The effect of noise on the voice of preschool institution educators

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association between noise levels present in preschool institutions and vocal disorders among educators. METHODS: Cross-sectional study conducted in 2009 with 28 teachers from three preschool institutions located in the city of Sao Paulo (Southeastern Brazil). Sound pressure levels were measured according to Brazilian Technical Standards Association, with the use of a sound level meter. The averages were classified according to the levels of comfort, discomfort, and auditory damage proposed by the Pan American Health Organization. The educators underwent voice evaluation: self-assessment with visual analogue scale, auditory perceptual evaluation using the GRBAS scale, and acoustic analysis utilizing the Praat program. To analyze the association between noise and voice evaluation, descriptive statistics and the chi-square test were employed, with significance of 10% due to sample size. RESULTS: The teachers' age ranged between 21 and 56 years. The noise average was 72.7 dB, considered as damage 2. The professionals' vocal self-assessment ranked an average of 5.1 on the scale, being considered as moderate alteration. In the auditory-perceptual assessment, 74% presented vocal alteration, especially hoarseness; of these, 52% were considered mild alterations. In the acoustic assessment the majority presented fundamental frequency below the expected level. Averages for jitter, shimmer and harmonic-noise ratio showed alterations. An association between the presence of noise between the harmonics and vocal disorders was observed. CONCLUSIONS: There is an association between presence of noise between the harmonics and vocal alteration, with high noise levels. Although most teachers presented mild voice alteration, the self-evaluation showed moderate alteration, probably due to the difficulty in projection.

The Effectiveness of a Voice Training Program for Telemarketers

Purpose. To use a randomized design to evaluate the effectiveness of voice training programs for telemarketers via multidimensional analysis. Methods. Forty-eight telemarketers were randomly assigned to two groups: voice training group (n = 14) who underwent training over an 8-week period and a nontraining control group (n = 34). Before and after training, recordings of the sustained vowel /epsilon/ and connected were collected for acoustic and perceptual analyses. Results. Based on pre- and posttraining comparisons, the voice training group presented with a significant reduction in percent jitter (P = 0.044). No other significant differences were observed, and inter-rater reliability varied from poor to fair. Conclusions. These findings suggest that voice training improved a single acoustic dimension, but do not change perceptual dimension of telemarketers' voices.

Voice disorders in children and its relationship with auditory, acoustic and vocal behavior parameters

Objective: Parameters to distinguish normal from deviant voices in early childhood have not been established. The current study sought to auditorily and acoustically characterize voices of children, and to study the relationship between vocal behavior reported by teachers and the presence of vocal aberrations. Methods: One hundred children between four and 6 years and 11 months, who attended early childhood educational institutions, were included. The sample comprised 50 children with normal voices (NVG) and 50 with deviant voices (DVG) matched by gender and age. All participants were submitted to auditory and acoustic analysis of vocal quality and had their vocal behaviors assessed by teachers through a specific protocol. Results: DVG had a higher incidence of breathiness (p < 0.001) and roughness (p < 0.001), but not vocal strain (p = 0.546), which was similar in both groups. The average F-0 was lower in the DVG and a higher noise component was observed in this group as well. Regarding the protocol used "Aspects Related to Phonotrauma - Children's Protocol", higher means were observed for children from DVG in all analyzed aspects and also on the overall means (DVG = 2.15; NVG = 1.12, p < 0.001). In NVG, a higher incidence of vocal behavior without alterations or with discrete alterations was observed, whereas a higher incidence of moderate, severe or extreme alterations of vocal behavior was observed in DVG. Conclusions: Perceptual assessment of voice, vocal acoustic parameters (F-0, noise and GNE), and aspects related to vocal trauma and vocal behavior differentiated the groups of children with normal voice and deviant voice. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Três gerações de avaliação da educação básica no Brasil: interfaces com o currículo da/na escola

Analisam-se, neste artigo, três gerações de avaliação da educação em larga escala, a partir dos objetivos e desenhos usuais em iniciativas implementadas no Brasil. A primeira geração consiste na avaliação diagnóstica da qualidade da educação, sem atribuição de consequências diretas para as escolas e para o currículo escolar. As outras duas gerações articulam os resultados das avaliações a políticas de responsabilização, com atribuição de consequências simbólicas ou materiais para os agentes escolares. Tomando como parâmetro de análise os objetivos e desenhos dessas avaliações, bem como estudos e pesquisas que produziram evidências sobre o tema, exploram-se possíveis implicações para o currículo escolar. Por um lado, discutem-se os riscos de as provas padronizadas, com avaliações que referenciam políticas de responsabilização envolvendo consequências fracas e fortes, exacerbarem a preocupação de diretores e professores com a preparação para os testes e para as atividades por estes abordadas, levando a um estreitamento do currículo escolar. Por outro lado, aponta-se o potencial das avaliações de segunda e terceira gerações em propiciarem uma discussão informada sobre o currículo escolar, em termos das habilidades fundamentais de leitura e matemática que ainda não têm sido garantidas a todos os alunos.

Exploração e análise das novas interfaces digitais relacionadas à representação gráfica na arquitetura

Este trabalho integra as pesquisas desenvolvidas pelo Grupo N.elac – IAU.USP, que tem como tema estudos sobre a representação da arquitetura e da cidade. Este artigo faz análise dos novos recursos tecnológicos direcionados para o desenho e projeto arquitetônico que emulam ou fazem uso do movimento gestual humano no ato de desenho e projeto. A pesquisa testa e avalia qualitativamente o uso das novas ferramentas digitais, tais como as tablets gráficas (ex:Apple Ipad), tablets opacas (ex: Wacom Bamboo) e canetas eletrônicas (ex: Wacom Inkling) na execução de desenhos livre e de observação, orientados por uma proposta de desenvolvimento gráfico relacionados ao ato de projeto arquitetônico, de maneira que se possa construir uma análise comparativa e interpretativa por meio dos produtos gerados nesse processo.

LeeMed

[ES] La irrupción actual de los teléfonos inteligentes (smartphones) equipados con diversos sensores y herramientas nativas, propicia la posibilidad de crear una gran gama de aplicaciones para mejorar la vida de personas con discapacidades. Con este proyecto se pretende cubrir estos objetivos: explorar las distintas posibilidades que ofrece la plataforma Android para implementar métodos de interacción hombre-máquina adaptados a personas con discapacidad visual. Identificar las problemáticas que afectan a las personas con discapacidad visual en el ámbito sociosanitario. Desarrollar una aplicación de carácter social que contribuya a mejorar la calidad de vida de estas personas. Como resultado del trabajo, se ha desarrollado una aplicación software llamada LeeMed, que consiste en una app para la plataforma Android, dirigida a personas con discapacidad visual, para la consulta de prospectos de medicamentos a través de múltiples interfaces humanas. El trabajo ha abordado tres tipos de interfaces: la oral (órdenes de voz), la gestual y la convencional de menús y opciones (GUI)

Desarrollo de interfaces de usuario para una herramienta de telecontrol y automatización industrial

[ES] Este proyecto de fin de carrera aborda la actualización y refactorización de la aplicación Hecaton. Esta aplicación permite la monitorización y actuación en instalaciones industriales de manera remota a través de un interfaz web. Para ello hace uso de sensores y actuadores que, conectados a través de un equipo de adquisición de datos a un sistema informático servidor, permiten obtener, manipular y almacenar los datos y eventos recibidos. Hecaton ha sido desarrollado enteramente utilizando software libre. Además, el sistema permite ser personalizado, lo que posibilita su uso en todo tipo de escenarios, siendo el usuario quién define las reglas de funcionamiento. Este trabajo se trata del cuarto ciclo de desarrollo, pues la aplicación ha sido crea y ampliada en otros tres proyectos. En este último desarrollo se han actualizado las tecnologías y herramientas que forman parte de la aplicación. Se ha puesto especial énfasis en el rediseño de la interfaz web, adoptando el uso de las últimas tecnologías web que permiten un funcionamiento dinámico de la misma. Por otro lado se han corregido algunos errores de diseño e introducido el uso de nuevas herramientas para la gestión del proyecto software. Se trata por lo tanto de un ejercicio de refactorización software donde se ha puesto especial atención en conseguir un proyecto actualizado y que utilice metodologías de desarrollo actuales y que posibilite que sea actualizado en un futuro.

Smile detection for user interfaces

[EN]Perceptual User Interfaces (PUIs) aim at facilitating human-computer interaction with the aid of human-like capacities (computer vision, speech recognition, etc.). In PUIs, the human face is a central element, since it conveys not only identity but also other important information, particularly with respect to the user’s mood or emotional state. This paper describes both a face detector and a smile detector for PUIs. Both are suitable for real-time interaction.

Development and optimization of graphic user interfaces (GUIs) for infrared spectrometers at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo

This Phd thesis was entirely developed at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG, Roque de los Muchachos, La Palma Canary Islands) with the aim of designing, developing and implementing a new Graphical User Interface (GUI) for the Near Infrared Camera Spectrometer (NICS) installed on the Nasmyth A of the telescope. The idea of a new GUI for NICS has risen for optimizing the astronomers work through a set of powerful tools not present in the existing GUI, such as the possibility to move automatically, an object on the slit or do a very preliminary images analysis and spectra extraction. The new GUI also provides a wide and versatile image display, an automatic procedure to find out the astronomical objects and a facility for the automatic image crosstalk correction. In order to test the overall correct functioning of the new GUI for NICS, and providing some information on the atmospheric extinction at the TNG site, two telluric standard stars have been spectroscopically observed within some engineering time, namely Hip031303 and Hip031567. The used NICS set-up is as follows: Large Field (0.25'' /pixel) mode, 0.5'' slit and spectral dispersion through the AMICI prism (R~100), and the higher resolution (R~1000) JH and HK grisms.

Advanced SPM studies on the growth of ultrathin films of organic semiconductors at metal and dielectric interfaces

Many studies on the morphology, molecular orientation, device performance, substrate nature and growth parameter dependence have been carried out since the proposal of Sexithiophene (6T) for organic electronics [ ] However, these studies were mostly performed on films thicker than 20nm and without specifically addressing the relationship between morphology and molecular orientation within the nano and micro structures of ultrathin films of 0-3 monolayers. In 2004, the observation that in OFETs only the first few monolayers at the interface in contact with the gate insulator contribute to the charge transport [ ], underlined the importance to study submonolayer films and their evolution up to a few monolayers of thickness with appropriate experimental techniques. We present here a detailed Non-contact Atomic Force Microscopy and Scanning Tunneling Microscopy study on various substrates aiming at the investigation of growth mechanisms. Most reported similar studies are performed on ideal metals in UHV. However it is important to investigate the details of organic film growth on less ideal and even technological surfaces and device testpatterns. The present work addresses the growth of ultra thin organic films in-situ and quasi real-time by NC-AFM. An organic effusion cell is installed to evaporate the organic material directly onto the SPM sample scanning stage.