The role of the corticomotorneurons in pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive, degenerative disease of the motor system clinically defined by the presence of upper and lower motor neuron (LMN) signs. The site of onset of pathophysiology within the motor system in ALS remains unresolved and this thesis examines the role of the corticomotor neuron in the pathogenesis of ALS. The diagnostic utility of the split-hand sign in ALS involving preferential wasting of the ‘thenar’ group of intrinsic hand muscles namely the abductor pollicis brevis (APB) and first dorsal interosseous (FDI) was established by recording the split-hand index (SI) which was noted to reliably differentiate ALS from mimic neuromuscular disorders. The cortical and axonal excitability characteristics of the ‘thenar’ muscles namely the APB and FDI was compared with the hypothenar abductor digiti minimi (ADM) with threshold tracking transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) studies revealing cortical hyperexcitability to be a feature of ALS pronounced over the ‘thenar’ muscles while axonal hyperexcitability while a feature of ALS, did not selectively affect the prominently wasted ‘thenar’ muscles. Cortical hyperexcitability was also noted to precede the development of lower motor neuron dysfunction in a clinically and neurophysiologically normal APB muscle. The selective vulnerability of muscles in ALS was further defined by the split hand plus sign with a greater degree of cortical hyperexcitability over the preferentially wasted APB muscle in ALS patients when compared with a similarly innervated and relatively preserved flexor pollicis longus (FPL) muscle. In summary, corticomotorneuronal hyperexcitability as a marker of corticomotorneuronal dysfunction predominates over the muscles which are preferentially wasted in ALS and precedes evidence of lower motor neuron loss. The findings presented in this thesis support the primacy of the corticomotor neuron in the pathogenesis of the split hand phenomenon and suggest a mechanism for the pathogenesis of ALS

The indirect effect of contextual factors on the emotional distress of infertile couples

Few studies were dedicated to study the role of contextual factors, such as the socioeconomic status and urban rural residence in emotional distress of infertile couples. This study aimed to explore the impact of contextual factors on emotional distress, either directly or by affecting the importance of parenthood in one’s life which in turn affects emotional distress. In this cross-sectional study, 70 couples recruited during hormonal stimulation phase prior to IVF completed clinical and sociodemographic forms and self-report questionnaires assessing representations about the importance of parenthood and emotional distress. Path analysis using structural equation modelling was used to examine direct and indirect effects among variables. Results indicated that social economic status and Urban-Rural residence had an impact in emotional distress by affecting the representations about the importance of parenthood in one’s life. Gender differences were found regarding model paths, suggesting that the social context may contribute more to women’s emotional distress than to their partners’ distress. When delineating psychological interventions, health care providers should consider that cultural values about children and parenthood contribute to shape the infertility experienc

Ensino de ciências para deficientes auditivos: um estudo sobre a produção de narrativas em classes regulares inclusivas

The education of deaf people in regular schools is a challenge because for a long time not given due importance to their way of communication, sign language. With the inclusion of the deaf students have been put into the regular school and there is a need for a new agent on vital for their integration, the interpreter of Brazilian sign language (libras). The aim ofthis study is to analyze the narratives production by libras interpreters and science teachers in the inclusive classroom. The investigation of this issue brings the discussion questions as: what is the role of the educational interpreter? What is prescribed and what is real in the process of inclusion? The methodological approach adopted is based on Zabalza that uses the class diaries as research instruments, where the subject is searched without being noticed. The results point to a lack of knowledge of language constituted the main dilemma in the education of the deaf. Keywords: inclusive education, science education, deafnes

Infidelity in Dating Relationships: Gender-Specific Correlates of Face-to-Face and Online Extradyadic Involvement

This study examined the gender-specific correlates of face-to-face and online extradyadic involvement (EDI) in dating relationships. The sample consisted of 561 women (M age = 23.19 years) and 222 men (M age = 23.97 years), all of whom reported being in an exclusive dating relationship for an average of 35 months. Participants completed the following self-report measures: Extradyadic Behavior Inventory, Attitudes toward Infidelity Scale, and Investment Model Scale. During the current relationship, men were more likely than women to report engagement in face-to-face physical/sexual EDI (23.4 vs. 15.5 %) and online sexual EDI (15.3 vs. 4.6 %). Both men and women with a history of infidelity in a prior relationship were more likely to engage in EDI. More positive attitudes toward infidelity, lower relationship satisfaction, lower commitment, and higher quality of alternatives were significantly associated with EDI, regardless of gender. Women reporting infidelity of a partner in a prior relationship were more likely to engage in face-to-face and online emotional EDI; a longer relationship and a younger age at the first sexual encounter were significant correlates of the engagement in face-to-face emotional EDI. Women with higher education were approximately three times more likely to engage in online sexual EDI. Although men and women are converging in terms of overall EDI, men still report higher engagement in physical/sexual extradyadic behaviors, and the correlates of sexual and emotional EDI vary according to gender. This study contributes to a comprehensive approach of factors influencing the likelihood of EDI and encourages future research in this area

Psychometric study of the European Portuguese version of the PedsQL 3.0 Cancer Module

Background: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important outcome to assess the impact of cancer. This article examines the psychometric properties of the European Portuguese self-report version of the Pediatric Quality of Life InventoryTM Cancer Module (PedsQLTM 3.0 Cancer Module) in children and adolescents with cancer. Methods: The participants, 332 children/adolescents diagnosed with cancer (8–18 years old), completed measures to assess HRQoL (PedsQLTM 3.0 Cancer Module and DISABKIDS Chronic Generic Measure; DCGM-12) and anxiety (Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale - second edition; RCMAS-2). A subsample (n = 52) completed the PedsQLTM 3.0 Cancer Module a second time following one-week. The pediatric oncologists completed the Intensity of Treatment Rating Scale 3.0 (ITR 3.0). Results: For the whole sample, the PedsQLTM 3.0 Cancer Module demonstrated good item discrimination (rs = .30 to .54). The confirmatory factor analysis testing the presence of eight first-order factors loading significantly in a second-order factor revealed an acceptable fit (CFI = .91; RMSEA = .05). The correlation of PedsQLTM 3.0 Cancer Module with DCGM-12 (rs = .17 to .58), and with RCMAS-2 (rs = −.16 to–.51) attested convergent validity. This inventory demonstrated minimally acceptable to very good internal consistency (αs = .65 to .87) and temporal stability (ICCs = .61 to .81). Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that the European Portuguese self-report version of the PedsQLTM 3.0 Cancer Module is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing HRQoL in pediatric cancer. Keywords: European Portuguese version, PedsQLTM 3.0 Cancer Module, Health-related quality of life, Pediatric cancer, Psychometric propertie

Estudos sobre a relação entre o intérprete de LIBRAS e o professor: implicações para o ensino de ciências

Com o advento da inclusão escolar a educação de surdos passa a ser feita no ensino regular e surge a necessidade de um novo agente na sala de aula: o Intérprete de LIBRAS. Por sua vez, os conhecimentos científicos são imprescindíveis para uma alfabetização que vise a formar cidadãos críticos e conscientes de seu papel na sociedade e devem ser alvo de aprendizado, também dos alunos em situação de deficiência. Compreender como este corpo de conhecimentos está sendo apresentado para a esses alunos é de suma importância. Esta investigação objetivou realizar um estudo sobre a relação entre o intérprete de LIBRAS e o professor de ciências na sala de aula inclusiva para compreender quais as implicações desta para o ensino de ciências. Utilizando elementos de uma pesquisa participante, professores e intérpretes foram convidados a narrar sobre suas estórias sobre a sala de aula de ciências em diários de aula coletivos. As narrativas foram analisadas segundo a técnica de análise de conteúdo e por meio da análise temática criamos categorias através do recorte, da enumeração, classificação e agregação. Os resultados apontam para as seguintes categorias: os intérpretes de LIBRAS assumem funções de outros profissionais da escola, reconhecem os professores como membro da cultura científica, reconhecem a falta de preparo do professor frente aos alunos surdos e reconhecem as formas de aprendizado dos alunos surdos. Já os professores de ciências reconhecem seu papel diante do aluno surdo, reconhecem dominar o corpo de conhecimentos da matéria que ministram, se sentem despreparados frente aos alunos surdos e reconhecem o papel do intérprete de LIBRAS no processo de ensino aprendizagem. Conclui-se que a relação entre o professor de ciências e intérprete de LIBRAS é de contradição e podemos inferir que o professor é o mediador no processo de ensino aprendizagem e o intérprete de LIBRAS, o intermediador neste processo. Ressaltamos que esta investigação cabe como denúncia e não como crítica sobre como está acontecendo a inclusão escolar de surdos

Pattern Recognition Techniques for the Identification of Activities of Daily Living Using a Mobile Device Accelerometer

The application of pattern recognition techniques to data collected from accelerometers available in off-the-shelf devices, such as smartphones, allows for the automatic recognition of activities of daily living (ADLs). This data can be used later to create systems that monitor the behaviors of their users. The main contribution of this paper is to use artificial neural networks (ANN) for the recognition of ADLs with the data acquired from the sensors available in mobile devices. Firstly, before ANN training, the mobile device is used for data collection. After training, mobile devices are used to apply an ANN previously trained for the ADLs’ identification on a less restrictive computational platform. The motivation is to verify whether the overfitting problem can be solved using only the accelerometer data, which also requires less computational resources and reduces the energy expenditure of the mobile device when compared with the use of multiple sensors. This paper presents a method based on ANN for the recognition of a defined set of ADLs. It provides a comparative study of different implementations of ANN to choose the most appropriate method for ADLs identification. The results show the accuracy of 85.89% using deep neural networks (DNN).This work is funded by FCT/MCTES through national funds, and when applicable, co-funded EU funds under the project UIDB/EEA/50008/2020 (Este trabalho é financiado pela FCT/MCTES através de fundos nacionais e quando aplicável cofinanciado por fundos comunitários no âmbito do projeto UIDB/EEA/50008/2020)

A cumulative risk model of child physical maltreatment potential: findings from a community-based study

"Published online before print November 20, 2015"Previous studies have identified the predictive risk factors of child physical maltreatment (CPM). However, a significant number of these studies assessed risk factors in isolation. The cumulative risk hypothesis postulates that health problems are caused by the accumulation of risk factors, independently of the presence or absence of specific risk indicators. Few studies examined the effect of cumulative risk on CPM potential. This study aimed to test two concurrent models of cumulative risk of CPM potential by investigating whether CPM potential was better predicted by a threshold cumulative risk model or a linear cumulative risk model. Data from the National Representative Study of Psychosocial Context of Child Abuse and Neglect in Portugal were used. Parents of school-age children (N = 796) answered to self-report measures regarding sociodemographic variables, history of child maltreatment, psychological distress, and CPM potential. A cumulative risk index was computed, comprising 10 dichotomized risk factors. Evidence for a threshold cumulative effect was found. Additional bivariate logistic regressions revealed that the odds for high-potential CPM were dramatically higher for those parents with six or more risk factors when compared with parents with any one risk factor. By testing and confirming a threshold cumulative effect on CPM potential, it was possible to find a "trigger point" from which a dramatic increase in child physical maltreatment potential occurs.This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation of Science and Technology through a research grant to the second author (POCTI/PSI/14276/1998