Applying a new version of the Brazilian-Portuguese UPSIT smell test in Brazil

Standardized olfactory tests are now available to quantitatively assess disorders of olfaction. A Brazilian-Portuguese version of the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) is currently being developed specifically for the Brazilian population. The most recent Brazilian-Portuguese version of the UPSIT (UPSIT-Br2) was administered to 88 Brazilian subjects who had no history of neurological or otorhinolaryngological disease. UPSIT-Br2 scores decreased with age, were lower in men than in women, and were lower in subjects with lower income. The degree to which the poorer performance of subjects with lower socio-economic status reflects lack of familiarity with test items is not known. Although this version of the UPSIT provides a sensitive and useful test of smell function for the Brazilian population, a revision of some test items is needed to achieve comparable norms to those found using the North American UPSIT in the United States

A Spiderless Arachnophobia Therapy: Comparison between Placebo and Treatment Groups and Six-Month Follow-Up Study

We describe a new arachnophobia therapy that is specially suited for those individuals with severe arachnophobia who are reluctant to undergo direct or even virtual exposure treatments. In this therapy, patients attend a computer presentation of images that, while not being spiders, have a subset of the characteristics of spiders. The Atomium of Brussels is an example of such an image. The treatment group (n = 13) exhibited a significant improvement (time × group interaction: P = .0026) when compared to the placebo group (n = 12) in a repeated measures multivariate ANOVA. A k-means clustering algorithm revealed that, after 4 weeks of treatment, 42% of the patients moved from the arachnophobic to the nonarachnophobic cluster. Six months after concluding the treatment, a follow-up study showed a substantial consolidation of the recovery process where 92% of the arachnophobic patients moved to the nonarachnophobic cluster

The effects of high pressure on the point of no return in simulated penalty kicks

We investigated the effects of high pressure on the point of no return or the minimum time required for a kicker to respond to the goalkeeper's dive in a simulated penalty kick task. The goalkeeper moved to one side with different times available for the participants to direct the ball to the opposite side in low-pressure (acoustically isolated laboratory) and high-pressure situations (with a participative audience). One group of participants showed a significant lengthening of the point of no return under high pressure. With less time available, performance was at chance level. Unexpectedly, in a second group of participants, high pressure caused a qualitative change in which for short times available participants were inclined to aim in the direction of the goalkeeper's move. The distinct effects of high pressure are discussed within attentional control theory to reflect a decreasing efficiency of the goal-driven attentional system, slowing down performance, and a decreasing effectiveness in inhibiting stimulus-driven behavior

Aplicando uma nova versão brasileira do UPSIT no Brasil

Standardized olfactory tests are now available to quantitatively assess disorders of olfaction. A Brazilian-Portuguese version of the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) is currently being developed specifically for the Brazilian population. The most recent Brazilian-Portuguese version of the UPSIT (UPSIT-Br2) was administered to 88 Brazilian subjects who had no history of neurological or otorhinolaryngological disease. UPSIT-Br2 scores decreased with age, were lower in men than in women, and were lower in subjects with lower income. The degree to which the poorer performance of subjects with lower socio-economic status reflects lack of familiarity with test items is not known. Although this version of the UPSIT provides a sensitive and useful test of smell function for the Brazilian population, a revision of some test items is needed to achieve comparable norms to those found using the North American UPSIT in the United States.Testes padronizados já estão disponíveis para testagem do olfato e uma versão em Português esta sendo desenvolvida para o University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT), especificamente para a população brasileira. A versão mais recente deste teste (chamada UPSIT-Br2) foi aplicada a 88 sujeitos brasileiros que não tinham história de qualquer problema neurológico ou otorrinolaringológico. Compatível com dados prévios da literatura, a performance no UPSIT-Br2 decaiu com a idade e foi inferior no genero masculino. Os resultados foram mais baixos em participantes de menor nível sócio-econômico e a relação deste achado com a falta de familiaridade para com os itens do teste não é conhecida. Apesar desta versão do UPSIT poder ser útil para o teste da função olfativa da população brasileira, a revisão de alguns itens se faz necessária para alcançar valores comparáveis aos dados normativos norte-americanos.Reta Lila Weston Trust for Medical Researc

Strain-assisted spin manipulating and the discerption of strain-induced spin splitting

We show that the efficiency of manipulating electron spin in semiconductor quantum wells can be enhanced by tuning the strain strength. The effect combining intrinsic and strain-induced spin splitting varies for different systems, which provides an alternative route to understand the experimental phenomena brought in by the strain. The types of spin splittings caused by strain are suggested to be distinguished by the measurement of the electron-dipole-spin-resonance intensity through changing the direction of the $ac$ electric field in the $x$-$y$ plane of the quantum well and tuning the strain strengths.Comment: Revtex, 7 pages, 5 figure

Anisotropic Distribution of Spatial Visual Attention

urpose: : We showed previously that geostatistical methods constitute a promising tool to assess the spatial distribution of visual attention (Canto–Pereira et al., ARVO 2005 # 5653). In the present study, we investigated the anisotropic patterns of spatial visual attention under different tasks. Methods: : Reaction times (RTs) to visual stimuli were measured monocularly in 20 normal participants. Stimuli and RTs were provided by the software E–Prime v 1.1 (PST Inc.) using a 19" monitor driven by a 10 bit graphics board (refresh rate 100 Hz, resolution of 800 x 600). Two different conditions were employed: in experiment 1 participants were asked not to attend to any particular region, but rather try to spread their attention as uniformly as possible over the computer screen (diffused attention) whereas in experiment 2 they were instructed to direct their attention toward the center of the computer screen coincident with the fixation point (overt attention). Results: : In experiment 1, 2D maps obtained through ordinary kriging (an interpolation method of geostatistical analysis) showed an attentional inferonasal advantage. Experiment 2 showed that participants indeed focused their attention toward the center of the screen, with spatial distribution similar to the topography of cone distribution of the human retina (Curcio et al. 1990). Conclusions: : An anisotropic pattern in the distribution of visuo–spatial attention was clearly evident under a diffuse attention situation; whereas in an overt attention situation, participants were able to focus their attention in a specific area of the computer screen