Recognizing Activities of Daily Living of People with Parkinson's

Tese de mestrado, Informática, Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências, 2022Parkinson's disease is a common neurodegenerative disease that affects a large part of the world's population. This disease involves a lot of symptoms, however the most prevalent is the change in the patient's movements or even the loss of functionality. There is no treatment, however it exists medication that relieves and reduces the symptoms for a period. A Parkinson’s patient needs to be watched by clinicians to understand if the medication is working correctly and to analyse the disease progression. The current way of doing this evaluation is at clinics where the patient needs to go to the clinic or to live there. With this into consideration it was requested a monitoring system of activities of daily living for Parkinson’s patient. The monitoring system consists in a mobile application in an Android smartphone serving as a diary for the patient of clinician to record the activities done at that moment. With this application, the patient needs to wear an accelerometer in the wrist to gather the acceleration in the 3-axis. The application besides the monitoring function, it gives the ability to the clinician to schedule lists of activities for the patient to do during the day, allowing the clinician to have some control. We carried out a study with 10 healthy participants which used the monitorization system for 3 days each. The patient would worn the accelerometer and record the activities that they would do throughout the day, was asked a minimum of 5 activities per day. Alongside this recording it was schedule 1 list of activities to be carried out each day, this list only had motor activities such as walk, sit down, and stand up. At the end of each participant study, it was made a questionnaire with standard usability questions and an interview that helped us understand if the system was reliable or not

Ações do Professor para Promover Justificações dos Alunos

Justification is a mathematical reasoning process that relies on concepts, properties or mathematical ideas and, in certain situations, particular cases, being a fundamental part of the proof. The teacher needs to promote justification in the classroom, as it is essential to the development of students’ mathematical knowledge. This study aims to understand how a set of design principles regarding tasks and teacher’s actions contributes to enhance students’ justifications in whole-class mathematical discussions and to understand what kinds of justifications emerge in those discussions. The intervention, part of a design-based research, occurs in a grade 7 class of an experienced teacher, in nine classes about linear equations. The data collection includes classroom observations (video and audio recorded) and a logbook. Data analysis considers a set of design principles, a conceptual framework for teacher actions, and a conceptual framework for student justifications. The results show that certain sequences of teacher actions based on the design principles allow students to present quite complete justifications based on logical coherence and mathematical aspects of the situation.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Enhancing students’ generalizations: a case of abductive reasoning

The aim of this paper is to understand how a path of teacher’s actions leads to students’ generalization. Generalization, as a main process of mathematical reasoning, may be inductive, abductive, or deductive. In this paper, we focus on an abductive generalization made by a student. The study is carried out in the third cycle of design of a design-based research involving lessons about linear equations in a grade 7 class. Data is gathered by classroom observations, video and audio recorded, and by notes made in a researcher’s logbook. Data analysis focus on students’ generalizations and on teacher’s actions during whole-class mathematical discussions. The results show a path of teacher’s actions, with a central challenging action, that allowed an extending abductive generalization, and also a subsequent deductive generalization.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Integration of speech-processing technologies into Activobank's client interaction process

This dissertation analyzes the possibilities of utilizing speech-processing technologies to transform the user experience of ActivoBank’s customers while using remote banking solutions. The technologies are examined through different criteria to determine if they support the bank’s goals and strategy and whether they should be incorporated in the bank’s offering. These criteria include the alignment with ActivoBank’s values, the suitability of the technology providers, the benefits these technologies entail, potential risks, appeal to the customers and impact on customer satisfaction. The analysis suggests that ActivoBank might not be in a position to adopt these technologies at this point in time

Lesson study in initial teacher education: drawing conclusions from two Portuguese experiences

This research aims to understand which situations created opportunities for prospective Mathematics teachers to develop their knowledge. Following a design-based research with two cycles, data was collected through participant observation, document collection, and individual interviews. The results show that establishing a focus on prospective teachers’ learning created opportunities to develop their knowledge through discussing empirical articles, teaching the planned lessons, and reflecting on students’ learning.This work is supported by national funds through FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia by a grant to Micaela Martins (SFRH/BD/143869/2019)

Retos en los debates matemáticos en la práctica profesional de los profesores

En aquest article ens proposem identificar patrons d'accions en la pràctica dels professors de matemàtiques a l'aula durant debats a classe i esbrinar com aquestes accions proveeixen els estudiants amb oportunitats d'aprenentatge. L'estudi se centra en dos elements clau de la pràctica docent: les tasques que proposen els professors als estudiants i la manera en què es duu a terme la comunicació a l'aula. La metodologia és qualitativa amb dades recollides a través de la gravació d'un grup de 6pe que estava estudiant els números racionals. La nostra conclusió és que les situacions d'aprenentatge desafiadores requereixen normalment preparació i seguiment amb accions de suport/guia i informació/suggeriment perquè els estudiants puguin assolir els objectius establerts per al professor.We seek to identify patterns of action in mathematics teachers’ classroom practice regarding class discussions and to determine how these actions provide learning opportunities for students. The study is based on a framework that focuses on two key elements of teaching practice: 1) the tasks that teachers propose to their students and, 2) the way they handle classroom communication. Qualitative methodology is used with data collected from video recordings of a grade 6 class that is studying rational numbers. We conclude that challenging situations usually require teacher preparation and follow-up with supporting/guiding and informing/suggesting actions so that the students can learn what is involved in the teacher’s motivations.En este artículo nos proponemos identificar patrones de acciones en la práctica de los profesores de matemáticas en el aula durante debates en clase y averiguar cómo estas acciones proveen a los estudiantes de oportunidades de aprendizaje. El estudio se centra en dos elementos clave de la práctica docente: las tareas que proponen los profesores a los estudiantes y la manera en que se lleva a cabo la comunicación en el aula. La metodología es cualitativa con datos recogidos a través de la grabación de un grupo de 6º curso que estaba estudiando los números racionales. Nuestra conclusión es que las situaciones de aprendizaje desafiantes requieren normalmente de preparación y seguimiento con acciones de apoyo/guía e información/sugerencia para que los estudiantes puedan alcanzar los objetivos establecidos por el profesor

Primary teachers’ knowledge development in a lesson study

Supported by national funds through FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, through the Project REASON (PTDC/CED-EDG/28022/2017) and Stimulus of Scientific Employment program (2020.02874.CEECIND)

Preparing, leading, and reflecting on whole-class discussions: How prospective mathematics teachers develop their knowledge during lesson study

This research aims to understand how prospective teachers develop their knowledge about whole-class discussions during a lesson study. Following a qualitative approach, we focus on the work of three prospective mathematics teachers preparing, leading, and reflecting on whole-class discussions. Data was collected through participant observation with field notes, audio recordings, and document collection. The results show that a detailed analysis of a lesson plan, previously prepared autonomously by a prospective teacher based on a guide, promotes a focused discussion and a collaborative environment. Additionally, being involved in each other’s formative process, through lesson study micro-cycles, created opportunities for prospective teachers to analyze and discuss different classroom situations, which promoted the development of their knowledge. Finally, classroom experiences seemed to be fundamental for the development of prospective teachers’ knowledge. They were able to put into practice the work carried out during the lesson study, which allowed them to link theory and practice, and reflect on their own practice. This research also underlines the importance of the teacher educator’s role in creating fruitful opportunities for the development of prospective teachers’ knowledge.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Surdez súbita e oxigenoterapia hiperbárica

Trabalho Final do Curso de Mestrado Integrado em Medicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 2017Este trabalho tem como objectivo abordar o tema da surdez súbita (SS) destacando a Oxigenoterapia Hiperbarica (OHB) como modalidade de tratamento, através de uma revisão sistemática da literatura científica actualizada. A SS é definida como uma perda de audição neurosensorial superior a 30 dB, em três frequências consecutivas, com instalação até 72 horas. A etiologia é desconhecida na grande maioria dos casos, havendo algumas teorias que a procuram explicar. O tratamento da surdez súbita é ainda pouco consensual, sendo os corticósteroides os agentes mais comummente utilizados na prática clínica. A OHB é uma terapêutica promissora, que tem sido alvo de vários estudos para tentar demonstrar os seus benefícios, no entanto, ainda não estão totalmente comprovados. É importante compreender melhor a fisiopatologia da SS e da OHB para melhorar a qualidade dos cuidados. A OHB permite aumentar a tensão de oxigénio na cóclea e reduz a resposta inflamatória local. Vários autores destacam os benefícios da OHB como terapia adjuvante e de resgate. A OHB deve ser considerada para doentes que não recuperaram a audição após tratamento convencional inicial pois confere um efeito terapêutico adicional substancialmente significativo após uma terapêutica inicial com corticósteroides.This review addresses sudden deafness (SS) highlighting Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBO) as a treatment, through a systematic review of updated scientific literature. SS is defined as a sensorineural hearing loss greater than 30 dB, in three consecutive frequencies, with installation up to 72 hours. The etiology is unknown in the vast majority of cases but there are some theories that try to explain it. The treatment of sudden deafness is still debatable, but corticosteroids are the most commonly used agents in clinical practice. HBOT is a promising therapy that has been the subject of several studies that try to demonstrate its benefits, however, they are not yet proven. It is important to better understand the pathophysiology of SS and HBO to improve the quality of care. HBO increases the oxygen tension in the cochlea and reduces the local inflammatory response. Several authors highlight the benefits of HBO as adjuvant and rescue therapy. OHB should be considered for patients who have not recovered from hearing after initial conventional treatment as it provides a substantial additional therapeutic effect after initial corticosteroid therapy