ABSTRACT
Conventional tests for assessing the early reading skills of preschool children on school entry are not accessible to students with motor limitations of upper limbs. This paper presents a game-like computerized test featuring an appealing scenario that is accessible to these students. It was developed on a platform that creates 2D vector graphics and contains three phases of interactive content accessible through an adapted peripheral. A conventional card-based test was also used to validate the effectiveness of the computerized test. Both tests were performed by thirty-three preschool children without mobility impairment all aged between four years and six months and six years and two months (x¯ = 5,33; σ = 0,44). The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare the nonparametric data from the computerized test with the card-based test in the first and second phase, yielding results of p = 0.11 and p = 0.21, respectively. The Student's t-test was conducted to compare the parametric data of the third phase of the computerized test with the data from the third phase of the card-based test yielded results of p = 0.07.Three gaming experts considered the computerized test to be fun and engaging, and three teachers concluded that the computerized test meets educational goals. Additionally, seven volunteers with moderate mobility impairment (group T), aged between eight and seventeen years old (x¯=11.8; σ = 3.5), accompanied by two physical therapists, took the computerized test using the adapted peripheral device and performed the required tasks without difficulty and without showing signs of fatigue. Based on the results obtained it can be concluded that the computerized test may enable educators to include students with mobility difficulties in literacy assessments and to design teaching strategies that are appropriate given their levels of knowledge.
Subject(s)
Educational Measurement/methods , Motor Disorders , Reading , Students , Video Games , Child , Child, Preschool , Computer Graphics , Female , Humans , MaleABSTRACT
Kinesio Taping® elastic tape is increasingly used in physiotherapy treatment. However, there is a lack of scientific research regarding the late effects of its use. This study quantified the late effects of applying the Kinesio Taping® elastic tape by measuring changes in handgrip muscle strength after 24, 48 and 72 h of application. The Kinesio Taping® elastic tape was applied on the dominant and non-dominant limbs of 36 volunteers randomly assigned to three groups: muscle facilitation, muscle inhibition and control group. The statistical test showed there was a statistically significant difference among all groups of dominant limb and non-dominant limb. However, the analysis on intragroup relationship to periods of application (Initial, 24, 48 and 72 h) and the interaction among repeated measures showed there was no statistically significant difference. This result may contribute to the investigation of the late effects of the Kinesio Taping® elastic tape on the physical rehabilitation.
Subject(s)
Athletic Tape , Hand Strength/physiology , Physical Therapy Modalities , Adolescent , Adult , Electromyography , Female , Humans , Male , Muscle Strength/physiology , Young AdultABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Anxiety is one of the major influences on the dropout of relapse and treatment of substance abuse treatment. Chemically dependent individuals need (CDI) to be aware of their emotional state in situations of risk during their treatment. Many patients do not agree with the diagnosis of the therapist when considering them vulnerable to environmental stimuli related to drugs. This research presents a cue reactivity detection tool based on a device acquiring physiological signals connected to personal computer. Depending on the variations of the emotional state of the drug addict, alteration of the physiological signals will be detected by the computer tool (CT) which will modify the displayed virtual sets without intervention of the therapist. METHODS: Developed in 3ds Max® software, the CT is composed of scenarios and objects that are in the habit of marijuana and cocaine dependent individual's daily life. The interaction with the environment is accomplished using a Human-Computer Interface (HCI) that converts incoming physiological signals indicating anxiety state into commands that change the scenes. Anxiety was characterized by the average variability from cardiac and respiratory rate of 30 volunteers submitted stress environment situations. To evaluate the effectiveness of cue reactivity a total of 50 volunteers who were marijuana, cocaine or both dependent were accompanied. RESULTS: Prior to CT, the results demonstrated a poor correlation between the therapists' predictions and those of the chemically dependent individuals. After exposure to the CT, there was a significant increase of 73% in awareness of the risks of relapse. CONCLUSION: We confirmed the hypothesis that the CT, controlled only by physiological signals, increases the perception of vulnerability to risk situations of individuals with dependence on marijuana, cocaine or both.
Subject(s)
Computer Simulation , Substance-Related Disorders/psychology , Awareness , Humans , RecurrenceABSTRACT
Many children with motor impairments cannot participate in games and jokes that contribute to their formation. Currently, commercial computer games there are few options of software and sufficiently flexible access devices to meet the needs of this group of children. In this study, a peripheral access device and a 3D computerized game that do not require the actions of dragging, clicking, or activating various keys at the same time were developed. The peripheral access device consists of a webcam and a supervisory system that processes the images. This method provides a field of action that can be adjusted to various types of motor impairments. To analyze the sensitivity of the commands, a virtual course was developed using the scenario of a path of straight lines and curves. A volunteer with good ability in virtual games performed a short training with the virtual course and, after 15min of training, obtained similar results with a standard keyboard and the adapted peripheral device. A 3D game in the Amazon forest was developed using the Blender 3D tool. This free software was used to model the characters and scenarios. To evaluate the usability of the 3D game, the game was tested by 20 volunteers without motor impairments (group A) and 13 volunteers with severe motor limitations of the upper limbs (group B). All the volunteers (group A and B) could easily execute all the actions of the game using the adapted peripheral device. The majority positively evaluated the questions of usability and expressed their satisfaction. The computerized game coupled to the adapted device will offer the option of leisure and learning to people with severe motor impairments who previously lacked this possibility. It also provided equality in this activity to all the users.
Subject(s)
Computer Peripherals , Disabled Persons , Video Games , Adult , Child , Equipment Design , Female , Humans , Imaging, Three-Dimensional , Male , Middle Aged , Movement Disorders/physiopathology , Movement Disorders/psychology , Play and Playthings , User-Computer Interface , Young AdultABSTRACT
The most significant radiation field nonuniformity is the well-known Heel effect. This nonuniform beam effect has a negative influence on the results of computer-aided diagnosis of mammograms, which is frequently used for early cancer detection. This paper presents a method to correct all pixels in the mammography image according to the excess or lack on radiation to which these have been submitted as a result of the this effect. The current simulation method calculates the intensities at all points of the image plane. In the simulated image, the percentage of radiation received by all the points takes the center of the field as reference. In the digitized mammography, the percentages of the optical density of all the pixels of the analyzed image are also calculated. The Heel effect causes a Gaussian distribution around the anode-cathode axis and a logarithmic distribution parallel to this axis. Those characteristic distributions are used to determine the center of the radiation field as well as the cathode-anode axis, allowing for the automatic determination of the correlation between these two sets of data. The measurements obtained with our proposed method differs on average by 2.49 mm in the direction perpendicular to the anode-cathode axis and 2.02 mm parallel to the anode-cathode axis of commercial equipment. The method eliminates around 94% of the Heel effect in the radiological image and the objects will reflect their x-ray absorption. To evaluate this method, experimental data was taken from known objects, but could also be done with clinical and digital images.
Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging , Mammography/methods , Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted/methods , Algorithms , Computer Simulation , Female , HumansABSTRACT
Devido a dificuldade encontrada pelos radiologistas em traduzir os resultados numéricos do controle de qualidade dos sistemas radiológicos, numa relação física com a qualidade das imagens geradas, este trabalho propõe um novo método de avaliação que relacione os parâmetros dos tubos à sombra e penumbra, produzidas nas imagens obtidas com estes sistemas. Esta avaliação, por ser uma simulação computacional pode ser feita para qualquer sistema e qualquer objeto em qualquer posição do campo de raios-X.
There are restraints for most of radiologists in relating physically the results from some techniques designed to radiologic systems quality control to the quality of images yielded by their system. Hence, we are presenting a new method for evaluating radiologic imaging systems quality. This method intends to relate the numeric results from quality control procedures to the magnitude of shadow and penumbra in the image from given objects. This evaluation is based on a computer simulation and it can be perfonned for any system and any object placed in any location of the qdiation field
Subject(s)
Quality Control , Mammography , Ultrasonography , Map , Diagnostic Imaging , Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted , Computer SimulationABSTRACT
Este trabalho descreve um método para prever a influência do sistema de registro sobre a nitidez de imagens radiográficas por simulação computacional, procurando apresentar previamente a imagem a ser obtida para cada tipo de filme ou combinação écran-filme usada durante a exposição.
This work describes a method aimed to predict the influence of the record system on radiographic images sharpness by computer simulation. This method is intended to previously show the image to be obtained for each type of film or screen-film combination used during the exposure. l
Subject(s)
X-Ray Intensifying Screens , Registries , Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted , Computer Simulation , Quality Control , X-Rays , Phantoms, ImagingABSTRACT
Microcalcificaçöes mamária s e seua agrupamentos ("clusters") constituem particular interesse para o diagnóstico do câncer de mama, pois podem ser indíciosde tumores malignos. Este trabalho propöe uma técnica de reconhecimento de agrupamentos de microcalcificaçöes em mamogramas digitalizados baseada na "transformaçäo área-ponto". Os resultados apresentados correspondem ao processamento de imagens obtidas com "phantoms" expostos em sistemas mamográficos, com vistas a contribuir para a deteccäo precoce dessa doença.
Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms , Calcinosis/pathology , Carcinoma , Mammography , Mammography/instrumentation , Mammography/statistics & numerical data , Phantoms, ImagingABSTRACT
Foram desenvolvidos algoritmos baseados em transformada de Hough para identificar e separar microcalcificaçöes de formas anelares e vermiculares já que estas säo indicaçöes seguras da presença ou näo de tumores malignos
Subject(s)
Algorithms , Breast Neoplasms , Calcinosis/pathology , Mammography/instrumentation , Image Processing, Computer-AssistedABSTRACT
É reconhecida a importância do desenvolvimento de programas de controle de qualidade em sistemas radiográficos em funçäo dos vários fatores que influenciam na obtençäo de um bom contraste de imagem. Em sistemas mamográficos, particularmente, um dos parâmetros que mais merece atençäo é o controle do potencial eletrico aplicado entre os elétrodos do tubo de raio X(akVp), que determina as condiçöes energéticas do feixe. O mamógrafo é o sistema mais adequado para a detecçäo precoce do cancer de mama, apresentando contudo, serios problemaspara obtençäo de contraste bem perceptível por ser muito restrita a faixa de energias em que é possível ser feita conveniente diferenciaçäo entre os tecidos moles envolvidos no exame. Por isso, o presente trabalho aborda o desenvolvimento de um dispositivo para proporcionar a aferiçäo da kVp de sistemas mamograficos. Oinstrumento faz uso do processo de detecçäo de cintilaçäo e possui modo simples de operaçäo, fornecendo resposta imediata visualizada em displays.
