Evidence on the use of gait analysis - A review

Gait analysis consists of evaluating the individual through kinematic analysis, while walking along a surface. Kinematic analysis relates the relative movement between rigid bodies and finds applications in gait analysis. The purpose of this paper is to find the applications of gait analysis, the methodologies used to perform it and conclude about the different methodologies’ uses. A literature search was performed using PRISMA Guidelines. Twenty-two documents fulfilled the inclusion criteria. A total of 15 different countries presented researches in this topic. The areas within which these papers are published include Sports Medicine (7), Pediatric Medicine (1), General Medicine (11), Occupational Medicine (1), Engineering (2). Gait analysis has many different areas of intervention. Some gait parameters are interrelated and there are a few different methodologies available to perform gait analysis. A comprehensive table of results has been developed, where results are presented.This work has been supported by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the R&D Units Project Scope: UIDB/00319/2020

Deep learning approaches for detecting freezing of gait in Parkinson’s disease patients through on-body acceleration sensors

Freezing of gait (FOG) is one of the most incapacitating motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease (PD). The occurrence of FOG reduces the patients’ quality of live and leads to falls. FOG assessment has usually been made through questionnaires, however, this method can be subjective and could not provide an accurate representation of the severity of this symptom. The use of sensor-based systems can provide accurate and objective information to track the symptoms’ evolution to optimize PD management and treatments. Several authors have proposed specific methods based on wearables and the analysis of inertial signals to detect FOG in laboratory conditions, however, its performance is usually lower when being used at patients’ homes. This study presents a new approach based on a recurrent neural network (RNN) and a single waist-worn triaxial accelerometer to enhance the FOG detection performance to be used in real home-environments. Also, several machine and deep learning approaches for FOG detection are evaluated using a leave-one-subject-out (LOSO) cross-validation. Results show that modeling spectral information of adjacent windows through an RNN can bring a significant improvement in the performance of FOG detection without increasing the length of the analysis window (required to using it as a cue-system).This work has been supported by: (1) FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the R&D Units Project Scope: UIDB/00319/2020. (2) Grupo de Investigación en Instrumentación y Acústica Aplicada (I2A2). ETSI Industriales. Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. The authors would like to thank Technical Research Centre for Dependency Care and Autonomous Living (CETpD) for sharing the data of freezing of gait

Anion Colorimetric Chemosensor Based on a Benzimidazole-Functionalized BODIPY Derivative

A BODIPY derivative bearing a benzimidazole unit at position 2 and an electron donor group (anthracene) at the meso position was synthetized and characterized by the usual spectroscopic techniques. The evaluation of the compound as a colorimetric chemosensor was performed in solutions of acetonitrile/water (75:25) in the presence of several anions (HSO4−, NO3−, H2PO4−, CN−, BzO−, ClO4−, Br−, F−, I− and CH3CO2−) with biomedical and environmental relevance. The in-vestigated BODIPY derivative demonstrated a selective color change from pink to yellow upon interaction with a hydrogen sulfate anion (HSO4−).The authors acknowledge Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia-FCT (Portugal) for funding through CQUM (UID/QUI/00686/2020) and project PTDC/QUI-COL/28052/2017 and a PhD grant to. R. C. R. Gonçalves (SFRH/BD/05278/2020). The NMR spectrometer Bruker Avance III 400 was part of the National NMR Network and was purchased within the framework of the National Program for Scientific Re-equipment, contract REDE/1517/RMN/2005, with funds from POCI 2010 (FEDER) and FCT

Synthesis, characterization and evaluation of a carbazolyl-BODIPY as a fluorimetric chemosensor for F-

BODIPY dyes have received great attention in the last few years as optical chemosensors since they can recognize metal ions in solutions through optical signals (colorimetric and/or fluorimetric). In this context, our research group reports the synthesis of a carbazolyl-BODIPY derivative and its respective characterization by 1H NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Furthermore, a preliminary study of the chemosensory capacity of this BODIPY derivative was carried out in acetonitrile solution in the presence of several anions and a highly selective fluorimetric response was obtained for F-

A meso-triphenylamine-BODIPY derivative for the optical chemosensing of metal ions

The design and synthesis of organic molecules for recognition of biologically/environmentally important metal ions has emerged as a highly regarded research field. The BODIPY (4,4-difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene) core is a versatile signaling molecule that can be fine-tuned with functional groups to create selective binding sites to improve its optical proper-ties. As an extension of the work developed in our research group, we report the synthesis and characterization of a BODIPY functionalized with triphenylamino and a formyl group at the meso and 2-position, respectively, for the highly selective detection of Cu2+ and Fe3+. The preliminary study of the BODIPY derivative as optical chemosensor was carried out in acetonitrile solution in the presence of different cations, and interactions with Cu2+ and Fe3+ induced a perceptible color change. UV-visible titrations showed changes in the absorption spectra upon the addition of three equivalents of each cation, with the appearance of a new absorption band at 693 nm.This research was funded by Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for financial support to CQ/UM (UID/QUI/00686/2020) and project PTDC/QUI-COL/28052/2017. Thanks are also due to Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (Portugal) for financial support to the Portuguese NMR network (PTNMR, Bruker Avance III 400-Univ. Minho)

Synthesis and characterization of a meso-anthracene-BODIPY derivative for colorimetric recognition of Cu2+ and Fe3+

: Ions exist widely in biological and environmental media, and the scarcity or excess of these species can have adverse consequences. BODIPY dyes appear as heterocyclic organic compounds capable of recognizing metal ions in solution and in cells, through optical signals (colorimetric and/or fluorimetric), and their photophysical properties can be adjusted through the func-tionalization of the BODIPY core. In continuation of the work developed recently, our research group reports the synthesis of a meso-anthracene-BODIPY derivative and the respective charac-terization by 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and UV-Vis absorption spectrosco-pies. The preliminary study of the chemosensory capacity of the BODIPY derivative was also car-ried out in the presence of several cations in acetonitrile solution, which shows a selective colori-metric response for Cu2+ and Fe3+.This research was funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for financial support to CQ/UM (UIDB/QUI/00686/2020) and project PTDC/QUI-COL/28052/2017. Thanks are also due to Fundação para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (Portugal) for financial support to the Portuguese NMR Network (PTNMR, Bruker Avance III 400-Univ. Minho)

Investigating the photophysical properties and biological efficacy of BODIPY derivatives as photosensitizers in photodynamic therapy

The selectivity of photosensitizers for light activation is a key advantage in photodynamic therapy (PDT), allowing for precise targeting while sparing healthy cells. BODIPY derivatives have emerged as promising PDT candidates due to their tunable photophysical properties and versatile synthesis. Herein, we explore the photophysical characterization and the in vitro photodynamic activity of BODIPY analogues meso-substituted with an anthracene moiety and functionalized with iodine atoms or formyl group at 2,6-position. The formylated anthracene-BODIPY derivative exhibited the highest tumor suppression under irradiation, making it a potential candidate as PDT photosensitizer

Science-media online training challenges and opportunities

EuroScitizen COST Action is a research network which aims to identify targeted strategies to raise levels of scientific literacy in Europe using evolution as a model. One of the activities developed by the EuroScitizen Media Working Group (WG4) was a set of Training Schools in Science and Media directed to young scientists and journalists. By uniting scientists and journalists, we aimed to promote better communication between the two groups while giving advanced training in science communication. The training activities were originally planned as one in-person Training School but converted to online events due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This required an adjustment of schedule and contents, and instead of having a training school for three full days, as in the planned in-person school, we developed several shorter sessions. Herein, we present the set of Science and Media training events we organised from June 2021 through February 2022, as well as the main challenges we encountered and what we found to be advantages of the online environment for training. We also share a checklist we developed for the organisation of training schools that may provide a useful tool for people planning other training events. Poster presented at EuroScitizen Sustainability meeting, 20-22 June 2022, Aveiro, Portuga

Ergonomics applied to the development and evaluation of insoles for protective footwear

Knowledge of ergonomics/human factors plays an important role in the creation and design of safety shoes and insoles, contributing to worker protection, comfort, and stability. The purpose of this study is to compare previous insole designs and analyze the plantar pressure and gait pattern kinematics using the Oxford foot model protocol. The tests were performed comparing the environments on the three rockers of the gait, represented by the heel, midfoot, and forefoot, according to the classification of foot type. The analysis of plantar pressure, regarding its total and maximum distribution, showed that the innovative insole presents a better load distribution in terms of the maximum plantar pressure exerted in the hindfoot and forefoot regions. In the biomechanical analysis of gait, the five variables studied did not show variation in the normal mechanics of the foot in any of the three environments considered. The hallux joint was the one that presented the greatest divergences with the barefoot in terms of amplitude and variability, as expected.SHOE@FUTURE: Technological Solutions for Professional Footwear, POCI-01-0247-FEDER-033835, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) through the Competitiveness and Internationalization Operational Program under the “Portugal 2020” Program. This work has been supported by FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the R&D Units Project Scope: UIDB/00319/2020

Ambiente térmico no setor dos transportes de mercadorias - o caso de um veículo sem ar condicionado

The thermal environment in the workplace is decisive in creating the optimal conditions and maximizing the productivity of the workers. The value of the different environmental variables such as temperature, radiant heat, relative humidity and individual variables (such as metabolism and clothing) are determinants to evaluate the thermal stress exposure of workers during their daily activity. The objective of the current study is to evaluate the occupational exposure to the thermal environment of a heavy goods vehicle driver, motivated by frequent complaints, such as the difficulty of sleeping in the vehicle with high temperatures during the day. To determine the conditions to which the driver is exposed, the globe temperature, dry and wet bulb temperatures, as well as the air velocity inside the vehicle were measured, considering both the work and the rest situation. In addition, the metabolism related to physical activity and the thermal insulation conferred by clothing were also determined. Once the parameters were obtained, Professor Malchaire's Excel (R) sheet was used for obtaining the values for the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) index, which were above the occupational exposure limit values (ISO 7243). Results point to a hot work environment where thermal stress is liable for the dissatisfaction of workers. The need to act on thermal stress is imperative, preferably through the implementation of engineering and organizational protection measures that can improve the workplace. The need to establishment of a legislation set to address this particular issue was also an outcome of this work