Aspetti terminologici e traduttivi dell'ICF (Classificazione internazionale del funzionamento, della disabilità e della salute)

pp.129-145The paper describes the International Classification of Functioning (ICF), published in 2001 by the World Health Organisation. Based on a thorough revision of a former classification (the International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps of 1980), the ICF is used mainly in the field of health and disability. The revision process that took place between the two classifications led to profound changes and is here characterised as an evolution as far as both content and terminological aspects are concerned. In particular, the terminological innovations the ICF presents regard not only the terms themselves but also the terminological principles underlying the classification. The paper also looks at the ICF as an example of terminological standardisation, discussing problems that are generally linked to standardisation in fields other than manufacturing and the hard sciences. Finally, a few hints are made to the process whereby the ICF was translated into other languages and some translated terms are discussed with particular reference to German and Italian

Eye Tracking Indicators of Reading Approaches in Text-Picture Comprehension

Despite numerous researches on reading as well as multimedia comprehension, reading approaches in text-picture comprehension have become a focus of research only rarely. The current experiment aims at exploring text-picture comprehension in different reading approaches with item solving. In a within subjects design using eye tracking, seventeen secondary school students processed our blended text and picture materials in three different ways. (1) Unguided processing with text and picture and without the question. (2) Information gathering to answer the question after the prior experience with text and pictures. (3) Comprehending text and pictures to solve the task with the prior information of the question. Eye tracking data showed that text and picture play different roles in comprehension in different reading approaches. The data suggest that (1) text plays the main role to construct the mental model in unguided spontaneous processing of text and picture. (2) Students seem to mainly rely on the picture as an external representation when trying to answer a question after the prior experience with the material. (3)Text and picture are both used heavily when students work out an answer with the prior experience with the question presented. The text likely plays a major part in guiding the processing of meaning, whereas the picture is used as an external representation for information retrieval. Our work provides a first step towards an Item Solving Model in Text-Picture Comprehension. It also provides pedagogical implications for learning in secondary school

Regulating distance to the screen while engaging in difficult tasks

Regulation of distance to the screen (i.e., head-to-screen distance, fluctuation of head-to-screen distance) has been proved to reflect the cognitive engagement of the reader. However, it is still not clear (a) whether regulation of distance to the screen can be a potential parameter to infer high cognitive load and (b) whether it can predict the upcoming answer accuracy. Configuring tablets or other learning devices in a way that distance to the screen can be analyzed by the learning software is in close reach. The software might use the measure as a person-specific indicator of need for extra scaffolding. In order to better gauge this potential, we analyzed eye-tracking data of children (N = 144, Mage = 13 years, SD = 3.2 years) engaging in multimedia learning, as distance to the screen is estimated as a by-product of eye tracking. Children were told to maintain a still seated posture while reading and answering questions at three difficulty levels (i.e., easy vs. medium vs. difficult). Results yielded that task difficulty influences how well the distance to the screen can be regulated, supporting that regulation of distance to the screen is a promising measure. Closer head-to-screen distance and larger fluctuation of head-to-screen distance can reflect that participants are engaging in a challenging task. Only large fluctuation of head-to-screen distance can predict the future incorrect answers. The link between distance to the screen and processing of cognitive task can obtrusively embody reader’s cognitive states during system usage, which can support adaptive learning and testing

MRI evidence for altered venous drainage and intracranial compliance in mild traumatic brain injury.

To compare venous drainage patterns and associated intracranial hydrodynamics between subjects who experienced mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and age- and gender-matched controls. Thirty adult subjects (15 with mTBI and 15 age- and gender-matched controls) were investigated using a 3T MR scanner. Time since trauma was 0.5 to 29 years (mean 11.4 years). A 2D-time-of-flight MR-venography of the upper neck was performed to visualize the cervical venous vasculature. Cerebral venous drainage through primary and secondary channels, and intracranial compliance index and pressure were derived using cine-phase contrast imaging of the cerebral arterial inflow, venous outflow, and the craniospinal CSF flow. The intracranial compliance index is the defined as the ratio of maximal intracranial volume and pressure changes during the cardiac cycle. MR estimated ICP was then obtained through the inverse relationship between compliance and ICP. Compared to the controls, subjects with mTBI demonstrated a significantly smaller percentage of venous outflow through internal jugular veins (60.9±21% vs. controls: 76.8±10%; p = 0.01) compensated by an increased drainage through secondary veins (12.3±10.9% vs. 5.5±3.3%; p<0.03). Mean intracranial compliance index was significantly lower in the mTBI cohort (5.8±1.4 vs. controls 8.4±1.9; p<0.0007). Consequently, MR estimate of intracranial pressure was significantly higher in the mTBI cohort (12.5±2.9 mmHg vs. 8.8±2.0 mmHg; p<0.0007). mTBI is associated with increased venous drainage through secondary pathways. This reflects higher outflow impedance, which may explain the finding of reduced intracranial compliance. These results suggest that hemodynamic and hydrodynamic changes following mTBI persist even in the absence of clinical symptoms and abnormal findings in conventional MR imaging

Can Lagrangian Tracking Simulate Tracer Spreading in a High-Resolution Ocean General Circulation Model?

To model tracer spreading in the ocean, Lagrangian simulations in an offline framework are a practical and efficient alternative to solving the advective–diffusive tracer equations online. Differences in both approaches raise the question of whether both methods are comparable. Lagrangian simulations usually use model output averaged in time, and trajectories are not subject to parameterized subgrid diffusion, which is included in the advection–diffusion equations of ocean models. Previous studies focused on diffusivity estimates in idealized models but could show that both methods yield similar results as long as the deformations-scale dynamics are resolved and a sufficient amount of Lagrangian particles is used. This study compares spreading of an Eulerian tracer simulated online and a cloud of Lagrangian particles simulated offline with velocities from the same ocean model. We use a global, eddy-resolving ocean model featuring 1/20° horizontal resolution in the Agulhas region around South Africa. Tracer and particles were released at one time step in the Cape Basin and below the mixed layer and integrated for 3 years. Large-scale diagnostics, like mean pathways of floats and tracer, are almost identical and 1D horizontal distributions show no significant differences. Differences in vertical distributions, seen in a reduced vertical spreading and downward displacement of particles, are due to the combined effect of unresolved subdaily variability of the vertical velocities and the spatial variation of vertical diffusivity. This, in turn, has a small impact on the horizontal spreading behavior. The estimates of eddy diffusivity from particles and tracer yield comparable results of about 4000 m2 s−1 in the Cape Basin

Can Lagrangian Tracking Simulate Tracer Spreading in a High-Resolution Ocean General Circulation Model?

To model tracer spreading in the ocean, Lagrangian simulations in an offline framework are a practical and efficient alternative to solving the advective–diffusive tracer equations online. Differences in both approaches raise the question of whether both methods are comparable. Lagrangian simulations usually use model output averaged in time, and trajectories are not subject to parameterized subgrid diffusion, which is included in the advection–diffusion equations of ocean models. Previous studies focused on diffusivity estimates in idealized models but could show that both methods yield similar results as long as the deformations-scale dynamics are resolved and a sufficient amount of Lagrangian particles is used. This study compares spreading of an Eulerian tracer simulated online and a cloud of Lagrangian particles simulated offline with velocities from the same ocean model. We use a global, eddy-resolving ocean model featuring 1/20° horizontal resolution in the Agulhas region around South Africa. Tracer and particles were released at one time step in the Cape Basin and below the mixed layer and integrated for 3 years. Large-scale diagnostics, like mean pathways of floats and tracer, are almost identical and 1D horizontal distributions show no significant differences. Differences in vertical distributions, seen in a reduced vertical spreading and downward displacement of particles, are due to the combined effect of unresolved subdaily variability of the vertical velocities and the spatial variation of vertical diffusivity. This, in turn, has a small impact on the horizontal spreading behavior. The estimates of eddy diffusivity from particles and tracer yield comparable results of about 4000 m2 s−1 in the Cape Basin

Sekretomodulatorische Effekte des proinflammatorischen Zytokins GM-CSF auf die Muzinsekretion an der isolierten Rattentrachea nativer und NO2-exponierter Tiere

Eine Facette des klinischen Erscheinungsbildes der „chronic obstructive pulmonary disease“ (COPD) ist die chronische Bronchitis mit einem überwiegend inflammatorischen Korrelat. Der Pathogenese der chronischen Bronchitis liegen komplexe pathophysiologische Vorgänge zugrunde, welche bislang nur unvollstädig bekannt und im Einzelnen nicht vollständig geklärt sind. Die Definition der „global initiative on obstructive lung disease“ (GOLD) erwähnt eine abnormale inflammatorische Reaktion der Lunge auf schädliche Partikel und Gase und rückt somit die Entzündung ins Zentrum der Pathogenese. Zigarettenrauch und wichtige Umweltnoxen wie Stickstoffdioxid (NO2) führen über die hervorgerufene Entzündung bei Menschen und anderen Spezies zu Veränderungen des Atemwegsepithels und zur Stimulation der Produktion von proinflammatorischen Zytokinen wie dem Granulozyten-Makrophagen-Kolonie-stimulierenden Faktor (GM-CSF). Die strukturellen Veränderungen schließen auch die Muzin-produzierenden epithelialen Komponenten ein. Ein relevantes klinisches Symptom der chronischen Bronchitis stellt die Hypersekretion dar. Die Regulation der Muzinsynthese und -sekretion unterliegt komplexen neuralen, neuroendokrinen und parakrinen Mechanismen. Mit dem Ziel, zugrunde liegende Regulationsmechanismen der Mukussekretion bei der chronisch inflammatorischen Erkrankung COPD näher zu charakterisieren, liegt der Schwerpunkt dieser Arbeit in der Bedeutung des proinflammatorischen Zytokins GM-CSF. Folgenden Fragen, welchen eine Bedeutung bei der Regulation der Mukussekretion zukommt, wird in der vorliegenden Arbeit nachgegangen: Welchen Einfluss hat die Lang- und Kurzzeitexposition von NO2 auf die tracheobronchiale Muzinsekretion? Welchen Einfluss zeigt die peptiderge Substanz Substanz P (SP) auf die Muzinsekretion exponierter Tiere auch im Speziesvergleich? Wirkt das proinflammatorische Zytokin GM-CSF sekretagog? Gibt es interaktive Prozesse zwischen dem Zytokin GM-CSF und dem Tachykinin SP im Hinblick auf die Sekretomodulation? Zur experimentellen Klärung dieser Fragestellungen wurde ein etabliertes Tiermodell gewählt. Für das Studium der Reaktionsweise entzündlich alterierter Atemwege erfolgte die inhalative Exposition gegenüber NO2 im Rattenmodell. Die Muzinsekretion wurde an Trachealexplantaten von Fischerratten (F344-Ratten) und Sprague-Dawley-Ratten (SD-Ratten) durch die Anwendung der etablierten Ussing-Kammer-Methode untersucht. Zur Quantifizierung der Sekretion trachealer submuköser Drüsen erfolgte die radioaktive Markierung der Muzine mit 35S. Zum Studium der trachealen Muzinsekretion erfolgte die inhalative Exposition mit Induktion einer Schädigung und Herbeiführung einer akuten und subakuten bis chronischen Tracheobronchitis. Mit standardisierter Methodik wurden bei männlichen Ratten der jeweiligen Spezies Expositionszeiten von 1, 3 und 20 Tagen sowie darüber hinaus teilweise von 2 und 28 Tagen gegenüber NO2 bei einer Konzentration von 10 ppm gewählt. Kontrolltiere wurden einer Atmosphäre ohne NO2 ausgesetzt. Neben der Basalsekretion wurde zunächst an den Trachealexplantaten die maximal stimulierte Sekretion durch Acetylcholin (ACh) in Stadien der artifiziellen Entzündung und im Nativzustand erfasst. Mit diesen Grundlagen kann ein sekretomodulatorischer Effekt des Peptides SP und eine Dosis-Wirkungs-Beziehung des proinflammatorischen Zytokins GM-CSF im zeitlichen Verlauf unter NO2-Exposition untersucht werden. Zudem wurde hinsichtlich des Sekretionsergebnisses die Frage nach einem additiven Effekt von GM-CSF und SP an langzeit-exponierten Tracheen untersucht. Die Sekretionsanalyse ergab, dass eine NO2-Exposition von 10 ppm die Muzinsekretion der Rattentrachea beider Spezies zeitabhängig nicht signifikant beeinflusst. Es zeigten sich allerdings gleichgerichtete Tendenzen ohne Signifikanz im Sekretionsverlauf. Im Speziesvergleich zeigten dabei SD-Ratten eine größere sekretorische Potenz im Vergleich zu F344-Ratten im Sinne eines nahezu parallel verschobenen Sekretionsniveaus auf. Darüber hinaus wurde die Sekretionsrate nativ und bis zu einer Expositionsdauer von 20 Tagen bei beiden Spezies durch Acetylcholin im Vergleich zur Basalsekretion signifikant gesteigert. Hierbei fanden sich im direkten Vergleich zu den nativen Fischerratten wiederum signifikante Differenzen nach 3 sowie 20 Tagen. Signifikante sekretagoge Effekte von Substanz P ließen sich bei Fischerratten und SD-Ratten sowohl bei den Kontrolltieren als auch bei nahezu allen untersuchten Expositionsgruppen aufzeigen. GM-CSF zeigte in unserem Rattenmodell der COPD dosis- und expositionszeitabhängig eine Stimulation der trachealen Muzinsekretion. Eine signifikante Sekretionsantwort in der 3-Tages-Expositionsgruppe konnte für 0,1 ng/ml GM-CSF und für 0,4 ng/ml GM-CSF demonstriert werden. Zudem fand sich eine Signifikanz in der 20-Tages-Expositionsgruppe für 0,1 und 0,15 sowie 0,2 ng/ml GM-CSF. Für die Dosis von 0,2 ng/ml GM-CSF ergab sich ein hochsignifikantes Ergebnis. Die gleichzeitige Gabe von GM-CSF und SP zeigte in der Langzeitexposition keinen messbaren additiven sekretagogen Effekt und ergab das Sekretionsniveau von SP. Dies wurde nach 20 Tagen Expositionsdauer untersucht, da für diese Gruppe für beide Einzelsubstanzen jeweils eine signifikante Sekretionsantwort gesehen wurde. Die mutmaßlich unterschiedlichen sekretagogen Mechanismen von SP und GM-CSF sind vereinbar mit der Beobachtung, dass SP auch unabhängig vom Vorhandensein einer Atemwegsinflammation wirksam ist. Diese Ergebnisse liefern einen Beitrag zum Verständnis der Komplexität der bei der Regulation der Muzinsekretion beteiligten Pathomechanismen des Tracheobronchialepithels in der chronischen Bronchitis. Der sekretagoge Effekt von GM-CSF in der chronischen Inflammation wurde demonstriert. Mit dem Ziel einer Beeinflussung der Hypersekretion bei der COPD ist hier ein zielgerichteter therapeutischer Ansatz denkbar. Der Einsatz von neutralisierenden Antikörpern gegen GM-CSF oder dessen Rezeptor ist als spezifisches Therapiekonzept vorstellbar. Dieses ist in Ergänzung zu den etablierten antiinflammatorischen therapeutischen Möglichkeiten bei der COPD zu sehen und ermöglicht im Gegensatz dazu ein zielgerichtetes Eingreifen in die inflammatorische Kaskade. Es bedarf weiterer Untersuchungen, um die Rolle einer solchen Herangehensweise zu konkretisieren

Local charge and spin currents in magnetothermal landscapes

A scannable laser beam is used to generate local thermal gradients in metallic (Co2FeAl) or insulating (Y3Fe5O12) ferromagnetic thin films. We study the resulting local charge and spin currents that arise due to the anomalous Nernst effect (ANE) and the spin Seebeck effect (SSE), respectively. In the local ANE experiments, we detect the voltage in the Co2FeAl thin film plane as a function of the laser spot position and external magnetic field magnitude and orientation. The local SSE effect is detected in a similar fashion by exploiting the inverse spin Hall effect in a Pt layer deposited on top of the Y3Fe5O12. Our findings establish local thermal spin and charge current generation as well as spin caloritronic domain imaging

Sleep Deprivation Disrupts Prepulse Inhibition and Induces Psychosis-Like Symptoms in Healthy Humans

Translational biomarkers, such as prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response, are playing an increasingly important role in the development of antipsychotic drugs for schizophrenia and related conditions. However, attempts to reliably induce a PPI deficit by psychotomimetic drugs have not been successful, leaving an unmet need for a cross-species psychosis model sensitive to this widely studied surrogate treatment target. Sleep deprivation (SD) might be such a model as it has previously been shown to induce PPI deficits in rats, which could be selectively prevented with antipsychotic but not anxiolytic or antidepressant compounds. Here, in a first proof-of-concept study we tested whether SD induces a deficit in PPI and an increase in psychosis-like symptoms in healthy humans. In two counterbalanced sessions, acoustic PPI and self-reported psychosis-like symptoms (Psychotomimetic States Inventory) were measured in 24 healthy human volunteers after a normal night's sleep and after a night of total SD. SD decreased PPI (p = 0.001) without affecting the magnitude or habituation of the startle response (all p &gt; 0.13). SD also induced perceptual distortions, cognitive disorganization, and anhedonia (all p &lt;0.02). Thus, extending previous rodent work, we conclude that SD, in combination with the PPI biomarker, might be a promising translational surrogate model for psychosis as this method represents a possibility to partially and reversibly mimic the pathogenesis of psychotic states.</p

MRI Extracellular Volume Fraction in Liver Fibrosis-A Comparison of Different Time Points and Blood Pool Measurements.

BACKGROUND Extracellular volume (ECV) correlates with the degree of liver fibrosis. PURPOSE To analyze the performance of liver MRI-based ECV evaluations with different blood pool measurements at different time points. STUDY TYPE Prospective. SAMPLE 73 consecutive patients (n = 31 females, mean age 56 years) with histopathology-proven liver fibrosis. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE 3T acquisition within 90 days of biopsy, including shortened modified look-locker inversion recovery T1 mapping. ASSESSMENT Polygonal regions of interest were manually drawn in the liver, aorta, vena cava, and in the main, left and right portal vein on four slices before and after Gd-DOTA administration at 5/10/15 minutes. ECV was calculated 1) on one single slice on portal bifurcation level, and 2) averaged over all four slices. STATISTICAL TESTS Parameters were compared between patients with fibrosis grades F0-2 and F3-F4 with the Mann-Whitney U and fishers exact test. ROC analysis was used to assess the performance of the parameters to predict F3-4 fibrosis. A P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS ECV was significantly higher in F3-4 fibrosis (35.4% [33.1%-37.6%], 36.1% [34.2%-37.5%], and 37.0% [34.8%-39.2%] at 5/10/15 minutes) than in patients with F0-2 fibrosis (33.3% [30.8%-34.8%], 33.7% [31.6%-34.7%] and 34.9% [32.2%-36.0%]; AUC = 0.72-0.75). Blood pool T1 relaxation times in the aorta and vena cava were longer on the upper vs. lower slices at 5 minutes, but not at 10/15 minutes. AUC values were similar when measured on a single slice (AUC = 0.69-0.72) or based on blood pool measurements in the cava or portal vein (AUC = 0.63-0.67 and AUC = 0.65-0.70). DATA CONCLUSION Liver ECV is significantly higher in F3-4 fibrosis compared to F0-2 fibrosis with blood pool measurements performed in the aorta, inferior vena cava, and portal vein at 5, 10, and 15 minutes. However, a smaller variability was observed for blood pool measurements between slices at 15 minutes. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 1 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 3