Full analysis of suspension geometry and chassis performance of Formula Student racing car

Formula Student events gather engineering students, who compete, designing, building and racing single-seater cars. The team of ISEP is working on its first car that soon will take part in this competition. This work aims to analyze the current design’s chassis, focusing on suspension geometry and frame’s performance. After analyzing results of the tests planned suggestions, that can be taken into consideration during design process of next cars will be presented. As the car has not been tested yet this work can also be helpful to explain its performance on the track later.

Digital storytelling: student ID in higher education

Identity achievement is related to personality, as well as cognitive and interpersonal development. In tandem with the deep structural changes that have taken place in society, education must also shift towards a teaching approach focused on learning and the overall development of the student. The integration of technology may be the drive to foster the needed changes. We draw on the literature of multiple subject areas as basis for our work, namely: identity construction and self-representation, within a psychological and social standpoint; Higher Education (HE) in Portugal after Bologna, college student development and other intrinsic relationships, namely the role of emotions and interpersonal relationships in the learning process; the technological evolution of storytelling towards Digital Storytelling (DS) – the Californian model – and its connections to identity and education. Ultimately we propose DS as the aggregator capable of humanizing HE while developing essential skills and competences. Grounded on an interpretative/constructivist paradigm, we implemented a qualitative case study to explore DS in HE. In three attempts to collect student data, we gathered detailed observation notes from two Story Circles; twelve student written reflections; fourteen Digital Stories and detailed observation notes from one Story Show. We carried out three focus groups with teachers where we discussed their perceptions of each student prior to and after watching the Digital Stories, in addition to their opinion on DS in HE as a teaching and learning method and its influence on interpersonal relationships. We sought understandings of the integration of DS to analyze student selfperception and self-representation in HE contexts and intersected our findings with teachers’ perceptions of their students. We compared teachers’ and students’ perspectives, through the analysis of data collected throughout the DS process – Story Circle, Story Creation and Story Show – and triangulated that information with the students’ personal reflections and teacher perceptions. Finally we questioned if and how DS may influence teachers’ perceptions of students. We found participants to be the ultimate gatekeepers in our study. Very few students and teachers voluntarily came forth to take part in the study, confirming the challenge remains in getting participants to see the value and understand the academic rigor of DS. Despite this reluctance, DS proved to be an asset for teachers and students directly and indirectly involved in the study. DS challenges HE contexts, namely teacher established perception of students; student’s own expectations regarding learning in HE; the emotional realm, the private vs. public dichotomy and the shift in educational roles.

Treatment of pemphigus vulgaris and pemphigus foliaceus: experience with 71 patients over a 20 year period

Forty one cases of pemphigus vulgaris and thirty cases of pemphigus foliaceus were investigated at Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho from 1978 to 1999. They were divided into two treatment groups: one group received up to 100 mg of oral prednisone daily and the other group received >120 mg daily. The dose up to 100 mg provided good initial control of pemphigus vulgaris and pemphigus foliaceus and did not increase the mortality rate associated to disease. The dose >120 mg induced higher morbidity. These data allowed us to establish a regimen of oral prednisone (1-2 mg/kg/daily) with maximum of 120 mg daily in the treatment of pemphigus vulgaris and pemphigus foliaceus.

Dental caries experience in Indians of the Upper Xingu, Brazil

The present study describes the experience of dental caries in Indians communities of the Xingu, in order to supply parameters for further analysis of trends of the disease in Indians. We performed oral health examination in 288 Indians from four communities (Yawalapiti, Aweti, Mehinaku and Kamaiura) living in the southern part of the Xingu National Park, using international criteria defined by the World Health Organization. The outcome measures were the DMFT and dmft scores, and the care index. Indians of the Upper Xingu presented high levels of caries, in all age groups. The average DMFT for 11 to 13-year-old children - 5.93 - was lower than the index measured in 1993 for 12-year-old schoolchildren in nearby cities - 8.23 -, whose United Nations' human development index ranked medium. However, Indians presented a much lower care index, per age group, than these cities, and a high ratio of missing teeth for persons above 20 years old. These observations indicate low incorporation of dental care services. The irregularity of the services programmed for these communities, and the changing dietary and cultural patterns, mainly derived from their contact with the non-indigenous population of Brazil, reinforce the pressing need for health promotion initiatives aimed at these groups.

Histoplasmosis in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil: a 21-year experience

Of 156 cases of histoplasmosis observed in the State of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), during a 21-year period (1978-1999) 137 were included in this study. Sixty-seven per cent of the patients had hematogeneous disseminated histoplasmosis, 24% had a self-limited syndrome (acute pulmonary histoplasmosis, histoplasmoma or primary pulmonary lymph node complex), and 9 per cent had chronic pulmonary histoplasmosis. Clinical, mycological, and epidemiological data were reviewed and commented.

Gestão de Obras: Aplicação prática em ambiente empresarial

O presente Relatório de estágio enquadra-se no âmbito da disciplina de Dissertação / Projeto / Estágio, do Curso de Mestrado em Engenharia Civil, do Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto subordinado ao tema “Gestão de Obras: Aplicação prática em ambiente empresarial”. O estágio foi realizado na empresa NEGRO S.A., empresa que atua no mercado Francês, no sector da construção civil no âmbito de obras públicas e privadas. Foi com grande satisfação que o estagiário abraçou esta oportunidade de poder realizar um estágio neste setor da engenharia civil, integrando uma equipa de trabalho com uma ampla experiência no mercado. Foi igualmente gratificante poder aplicar os conhecimentos adquiridos ao longo do curso e enriquecedor adquirir novas competências, através da resolução das dificuldades ocorridas no dia-a-dia durante o estágio. Considera-se assim esta experiencia como uma mais-valia para ingressar com êxito na futura vida profissional. Este documento descreve essencialmente as tarefas realizadas ao longo do estágio. Estas tarefas foram executadas recorrendo aos conhecimentos adquiridos durante a formação académica, nomeadamente no que se refere a planeamento, qualidade, gestão de obra e segurança e saúde no trabalho e com finalidade de alcançar os seguintes objetivos: - Proporcionar a integração do aluno no ambiente empresarial, realizando as atividades planeadas; - Propiciar a aplicação dos conhecimentos e competências adquiridas ao longo do curso, utilizando os casos reais durante o estágio; - Resolver problemas concretos de engenharia civil em meio profissional e empresarial; - Proceder a recolha de informação com vista a resolução dos problemas que surgem ao longo do estágio; - Analisar as situações que surgem durante a realização do estágio, estabelecendo conclusões; - Desenvolver metodologias aplicáveis no contexto do estágio; - Recolher dados e interpretar os mesmos no contexto do estágio; - Estabelecer conclusões sobre as experiências vividas durante o estágio; - Analisar o impacto do trabalho realizado na instituição de acolhimento.

Saudade

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Arte e Ciência do Vidro

Cryptococcosis: a review of the brazilian experience for the disease

Cryptococcosis is a systemic mycosis caused by Cryptococcus neoformans. The disease occurs in patients with cellular immunodeficiency. The incidence of cryptococcosis arises with aids, and mycosis is one of the opportunistic infections that defines AIDS. After the HAART era the occurrence of cryptococcosis decreased all over the world, but it still continues to be a prevalent disease in Brazil. Thus, we consider this paper to be very important as a result of our reviewing of Brazilian literature regarding some relevant aspects of that disease.

Hepatitis C in patients co-infected with human immunodeficiency virus. A review and experience of a Brazilian ambulatory

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) share the same transmission mechanisms. The prevalence of HCV in the HIV-infected population varies from region to region, throughout the world, depending on different exposure factors to both viruses. Co-infection with HIV accelerates the progression of the disease caused by HCV, appears to worsen the progression of the HIV infection and increases HCV transmission. Therefore, clinical management and treatment of HCV is a priority in medical facilities that receive HIV-infected patients. Clinical management of these patients involves specific diagnostic procedures and appropriately trained medical staff. The indication of treatment should meet specific clinical and laboratory criteria. There are a number of drugs currently available to treat hepatitis C in co-infected patients.

Standard commercial education robotic platform: intermediate solution to teaching robotics

Teaching robotics to students at the beginning of their studies has become a huge challenge. Simulation environments can be an effective solution to that challenge where students can interact with simulated robots and have the first contact with robotic constraints. From our previous experience with simulation environments it was possible to observe that students with lower background knowledge in robotics where able to deal with a limited number of constraints, implement a simulated robotic platform and study several sensors. The question is: after this first phase what should be the best approach? Should the student start developing their own hardware? Hardware development is a very important part of an engineer's education but it can also be a difficult phase that could lead to discouragement and loss of motivation in some students. Considering the previous constraints and first year engineering students’ high abandonment rate it is important to develop teaching strategies to deal with this problem in a feasible way. The solution that we propose is the integration of a low-cost standard robotic platform WowWee Rovio as an intermediate solution between the simulation phase and the stage where the students can develop their own robots. This approach will allow the students to keep working in robotic areas such as: cooperative behaviour, perception, navigation and data fusion. The propose approach proved to be a motivation step not only for the students but also for the teachers. Students and teachers were able to reach an agreement between the level of demand imposed by the teachers and satisfaction/motivation of the students.

Relatório de estágio em educação pré-escolar e ensino do 1º ciclo do ensino básico

O presente relatório – requisito parcial para obtenção do grau de mestre em Educação Pré-Escolar e Ensino do 1.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico – reflete as experiências e conhecimentos desenvolvidos, resultantes da prática pedagógica supervisionada desenvolvida em dois contextos de estágio: Educação Pré-Escolar e 1.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico. Com efeito, a estudante teve como objetivo descrever, compreender e refletir acerca do processo de prática segundo o desenvolvimento de capacidades e competências substanciais à prática docente. Enquanto (futura) profissional de educação, verifica-se pertinente a mobilização de saberes científicos, pedagógicos e culturais, adquiridos ao longo da formação inicial para que se torne exequível uma prática sustentada. Similarmente, o docente, baseando-se em quadros teóricos e concetuais (amplificados de forma subjetiva e continuada), desenvolverá a sua forma pessoal de pensar e agir nos contextos de práticas reais visando a inclusão e equidade educativas, e a colaboração profissional e reflexiva. Conforme a metodologia de investigação-ação (constituída por várias etapas interligadas – observação, planificação, ação e avaliação, reflexão), a ação da mestranda desenvolveu-se de forma cíclica e articulada, numa perspetiva construtivista – e holística – do conhecimento a erigir pelas crianças (atores centrais do processo) ressalvando-se, igualmente, a pertinência dos demais instrumentos orientadores elaborados no decorrer da ação. Concludentemente, os estágios desenvolvidos nos dois contextos facultaram a edificação de uma postura profissional, reflexiva e investigativa, promotora da tomada de decisões em contexto de prática reafirmando-se competências profissionais e pessoais e valorando-se, efetivamente, a formação ao longo da vida para aquele que se constitui um docente generalista.

Autonomous guided vehicles applied to industrial engineering and management studies

This article presents a framework to an Industrial Engineering and Management Science course from School of Management and Industrial Studies using Autonomous Ground Vehicles (AGV) to supply materials to a production line as an experimental setup for the students to acquire knowledge in the production robotics area. The students must be capable to understand and put into good use several concepts that will be of utmost importance in their professional life such as critical decisions regarding the study, development and implementation of a production line. The main focus is a production line using AGVs, where the students are required to address several topics such as: sensors actuators, controllers and an high level management and optimization software. The presented framework brings to the robotics teaching community methodologies that allow students from different backgrounds, that normally don’t experiment with the robotics concepts in practice due to the big gap between theory and practice, to go straight to ”making” robotics. Our aim was to suppress the minimum start point level thus allowing any student to fully experience robotics with little background knowledge.

Innovations in technology: a friendly math project and the learning analytics “challenge”

Currently the world around us "reboots" every minute and “staying at the forefront” seems to be a very arduous task. The continuous and “speeded” progress of society requires, from all the actors, a dynamic and efficient attitude both in terms progress monitoring and moving adaptation. With regard to education, no matter how updated we are in relation to the contents, the didactic strategies and technological resources, we are inevitably compelled to adapt to new paradigms and rethink the traditional teaching methods. It is in this context that the contribution of e-learning platforms arises. Here teachers and students have at their disposal new ways to enhance the teaching and learning process, and these platforms are seen, at the present time, as significant virtual teaching and learning supporting environments. This paper presents a Project and attempts to illustrate the potential that new technologies present as a “backing” tool in different stages of teaching and learning at different levels and areas of knowledge, particularly in Mathematics. We intend to promote a constructive discussion moment, exposing our actual perception - that the use of the Learning Management System Moodle, by Higher Education teachers, as supplementary teaching-learning environment for virtual classroom sessions can contribute for greater efficiency and effectiveness of teaching practice and to improve student achievement. Regarding the Learning analytics experience we will present a few results obtained with some assessment Learning Analytics tools, where we profoundly felt that the assessment of students’ performance in online learning environments is a challenging and demanding task.