Evaluating a continuing professional development course on cognitive functions for Music Therapists working in care homes

Scarce research to date has addressed the aspect of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) as a key requirement for qualified music therapists. The present study investigated the benefits of a CPD course based on cognitive neuropsychology, which aimed to develop music therapists’ knowledge and skills in care home settings. The course included 32h of activities spread across 3 months and was attended by 31 music therapists. This course was evaluated using a mixed-methods approach including a semi-structured interview and a quantitative questionnaire. The results revealed that the CPD course brought different benefits meeting the needs of the therapists working in the care homes, which, included: i) improved general knowledge of music cognition, ii) broadened thinking about music therapy practice and clients’ abilities, and iii) an additional clinical and theoretical framework. These results are consistent with previous literature, highlighting the importance of providing advanced training for music therapists. Crucially, the findings highlighted the need for different strategies, techniques and pedagogical approaches in CPD courses, in function of the work setting, to improve attendees’ clinical skills. In addition, the study outlines how a CPD course may be tailored to enhance specific skills and transfer of learning in line with workplace demands

Development and validation of the Music Cognitive Test: a music-based cognitive screening test

Specific tools to measure the cognitive benefits of music therapy and music-rehabilitation training available to music therapists are few and empirically weak: they are mostly psychometrically unrefined or based on unclear tasks and scoring protocols; they do not take into consideration distinct cognitive functions or are based on exclusively observational protocols. To overcome these limitations, we developed a 15-min cognitive screening tool suitable for music therapists, MCT (Music Cognitive Test), which assesses cognitive abilities stimulated by music-making activities (e.g., attentional, verbal and executive functions, short- and long-term memory) by including music-based items. MCT was validated with 335 participants (aged 18-100y.o.) presenting a range of cognitive levels, from healthy cognition to severe impairment. MCT correlated strongly and positively with well-known tests: MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination), MoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment) and SMMSE (Severe Mini-Mental State Examination). MCT also displayed excellent sensitivity in identifying impaired individuals according to both MMSE and MoCA diagnostic criteria (99.4% and 93.0%, respectively), and excellent specificity in identifying healthy participants based on MMSE (93.5%) and MoCA (97.8%) criteria. Overall, results highlight the reliability of this novel brief music-focused cognitive screening test, to enable music therapists to independently and consistently monitor the effectiveness of their intervention on cognitive functions

Music regulators in two string quartets: a comparison of communicative behaviors between low- and high-stress performance conditions

In ensemble performances, group members use particular bodily behaviors as a sort of “language” to supplement the lack of verbal communication. This article focuses on music regulators, which are defined as signs to other group members for coordinating performance. The following two music regulators are considered: body gestures for articulating attacks (a set of movements externally directed that are used to signal entrances in performance) and eye contact. These regulators are recurring observable behaviors that play an important role in non-verbal communication among ensemble members. To understand how they are used by chamber musicians, video recordings of two string quartet performances (Quartet A performing Bartók and Quartet B performing Haydn) were analyzed under two conditions: a low stress performance (LSP), undertaken in a rehearsal setting, and a high stress performance (HSP) during a public recital. The results provide evidence for more emphasis in gestures for articulating attacks (i.e., the perceived strength of a performed attack-type body gesture) during HSP than LSP. Conversely, no significant differences were found for the frequency of eye contact between HSP and LSP. Moreover, there was variability in eye contact during HSP and LSP, showing that these behaviors are less standardized and may change according to idiosyncratic performance conditions. Educational implications are discussed for improving interpersonal communication skills during ensemble performance

Parentalidade em Casos de Adoção Monoparental.

Biasutti, C. M. (2016). Parentalidade em casos de adoção monoparental. Dissertação de Mestrado. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Psicologia, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, Espírito Santo. Tendo em vista as mudanças sociais ocorridas ao longo das últimas décadas no que tange à organização das famílias e aos papéis atribuídos às mulheres e aos homens, e a discussão atual sobre o conceito de família na sociedade brasileira, legitimando as organizações familiares que divergem do modelo tradicional, a presente pesquisa entende a importância de se estudar a família monoparental adotiva e suas especificidades, com o intuito de verificar como esta exerce a parentalidade. O presente estudo, de enfoque qualitativo-descritivo, objetivou investigar como ocorreu a adoção para famílias monoparentais e conhecer e descrever a vivência da parentalidade nas famílias estudadas, considerando as dimensões propostas pelo Modelo da Parentalidade de Hoghughi. Participaram da pesquisa quatro mães e um pai adotivos, na faixa etária entre 31 e 56 anos de idade, cujos filhos tinham entre 3 e 12 anos de idade. Foi estabelecido como critério de inclusão que a criança tivesse até 12 anos e que estivesse com a família há pelo menos um ano. Os participantes responderam a um roteiro de entrevista semi-estruturado, construído com base em investigações similares realizadas anteriormente, composto por temas referentes à adoção e a parentalidade. Todos os participantes aceitaram participar voluntariamente da pesquisa e assinaram a um Termo de Consentimento Livre e Esclarecido. Como resultados principais, foi verificado que a motivação dos participantes para adotar uma criança era advinda do desejo destes em constituir ou ampliar a família e ser pai ou mãe, e que este desejo não tinha relação com a infertilidade biológica. Em todos os casos foi verificado o acolhimento e apoio da família extensa. Todos os participantes buscaram a Vara da Infância e Juventude para a realização do processo de adoção. Observou-se que a espera pela criança foi um momento de preparação emocional e financeira para o acolhimento do novo membro na família e que medos e ansiedades relacionados ao processo adotivo foram vivenciados. A adaptação das crianças às famílias entrevistadas ocorreu em curto espaço de tempo, embora todos os cuidadores tenham mencionado a necessidade de adaptação de sua rotina à nova situação familiar. Quanto à parentalidade, observou-se que todos os participantes realizavam práticas de cuidados físicos, emocionais e sociais com as crianças, incentivando-as e estimulando-as em seu desenvolvimento, bem como impondo regras e limites quando necessário. Os participantes demonstraram-se atentos às necessidades de seus filhos e motivados a atendê-las. A dedicação de um tempo exclusivo para a criança foi destacado como uma prioridade das famílias. Foram percebidos alguns desafios quanto a monoparentalidade, que foram superados na prática diária de cuidados com a criança e pela presença e auxílio de uma rede de apoio, que envolvia prioritariamente a família extensa, embora contasse também com amigos e contratações de serviços. O desenvolvimento de competências e mudanças nos participantes também foram destacadas. Concluiu-se que as famílias monoparentais atendiam as dimensões propostas no Modelo da Parentalidade, e apesar de apresentarem alguns desafios específicos desse modelo familiar, estes eram superados pelos pais. Segundo o que foi relatado, pôde-se constatar que as famílias monoparentais estudadas forneciam um ambiente adequado para o desenvolvimento das crianças e que a vivência da parentalidade promovia o desenvolvimento dos pais adotivos

Efectos de la sal sobre la solubilidad y las propiedades emulsionantes de la caseína y sus hidrolizados trípticos

This work reports an investigation about the effect of NaCl addition (0.02 mol/L) on some functional properties of casein(CA) and its tryptic hydrolysates (TH). The solubility, the emulsifying capacity (EC), the emulsifying activity index(EAI) and the emulsion stability (ES) were determined at two pH values (4.0 and 5.0). The results showed that thisprocedure was benefi cial for the solubility of CA and TH, being more intense at pH 5.0 and 4.0, respectively. Also, apositive effect of NaCl addition was observed for CA and TH, at both pH values, and the best results for both sampleswere achieved at pH 5.0. The ES was slightly affected by the presence of salt and only for some samples of CA andTH it was increased. Contrarily, the EAI values of casein were reduced with the addition of NaCl at pH 4.0 and 5.0,while those of TH were positively affected by this treatment at both pH values.En este trabajo se presentan los resultados de una investigación sobre los efectos de la adición de NaCl (0,02 mol/L)sobre algunas propiedades funcionales de la caseína (CA) y de sus hidrolizados trípticos (TH). Se determinaron lasolubilidad, la capacidad emulsionante (CE), el índice de actividad emulsionante (IAE) y la estabilidad de la emulsión(EE) con dos valores de pH (4,0 y 5,0). Los resultados demostraron que el procedimiento era benefi cioso parala solubilidad de CA y TH, siendo más intensa con pH 5,0 y 4,0, respectivamente. También se observó un efectopositivo de la adición de NaCl en CA y TH, con ambos valores de pH, consiguiéndose los mejores resultados conpH 5,0. La EE se vio ligeramente afectada por la presencia de sal, y sólo aumentó en algunas muestras de CA yTH. Por el contrario, los valores del IAE de la caseína se redujeron al añadir NaCl con pH 4,0 y 5,0, mientras quelas de TH se vieron afectadas positivamente por este tratamiento con ambos valores de pH

Estimación del comportamiento de híbridos de maíz mediante modelos mixtos

La selección de cultivares superiores se basa en el comportamiento de éstos en los llamados ensayos multiambientales. El problema de la correcta elección de cultivares se incrementa cuando estos ensayos dan lugar a datos fuertemente desbalanceados, sumado a la presencia de la interacción genotipo x ambiente. Para identificar los mejores cultivares se ha empleado la mejor predicción insesgada o BLUP, empleando modelos lineales mixtos para el análisis de datos fenotípicos unidos a datos de relaciones de parentesco. Los objetivos del presente trabajo fueron: estimar el comportamiento de híbridos de maíz partir de datos desbalanceados, con y sin la inclusión del parentesco genético, y determinar el poder predictivo de los años de evaluación sobre el comportamiento de los genotipos. Se emplearon datos de rendimiento de 49 híbridos de maíz, desde 2006 hasta 2009, para las estimaciones de los BLUPS de cada genotipo. La inclusión de las relaciones de coancestría en el cálculo de los BLUPs permitió una mejor discriminación del material genético. Para la correcta discriminación de híbridos es recomendable el empleo de los tBLUP basados en más de 2 años, incluyendo ambientes de evaluación donde los cultivares experimentales puedan expresar su potencial de rendimient

Effect of high-pressure homogenization on droplet size distribution and rheological properties of ice cream mixes.

The effect of different homogenization pressures (15/3 MPa and 97/3 MPa) on fat globule size and distribution as well as on structure-property relationships of ice cream mixes was investigated. Dynamic light scattering, steady shear, and dynamic rheological analyses were performed on mixes with different fat contents (5 and 8%) and different aging times (4 and 20 h). The homogenization of ice cream mixes determined a change from bimodal to monomodal particle size distributions and a reduction in the mean particle diameter. Mean fat globule diameters were reduced at higher pressure, but the homogenization effect on size reduction was less marked with the highest fat content. The rheological behavior of mixes was influenced by both the dispersed and the continuous phases. Higher fat contents caused greater viscosity and dynamic moduli. The lower homogenization pressure (15/3 MPa) mainly affected the dispersed phase and resulted in a more pronounced viscosity reduction in the higher fat content mixes. High-pressure homogenization (97/3 MPa) greatly enhanced the viscoelastic properties and the apparent viscosity. Rheological results indicated that unhomogenized and 15/3 MPa homogenized mixes behaved as weak gels. The 97/3 MPa treatment led to stronger gels, perhaps as the overall result of a network rearrangement or interpenetrating network formation, and the fat globules were found to behave as interactive fillers. High-pressure homogenization determined the apparent viscosity of 5% fat to be comparable to that of 8% fat unhomogenized mix

3D printing of shape memory Alloys for complex architectures of smart structures

Shape Memory Alloys (SMA) are materials used to design smart structures with intrinsic functional properties and improved efficiency. This is a key aspect of aerospace industry and makes SMA good candidates in this field. One of the most widespread SMA is the equiatomic NiTi alloy which, however, has the strong limitation of poor machinability, so only simple shapes can be obtained. Additive Manufacturing processes allow to overcome this limit and to design complex shapes. Compared to other metallic materials, the optimization of the process for NiTi alloy is complicated because, beside mechanical properties and presence of defects, considerable attention needs to be dedicated to the material functionality. The high temperatures involved in the additive process significantly affect the material properties due to possible evaporation of Ni and formation of precipitates that enable a shift of the phase transformation temperatures. This paper is focused on the optimization of the process parameters of the NiTi alloy printed through the Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) to ensure optimal pseudo-elastic behaviour, which is essential for the design of structural dampers. This was accomplished starting from simple structures and then designing a damper that couples the pseudoelasticity of NiTi with load support capacity. The L-PBF is a powder-bed technique that selectively melts layers of micrometric metal powder. A pseudoelastic NiTi powder with 50.8 at. % of Ni content was selected and characterized through scanning electron microscope (SEM) and observations connected to an Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX) probe. After that, some cubic samples were manufactured, with the dimension of 3 × 3 × 15 mm3. A set of different laser powers and scanning speeds were used to find the set of process parameters that optimize the functional properties of the printed parts. Near fully dense specimens with density higher than 99.5 % were selected for further investigations. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and mechanical tests were performed on as-built and heat-treated samples. Quasi-static mechanical tests were accomplished in compression mode, at different strains, up to 8 %. It was observed that the residual strain for cyclic loading at 4 % is lower than 1 %, so good recovery of the deformation was shown. Moreover, numerical analyses that mimic the pseudoelastic behaviour in compression tests were implemented. Finally, the best set of parameters was selected on the basis of the material's ability to recover deformations and its loss factor

A global perspective on African climate

We describe the global climate system context in which to interpret African environmental change to support planning and implementation of policymaking action at national, regional and continental scales, and to inform the debate between proponents of mitigation v. adaptation strategies in the face of climate change. We review recent advances and current challenges in African climate research and exploit our physical understanding of variability and trends to shape our outlook on future climate change. We classify the various mechanisms that have been proposed as relevant for understanding variations in African rainfall, emphasizing a “tropospheric stabilization” mechanism that is of importance on interannual time scales as well as for the future response to warming oceans. Two patterns stand out in our analysis of twentieth century rainfall variability: a drying of the monsoon regions, related to warming of the tropical oceans, and variability related to the El Niño–Southern Oscillation. The latest generation of climate models partly captures this recent continent-wide drying trend, attributing it to the combination of anthropogenic emissions of aerosols and greenhouse gases, the relative contribution of which is difficult to quantify with the existing model archive. The same climate models fail to reach a robust agreement regarding the twenty-first century outlook for African rainfall, in a future with increasing greenhouse gases and decreasing aerosol loadings. Such uncertainty underscores current limitations in our understanding of the global climate system that it is necessary to overcome if science is to support Africa in meeting its development goals