Use of discrete event simulation and genetic algorithms to estimate the necessary resources to respond in a timely manner in the Medical Emergency System in Bogotá. / Uso de simulación de eventos discretos y algoritmos genéticos para estimar los recursos necesarios para responder oportunamente en el sistema de emergencias médicas en Bogotá.

Introduction: Bogotá has a Medical Emergency System of public and private ambulances that respond to health incidents. However, its sufficiency in quantity, type and location of the resources demanded is not known. Objective: Based on the data from the Medical Emergency System of Bogotá, Colombia, we first sought to characterize the prehospital re- sponse in cardiac arrest and determine with the model which is the least number of resources necessary to respond within eight minutes, taking into account their location, number, and type. Methods: A database of incidents reported in administrative records of the district health authority of Bogotá (2014 to 2017) was obtained. Based on this information, a hybrid model based on discrete event simulation and genetic algorithms was designed to establish the amount, type and geographic location of resources according to the frequencies and typology of the events. Results: From the database, Bogotá presented 938 671 ambulances dispatches in the period. 47.4% high priority, 18.9% medium and 33.74% low. 92% of these corresponded to 15 of 43 medical emergency codes. The response times recorded were longer than expected, especially in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (median 19 minutes). In the proposed model, the best scenario required at least 281 ambulances, medicalized and basic in a 3:1 ratio, respectively, to respond in adequate time. Conclusions: Results suggest the need for an increase in the resources that respond to these incidents to bring these response times to the needs of our population.

Introducción: Bogotá cuenta con un sistema de emergencias médicas de ambulancias públicas y privadas que responden a incidentes de salud. No se conoce, sin embargo, su suficiencia en cantidad, tipo y ubicación de recursos demandados. Objetivos: A partir de los datos del sistema de emergencias médicas de Bogotá, Colombia, se buscó primero caracterizar la respuesta pre hospitalaria en paro cardiaco. Luego, con el modelo se buscó determinar cuál sería el menor número de recursos necesarios para responder antes de ocho minutos, teniendo en cuenta su ubicación, número y tipo. Métodos: Se obtuvo una base de datos de incidentes reportados en registros administrativos de la autoridad sanitaria distrital de Bogotá (de 2014 a 2017). A partir de esa información, se diseñó un modelo híbrido basado en la simulación de eventos discretos y algoritmos genéticos para establecer la cantidad, tipo y ubicación geográfica de recursos, conforme a frecuencias y tipología de los eventos. Resultados: De la base de datos, Bogotá presentó 938 671 envíos de ambulancias en el período. El 47,4% de prioridad alta, 18,9% media y 33,74% baja. El 92% de estos correspondieron a 15 de 43 códigos de emergencias médicas. Los tiempos de respuesta registrados fueron mayores a lo esperado, especialmente en paro cardiaco extra hospitalario (mediana de 19 minutos). En el modelo planteado, el mejor escenario requirió al menos 281 ambulancias, medicalizadas y básicas en proporción de 3:1 respectivamente para responder en tiempos adecuados. Conclusiones: Los resultados sugieren la necesidad de incrementar los recursos que responden a estos incidentes para acercar estos tiempos de respuesta a las necesidades de nuestra población.

Uso de simulación de eventos discretos y algoritmos genéticos para estimar los recursos necesarios para responder oportunamente en el sistema de emergencias médicas en Bogotá / Use of discrete event simulation and genetic algorithms to estimate the necessary resources to respond in a timely manner in the Medical Emergency System in Bogotá

INTRODUCCIÓN: Bogotá cuenta con un sistema de emergencias médicas de ambulancias públicas y privadas que responden a incidentes de salud. No se conoce, sin embargo, su suficiencia en cantidad, tipo y ubicación de recursos demandados. OBJETIVOS: A partir de los datos del sistema de emergencias médicas de Bogotá, Colombia, se buscó primero caracterizar la respuesta pre hospitalaria en paro cardiaco. Luego, con el modelo se buscó determinar cuál sería el menor número de recursos necesarios para responder antes de ocho minutos, teniendo en cuenta su ubicación, número y tipo. MÉTODOS: Se obtuvo una base de datos de incidentes reportados en registros administrativos de la autoridad sanitaria distrital de Bogotá (de 2014 a 2017). A partir de esa información, se diseñó un modelo híbrido basado en la simulación de eventos discretos y algoritmos genéticos para establecer la cantidad, tipo y ubicación geográfica de recursos, conforme a frecuencias y tipología de los eventos. RESULTADOS: De la base de datos, Bogotá presentó 938 671 envíos de ambulancias en el período. El 47,4% de prioridad alta, 18,9% media y 33,74% baja. El 92% de estos correspondieron a 15 de 43 códigos de emergencias médicas. Los tiempos de respuesta registrados fueron mayores a lo esperado, especialmente en paro cardiaco extra hospitalario (mediana de 19 minutos). En el modelo planteado, el mejor escenario requirió al menos 281 ambulancias, medicalizadas y básicas en proporción de 3:1 respectivamente para responder en tiempos adecuados. CONCLUSIONES: Los resultados sugieren la necesidad de incrementar los recursos que responden a estos incidentes para acercar estos tiempos de respuesta a las necesidades de nuestra población.

INTRODUCTION: Bogotá has a Medical Emergency System of public and private ambulances that respond to health incidents. However, its sufficiency in quantity, type and location of the resources demanded is not known. OBJECTIVE: Based on the data from the Medical Emergency System of Bogotá, Colombia, we first sought to characterize the prehospital response in cardiac arrest and determine with the model which is the least number of resources necessary to respond within eight minutes, taking into account their location, number, and type. METHODS: A database of incidents reported in administrative records of the district health authority of Bogotá (2014 to 2017) was obtained. Based on this information, a hybrid model based on discrete event simulation and genetic algorithms was designed to establish the amount, type and geographic location of resources according to the frequencies and typology of the events. RESULTS: From the database, Bogotá presented 938 671 ambulances dispatches in the period. 47.4% high priority, 18.9% medium and 33.74% low. 92% of these corresponded to 15 of 43 medical emergency codes. The response times recorded were longer than expected, especially in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (median 19 minutes). In the proposed model, the best scenario required at least 281 ambulances, medicalized and basic in a 3:1 ratio, respectively, to respond in adequate time. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest the need for an increase in the resources that respond to these incidents to bring these response times to the needs of our population.

Does motor coordination influence perceptual-cognitive and physical factors of agility in young soccer players in a sport-specific agility task?

This study aims to determine whether motor coordination influences the perception-decision time (perceptual-cognitive factor) and movement response time (physical factor) of young soccer players in a sport-specific agility task regardless of maturation. Eighty-seven young male soccer players were analysed. Anthropometric measurements were used to determine the maturity offset, while physical qualities including agility, change of direction speed (CODS) and motor coordination were also assessed. The following variables were obtained from these tests: Motor coordination score, perception-decision time, movement response time, agility time and CODS time. Motor coordination revealed a non-significant correlation with perception-decision time (r = 0.10, p = 0.34). However, motor coordination showed negative and significant correlations with CODS time (r = -0.47, p < 0.01), agility time (r = -0.52, p < 0.01) and movement response time (r = -0.62, p < 0.01). In addition, regression analysis showed that each increase in motor coordination score was associated with significant decreases in agility time (b = -0.023), movement response time (b = -0.021) and CODS time (b = -0.021) independent of maturity offset. The results of this study indicated that motor coordination was significantly related to the physical factors of agility in young soccer players.

Metaheuristics in the decentralization of SAMU bases using simulation in northeastern Brazil.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The growth of the urban population exerts considerable pressure on municipalities' public managers to focus their attention on providing emergency medical care that meets the growing demand for emergency pre-hospital medical care. Currently, there are a significant number of traffic accidents and other serious occurrences, such as heart attacks, drownings, epidemics, fires and disasters (floods, landslides, earthquakes) that demand a prompt and seamless response from pre-hospital medical care. As a result of such scenario, the present article endeavours to apply a dual-coverage mathematical model (DSM-Double Standard Model) to define the optimal location of the Emergency Medical Service (SAMU) decentralized dispatch bases in Natal/RN and conduct a simulation study to evaluate the displacement of ambulances between such bases. METHODS: The methodological course that was followed by this research constitutes of 12 steps. The location of decentralized bases for sending emergency ambulances was established using the DSM model and the simulation model was performed using the FlexSim© software version 2018 evaluating base coverage in relation to the total number of calls by demand points for different scenarios. RESULTS: The results obtained throughout the research demonstrated the feasibility of redefining the decentralized bases of SAMU/Natal ambulances as a strategy to reduce response time and guarantee compliance with performance parameters established by international organizations (the World Health Organization, for instance, establishes the time of 8 minutes for emergency medical service calls response). The simulation study showed a significant reduction in response time, by up to 60% in some cases. CONCLUSION: The proposition of new locations for the decentralized dispatch bases of the SAMU/Natal can provide an overall significant reduction on the ambulance response time, so as to contribute to expedite the initiation of treatment of patients, if necessary, sent to hospitals.

Emotional categorization of objects: A novel clustering approach and the effect of depression.

Most everyday actions engender interactions with meaningful emotionally-laden stimuli. This study aimed to select pictures of objects as emotional stimulus of affordance to be grasped. The participant's depression trait was also assessed to examine its effect on the judgment of these pictures, and time spent in the classification was computed. Sixty-three participants joined this study. Self-Assessment-Manikin scale was used to classify pictures of the objects, and Beck Depression Inventory was applied to distribute the sample according depression trait. Cluster analysis was used in the classification of 123 objects based on valence and arousal values. Cluster results returned 102 classified pictures in three categories: pleasant (21), neutral (48) and unpleasant (33). Where cluster analysis did not agree, the picture was excluded and not used any further (21). Pleasant pictures presented the highest valence values and unpleasant pictures the lowest, and both categories returned the highest arousal level. In the middle of the valence range, the neutral category evoked the lowest arousal levels. Participants were slower to classify unpleasant pictures in valence sub-scale and faster to classify neutral pictures in arousal one. There was no effect of depression in the response time needed to score the pictures. Thus, agreement of high-performance soft clustering algorithms emerged as a good tool to classify pictures representing objects based on valence and arousal dimensions. Depression trait does not significantly affect the accuracy or time-order of emotional classification. Finally, we presented a set of emotional stimuli that can be employed to examine distinct aspects of emotion over physiology and behavior.

Running Online Behavioral Experiments Using R: Implementation of a Response-Time Decision Making Task as an R-Shiny App.

Online experiments allow for fast, massive, cost-efficient data collection. However, uncontrolled conditions in online experiments can be problematic, particularly when inferences hinge on response-times (RTs) in the millisecond range. To address this challenge, we developed a mobile-friendly open-source application using R-Shiny, a popular R package. In particular, we aimed to replicate the numerical distance effect, a well-established cognitive phenomenon. In the task, 169 participants (109 with a mobile device, 60 on a desktop computer) completed 116 trials displaying two-digit target numbers and decided whether they were larger or smaller than a fixed standard number. Sessions lasted ~7-minutes. Using generalized linear mixed models estimated with Bayesian inference methods, we observed a numerical distance effect: RTs decreased with the logarithm of the absolute difference between the target and the standard. Our results support the use of R-Shiny for RT-data collection. Furthermore, our method allowed us to measure systematic shifts in recorded RTs related to different OSs, web browsers, and devices, with mobile devices inducing longer shifts than desktop devices. Our work shows that precise RT measures can be reliably obtained online across mobile and desktop devices. It further paves the ground for the design of simple experimental tasks using R, a widely popular programming framework among cognitive scientists.

Reaction time and muscle activation patterns in elite and novice athletes performing a taekwondo kick.

Fractionated reaction time can be used to determine distinct epochs known as pre-motor, response and movement times (MTs) of a reaction time task. The purpose of this study was to compare elite and novice athletes performing a taekwondo kick in terms of the fractionated reaction time and electromyography (EMG) activation patterns of the muscles of the striking lower limb and the lower back. We hypothesised that the pre-motor time, response time (RT) and MT would be the shorter for elite athletes compared to novices. We collected data on 13 elite and 10 novice athletes when performing a roundhouse kick. The experiment included EMG electrodes placed on five low back and lower extremity muscles and an electrogoniometer placed on the kicking knee. We found that pre-motor time was shorter and the RT was longer for elite athletes than novice athletes. Moreover, the integrated EMG of the main knee extensor does not differ between groups though other leg and trunk muscles do. The results allow coaches and teachers to understand this particular taekwondo kicking movement which could ultimately improve the technique in order to establish training and teaching goals.

Tarefa de compatibilidade espacial afetiva como modelo de estudo do comportamento emocional / Affective spatial compatibility task as a model for the study of emotional behavior / Tarea de compatibilidad espacial afectiva como modelo para el estudio del comportamiento emocional

Além dos aspectos emocionais, o comportamento humano pode ser afetado por outros fatores, tal como a localização espacial dos estímulos, que favorecem a ocorrência de respostas motoras mais rápidas para o mesmo lado de sua apresentação em uma tarefa clássica de compatibilidade estímulo-resposta. O presente artigo consiste em uma revisão narrativa de estudos que utilizaram a Tarefa de Compatibilidade Espacial Afetiva (TCEA) para avaliar a influência da valência afetiva do estímulo sobre os padrões de compatibilidade espacial. De modo geral, os estudos analisados indicam que figuras, imagens e palavras com valência emocional são capazes de influenciar o comportamento do voluntário. Portanto, a TCEA é uma ferramenta com potencial aplicação ao estudo da interação entre emoção e cognição na avaliação neuropsicológica.

Besides emotional aspects, human behavior can be affected by other factors, such as the spatial location of stimuli, which tend to facilitate the occurrence of faster motor responses to stimulus at the same side in a classic stimulus-response compatibility task. This article consists of a narrative review of studies that used the Affective Spatial Compatibility Task (TCEA) to assess the influence of the stimulus' affective valence on spatial compatibility patterns. In general, studies analyzed indicate that figures, images and words with emotional valence are capable of influencing the subject's behavior. Thus, we conclude that TCEA is a tool with potential application to the study of the interaction between emotion and cognition in the neuropsychological evaluation.

Además de los aspectos emocionales, el comportamiento humano puede verse afectado por otros factores, como la ubicación espacial de los estímulos, que favorecen la aparición de respuestas motoras más rápidas al estímulo en el mismo lado en una tarea de compatibilidad estímulo-respuesta. Este artículo consiste en una revisión narrativa de estudios que utilizaron la Tarea compatibilidad espacial afectiva (TCEA) para evaluar la influencia de la valencia afectiva del estímulo en los patrones de compatibilidad espacial. En general, los estudios analizados indican que las figuras, imágenes y palabras con valencia emocional son capaces de influir en el comportamiento del sujeto. TCEA es una herramienta con potencial aplicación para el estudio de la interacción entre emoción y cognición en la evaluación neuropsicológica.

Phosphorus availability and dynamics in soil affected by long-term ruzigrass cover crop.

The use of grasses as cover crops in the off-season of cash crops under no-till has been largely adopted. However, soil phosphorus (P) uptake was previously shown to be reduced when ruzigrass is introduced in the rotation, affecting the viability and sustainability of this cropping system. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of ruzigrass on soil P availability and desorption kinetics under different P fertilizer application rates. A long-term field experiment where soybean (Glycine max) has been grown in rotation with ruzigrass (Urochloa ruziziensis) or fallow for 10 years, with the application of 0, 13, and 26 kg ha-1 of P, was evaluated for two consecutive years. Soil P desorption kinetics was assessed using diffusive equilibrium (DET) and gradient in thin films (DGT) techniques, as well as the DGT-induced fluxes in soils model (DIFS). Microbial biomass P (MBP) was assessed to verify if soil solution P (PDET) was reduced due to immobilization by microorganisms. Ruzigrass reduced MBP and PDET especially when P fertilizer was applied. The concentration of labile P (PDGT) was also lower after ruzigrass than in fallow. The soil ability to resupply P to soil solution was lower after ruzigrass regardless of P rates due to a slower desorption in response to the perturbation imposed by DGT. Growing ruzigrass as cover crop in the soybean off-season decreases soil P availability regardless of P fertilizer application rates by fundamentally reducing P mobility and P resupply from soil solid phase into soil solution.

Estimating Response Time in Spatial Frequency Band Experiments involving Visual Perception / Estimación del tiempo de respuesta en los experimentos de banda de frecuencia espacial que implican percepción visual

ABSTRACT The present study aimed to determine the optimum response time (RT) needed to identify images of everyday objects when filtered using different spatial frequency bands. Subjects were randomly presented with different images of familiar objects that were both serialized and progressive in their spatial frequencies. The time needed to recognize them was then measured. The results showed that the optimum RT for identifying an image filtered in different spatial frequency bands was approximately 2000 ms of exposure. Specifically, stimuli presented using spatial frequency bands with Gaussian filters of variance V26-V32, which were familiar and of medium size to the viewer, were recognized in a mean time of 2126 ms.

RESUMEN El presente estudio tiene como objetivo determinar el tiempo de respuesta óptimo (RT) necesario para identificar imágenes de objetos cotidianos cuando se filtran utilizando diferentes bandas de frecuencias espaciales. A los sujetos se les presentaba aleatoriamente diferentes imágenes de objetos familiares cuyas bandas de frecuencia eran progresivamente serializadas. Se midió el tiempo necesario para reconocerlos. Los resultados mostraron que la RT óptima para identificar una imagen filtrada en diferentes bandas de frecuencias espaciales fue de aproximadamente 2000 ms de exposición. En concreto, los estímulos presentados utilizando bandas de frecuencias espaciales con filtros gaussianos de varianza V26-V32, que eran familiares y de tamaño medio para el espectador, se reconocieron en un tiempo medio de 2126 ms.

Intra-Individual Response Variability Assessed by Ex-Gaussian Analysis may be a New Endophenotype for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

Intra-individual variability of response times (RTisv) is considered as potential endophenotype for attentional deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Traditional methods for estimating RTisv lose information regarding response times (RTs) distribution along the task, with eventual effects on statistical power. Ex-Gaussian analysis captures the dynamic nature of RTisv, estimating normal and exponential components for RT distribution, with specific phenomenological correlates. Here, we applied ex-Gaussian analysis to explore whether intra-individual variability of RTs agrees with criteria proposed by Gottesman and Gould for endophenotypes. Specifically, we evaluated if normal and/or exponential components of RTs may (a) present the stair-like distribution expected for endophenotypes (ADHD > siblings > typically developing children (TD) without familiar history of ADHD) and (b) represent a phenotypic correlate for previously described genetic risk variants. This is a pilot study including 55 subjects (20 ADHD-discordant sibling-pairs and 15 TD children), all aged between 8 and 13 years. Participants resolved a visual Go/Nogo with 10% Nogo probability. Ex-Gaussian distributions were fitted to individual RT data and compared among the three samples. In order to test whether intra-individual variability may represent a correlate for previously described genetic risk variants, VNTRs at DRD4 and SLC6A3 were identified in all sibling-pairs following standard protocols. Groups were compared adjusting independent general linear models for the exponential and normal components from the ex-Gaussian analysis. Identified trends were confirmed by the non-parametric Jonckheere-Terpstra test. Stair-like distributions were observed for µ (p = 0.036) and σ (p = 0.009). An additional "DRD4-genotype" × "clinical status" interaction was present for τ (p = 0.014) reflecting a possible severity factor. Thus, normal and exponential RTisv components are suitable as ADHD endophenotypes.

Análise da influência da bandagem funcional de tornozelo no tempo de reação do fibular longo em sujeitos saudáveis / Analysis of ankle taping influence in the peroneal reaction time in healthy subjects

OBJETIVOS: O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar a influência da bandagem funcional de tornozelo no tempo de reação do fibular longo de indivíduos sadios. MÉTODOS: A amostra foi composta por oito indivíduos do gênero masculino, fisicamente ativos, sem histórias prévias de lesões de tornozelo e, com os resultados negativos aos testes de instabilidade articular de tornozelo. Foram usados como instrumentos da pesquisa, a bandagem funcional de tornozelo tipo bota fechada, para realizar o teste uma plataforma capaz de inclinar 30o no plano frontal simulando a entorse lateral do tornozelo e um eletromiógrafo de oito canais (Bortec Electronics Incorporation, Canadá) para aquisições dos sinais eletromiográficos. Os sinais EMG foram coletados juntamente com o sinal da plataforma (sincronismo). A coleta dos dados foi realizada em dois momentos, primeiramente sem a bandagem e logo após com a bandagem. RESULTADOS: Os indivíduos tinham idade média de 23,3 anos (± 2,8), massa corpórea de 74,4kg (± 9,4), estatura de 1,7m (± 0,4) e IMC de 23,7kg/m2 (± 2,4). O estudo encontrou diferença estatisticamente significativa p = 0,018 na situação da bandagem funcional de tornozelo com diminuição do tempo de reação do fibular longo. CONCLUSÃO: Acreditamos que esta melhora se deva ao íntimo contato da bandagem com os receptores cutâneos do tornozelo, aumentando a ativação do reflexo fibular, com consequente ganho proprioceptivo e, assim, aumentando a habilidade dos sujeitos em responder a situações súbitas de entorses. O estudo demonstrou diminuição no tempo de reação do fibular longo de indivíduos sadios com o uso da bandagem funcional de tornozelo quando submetidos à inclinação lateral súbita do tornozelo.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of the ankle functional tape on long fibular reaction time in health subjects. METHODS: The sample was composed of eight physically active male subjects, without ankle injury history and with negative results on ankle joint instabilities tests. The instruments used in this research were an ankle functional tape(closed boot type), a platform capable to 30º frontal inclination and an eight-channel electromyograph (Bortec Electronics Incorporation, Canada) for the electrical signals acquisition. The EMG signals were collected concomitantly to the platform (synchronism). Data were collected in two moments: firstly without tape and immediately after, with the tape. RESULTS: The subject average age was 23.3 years (± 2.8), body mass of 74.4 kg (± 9.4), height of 1.7 m (± 0.4) and BMI of 23.7 kg/m2. The research found statistically significant difference of p = 0.018 when the subjects were using the functional ankle tape, with a decreasing of reaction time in long fibular. CONCLUSION: We believe that this increase is related to the close contact of the functional tape with the ankle cutaneous receptors, increasing the fibular reflex activation, with a consequent proprioceptive gain and hence increasing the subjects' ability to respond to sudden ankle sprains. The study showed decrease in long fibular reaction time of health subjects while using this kind of ankle tape when submitted to a sudden lateral ankle inclination.

Acute exercise performed close to the anaerobic threshold improves cognitive performance in elderly females

The objective of the present study was to compare the effect of acute exercise performed at different intensities in relation to the anaerobic threshold (AT) on abilities requiring control of executive functions or alertness in physically active elderly females. Forty-eight physically active elderly females (63.8 ± 4.6 years old) were assigned to one of four groups by drawing lots: control group without exercise or trial groups with exercise performed at 60, 90, or 110 percent of AT (watts) and submitted to 5 cognitive tests before and after exercise. Following cognitive pretesting, an incremental cycle ergometer test was conducted to determine AT using a fixed blood lactate concentration of 3.5 mmol/L as cutoff. Acute exercise executed at 90 percent of AT resulted in significant (P < 0.05, ANOVA) improvement in the performance of executive functions when compared to control in 3 of 5 tests (verbal fluency, Tower of Hanoi test (number of movements), and Trail Making test B). Exercising at 60 percent of AT did not improve results of any tests for executive functions, whereas exercise executed at 110 percent of AT only improved the performance in one of these tests (verbal fluency) compared to control. Women from all trial groups exhibited a remarkable reduction in the Simple Response Time (alertness) test (P = 0.001). Thus, physical exercise performed close to AT is more effective to improve cognitive processing of older women even if conducted acutely, and using a customized exercise prescription based on the anaerobic threshold should optimize the beneficial effects.

Implementación de una prueba automatizada para la evaluación de memoria operacional: Memonum / Use of a Computarized Test of Evaluate Working Memory: Memonum

Introducción: Memonum es un test computarizado que se basa en la tarea de retención de dígitos directos de Wechsler. El estudio evaluó en una población universitaria la influencia de diversos intervalos de presentación de dígitos e interferencia atencional sobre el desempeño mnemónico derivado de la prueba Memonum. Método: La muestra estuvo conformada por 28 estudiantes, entre los 17 y los 25 años de edad, a quienes se les aplicó el Memonum en sus dos presentaciones (blanco-negro sin interferencia atencional y color con interferencia) con intervalos de exposición de 1, 8 y 16 segundos. Al fi nalizar cada intervalo se aplicó un formato de autoinforme para evaluar las estrategias empleadas y el grado de distracción y dificultad generado por la prueba. Resultados: El número de aciertos alcanzado por los participantes en la prueba Memonum fue similar al reportado con la subprueba de Wechsler. Además, el incremento de los intervalos de exposición de los dígitos en la prueba Memonum aumentó el desempeño mnemónico de los individuos. La presentación en color tuvo un efecto de interferencia atencional detectado por los análisis de variabilidad en el dominio del tiempo. Conclusión: La prueba Memonum es una herramienta útil en la evaluación de la memoria operacional por medio visual, pues detecta la perturbación atencional y se plantea como una prueba viable de evaluación y diagnóstico.

Introduction: The Memonum test is a computerized test based on the Wechsler test for retention of direct digits. The present study evaluated the infl uence of different intervals of digits presentation and attention interference on the mnemonic performance derived from the Memonum test, in a university population. Method: Twenty-eight students between the ages of 17 and 25 years were tested. All the subjects were tested with the Memonum in two presentations (Black-White without attention interference, and Color with interference), with exhibition intervals of 1, 8 and 16 seconds. After each interval an auto-test format was applied to evaluate the used strategies, and the level of distraction and difficulty generated by the test. Results: The number of successes obtained by the participants in the Memonum test was similar to that reported with the Wechsler sub-test. In addition, the increase of the exhibition intervals of the digits in the Memonum test, increased the mnemonic performance of the subject. The Color presentation had an interference effect at the attention level detected by the analyses of variability in the time dominion. Conclusion: The Memonum test is a useful tool in the evaluation of working memory as a visual test, that detects disturbances at the attention level, rendering a viable test for evaluation and diagnosis.

Análise do tempo de resposta reflexa dos músculos estabilizadores patelares em indivíduos com síndrome da dor patelofemural / Analysis of the reflex response time of the patellar stabilizer muscles in individuals with patellofemoral pain syndrome

OBJETIVO: Avaliar o tempo de resposta reflexa (TRR) dos músculos vasto medial oblíquo (VMO), vasto lateral oblíquo (VLO) e vasto lateral longo (VLL) em indivíduos clinicamente saudáveis e portadores de síndrome da dor patelofemural (SDPF). MÉTODOS: Foram avaliadas 12 mulheres clinicamente saudáveis e 12 mulheres com SDPF. Os registros eletromiográficos foram obtidos por eletrodos ativos simples conectados a um eletromiógrafo, acionados por um sensor externo fixado sobre a porção média do ligamento da patela a partir de sua percussão. A análise do TRR foi realizada por meio da medida do tempo zero ao pico da resposta elétrica dos músculos VMO, VLO e VLL, em segundos, para ambos os grupos. A análise estatística empregada foi o teste de análise de variância (ANOVA, p< 0,05) e teste Tukey post hoc (p< 0,05) para comparação entre os músculos, e o teste t de Student (p< 0,05) para a comparação entre os grupos. RESULTADOS: Ambos os grupos apresentaram um TRR menor para o músculo VMO, quando comparado aos músculos VLO e VLL; entretanto, não se observou diferença significativa entre os músculos VLO e VLL. Na comparação do TRR entre os grupos, não se observou diferença significativa. CONCLUSÕES: De acordo com esses resultados, pode-se sugerir que o TRR das porções do músculo quadríceps não diferencia indivíduos com SDFP dos indivíduos clinicamente saudáveis, sendo que o VMO apresenta um TRR menor em relação ao VLO e VLL para ambos os grupos.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the reflex response time (RRT) of the vastus medialis obliquus (VMO), vastus lateralis obliquus (VLO) and vastus lateralis longus (VLL) muscles in clinically healthy individuals and subjects with patellofemoral pain syndrome (PPS). METHODS: Twelve clinically health women and twelve women with PPS were evaluated. Electromyography (EMG) records were obtained using active electrodes connected to an electromyograph that was activated by an external sensor attached to the medial portion of the patella ligament, by means of percussion. The RRT was analyzed by measuring the time, in seconds, between zero and peak electrical response of the VMO, VLO and VLL muscles, for both groups. The statistical analysis consisted of analysis of variance (ANOVA, p< 0.05) and the Tukey post-hoc test (p< 0.05) to compare the response between muscles, and Student's t test (p< 0.05) to compare the response between groups. RESULTS: Both groups presented lower RRT for the VMO muscle than for the VLO and VLL muscles. However, no significant difference was seen between the VLO and VLL muscles. There was no significant difference in RRT between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: According to these results, it can be suggested that the RRTs in the different portions of the quadriceps muscle do not distinguish between subjects with PPS and clinically healthy individuals. The RRT for the VMO muscle was lower than the RRT for the VLO and VLL muscles, for both groups.