New method for evaluation of cutaneous sensibility in diabetic feet: preliminary report

Diabetic neuropathy is an important complication of the disease, responsible for ulceration and amputation of the foot. Prevention of these problems is difficult mainly because there is no method to correctly access sensibility on the skin of the foot. The introduction of the Pressure-Specified Sensory Device (PSSD TM) in the last decade made possible the measurement of pressure thresholds sensed by the patient, such as touch, both static and in movement, on a continuous scale. This paper is the first in Brazil to report the use of this device to measure cutaneous sensibility in 3 areas of the foot: the hallux pulp, the calcaneus, and the dorsum, which are territories of the tibial and fibular nerves. METHOD: Non-diabetic patients were measured as controls, and 2 groups of diabetic patients - with and without ulcers - were compared. The PSSD TM was used to test the 3 areas described above. The following were evaluated: 1 PS (1-point static), 1 PD (1-point dynamic), 2 PS (2-points static), 2 PD (2-points dynamic). RESULTS: The diabetic group had poorer sensibility compared to controls and diabetics with ulcers had poorer sensibility when compared to diabetics without ulcers. The differences were statistically significant (P <.001). CONCLUSION: Due to the small number of patients compared, the results should be taken as a preliminary report.

Produtos têxteis inteligentes incorporando filamentos compósitos com nanotubos de carbono

Programa Doutoral em Engenharia Têxtil.

À descoberta do mundo pelo jogo dos sentidos

Relatório de estágio de mestrado em Educação Pré-Escolar

Bimodal information increases spontaneous interpersonal synchronization of goal directed upper limb movements

When interacting with each other, people often synchronize spontaneously their movements, e.g. during pendulum swinging, chair rocking[5], walking [4][7], and when executing periodic forearm movements[3].Although the spatiotemporal information that establishes the coupling, leading to synchronization, might be provided by several perceptual systems, the systematic study of different sensory modalities contribution is widely neglected. Considering a) differences in the sensory dominance on the spatial and temporal dimension[5] , b) different cue combination and integration strategies [1][2], and c) that sensory information might provide different aspects of the same event, synchronization should be moderated by the type of sensory modality. Here, 9 naïve participants placed a bottle periodically between two target zones, 40 times, in 12 conditions while sitting in front of a confederate executing the same task. The participant could a) see and hear, b) see , c) hear the confederate, d) or audiovisual information about the movements of the confederate was absent. The couple started in 3 different relative positions (i.e., in-phase, anti-phase, out of phase). A retro-reflective marker was attached to the top of the bottles. Bottle displacement was captured by a motion capture system. We analyzed the variability of the continuous relative phase reflecting the degree of synchronization. Results indicate the emergence of spontaneous synchronization, an increase with bimodal information, and an influence of the initial phase relation on the particular synchronization pattern. Results have theoretical implication for studying cue combination in interpersonal coordination and are consistent with coupled oscillator models.

Sensorimotor synchronization when walking side by side with a point light walker

[Excerpt] Synchronization of periodic movements like side-by-side walking [7] is frequently modeled by coupled oscillators [5] and the coupling strength is defined quantitatively [3]. In contrast, in most studies on sensorimotor synchronization (SMS), simple movements like finger taps are synchronized with simple stimuli like metronomes [4]. While the latter paradigm simplifies matters and allows for the assessment of the relative weights of sensory modalities through systematic variation of the stimuli [1], it might lack ecological validity. Conversely, using more complex movements and stimuli might complicate the specification of mechanisms underlying coupling. We merged the positive aspects of both approaches to study the contribution of auditory and visual information on synchronization during side-by-side walking. As stimuli, we used Point Light Walkers (PLWs) and auralized steps sound; both were constructed from previously captured walking individuals [2][6]. PLWs were retro-projected on a screen and matched according to gender, hip height, and velocity. The participant walked for 7.20m side by side with 1) a PLW, 2) steps sound, or 3) both displayed in temporal congruence. Instruction to participants was to synchronize with the available stimuli. [...]

A expressão dramática em contexto escolar: um estudo de caso com alunos do 1º ciclo do ensino básico na Região Autónoma da Madeira

Tese de Doutoramento em Estudos da Criança (área de especialização em Educação Dramática).

Learning joint representations for order and timing of perceptual-motor sequences: a dynamic neural field approach

Many of our everyday tasks require the control of the serial order and the timing of component actions. Using the dynamic neural field (DNF) framework, we address the learning of representations that support the performance of precisely time action sequences. In continuation of previous modeling work and robotics implementations, we ask specifically the question how feedback about executed actions might be used by the learning system to fine tune a joint memory representation of the ordinal and the temporal structure which has been initially acquired by observation. The perceptual memory is represented by a self-stabilized, multi-bump activity pattern of neurons encoding instances of a sensory event (e.g., color, position or pitch) which guides sequence learning. The strength of the population representation of each event is a function of elapsed time since sequence onset. We propose and test in simulations a simple learning rule that detects a mismatch between the expected and realized timing of events and adapts the activation strengths in order to compensate for the movement time needed to achieve the desired effect. The simulation results show that the effector-specific memory representation can be robustly recalled. We discuss the impact of the fast, activation-based learning that the DNF framework provides for robotics applications.

Abnormalities in the processing of emotional prosody from single words in schizophrenia

Background: Abnormalities in emotional prosody processing have been consistently reported in schizophrenia and are related to poor social outcomes. However, the role of stimulus complexity in abnormal emotional prosody processing is still unclear. Method: We recorded event-related potentials in 16 patients with chronic schizophrenia and 16 healthy controls to investigate: 1) the temporal course of emotional prosody processing; and 2) the relative contribution of prosodic and semantic cues in emotional prosody processing. Stimuli were prosodic single words presented in two conditions: with intelligible (semantic content condition—SCC) and unintelligible semantic content (pure prosody condition—PPC). Results: Relative to healthy controls, schizophrenia patients showed reduced P50 for happy PPC words, and reduced N100 for both neutral and emotional SCC words and for neutral PPC stimuli. Also, increased P200 was observed in schizophrenia for happy prosody in SCC only. Behavioral results revealed higher error rates in schizophrenia for angry prosody in SCC and for happy prosody in PPC. Conclusions: Together, these data further demonstrate the interactions between abnormal sensory processes and higher-order processes in bringing about emotional prosody processing dysfunction in schizophrenia. They further suggest that impaired emotional prosody processing is dependent on stimulus complexity.

Habitar sem ver: a amplificação sensorial ao longo de um percurso entre o Largo Condessa do Juncal e a Veiga de Creixomil

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Arquitectura (área de especialização em Cultura Arquitetónica)

O evento levou... Comunicação de marca de uma cidade-sede

Tese de Doutoramento em Ciências da Comunicação - Especialidade em Comunicação Estratégica e Organizacional

Development and characterization of lipid-based nanosystems for controlled release of bioactive compounds

Tese de Doutoramento em Engenharia Química e Biológica.

Virtual reality in assessment and treatment of schizophrenia: a systematic review

Objective To conduct a systematic review about the use of virtual reality (VR) for evaluation, treatment and/or rehabilitation of patients with schizophrenia, focused on: areas, fields and objectives; methodological issues; features of the VR used; viability and efficiency of this resource. Methods Searches were performed about schizophrenia and virtual reality in PsycINFO, Academic Search Complete, MEDLINE Complete, CINAHL with Full Text, Web of Science and Business Source Premier databases, using the following keywords: [“schizophrenia”] AND [“virtual reality” OR “serious game”] AND [“treatment” OR “therapy” OR “rehabilitation”]. The search was carried out between November 2013 and June 2014 without using any search limiters. Results A total of 101 papers were identified, and after the application of exclusion criteria, 33 papers remained. The studies analysed focused on the use of VR for the evaluation of cognitive, social, perceptual and sensory skills, and the vast majority were experimental studies, with virtual reality specifically created for them. All the reviewed papers point towards a reliable and safe use of VR for evaluating and treating cognitive and social deficits in patients with schizophrenia, with different results in terms of generalisation, motivation, assertiveness and task participation rate. Some problems were highlighted, such as its high cost and a constant need for software maintenance. Conclusion The studies show that using the virtual reality may streamline traditional evaluation/rehabilitation programmes, allowing to enhance the results achieved, both in the cognitive and in the social field, helping for the legitimisation of this population’s psycho-social inclusion.

Do stars govern our actions? astrocyte involvement in rodent behavior

Do stars govern our actions? Astrocyte involvement in rodent behavior

Intervir através da educação física na coeducação: realidade ou intenção?

Intervir de forma consciente e organizada em prol da promoção da igualdade de oportunidades na escola tem sido, nas últimas décadas, um dos propósitos da Educação Física (EF) na Europa. Através das rotinas e das oportunidades que se proporcionam, rapazes e raparigas têm acesso a uma prática de atividade física e desportiva (AFD) que lhes possibilita aperfeiçoar capacidades, competências e atitudes. Consideramos que o contributo da EF na educação é de um valor significativo, viabilizando às crianças e jovens construir a sua imagem corporal e os estereótipos de género, desenvolver afectos e emoções, cultivar a sua relação com os outros, criar capacidades e valores, ajudando deste modo uma formação das atitudes individuais ou coletivas, que respeitem a igualdade de género e, por isso, os direitos humanos. Este estudo foi realizado a partir da informação recolhida, através da aplicação de um questionário, a uma amostra de 993 crianças, 57.5% raparigas e 42.5% rapazes, com idades compreendidas entre os 10 e 12 anos, pertencentes a várias escolas do ensino público e ambicionou comparar as perceções e preferências de rapazes e raparigas relativamente às práticas AFD que decorrem na disciplina de EF, para se poderem apresentar alternativas de práticas mais flexíveis e integradoras. A partir dos nossos resultados podemos concluir que a AFD na escola continua a ser muito marcada por práticas de técnicas de movimento, jogos e competições desportivas, vivências muito identificadas com os estereótipos masculinos e que, nem sempre ajudam à formação de um bom esquema corporal e de comportamentos que se tendem a manter ao longo da vida, para muita(o)s jovens. Sugerimos que as atividades oferecidas às crianças e jovens nas escolas sejam mais diversificadas e inclusivas, impondo um nível de desempenho e de satisfação mais adequado a cada caso em particular, devendo estar mais centradas quer em atividades de ar livre, quer em práticas que desenvolvem também as dimensões sensitiva, expressiva e corporal do(a)s aluno(a)s.

Promover a educação sensorial: dar "Sentidos" à transição entre a educação pré-escolar e o 1.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico

Relatório de estágio de mestrado em Educação Pré-escolar e Ensino no 1.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico