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- “We Are Tired”—The sharing of unpaid work between immigrant women and men in PortugalPublication . Silva, Estefânia; Casimiro, Cláudia; Vieira, Cristina Pereira; Costa, Paulo Manuel; Topa, Joana; Neves, Sofia; Borges, Janete; Sousa, MafaldaIn this article, we intend to understand and discuss how immigrant men and women living in Portugal perceive their contributions to the performance of unpaid work and how they try to deal with the situation of the greater burden on women. To this end, a qualitative methodology was used to conduct an exploratory study with 10 focus groups of immigrant men and women in five regions of the country: North, Centre, Lisbon, Alentejo and Algarve. The participants, 43 females and 27 males, were aged between 19 and 80 years. From the discourse of the immigrant participants in this study, it could be concluded that the division of unpaid work between immigrant women and men is not equal, as their statements evidenced a greater responsibility and overload on women. From a traditional vision of gender roles, a persistent dichotomy of two worlds could be perceived, based on a “naturalized” vision of the social roles of gender and on a distribution grounded in biological differences. In parallel, discourses show a change in the sharing of household chores and childcare. However, this does not always occur regularly and appears very much associated with the entry of women into the paid labour market.
- Impact of walking on knee articular cartilage T2 values estimated with a dictionary-based approach - A pilot studyPublication . Coelho, José M.; Fernandes, T.T.; Alves, Sandra Maria; Nunes, R.G.; Nogueira, Luísa; Oliveira, A.Walking is crucial for knee articular cartilage (KAC) health. Routine MRI sequences lack sensitivity for early cartilage changes, and the use of parametric T2 maps to study the effect of walking on KAC composition is limited. This study aimed to evaluate if quantitative T2 maps using an Echo Modulation Curve (EMC) matching algorithm can detect KAC T2 variations due to water content changes after walking. Seven asymptomatic volunteers (3 females, 4 males, mean age 28.3 years) without knee pathologies participated. Sagittal knee MRI scans were performed before and after a 9-min treadmill walk using a Modified Bruce protocol. T2-weighted Multi-Echo Spin-Echo KAC images were acquired at 3T. Tibiofemoral cartilage was segmented semi-automatically on three slices per knee, defining 39 KAC samples. Quantitative T2 maps were created using a dictionary-matching algorithm. Paired t-tests assessed exercise impact on KAC T2 values, independent t-tests compared group differences, and Friedman test with Bonferroni correction evaluated regional T2 changes. Walking increased KAC T2 values (mean difference (md) 0.61 ± 1.71 ms; p ¼ 0.016). Significant differences were observed in “normal” BMI group (md 0.69 ± 1.27 ms; p ¼ 0.021). Regional analysis revealed significant differences in medial femur in males (md 0.9 ± 2.1 ms; p ¼ 0.049) and lateral tibia in females (md 1.4 ± 2.5 ms; p ¼ 0.046). The medial tibia showed significant differences across sub-regions (p ¼ 0.026). Quantitative T2 maps using the EMC matching algorithm detected consistent changes in KAC T2 values after a short walking period. Implications for practice: EMC quantitative T2 maps effectively detected knee cartilage changes postwalking. This technique could improve cartilage hydration assessments, aiding early detection in atrisk patients. It also suggests potential for personalized monitoring and rehabilitation, advancing musculoskeletal imaging and non-invasive joint health monitoring.
- Ten-year analgesic utilization patterns and economic implications in PortugalPublication . Duarte, Nuno; Martins, João Paulo; García-Pedraza, Jose-Ángel; Santos, MarleneThis study evaluated the 10-year consumption and economic patterns of classical analgesics, adjuvants and opioids in Portugal (2012-2022), and conducted a comparative analysis between Portugal, Spain and Denmark to explore the consumption patterns among these countries for 2022. Data on sales and national health service (NHS) costs were obtained from the Portuguese National Authority of Medicines and Health Products. Sales data were converted to defined daily dose (DDD) per 1000 inhabitants per day according to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification/DDD methodology, while comparisons between Spain and Denmark were evaluated with the chi-square test, when appropriate. The findings reveal that classical analgesics use in Portugal remained stable during the period 2012-2022, with ibuprofen being the most consumed. Adjuvants, specifically gabapentinoids, experienced an 84% increase in use, primarily attributed to pregabalin. Weak opioids, led by tramadol, witnessed a 117% rise in use, while strong opioid use, led by tapentadol, increased by 618%. Portugal presented the lowest overall opioid consumption when compared to Denmark and Spain in 2022. Economic trends indicated a heightened NHS expenditure on analgesics, primarily driven by increased opioid use. Notwithstanding, there was no significant burden on relative expenditure over the 10-year period. Portugal presented a major increase in both weak and strong opioid prescriptions, aligning with the trends for Spain and Denmark. The development and approval of generic medicines and vigilant market monitoring are imperative strategies for managing the escalated costs resulting from heightened consumption, particularly concerning opioids.
- A custom-built single-channel in-ear electroencephalography sensor for sleep phase detection: an interdependent solution for at-home sleep studiesPublication . Borges, Daniel Filipe; Soares, Joana Isabel; Silva, Heloísa; Felgueiras, João; Batista, Carla; Ferreira, Simão; Rocha, Nuno; Leal, AlbertoSleep is vital for health. It has regenerative and protective functions. Its disruption reduces the quality of life and increases susceptibility to disease. During sleep, there is a cyclicity of distinct phases that are studied for clinical purposes using polysomnography (PSG), a costly and technically demanding method that compromises the quality of natural sleep. The search for simpler devices for recording biological signals at home addresses some of these issues. We have reworked a single-channel in-ear electroencephalography (EEG) sensor grounded to a commercially available memory foam earplug with conductive tape. A total of 14 healthy volunteers underwent a full night of simultaneous PSG, in-ear EEG and actigraphy recordings. We analysed the performance of the methods in terms of sleep metrics and staging. In another group of 14 patients evaluated for sleep-related pathologies, PSG and in-ear EEG were recorded simultaneously, the latter in two different configurations (with and without a contralateral reference on the scalp). In both groups, the in-ear EEG sensor showed a strong correlation, agreement and reliability with the ‘gold standard’ of PSG and thus supported accurate sleep classification, which is not feasible with actigraphy. Single-channel in-ear EEG offers compelling prospects for simplifying sleep parameterisation in both healthy individuals and clinical patients and paves the way for reliable assessments in a broader range of clinical situations, namely by integrating Level 3 polysomnography devices. In addition, addressing the recognised overestimation of the apnea-hypopnea index, due to the lack of an EEG signal, and the sparse information on sleep metrics could prove fundamental for optimised clinical decision making.
- Applications of brain wave classification for controlling an intelligent wheelchairPublication . Avelar, Maria Carolina; Almeida, Patricia; Faria, Brígida Mónica; Reis, Luís PauloThe independence and autonomy of both elderly and disabled people have been a growing concern in today’s society. Therefore, wheelchairs have proven to be fundamental for the movement of these people with physical disabilities in the lower limbs, paralysis, or other type of restrictive diseases. Various adapted sensors can be employed in order to facilitate the wheelchair’s driving experience. This work develops the proof concept of a brain–computer interface (BCI), whose ultimate final goal will be to control an intelligent wheelchair. An event-related (de)synchronization neuro-mechanism will be used, since it corresponds to a synchronization, or desynchronization, in the mu and beta brain rhythms, during the execution, preparation, or imagination of motor actions. Two datasets were used for algorithm development: one from the IV competition of BCIs (A), acquired through twenty-two Ag/AgCl electrodes and encompassing motor imagery of the right and left hands, and feet; and the other (B) was obtained in the laboratory using an Emotiv EPOC headset, also with the same motor imaginary. Regarding feature extraction, several approaches were tested: namely, two versions of the signal’s power spectral density, followed by a filter bank version; the use of respective frequency coefficients; and, finally, two versions of the known method filter bank common spatial pattern (FBCSP). Concerning the results from the second version of FBCSP, dataset A presented an F1-score of 0.797 and a rather low false positive rate of 0.150. Moreover, the correspondent average kappa score reached the value of 0.693, which is in the same order of magnitude as 0.57, obtained by the competition. Regarding dataset B, the average value of the F1-score was 0.651, followed by a kappa score of 0.447, and a false positive rate of 0.471. However, it should be noted that some subjects from this dataset presented F1-scores of 0.747 and 0.911, suggesting that the movement imagery (MI) aptness of different users may influence their performance. In conclusion, it is possible to obtain promising results, using an architecture for a real-time application.
- Affinity coefficient for clustering autoregressive moving average modelsPublication . Nascimento, Ana Paula; Oliveira, Alexandra; Faria, Brígida Mónica; Pimenta, Rui; Vieira, Mónica; Prudêncio, Cristina; Nicolau, Helena BacelarIn various fields, such as economics, finance, bioinformatics, geology, and medicine, namely, in the cases of electroencephalogram, electrocardiogram, and biotechnology, cluster analysis of time series is necessary. The first step in cluster applications is to establish a similarity/dissimilarity coefficient between time series. This article introduces an extension of the affinity coefficient for the autoregressive expansions of the invertible autoregressive moving average models to measure their similarity between them. An application of the affinity coefficient between time series was developed and implemented in R. Cluster analysis is performed with the corresponding distance for the estimated simulated autoregressive moving average of order one. The primary findings indicate that processes with similar forecast functions are grouped (in the same cluster) as expected concerning the affinity coefficient. It was also possible to conclude that this affinity coefficient is very sensitive to the behavior changes of the forecast functions: processes with small different forecast functions appear to be well separated in different clusters. Moreover, if the two processes have at least an infinite number of π- weights with a symmetric signal, the affinity value is also symmetric.
- Advancing the understanding of pupil size variation in occupational safety and health: A systematic review and evaluation of open-source methodologiesPublication . Ferreira, Filipa; Ferreira, Simão; Mateus, Catarina; Rocha, Nuno; Coelho, Luís; Rodrigues, MatildePupil size can be used as an important biomarker for occupational risks. In recent years, there has been an increase in the development of open-source tools dedicated to obtaining and measuring pupil diameter. However, it remains undetermined determined whether these tools are suitable for use in occupational settings. This study explores the significance of pupil size variation as a biomarker for occupational risks and evaluates existing open-source methods for potential use in both research and occupational settings, with the goal of to prevent occupational accidents and improve the health and performance of workers. To this end, a two-phase systematic literature review was conducted in the Web of Science™, ScienceDirect®, and Scopus® databases. For the relevance of monitoring pupil size variation in occupational settings, 15 articles were included. The articles were divided into three groups: mental workload, occupational stress, and mental fatigue. In most cases, pupil dilation increased with workload enhancement and with higher levels of stress. Regarding fatigue, it was noted that an increase in this condition corresponded with a decrease in pupil size. With respect to the open-source methodologies, 16 articles were identified, which were categorized into two groups: algorithms and software. Convolutional neural networks (CNN)1 have exhibited superior performance among the various algorithmic approaches studied. Building on this insight, and considering the evaluations of software options, MEYE emerges as the premier open-source system for deployment in occupational settings due to its compatibility with a standard computer webcam. This feature positions MEYE as a particularly practical tool for workers in stable environments, like those of developers and administrators.
- Does digital media use contribute to decreased expressive language skills of pre-school-aged children? An exploratory study in Portuguese childrenPublication . Monteiro, Rita; Ferreira, Simão; Fernandes, Sandra; Rocha, NunoThe purpose of this study was to analyse the relationship between digital media use and expressive language skills in the semantic and morphosyntactic domains, of pre-school-aged children (3 years-and-0 months to 5 years-and-11 months). Verbal oral expression (VOE) tasks of the Pre-school Assessment of Language Test (Teste de Linguagem-Avaliação da Linguagem Pré-Escolar) were administered to 237 pre-school children with no previous identified neurological or developmental conditions associated with language disorders to assess expressive language skills in the semantic and morphosyntactic domains. Parents completed a questionnaire about their children’s medical conditions, development (using the milestones of the Survey of Well-being of Young Children and the Pre-school Paediatric Symptom Checklist), and exposure to screens (using ScreenQ). Correlations between VOE and continuous variables such as ScreenQ were computed and a regression model incorporating all variables significantly associated with total language verbal expression was created. ScreenQ revealed a negative and significant correlation with children’s verbal oral expression as well as significance in the regression model. Parents’ education was the most significant predictor in this regression model. This study emphasizes the importance of parents establishing limits for digital media use and promote good practices such as co-viewing.
- Knowledge discovery and multimodal inputs for driving an intelligent wheelchairPublication . Faria, Brígida Mónica; Reis, Luís Paulo; Lau, NunoCerebral Palsy is defined as a group of permanent disorders in the development of movement and posture. The motor disorders in cerebral palsy are associated with deficits of perception, cognition, communication, and behaviour, which can affect autonomy and independence. The interface between the user and an intelligent wheelchair can be done with several input devices such as joysticks, microphones, and brain computer interfaces (BCI). BCI enables interaction between users and hardware systems through the recognition of brainwave activity. The current BCI systems have very low accuracy on the recognition of facial expressions and thoughts, making it difficult to use these devices to enable safe and robust commands of complex devices like an Intelligent Wheelchair. This paper presents an approach to expand the use of a brain computer interface for driving an intelligent wheelchair by patients suffering from cerebral palsy. The ability with the joystick, head movements, and voice inputs were tested, and the best possibility for driving the wheelchair is given to a specific user. Experiments were performed using 30 individuals suffering from IV and V degrees of cerebral palsy on the Gross Motor Function (GMF) measure. The results show that the pre-processing and variable selection methods are effective to improve the results of a commercial BCI product by 57%. With the developed system, it is also possible for users to perform a circuit in a simulated environment using just facial expressions and thoughts.
- Investigação através do desenvolvimento: Quando as palavras “Contam” - EditorialPublication . Costa, António Pedro; Faria, Brígida Mónica; Reis, Luís PauloA investigação científica baseada na metodologia Investigação & Desenvolvimento (I&D) tem uma prevalência para estudos quantitativos. Primordialmente, interessa ao investigador testar/provar alguma teoria, através das acções dos indivíduos implicados no estudo. O investigador pretende generalizar e usa, normalmente, dados numéricos. Quando aplicamos a I&D à concepção de pacotes de software, torna-se redutor que o investigador não tente percepcionar o contexto em que o estudo ocorre, interpretando os significados dos participantes recorrendo a processos interativos e iterativos. Assim, a metodologia de I&D (“Design Research” surgindo também a expressão “Research through Design”) tem vindo a ganhar espaço nos projetos de software que, segundo Pierce (2014), “include devices and systems that are technically and practically capable of being deployed in the field to study participants or end users / incluem dispositivos e sistemas que são tecnicamente e na prática capazes de ser implantados para estudar participantes ou utilizadores finais (p. 735).” Zimmerman, Forlizzi, & Evenson (2007) afirmam que o Design Research “mean an intention to produce knowledge and not the work to more immediately inform the development of a commercial product / significa uma intenção de produzir conhecimento e não o trabalho de informar mais imediatamente o desenvolvimento de um produto comercial (p. 494).“