Second floor reading area interior, Sunshine Coast University Library, Maroochydore

View of second floor reading area with rigid frames and air-conditioning ducting.

Second floor reading area interior, Sunshine Coast University Library, Maroochydore

View of second floor reading area with rigid frames and air-conditioning ducting.

Social dysfunction in bipolar disorder: pilot study

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to assess the social skills of euthymic patients with bipolar disorder. Methods: A group of 25 outpatients with bipolar disorder type I were evaluated in comparison with a group of 31 healthy volunteers who were matched in terms of level of education, age, sex and intelligence. Both groups were assessed using a self-report questionnaire, the Brazilian Inventario de Habilidades Sociais (IHS, Social Skills Inventory). Two Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale subtests ( Picture Arrangement and Comprehension) were also used in order to assess subject ability to analyse social situations and to make judgements, respectively. Results: Patients with bipolar disorder had lower IHS scores for the domains that assessed conversational skills/social self-confidence and social openness to new people/situations. Patients with anxiety disorders had high scores for the domain that assessed self-confidence in the expression of positive emotions. No differences were found between patients and controls in performance on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Picture Arrangement and Comprehension subtests. Conclusions: Euthymic patients with bipolar disorder present inhibited and overattentive behaviour in relation to other people and their environment. This behaviour might have a negative impact on their level of social functioning and quality of life.

Automated edge-detection technique for measurement of brachial artery reactivity: A comparison of concordance with manual measurements

Concerns have been raised about the reproducibility of brachial artery reactivity (BAR), because subjective decisions regarding the location of interfaces may influence the measurement of very small changes in lumen diameter. We studied 120 consecutive patients with BAR to address if an automated technique could be applied, and if experience influenced reproducibility between two observers, one experienced and one inexperienced. Digital cineloops were measured automatically, using software that measures the leading edge of the endothelium and tracks this in sequential frames and also manually, where a set of three point-to-point measurements were averaged. There was a high correlation between automated and manual techniques for both observers, although less variability was present with expert readers. The limits of agreement overall for interobserver concordance were 0.13 +/-0.65 mm for the manual and 0.03 +/-0.74 mm for the automated measurement. For intraobserver concordance, the limits of agreement were -0.07 +/-0.38 mm for observer 1 and -0.16 +/-0.55 mm for observer 2. We concluded that BAR measurements were highly concordant between observers, although more concordant using the automated method, and that experience does affect concordance. Care must be taken to ensure that the same segments are measured between observers and serially.

Optimização dos protocolos de reconstrução em imagens TC de AVC isquémico agudo: projecto

Mestrado de Radiações aplicadas às Tecnologias da Saúde. Área de especialização: Imagem Digital com Radiação X.

Geografias de exclusão e inclusão : políticas migratórias e de deportação dos Estados Unidos da América e os cidadãos deportados em São Miguel (Açores)

Dissertação de Mestrado em Ciências Sociais, especialidade em Migrações e Sociedade.

Evaluating the duration of message transactions in broadcast wired/wireless fieldbus networks

Determining the response time of message transactions is one of the major concerns in the design of any distributed computer-controlled system. Such response time is mainly dependent on the medium access delay, the message length and the transmission delay. While the medium access delay in fieldbus networks has been thoroughly studied in the last few years, the transmission delay has been almost ignored as it is considered that it can be neglected when compared to the length of the message itself. Nevertheless, this assumption is no longer valid when considering the case of hybrid wired/wireless fieldbus networks, where the transmission delay through a series of different mediums can be several orders of magnitude longer than the length of the message itself. In this paper, we show how to compute the duration of message transactions in hybrid wired/wireless fieldbus networks. This duration is mainly dependent on the duration of the request and response frames and on the number and type of physical mediums that the frames must cross between initiator and responder. A case study of a hybrid wired/wireless fieldbus network is also presented, where it becomes clear the interest of the proposed approach

Gerência de Informação em Estudos Multicêntricos: o Estudo Longitudinal de Saúde do Adulto

A gerência da informação em estudos multicêntricos de grande porte requer uma abordagem especializada. O Estudo Longitudinal da Saúde do Adulto (ELSA-Brasil) criou um Centro de Dados para delinear e gerenciar seu sistema de dados. O objetivo do artigo foi descrever os passos envolvidos, incluindo os métodos de entrada, transmissão e gerência de informações. Foi desenvolvido um sistema web que permitiu, de forma segura e confidencial, a entrada online, verificação e edição, bem como incorporação de dados coletados em papel. Além disso, foi implantado e personalizado um sistema de armazenamento e comunicação de imagens (Picture Arquiving and Communication System) para ecocardiografia e retinografia que armazena as imagens recebidas dos Centros de Investigação e as torna acessíveis nos Centros de Leitura. Finalmente, foram desenvolvidos processos de extração e limpeza de dados para criação de bases de dados em formatos que permitam análises em múltiplos pacotes estatísticos.

Sistema de auto calibração visual para robots do ISePorto, baseado em EKF

Os sistemas de perceção existentes nos robôs autónomos, hoje em dia, são bastante complexos. A informação dos vários sensores, existentes em diferentes partes do robôs, necessitam de estar relacionados entre si face ao referencial do robô ou do mundo. Para isso, o conhecimento da atitude (posição e rotação) entre os referenciais dos sensores e o referencial do robô é um fator critico para o desempenho do mesmo. O processo de calibração dessas posições e translações é chamado calibração dos parâmetros extrínsecos. Esta dissertação propõe o desenvolvimento de um método de calibração autónomo para robôs como câmaras direcionais, como é o caso dos robôs da equipa ISePorto. A solução proposta consiste na aquisição de dados da visão, giroscópio e odometria durante uma manobra efetuada pelo robô em torno de um alvo com um padrão conhecido. Esta informação é então processada em conjunto através de um Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) onde são estimados necessários para relacionar os sensores existentes no robô em relação ao referencial do mesmo. Esta solução foi avaliada com recurso a vários testes e os resultados obtidos foram bastante similares aos obtidos pelo método manual, anteriormente utilizado, com um aumento significativo em rapidez e consistência.

Jejunal perforation caused by abdominal angiostrongyliasis

The authors describe a case of abdominal angiostrongyliasis in an adult patient presenting acute abdominal pain caused by jejunal perforation. The case was unusual, as this affliction habitually involves the terminal ileum, appendix, cecum or ascending colon. The disease is caused by the nematode Angiostrongylus costaricensis, whose definitive hosts are forest rodents while snails and slugs are its intermediate hosts. Infection in humans is accidental and occurs via the ingestion of snail or slug mucoid secretions found on vegetables, or by direct contact with the mucus. Abdominal angiostrongyliasis is clinically characterized by prolonged fever, anorexia, abdominal pain in the right-lower quadrant, and peripheral blood eosinophilia. Although usually of a benign nature, its course may evolve to more complicated forms such as intestinal obstruction or perforation likely to require a surgical approach. Currently, no efficient medication for the treatment of abdominal angiostrongyliasis is known to be available. In this study, the authors provide a review on the subject, considering its etiopathogeny, clinical picture, diagnosis and treatment.

Reduction of spleen size in a child with Hyperreactive Malarious Splenomegaly (HMS) treated outside the Brazilian endemic area of malaria with only one course of quinine

We report the clinical picture, treatment and evolution of a child with hyperreactive malarious splenomegaly treated outside the endemic area of malaria. The patient presented gross splenomegaly, proceeded from an area where malaria is endemic, showed increased immunoglobulins levels, high antimalarial antibody titres and hepatic sinusoidal lymphocytosis. The child did not return to an area where malaria is endemic and showed a favorable response to only one course of quinine. The response of this patient to limited antimalarial therapy suggests the importance of reinfection with malaria in the development and maintenance of this syndrome.

Cidadania, imigração e nacionalidade na União Europeia

Projeto de mestrado em Políticas Comunitárias e Cooperação Territorial

Paragéneses contrastantes no campo pegmatítico de Arga (NW de Portugal): diversidade e equilíbrio

Dissertação de mestrado Ordenamento e Valorização de Recursos Geológicos

Tailored deposition of coloured coatings: on the widening of the available colour range

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Engenharia de Materiais

Immunologic evaluation in infective endocarditis

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the immune response in peripheral blood of patients with infective endocarditis. METHODS: We studied 10 patients with infective endocarditis, age range from 20 to 50 years-old, males and females, and 20 healthy subjects in the same age range. The diagnosis of the disease was based on the clinical picture, echocardiogram, and hemoculture based upon samples drawn and tested before the treatment started. The were no history of atopy or malnutrition, no autoimmune disease, and they were not using any immunosuppressant or antibiotic medication. RESULTS: The patients with endocarditis had significantly higher T and B lymphocyte, CD4+ and CD8+ cell counts, IgM and IgG serum levels, and C4 component of the complement than the control group; no significant difference concerning serum IgA and neutrophil oxidative metabolism; a significant decrease in C3, chemotaxis, and monocyte phagocytosis;cryoglobulins were detected in 66.6% of patients and they were formed by IgG, IgM, IgA, C3, and C4. CONCLUSION: The patients with infective endocarditis were immunocompetent in most sectors of immune response and, at a certain moment, an autoimmune component may be present.