Atividade do Nucleus Reuniens é necessária para a reconsolidação de uma memória de medo contextual

Memory reconsolidation is the process by which a consolidated memory can changed or disrupt by amnesic agents or behavioral interferences. This process require the activity of many neural structures conform the behavior task. In aversive memories pre-frontal cortex and hippocampus activity is critical to correct reconsolidation of the memory trace. Nucleus reuniens is the largest nucleus of midline thalamic nuclei and makes a bridge of communication between mPFC and HP. In this work we tested the effects of the excitatory activity and protein synthesis on NR during the reactivation of aversive memory on the reconsolidation process. We found a critic role of excitatory activity of NR in the reconsolidation of memory, but we not found any effect of protein synthesis of NR in the phenomena. We conclude that there is a modulator effect of NR during the reactivation that can affect the reconsolidation of the memory

Chatbot assistant for diabetic patients

Dissertação de mestrado em Informatics EngineeringNowadays, with the existence of several chronic health conditions, Diabetes Mellitus (DM) being one of the main ones, there is a great burden that patients must have in order to be able to take care of themselves. Thus, in addition to seeking to resolve their needs by obtaining information from health professionals, they increasingly seek information and advices in forums, communities and groups. The use of dialogue systems has become essential in people’s lives. The development of conversational agents is still an unresolved research problem that poses many challenges in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) community. This work aims to build an AI chatbot that is based on the principles and techniques of AI directed to Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Deep Learning to help people newly diagnosed with DM in the self management of the disease. A literature search of DM education and information for people newly diagnosed with DM was con ducted. Additionally, the main topics in which patients ask for support were retrieved from a search of several online support groups of DM, as well as questionnaires with 8 patients and interviews with 3 health professionals. The application were developed through the back-end side in Python and the front-end side in React Native and its communication was made through WebSockets. Furthermore, an interaction and interface design are developed in this work using Human-Centered Design (HCD) methodology. For that purpose, iterative usability test sessions were conducted with 12 users using Think Aloud methods and the System Usability Scale (SUS). The chatbot developed is Information Retrieval (IR) type and answered questions asked by users in a human-like way. The result of the usability tests of the final version of the application was satisfactory (with a System Usability Scale (SUS) score of 88) and users found the application quite intuitive and robust. Further studies should concentrate on customizing the chatbot to each user by collecting information from prior interactions and verifying the impact of using this chatbot for newly diagnosed Portuguese users with DM.Atualmente, com a existência de várias condições crónicas de saúde sendo uma das principais a Diabetes Mellitus (DM), há um grande fardo que os pacientes devem ter para poderem cuidar de si mesmos. Assim, para além dos pacientes buscarem procurar resolver as suas necessidades por meio da obtenção de informações junto aos profissionais de saúde, cada vez mais buscam informações e conselhos em fóruns, comunidades e grupos. O uso de sistemas de diálogo tornou-se essencial na vida das pessoas. O desenvolvimento de agentes conversacionais é ainda um problema de pesquisa não resolvido que apresenta muitos desafios na comunidade da Inteligência Artificial (IA). Este trabalho visa construir um IA chatbot que é baseado nos princípios e técnicas de Inteligência Artificial (IA) direcionado a Processamento de Linguagem Natural (PLN) e Aprendizagem Profunda para ajudar pessoas recém-diagnosticadas com DM no autocuidado desta doença. Neste trabalho, foi acompanhada uma pesquisa bibliográfica sobre a educação e informações da DM para pessoas recém-diagnosticadas com DM. Além disso, foram abordados em vários grupos de apoio online relacionados com a DM os principais tópicos que os pacientes pedem apoio, a utilização de um questionário com 8 pacientes e entrevistas com 3 profissionais de saúde. A aplicação foi desenvolvida através do back-end em Python e front-end em React Native e a sua comunicação foi feita através de WebSockets. Foi também desenvolvido um design de interação e interface através da metodologia Human-Centered Design (HCD). Para tal, foram realizadas sessões de testes iterativos de usabilidade com 12 participantes seguindo os métodos Think Aloud e System Usability Scale (SUS). O chatbot desenvolvido é do tipo Information Retrieval (IR) e responde às perguntas feitas pelos utilizadores de forma humana. O resultado dos testes de usabilidade da versão final da aplicação foram satisfatórios (SUS de 88) e os utilizadores acharam a aplicação bastante intuitiva e robusta. Os estudos futuros devem concentrar-se na personalização do chatbot para cada utilizador, com a coleção de informações e de interações anteriores e na verificação do impacto da utilização deste chatbot para utilizadores portugueses recém-diagnosticados com DM

FIFA World Cup 2014 on Twitter and Facebook: more from less or less from more?

The last FIFA World Cup in Brazil presented the ambition of a global event, referring both to the number of audiences and the number of platforms involved in its coverage. Taking the advantages promoted by social media platforms and mobile technologies, media companies had the opportunity to try new strategies in a truly ambient information reality. Taking into account the development of Twitter, assuming itself as an informative and mobile platform, it becomes necessary to promote a further reflection about the impact of social media in the field of journalism. Applying this research to sport we follow other analyses made about political issues. In this study, we have analyzed 3195 post on Twitter and 665 on Facebook, made by media outlets from seven different countries, during the coverage of 32 matches of the World Cup in Brazil, in June and July 2014.O último campeonato do Mundo FIFA, que se realizou no Brasil, apresentou a ambição de um evento global, tanto ao nível das audiências como nas plataformas utilizadas na sua cobertura. Aproveitando as vantagens promovidas pelas plataformas de media social e os periféricos móveis, as empresas mediáticas tiveram a oportunidade de experimentar novas estratégias, numa realidade marcada pela ambient information. Tendo em conta o desenvolvimento do Twitter, que se assume cada vez mais como uma plataforma informativa móvel, é necessário refletir sobre o impato das media sociais no campo do jornalismo. Aplicando esta pesquisa ao desporto, seguimos outras análises feitas em questões relacionadas com a política. Neste estudo, analisámos 3195 posts no Twitter e 665 no Facebook feitos por meios de sete países diferentes, durante a cobertura de 32 partidas do Campeonato do Mundo do Brasil, em junho e julho de 2014

"Some Infectious and Parasitic Diseases" Mortality Periodicities, Seasonality and Trend, by Sex, in Portugal (1980-2012)

Rapid CommunicationThis article describes the results on seasonality and trends for mortality due to infectious and parasitic diseasesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Excess pneumonia and influenza hospitalizations associated with influenza epidemics in Portugal from season 1998/1999 to 2014/2015

Background: The aim of this study was to estimate excess pneumonia and influenza (P&I) hospitalizations during influenza epidemics and measure their correlation with influenza vaccine coverage in the 65 and more years old, according to the type/subtype of influenza virus. Methods: The study period comprised week 40/1998-40/2015. Age-specific weekly P&I hospitalizations (ICD-9: 480-487) as main diagnosis were extracted from the National Hospital Discharge database. Age-specific baseline hospitalization rates were estimated by autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model without time periods with excess hospitalizations. Excess hospitalizations were calculated by subtracting expected hospitalization rates from the observed during influenza epidemic periods. Correlation between excess P&I hospitalizations and influenza vaccine coverage in the elderly was measured with Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: The average excess P&I hospitalizations/season was 19.4/105 (range 0-46.1/105), and higher excess was observed in young children with <2 years (79.8/105) and ≥65 years (68.3/105). In epidemics with A(H3) dominant, the highest excess hospitalizations were observed among 65 and over. Seasons which influenza B or A(H1)pdm09 dominance the highest excess was observed in children with <2 years. High negative correlation was estimated between excess hospitalizations associated with A(H3) circulation and vaccine coverage in the elderly (r = −.653; 95% CI: −0.950 to −0.137). Conclusion: Over 80% of the influenza epidemics were associated with excess hospitalizations. However, excess P&I hospitalizations pattern differed from age group and circulating virus. This ecologic approach also identified a reduction in excess P&I associated with A(H3) circulation with increasing vaccine coverage in the elderly.APC for this article is funded by World Health Organization (WHO)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Interaction between pedestrians and autonomous vehicles: Protocol analysis and preliminary results

This research focuses on pedestrian crossing behavior when interacting with autonomous vehicles equipped with visual external Human Machine Interfaces (eHMIs). This study introduces an experimental procedure implemented in a CAVE-type pedestrian simulator in an approach that avoids the technical and ethical issues in doing such experiments in a real-world setting. Two preliminary experiments were conducted: the first included both autonomous and conventional vehicles on the road, and the second included only autonomous vehicles with visual eHMIs. Initial results show that the visual features incorporated in the autonomous vehicle helped participants decide to cross the road more quickly.- (undefined

Information 4G : the challenges that mobile technologies put in the information field

Neste artigo pretendemos destacar a emergência de um novo paradigma informativo marcado pelo desenvolvimento de um conjunto de periféricos móveis, dos quais se torna possível salientar os smartphones e os tablets. Estes dispositivos, aliados ao desenvolvimento da internet de banda larga 4G, prometem transformar o consumo informativo e o modo de produzir informação. Se no início os telemóveis eram utilizados para a realização de chamadas telefónicas e para o envio de SMS, hoje, com o desenvolvimento de softwares específicos, possuem capacidades que vão além do mero contacto pessoal. Adicionalmente, há ainda o surgimento dos tablets que aproximam os aparelhos móveis ao mais evoluído dos computadores. O trabalho apresentado visa expor os caminhos subjacentes ao projeto de doutoramento “Informação 4G: Os desafios que as tecnologias móveis colocam no campo da informação”, que intentará acompanhar a adaptação dos diferentes media às novas tecnologias de informação móveis.In this article we intend to highlight the emergence of a new informative paradigm marked by the development of a set of mobile handsets of which it becomes possible to emphasize smartphones and tablets. These devices, along with the development of broadband Internet 4G, promise to transform the informative consumption and how to produce information. If early mobile phones were used for making telephone calls and sending SMS, today, with the development of specific software, have capabilities that go beyond mere personal contact. Additionally, there is the emergence of tablets that put these devices in a similar stage as the most developed computers. The presented work aims to display the pathways underlying the doctoral project “Information 4G: The challenges that mobile technologies put in the information field”, which shall follow the adaptation of the different media to mobile information technologies

Primus inter (im)pares - an analysis on the presence of academic scholars in the news plateaux of portuguese TV

Os académicos estão a tornar-se uma presença cada vez mais visível nos plateaux informativos da TV portuguesa. Não são um grupo muito diversificado. Pelo contrário. Apresentam-se como uma confraria que é oriunda das universidades de Lisboa e pertence a um reduzido número de campos de saberes. Aos plateaux televisivos portugueses dificilmente chegará o fazer-ciência concreto. O que chega são alguns dos seus actores, o que não significa que o consigam por um efeito de reconhecimento inter pares, mas, antes, por um efeito de verdadeiras imparidades: porque já adquiriram suficiente capital simbólico em zonas exteriores ao campo científico. Zonas mais limítrofes, como o campo institucional-académico, ou zonas mais afastadas, como o campo comunicacional.Scholars are earning an increased presence in the news studios of Portuguese TV. We are not talking of a wide variety of them, though, but of a small brotherhood instead. Our research shows that we are actually facing a quite exclusive group mainly hailing from the Lisbon universities and institutes, and representing a limited number of fields of knowledge. This also means that the actualdoing-science of the country’s research institutions hardly gets to the TV studios. At most, a small amount of its actors, not related or due to a direct effect of an inter pares recognition, but through an effect of true impairments - i.e. because of a previously earned individual symbolic capital in areas exterior to their own specific scientific fields. We both mean bordering areas of the scientific field, such as the correspondent institutional-academic field, but also more distant areas such as the communicational field.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) - "Jornalismo televisivo e cidadania

Letting people talk in media? Portrait and problems of citizens’ participation in audience discussion programmes

Apresentado no Congresso MILID WEEK 2012 sobre "Media literacy and intercultural dialogue"Today’s media landscape resembles much of León’s (2010) interpretation of «a new informational ecosystem». However changes are not exclusively in terms of the content, as «drama, comic and spectacular» (Meyer, 2003) emerge as frequent news value in current media productions. Journalism, in particular, seems to demonstrate a special interest in what kind of contributions people are able to offer to their work. In some formats, such as the audience discussion programmes, it is likely to observe eager citizens who are interested in talking and taking part in those spaces. Thus, it is probably helpful to analyse how media institutions are working towards letting people talk in these specific spaces. Positioning this topic under the concept of the ‘citizens’ engagement’ in media, our observation will focus on two emblematic formats of public opinion on Portuguese radio and television. Hence, a comparison will be drawn according to several criteria: portrait of the participants (listeners and viewers) that take part in these formats; topics discussed, alongside a description of the commentators or guests invited by media productions (gender, provenience, invitation (actor/observer), job, programme and subject relationship. This paper also grants a particular focus to the role of digital media, whether these platforms constitute real opportunities for public intervention or simply express a recent tendency in media and society. This study has also been represented in the research project «TV journalism and citizenship: the struggle for a new digital public sphere», held in the Communication & Society Research Centre, in the University of Minho, (Braga – Portugal), which has worked as a permanent observatory of Portuguese television journalism.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT