Quantitative and qualitative running gait analysis through an innovative video-based approach

Quantitative and qualitative running gait analysis allows the early identification and the longitudinal monitoring of gait abnormalities linked to running-related injuries. A promising calibration- and marker-less video sensor-based technology (i.e., Graal), recently validated for walking gait, may also offer a time- and cost-efficient alternative to the gold-standard methods for running. This study aim was to ascertain the validity of an improved version of Graal for quantitative and qualitative analysis of running. In 33 healthy recreational runners (mean age 41 years), treadmill running at self-selected submaximal speed was simultaneously evaluated by a validated photosensor system (i.e., Optogait-the reference methodology) and by the video analysis of a posterior 30-fps video of the runner through the optimized version of Graal. Graal is video analysis software that provides a spectral analysis of the brightness over time for each pixel of the video, in order to identify its frequency contents. The two main frequencies of variation of the pixel's brightness (i.e., F1 and F2) correspond to the two most important frequencies of gait (i.e., stride frequency and cadence). The Optogait system recorded step length, cadence, and its variability (vCAD, a traditional index of gait quality). Graal provided a direct measurement of F2 (reflecting cadence), an indirect measure of step length, and two indexes of global gait quality (harmony and synchrony index). The correspondence between quantitative indexes (Cadence vs. F2 and step length vs. Graal step length) was tested via paired t-test, correlations, and Bland-Altman plots. The relationship between qualitative indexes (vCAD vs. Harmony and Synchrony Index) was investigated by correlation analysis. Cadence and step length were, respectively, not significantly different from and highly correlated with F2 (1.41 Hz \ub1 0.09 Hz vs. 1.42 Hz \ub1 0.08 Hz, p = 0.25, r2 = 0.81) and Graal step length (104.70 cm \ub1 013.27 cm vs. 107.56 cm \ub1 13.67 cm, p = 0.55, r2 = 0.98). Bland-Altman tests confirmed a non-significant bias and small imprecision between methods for both parameters. The vCAD was 1.84% \ub1 0.66%, and it was significantly correlated with neither the Harmony nor the Synchrony Index (0.21 \ub1 0.03, p = 0.92, r2 = 0.00038; 0.21 \ub1 0.96, p = 0.87, r2 = 0.00122). These findings confirm the validity of the optimized version of Graal for the measurement of quantitative indexes of gait. Hence, Graal constitutes an extremely time- and cost-efficient tool suitable for quantitative analysis of running. However, its validity for qualitative running gait analysis remains inconclusive and will require further evaluation in a wider range of absolute and relative running intensities in different individuals

Update on the recent development of allosteric modulators for adenosine receptors and their therapeutic applications

Adenosine receptors (ARs) have been identified as promising therapeutic targets for countless pathological conditions, spanning from inflammatory diseases to central nervous system disorders, from cancer to metabolic diseases, from cardiovascular pathologies to respiratory diseases, and beyond. This extraordinary therapeutic potential is mainly due to the plurality of pathophysiological actions of adenosine and the ubiquitous expression of its receptors. This is, however, a double-edged sword that makes the clinical development of effective ligands with tolerable side effects difficult. Evidence of this is the low number of AR agonists or antagonists that have reached the market. An alternative approach is to target allosteric sites via allosteric modulators, compounds endowed with several advantages over orthosteric ligands. In addition to the typical advantages of allosteric modulators, those acting on ARs could benefit from the fact that adenosine levels are elevated in pathological tissues, thus potentially having negligible effects on normal tissues where adenosine levels are maintained low. Several A(1) and various A(3)AR allosteric modulators have been identified so far, and some of them have been validated in different preclinical settings, achieving promising results. Less fruitful, instead, has been the discovery of A(2A) and A(2B)AR allosteric modulators, although the results obtained up to now are encouraging. Collectively, data in the literature suggests that allosteric modulators of ARs could represent valuable pharmacological tools, potentially able to overcome the limitations of orthosteric ligands

Panorama do câmbio Brasil/EUA (1995 – 2010)

Todos administradores financeiros tem suas rotinas operacionais impactadas em maior ou menor grau pela taxa de câmbio que oscila frequentemente.A importância dos estudos do câmbio entre dois países também consiste no fato de fomentar a criação de uma quantidade de análises visando uma pequena redução na incerteza da previsão do câmbio.  O objetivo deste trabalho é analisar o câmbio para o Brasil e EUA no período de 1995 a 2010, utilizando procedimentos quantitativos, visando estabelecer um histórico de comparação temporal pontuando políticas de câmbio e fatos históricos com influência na trajetória do câmbio Brasil/Estados Unidos. Analisou-se com maior profundidade as políticas cambiais adotadas após a implantação do Plano Real verificando a sua eficácia, e o histórico do câmbio no Brasil ao longo do tempo. Nos resultados obtidos pela análise dos modelos empíricos nota-se que o modelo gerado pelo recorte de dados de 1995 a 1998 apresenta convergência com a realidade ocorrida no período estudado, o câmbio é explicado pela série temporal em 98,6 % apresentando R-quadrado igual a 0,9866.

A INFLUÊNCIA DOS DETERMINANTES DA ESTRUTURA DE CAPITAL CONFORME O ESTÁGIO DO CICLO DE VIDA DAS EMPRESAS BRASILEIRAS

O objetivo é verificar se há influência do ciclo de vida das empresas sobre os determinantes da estrutura de capital de empresas brasileiras de capital aberto. Constituiu-se uma amostra composta por empresas não financeiras dos setores de Bens Industriais, Construção e Transporte, Consumo Cíclico, Consumo não Cíclico e Materiais Básicos, cobrindo o período de 2004 a 2013, a qual foi segmentada em dois grupos: alto e baixo crescimento. A classificação considerou o desempenho mediano no período dentro de cada setor segundo dois critérios: receita de vendas e investimento em imobilizado. As regressões em painel de dados com efeito fixo sugerem que Lucratividade, Oportunidade de Crescimento e Tamanho como influenciadores da estrutura de capital em qualquer estágio do ciclo de vida, enquanto que o Valor Colateral dos Ativos e a Singularidade apresentam comportamentos distintos no ciclo de vida das empresas

Estimation of Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters in Walking on a Photoelectric System: Validation on Healthy Children by Standard Gait Analysis

The use of stereophotogrammetry systems is challenging when targeting children's gait analysis due to the time required and the need to keep physical markers in place. For this reason, marker-less photoelectric systems appear to be a solution for accurate and fast gait analysis in youth. The aim of this study is to validate a photoelectric system and its configurations (LED filter setting) on healthy children, comparing the kinematic gait parameters with those obtained from a three-dimensional stereophotogrammetry system. Twenty-seven healthy children were enrolled. Three LED filter settings for the OptoGait were compared to the BTS P6000. The analysis included the non-parametric 80% limits of agreement and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Additionally, normalised limits of agreement and bias (NLoAs and Nbias) were compared to the clinical experience of physical therapists (i.e., assuming an error lower than 5% is acceptable). ICCs showed excellent consistency for most of the parameters and filter settings; NLoAs varied between 1.39% and 12.62%. An inverse association between the number of LEDs for filter setting and the bias values was also observed. Observations confirm the validity of the OptoGait system for the evaluation of spatiotemporal gait parameters in children

The role of 5-arylalkylamino- and 5-piperazino- moieties on the 7-aminopyrazolo[4,3-d]pyrimidine core in affecting adenosine A1 and A2A receptor affinity and selectivity profiles

New 7-amino-2-phenylpyrazolo[4,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives, substituted at the 5-position with aryl(alkyl)amino- and 4-substituted-piperazin-1-yl- moieties, were synthesized with the aim of targeting human (h) adenosine A1 and/or A2A receptor subtypes. On the whole, the novel derivatives 1-24 shared scarce or no affinities for the off-target hA2B and hA3 ARs. The 5-(4-hydroxyphenethylamino)- derivative 12 showed both good affinity (Ki = 150 nM) and the best selectivity for the hA2A AR while the 5-benzylamino-substituted 5 displayed the best combined hA2A (Ki = 123 nM) and A1 AR affinity (Ki = 25 nM). The 5-phenethylamino moiety (compound 6) achieved nanomolar affinity (Ki = 11 nM) and good selectivity for the hA1 AR. The 5-(N4-substituted-piperazin-1-yl) derivatives 15-24 bind the hA1 AR subtype with affinities falling in the high nanomolar range. A structure-based molecular modeling study was conducted to rationalize the experimental binding data from a molecular point of view using both molecular docking studies and Interaction Energy Fingerprints (IEFs) analysis.[Formula: see text]

Avaliação dos cursos de ensino superior através da ótica discente de satisfação/insatisfação

O propósito desse artigo é avaliar a satisfação/insatisfação do discente, utilizando pesquisa quantitativa exploratória nos cursos de graduação da Faculdade de Administração e Economia da Universidade Metodista de São Paulo. A hipótese inicial é que as avaliações dos discentes sobre as características relativas à satisfação/insatisfação do curso em particular fornecem informações válidas que auxiliem na melhora contínua da qualidade do ensino. Na condução da pesquisa, fatores como apoio familiar, condições relacionadas com o espaço físico da universidade e interação junto aos colegas também foram ponderadas. Através da análise dos questionários verificou-se que durante o curso, surgem fatores de insatisfação para o discente, não perceptível nos primeiros semestres, entretanto ele não parece disposto a trocar de curso e nem de universidade, em nenhuma das fases e dos cursos analisados.