Percepção Ambiental em Museus Paisagens de Arte Contemporânea: a legibilidade dos museus Inhotim/Brasil e em Serralves/Portugal avaliada pelo público/visitante

This thesis nalyzes the wayfinding in Landscape Museum of Contemporary Art (MPAC), based on the Institute of Contemporary Art CACI, Minas Gerais, Brazil and the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Serralves Foundation, Porto, Portugal. The study focuses on the interrelationship of the public/visitors with the landscape, architecture and contemporary art museums in these, in order to understand visual perception and apprehension of such an environment for their users. For both were confronted documentation (visual and written) and people talk. The main hypothesis put forward is that the audience/visitor MPAC appreciates the interrelationship between the natural environment (park/garden) and built environment (the works of contemporary art and the galleries), giving equal value to both. To complement this, a second hypothesis is that during the visit to MPACS, visitors define their paths spontaneously, but strongly influenced by existing visual indicators (maps, signage and striking landscape elements), which facilitate the readability of space, which also contribute to the offered services and the experiences of similar institutions. The analytical basis of the research used the concepts of legibility (LYNCH, 2009), wayfinding (GIBSON, 2009; ARTHUR, PASSINI, 2002; WEISMAN, 1982), Experiential Cotinnum (TUAN, 1985), Space Bound (CRUZ PINTO, 2007) and habitus (BOURDIEU, 1992). Methodologically was used qualitative research (DEMO 2000) by means of a case study (YIN, 2005; STAKE, 1999) and participant observation (WHYTE, 2005). In the two institutions interviews with researchers and curators, behavior observation and questionnaires from employees, trainees, monitors and the public/visitor of the two museums were performed. Although partially referende the initial hypothesis, the research showed that the public/visitor value appears more natural environments, they experience a greater intensity and in addition to the factors listed in the second case, your perception and definition of paths suffer significant influence of emotional relations established with space. Generally the audience/visitor adapts easily to different demands of contemporary art exhibition in the two museums and the built environment (park/garden and museum) interferes with your reading path during the visit, perceived by the public/visitor condition as a factor that favors the enjoyment of works on different mounts (wayfinding), though often become a factor that hinders the legibility of the building and its built environment

A dimensão social do desenho: um estudo sobre as interações no processo de (re) construção imagética da criança no Ensino Fundamental

In the historical-cultural perspective, the drawing is processed by means of a shared and complex way, under diverse relations with the other and with the immersed signs of the culture. That is, something constituted by the social interactions and that can modify the structure of the psychological functions, therefore as socialized sign, propitiates the incorporation of the functions socially. In this way, the figuration carrier sensitive and established meanings historically disclosing the shared experiences and the ways of the subject to think and perceive the world. Such reflections gave shape to the main problem of this research: how to think over about the drawing at the school to incide in the reconstruction of the childs imaginative language? Under such perspective, this work deals with the interactions in the production process of the drawing of the children in a context of teach-Iearning of the elementary school having as goal to analyze the interactions established in the cIassroom in the process of production of the drawings; to propose situations of learnings that favor the advance graphical expression of the students; and to identify in the interactive games some relations between body expression and drawing. For its accomplishment, it was opted for the construction process based in the collaborative investigation by the fact to propitiate negotiations, sharing and confrontation of ideas, becoming possible a joint construction of the knowledge. For this research, the researcher and the collaborating teacher, as well as the involved children, become themselves into co-authors of the context studied. As locus of the research, it was chosen a first cycle class, with 30 students, from Municipal School Profª. Emília Ramos (Natal/RN - Brazil), whose election took in account the fact of this school to constitute in a promotional space of reflections and professional development of teachers in service and, at the same time, for presentinglimitations theoretic- methodological in the field of teaching for Arts. In the process of the research, it was perceived that the children with the support of the verbal language formulates meanings on the seen and imagined object, printing lines and forms that if overlap to the physiological aspects of the visual perception. That is, the drawing discloses a reality appraised, enriched for the picked up vision of the image, but the meanings established for the author, or observer who becomes it perceivable and identified. In the systemizing situations, it was observed that the teaching-Iearning process of the drawing, implies a co-construction between teachers and learners. And, moreover, the necessity to interlace emotion and cognition by means of plastic-corporal interactions that foment drawing experiences, whose process concurs for the imagenative reconstruct of the apprentices

Construção e aplicação de uma sequência didática para o ensino de trigonometria usando software geogebra

The present study aims to analyze the potentialities and limitations of GeoGebra software on what concerns trigonometry s teaching and learning processes. Taking the present resources of public school from the state of Rio Grande do Norte, the research intends to answer the following question: Could we use the current conditions of public school and the Geogebra software to optimize the trigonometry s learning and teaching processes situation? . To make it a possible to answer the question above, a module of investigative activities was created and applied. The methodological intervention was made among second year High School students from a public school in Natal, RN. The theoretical reference of Mathematics Didactics was taken was a base, adopting the conceptions of Borba and Penteado (2001), Valente (1999) and Zulatto (2002, 2007) about the use of Information Technology (IT) on Mathematics classrooms. In order to create the investigative activities helped us to understand how the students make their constructions and their visual perception through the process of dragging images on the computer screen. Furthermore, the activities done with the GeoGebra software s resources facilitate the resolution of trigonometry situations

Aprendizagem motora baseada em demonstrações de movimento biológico

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o processo de aprendizagem motora de uma habilidade complexa da Ginástica Artística a partir da observação de demonstrações de modelos de pontos de luz e vídeo. Dezesseis participantes divididas em grupos dos respectivos modelos executaram um pré-teste, seguido de 100 tentativas de uma parada de mãos, igualmente distribuídas em blocos de 10 tentativas em dois dias, alternando períodos de demonstração e prática, com um teste de retenção após um dia. Cinemática de braço, tronco e perna das participantes possibilitaram análise da semelhança entre a coordenação de cada participante e do modelo e do tempo de movimento; a performance das participantes também foi avaliada por duas especialistas em Ginástica Artística. Ambas as análises indicaram que os grupos não diferiram. Os resultados são discutidos em termos da hipótese de suficiência de informação nos modelos de movimento biológico particularmente aplicada ao processo de aprendizagem de habilidades motoras complexas.

Sinalização cromática da condição reprodutiva de fêmeas de segui comum (Callithrix jacchus)

As social animals, primates use different sensory modalities (acoustic, chemical, tactile and visual) to convey information about social and sexual status to conspecifics. Among these modalities, visual signals are widely used, especially color signals, since primates are the mammalian group that displays the greatest variety of colors in their skin and fur. Studies with Old World primate species suggest that hormonal variations are related to variations in the colors of individual faces and genitals. Therefore, chromatic cues can be used by conspecifics to identify the reproductive condition of an individual. To date, studies with the same approach are unknown for New World species. However, behavioral and physiological studies suggest that different New World primate species seem to perceive reproductive conditions such as the timing of female conception and gestation. Thus, in this study, our aim was to: i) identify whether there are chromatic cues on the skin of female common marmosets, (Callithrix jacchus) that indicate their reproductive condition; ii) define whether this chromatic variation can be perceived by all visual phenotypes known in this species; iii) identify if these chromatic cues can be perceived under different light intensity levels (dim, intermediate and high). For this, we selected 13 female common marmosets in four distinct reproductive conditions: pregnant female preceding parturition, postpartum mothers, noncycling and cycling females. The coloration of the skin in genital and thigh areas in females was measured using a spectrophotometer. Using mathematical models of visual perception, we calculated the values of quantum catch for each photoreceptor type known in this species, the visual opponency channels and color contrast between those body spots. Our results indicate the occurance of chromatic variations in the genital area during the weeks that precede and follow parturition, forming a U-pattern of variation perceptible to males and females in natural conditions of low and high luminosity. Furthermore, we observed distinct color patterns in the genital skin of pregnant and cycling females that indicate their reproductive conditions. Finally, we present evidence of color contrast in noncycling females that is higher than that of pregnant ones. This study suggests that there is a chromatic xii variation in the genital skin of females that can be perceived by conspecifics and that may be related to hormonal changes typical of pregnancy and the ovarian cycle

Imagem sócio-ambiental do bairro de Cidade Nova, Natal-RN, por seus moradores

This dissertation investigates how the neighborhood of Cidade Nova, located in the western side of the of Natal, is perceived by its residents in order to understand its socio-environmental image, intending to contribute both to define strategies of urban intervention and environmental education in the area and to consolidate a methodology that addresses this kind of problem. The completion of field research used a multimethod strategy to study the socio-environmental image of urban areas. It consists of: (a) review of local history from literature research, data recorded by the City Hall, news published on the city's newspapers and interviews with former inhabitants, (b) application of questionnaires to inhabitants including emotions, visual perception, memory and local social activities, (c) development of a drawing of the district, (d) conducting focus groups with inhabitants, using as a starting point the results obtained in the previous activities. In steps "b" and "c" attended 32 neighborhood residents, 16 of them being Community Health Workers and other 16 persons appointed by them. In step "d" 10 individuals took part, divided into two groups. The result of the research showed a picture of residents coincident with the image conveyed by the media in relation to the issues: violence, garbage, public policy/social support and appreciation of the beauties of environmental (dunes and Parque da Cidade park). Although Cidade Nova has been regarded as a dirty, noisy and dangerous place, most of the participants say they enjoy living on the neighborhood. Overall, the results corroborate and gain theoretical explanations, as they are interrelated. The socio-environmental image is expressed for instance in the elements dunes, dump, railroad tracks and Central Avenue that gain symbolic connotation influenced by time and socio-economic context. The insecurity and other negative characteristics assigned by the inhabitants and the media are parallel to the place attachment, since the environmental legibility, the time/familiarity and territoriality offer inhabitants the preference for place of residence, setting up their social identity.

Redes neurais e representação mental: um ensaio sobre harmonia e racionalidade

Investigaremos, a partir da perspectiva da Ciência Cognitiva, a noção de representação mental, no domínio da percepção visual humana. Ênfase é dada ao paradigma Conexionista, ou de Redes Neurais, de acordo com o qual tais representações mentais são descritas como estruturas emergentes da interação entre sistemas de processamento de informação que se auto-organizam - tais como o cérebro - e a luz estruturada no meio ambiente. Sugerimos que essa noção de representação mental indica uma solução para uma antiga polêmica, entre Representacionalistas e Eliminativistas, acerca da existência de representações mentais no sistema perceptual humano.

Dental students' knowledge of ergonomic postural requirements and their application during clinical care

Aim:To examine how much final-year undergraduate dental students know about postural dental ergonomic requirements, and how well they apply these requirements clinically.Background:Dentists are vulnerable to diverse mechanical (e.g. postural) and non-mechanical occupational risks.Materials and Methods:Eight postural requirements found in normalising documents were identified, reproduced, photographed, and analysed to develop a test of visual perception (TVP). Photographs of the 69 participating students were taken during their clinical care to ascertain ergonomics compliance, after which the students were administered the TVP. Pearson's test was used to correlate the level of knowledge (TVP) and its clinical application (photographic analysis) among the 552 observations made for each test (total of 1104 observations).Results:65.7% of the TVP questions were answered correctly and 35% of the photographic cases were in compliance with ergonomic requirements (+ 0.67, P < 0.0001).Conclusion:The knowledge of ergonomics postural requirements and their clinical application among the dental students surveyed were not satisfactory. The reasons for the learning difficulties encountered by the students should be identified to improve the learning process. The didactic use of digital images in this study may help in this endeavour.

Unsuccessful attacks dominate a drone-preying wasp's hunting performance near stingless bee nests

Bee males (drones) of stingless bees tend to congregate near entrances of conspecific nests, where they wait for virgin queens that initiate their nuptial flight. We observed that the Neotropical solitary wasp Trachypus boharti (Hymenoptera, Cabronidae) specifically preys on males of the stingless bee Scaptotrigona postica (Hymenoptera, Apidae); these wasps captured up to 50 males per day near the entrance of a single hive. Over 90% of the wasp attacks were unsuccessful; such erroneous attacks often involved conspecific wasps and worker bees. After the capture of non-male prey, wasps almost immediately released these individuals unharmed and continued hunting. A simple behavioral experiment showed that at short distances wasps were not specifically attracted to S. postica males nor were they repelled by workers of the same species. Likely, short-range prey detection near the bees' nest is achieved mainly by vision whereas close-range prey recognition is based principally on chemical and/or mechanical cues. We argue that the dependence on the wasp's visual perception during attack and the crowded and dynamic hunting conditions caused wasps to make many preying attempts that failed. Two wasp-density-related factors, wasp-prey distance and wasp-wasp encounters, may account for the fact that the highest male capture and unsuccessful wasp bee encounter rates occurred at intermediate wasp numbers.

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.

Head, eye and arm coordination in table tennis

The aim of this study was to determine the role of head, eye and arm movements during the execution of a table tennis forehand stroke. Three-dimensional kinematic analysis of line-of-gaze, arm and ball was used to describe visual and motor behaviour. Skilled and less skilled participants returned the ball to cued right or left target areas under three levels of temporal constraint: pre-, early- and late-cue conditions. In the pre- and early-cue conditions, both high and low skill participants tracked the ball early in flight and kept gaze stable on a location in advance of the ball before ball-bat contact. Skilled participants demonstrated an earlier onset of ball tracking and recorded higher performance accuracy than less skilled counterparts. The manipulation of cue condition showed the limits of adaptation to maintain accuracy on the target. Participants were able to accommodate the constraints imposed by the early-cue condition by using a shorter quiet eye duration, earlier quiet eye offset and reduced arm velocity at contact. In the late-cue condition, modifications to gaze, head and arm movements were not sufficient to preserve accuracy. The findings highlight the functional coupling between perception and action during time-constrained, goal-directed actions.

Depression severity levels and cognitive functions in institutionalized elderly patients

Depression is a highly prevalent illness among institutionalized aged and assumes peculiar characteristics such as the risk for progressing to dementia. The aims of this study was to assess the cognitive functions of institutionalized elderly with clinical diagnosis of depression and compare the severity of depressive symptoms with cognitive performance. From 120 residents at a nursing home in Rio Claro, Brazil, we study 23 individuals (mean age: 74.3 years; mean schooling: 4.0 years) with diagnosis of depression. At first, a clinical diagnosis of depression and measurement of its symptoms using the Geriatric Depression Scale were performed. The patient then underwent a neuropsychological assessment based on the following tests: Mini-Mental Examination, Verbal Fluency, Visual Perception, Immediate Memory, Recent Memory, Recognition, Clock Drawing Test. The patients were divided into two groups: those with less severe depression symptoms (Group 1: N=9) and more severe symptoms (Group 2: N=14). The significant difference between symptom severity of the two groups was p=0.0001. Patients with more severe symptoms revealed a slightly inferior cognitive performance in most of the tests when compared to those with less severe symptoms (p>0.05). In relation to Verbal Fluency, patients with more severe depression symptoms presented a significantly inferior cognitive performance when compared to those with less severe symptoms (p=0.0082). Verbal Fluency revealed to be a more sensitive test for measuring early cognitive alterations in institutionalized aged with depression, and appears to be a useful resource in monitoring the cognitive functions of patients faced with the risk of dementia. © Copyright Moreira Jr. Editora.

Early impairment of cognitive functions in Parkinson's disease

Background: Impairment in non-motor functions such as disturbances of some executive functions are also common events in Parkinson's disease patients. Objective: To verify the performance of Parkinson's disease patients in activities requiring visuoconstructive and visuospatial skills. Method: Thirty elderly patients with mild or moderate stages of Parkinson's disease were studied. The assessment of the clinical condition was based on the unified Parkinson's disease rating scale (56.28; SD=33.48), Hoehn and Yahr (2.2; SD=0.83), Schwab and England (78.93%), clock drawing test (7.36; SD=2.51), and mini-mental state examination (26.48; SD=10.11). Pearson's correlation and stepwise multiple regression were used for statistical analyses. Results: The patients presented deterioration in visuospatial and visuoconstructive skills. Conclusion: The clock drawing test proved to be a useful predictive tool for identifying early cognitive impairment in these individuals.

Scientific article in vitro evaluation of the influence of air abrasion on detection of occlusal caries lesions in primary teeth

The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of cleaning pits and fissures with an aluminum oxide air abrasion system on the detection of occlusal caries in primary teeth using laser fluorescence (LF) and visual examination. Methods: The sample comprised 65 pit and fissure sites on extracted primary teeth suspected to be carious. The sites were submitted to 2 visual examinations (examiner JAR) and 2 LF readings (examiner TMV). Next, the occlusal surfaces were air-abraded and re-examined thereafter using both methods. The teeth were sectioned, and the histological analysis of the sites with a stereoscopic magnifying lens at X32 magnifi cation was used as the gold standard. Results: Cohen's kappa statistic for LF and visual examination were, respectively, 0.282/0.884 before and 0.896/0.905 after air abrasion. LF showed a sensitivity of 0.28 increasing to 0.49 and a specifi city of 0.50 increasing to 0.92. Visual examination showed sensitivity of 0.78 and specifi city of 0.73. Both increased after air abrasion. Conclusion: The findings suggest that cleaning pits and fissures with aluminum oxide air abrasion increased the accuracy of LF and visual examination for detection of occlusal caries in primary teeth.

Generalização cartográfica para um Sistema de Navegação e Guia de Rota em Automóvel áudio-dinâmico com múltiplas escalas

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)