A smartphone-based architecture to detect and quantify freezing of gait in Parkinson’s disease

Introduction The freezing of gait (FOG) is a common and highly distressing motor symptom in patients with Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Effective management of FOG is difficult given its episodic nature, heterogeneous manifestation and limited responsiveness to drug treatment. Methods In order to verify the acceptance of a smartphone-based architecture and its reliability at detecting FOG in real-time, we studied 20 patients suffering from PD-related FOG. They were asked to perform video-recorded Timed Up and Go (TUG) test with and without dual-tasks while wearing the smartphone. Video and accelerometer recordings were synchronized in order to assess the reliability of the FOG detection system as compared to the judgement of the clinicians assessing the videos. The architecture uses two different algorithms, one applying the Freezing and Energy Index (Moore-Bächlin Algorithm), and the other adding information about step cadence, to algorithm 1. Results A total 98 FOG events were recognized by clinicians based on video recordings, while only 7 FOG events were missed by the application. Sensitivity and specificity were 70.1% and 84.1%, respectively, for the Moore-Bächlin Algorithm, rising to 87.57% and 94.97%, respectively, for algorithm 2 (McNemar value = 28.42; p = 0.0073). Conclusion Results confirm previous data on the reliability of Moore-Bächlin Algorithm, while indicating that the evolution of this architecture can identify FOG episodes with higher sensitivity and specificity. An acceptable, reliable and easy-to-implement FOG detection system can support a better quantification of the phenomenon and hence provide data useful to ascertain the efficacy of therapeutic approaches

The profile of dentists of the Paideia Health Services program in the municipality of Campinas, State of São Paulo, Brazil

Orientador: Dagmar de Paula QueluzDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Odontologia de PiracicabaResumo: O objetivo deste estudo é verificar o perfil do cirurgião-dentista, inserido nas equipes de referência do Programa Paidéia Saúde da Família na cidade de Campinas, implementado no ano de 2001, ancorado nas diretrizes do Programa de Saúde da Família, visando a complementaridade das ações no sistema de saúde. O Paidéia se mostra, buscando inovações norteadas pela necessidade de rupturas com o processo de trabalho em saúde que visam a integralidade do indivíduo. Um estudo qualitativo e quantitativo, focando 47 Unidades Básicas de Saúde, distribuídas nos 5 distritos de saúde de Campinas, onde se desenvolveu um estudo transversal através da aplicação de questionários com perguntas abertas e estruturadas em 200 cirurgiões-dentistas, com retorno de 121 questionários, sendo 76 (62,8%) do gênero feminino e 45 (37,2%) do gênero masculino; 109 (90,1%) foram contratados através de concurso público; 107 (88,4%) relataram que adotam critérios de risco em saúde bucal; 92 (76,0%) e percebem a importância na mudança assistencial; 65 (53,7%) consideraram as reuniões de equipe de referência muito importante; 87 (71,9%) responderam que estas reuniões são semanais; 47 (38,8%) consideraram a possibilidade de estabelecer vínculo com os familiares dos usuários; 55 (45,5%) realizavam visitas domiciliares; 17 (14,0%) são membros do núcleo de saúde coletiva; 12 (9,9%) participavam das reuniões do conselho local, e 58,7% tem curso de especialização, onde 29,8% são especialistas em Saúde Coletiva; a jornada de trabalho com carga horária irregular(36 horas) talvez seja o dificultador de firmar vínculo com famílias e usuários, como também estabelecer a integração com as equipes multidisciplinaresAbstract: The objective of this study is to verify the profile of the dental surgeon in multidisciplinary teams of the Paidéia Health Services Program in the municipality of Campinas, State of São Paulo, Brazil. Created in 2001, within the policies of the nationwide Family Health Program, the Paideia should produce a complementary effort within the local public heath system, innovating the relationships between patient and health provider and among the team members themselves. It is understood that these innovations place the emphasis on a holistic view of the individual and arise from the necessity of a break with past ways of viewing public health. A qualitative and quantitative study was produced, focusing on 47 Fundamental Health Units distributed in five districts in Campinas: a transversal study on the basis of a survey with open and closed questions was distributed to 200 dental surgeons, of which 121 actually filled out the questionnaire, 76 (62.8%) females and 45 (37.2%) males. 109 (90.1 %) had been hired by the system on the basis of competitive examination. 107 (88.4%) related the adoption of risk criteria for dental health. 92 (76.0%) understand the importance of the change that has taken place in assistential relationships; 65 (53.7%) hold the view that meetings of the multidisciplinary team are of the utmost importance. 87 (71.9%) responded that these meetings are weekly; 47 (38.8%) have considered the possibility of establishing a connection to the family members of the patients. 55 (45.5%) make house calls. 17 (14.0%) are members of a health collective; 12 (9.9%) participate in meetings of the local council; 58,7 are specialists where 29,8 are Public Health specialists. This study also concluded that irregularities in work schedules among part time and full time staff (36 hours) worked against the connection with families and patients, or making integration with the multidisciplinary teams more difficult to establishMestradoMestre em Odontologia em Saúd

Razionalità locali. Sociologia dei giovani adulti torinesi

Ampio studio sociologico dedicato ai giovani adulti nell’area metropolitana torinese: un’area interessata da una profonda trasformazione, i cui esiti dipendono anche dal modo in cui i giovani sapranno interpretarla e sostenerla.- Indice #7- Introduzione Giovani adulti a Torino. Segnali della post-modernità, Maria Luisa Bianco #11- Cap.I I giovani e la città #19- Cap.II I giovani a Torino #45- Cap.III Tra pensiero corto e impegno #75- Cap.IV Scegliere la scuola aspettando il futuro #117- Cap.V L’esperienza del lavoro #153- Conclusioni Uomini e donne: giovani adulti per Torino #191- Nota di metodo #203- Postfazione, Fondazione Giovanni Agnelli #221- Bibliografia #22

Blue and red in financial documents: the influence on attentional mechanisms and behavior

Purpose This study investigates whether colors red or blue in financial disclosure documents (Key Investor Information Documents – KIIDs) affect attention distribution toward the visual stimulus and the perception of financial attractiveness of the products. Design/methodology/approach In order to observe and measure financial consumers' visual attention, the unobtrusive methodology of eye-tracking is used on a sample of nonprofessional investors, applying an ecological protocol, through a cross-sectional design. Findings Financial information processing and visual attention distribution are influenced by the color of the KIID document, as red seems to attract attention, proxied by gazing behavior, more than blue. Red color, compared to blue, is also observed to push investors to rate the products as less financially attractive, especially when the product Risk Reward Profile is high. Practical implications The findings highlight the role of the basic visual properties of documents conveying financial information, prompting to investigate the unconscious and automatic mechanisms of individual's attention and its influence on decision making. Originality/value Using the eye-tracking tool, this study bridges neuroscience, color research, marketing and finance and provides new knowledge on the underlying neural mechanisms of financial consumers' behavior

Satellite interferometric data for seismic damage assessment

Radar satellites allow the collection of data on large areas without direct access to structures. Thereby, they appear very attractive for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) purposes. Data collected by satellites can be processed to obtain temporal histories of displacements through which the health state of a monitored system can be potentially identified. However, anomalies in the time histories of displacements are not necessarily due to damage. Environmental phenomena, such as variations in atmospheric temperature, and rain, can modify the behavior of structures without compromising their safety. The impact of these phenomena on the structural response can hinder the identification of anomalies or lead to false alarms if such alterations are misinterpreted as damage. Furthermore, if the monitored system is a historical structure, uncertainties on the structural behavior are inevitably increased during aging. The purpose of this article is to discuss the possibility of identifying damage due to seismic actions considering the impact of variations of environmental factors on the time histories of the displacements retrieved by satellite data. The structural health condition of a historical structure located in the city of Rome (Italy) hit by the October 2016 Central Italy earthquakes is investigated based on interferometric satellite data. The satellite data are acquired by COSMO-SkyMed (CSM) of the Italian Space Agency between 2010 and 2019 and are processed by CNR IREA

Neural Correlates of Direct Access Trading in a Real Stock Market: An fMRI Investigation

Background: While financial decision making has been barely explored, no study has previously investigated the neural correlates of individual decisions made by professional traders involved in real stock market negotiations, using their own financial resources.Aim: We sought to detect how different brain areas are modulated by factors like age, expertise, psychological profile (speculative risk seeking or aversion) and, eventually, size and type (Buy/Sell) of stock negotiations, made through Direct Access Trading (DAT) platforms.Subjects and methods: Twenty male traders underwent fMRI while negotiating in the Italian stock market using their own preferred trading platform.Results: At least 20 decision events were collected during each fMRI session. Risk averse traders performed a lower number of financial transactions with respect to risk seekers, with a lower average economic value, but with a higher rate of filled proposals. Activations were observed in cortical and subcortical areas traditionally involved in decision processes, including the ventrolateral and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC, dlPFC), the posterior parietal cortex (PPC), the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), and dorsal striatum. Regression analysis indicated an important role of age in modulating activation of left NAcc, while traders' expertise was negatively related to activation of vlPFC. High value transactions were associated with a stronger activation of the right PPC when subjects' buy rather than sell. The success of the trading activity, based on a large number of filled transactions, was related with higher activation of vlPFC and dlPFC. Independent of chronological and professional age, traders differed in their attitude to DAT, with distinct brain activity profiles being detectable during fMRI sessions. Those subjects who described themselves as very self-confident, showed a lower or absent activation of both the caudate nucleus and the dlPFC, while more reflexive traders showed greater activation of areas involved in strategic decision making.Discussion: The neural correlates in DAT are similar to those observed in other decision making contexts. Trading is handled as a well-learned automatic behavior by expert traders; for those who mostly rely on heuristics, cognitive effort decreases, and transaction speed increases, but decision efficiency lowers following a poor involvement of the dlPFC

The “Caverna do Ódio”: example of social utilization of an archaeological site

O trabalho mostra a aplicação de algumas propostas para a utilização social do sítio arqueológico “Caverna do Ódio” e se insere no programa de preservação que visa ao aproveitamento didático e turístico do patrimônio arqueológico da região.This paper presents an application of some proposals about the social utilization of the archaeological site “Cavema do Ódio”. It is part of a preservation program that aims at the didactic and touristic exploitation of the regional archaeological patrimony

The KIMORE dataset: KInematic assessment of MOvement and clinical scores for remote monitoring of physical REhabilitation

The paper proposes a free dataset, available at the following link1, named KIMORE, regarding different rehabilitation exercises collected by a RGB-D sensor. Three data inputs including RGB, Depth videos and skeleton joint positions were recorded during five physical exercises, specific for low back pain and accurately selected by physicians. For each exercise, the dataset also provides a set of features, specifically defined by the physicians, and relevant to describe its scope. These features, validated with respect to a stereophotogrammetric system, can be analyzed to compute a score for the subject's performance. The dataset also contains an evaluation of the same performance provided by the clinicians, through a clinical questionnaire. The impact of KIMORE has been analyzed by comparing the output obtained by an example of rule and template-based approaches and the clinical score. The dataset presented is intended to be used as a benchmark for human movement assessment in a rehabilitation scenario in order to test the effectiveness and the reliability of different computational approaches. Unlike other existing datasets, the KIMORE merges a large heterogeneous population of 78 subjects, divided into 2 groups with 44 healthy subjects and 34 with motor dysfunctions. It provides the most clinically-relevant features and the clinical score for each exercise