Strabismus, visual acuity, and uncorrected refractive error in Portuguese children aged 6 to 11 years

Introduction: Visual anomalies that affect school-age children represent an important public health problem. Data on the prevalence are lacking in Portugal but is needed for planning vision services. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of strabismus, decreased visual acuity, and uncorrected refractive error in Portuguese children aged 6 to 11 years. Methods and materials: A cross-sectional study was carried out on a sample of 672 school-age children (7.69 ± 1.19 years). Children received an orthoptic assessment (visual acuity, ocular alignment, and ocular movements) and non-cycloplegic autorefraction. Results: After orthoptic assessment, 13.8% of children were considered abnormal (n = 93). Manifest strabismus was found in 4% of the children. Rates of esotropia (2.1%) were slightly higher than exotropia (1.8%). Strabismus rates were not statistically significant different per sex (p = 0.681) and grade (p = 0.228). Decreased visual acuity at distance was present in 11.3% of children. Visual acuity ≤20/66 (0.5 logMAR) was found in 1.3% of the children. We also found that 10.3% of children had an uncorrected refractive error. Conclusions: Strabismus affects a small proportion of the Portuguese school-age children. Decreased visual acuity and uncorrected refractive error affected a significant proportion of school-age children. New policies need to be developed to address this public health problem.

MDAI: Model based Design in Automobile Industry

It is proposed a new approach based on a methodology, assisted by a tool, to create new products in the automobile industry based on previous defined processes and experiences inspired on a set of best practices or principles: it is based on high-level models or specifications; it is component-based architecture centric; it is based on generative programming techniques. This approach follows in essence the MDA (Model Driven Architecture) philosophy with some specific characteristics. We propose a repository that keeps related information, such as models, applications, design information, generated artifacts and even information concerning the development process itself (e.g., generation steps, tests and integration milestones). Generically, this methodology receives the users' requirements to a new product (e.g., functional, non-functional, product specification) as its main inputs and produces a set of artifacts (e.g., design parts, process validation output) as its main output, that will be integrated in the engineer design tool (e.g. CAD system) facilitating the work.

Global and local detection of liver steatosis from ultrasound

Liver steatosis is a common disease usually associated with social and genetic factors. Early detection and quantification is important since it can evolve to cirrhosis. Steatosis is usually a diffuse liver disease, since it is globally affected. However, steatosis can also be focal affecting only some foci difficult to discriminate. In both cases, steatosis is detected by laboratorial analysis and visual inspection of ultrasound images of the hepatic parenchyma. Liver biopsy is the most accurate diagnostic method but its invasive nature suggest the use of other non-invasive methods, while visual inspection of the ultrasound images is subjective and prone to error. In this paper a new Computer Aided Diagnosis (CAD) system for steatosis classification and analysis is presented, where the Bayes Factor, obatined from objective intensity and textural features extracted from US images of the liver, is computed in a local or global basis. The main goal is to provide the physician with an application to make it faster and accurate the diagnosis and quantification of steatosis, namely in a screening approach. The results showed an overall accuracy of 93.54% with a sensibility of 95.83% and 85.71% for normal and steatosis class, respectively. The proposed CAD system seemed suitable as a graphical display for steatosis classification and comparison with some of the most recent works in the literature is also presented.

Processos criativos: a importância do olhar

Pesquisas realizadas recentemente salientam o papel desempenhado pelas emoções no cerne dos processos cognitivos e, em particular, na criatividade, entendendo esta não como uma faculdade mas como um processo complexo e dinâmico, dependente de vários fatores intrínsecos e extrínsecos ao sujeito. Paralelamente, a abordagem pedagógica no domínio das artes modificou-se consideravelmente desde os anos 80, desviando a atenção da produção para o processo de conhecimento e o seu conteúdo. Essa alteração levou a uma mudança de paradigma: em vez de se introduzir cegamente os alunos nos detalhes e métodos da produção artística, isolando estes do seu contexto social, procura-se agora despertar neles o olhar estético. Como em Duchamp, tenta-se alcançar uma viragem qualitiva, do objeto para o contexto.

Intervenção para a segurança do doente: análise dos obstáculos existentes na transferência de informação durante a passagem de turno de enfermagem

Mestrado em Intervenção Sócio-Organizacional na Saúde - Ramo de especialização: Políticas de Administração e Gestão de Serviços de Saúde

Estimação de cobertura rádio em GSM-R através de redes neuronais

Trabalho Final de Mestrado para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia de Eletrónica e Telecomunicações

Da condição da génese do erro em enfermagem à segurança do cliente em serviços de urgência

Mestrado em Intervenção Sócio-Organizacional na Saúde - Área de especialização: Políticas de Administração e Gestão de Serviços de Saúde

How short and light can a simple pendulum be for classroom use?

We compare the period of oscillation of an ideal simple pendulum with the period of a more 'real' pendulum constituted of a rigid sphere and a rigid slender rod. We determine the relative error in the calculation of the local acceleration of gravity if the period of the ideal pendulum is use?d instead of the period of this real pendulum. © 2014 IOP Publishing Ltd..

Aplicação do princípio das ondas de Elliott à bolsa portuguesa

Tese para a obtenção do grau de Doutor em Economia, especialidade de Economia da Empresa