Desenvolvimento de um Sistema de Automação e Supervisão de Máquinas Dispensadoras Através da Internet

This paper aims to design and develop a control and monitoring system of vending machines, based on a Central Processing Unit with peripheral Internet communication. Coupled with the condom vending machines, a data acquisition module will be connected to the original circuits in order to collect and send, via internet, the information to the healthy government agencies, in the form of charts and reports. In the face of this, such agencies may analyze these data and compare them with the rates of reduction, in medium or long term, of the STD/AIDS in their respective regions, after the implementation of these vending machines, together with the conventional preventing programs. Reading the methodology, this paper is about an explaining and bibliography research, with the aspect of a qualitative-quantitative methodology, presenting a deductive method of approach and an indirect documentation technique research. About the results of the tests and simulations, we concluded that the implementation of this system will have the same success in any other type of dispenser machine

Desenvolvimento de um middleware para comunicação via web services e sua aplicação em sistemas de aquisição de dados industriais

The control of industrial processes has become increasingly complex due to variety of factory devices, quality requirement and market competition. Such complexity requires a large amount of data to be treated by the three levels of process control: field devices, control systems and management softwares. To use data effectively in each one of these levels is extremely important to industry. Many of today s industrial computer systems consist of distributed software systems written in a wide variety of programming languages and developed for specific platforms, so, even more companies apply a significant investment to maintain or even re-write their systems for different platforms. Furthermore, it is rare that a software system works in complete isolation. In industrial automation is common that, software had to interact with other systems on different machines and even written in different languages. Thus, interoperability is not just a long-term challenge, but also a current context requirement of industrial software production. This work aims to propose a middleware solution for communication over web service and presents an user case applying the solution developed to an integrated system for industrial data capture , allowing such data to be available simplified and platformindependent across the network

Mídia e produção de sentido: a reconfiguração da indústria da música e as estratégias discursivas da associação cultural DoSol

This dissertation aims to analyse discursive strategies from Dosol in order to understand the present elements to keep its audience and the marketing activities. Based on French line of discourse analysis We look into the articles posted on its website at http://www.dosol.com.br within 2010 and We foment dialogues among music, media and communications researchers. Participant observation is slightly used on the critical perception and views of researched object to confront situations and step up, with theorists, the major part of closing remarks. The obtained results indicate a website speech paved on afirmative policies and social capital, trying to keep/seduce its audience with the efect of the intended credibility meaning. The economic factor wanders the speech so often that the speaker assumes a entrepreneur/cultural producer. As a niche market, Dosol assumes a main role in music industry for releasing the regional and local cultural production. On the other hand, it is noticeable that its sustainability and media visibility, as it is seen today, depends on the laws tor promote Culture, what denotes a lack of a regional cultural policies to medium and long term at Rio Grande do Norte

Escolha de parceiros na adolescência

Mate choice is a component of sexual selection. Trying to understand the patterns of this process, several studies have emphasized the adaptive value of sexual differences and their influence on the assessment of the market value. The pattern for adults presented on the scientific literature, which is based on the preference for certain characteristics, shows that men search a partner who shows high value of fecundity and fertility, thus looking for partners with the ability of being pregnant and nursing their offspring. On the other hand, women look for partners with high socioeconomic status, which is strongly associated with the ability to protect and provide resources for them and their offspring. Surprisingly, there is few works that investigated the mate choice patterns during the beginning of the period of sexual differentiation on the morphological, physiological and behavioral traits. The aim of this study was to investigate mate choice patterns in adolescence in order to describe their preferences and contribute to the understanding of human reproductive behavior. Took part of this research 1,232 students from educational institutions of Natal, Brazil, and visitors to the Scientific, Technological and Cultural Fair UFRN. In the Experimental Study 1, we applied a questionnaire to evaluate the importance of certain characteristics, assessed the degree of romantic involvement and real and ideal partners age preference. In the Experimental Study 2, we did a survey of characteristics considered relevant and evaluate the importance of these characteristics in mate choice. The Experimental Study 3 brought an investigation of mate choice patterns based on self-assessment of adolescents, evaluating ideal partner for a short-term and long-term relationships and actual partner. We found that adolescents are motivated to live romantic experiences. We also observed a preference for partners of similar age to that described for adults. Finally, we found similarities and differences in the preferences for characteristics in real and ideal partners in relation to the adult pattern. In addition, we observed high similarity on the self-assessment and assessment of real and ideal partners. We suggest that in the mate choice, adolescents are similar to young adults in some aspects but not all. Our results show the relevance of the reproductive behavior investigation in this human developmental period and reinforce that further studies should contribute to the understanding of human behavior in terms of ontogenetic development and their evolutionary history.

Expressão de zif-268 durante a aquisição, evocação e extinção de uma memória aversiva

In the behavioral paradigm of discriminative avoidance task, both short and long-term memories have been extensively investigated with behavioral and pharmacological approaches. The aim of the present study was to evaluate, using the abovementioned model, the hippocampal expression of zif-268 - a calcium-dependent immediate early gene involved with synaptic plasticity process - throughout several steps of memory formation, such as acquisition, evocation and extiction. The behavioral apparatus consisted of a modified elevaated plus-maze, with their enclosed arms disposed in "L". A pre-exposure to the maze was made with the animal using all arms enclosed, for 30 minutes, followed by training and test, during 10 minutes each. The between sections interval was 24h. During training, aversive stimuli (bright light and loud noise) were actived whenever the animals entered one of the enclosed armas (aversive arm). Memory acquisiton, retention and extinction were evaluated by the percentage of the total time spent exploring the aversive arm. The parameters evaluated (time spent in the arms and total distance traveled) were estimated with an animal tracking software (Anymaze, Stoelting, USA). Learning during training was estimated by the decrease of the time spent exploring the aversive arm. One hour after the beginning of each section, animals were anaesthetized with sodium-thiopental (i.p.) and perfused with 0.9% heparinized saline solution followed by 4% paraformaldehyde. Brains were cryoprotected with 20% sucrose, separeted in three blocks and frozen. The middle block, containing the hippocampus, was sectioned at 20 micro meters in the coronal plane and the resutant sections were submitted to zif-268 immunohistochemistry. Our results show an increased expression of zif-268 in the dentate gyrus (DG) during the evocation and extinction stages. There is a distinct participation of the DG during the memory evocation, but not during its acquisition. Inaddition, all hippocampal regions (CA1, CA3 and DG) presented an increased zif-268 expression during the process of extinction.

Preferências e escolhas românticas entre universitários

Several studies have found different patterns of preferences to men and women for short term and long term relationship romantic partners. It is known that the preferences vary with the sex of individuals, the expected involvement level of the relationship and according to the perceptions that subjects have about themselves. In the present study, we investigate whether the preferences typically founded for sexes are also founded between Brazilian undergraduate students. We also investigated if the individuals choose partners in accord of the sex preferences and if the ideal preferences are really expressed in real choices. For these investigations, 370 undergraduate students described profiles of an ideal partner for a short-term and a long-term relationship, through the joint evaluation of nine characteristics. Each ideal s profile has been described over three simulations, in which the amount of points available to be invested were limited and gradually reduced. After the descriptions of these profiles, the participants described the current or previous partner (if they were not in a relationship) and performed a self-assessment with the same characteristics used in the description of preferences. Overall, the results obtained in several countries were observed in Brazil. For short-term relationships men prioritize physical attributes and women value physical and personal attributes. For long-term, personal traits gained in importance on masculine preferences and women emphasized personal traits and the partner disposition to acquire resources. We also identified similar preferences profiles for both sexes and that the romantic preferences reflect similarities with the own individual s characteristics, in addition to the typical sexual preferences expected for the Parental Investment Theory. When evaluated their real partners, men considerate them more physically attractive than themselves but less intelligent, good humorous and ambi tion/willing to work. Women, in turn, described their partners as good as them. Finally, we observed equivalence between characteristics of the subjects and those of its partners, this effect being more pronounced among men. The last partners were described only as less sincere. The interpretation of the most part of our results was possible from evolutionist s and socio-cultural s explanations and was discussed under the two perspectives. We conclude this study stressing that the traditional romantic preferences occur in Brazil and that the sex, the kind of relationship and the vision that people have about their own characteristics affect the preferences, which are expressed in the real partner choices

Relação entre o ciclo sono e vigília e a função cardiorrespiratória em estudantes de medicina

Students, normally, present an irregular sleep pattern characterized by delays in sleep onset and offset from weekdays to weekends, short sleep duration on weekdays and long sleep duration on weekends. The reduction of the necessary sleep and the irregularity in the sleep patterns provoke relevant short- and long-term impairments on performances, for example, in cardiorespiratory function. The cardiorespiratory performance represents, in addition to fitness, traces associated to health conditions and in several studies to pattern and/or individual s sleep quality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pattern of the sleep-wake cycle and the cardiorespiratory function of medical students under different class schedules. The study was accomplished with two classes of medical students of UFRN, one had classes at 7 am (n = 47) and the second had classes at 8 am (n = 41) during the week. On the first stage of the study all volunteers filled out an anamnesis, the International Physical Activity questionnaire, the Pittsburgh index of sleep quality, the Portuguese version of the Horne and Östberg cronotype questionnaire, the Health and Sleep questionnaire and the Epworth Scale of Somnolence (ESS). On the second stage, 24 students (12 of each class) had their activity rhythm monitored by actimeters set to record activity at a 2-min interval for 14 days concomitant to the completion of the sleep diary. In this same stage, each volunteer performed the effort test (treadmill) only once in the morning period (between 9:00 and 11:00). The students showed an irregular pattern of the sleep-wake cycle and this irregularity is strongly influenced by the class schedules, in addition to the contribution of the academic demand, social activities and endogenous factors. The students who woke up earlier showed greater irregularity in the sleep-wake pattern. The earlier was the class schedule the worse was the sleep quality and the greater was the frequency of students with excessive diurnal somnolence. The classes schedules and the irregular pattern of the sleep-wake cycle did not show effect on the cardiorespiratory performance of the medical students. The performance on the test seems to be affected by other factors, which can be related to the pattern of the sleep-wake cycle or not. Therefore, it is suggested that the late start of classes provokes less irregularity on the pattern of the sleep-wake cycle. However, it was observed that this irregularity and the class schedule seem not to affect the cardiorespiratory performance directly

Álcool e comportamento: efeitos na aprendizagem e memória

Excessive alcohol consumption is responsible for many harmful effects on individuals and society. Despite years of research, the mechanisms by which alcohol affects neurological functions and the exact causes of cognitive impairment related to long-term use are unknown. In this sense, this master study proposed to observe how different doses of alcohol affect the addiction response and the learning ability of two fish species: Betta splendens and Danio rerio, the latter a commonly model due to organizational and functional characteristics shared with mammals. For this, different concentrations of ethanol (0%, 0.1%, 0.25%, 1% and 1.5%) were used in acute, chronic and withdrawal treatments. We tested the fish in three experimental protocols: 1) alcohol addiction potential using conditioned place preference, 2) associative conditioning using light as unconditioned stimulus and food as conditioned stimulus and 3) spatial learning using a maze without cues. For the alcohol addiction potential, preference between two different places in a shuttle box was tested before and after alcohol exposure (chronic and acute). In this test, the animals intoxicated by 0.1% did not change behavior, while animals receiving 1% and 1.5% alcohol changed the initial preference to the side where they received alcohol For the associative conditioning, the results show that the groups undergoing low dose (0.1%), both in chronic and withdrawal treatment, learned the task faster than control; groups under 0.25 and 1% alcohol withdrawal learned the task after control; groups chronically intoxicated with these doses did not learn the task. For the spatial learning test, fish submitted to acute and chronic treatments decreased the time to exit the maze; there were significant differences in the animal s performance in a dose-dependent pattern. This difference was not observed for the withdrawal treatment. Given these results, we conclude that the effects of alcohol on learning are dependent on the dosage. Furthermore, low doses of alcohol seem to maximize animal performance on learning tasks and do not alter their seeking behavior, while higher doses induced addition and hinder learning

Investigação da influência do cochilo na aprendizagem escolar

There is a known positive effect of nocturnal sleep for brain plasticity and the consolidation of declarative and procedural memories, as well as for the facilitation of insight in problem solving. However, a possible pro-mnemonic effect of daytime naps after learning is yet to be properly characterized. The goal of this project was to evaluate the influence of daytime naps on learning among elementary and middleschool students, measuring the one-day (acute), and semester-long (chronic) effects of post-learning naps on performance. In the Acute Day-Nap condition, the elementary students were exposed to a class and then randomly divided into three groups: Nap (N), Game-based English Class (GBEC) and Traditional English Class (TEC). There were 2 multiple-choice follow-up tests to evaluate students performance in the short and long runs. In the short run, the N group outperformed the other two groups; and such tendency was maintained in the long run. In the chronic condition, the middle-school students were randomly separated into two groups: Nap (N) and Class (C) and were observed during one academic term. The N group had increased school performance in relation to the C group. In the statistical analyses, independent t-tests were applied considering the scores significant when p<0,05, expressed in terms of average ± average standard error. Results can be interpreted as an indication that a single daytime nap opportunity is not enough to ensure learning benefits. Therefore, more research is needed in order to advocate in favor of a daytime nap as a pedagogical means of promoting enhanced school performance

Memória de reconhecimento em indivíduos adultos com mais de 45 anos

As we grow old, there are many cognitive processes which decline in the human brain. One of them is the memory, a function that allows retention and posterior use of knowledge learned during the life, understood as a result of multiple systems highly organized and spread in several neural regions. This work aimed to evaluate the recognition memory in adults over 45 years old through words and pictures recognition tasks and the use of two codification or learning conditions (same distracters and different distracters). Twelve individuals were studied (6 men and 6 women) aged between 45 and 88 years old and with similar demographic characteristics. They presented better performance on picture tasks rather than word tasks. Better results were also verified when the codification context had different distracters, which significantly reflected in a long term principally in elderly individuals. The results reached suggest that the codification context influenced the lists of pictures and words learning, mainly for the elderly ones, when compared to adults, and that these results can be related to the phenomena involved with the recognition memory, the recollection and familiarity

Estampa temporal na memória de reconhecimento em estudantes universitários

Several studies have shown that there is a circadian modulation of explicit memory. This modulation can occur independently in each one of the mnemonic processes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of time of training on short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM), using a recognition task. Moreover, a possible circadian modulation in retrieving was investigated when this process matched the acquisition hour (time stamp). The chronotype variable was also considered. Fifty-seven undergraduate students aging between 18 and 25 years (21,72 ± 2,14; 28 ♂) participated in this study. In the training phase (acquisition) the subjects heard a ten word list. Following this, they answered a recognition test to evaluate STM and one week later they answered a recognition test to evaluate LTM. In each chronotype, the subjects were divided in groups according to the training hour, part of them in the morning and the other in the afternoon. One week later some of the subjects in each group underwent LTM testing in the morning and others in the afternoon. When the subjects performances were analyzed together, independently of the chronotypes, a training hour effect was found in the LTM. The subjects trained in the afternoon had better performance. No time of day effect was found in the STM and in retrieving from the LTM. However, the morning types who were trained and tested in the same hour had a better performance in the LTM when compared to morning types trained and tested in different hours. This effect did not occur when the other chronotypes were analyzed. The circadian modulation seems to occur at least in two different ways. First, there is a circadian modulation in the acquisition/consolidation processes, with a better performance occuring in the afternoon. Secondly, there is a modulation in the retrieval mnemonic process, called time stamp phenomenon. This phenomenon, that occurred in the morning types, is showed for the first time in humans

O contato em um click: ser-com em um mundo supervirtualizado

O presente estudo tem como objetivo compreender os sentidos da experiência de jovens e adultos com a interação social virtual, partindo de suas narrativas. Inspiradas nas ideias de Martin Heidegger, especialmente em seu seminário A Questão da Técnica , refletiremos sobre os modos de ser-com, em tempos de tecnologia, internet, consumo e hipermodernidade, contexto deste estudo, onde as coisas são vivenciadas em seu extremo (hiperconsumo, hipercorpo, hipermercado, hipercartões). Neste cenário, a Internet e as Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação estão mediando, cada vez mais o contato do homem com o mundo, reconfigurando a vida em sociedade. Diante disso, apresentamos A Era do Click , em que são possibilitados novos meios de estar com os outros. Este é um estudo qualitativo, baseado na fenomenologia de Heidegger, por ser favorecedora da compreensão dos sentidos da experiência em relação à questão problematizada. Como estratégias de pesquisa foram utilizadas sondagem de campo e entrevistas individuais, inspiradas nas narrativas de Walter Benjamin. Cinco colaboradores relataram suas experiências de ser-com no mundo virtual. A partir de seus relatos foi possível compreender que o espaço virtual se revela como mais um lócus, dentre tantos, no cotidiano do ser do homem, em que emergem diferentes modos de ser-com. Dependendo de sua abertura, a proximidade ou o distanciamento tornam-se relativos, do mesmo modo que o pessoal e o impessoal, o próprio e o impróprio. Além disso, tornou-se claro que, a virtualidade pode ajudar a lidar com a solidão e a angústia temporariamente, da mesma forma que pode tornar-se uma barreira para um contato mais aprofundado e autêntico com os outros. Os colaboradores demonstraram uma atitude de serenidade, um poder dizer sim e não simultaneamente à técnica moderna, além de uma postura de meditar sobre os modos como se conectam. Questionamos as implicações em longo prazo da virtualização do contato, estimulando novos estudos, sob a luz da fenomenologia heideggeriana

Avaliação clínica de pacientes submetidos à colocação de implantes zigomáticos pela técnica de Stella & Warner

This study aimed to evaluate patients who underwent placement of zygomatic implants technique by Stella & Warner, considering the survival of conventional and zygomatic implants, sinus health and level of patient satisfaction in relation to oral rehabilitation. We evaluated 28 patients where 14 had received conventional and zygomatic implants, being rehabilitated with implant-fixed dentures (group 1) and 14 were rehabilitated only with conventional implants and implant-fixed dentures (group 2). The study had four phases, represented by radiographic evaluation of implants (stage I), clinical evaluation (stage II), assessing the health of the maxillary sinus (stage III) and a questionnaire to measure satisfaction of rehabilitation with fixed prosthesis implant Total -backed (stage IV). Group 2 underwent only stage IV, while group 1 participated in all stages. Descriptive analysis and statistics were performed, using the t test for independent samples in the evaluation of phase IV. The results demonstrated that the technique of Stella & Warner proved effective, allowing a high survival rate of conventional implants and zygomatic (100%), considering a minimum follow-up of 15 months and maximum 53 months after prosthetic rehabilitation. There were no pathological changes in tissues periimplants conventional and zygomatic implants analyzed. Radiographic findings showed satisfactory levels bone implants in the oral rehabilitation with conventional zygomatic implants and a good positioning of the apex of the zygomatic implants over the zygomatic bone. The presence of the zygomatic implant did not cause sinus and the t test showed a satisfaction index lower in group 1 compared with group 2. The zygomatic implant placement technique by Stella & Warner proved to be a predictable technique with high survival rate in patients with atrophic jaws, necessitating long-term follow-up to confirm the initial findings of the study

Competitividade de destinos turísticos e o imperativo sustentável: avaliação de dimensões e atributos condicionantes no Pólo Costa das Dunas, RN, Brasil

Being available as a tourist destination is a necessary condition but not enough for the expansion and success of tourism activity. To be successful, tourism requires investment, inputs, appropriate planning and management, like any other economic activity. A fundamental goal of the destination management is to understand how the competitiveness of a tourist destination can be improved and sustained. Competitive position of tourism can be measured and assessed by various models. Evaluating the indicators of competitiveness of a tourist destination involves a multivariate analysis, ranging from issues directly related to tourism activity itself to the indirect factors. These are elements that are interrelated and that together will point out the competitive condition of this destination. From the definition and characterization of competitiveness, sustainability and management in the context of tourist destinations, understood as the main concepts of this study, we present the main theoretical and methodological models of assessment of competitiveness of tourist destinations in the literature and represent the state of the issue in the scientific treatment of the subject. These models, designed by researchers from several countries and applied in different tourist destinations, are confronted about their structure, indicators considered and localities in which they were applied. The aim of this study was to know and evaluate the condition of tourist competitiveness of the destination Pólo Costa das Dunas, from the constraints attributes of superior performance of the evaluation model of tourist competitiveness of destinations Competenible, suggested by Mazaro, and that suit the requirements of international market aware of the strength and importance of sustainability. The condition of competitiveness of tourist destination in Rio Grande do Norte Pólo Costa das Dunas was moderate. The competitive strengths and weaknesses of the destination Pólo Costa das Dunas revealed through the dozens of sustainable attributes of the model Competenible showed guidelines and initiatives that can be taken to guide strategic decisions related to their planning and management. Thus, this study should serve as support for strategic planning and long-term management of the sector and as a crucial tool for making decisions related to public policies, sectoral investments, monitor processes, strategic planning, direction and control of the local and regional tourism development of destinations

Contribuição da teoria do caos para a gestão do turismo: uma análise a partir da percepção dos gestores da hotelaria de Natal/RN

O presente estudo tem como objetivo analisar como os gestores da hotelaria percebem a relação da teoria do caos e turismo, descrever como é pensada e concebida a gestão do turismo; mostrar as características caopléxicas do turismo e sua gestão e identificar os elementos do padrão estratégico de gestão e planejamento na visão dos gestores dos Meios de Hospedagem. Os dados foram obtidos através da observação direta intensiva e aplicação de entrevistas aplicadas junto aos hoteleiros da cidade de Natal/RN. Constata que as teorias da mudança e do caos proporcionam visão do conjunto de relações, aspectos e implicações do turismo, com base nas incertezas e instabilidades ambientais e de mercado. Mostra que a maioria dos modelos de análise, planejamento e gestão do turismo ainda é limitada, em razão do seu caráter linear e unidimensional. Destaca que o objetivo da teoria do caos é fornecer explicações dos fenômenos, não é fazer previsões, pois é impossível prever o futuro a longo prazo. Trata das estratégias de gestão como geradoras de novas fontes de incerteza, pois a realidade não pode ser completamente representada por modelos. Ter consciência desses fatos significa, entretanto, considerar o campo de múltiplas possibilidades e oportunidades da mudança e do caos na gestão do desenvolvimento do turismo. Essas idéias foram aplicadas à análise da gestão do turismo na localidade investigada. Os questionamentos levantados no estudo pautaram-se em pesquisa bibliográfica, fundamentada, principalmente, em autores como Beni, Prahalad, Mintzberg, Ritto, Senge e Hamel. Conclui-se que na era do conhecimento, as organizações que continuam presas ao paradigma mecanicista têm dificuldade de acompanhar as mudanças do mercado e sendo a hotelaria uma indústria de serviços que tem características organizacionais complexas e adaptativas, é imprescindível que os empreendimentos hoteleiros funcionem como sistemas interativos, que acompanhem as mudanças de um mercado tão turbulento e instável tendo na teoria do caos e da complexidade uma das possibilidades de compreender a realidade fora do modelo mecanicista.