Graph analysis of dream reports about psychosis

Early psychiatry investigated dreams to understand psychopathologies. Contemporary psychiatry, which neglects dreams, has been criticized for lack of objectivity. In search of quantitative insight into the structure of psychotic speech, we investigated speech graph attributes (SGA) in patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder type I, and non-psychotic controls as they reported waking and dream contents. Schizophrenic subjects spoke with reduced connectivity, in tight correlation with negative and cognitive symptoms measured by standard psychometric scales. Bipolar and control subjects were undistinguishable by waking reports, but in dream reports bipolar subjects showed significantly less connectivity. Dream-related SGA outperformed psychometric scores or waking-related data for group sorting. Altogether, the results indicate that online and offline processing, the two most fundamental modes of brain operation, produce nearly opposite effects on recollections: While dreaming exposes differences in the mnemonic records across individuals, waking dampens distinctions. The results also demonstrate the feasibility of the differential diagnosis of psychosis based on the analysis of dream graphs, pointing to a fast, low-cost and language-invariant tool for psychiatric diagnosis and the objective search for biomarkers. The Freudian notion that ‘‘dreams are the royal road to the unconscious’’ is clinically useful, after all.

Graph analysis of dream reports is especially informative about psychosis

Early psychiatry investigated dreams to understand psychopathologies. Contemporary psychiatry, which neglects dreams, has been criticized for lack of objectivity. In search of quantitative insight into the structure of psychotic speech, we investigated speech graph attributes (SGA) in patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder type I, and non-psychotic controls as they reported waking and dream contents. Schizophrenic subjects spoke with reduced connectivity, in tight correlation with negative and cognitive symptoms measured by standard psychometric scales. Bipolar and control subjects were undistinguishable by waking reports, but in dream reports bipolar subjects showed significantly less connectivity. Dream-related SGA outperformed psychometric scores or waking-related data for group sorting. Altogether, the results indicate that online and offline processing, the two most fundamental modes of brain operation, produce nearly opposite effects on recollections: While dreaming exposes differences in the mnemonic records across individuals, waking dampens distinctions. The results also demonstrate the feasibility of the differential diagnosis of psychosis based on the analysis of dream graphs, pointing to a fast, low-cost and language-invariant tool for psychiatric diagnosis and the objective search for biomarkers. The Freudian notion that ‘‘dreams are the royal road to the unconscious’’ is clinically useful, after all.

Graph Analasys

Early psychiatry investigated dreams to understand psychopathologies. Contemporary psychiatry, which neglects dreams, has been criticized for lack of objectivity. In search of quantitative insight into the structure of psychotic speech, we investigated speech graph attributes (SGA) in patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder type I, and non-psychotic controls as they reported waking and dream contents. Schizophrenic subjects spoke with reduced connectivity, in tight correlation with negative and cognitive symptoms measured by standard psychometric scales. Bipolar and control subjects were undistinguishable by waking reports, but in dream reports bipolar subjects showed significantly less connectivity. Dream-related SGA outperformed psychometric scores or waking-related data for group sorting. Altogether, the results indicate that online and offline processing, the two most fundamental modes of brain operation, produce nearly opposite effects on recollections: While dreaming exposes differences in the mnemonic records across individuals, waking dampens distinctions. The results also demonstrate the feasibility of the differential diagnosis of psychosis based on the analysis of dream graphs, pointing to a fast, low-cost and language-invariant tool for psychiatric diagnosis and the objective search for biomarkers. The Freudian notion that ‘‘dreams are the royal road to the unconscious’’ is clinically useful, after all.

Graph analysis of dream reports is especially informative about psychosis

Early psychiatry investigated dreams to understand psychopathologies. Contemporary psychiatry, which neglects dreams, has been criticized for lack of objectivity. In search of quantitative insight into the structure of psychotic speech, we investigated speech graph attributes (SGA) in patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder type I, and non-psychotic controls as they reported waking and dream contents. Schizophrenic subjects spoke with reduced connectivity, in tight correlation with negative and cognitive symptoms measured by standard psychometric scales. Bipolar and control subjects were undistinguishable by waking reports, but in dream reports bipolar subjects showed significantly less connectivity. Dream-related SGA outperformed psychometric scores or waking-related data for group sorting. Altogether, the results indicate that online and offline processing, the two most fundamental modes of brain operation, produce nearly opposite effects on recollections: While dreaming exposes differences in the mnemonic records across individuals, waking dampens distinctions. The results also demonstrate the feasibility of the differential diagnosis of psychosis based on the analysis of dream graphs, pointing to a fast, low-cost and language-invariant tool for psychiatric diagnosis and the objective search for biomarkers. The Freudian notion that ‘‘dreams are the royal road to the unconscious’’ is clinically useful, after all.

Uma reavaliação do pensamento lógico de George Boole à luz da história da matemática

The aim of the present study is to reevaluate the logical thought of the English mathematician George Boole (1815 - 1864). Thus, our research centers on the mathematical analysis of logic in the context of the history of mathematics. In order to do so, we present various biographical considerations about Boole in the light of events that happened in the 19th century and their consequences for mathematical production. We briefly describe Boole's innovations in the areas of differential equations and invariant theory and undertake an analysis of Boole's logic, especially as formulated in the book The Mathematical Analysis of Logic, comparing it not only with the traditional Aristotelian logic, but also with modern symbolic logic. We conclude that Boole, as he intended, expanded logic both in terms of its content and also in terms of its methods and formal elaboration. We further conclude that his purpose was the mathematical modeling of deductive reasoning, which led him to present an innovative formalism for logic and, because the different ways it can be interpreted, a new conception of mathematics

Pensamento teórico e formação docente: apropriação de saberes da tradição lúdica na perspectiva da teoria da formação das ações mentais por etapas de P. Ya. Galperin

The study investigated the possibility of organizing a didactics unit for formation of hability of identifying and explaining the popular traditional games in the process of licensed formation in physical education. Had basic premised, the thesis formulated by Piorte Yakovleviche Galperin that the fundamental condition that mode determines the student s way of thinking and the theoretical structures thought. Is given by the method of organization activity that form the basis of guiding skills assimilates from this assumption the study defended the thesis that the contents of popular traditional games can be organizeds according the systemic functional-structural focus. As a method to plan a didactics unit that contributes to development of theoretical thought and the professional development of graduates in physical education. In this sense the general goal was studied and develop a training proposal of ability to identify and explain the popular traditional games for physical education teachers oriented to contribute to the development of theoretical thought. In the construction process of the thesis in a first moment was determined the invariant conceptual of popular traditional games from the method of analysis of activity, after was organized the content of popular traditional games according to the structural-functional systems revealing the essential properties elements and levels of relationship.These procedures provided to the construction elements of the concept popular traditional games, and was the basis for planning a didactical unit to the formation of ability to study. These strategies enable to build a set of prepositions to argue, as a result of the increases in the knowledge of the professional formation in physical education. The study was introduced the fallowing contributions; formulated a teaching proposal to develop the ability to identify popular traditional games, as a cultural and historical contribution and the development of an individual, in initial formation of physical education teacher, attuned to the demands of training and use of knowledge that requires this level of education, defined and organized the knowledge of popular traditional games , this enables a teaching able to raise the cognitive abilities and the theoretical concept of personality of graduated in physical education

PENSAMENTO TEÓRICO E FORMAÇÃO DOCENTE: apropriação de saberes da tradição lúdica na perspectiva da teoria da formação das ações mentais por etapas de P. Ya. Galperin

The study investigated the possibility of organizing a didactics unit for formation of hability of identifying and explaining the popular traditional games in the process of licensed formation in physical education. Had basic premised, the thesis formulated by Piorte Yakovleviche Galperin that the fundamental condition that mode determines the student s way of thinking and the theoretical structures thought. Is given by the method of organization activity that form the basis of guiding skills assimilates from this assumption the study defended the thesis that the contents of popular traditional games can be organizeds according the systemic functional-structural focus. As a method to plan a didactics unit that contributes to development of theoretical thought and the professional development of graduates in physical education. In this sense the general goal was studied and develop a training proposal of ability to identify and explain the popular traditional games for physical education teachers oriented to contribute to the development of theoretical thought. In the construction process of the thesis in a first moment was determined the invariant conceptual of popular traditional games from the method of analysis of activity, after was organized the content of popular traditional games according to the structural-functional systems revealing the essential properties elements and levels of relationship.These procedures provided to the construction elements of the concept popular traditional games, and was the basis for planning a didactical unit to the formation of ability to study. These strategies enable to build a set of prepositions to argue, as a result of the increases in the knowledge of the professional formation in physical education. The study was introduced the fallowing contributions; formulated a teaching proposal to develop the ability to identify popular traditional games, as a cultural and historical contribution and the development of an individual, in initial formation of physical education teacher, attuned to the demands of training and use of knowledge that requires this level of education, defined and organized the knowledge of popular traditional games , this enables a teaching able to raise the cognitive abilities and the theoretical concept of personality of graduated in physical education

Formação da habilidade de interpretar gráficos cartesianos em licenciandos em química segundo a teoria de P. Ya. Galperin

It has been remarkable among the Science Teaching debates the necessity that students do not learn only theories, laws and concepts, but also develop skills which allows them to act towards a critical citizenship. Therefore, some of the skills for the natural sciences learning must be taught consciously, intentionally and in a planned way, as component of a basic competence. Studies of the last twenty years have shown that students and teachers have plenty of difficulties about skills development and, among several, the skill of interpreting Cartesian graphics, essential for the comprehension of Natural Science. In that sense, the development of that type of professional knowledge during the initial education of future Chemistry teachers has become strategic, not only because they need to know how to use it, but also because they need to know how to teach it. This research has as its general objective the organization, development and study of a process of formation of the skill of interpreting Cartesian graphics as part of the teachers professional knowledge. It has been accomplished through a formative experience with six undergraduate students of the Teaching Degree Course of Chemistry of Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte), in Brazil. In order to develop that skill, we have used as reference P. Ya. Galperin s Theory of the Stepwise Formation of Mental Actions and Concepts and its following qualitative indicators: action form, degree of generalization, degree of consciousness, degree of independence and degree of solidness. The research, in a qualitative approach, has prioritized as instruments of data collecting the registering of the activities of the undergraduate students, the observation, the questionnaire and the diagnosis tests. At the first moment, a teaching framework has been planned for the development of the skill of interpreting Cartesian graphics based on the presupposed conceptions and steps of Galperin s Theory. At the second moment, the referred framework has been applied and the process of the skill formation has been studied. The results have shown the possibility of develop the skill conscious about the invariant operation system, with a high degree of generalization and internalized the operational invariant in the mental plane. The students have attested the contributions at that type of formative experience. The research reveals the importance of going deeper about the teaching comprehension of the individualities tied to the process of internalization, according to Galperin s Theory, when the update of abilities as part of the teaching professional knowledge is the issue

Compositional analysis for an unbiased measure of soil aggregation

Soil aggregation is an index of soil structure measured by mean weight diameter (MWD) or scaling factors often interpreted as fragmentation fractal dimensions (D-f). However, the MWD provides a biased estimate of soil aggregation due to spurious correlations among aggregate-size fractions and scale-dependency. The scale-invariant D-f is based on weak assumptions to allow particle counts and sensitive to the selection of the fractal domain, and may frequently exceed a value of 3, implying that D-f is a biased estimate of aggregation. Aggregation indices based on mass may be computed without bias using compositional analysis techniques. Our objective was to elaborate compositional indices of soil aggregation and to compare them to MWD and D-f using a published dataset describing the effect of 7 cropping systems on aggregation. Six aggregate-size fractions were arranged into a sequence of D-1 balances of building blocks that portray the process of soil aggregation. Isometric log-ratios (ilrs) are scale-invariant and orthogonal log contrasts or balances that possess the Euclidean geometry necessary to compute a distance between any two aggregation states, known as the Aitchison distance (A(x,y)). Close correlations (r>0.98) were observed between MWD, D-f, and the ilr when contrasting large and small aggregate sizes. Several unbiased embedded ilrs can characterize the heterogeneous nature of soil aggregates and be related to soil properties or functions. Soil bulk density and penetrater resistance were closely related to A(x,y) with reference to bare fallow. The A(x,y) is easy to implement as unbiased index of soil aggregation using standard sieving methods and may allow comparisons between studies. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Estabilidade e robustez de um controlador adaptativo indireto por um modelo de referência e estrutura variável

In this thesis, it is developed the robustness and stability analysis of a variable structure model reference adaptive controller considering the presence of disturbances and unmodeled dynamics. The controller is applied to uncertain, monovariable, linear time-invariant plants with relative degree one, and its development is based on the indirect adaptive control. In the direct approach, well known in the literature, the switching laws are designed for the controller parameters. In the indirect one, they are designed for the plant parameters and, thus, the selection of the relays upper bounds becomes more intuitive, whereas they are related to physical parameters, which present uncertainties that can be known easier, such as resistances, capacitances, inertia moments and friction coefficients. Two versions for the controller algorithm with the stability analysis are presented. The global asymptotic stability with respect to a compact set is guaranteed for both cases. Simulation results under adverse operation conditions in order to verify the theoretical results and to show the performance and robustness of the proposed controller are showed. Moreover, for practical purposes, some simplifications on the original algorithm are developed

Uma fundamentação matemática para processamento digital de sinais intervalares

This work deals with a mathematical fundament for digital signal processing under point view of interval mathematics. Intend treat the open problem of precision and repesention of data in digital systems, with a intertval version of signals representation. Signals processing is a rich and complex area, therefore, this work makes a cutting with focus in systems linear invariant in the time. A vast literature in the area exists, but, some concepts in interval mathematics need to be redefined or to be elaborated for the construction of a solid theory of interval signal processing. We will construct a basic fundaments for signal processing in the interval version, such as basic properties linearity, stability, causality, a version to intervalar of linear systems e its properties. They will be presented interval versions of the convolution and the Z-transform. Will be made analysis of convergences of systems using interval Z-transform , a essentially interval distance, interval complex numbers , application in a interval filter.

Modelagem linear e identificação do modelo dinâmico de um robô móvel com acionamento diferencial

This work presents a modelling and identification method for a wheeled mobile robot, including the actuator dynamics. Instead of the classic modelling approach, where the robot position coordinates (x,y) are utilized as state variables (resulting in a non linear model), the proposed discrete model is based on the travelled distance increment Delta_l. Thus, the resulting model is linear and time invariant and it can be identified through classical methods such as Recursive Least Mean Squares. This approach has a problem: Delta_l can not be directly measured. In this paper, this problem is solved using an estimate of Delta_l based on a second order polynomial approximation. Experimental data were colected and the proposed method was used to identify the model of a real robot

Understanding the Crystallization Mechanism of a Wollastonite Base Glass Using Isoconversional, IKP Methods and Master Plots

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Dynamics at infinity and the existence of singularly degenerate heteroclinic cycles in the Lorenz system

In this paper, by using the Poincare compactification in R(3) we make a global analysis of the Lorenz system, including the complete description of its dynamic behavior on the sphere at infinity. Combining analytical and numerical techniques we show that for the parameter value b = 0 the system presents an infinite set of singularly degenerate heteroclinic cycles, which consist of invariant sets formed by a line of equilibria together with heteroclinic orbits connecting two of the equilibria. The dynamical consequences related to the existence of such cycles are discussed. In particular a possibly new mechanism behind the creation of Lorenz-like chaotic attractors, consisting of the change in the stability index of the saddle at the origin as the parameter b crosses the null value, is proposed. Based on the knowledge of this mechanism we have numerically found chaotic attractors for the Lorenz system in the case of small b > 0, so nearby the singularly degenerate heteroclinic cycles.

PERIODIC PERTURBATION of QUADRATIC SYSTEMS WITH TWO INFINITE HETEROCLINIC CYCLES

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)