Predicting academic success of engineering students in technical drawing from working memory

Tests on spatial aptitude, in particular Visualization, have been shown to be efficient predictors of the academic performance of Technical Drawing stu-dents. It has recently been found that Spatial Working Memory (a construct defined as the ability to perform tasks with a figurative content that require si-multaneous storage and transformation of information) is strongly associated with Visualization. In the present study we analyze the predictive efficiency of a bat-tery of tests that included tests on Visualization, SpatialWorking Memory, Spatial Short-term Memory and Executive Function on a sample of first year engineering students. The results show that Spatial Working Memory (SWM) is the most important predictor of academic success in Technical Drawing. In our view, SWM tests can be useful for detecting as early as possible those students who will require more attention and support in the teaching-learning process.

Comparative analysis between three methods of bone estimating age in individuals with down syndrome by mode of the hand and wrist ray

The wrist and hand region has been the most commonly used for estimating age and osseous development due to the great number of ossification centers. The aim was to determine which method, Tanner & Whitehouse's (TW3), Greulich & Pyle's (GP) or Eklof & Ringertz's, more closely relates to the chronological age in subjects with Down syndrome with chronological ages between 61 and 180 months, using wrist and hand radiographs. The sample consisted of 85 radiographs, 52 of males and 33 of females. Eklof & Ringertz's method was computerized (Radiomemory). Greulich & Pyle's atlas was used and compared with the wrist and hand radiographs. For the TW3 method, 13 ossification centers were evaluated; for each one of them, there are seven or eight development stages to which scores are assigned; these scores are then added and the results are transformed into osseous age values. No statistically significant differences were observed between the male and female genders for methods TW3 and GP, contrasting with the observed differences for the Eklof & Ringertz method. Correlation (r2) between osseous and chronological ages was 0.8262 for TW3 and 0.7965 for GP, while for the method of Eklof & Ringertz, it was 0.7656 for females and 0.8353 for males. The author concluded that the osseous age assessment method that better related to the chronological age was the TW3, followed by Greulich & Pyle's and Eklof & Ringertz's.

Correlation between hand/wrist and panoramic radiographs in severe secondary hyperparathyroidism

Objectives: Hand/wrist and dental radiographs are important for osteoporosis analysis in secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT). This study evaluated whether a correlation exists between the effects of the disease on the hands and jaws, and investigated the association between osteoporosis progression in the hands and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Materials and methods: Four panoramic radiographic parameters (mental index, mandibular cortical index, trabecular bone pattern, and calcification/resorption) and four corresponding hand/wrist radiographic parameters (metacarpal cortical thickness, phalangeal cortical index, trabecular bone pattern, and calcification/resorption) were applied to investigate possible correlation between the effects of SHPT on the jaws and hands/wrists, by Spearman's correlation coefficient. PTH levels and the hand/wrist radiographic parameters were also tested by spearman's correlation coefficient (p < 0.05). The presence of brown tumors, vascular calcifications, and acroosteolysis on the hands was also evaluated. Results: Mandibular cortical index was strongly correlated with the phalangeal cortical index (p = 0.000). Phalangeal cortical index and trabecular bone pattern of hand/wrist correlated with PTH levels (0.002 and 0.000, respectively). Brown tumors occurred in four CKD patients, while both vascular calcifications and acroosteolysis were observed in 19 patients. Conclusion: There is a significant correlation between the morphological changes caused by secondary hyperparathyroidism in hand and jaw bones. The morphological status can be assessed using the mandibular cortical index, besides the phalangeal cortical index. The latter correlates well with parathyroid hormone levels of advanced chronic kidney disease. Clinical relevance: Panoramic images reveal morphological changes in the jaw bone, indicating likewise changes in the hand/wrist in severe secondary hyperparathyroidism. The severity of the bone changes may be a reflection of the parathyroid hormone levels in advanced chronic kidney disease. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.

Biopolítica em Giorgio Agambem: reflexão crítica sobre a legitimidade do Poder Soberano

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Alcântara Machado e Norman Rockwell: a arte de descrever sociedades

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Mídias e jogos: do virtual para uma experiência corporal educativa

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Visuomotor processing and hand force coordination in dyslexic children during a visually guided manipulation task

Developmental Dyslexia negatively affects children's reading and writing ability and, in most cases, performance in sensorimotor tasks. These deficits have been associated with structural and functional alterations in the cerebellum and the posterior parietal cortex (PPC). Both neural structures are active during visually guided force control and in the coordination of load force (LF) and grip force (GF) during manipulation tasks. Surprisingly, both phenomena have not been investigated in dyslexic children. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare dyslexic and non-dyslexic children regarding their visuomotor processing ability and GF-LF coordination during a static manipulation task. Thirteen dyslexic (8-14YO) and 13 age- and sex-matched non-dyslexic (control) children participated in the study. They were asked to grasp a fixed instrumented handle using the tip of all digits and pull the handle upward exerting isometric force to match a ramp-and-hold force profile displayed in a computer monitor. Task performance (i.e., visuomotor coordination) was assessed by RMSE calculated in both ramp and hold phases. GF-LF coordination was assessed by the ratio between GF and LF (GF/LF) calculated at both phases and the maximum value of a cross-correlation function (r(max)) and its respective time lag calculated at ramp phase. The results revealed that the RMSE at both phases was larger in dyslexic than in control children. However, we found that GF/LF, rmax, and time lags were similar between groups. Those findings indicate that dyslexic children have a mild deficit in visuomotor processing but preserved GF-LF coordination. Altogether, these findings suggested that dyslexic children could present mild structural and functional alterations in specific PPC or cerebellum areas that are directly related to visuomotor processing. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Estudo e modelagem 3D de uma turbina Francis

Most of the hydraulic turbines that are running in the world are the Francis type, because they are able to fit a wide range of head and flow. We also can declare that most of the installed hydraulic energy up to this date is generated by this type of turbine. On the other hand, if we pay attention to mechanical details of a Francis turbine we will see that among the three most used types it is the one that presents the more complex design. And, the simplest one is the Pelton type, whereas the Kaplan is the one less utilized. This work aims to develop the hydrodynamic calculation of a Francis turbine as well as to obtain its assembly drawing and 3D modeling drawing. In this way all details must be shown therefore needing a complete knowledge about this issue. Both 2D and 3D drawings help much if one wants the machine to be running in its power house. It is well noted that most of the entities that design and manufacture the Francis turbines are not brazilian. In this way the more we study how to design this kind of machine the more is our contribution to our country in order to conquer technology and manufacture Francis turbines

O trabalho de licenciandos em alemão e inglês no PIBID: a construção da prática docente a partir das crenças de alunos do Ensino Médio sobre língua e cultura estrangeira

For some time, researchers in teacher education (ZEICHNER; LISTON, 1996; GIMENEZ, 2005) have been drawing attention to the need to place undergraduates in contexts of practice that help them make sense of the theoretical training they receive in the graduation course. In this article, we discuss the intersection between school and university for initial foreign language teacher education through activities carried out under the Brazilian Institutional Program for Initiation to Teaching – Language and Literature of a state university. These activities were aimed, on the one hand, to promote reflection about the concept of culture and intercultural language teaching during initial teacher education and, secondly, to deconstruct stereotypes of high school students about German and English language and culture. Based on the analysis of data on the beliefs of students of the school and the support of theoretical studies such as Kramsch (2006, 2009), Bolognini (1993), among others, workshops were designed to expand the cultural universe of the high school students in the partner state school, the concept of culture and to deconstruct stereotypes. It was found that the activity contributed to the reflective education of the undergraduate students in relation to the treatment of the subject culture in language teaching.

Quality and dose optimization in hand computed radiography

The objective of the present study was to optimize a radiographic technique for hand examinations using a computed radiography (CR) system and demonstrate the potential for dose reductions compared with clinically established technique. An exposure index was generated from the optimized technique to guide operators when imaging hands. Homogeneous and anthropomorphic phantoms that simulated a patient's hand were imaged using a CR system at various tube voltages and current settings (40-55 kVp, 1.25-2.8 mAs), including those used in clinical routines (50 kVp, 2.0 mAs) to obtain an optimized chart. The homogeneous phantom was used to assess objective parameters that are associated with image quality, including the signal difference-to-noise ratio (SdNR), which is used to define a figure of merit (FOM) in the optimization process. The anthropomorphic phantom was used to subjectively evaluate image quality using Visual Grading Analysis (VGA) that was performed by three experienced radiologists. The technique that had the best VGA score and highest FOM was considered the gold standard (GS) in the present study. Image quality, dose and the exposure index that are currently used in the clinical routine for hand examinations in our institution were compared with the GS technique. The effective dose reduction was 67.0%. Good image quality was obtained for both techniques, although the exposure indices were 1.60 and 2.39 for the GS and clinical routine, respectively.

Tradução para o português brasileiro, adaptação transcultural e validação do 3D Assessment of Hand Function

Pós-graduação em Bases Gerais da Cirurgia - FMB

Evaluation of discomfort in manual activities using hand mapping: the influence of age

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Classification of handwriting patterns in patients with Parkinson´s disease, using a biometric sensor

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)