MP-PCA denoising of fMRI time-series data can lead to artificial activation "spreading"

MP-PCA denoising has become the method of choice for denoising in MRI since it provides an objective threshold to separate the desired signal from unwanted thermal noise components. In rodents, thermal noise in the coils is an important source of noise that can reduce the accuracy of activation mapping in fMRI. Further confounding this problem, vendor data often contains zero-filling and other effects that may violate MP-PCA assumptions. Here, we develop an approach to denoise vendor data and assess activation "spreading" caused by MP-PCA denoising in rodent task-based fMRI data. Data was obtained from N = 3 mice using conventional multislice and ultrafast acquisitions (1 s and 50 ms temporal resolution, respectively), during visual stimulation. MP-PCA denoising produced SNR gains of 64% and 39% and Fourier spectral amplitude (FSA) increases in BOLD maps of 9% and 7% for multislice and ultrafast data, respectively, when using a small [2 2] denoising window. Larger windows provided higher SNR and FSA gains with increased spatial extent of activation that may or may not represent real activation. Simulations showed that MP-PCA denoising causes activation "spreading" with an increase in false positive rate and smoother functional maps due to local "bleeding" of principal components, and that the optimal denoising window for improved specificity of functional mapping, based on Dice score calculations, depends on the data's tSNR and functional CNR. This "spreading" effect applies also to another recently proposed low-rank denoising method (NORDIC). Our results bode well for dramatically enhancing spatial and/or temporal resolution in future fMRI work, while taking into account the sensitivity/specificity trade-offs of low-rank denoising methods

Design of green routes for cellulose extraction from a sugarcane by-product

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Design of innovative biocompatible cellulose nanostructures for the delivery and sustained release of curcumin

Poor aqueous solubility, stability and bioavailability of interesting bioactive compounds is a challenge in the development of bioactive formulations. Cellulose nanostructures are promising and sustainable carriers with unique features that may be used in enabling delivery strategies. In this work, cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and cellulose nanofibers were investigated as carriers for the delivery of curcumin, a model liposoluble compound. Nanocellulose modification with the surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), tannic acid and decylamine (TADA), and by TEMPO-mediated oxidation were also tested and compared. The carrier materials were characterized in terms of structural properties and surface charge, while the delivery systems were evaluated for their encapsulation and release properties. The release profile was assessed in conditions that mimic the gastric and intestinal fluids, and cytotoxicity studies were performed in intestinal cells to confirm safe application. Modification with CTAB and TADA resulted in high curcumin encapsulation efficiencies of 90 and 99%, respectively. While no curcumin was released from TADA-modified nanocellulose in simulated gastrointestinal conditions, CNC-CTAB allowed for a curcumin-sustained release of ca. 50% over 8 h. Furthermore, the CNC-CTAB delivery system showed no cytotoxic effects on Caco-2 intestinal cells up to 0.125 g/L, meaning that up to this concentration the system is safe to use. Overall, the use of the delivery systems allowed for the reduction in the cytotoxicity associated with higher curcumin concentrations, highlighting the potential of nanocellulose encapsulation systems.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Soma and Neurite Density MRI (SANDI) of the in-vivo mouse brain and comparison with the Allen Brain Atlas

Diffusion MRI (dMRI) provides unique insights into the neural tissue milieu by probing interactions between diffusing molecules and tissue microstructure. Most dMRI techniques focus on white matter (WM) tissues, nevertheless, interest in gray matter characterizations is growing. The Soma and Neurite Density MRI (SANDI) methodology harnesses a model incorporating water diffusion in spherical objects (assumed to be associated with cell bodies) and in impermeable “sticks” (assumed to represent neurites), which potentially enables the characterization of cellular and neurite densities. Recognising the importance of rodents in animal models of development, aging, plasticity, and disease, we here employ SANDI for in-vivo preclinical imaging and provide a first validation of the methodology by comparing SANDI metrics with cellular density reflected by the Allen mouse brain atlas. SANDI was implemented on a 9.4T scanner equipped with a cryogenic coil, and in-vivo experiments were carried out on N = 6 mice. Pixelwise, ROI-based, and atlas comparisons were performed, magnitude vs. real-valued analyses were compared, and shorter acquisitions with reduced the number of b-value shells were investigated. Our findings reveal good reproducibility of the SANDI parameters, including the sphere and stick fractions, as well as sphere size (CoV < 7%, 12% and 3%, respectively). Additionally, we find a very good rank correlation between SANDI-driven sphere fraction and Allen mouse brain atlas contrast that represents cellular density. We conclude that SANDI is a viable preclinical MRI technique that can greatly contribute to research on brain tissue microstructure

Estágios na formação profissional e dificuldades percebidas por profissionais de educação física em seu primeiro ano de atuação

Com o objetivo de refletir sobre a realização dos estágios na formação inicial e sobre as dificuldades encontradas no primeiro ano de atuação profissional na área da Educação Física, apresenta-se uma amostra, abrangendo 25 egressos de uma universidade privada do município de São Paulo, os quais responderam a um questionário no qual se identificou que as dificuldades encontradas durante o período de estágio se mantiveram durante o primeiro ano de atuação de mais da metade dos pesquisados, sendo as principais: baixa remuneração, falta de experiência para atuar, falta de conhecimentos específicos sobre fisiologia, biomecânica, métodos de treinamento e saúde do idoso, grandes distâncias entre o local de trabalho e a residência do entrevistado, além dos preconceitos enfrentados por serem profissionais jovens.Palavras-chave: Formação Profissional. Estágios. Profissional Iniciante. Dificuldades.Periods of training in the professional formation and difficulties perceived for professionals of physical education in its first year of performance.With the objective to reflect on the accomplishment of the periods of training in the initial formation and on the difficulties found in the first year of professional performance in the area of the Physical Education, a sample of 25 egresses of a private University of the city of São Paulo had answered to a questionnaire in which it was identified that the difficulties found during the preservice period remaining during its first year of performance, having been main the a low remuneration, lack of experience to act, lack of specific knowledge on physiology, biomechanics, methods of training and health of the aged one, great distances between the workstation and the residence of interviewed, beyond facing preconceptions in relation to the young professionals, and others.Keywords: Professional formation, Periods of training. Beginning Professional. Difficulties.

O ENSINO DE ANTROPOLOGIA NOS CURSOS DE FORMAÇÃO DE PROFESSORES DE EDUCAÇÃO FÍSICA DO MUNICÍPIO DE CANINDÉ - CEARÁ

Desde 1980, no Brasil, cresceu a importância das bases sociais e humanas na construção do conhecimento em Educação Física. Nesta perspectiva, o objetivo geral deste trabalho é analisar o ensino de Antropologia nos cursos de Licenciatura em Educação Física do município de Canindé, no Ceará. O desenvolvimento de etnografias sobre lazer, esporte e educação física, a problematização das relações entre natureza e cultura, gênero, etnia e raça, além do avanço sobre as noções de corpo compõem a agenda brasileira em torno do assunto. A metodologia aplicada nesta pesquisa deu-se a partir de revisões bibliográficas no campo da Antropologia e da Antropologia da Educação Física. Também, fizemos levantamentos documentais nas duas instituições que oferecem tal formação pedagógica, colhendo os projetos político pedagógicos dos cursos, ementário de disciplinas e materiais didáticos disponibilizados nas aulas. Foram realizadas, ainda, observações e entrevistas com alunos e professores. O reconhecimento da educação física, do esporte e do lazer como fenômenos culturais tem oferecido resistências à supremacia técnica e biologista dos currículos. Os seminários temáticos sobre autores e teorias que permeiam o campo antropológico das práticas corporais e a realização de eventos de extensão, com os educandos se envolvendo com os saberes tradicionais e comunitários do município estão entre as atividades mais valorativas. Contudo, o reduzido acervo bibliográfico disponibilizado sobre o assunto, a falta de recursos para realização de atividades extra sala de aula, a baixa carga horária das disciplinas articuladas ao tema e a formação antropológica deficitária dos professores universitários demonstram alguns problemas encontrados

Um estudo sore fissuras labiopalatinas.

As fissuras labiopalatinas representam a patologia congênita de face mais comum, que durante o período embrionário acomete os processos faciais e palatinos. Insurgem isoladamente ou associadas a outras malformações complexas decorrentes da deficiência ou da falta de fusão entre os processos das regiões frontonasal, maxilares e mandibulares, o que pode agravar ainda mais o seu tratamento. O objetivo desta pesquisa é estudar as fissuras labiopalatinas apresentando o processo embrionário do desenvolvimento da face/palato; discutir os aspectos etiológicos e epidemiológicos ressaltando a classificação, o diagnóstico e o tratamento dos fissurados a fim de compreender o processo de formação das fissuras labiopalatinas e colaborar com o estudo. Para isso, foi realizada uma revisão de literatura sobre fissuras labiopalatinas. Realizou-se uma investigação detalhada de artigos científicos (Scielo; PubMed;) sobre o problema em estudo, mediante uma abordagem qualitativa. Pretende-se colaborar com o debate em saúde bucal, sem pretensão de esgotar a problemática abordada, mas contribuir com as pesquisas cientificas sobre fissuras orofaciais. O estudo fornece instrumentos para que os gestores de saúde pública e cirurgiões dentistas estabeleçam protocolos de prevenção e tratamento interdisciplinar para os fissurados

Measuring adherence to inhaled control medication in patients with asthma: Comparison among an asthma app, patient self‐report and physician assessment

Background Previous studies have demonstrated the feasibility of using an asthma app to support medication management and adherence but failed to compare with other measures currently used in clinical practice. However, in a clinical setting, any additional adherence measurement must be evaluated in the context of both the patient and physician perspectives so that it can also help improve the process of shared decision making. Thus, we aimed to compare different measures of adherence to asthma control inhalers in clinical practice, namely through an app, patient self-report and physician assessment. Methods This study is a secondary analysis of three prospective multicentre observational studies with patients (≥13 years old) with persistent asthma recruited from 61 primary and secondary care centres in Portugal. Patients were invited to use the InspirerMundi app and register their inhaled medication. Adherence was measured by the app as the number of doses taken divided by the number of doses scheduled each day and two time points were considered for analysis: 1-week and 1-month. At baseline, patients and physicians independently assessed adherence to asthma control inhalers during the previous week using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS 0–100). Results A total of 193 patients (72% female; median [P25–P75] age 28 [19–41] years old) were included in the analysis. Adherence measured by the app was lower (1 week: 31 [0–71]%; 1 month: 18 [0–48]%) than patient self-report (80 [60–95]) and physician assessment (82 [51–94]) (p 0.05). There was a moderate correlation between patient self-report and physician assessment (ρ = 0.596, p < 0.001). Conclusions Adherence measured by the app was lower than that reported by the patient or the physician. This was expected as objective measurements are commonly lower than subjective evaluations, which tend to overestimate adherence. Nevertheless, the low adherence measured by the app may also be influenced by the use of the app itself and this needs to be considered in future studies.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio