Qualidade de vida na perspectiva de idosos institucionalizados no Município de Natal - RN

A descriptive and exploratory Study, quantitative in nature, with the aim to assess the Quality of Life (QL) of the elderly leaving in a Long Residence Institution (LRI) according to their own perception. It was conducted in six Public Institutions of Long Residence for Seniors, in the municipality of Natal - RN, in the period of July to August 2007. The data was collected using two structured interview forms: the first, containing questions about socio-demographic aspects and the second - the WHOQUOL-OLD, prepared by the World Health Organization to assess elderly s quality of life. The reference population was 266 old persons, and a random sample, of 43, being 28 women and 15 men, who account for 30%. The results indicated there is a predominance of older women (65.1%) and the average age is 76.6 years; the predominant religion is the Catholic - 44.2% and, 32.6% are unmarried without children. As for schooling and precedence, 41.9% are illiterate and 67.4% come from the rural area. The time of residency in the institution goes between 1 to 5 years for 69.8% of the elderly, 37.2% of them residing in the institution for not having another option. Most elderly informed using medicines. 51.3% said they are taking anti-hypertensive. As for the other aspects of QL: sensory aspects, autonomy, past, present and future activities, social participation, death and dying and intimacy, the WHOQOL-OLD, showed an average total score of 52.9% (scale of 0 to 100), with a tendency to neutrality, denoting that the elderly, in this study, evaluated their QL as neither satisfactory or unsatisfactory. Of all the facets of the instrument of QL, the sensory facet secured the highest average scores (68,1%), showing that the elderly are "happy" in the situation in which they find themselves, not showing significant disabilities. The facet of autonomy, which refers to the independence and the ability to make decisions on their own life, received the lowest average scores (40.7%), showing the dissatisfaction of the elderly on this aspect. The evaluation of the elderly on other facets were: social participation (48.2%); activities past, present and future (44.6%) and intimacy (50.6%), all perceived as neither unsatisfactory or satisfactory. On the item death and dying, the elderly people declared themselves satisfied, with average score of 65.5%. The analysis of the reliability of the WHOQOL-OLD by the Cronbach Alpha showed 0.57, considering the 24 items that cover the instrument, showing regular internal reliability of the instrument, in our reality. The result is probably due to differences between the regions south and east and the broader sociocultural diversity. We believe that the elderly in this study, tended to realize their QL as neutral, considering it as neither unsatisfactory or satisfactory, result likely related to the resignation with the destine, characterized, at the time, by the finitude of life, feeling very common among elderly, or perhaps, even for an accommodation, often accompanied by discouragement, present in the daily life of many of them

Avaliação da gravidade do trauma em condutores de motocicleta vítimas de acidentes de trânsito no Rio Grande do Norte

Descriptive exploratory study, prospective, with quantitative approach, performed on the Monsenhor Walfredo Gurgel Hospital Complex (MWGHC), in Natal/RN, aiming to identify injuries by body area and wound severity on drivers who suffered motorcycle accidents, evaluate the severity of injuries and trauma on these drivers and identify the existence of association between wound and trauma severity and some of the accident s characteristics. The population comprised 371 motorcycle drivers, with data collected between October and December 2007. We used as instruments the Abberviated Injury Scale (AIS), Injury Severity Score (ISS) and the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCE1). The results show that, concerning characterization, there was a predominance of the male gender (88.4%), aged between 18 and 24 years (39.90%), originating from the Natal metropolitan region (55.79%), with fundamental-level instruction (51.48%), catholic (75.78%), married (47.98%). 23.18% work on commerce-related activities and 75.20% have income of up to 2 minimum wages. As for the accident s characteristics, the predominant shift was the afternoon (46.36%), received up to one hour after the event (50.67%), transported by countryside ambulances colleagues and relatives (51.21%), 25.34% had the accident on Sunday; 53.91% suffered falls and vehicle rolls; among the collisions there was a predominance of the motorcycle-automoblie type (28.03%); 52,6% were licensed and among these 50.76% had up to one year of license; 65.50% declared not having suffered previous accidents; 65.77% declared waring helmets in the time of the accident; 57.41% said not to have used drugs, and among those who used, alcohol was the most consumed (98.10%). The lowest score evaluated by GCS1 (3 to 8) was linked to drivers who suffered accidents on Saturday (10.3%), those who were not wearing helmets (14.29%) and the victims of motorcycle-pedestrian/animal crashes (13.33%). The body areas most affected had AIS between 1 and 3 (95.76%) and were: external surface (39.90%) and head/neck (33.20%). As for trauma severity, the highest scores (ISS>25) belonged to those who consumed alcohol (30.73%), suffered falls or vehicle rolls (48.9%) and those attended to 3 hours or longer after the accident (50%). We conclude that for motorcycle drivers who suffered accidents, age, gender, weekday, type of accident, use of drugs and the absence of helmet use signal both to the risk of occurrence of these events, as well as for the greater severity of injuries and trauma.

A fragilidade e suas representações para idosos domiciliados no contexto da estratégia de Saúde da Família

This study aims to analyze social representations of elders to their fragile situation at home, with the presence of one or more characteristics, as defined by the Brazilian Ministry of Health. It is a descriptive and qualitative study, based on methodological -principles of the Theory of Social Representations. Setting was the homes of elderly residents in the area ascribed to a Family Health Unit (FHU) in the city of Natal. A total of 10 elderly subjects, whose choice was intentional and according to the need for USF home visit in a period of time, considering the saturation process of the information. As collection procedures were used the semi-structured interview and participant observation in accordance with the ethical rules of Resolution No. 196/96, with the assent of the Ethics and Research UFRN. To analyze the results, it was used the thematic content analysis in the aspect of preparation of representations, focusing on the totality of the discourse of the subjects. The results indicate that most study participants felt difficult to give meaning to the terms weakness and to be weak, although many present one or more aspects of the syndrome of frailty. From the content analysis of participants speeches in this study, we achieved the following categories: fragility as illness and disease as aging, aging and frailty as causes of changes and difficulties in daily life, the presence of family life in the fragile elderly, fragility as weakness and the risk for falls, the perception of being weak like a different person in addition to the absence of fragility in elderly life. Thus, through the processes of anchoring and objectification, the "fragile being" became familiar and concrete, showing that the meaning of weakness, besides the scientific definition found in the reified universes, can be reinterpreted and built within the consensus universes. About the care received by the staff of Family Health, from the viewpoint of older people there seems to be an understanding about the role of professional nurses; on the other hand, older people often mention the role of the Community Health Agent

Ergonomia e Odontologia: determinantes da postura corporal dos estudantes da clínica-escola de uma Universidade Federal

Posture is one of the most worrying problems dentists face. That is because of the high incidence of low back pathologies regarding the professional activity, despite the development on the field of Dental Ergonomics. This work took place at the dental schoolclinic at a Federal University, and it was grounded on the Ergonomic Principles in the workplace. Its main objective was to analyze the determinants of inadequate posture adopted by students inasmuch as the adoption of non ergonomic methods at the school-clinic may influence them to develop inadequate postures in their working environment. The analysis of the activity showed us that it requires some complex procedures in the patient s mouth. Thus, when the students carry out the activity, they start to adopt, although unconsciously, inadequate postures which will make easier the visual accuracy and the access to the operation focus. In case there is no internal (body awareness) or external warning mechanisms (the professor s or the partner s counseling) regarding posture or possible risks which lead them to self-correction, the students become vulnerable to osteomuscle disorders. The time pressure, because the students are expected to perform their task in a predetermined clinical time. The facts related to each patient s variability as well as the stress caused by the expectations to get their work done in time make the students to advance it believing they will waste time if they help their partners or using an indirect view. We could also notice that there was no assistant to perform the job of minor ones, as well as there was no professor who could actually connect the knowledge on Ergonomics to its working practice. The conclusions of this work stand out the need of widen the discussion at the academic environment regarding health professionals in places such as universities. The ergonomic principles in the workplace aim a multidisciplinary analysis based on the experience of students, professors, staff members and janitors that can contribute to some reflection upon the issue and consequently actions which will bring positive changes at the working environment

Qualidade em serviços de saúde: uma contribuição à definição de um modelo paramétrico e padrão de qualidade do tempo agendado para consulta ambulatorial

This work presents a study in quality of health care, with focus on consulting appointment. The main purpose is to define a statistical model and propose a quality grade of the consulting appointment time. The time considered is that from the day the patient get the appointment done to the day the consulting is realized. It is used reliability techniques and functions that has as main characteristic the analysis of data regarding the time of occurrence certain event. It is gathered a random sample of 1743 patients in the appointment system of a University Hospital - the Hospital Universitário Onofre Lopes - of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The sample is randomly stratified in terms on clinical specialty. The data were analyzed against the parametric methods of the reliability statistics and the adjustment of the regression model resulted in the Weibull distribution being best fit to data. The quality grade proposed is based in the PAHO criteria for a consulting appointment and result that no clinic got the PAHO quality grade. The quality grade proposed could be used to define priority for improvement and as criteria to quality control

Qualidade em serviços de saúde: uma contribuição à definição de um modelo paramétrico e padrão de qualidade do tempo agendado para consulta ambulatorial

The knowledge management has received major attention from product designers because many of the activities within this process have to be creative and, therefore, they depend basically on the knowledge of the people who are involved in the process. Moreover, Product Development Process (PDP) is one of the activities in which knowledge management manifests in the most critical form once it had the intense application of the knowledge. As a consequence, this thesis analyzes the knowledge management aiming to improve the PDP and it also proposes a theoretical model of knowledge management. This model uses five steps (creation, maintenance, dissemination, utilization and discard) through the verification of the occurrence of four types of knowledge conversion (socialization, externalization, combination and internalization) that it will improve the knowledge management in this process. The intellectual capital in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) managed efficiently and with the participation of all employees has become the mechanism of the creation and transference processes of knowledge, supporting and, consequently, improving the PDP. The expected results are an effective and efficient application of the proposed model for the creation of the knowledge base within an organization (organizational memory) aiming a better performance of the PDP. In this way, it was carried out an extensive analysis of the knowledge management (instrument of qualitative and subjective evaluation) within the Design department of a Brazilian company (SEBRAE/RN). This analysis aimed to know the state-of-the-art of the Design department regarding the use of knowledge management. This step was important in order to evaluate in the level of the evolution of the department related to the practical use of knowledge management before implementing the proposed theoretical model and its methodology. At the end of this work, based on the results of the diagnosis, a knowledge management system is suggested to facilitate the knowledge sharing within the organization, in order words, the Design department

Uso de técnicas de otimização baseadas em derivadas como suporte do planejamento operacional de redes de distribuição de energia elétrica

The usual programs for load flow calculation were in general developped aiming the simulation of electric energy transmission, subtransmission and distribution systems. However, the mathematical methods and algorithms used by the formulations were based, in majority, just on the characteristics of the transmittion systems, which were the main concern focus of engineers and researchers. Though, the physical characteristics of these systems are quite different from the distribution ones. In the transmission systems, the voltage levels are high and the lines are generally very long. These aspects contribute the capacitive and inductive effects that appear in the system to have a considerable influence in the values of the interest quantities, reason why they should be taken into consideration. Still in the transmission systems, the loads have a macro nature, as for example, cities, neiborhoods, or big industries. These loads are, generally, practically balanced, what reduces the necessity of utilization of three-phase methodology for the load flow calculation. Distribution systems, on the other hand, present different characteristics: the voltage levels are small in comparison to the transmission ones. This almost annul the capacitive effects of the lines. The loads are, in this case, transformers, in whose secondaries are connected small consumers, in a sort of times, mono-phase ones, so that the probability of finding an unbalanced circuit is high. This way, the utilization of three-phase methodologies assumes an important dimension. Besides, equipments like voltage regulators, that use simultaneously the concepts of phase and line voltage in their functioning, need a three-phase methodology, in order to allow the simulation of their real behavior. For the exposed reasons, initially was developped, in the scope of this work, a method for three-phase load flow calculation in order to simulate the steady-state behaviour of distribution systems. Aiming to achieve this goal, the Power Summation Algorithm was used, as a base for developing the three phase method. This algorithm was already widely tested and approved by researchers and engineers in the simulation of radial electric energy distribution systems, mainly for single-phase representation. By our formulation, lines are modeled in three-phase circuits, considering the magnetic coupling between the phases; but the earth effect is considered through the Carson reduction. It s important to point out that, in spite of the loads being normally connected to the transformer s secondaries, was considered the hypothesis of existence of star or delta loads connected to the primary circuit. To perform the simulation of voltage regulators, a new model was utilized, allowing the simulation of various types of configurations, according to their real functioning. Finally, was considered the possibility of representation of switches with current measuring in various points of the feeder. The loads are adjusted during the iteractive process, in order to match the current in each switch, converging to the measured value specified by the input data. In a second stage of the work, sensibility parameters were derived taking as base the described load flow, with the objective of suporting further optimization processes. This parameters are found by calculating of the partial derivatives of a variable in respect to another, in general, voltages, losses and reactive powers. After describing the calculation of the sensibility parameters, the Gradient Method was presented, using these parameters to optimize an objective function, that will be defined for each type of study. The first one refers to the reduction of technical losses in a medium voltage feeder, through the installation of capacitor banks; the second one refers to the problem of correction of voltage profile, through the instalation of capacitor banks or voltage regulators. In case of the losses reduction will be considered, as objective function, the sum of the losses in all the parts of the system. To the correction of the voltage profile, the objective function will be the sum of the square voltage deviations in each node, in respect to the rated voltage. In the end of the work, results of application of the described methods in some feeders are presented, aiming to give insight about their performance and acuity

Group Sequential Communication (GSC): Especificação e Análise de Desempenho de umMecanismo de Comunicação de Tempo Real Compatível ao Padrão IEEE 802.11/11e Aplicado à Automação Industrial

This thesis proposes the specification and performance analysis of a real-time communication mechanism for IEEE 802.11/11e standard. This approach is called Group Sequential Communication (GSC). The GSC has a better performance for dealing with small data packets when compared to the HCCA mechanism by adopting a decentralized medium access control using a publish/subscribe communication scheme. The main objective of the thesis is the HCCA overhead reduction of the Polling, ACK and QoS Null frames exchanged between the Hybrid Coordinator and the polled stations. The GSC eliminates the polling scheme used by HCCA scheduling algorithm by using a Virtual Token Passing procedure among members of the real-time group to whom a high-priority and sequential access to communication medium is granted. In order to improve the reliability of the mechanism proposed into a noisy channel, it is presented an error recovery scheme called second chance algorithm. This scheme is based on block acknowledgment strategy where there is a possibility of retransmitting when missing real-time messages. Thus, the GSC mechanism maintains the real-time traffic across many IEEE 802.11/11e devices, optimized bandwidth usage and minimal delay variation for data packets in the wireless network. For validation purpose of the communication scheme, the GSC and HCCA mechanisms have been implemented in network simulation software developed in C/C++ and their performance results were compared. The experiments show the efficiency of the GSC mechanism, especially in industrial communication scenarios.

Uma fundamentação para sinais e sistemas intervalares

In this work we use Interval Mathematics to establish interval counterparts for the main tools used in digital signal processing. More specifically, the approach developed here is oriented to signals, systems, sampling, quantization, coding and Fourier transforms. A detailed study for some interval arithmetics which handle with complex numbers is provided; they are: complex interval arithmetic (or rectangular), circular complex arithmetic, and interval arithmetic for polar sectors. This lead us to investigate some properties that are relevant for the development of a theory of interval digital signal processing. It is shown that the sets IR and R(C) endowed with any correct arithmetic is not an algebraic field, meaning that those sets do not behave like real and complex numbers. An alternative to the notion of interval complex width is also provided and the Kulisch- Miranker order is used in order to write complex numbers in the interval form enabling operations on endpoints. The use of interval signals and systems is possible thanks to the representation of complex values into floating point systems. That is, if a number x 2 R is not representable in a floating point system F then it is mapped to an interval [x;x], such that x is the largest number in F which is smaller than x and x is the smallest one in F which is greater than x. This interval representation is the starting point for definitions like interval signals and systems which take real or complex values. It provides the extension for notions like: causality, stability, time invariance, homogeneity, additivity and linearity to interval systems. The process of quantization is extended to its interval counterpart. Thereafter the interval versions for: quantization levels, quantization error and encoded signal are provided. It is shown that the interval levels of quantization represent complex quantization levels and the classical quantization error ranges over the interval quantization error. An estimation for the interval quantization error and an interval version for Z-transform (and hence Fourier transform) is provided. Finally, the results of an Matlab implementation is given

Determinação dos parâmetros do controlador preditivo generalizado com função de pesos variante no tempo através de algoritmos genéticos

The predictive control technique has gotten, on the last years, greater number of adepts in reason of the easiness of adjustment of its parameters, of the exceeding of its concepts for multi-input/multi-output (MIMO) systems, of nonlinear models of processes could be linearised around a operating point, so can clearly be used in the controller, and mainly, as being the only methodology that can take into consideration, during the project of the controller, the limitations of the control signals and output of the process. The time varying weighting generalized predictive control (TGPC), studied in this work, is one more an alternative to the several existing predictive controls, characterizing itself as an modification of the generalized predictive control (GPC), where it is used a reference model, calculated in accordance with parameters of project previously established by the designer, and the application of a new function criterion, that when minimized offers the best parameters to the controller. It is used technique of the genetic algorithms to minimize of the function criterion proposed and searches to demonstrate the robustness of the TGPC through the application of performance, stability and robustness criterions. To compare achieves results of the TGPC controller, the GCP and proportional, integral and derivative (PID) controllers are used, where whole the techniques applied to stable, unstable and of non-minimum phase plants. The simulated examples become fulfilled with the use of MATLAB tool. It is verified that, the alterations implemented in TGPC, allow the evidence of the efficiency of this algorithm

Ajuste automático e otimização do tempo de espera (Idle time) em bombeio mecânico de petróleo

The present work presents an algorithm proposal, which aims for controlling and improving idle time to be applied in oil production wells equipped with beam pump. The algorithm was totally designed based on existing papers and data acquired from two Potiguar Basin pilot wells. Oil engineering concepts such as submergence, pump off, Basic Sediments and Water (BSW), Inflow Performance Relationship (IPR), reservo ir pressure, inflow pressure, among others, were included into the algorithm through a mathematical treatment developed from a typical well and then extended to the general cases. The optimization will increase the well production potential maximum utilization having the smallest number of pumping unit cycles directly reflecting on operational cost and electricity consumption reduction

Implantação de um sistema de detecção de vazamentos em oleodutos com tratamento de alarmes falsos

The pumping of fluids in pipelines is the most economic and safe form of transporting fluids. That explains why in Europe there was in 1999 about 30.000 Km [7] of pipelines of several diameters, transporting millíons of cubic meters of crude oil end refined products, belonging to COCAWE (assaciation of companies of petroleum of Europe for health, environment and safety, that joint several petroleum companies). In Brazil they are about 18.000 Km of pipelines transporting millions of cubic meters of liquids and gases. In 1999, nine accidents were registered to COCAWE. Among those accidents one brought a fatal victim. The oil loss was of 171 m3, equivalent to O,2 parts per million of the total of the transported volume. Same considering the facts mentioned the costs involved in ao accident can be high. An accident of great proportions can bríng loss of human lives, severe environmental darnages, loss of drained product, loss . for dismissed profit and damages to the image of the company high recovery cost. In consonance with that and in some cases for legal demands, the companies are, more and more, investing in systems of Leak detection in pipelines based on computer algorithm that operate in real time, seeking wíth that to minimize still more the drained volumes. This decreases the impacts at the environment and the costs. In general way, all the systems based on softWare present some type of false alarm. In general a commitment exists betWeen the sensibílity of the system and the number of false alarms. This work has as objective make a review of thé existent methods and to concentrate in the analysis of a specific system, that is, the system based on hydraulic noise, Pressure Point Analyzis (PPA). We will show which are the most important aspects that must be considered in the implementation of a Leak Detection System (LDS), from the initial phase of the analysis of risks passing by the project bases, design, choice of the necessary field instrumentation to several LDS, implementation and tests. We Will make na analysis of events (noises) originating from the flow system that can be generator of false alarms and we will present a computer algorithm that restricts those noises automatically

Análise de desempenho de estratégias de retransmissão para o mecanismo HCCA do padrão de redes sem fio IEEE 802.11e

This paper presents the performanee analysis of traffie retransmission algorithms pro¬posed to the HCCA medium aeeess meehanism of IEEE 802.11 e standard applied to industrial environmen1. Due to the nature of this kind of environment, whieh has eleetro¬magnetic interferenee, and the wireless medium of IEEE 802.11 standard, suseeptible to such interferenee, plus the lack of retransmission meehanisms, refers to an impraetieable situation to ensure quality of service for real-time traffic, to whieh the IEEE 802.11 e stan¬dard is proposed and this environment requires. Thus, to solve this problem, this paper proposes a new approach that involves the ereation and evaluation of retransmission al-gorithms in order to ensure a levei of robustness, reliability and quality of serviee to the wireless communication in such environments. Thus, according to this approaeh, if there is a transmission error, the traffie scheduler is able to manage retransmissions to reeo¬ver data 10s1. The evaluation of the proposed approaeh is performed through simulations, where the retransmission algorithms are applied to different seenarios, whieh are abstrae¬tions of an industrial environment, and the results are obtained by using an own-developed network simulator and compared with eaeh other to assess whieh of the algorithms has better performanee in a pre-defined applieation

Multi-resolução com fóvea móvel para redução e abstração de dados em tempo real

We propose a new approach to reduction and abstraction of visual information for robotics vision applications. Basically, we propose to use a multi-resolution representation in combination with a moving fovea for reducing the amount of information from an image. We introduce the mathematical formalization of the moving fovea approach and mapping functions that help to use this model. Two indexes (resolution and cost) are proposed that can be useful to choose the proposed model variables. With this new theoretical approach, it is possible to apply several filters, to calculate disparity and to obtain motion analysis in real time (less than 33ms to process an image pair at a notebook AMD Turion Dual Core 2GHz). As the main result, most of time, the moving fovea allows the robot not to perform physical motion of its robotics devices to keep a possible region of interest visible in both images. We validate the proposed model with experimental results

Modelagem aplicada à análise de desempenho do provedor de serviços de uma rede de automação hospitalar ieee 802.3/pm-ah de tempo real

The incorporate of industrial automation in the medical are requires mechanisms to safety and efficient establishment of communication between biomedical devices. One solution to this problem is the MP-HA (Multicycles Protocol to Hospital Automation) that down a segmented network by beds coordinated by an element called Service Provider. The goal of this work is to model this Service Provider and to do performance analysis of the activities executed by in establishment and maintenance of hospital networks