Activity and fitness levels decline through the years from 30 to 60 years of age. Minimal research is available regarding functional assessment tools in this population. Reliable functional tools are needed to reintroduce individuals to appropriate physical activity levels following an injury and to maintain high levels of participation through their lifespan. The purposes of this study were multiple: 1) determine if three functional tests correspond with neuromotor fitness levels, 2) establish a model of functional tests, activity levels and descriptive data that distinguishes the most from the least fit, 3) describe expected mean functional test performances, and 4) demonstrate the reliability of the three functional tests in a sample of 30-60 year olds. 63 females and 38 males completed activity surveys, a neuromotor fitness test, the star excursion balance test (SEBT), the four square step test (FSST), and the Biering-Sorensen test of trunk extensor muscle endurance. Moderate to high reliability of the functional tests was determined with 29 subjects. The SEBT (r=.97), FSST (r=.88) and the Biering-Sorensen test (r=.64) were reliable. All functional tests were able to distinguish between the most fit and least fit with regards to the fitness tests. A model of the body mass index and the FSST predicted 25% of the variance in fitness level. Functional test means are reported by 10-year age groups and represent expected performance values.Health care professionals can use this information to compare their patients to this group of healthy individuals. This will allow them to have some idea of how well a person with an injury is performing relative to a healthy individual. Additionally the combination of a persons BMI plus their FSST gives the health care professional some information about an individual level of neuromuscular fitness so that the health care professional can guide their patients toward an appropriate level of physical activity after their injury or illness.

This master thesis introduces the issue of individual concepts that affect the psychological and motor processes, occurring at people with physical disabilities. It addresses the definition of the basic concepts within both historical and present context. The thesis considers what kind of connection and relationships exist behind the failures of the body scheme and the human psyche, and in greater detail deals with methods that work to improve the quality of life for a person with a physical disability. The research part establishes the situation of comprehensive rehabilitation in the Czech Republic. It is developed according to the preliminary areas: lifelong learning, the status of the comprehensive rehabilitation and procedures used in caring for a person with a physical disability. KEYWORDS: physical disability, therapeutic methods, psychomotor, neuromotor, lifelong learning, comprehensive rehabilitation.

Title: Assessment of the relationship between level of neuromotor, body somatotype, physical fitness level and game skills at football players in U12 category. Objectives: The aim is to determinate the relationships between levels of neuromotoric, body somatotype, overal physical fitness level and the individual playing skills at football players in the U12 age category. Methods: The main research method of our work was the observation method. The research were included soccer player (n = 40; 11,5 ± 0,3 let). Neuromotor age, we investigated using Bruininks Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOT - 2). Physical fitness was assessed using a test battery UNIFITTEST 6-60. To determine the somatotype we used the methodology of Heath - Carter 1967. For data analysis we used basic descriptive statistics, correlation, linear and multiple regression. Results: A significant correlation (r = -0.60; p <0.001) was found between the level of fundamental motor skills (level of neuromotoric) and the specific game skills (slalom with the ball). Significant correlations were also found between the level of fundamental motor skills (level of neuromotoric) and physical fitness (r = 0.64; p <0.001) and between levels of physical fitness and the specific game skills (slalom with the ball; r = 0.55; p <0.01). These...

Individuals diagnosed with schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) exhibit patterns of cognitive deficits, neuromotor disturbances, and behavior problems similar to individuals with schizophrenia, and thus SPD is thought to represent one point on the continuum of schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs). Deficits in behavior, cognition, and motor functioning have been implicated as childhood precursors of SSDs and appear to also vary as a function of gender and family history of psychopathology. As such, studies of youth may help in further identification of individuals at risk for SSDs. The current study examined the prospective associations between problem behaviors, neuromotor and neurocognitive functioning, as well as SSD symptoms, at baseline and 2-year follow-up in youth meeting criteria for SPD, other personality disorders, or healthy controls. The neuromotor and neurocognitive measures were able to significantly predict SSD symptoms and behavior problems above and beyond baseline predictors. Overall, the findings provide further support for the role of subcortical motor centers operating together with prefrontal cortical areas in the regulation of higher-order cognitive functioning and in producing the psychiatric features of SSDs. Significant correlations between gender, family history of schizophrenia, and history of head injury with symptoms, behavior, cognition, and motor functioning were also found and highlight the importance of examining the effects of these variables in future investigations. In sum, the current study helped in identifying factors that predict the clinical course of schizotypy and may shed light on the disturbed neural circuitry underlying SSDs.

A terapia do espelho, técnica utilizada no tratamento de pacientes em reabilitação neurológica, tem mostrado bons resultados a um custo relativamente baixo. Nessa terapia, um espelho é colocado ao longo do plano sagital mediano do paciente entre os dois membros, superiores ou inferiores, com o intuito de transmitir estímulos visuais para o cérebro para induzir a ilusão dos membros em questão estarem se deslocando de forma síncrona. Considerando a simplicidade, os resultados obtidos e o baixo custo da terapia do espelho, neste trabalho exploramos recursos tipicamente disponíveis em dispositivos móveis do tipo tablet e smartphones para propor um modelo de acompanhamento remoto baseado na gravação e no compartilhamento de vídeos de sessões de terapia do espelho considerando dois tipos de usuários: terapeutas e pacientes. O modelo é apresentado na forma de um protótipo de um sistema de acompanhamento remoto de pacientes que utilizam a terapia do espelho em sua reabilitação. Especialistas avaliaram que o sistema apresenta grande potencial no auxilio à reabilitação de membros superiores, podendo ser utilizado por qualquer paciente em reabilitação pela terapia do espelho devido à sua facilidade de uso. Entre os trabalhos futuros viabilizados pela versão atual do sistema estão testes com pacientes em tratamento para verificação das implicações resultantes de sua utilização. / The mirror therapy technique used in the treatment of patients in neurological rehabilitation has shown good results in a relatively low cost. In this therapy, a mirror is placed along the median sagittal plane of the patient between the two limbs, higher or lower, in order to transmit visual stimuli to the brain to induce the illusion of the limbs are moving synchronously. Considering the simplicity, the results obtained and the low cost of mirror therapy in this work we explore resources available on mobile devices like tablet and smartphones to propose a remote monitoring model based on recording and sharing videos of mirror therapy sessions considering two types of users: therapists and patients. The model is presented as a prototype of a remote monitoring system of patients that use mirror therapy in their rehabilitation. Experts evaluated that the system presents great potential to aid in the rehabilitation of the upper limbs and may be used by any patient due to its ease of use. Among the future work made possible by the current version of the system are the patients tests verifying the implications of the system in the therapy.

A terapia do espelho, técnica utilizada no tratamento de pacientes em reabilitação neurológica, tem mostrado bons resultados a um custo relativamente baixo. Nessa terapia, um espelho é colocado ao longo do plano sagital mediano do paciente entre os dois membros, superiores ou inferiores, com o intuito de transmitir estímulos visuais para o cérebro para induzir a ilusão dos membros em questão estarem se deslocando de forma síncrona. Considerando a simplicidade, os resultados obtidos e o baixo custo da terapia do espelho, neste trabalho exploramos recursos tipicamente disponíveis em dispositivos móveis do tipo tablet e smartphones para propor um modelo de acompanhamento remoto baseado na gravação e no compartilhamento de vídeos de sessões de terapia do espelho considerando dois tipos de usuários: terapeutas e pacientes. O modelo é apresentado na forma de um protótipo de um sistema de acompanhamento remoto de pacientes que utilizam a terapia do espelho em sua reabilitação. Especialistas avaliaram que o sistema apresenta grande potencial no auxilio à reabilitação de membros superiores, podendo ser utilizado por qualquer paciente em reabilitação pela terapia do espelho devido à sua facilidade de uso. Entre os trabalhos futuros viabilizados pela versão atual do sistema estão testes com pacientes em tratamento para verificação das implicações resultantes de sua utilização. / The mirror therapy technique used in the treatment of patients in neurological rehabilitation has shown good results in a relatively low cost. In this therapy, a mirror is placed along the median sagittal plane of the patient between the two limbs, higher or lower, in order to transmit visual stimuli to the brain to induce the illusion of the limbs are moving synchronously. Considering the simplicity, the results obtained and the low cost of mirror therapy in this work we explore resources available on mobile devices like tablet and smartphones to propose a remote monitoring model based on recording and sharing videos of mirror therapy sessions considering two types of users: therapists and patients. The model is presented as a prototype of a remote monitoring system of patients that use mirror therapy in their rehabilitation. Experts evaluated that the system presents great potential to aid in the rehabilitation of the upper limbs and may be used by any patient due to its ease of use. Among the future work made possible by the current version of the system are the patients tests verifying the implications of the system in the therapy.

Classés parmi les Polluants Organiques Persistants, les Hydrocarbures Aromatiques Polycycliques (HAP) sont des composés ubiquitaires dans l'environnement, auxquels l'Homme est exposé principalement via l'ingestion d'aliments contaminés. Les HAP sont connus depuis les années 1990 comme pouvant être neurotoxiques tant chez l'Homme que chez l'animal. Le transfert des HAP entre la mère et le foetus via le placenta ainsi que la présence de ces composés dans le lait maternel ont été montrés à plusieurs reprises, posant ainsi la question du risque lié à une exposition survenant lors de phases précoces du développement de l'individu. Parce que ce risque n'a été que partiellement étudié, le travail de thèse présenté dans ce manuscrit a eu pour objectif d'évaluer la toxicité à court et à long terme pour le système nerveux en développement, d'un mélange de 16 HAP ingéré par la rate gestante et/ou allaitante. Les HAP ont été administrés via un aliment contaminé à deux doses, 2 et 200 µg/kg/jour La dose la plus faible correspond aux niveaux de contamination environnementale via l'alimentation de la mère pendant les périodes de gestation et/ou d'allaitement. Les résultats montrent que l'exposition périnatale au mélange de HAP n'a pas induit d'effets à court terme sur le développement neuromoteur et sensoriel des jeunes rats. En revanche, une augmentation à long terme des niveaux d'activité et d'anxiété a été relevée chez les animaux exposés. Par ailleurs, des modifications du métabolisme énergétique cérébral, évalué par l'activité enzymatique de la cytochrome oxydase sur des coupes de cerveaux prélevés à différents âges ont été observées, notamment au niveau du système limbique. La mesure des concentrations de HAP dans le compartiment cérébral des ratons a montré la présence de l'ensemble des molécules mères, y compris chez les animaux témoins, ce qui laisse supposer l'existence d'un bruit de fond environnemental non négligeable dans ce type d'étude. Finalement, plusieurs facteurs modulent la toxicité induite, parmi lesquelles la période d'exposition, et l'administration d'un mélange et non d'une molécule seule. En conclusion, ce travail a permis de mettre en évidence, chez le rat, une neurotoxicité retardée suite à une exposition précoce à un mélange de 16 HAP tant sur le plan comportemental que métabolique, ce qui pose la question du risque pour l'Homme, et en particulier pour l'individu en développement, d'une exposition à ce type de composés / Compounds in the environment to which human is exposed mainly through ingestion of contaminated food. PAHs are known since the 1990s as being neurotoxic both in humans and in animals. PAH transfer between mother and fetus through the placenta, and the presence of these compounds in breast milk have been shown, thus raising the question of risk exposure occurring during early stages of development of the individual. Because this risk was only partially studied, the thesis presented in this manuscript was designed to assess the short-term and long-term toxicity for the developing nervous system, of a mixture of 16 PAHs ingested by the pregnant and / or breastfeeding rat. PAHs were administered via a contaminated food at two doses, 2 and 200 µg/kg /day dose. The lowest one corresponds to the levels of environmental contamination via the mother's diet during gestation and/or lactation. The results show that perinatal exposure to the mixture of PAHs did not induce short-term effects on neuromotor and sensory development on pups. In contrast, a long-term increase in activity and anxiety levels was observed in the exposed animals. In addition, changes in cerebral energy metabolism, as assessed by the enzymatic activity of cytochrome oxidase on brain sections taken at different ages were observed, particularly in the limbic system. Measures of the concentrations of PAHs in the pup brain compartment showed the presence of all the parent compounds, including control animals, suggesting the existence of an environmental noise significant. Finally, several factors modulate PAH toxicity, including the exposure period, and the administration of a mixture instead of a single molecule. In conclusion, this work has highlighted, in rats, delayed neurotoxicity due to early exposure to a mixture of 16 PAHs, which raises the question of risk to humans, and in particular for the individual developing exposure to such compounds

Redes Bayesianas Dinâmicas (DBNs) são modelos capazes de representar um sistema dinâmico por meio de uma rede complexa que codifica as independências estatísticas condicionais entre os seus estados internos. Entre seus métodos de aprendizagem estrutural a partir de dados, o uso daqueles baseados em teoria de informação têm ganhado bastante espaço nos últimos anos, devido às suas vantages de serem livres de modelo e permitirem uma aprendizagem offline a partir de medidas em múltiplas repetições do experimento. No entanto, resta uma exploração dos paralelos entre a área de aprendizagem de DBNs e aquela interessada em realizar medidas de transferência de informação entre elementos de um sistema neural, principalmente por meio de transferência de entropia (TE). O presente trabalho busca, assim, aproximar estes dois focos de pesquisa, identificando suas equivalências e tratando de alguns dos desafios relacionados à sua implementação em identificação de sistemas neurais. Nota-se que uma das maiores dificuldades relacionadas ao uso de teoria de informação em sistemas multivariados concerne a alta dimensionalidade das funções de distribuição de probabilidade, exigindo grandes quantidades de dados observados simultaneamente. Não obstante, a aplicação de DBNs e transferência de entropia em sistemas de tempo contínuo também envolve considerações sobre a discretização dos sistemas no tempo, o que implica na necessidade de relaxamento da suposição da propriedade de Markov de primeira ordem (presente na definição de DBNs), e leva, assim, à proposta de redes Bayesianas dinâmicas de altas ordens (HO-DBNs). Além de realizar uma revisão das principais propostas para a solução destas dificuldades, o trabalho primeiramente propõe que, sob a suposição de um sistema com elementos se comportando de forma igual, os valores das medidas baseadas em teoria de informação com baixa dimensionalidade podem ser utilizados para a aprendizagem de estruturas de rede. Isso é mostrado a partir do uso de informação mútua par a par para a aprendizagem de redes Bayesianas simuladas com distribuições de probabilidade condicional fixas. No que concerne o uso de HO-DBNs, também se propõe um algoritmo baseado em otimização por enxame de partículas (PSO) para percorrer o espaço de busca de estruturas de HO-DBNs de forma mais eficiente. Em seguida, duas aplicações de modelagem de DBNs com uso de teoria de informação são exploradas na área de sistemas neurais, tendo em vista a obtenção de conhecimento acerca de conectividade funcional e até uma aplicação futura em engenharia bioinspirada. Os desafios apresentados anteriormente são, assim, exemplificados, junto com algumas propostas de solução. A primeira área diz respeito à elicitação de conectividade funcional entre as sub-áreas do hipocampo, no cérebro humano, a partir de dados de ressonância magnética funcional (fMRI) de alta resolução. A partir de uma análise seed-to-voxel em grupo, regiões de interesse (ROIs) são identificadas e um modelo inicial de DBN é proposto, que é coerente com alguns estudos já feitos na literatura. A segunda área de aplicação concerne a conectividade neural do sistema neuromotor do gafanhoto, a partir de gravações intracelulares de potencial sináptico em neurônios sensores, motores e interneurônios, sob estimulação com um fórceps no órgão femoral cordotonal (FeCO). Embora um modelo completo de DBN ainda não seja possível devido à ausência de gravações simultâneas suficientes, os atrasos de transferência de entropia entre o estímulo e a resposta nos neurônios motores são obtidos e integrados a partir de uma análise Bayesiana, dado também um pré-processamento com análise de espectro singular (SSA) que, ao remover a não-estacionariedade do sinal (que se deve a fatores extrínsecos ao sistema), aumentou consideravelmente a quantidade de amostras disponíveis. Tais resultados, ao ajudar a reduzir o espaço de busca de DBNs, também servem para direcionar futuros experimentos e pesquisas na área. / Dynamic Bayesian Networks (DBNs) are models capable of representing a dynamical system by means of a complex network which codifies statistical conditional independencies between their internal states. Among their strucutural learning methods based on data, the use of ones based on information theory are gaining ground in recent years, due to their advantages of being model-free and permitting offline learning from multiple repetitions of an experiment. However, there still remains an exploration of the parallels between the areas of DBN structure learning and those interested in obtaining measures of information transfer between elements of neural systems, mainly through transfer entropy (TE). Thus, the current work seeks to approximate these two foci of research by identifying some of their equivalences and challenges related to their usage in neural systems identification. It is noted that one of the main difficulties related to the use of information theory in multivariate neural systems concerns the high dimensionality of the probability distribution functions, requiring thus great quantities of data observed simultaneously. Furthermore, the application of DBNs and transfer entropy on continuous time systems also involves considerations about their discretization on time, which implies the necessity of relaxing the first order Markov property (instrinsinc to the definition of DBNs), and thus leads to the proposal of high-order dynamic Bayesian networks (HO-DBNs). Besides performing a review on the main proposals for solving these difficulties, this work first proposes that, under the supposition of a system with elements behaving in a similar way, the values of information theory based measures with low dimensions can be employed for learning network structures. This is shown with the use of pairwise mutual information for learning simulated Bayesian networks with fixed conditional probability distributions. And concerning the use of HO-DBNs, an algorithm based on PSO is proposed in order to pass through their search space more efficiently. Next, two applications of DBN modeling with information theory are explored in the field of neural systems, in view of obtaining knowledge about functional connectivity and even of a future application of bioinspired engineering. The challenged presented earlier are then exemplified along with some proposals of solutions. The first field regards the elicitation of functional connectivity between hippocampal subfields on the human brain based of high resolution fMRI data. Starting from a seed-to-voxel group analysis, regions of interest (ROIs) are identified and an initial DBN model is proposed, which is coherent with some studies already conducted in the literature. The second field of application concerns the neural connectivity between the neuromotor system of the locust, based on intracellular synaptic potential recordings on sensory neurons, interneurons and motor neurons under stimulation by a forceps in the femoral chordotonal organ (FeCO). Although a complete DBN model is still not possible due to the absence of sufficient and simultaneous recordings, the transfer entropy delays between stimulus and responses on the motor neuros are obtained and integrated by a Bayesian analysis, given also a pre-processing based on Singular Spectrum Analysis (SSA) which, by removing the nonstationarity characteristics of the signal (which are due to extrinsic factors on the system), considerably increased the number of available samples for learning. Such results, by helping to reduce the search space of DBNs, also direct further experiments and studies on this field.

Il lavoro di tesi ha come oggetto la valutazione della qualità relazionale dei servizi offerti dal Centro disabilità neuromotorie infantili della Fondazione Ariel e ha come obiettivi l’approfondimento teorico e metodologico dell’approccio relazionale riflessivo alla valutazione, con attenzione alle connessioni tra valutazione e dimensioni organizzative dei servizi alla persona e alla famiglia. Questo approccio multidimensionale e multivision della qualità fa riferimento ad alcune macro-dimensioni organizzative del benessere relazionale generato da un servizio sociale: l’efficienza, l’efficacia, la qualità integrativa, la qualità etica dei fini. Questa prospettiva riflessiva e partecipata di valutazione costituisce un’opportunità per cogliere, descrivere e giudicare il bene comune relazionale generato da un servizio alla persona e alla famiglia in un contesto di bisogni sociali in mutamento, dove strategiche sono personalizzazione e alla familiarizzazione dei servizi. Oltre al potenziale conoscitivo, la valutazione della qualità relazionale dedica particolare attenzione al potenziale trasformativo e morfogenetico della leva valutativa. Metodologicamente l’analisi condotta è stata di tipo quanto-qualitativo. Sono state realizzate interviste semi-strutturate con gli operatori del Centro e una dettagliata analisi della documentazione. Il lavoro partecipato ha condotto alla costruzione di questionario di 35 variabili che è stato esitato da 167 famiglie beneficiarie. Oltre ad un’analisi monovariata dei risultati del questionario sono stati costruiti alcuni indici sintetici su alcune dimensioni critiche della qualità relazionale. / The work relates to evaluation of relational quality of the services offered by Foundation Ariel’s childhood neuromotor disabilities Center . The objectives are the methodological and theoretical study of the relational reflexive evaluation approach, with attention to the connections between evaluation and organizational dimensions services to individuals and families. This multidimensional and multi-vision quality model refers to some macro-organizational dimensions of relational well-being generated by social services: efficiency, effectiveness, quality integration, the quality of ethical purposes. This reflective and participatory evaluation perspective is an opportunity to capture, describe and assess the common good relationship generated by a service to individuals and families, which are strategic to the familiarization and customization in a context of changing social needs. In addition, relational quality evaluation pays particular attention to the transformative and morphogenetic potential of evaluation. Methodologically, the analysis was quanto-qualitative. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with operators of the Centre and a detailed analysis of the documentation was done. The work led to the construction of a questionnaire of 35 variables, which 167 beneficiary families have responded to. Besides monovariata analysis of the results of the questionnaire, some synthetic indexes of some critical dimensions of relational quality were constructed.

Clefts of orofacial komplex are the most common birth development defects. One of them is Pierre Robin sequence, which is characterized by presence of micrognathia, glossoptosis and upper airway obstruction. Because of these symptoms, isolated cleft palate "U" or "V" shaped can be part of the diagnose. Other clinical manifestations are feeding difficulties, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and / or gastroesophageal reflux disease. The aim of the treatment is to secure the airway and the child's thriving after birth by using conservative or invasive treatment methods. Choosing of methods and procedures should be established by multidisciplinary cooperation. The other part of diploma thesis is trying to find out, which clinical manifestation are the most common in patients from the Czech Republic compare to foreign patients and the differences in management of the treatment. Furthermore we are trying to investigate, whether there is higher percentage of patients with delayed neuromotor development among PRS patients, which are under physical therapy. The last part is trying to find out the relationship between the poor posture and PRS diagnose in children age 4 - 6 years.