Optic Flow Contribution to Locomotion Adjustments in Obstacle Avoidance

Locomotion generates a visual movement pattern characterized as optic flow. To explore how the locomotor adjustments are affected by this pattern, an experimental paradigm was developed to eliminate optic flow during obstacle avoidance. The aim was to investigate the contribution of optic flow in obstacle avoidance by using a stroboscopic lamp. Ten young adults walked on an 8m pathway and stepped over obstacles at two heights. Visual sampling was determined by a stroboscopic lamp (static and dynamic visual sampling). Three-dimensional kinematics data showed that the visual information about self-motion provided by the optic flow was crucial for estimating the distance from and the height of the obstacle. Participants presented conservative behavior for obstacle avoidance under experimental visual sampling conditions, which suggests that optic flow favors the coupling of vision to adaptive behavior for obstacle avoidance.

Is gender crucial for cardiovascular adjustments induced by exercise training in female spontaneously hypertensive rats?

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

Teaching in the community: Changing and implementing a new curriculum

The Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu is changing to, and implementing a new curriculum aimed at integrating teaching and learning in the community. Emphasis is on preparing the community settings for teaching, learning and providing health care. A particular task is staff development with emphasis on problem-based learning (PBL) and training medical and nursing students in the leadership to participate in this process. The new curriculum includes the gradual introduction of clinical practice during First Year, integration of the basic sciences with clinical sciences, through integrated modules studied in small groups, and maintenance of the two year clerkship. The undergraduates are introduced gradually to the community: 8% of the total curriculum during First Year, 10% during Second Year, 10% during Third Year, 20% during Fourth Year, 30% during Fifth and Sixth Years. The basic health units at primary care level, and the regional specialty outpatients and hospitals at the second level, are the main teaching sites. An Education Development Committee was established to discuss the strategies for supporting the changes and to structure the planning for promoting the gradual transformation of staff development. After 18 months of implementation of the curriculum, there followed discussions and monitoring of the objectives of changes in medical education at our school. Successful implementation of the new curriculum would fail, if the objectives were not absorbed by every member of the implementation Committee.

Marginal fit of nickel-chromium copings before and after internal adjustments with duplicated stone dies and disclosing agent.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Despite careful procedures, master stone dies may be damaged during laboratory procedures. The dentist routinely adjusts castings because the marginal fit of casting is not as accurate as on the dies. PURPOSE: This study evaluated the technique of internal adjustment of castings with use of duplicated stone dies and a disclosing agent to improve marginal fit discrepancy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty-two nickel-chromium copings were fabricated and simulated standard clinical and laboratory procedures with 2 variables: tooth preparation convergence angles of 6 and 18 degrees, with or without internal relief. Master stone dies and their duplicates were selected for coping construction and internal adjustment, respectively. A specimen positioning device was coupled with a Toolmakers microscope to allow reproducibility of measurements. Each coping was evaluated at 8 locations of its marginal perimeter, before and after internal adjustment. RESULTS: Marginal fit discrepancy of copings were significantly reduced with an internal adjustment technique (mean > 52%) for all experimental groups. Tooth preparations with greater convergence and internally relieved castings recorded a better marginal fit. CONCLUSION: The casting internal adjustment technique with use of duplicated stone dies and a disclosing agent substantially reduced marginal fit discrepancy.

A flexible curriculum for computer science undergraduate major

This paper describes an innovative approach to establish a CS curriculum, aiming flexibility and minimization of the time spent in the classrooms. This approach has been developed at the Paulista State University - Unesp - at São José do Rio Preto, and is producing very interesting results. The load reduction is achieved through a series of fundamental core and breadth courses that precede depth courses in specific areas. The flexibility comes as a side effect of the depth courses, which can be adapted without any changes in the core courses. In the following pages we fully describe our motivations, actions and results.

Educação inclusiva: Análise e intervenção em uma sala de recursos

This paper is based on the Support Paradigm, which establishes the principles to the inclusive education, which indicates educational adjustments participating in the regular school to all students. This study aimed to analyze a special classroom working arrangements and to describe an intervention implemented having a special classroom teacher as participant. Data collection comprised the following phases: (a) special classroom description; (b) analysis of the teacher's teaching plan; (c) application of survey and discussion comprising theory and practice on inclusive education; (d) curricular adaptation fulfilling. Data analysis comprised: special classroom characterization, survey analysis, comparative analysis of curricular adaptation. As results, the study shows divergences between public educational policies and school reality. The intervention provided the teacher with a reflection about her on-work performance based on new teaching procedures.

Correlation of previous experience, patient expectation and the number of post-delivery adjustments of complete dentures with patient satisfaction in a Brazilian population

A number of variables may influence the outcome of complete denture therapy. The objective of this study was to verify possible correlations between previous experience with dentures, patient expectation and the number of post-delivery adjustments with patient satisfaction after treatment. One hundred patients (mean age 61·9 ± 10·3) rated their previous experiences with complete dentures and their expectations before and satisfaction after treatment on a visual analogue scale (VAS) using scores from 0 (worst results) to 10 (best results). The number of post-delivery adjustments and other patient-related clinical variables was also noted. Patient expectation scores were higher than previous experience scores and satisfaction after treatment scores. Positive and weak correlations were found between previous chewing experiences with complete dentures, with regard to chewing expectations and comfort of use. Phonetics and comfort of use in previous experiences presented a positive correlation with expectations for chewing, aesthetics, phonetics and comfort of use. Groups of patients with different levels of education presented significant differences in expectation scores regarding comfort of use as well. A negative and weak correlation was found between phonetics satisfaction and the number of post-delivery adjustments. Patients' expectations for the therapy were higher than their satisfaction after treatment. Previous experiences with complete dentures could slightly influence patients' expectations and satisfaction, whereas lower scores for previous experience with complete dentures caused lower scores for both expectation and satisfaction. Patients' educational levels and the number of post-delivery adjustments influenced negatively the expectations about comfort of use and patient satisfaction, respectively. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Análise de adequações curriculares no ensino fundamental: subsídios para programas de pesquisa colaborativa na formação de professores

Pós-graduação em Psicologia do Desenvolvimento e Aprendizagem - FC

Aprendizagem de alunos com deficiência intelectual do ciclo I do Ensino Fundamental: o desempenho em leitura e escrita e a formação de professores

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

In search of the autonomous and critical individual: a philosophical and pedagogical analysis of the physical education curriculum of São Paulo (Brazil)

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

Práticas pedagógicas inclusivas na educação infantil: atividades lúdicas envolvendo crianças com Transtorno do Espectro Autista (TEA)

Pós-graduação em Docência para a Educação Básica - FC

Mudança curricular e a construção do conhecimento pedagógico do conteúdo na educação física

To understand how teachers deal with curriculum change proposals, and how their professional knowledge are involved in this process, is critical in order to understand the impact of these changes in pedagogical practice. From L. S. Shulman’s typology of teacher knowledge, we aimed to describe and interpret how a Physical Education teacher deals with the pedagogical content knowledge when developing a theme from Curriculum Proposal of Physical Education from the State of São Paulo (PPC-EF). A case study was conducted with the use of semi-structured interviews and classroom observation. The teacher made adjustments at the approach and activities suggested by the PPC-PE, mobilizing several teacher knowledge, and her autonomy was not removed. On the other hand, difficulties in relating “theory” and “practice” indicate the need for construction of pedagogical content knowledge to better direct the learning of students to the critical appropriation of movement culture.