper presents the reference architecture for those components and a proof of concept based on Java and Java Database Connectivity (an example of CLI).

Is the activity level of HD 80606 influenced by its eccentric planet?

Aims: Several studies suggest that the activity level of a planet-host star can be influenced by the presence of a close-by orbiting planet. Moreover, the interaction mechanisms that have been proposed, magnetic interaction and tidal interaction, exhibit a very different dependence on the orbital separation between the star and the planet. A detection of activity enhancement and characterization of its dependence on planetary orbital distance can, in principle, allow us to characterize the physical mechanism behind the activity enhancement. Methods: We used the HARPS-N spectrograph to measure the stellar activity level of HD 80606 during the planetary periastron passage and compared the activity measured to that close to apastron. Being characterized by an eccentricity of 0.93 and an orbital period of 111 days, the system's extreme variation in orbital separation makes it a perfect target to test our hypothesis. Results: We find no evidence for a variation in the activity level of the star as a function of planetary orbital distance, as measured by all activity indicators employed: log(R'HK), Hα, NaI, and HeI. None of the models employed, whether magnetic interaction or tidal interaction, provides a good description of the data. The photometry revealed no variation either, but it was strongly affected by poor weather conditions. Conclusions: We find no evidence for star-planet interaction in HD 80606 at the moment of the periastron passage of its very eccentric planet. The straightforward explanation for the non-detection is the absence of interaction as a result of a low magnetic field strength on either the planet or the star and of the low level of tidal interaction between the two. However, we cannot exclude two scenarios: i) the interaction can be instantaneous and of magnetic origin, being concentrated on the substellar point and its surrounding area; and ii) the interaction can lead to a delayed activity enhancement. In either scenario, a star-planet interaction would not be detectable with the dataset described in this paper.

The relationship between early and intermediate level spatial vision during typical development and in autism spectrum disorder

Certaines recherches ont investigué le traitement visuel de bas et de plus hauts niveaux chez des personnes neurotypiques et chez des personnes ayant un trouble du spectre de l’autisme (TSA). Cependant, l’interaction développementale entre chacun de ces niveaux du traitement visuel n’est toujours pas bien comprise. La présente thèse a donc deux objectifs principaux. Le premier objectif (Étude 1) est d’évaluer l’interaction développementale entre l’analyse visuelle de bas niveaux et de niveaux intermédiaires à travers différentes périodes développementales (âge scolaire, adolescence et âge adulte). Le second objectif (Étude 2) est d’évaluer la relation fonctionnelle entre le traitement visuel de bas niveaux et de niveaux intermédiaires chez des adolescents et des adultes ayant un TSA. Ces deux objectifs ont été évalué en utilisant les mêmes stimuli et procédures. Plus précisément, la sensibilité de formes circulaires complexes (Formes de Fréquences Radiales ou FFR), définies par de la luminance ou par de la texture, a été mesurée avec une procédure à choix forcés à deux alternatives. Les résultats de la première étude ont illustré que l’information locale des FFR sous-jacents aux processus visuels de niveaux intermédiaires, affecte différemment la sensibilité à travers des périodes développementales distinctes. Plus précisément, lorsque le contour est défini par de la luminance, la performance des enfants est plus faible comparativement à celle des adolescents et des adultes pour les FFR sollicitant la perception globale. Lorsque les FFR sont définies par la texture, la sensibilité des enfants est plus faible comparativement à celle des adolescents et des adultes pour les conditions locales et globales. Par conséquent, le type d’information locale, qui définit les éléments locaux de la forme globale, influence la période à laquelle la sensibilité visuelle atteint un niveau développemental similaire à celle identifiée chez les adultes. Il est possible qu’une faible intégration visuelle entre les mécanismes de bas et de niveaux intermédiaires explique la sensibilité réduite des FFR chez les enfants. Ceci peut être attribué à des connexions descendantes et horizontales immatures ainsi qu’au sous-développement de certaines aires cérébrales du système visuel. Les résultats de la deuxième étude ont démontré que la sensibilité visuelle en autisme est influencée par la manipulation de l’information locale. Plus précisément, en présence de luminance, la sensibilité est seulement affectée pour les conditions sollicitant un traitement local chez les personnes avec un TSA. Cependant, en présence de texture, la sensibilité est réduite pour le traitement visuel global et local. Ces résultats suggèrent que la perception de formes en autisme est reliée à l’efficacité à laquelle les éléments locaux (luminance versus texture) sont traités. Les connexions latérales et ascendantes / descendantes des aires visuelles primaires sont possiblement tributaires d’un déséquilibre entre les signaux excitateurs et inhibiteurs, influençant ainsi l’efficacité à laquelle l’information visuelle de luminance et de texture est traitée en autisme. Ces résultats supportent l’hypothèse selon laquelle les altérations de la perception visuelle de bas niveaux (local) sont à l’origine des atypies de plus hauts niveaux chez les personnes avec un TSA.

Nivel de actividad física medida a través del cuestionario internacional de actividad física en adultos mayores de las parroquias urbanas de Cuenca-Ecuador, 2015

Introducción: Mundialmente existe una transición demográfica, así en Ecuador al 2010 representaban el 7% y al 2050 representarán el 18%. El envejecimiento poblacional ocasiona un aumento de los índices de enfermedades crónicas degenerativas asociadas a un nivel insuficiente de actividad física incrementando el riesgo de muerte de 20% a 30%. Niveles moderados-vigorosos de actividad física reportan beneficios para la salud, por esta razón y debido a la escasa evidencia de esta área en Cuenca, se desarrolló este estudio para conocer el nivel de actividad física en los adultos mayores de nuestra ciudad. Objetivo general: Determinar el nivel de actividad física a través del IPAQ (versión corta) en adultos mayores de las parroquias urbanas de la ciudad de Cuenca. Metodología: Estudio descriptivo con una muestra de 387 adultos mayores en quienes se aplicó el cuestionario Internacional de Actividad Física (IPAQ) en su versión corta mediante entrevista, una vez cumplidos los criterios de inclusión: hombres y mujeres de 65 años o más que deseen participar y firmen el consentimiento informado. Los datos fueron analizados y procesados en el programa SPSS versión 15, utilizando distribución de frecuencias, medidas de tendencia central (media) y de dispersión (desvío estándar). Resultados: Se estudiaron 387 adultos mayores, el 64,6% estuvo entre los 65-74 años, 63,6% fue de sexo femenino, 55,8% estuvo casado, 53,4% terminó la primaria, 70,5% no fueron activos laboralmente. El 45% de adultos mayores tuvo un nivel alto de actividad física, 37% moderado y 18% bajo. Los niveles de actividad física variaron con la edad, estado civil, nivel de instrucción y ocupación laboral. Conclusiones: Los adultos mayores de Cuenca presentan un nivel alto de actividad física, el cual puede variar por ciertas características sociodemográficas

Testing the level of interactivity of institutional websites: From museums 1.0 to museums 2.0

The Internet has changed the way in which organizations communicate with their publics, and museums are not an exception. The consolidation of Web 2.0 has not only given museums access to a powerful new tool for disseminating information, but has involved significant changes in the relationship between institutions and their publics, facilitating and enhancing the interaction between them. The overall objective of this paper is to analyze the degree of interactivity implemented in the websites of major international art museums, in order to assess if museums are evolving towards more dialogic systems with relation to their publics. The results indicate that museums still have a low level of interactivity on their websites, both in the tools used to present information and the resources available for interaction with virtual visitors. But it has also observed that museums are progressively implementing interactive and dialogic sources, suggesting a clear trend towards new ways of managing these platforms in order to establish more participatory and collaborative communication systems with virtual users.

Fadiga em pacientes da Coorte Brasília de artrite reumatoide (AR) : estudo da prevalência e comparação entre diferentes instrumentos de avaliação

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Medicina, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Médicas, 2016.

El ejercicio y el desempeño musical: doce semanas de actividad física mejoran la capacidad de ejecución de un instrumento musical en estudiantes de conservatorio

Con el fin de evaluar los cambios que produce un programa de actividad física en la percepción que tienen los músicos sobre su capacidad de ejecución de un instrumento musical, se realizó una intervención con un programa de actividad física basado en la técnica Pilates, durante 12 semanas, en el Conservatorio de Música de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia, con estudiantes del programa de música instrumental. Se midieron parámetros de la aptitud física (capacidad cardiorrespiratoria, fuerza, flexibilidad y composición corporal) y de la percepción de la capacidad de ejecución (fatiga muscular, nivel de esfuerzo, dolor y fluidez) antes y después de la intervención. Los resultados arrojaron cambios positivos en la aptitud física logrando un aumento significativo en la flexibilidad y resistencia de los miembros inferiores en 14 participantes (70% de la muestra), y en la percepción de la capacidad de ejecución instrumental con el retraso en la aparición de la fatiga muscular mientras se está ejecutando el instrumento (30 minutos en promedio). Esto permite a los músicos abordar un repertorio extenso con menor fatiga, minimizando el riesgo de lesión o alteraciones musculo-esqueléticas que influyan directamente en su desempeño técnico y artístico.