Visual motion processing and human tracking behavior

The accurate visual tracking of a moving object is a human fundamental skill that allows to reduce the relative slip and instability of the object's image on the retina, thus granting a stable, high-quality vision. In order to optimize tracking performance across time, a quick estimate of the object's global motion properties needs to be fed to the oculomotor system and dynamically updated. Concurrently, performance can be greatly improved in terms of latency and accuracy by taking into account predictive cues, especially under variable conditions of visibility and in presence of ambiguous retinal information. Here, we review several recent studies focusing on the integration of retinal and extra-retinal information for the control of human smooth pursuit.By dynamically probing the tracking performance with well established paradigms in the visual perception and oculomotor literature we provide the basis to test theoretical hypotheses within the framework of dynamic probabilistic inference. We will in particular present the applications of these results in light of state-of-the-art computer vision algorithms

Rehabilitation of the Hospice and Palliative Care Patient

Disability is a common problem among hospice and palliative care patients. It leads to depression, poor quality of life, increased caregiver needs, health care resource utilization, and need for institutionalization. There is a growing body of evidence that rehabilitation interventions improve functional status, quality of life, and symptoms such as pain and anxiety in this population. Having adequate knowledge about rehabilitation is essential for the provision of comprehensive end-of-life care. The goals of this article are to review the role and benefits of rehabilitation in hospice and palliative care; to discuss the elements of patient assessment for rehabilitation including the use of functional assessment tools; and to review the roles of physical, occupational, and speech therapy in hospice and palliative care patients.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90493/1/jpm-2E2010-2E0125.pd

Critical environmental education in the context of education for youth and adults: between the out-of-sync and the challenge of environmental transformation

[Resumo] Esse artigo é parte de uma pesquisa de doutorado em andamento que pretende conhecer e investigar, por uma lado, práticas que articulem a educação ambiental crítica e a educação de pessoas jovens e adultas em contextos de movimentos sociais, e por outro, analisar e discutir como essas práticas estabelecidas a partir de princípios solidários e de respeito a natureza, podem contribuir para a transformação socioambiental e para a superação da desigualdade educativa. A partir do estudo bibliográfico e da investigação realizada com dois grupos: a Cooperfloresta, localizada na região do Vale do Ribeira– SP, e a Escola Agroecológica Egídio Brunetto, localizada no sul da Bahia, temos em vista identificar elementos transformadores na direção do fortalecimento da agricultura familiar e do desenvolvimento de uma consciência ambiental crítica, visando à prática agroecológica para o enfrentamento da exclusão social por meio de alternativas de produção e renda, soberania alimentar, bem como a formação educativa das famílias agricultoras. Para isso, elegemos a metodologia comunicativo-crítica que encontra seus pilares no diálogo intersubjetivo e na ação comunicativa, garantindo a participação efetiva de todas as pessoas envolvidas.[Abstract] This article is part of a PHD research in progress that aims to understand and investigate from one side practices that articulate critical environmental education and the education for youth and adults within a context of social movements as well as analyse and discuss how this stablished practices coming from solidary principles and of respect to nature can contribute for environmental transformation and for overcoming educational inequity. Having as a starting point a bibliographical study and research conducted with two groups: Cooperfloresta, located in the Ribeira Valley region - SP, and the School Agroecológica Egidio Brunetto , located in southern Bahia, we aim to identify transforming elements in the direction of strengthening family farms and the development of a critical environmental awareness , aimed at agroecological practice to combat the social exclusion through alternative ways of production and income, food sovereignty as well as the educational training of farming families . For this, we chose the communicative - critical methodology that finds its pillars in the intersubjective dialogue and in communicative action, ensuring the effective participation of all concerned

Egg donation and the issue of disclosure

The aim of this study was to identify the intention among parents to disclose conception via egg donation to their child, relatives and friends and the underlying reasons. The study considered ten couples to have received oocytes via the Egg Donation Programme at the Federal University of São Paulo. Most couples preferred not to disclose their conception via egg donation to friends or relatives and did not intend to inform their child. Various reasons were reported, as well as fears over the future child's potential reaction. Disclosure regarding gamete donation is a complex issue and approaches should not apply simple and general rules, but rather take into consideration each family's specific circumstances and context.O objetivo deste estudo foi identificar a intenção de revelar ou não para o filho, familiares e amigos a ovodoação e os motivos subjacentes. Participaram do estudo dez casais receptores de oócitos do Programa de Ovodoação da Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Foram realizadas entrevistas individuais, e os dados foram analisados segundo o método qualitativo. A maioria dos participantes relatou que não havia contado sobre a ovodoação para outras pessoas, assim como não tinha a intenção de contar para o filho. Foram alegados diversos motivos, acompanhados de temores relacionados às possíveis reações das crianças. O sigilo sobre a doação de gametas é uma questão complexa, que não deve ser respondida com regras simples e gerais, devendo-se considerar as especificidades de cada família e o contexto em que vivem.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Setor de Reprodução HumanaPontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo Faculdade de Ciências Humanas Curso de Psicologia e da SaúdeUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de CirurgiaUNIFESP, Setor de Reprodução HumanaUNIFESP, Depto. de CirurgiaSciEL

Emotional states of couples undergoing in vitro fertilization

Infertility intrudes into the plans in one's personal life and the life of a couple, and causes mental suffering. In vitro fertilization is a new technique in reproductive technology and offers fresh hope of having children, but at the same time, it is considered to be a stressful experience. The aim of this study is to compare the emotional state of men and women undergoing in vitro fertilization and identify a possible relationship between women's emotional state and a successful outcome. Twenty couples in their first cycle of in vitro fertilization were included in this study. Men and women were submitted individually to psychological interviews and tests between 5 and 10 days after the transfer of pre-embryos. Women presented higher levels of anxiety and depression than men. Their self-esteem proved to be lower. Those women (25%) that presented psycho-emotional symptoms, did not get pregnant, however this relationship was not significant. Based on these findings, we conclude that women presented greater anxiety and symptoms of depression than the men and had lower self-esteem. The group of women with psycho-emotional symptoms displayed a tendency not to get pregnant.A infertilidade interrompe um projeto de vida pessoal e do casal, produzindo sofrimento psíquico. O desenvolvimento das técnicas de reprodução assistida possibilitou a solução para casais que anteriormente não teriam alternativas de tratamento. Assim, a fertilização in vitro constitui uma nova fonte de esperança para ter um filho, mas, ao mesmo tempo, pode ser acompanhada de muitas dificuldades. O objetivo deste estudo foi comparar os estados emocionais de homens e mulheres submetidos à fertilização in vitro e verificar a relação entre estado emocional das mulheres e ocorrência de gravidez. Foram avaliados vinte casais submetidos ao primeiro ciclo de fertilização in vitro, entre o 5º e o 10º dia após a transferência dos pré-embriões. A avaliação foi realizada por meio de testes psicológicos e entrevistas. As mulheres apresentaram níveis mais altos de ansiedade e depressão que os homens. A autoestima delas mostrou-se mais baixa. Um quarto das mulheres que apresentaram sintomas psicoemocionais não engravidou, porém esta relação não foi significativa. Concluiu-se que as mulheres apresentaram mais ansiedade e sintomas depressivos que os homens e autoestima mais baixa. O grupo de mulheres com sintomas psicoemocionais apresentou tendência a não engravidar.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de PsiquiatriaFaculdade de Medicina de Santo Amaro Disciplina de Saúde PúblicaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de GinecologiaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de CirurgiaUNIFESP, Depto. de PsiquiatriaUNIFESP, Depto. de GinecologiaUNIFESP, Depto. de CirurgiaSciEL

A Model of Optimal Oculomotor Strategies in Reading for Normal and Damaged Visual Fields

ISBN : 978-2-9532965-0-1We present an ideal observer analysis of single word reading in normal readers and central scotoma patients. Using this technique we are able to predict the spatio-temporal pattern of saccades in terms of pixels. This enables us to contrast theories that are impossible to compare using the traditional letter-slot approaches to modelling reading

Prevalence of Y chromosome deletions in a Brazilian population of nonobstructive azoospermic and severely oligozoospermic men

We determined the prevalence of Y chromosome deletions in a population of 60 Brazilian nonobstructive azoospermic and severely oligozoospermic men. PCR-based screening of microdeletions was performed on lymphocyte DNA for the presence of 14 sequence-tagged sites (STS) located in the azoospermic factor (AZF) on the Yq chromosome. All STS were amplified efficiently in samples from 12 fertile men tested, but failed to be amplified in samples from fertile women, indicating the specificity of PCR conditions for Yq screening. Overall, 4 of the 60 infertile patients tested (6.7%) exhibited deletion of the Y chromosome, 2 of them being severely oligozoospermic patients (P10 and P32) and 2 azoospermic men (patients P47 and P57). Patients P47 and P57 presented larger deletions in the AZFa, AZFb and AZFc subregions, with apparent loss of Yq material evidenced by karyotype analysis. Patients P10 and P32 presented deletions confined to the AZFc region, involving the DAZ locus. Male relatives of patients P10 and P32 had no Y chromosome deletions and presented a normal karyotype, suggesting a de novo status of the deletions found. Our data add to the growing literature showing that microdeletions of the Y chromosome can be the cause of male idiopathic infertility.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Escola Paulista de Medicina Departamento de FarmacologiaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Escola Paulista de MedicinaUNIFESP, EPM, Depto. de FarmacologiaUNIFESP, EPMSciEL

A Dynamic Approach to the Thermodynamics of Superdiffusion

We address the problem of relating thermodynamics to mechanics in the case of microscopic dynamics without a finite time scale. The solution is obtained by expressing the Tsallis entropic index q as a function of the Levy index alpha, and using dynamical rather than probabilistic arguments.Comment: 4 pages, new revised version resubmitted to Phys. Rev. Let

Solution of 3D linearly anisotropic scattering, fixed-source multigroup xyz reactor problems by the AN Boundary Element – Response Matrix method

This paper aims at extending the work performed by means of the AN Boundary Element – Response Matrix method in a previous paper, devoted to criticality problems, to non-homogeneous problems (i.e. the problems that involve a fixed external source, as in case of the accelerator driven systems). As in the preceding paper, the interest is given to the 3D, xyz multigroup systems in which linearly anisotropic scattering is allowed. Standard interface conditions have been adopted and no external intervention in order to improve the numerical results, such as some kind of discontinuity factors, has been introduced. The latter choice is motivated by the need of establishing a clean test of the performances of the AN method in itself. Results of 2D and 3D multigroup fixed source problems obtained with the method described in this paper are compared with those obtained by well assessed reference codes such as the MCNP Monte Carlo code and the PARTISN discrete ordinates code. Even in the absence of discontinuity factors and despite of the intrinsically approximate character of the AN method, the accuracy of the numerical results is more than satisfactory. Finally the computational time is in most cases much shorter than that required by the chosen reference code