Assessment of the ergonomic design of diagnostic ultrasound transducers through wrist movements and subjective evaluation

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

J.-M. G. Le Clézio: ressonâncias surrealistas

A partir de três obras de Le Clézio – o romance Voyages de l’autre cote (1975), o ensaio L’Inconnu sur la terre (1978) e o conto “Lullaby”, este integrando o livro de contos intitulado Mondo et autres histoires (1978) –, pretende-se focalizar os diálogos que esses textos estabelecem com a literatura surrealista ao fazer emergir o real oculto e determinar uma realidade ampliada.

Are the anticipatory trunk movements occurring during load-carrying activities protective or risky?

This study evaluated anteroposterior trunk movements and the time spent on activities of load-carrying to surfaces at different heights, among experienced and inexperienced individuals. Thirty-six healthy males (16 experienced and 20 inexperienced in load-carrying) had their trunk movements recorded by an electrogoniometer while transporting boxes (7 and 15 kg) to surfaces of variable heights (low, low intermediate, high intermediate and high). Longer time was spent on trunk flexion when carrying loads to low surfaces and on trunk extension when carrying to high surfaces (p<0.05). Differences in time spent on trunk flexion/extension were identified between loads, and between groups for the heavier load. There were no differences in flexion/extension amplitudes between groups or loads. Although unnecessary flexion/extension occurring prior to a task may increase the exposure of the trunk to risky movements, the amplitudes reported here were relatively small and seemed to have occurred to facilitate the final tasks.Relevance to industryLifting devices and technological assistance are increasingly available in industrial settings. However, distribution centers and delivery services represent new demands on workers and involve an expressive amount of manual handling and carrying activities. Thus, studies on carrying strategies are necessary as they can provide guidelines for safer activities. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Uso medicinal da pimenta malagueta (Capsicum frutescens L.) em uma comunidade de várzea à margem do rio Amazonas, Santarém, Pará, Brasil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Mapeamento do contorno estrutural do embasamento da bacia sedimentar de Curitiba - PR

The sedimentary Curitiba basin is located in the Central-Southern part of the first Parananense plateau, and comprises Curitiba (PR), and part of the neighbour Municipalities (fig.1). It is supposed to be of Plio-Pleistocene age. It has a shallow sedimentary fulfillment, represented by the Guabirotuba formation (BIGARELLA and SALAMUNI, 1962) which is dristributed over a large area of about 3.000km2. The internal geometry, not entirely known yet, is actually object of detailed research, that shows its geological evolution to Cenozoic tectonic movements. For the purpose of this study the definition of the structural contour of the basement and their depo-centers is fundamental. This paper presents the results of the integration of surface and subsurface data, processed by statistical methods, which allowed a more precise definition of the morphostructural framework of the basement. For the analysis of the geological spacial data, specific softwares were used for statistical processing for trend surfaces analysis. The data used in this study are of following types: a) drilling logs for ground water; b) description of surface points of geological maps (CRPM, 1977); c) description of points of geotechnical drillings and down geological survey. The data of 223 drilling logs for ground water were selected out of 770 wells. The description files of 700 outcrops, as well as planialtimetric field data, were used for the localization of the basement outcrop. Thus, a matrix with five columns was set up: utm E-W (x) and utm N-S (y); surface altitude (z); altimetric cote of the contact between sedimentary rocks and the basement (k); isopachs (l). For the study of the basement limits, the analysis of surface trends of 2(nd) and 3(rd) degree polinomial for the altimetric data (figs. 2 and 3) were used. For the residuals the method of the inverse of the square of the distance (fig.4) was used. The adjustments and the explanations of the surfaces were made with the aid of multiple linear regressions. The analysis of 3rd degree polinomial trend surface (fig.3) confirmed that the basement tends to be more exposed towards NNW-SSE explaining better the data trend through an ellipse, which striking NE-SW and dipping SW axis coincides with the trough of the basin observed in the trending surface of the basement. The performed analysis and the respective images offer a good degree of certainty of the geometric model of the Curitiba Basin and of the morphostructure of its basement. The surface trend allows to sketch with a greater degree of confidence the structural contour of the topgraphic surface (figs. 5 and 6) and of the basement (figs. 7 and 8), as well as the delimitation of intermediate structural heights, which were responsible for isolated and assymmetric depocenters. These details are shown in the map of figures 9 and 10. Thus, the Curitiba Basin is made up by a structural trough stretching NE-SW, with maximum preserved depths of about 80m, which are separated by heights and depocenters striking NW-SE (fig. 11). These structural features seems to have been controlled by tectonic reactivation during the Tertiary (HASUI, 1990) and which younger dissection was conditioned by neotectonic processes (SALAMUNI and EBERT, 1994).

Evaluation of reusable cardboard box designs: Biomechanical and perceptual aspects

Reusable cardboard boxes can be ergonomically designed for internal transportation of dry products in industrial settings. In this study we compared the effects of handling a regular commercial box and two cardboard prototypes on upper limb postures through the evaluation of movements, myoelectrical activity, perceived grip acceptability and capacity for reuse. The ergonomic designs provided a more acceptable grip, safer wrist and elbow movements and lower wrist extensors and biceps activity. Biomechanical disadvantages were observed only for one of the prototypes when handling to high surface. The prototypes were durable and suitable for extensive reuse (more than 2000 handlings) in internal industrial transportation. Despite being slightly more expensive than regular cardboard, the prototypes showed good cost-benefit considering their high durability. Relevance to industry: Cardboard boxes can be efficiently redesigned for allowing safer upper limb movements and lower muscle workload in manual materials handling. New designs can also be extensively reused for internal industrial transportation with good cost-benefit. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

As pimentas Capsicum L. no cotidiano de uma comunidade de várzea (rio Amazonas), Santarém, Pará, Brasil

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Horticultura) - FCA

O pop rock e a escritura poética em Voyages de l’Autre Côté, de Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio

A literatura contemporânea expressa o rompimento das fronteiras entre a cultura erudita e a cultura de massa ou comercial, criando formas híbridas que convivem no interior do texto. No romance Voyages de l’autre cote (1975), de Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio, as canções do pop rock embalam as viagens da fada Naja Naja e de seus amigos em busca do ‘outro lado’. Desta forma, a impregnação da música popular à escritura poética, parece ajudar a libertar a imaginação, preparando as personagens para o encontro do infinito sensível.

Electrochemical method for quantitative determination of trace amounts of disperse dye in wastewater

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Plantas ornamentais em quintais urbanos de Rio Branco, Brasil

Ornamental plants are important in the culture and welfare of city dwellers in the Amazon. This study aimed to perform a characterization of species of ornamental use in urban backyards of Rio Branco and relation with social aspects of the respondents. Semi-structured interviews featuring ornamental species along with analysis of social aspects of urban respondents of the 132 backyards in Rio Branco, Acre, Amazon between 2009 and 2011. Selected for this study were neighborhoods Aeroporto Velho, Placas and Novo Horizonte, located on the periphery of the municipality. Were detected 140 ornamental species belonging to 49 different botanical families, especially Euphorbiaceae (7%), Arecaceae (6.4%) and Araceae (5%). Ornamental species recorded, 57.5% are exotic, 16% have medicinal use and 44% herbaceous. Regression analysis of data across the diversity of species, area and social parameters of the respondents was not significant. The cultivation of ornamental plants in urban backyards Rio Branco assists in the ambience of the residence, landscape improvement, generates welfare for residents at leisure space beyond the conservation of genetic resources.

Combined measurement of the Higgs Boson Mass in pp collisions at root s=7 and 8 TeV with the ATLAS and CMS experiments

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)