Calidad de vida y cáncer de próstata: un programa progresivo de fuerza-resistencia = Quality of life and prostate cancer: a progressive resistance strength program

This article presents the design and implementation of a progressive resistance strength program adapted to prostate cancer. The initial model corresponds to the guide of the American College Sports Medicine Position Stand (ACSM, 2009). This program includes the most habitual symptoms related to the illness and its treatments. The study design is quasi-experimental. The sample is 33 subjects in treatment phase. Study variables are tumour classification TNM, anthropometric measures, resistance strength, hypertension, fatigue, incontinence, pain and quality of life. After 24 weeks a significant improvement on resistance strength capacity is observed. This result is more consistent in lower extremities. Also improves hypertension, urinary incontinence, pain and quality of life. As conclusion, the improvement of the quality of life is mediated by the functional and physical capacity of the ill person

rDock: A Fast, Versatile and Open Source Program for Docking Ligands to Proteins and Nucleic Acids

Identification of chemical compounds with specific biological activities is an important step in both chemical biology and drug discovery. When the structure of the intended target is available, one approach is to use molecular docking programs to assess the chemical complementarity of small molecules with the target; such calculations provide a qualitative measure of affinity that can be used in virtual screening (VS) to rank order a list of compounds according to their potential to be active. rDock is a molecular docking program developed at Vernalis for high-throughput VS (HTVS) applications. Evolved from RiboDock, the program can be used against proteins and nucleic acids, is designed to be computationally very efficient and allows the user to incorporate additional constraints and information as a bias to guide docking. This article provides an overview of the program structure and features and compares rDock to two reference programs, AutoDock Vina (open source) and Schrodinger's Glide (commercial). In terms of computational speed for VS, rDock is faster than Vina and comparable to Glide. For binding mode prediction, rDock and Vina are superior to Glide. The VS performance of rDock is significantly better than Vina, but inferior to Glide for most systems unless pharmacophore constraints are used; in that case rDock and Glide are of equal performance. The program is released under the Lesser General Public License and is freely available for download, together with the manuals, example files and the complete test sets, at http://rdock.sourceforge.net/

Program hosting in communications environment with Reactor and thread pool approach

In this thesis concurrent communication event handling is implemented using thread pool approach. Concurrent events are handled with a Reactor design pattern and multithreading is implemented using a Leader/Followers design pattern. Main focus is to evaluate behaviour of implemented model by different numbers of concurrent connections and amount of used threads. Furthermore, model feasibility in a PeerHood middleware is evaluated. Implemented model is evaluated with created test environment which enables concurrent message sending from multiple connections to the system under test. Messages round trip times are measured in the tester application. In the evaluation processing delay into system is simulated and influence of delay to the average round trip time is analysed.

Modern recovery boiler design criteria

Engineering and pricing of large recovery boiler were studied in this work. Engineering was carried out with Anita 4.2 which is an engineering program of Andritz. Key initial values were chosen with previous studies. Primary target of this work was to find out the consequences that furnace dimensions and furnace screen vertical part has to boiler pricing. Boilers that were engineered had different rate of furnace width and depth and different heat transfer plate count. Boiler balances were invariable. Boilers with different vertical screen construction were also calculated. First variation was boiler with vertical screen up to furnace roof. Other variation was to connect vertical screen to Pre-boiler generating bank inlet tubes. Total prices were calculated to engineered boilers. Pricing was sort out to heat transfers, high pressure pipes, steel structures, auxiliary equipments and civil/structural costs. This study did not notice parts of the boiler which costs do not vary with the construction of the boiler. Heat transfers had the largest share of costs. Boiler building had the most significant differences between the boilers. Furnace screen had also significant role especially to costs of the boiler building.

High-speed solid-rotor induction machine – calculation program

The aim of this thesis is to utilize the technology developed at LUT and to provide an easy tool for high-speed solid-rotor induction machine preliminary design. Computer aided design tool MathCAD has been chosen as the environment for realizing the calculation program. Four versions of the design program have been made depending on the motor rotor type. The first rotor type is an axially slitted solid-rotor with steel end rings. The next one is an axially slitted solid-rotor with copper end rings. The third machine type is a solid rotor with deep, rectangular copper bars and end rings (squirrel cage). And the last one is a solid-rotor with round copper bars and end rings (squirrel cage). Each type of rotor has its own specialties but a general thread of design is common. This paper follows the structure of the calculating program and explains some features and formulas. The attention is concentrated on the difference between laminated and solid-rotor machine design principles. There is no deep analysis of the calculation ways are presented. References for all solution methods appearing during the design procedure are given for more detailed studying. This thesis pays respect to the latest innovations in solid-rotor machines theory. Rotor ends’ analytical calculation follows the latest knowledge in this field. Correction factor for adjusting the rotor impedance is implemented. The purpose of the created design program is to calculate the preliminary dimensions of the machine according to initial data. Obtained results are not recommended for exact machine development. Further more detailed design should be done in a finite element method application. Hence, this thesis is a practical tool for the prior evaluating of the high-speed machine with different solid-rotor types parameters.

Design and implementation of robot gripper interface

This thesis presents a design for an asynchronous interface to Robotiq adaptive gripper s-model. Designed interface is a communication layer that works on top of modbus layer. The design contains function definitions, finite state machine and exceptions. The design was not fully implemented but enough was so that it can be used. The implementation was done with c++ in linux environment. Additionally to the implementation a simple demo program was made to show the interface is used. Also grippers closing speed and force were measured. There is also a brief introduction into robotics and robot grasping.

A feature-based object-oriented expert system to model and support product design

In this paper a computer program to model and support product design is presented. The product is represented through a hierarchical structure that allows the user to navigate across the product’s components, and it aims at facilitating each step of the detail design process. A graphical interface was also developed, which shows visually to the user the contents of the product structure. Features are used as building blocks for the parts that compose the product, and object-oriented methodology was used as a means to implement the product structure. Finally, an expert system was also implemented, whose knowledge base rules help the user design a product that meets design and manufacturing requirements.

Design of a 1 kW 150 rpm permanent-magnet synchronous generator for stand-alone wind-power applications

A program for calculating low-speed low-power synchronous machine is presented. A permanent-magnet synchronous generator for 1 kW 150 rpm is designed. Optimization of magnet’s and coil’s dimensions was made.

Ontario high school sport : an investigation of organizational design and its context

In 2002, The Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) identified that in providing extracurricular sport programs schools are faced with the 'new realities' of the education system. Although research has been conducted exploring the pressures impacting the provision of extracurricular school sport (Donnelly, Mcloy, Petherick, & Safai, 2000), few studies within the field have focused on understanding extracurricular school sport from an organizational level. The focus of this study was to examine the organizational design (structure, systems, and values) of the extracurricular sport department within three Ontario high schools, as well as to understand the context within which the departments exist. A qualitative multiple case study design was adopted and three public high schools were selected from one district school board in Ontario to represent the cases under investigation. Interviews, observations and documents were used to analyze the extracurricular sport department design of each case and to better understand the context within which the departments exist. As the result of the analysis of the structure, systems and values of each case, two designs emerged- Design KT1 and Design KT2. Differences in the characteristics of design archetype KT1 and KT2 centered on the design dimension of values, and therefore this study identified that contrasting organizational values reflect differences in design types. The characteristics of the Kitchen Table archetype were found to be transferable to the sub-sector of extracurricular school sport, and therefore this research provides a springboard for further research in organizational design within the education sector of extracurricular high school sport. Interconnections were found between the data associated with the external and internal contexts within which the extracurricular sport departments exist. The analysis of the internal context indicated the important role played by organizational members in shaping the context within which the departments exist. The analysis of the external context highlighted the institutional pressures that were present within the education environment. Both political and cultural expectations related to the role of extracurricular sport within schools were visible and were subsequently used by the high schools to create legitimacy and prestige, and to access resources.

Design, development and assessment of the Java Intelligent Tutoring System

The "Java Intelligent Tutoring System" (JITS) research project focused on designing, constructing, and determining the effectiveness of an Intelligent Tutoring System for beginner Java programming students at the postsecondary level. The participants in this research were students in the School of Applied Computing and Engineering Sciences at Sheridan College. This research involved consistently gathering input from students and instructors using JITS as it developed. The cyclic process involving designing, developing, testing, and refinement was used for the construction of JITS to ensure that it adequately meets the needs of students and instructors. The second objective in this dissertation determined the effectiveness of learning within this environment. The main findings indicate that JITS is a richly interactive ITS that engages students on Java programming problems. JITS is equipped with a sophisticated personalized feedback mechanism that models and supports each student in his/her learning style. The assessment component involved 2 main quantitative experiments to determine the effectiveness of JITS in terms of student performance. In both experiments it was determined that a statistically significant difference was achieved between the control group and the experimental group (i.e., JITS group). The main effect for Test (i.e., pre- and postiest), F( l , 35) == 119.43,p < .001, was qualified by a Test by Group interaction, F( l , 35) == 4.98,p < .05, and a Test by Time interaction, F( l , 35) == 43.82, p < .001. Similar findings were found for the second experiment; Test by Group interaction revealed F( 1 , 92) == 5.36, p < .025. In both experiments the JITS groups outperformed the corresponding control groups at posttest.

Measuring curriculum integration in the junior grades: the design of an instrument

This study \Alas initiated in response to the Junior Division Review (1985) publ ished by the Ministry of Education for the Province of Ontario. Curriculum integration is an element used within the educational paradigm designed by the Ontario Ministry of Education. It is a term frequent1y verbal ized b>' educators in this province, but because of 1 imi ted resource support regarding this methodology, it was open to broad interpretation resulting in an extreme v ar i at i on i nit simp 1 eme n tat i on • I n de ed, the Min i s try intimated that it was not occurring to any significant degree across the province. The objective of this thes is was· to define integration in the junior classroom and de-:.ign a meas.ur·ement in-:.tr-ument which would in turn high 1 i gh t indicators of curriculum integration. The :.tudy made a prel iminary, field-based survey of educa tiona 1 professionals in order to generate a relevant description of integrated curr-iculum programm i ng as def i ned in the j un i or classroom. The description was a compilation of views expressed by a random selection of teachers, consultants, supervisory officers and principals. The survey revea 1 ed a much more comprehens i ve vi et·<,l of the attributes of integrated programming than tradition would dictate and resulted in a functional definition tha t was broader than past prac t ices. Based on the information generated by this survey, an instrument ou t 1 in i ng program cr iter i a of was devised. an integrated junior cla~·sroom Th i s measuremen t i nstrumen t , designed for all levels of educators, was named uThe Han~.son I nstrumen t for the Measuremen t of Program Integrat ion in the Jun i or Cl assroom". It refl ected five categories intrinsic to the me thodol ogy of integration: Teacher Behaviour, Student Behaviour, Classroom Layout, Cl as~·r oom Environment and Progr amm i ng. Each category and the items therein were successfully tested in val idi ty and rel iabi 1 i ty checKs. Interestingly, the individual class was found to be the major variable programming in in the measuremen t the j un i or d i vis i on • of The integrated instrument demonstrated potential not onl)' a~· an initial measure of the degree of integrated curriculum, but as a guide to strategies to implement such a methodology.

The effectiveness of a multisensory writing program in improving cursive writing ability in children with sensorimotor difficulties

It is estimated that five to ten percent of children experience sensory motor difficulties that result in various learnlng disabilitiies , among them. inabllity to output Information on paper in the appropriate manner (Ayres ,1985). The relationship between sensorimotorabillty and handwriting is well documented in the literature (Freeman,1917; Townsend , 1951; Nlkola-Ll sa, 1987). While much of the literature is inconclusive, there are findings to suggest that muitisensory handwriting programmes are an effective approach to improvlng writing abIlity in these chlldren. For a number of years, Occupational Therapists have been involved in the remediation of handwriting utllizing , amongst other approaches . multisensory programmes. While subjective assessments of effectiveness have been extremerly positive. scientIfic evaluation has been minimal . If further intervention in this area is to occur, it Is essential that the profession be able to justify the existence of such programmes . The purpose of this study was to examine what effects a multlsensory writing prog~am would have on the curslve writing ability of chlldren with sensorimotor dlfficulties. A single case with multiple baselines across be havlours design was used , with the behavlours being cursive writing abilIty of fIve distInct letter groups. The fIve groups were taught in random order, one group every two weeks , In a one-hour session. Repeated measurements of writing speed and qualIty for each letter group were made. This design was repeated over three other cases . Results of the study yielded statistical signifi cance in trend changes In specIfic letter groups for all of the chlldren following interventlon. One child achieved statistical significance In the overall change In quality , while none of the children achieved overall statistical significance In speed score changes . Teacher reports and an assessment of written language prior to and following the program suggest that Intervention may have had a positive effect on self-confidence in written output, and on the maturlty of written expression in some of the cases . Further research in this field is needed to validate the continual use of multisensory writing programmes by Occupational Theraplsts worklng with this specific population and to provide some directlon with regards to the Integration of multlsensory writing programmes within the regular academic remedial programme .

The effectiveness of a computer program on career planning for university students

This study investigated the effectiveness of a computer program, PERSONAL CAREER DIRECTIONS (PC DIRECTIONS) (Anderson, Welborn, & Wright, 1983) on career planning and exploration for twenty-four Brock University students (18 women and 6 men) who requested career planning assistance at the Career/Placement Services of the Counselling Centre. A one-group pretest/posttest design was used in the study_ Progress in career planning and exploration was measured by Career Planning (CP) and Career Exploration (CE) scales of the Career Development Inventory (College and University Form) (Super, Thompson, Lindeman, Jordaan, & Myers, 1981). A paired samples 2-tailed t test for Career Development Attitudes (CDA) , the combined CP and CE scales, revealed the posttest scores were significantly higher than the pretest scores, t(23) = 3.74, 2 < .001. Student progress was also assessed by self-report lists of job titles which reflected positive changes after students used PC DIRECTIONS. In response to several questions, students' attitudes were more positive than negative toward the program. Implications are that PC DIRECTIONS is an effective component in promoting career planning for university students. Further studies may reveal that different types of students may benefit from different interventions in the career planning process.

The effect of motor-encoding activities on memory and performance in a grade one reading program

This study examined the effectiveness of motor-encoding activities on memory and performance of students in a Grade One reading program. There were two experiments in the study. Experiment 1 replicated a study by Eli Saltz and David Dixon (1982). The effect of motoric enactment (Le., pretend play) of sentences on memory for the sentences was investigated. Forty Grade One students performed a "memory-for-sentences" technique, devised by Saltz and Dixon. Only the experimental group used motoric enactment of the sentences. Although quantitative findings revealed no significant difference between the mean scores of the experimental group versus the control group, aspects of the experimental design could have affected the results. It was suggested that Saltz and Dixon's study could be replicated again, with more attention given to variables such as population size, nature of the test sentences, subjects' previous educational experience and conditions related to the testing environment. The second experiment was an application of Saltz and Dixon's theory that motoric imagery should facilitate memory for sentences. The intent was to apply this theory to Grade One students' ability to remember words from their reading program. An experimental gym program was developed using kinesthetic activities to reinforce the skills of the classroom reading program. The same subject group was used in Experiment 2. It was hypothesized that the subjects who experienced the experimental gym program would show greater signs of progress in reading ability, as evidenced by their scores on Form G of the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test--Revised. The data from the WRM--R were analyzed with a 3-way split-plot analysis of variance in which group (experimental vs. control) and sex were the between subjects variables and test-time (pre-test vs. post-test) was the within-subjects variable. Findings revealed the following: (a) both groups made substantial gains over time on the visual-auditory learning sub-test and the triple action of group x sex x time also was significant; (b) children in the experimental and control groups performed similarly on both the pre- and post-test of the letter identification test; (c) time was the only significant effect on subjects' performance on the word identification task; (d) work attack scores showed marked improvement in performance over time for both the experimenta+ and control groups; (e) passage comprehension scores indicated an improvement in performance for both groups over time. Similar to Experiment 1, it is suggested that several modifications in the experimental design could produce significant results. These factors are addressed with suggestions for further research in the area of active learning; more specifically, the effect of motor-encoding activities on memory and academic performance of children.

Miss-understand-ing: design education in Ontario secondary schools : an exploration of the issues with stakeholders and recommendations for change /

For most people design is a mystery. The products of design are integrated into our daily lives to the point that design has become invisible to us. However. what is subsumed in design practice is a creative problem-solving process that is applicable as a teaching strategy as well as a method for teaching the subject of design. The purpose of this study was to inquire into the current classroom practice of Ontario Visual Arts and Technological Education teachers, understand the goals of Ontario government curriculum developers, and explore the position held by the professional design community on secondary school design education. Data for this study were collected from: (a) a textual analysis of 4 Ministry curriculum documents; (b) interviews with JO stakeholders; (c) unobtrusive observations and informal conversations conducted at 7 secondary school open house events; and (d) observation of 2 sessions of an AQ course for Design and Technology. The research design modeled the design process and was divided into 2 parts: a discovery or problem-finding phase and a discussion or problem-solving phase. The results showed that design is misunderstood and misused; it has become lost between visual arts and technology where neither program holds responsibility for its delivery; students mistake working on computers for design practice; and while there is a desire within the professional community to have a voice in secondary school design education. there is no forum for participation. The technology-driven paradigm shift taking place in society today calls for a new framework for tellching and practicing dcsign. Further research is required; howcvcr. in the meantime. secondary school educators might benefit from professional development and classroom support from the professional dcsign community.