Estimation of spontaneous blinking main sequence in normal subjects and patients with Graves' upper eyelid retraction

Purpose. We quantified the main sequence of spontaneous blinks in normal subjects and Graves' disease patients with upper eyelid retraction using a nonlinear and two linear models, and examined the variability of the main sequence estimated with standard linear regression for 10-minute periods of time. Methods. A total of 20 normal subjects and 12 patients had their spontaneous blinking measured with the magnetic search coil technique when watching a video during one hour. The main sequence was estimated with a power-law function, and with standard and trough the origin linear regressions. Repeated measurements ANOVA was used to test the mean sequence stability of 10-minute bins measured with standard linear regression. Results. In 95% of the sample the correlation coefficients of the main sequence ranged from 0.60 to 0.94. Homoscedasticity of the peak velocity was not verified in 20% of the subjects and 25% of the patients. The power-law function provided the best main sequence fitting for subjects and patients. The mean sequence of 10-minute bins measured with standard linear regression did not differ from the one-hour period value. For the entire period of observation and the slope obtained by standard linear regression, the main sequence of the patients was reduced significantly compared to the normal subjects. Conclusions. Standard linear regression is a valid and stable approximation for estimating the main sequence of spontaneous blinking. However, the basic assumptions of the linear regression model should be examined on an individual basis. The maximum velocity of large blinks is slower in Graves' disease patients than in normal subjects. © 2013 The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc.

Predation-risk effects of predator identity on the foraging behaviors of frugivorous bats

Predators directly and indirectly affect the density and the behavior of prey. These effects may potentially cascade down to lower trophic levels. In this study, we tested the effects of predator calls (playbacks of bird vocalizations: Tyto alba, Speotyto cunicularia, and Vanellus chilensis), predator visual stimuli (stuffed birds) and interactions of visual and auditory cues, on the behavior of frugivore phyllostomid bats in the field. In addition, we tested if the effects of predation risk cascade down to other trophic levels by measuring rates of seed dispersal of the tree Muntingia calabura. Using video recording, we found that bats significantly decreased the foraging frequency on trees when a visual cue of T. alba was present. However, no stimuli of potential predatory birds, including vocalization of T. alba, affected bat foraging frequency. There was a change in bat behavior during 7 min, but then their frequency of activity gradually increased. Consequently, the presence of T. alba decreased by up to ten times the rate of seed removal. These results indicate that risk sensitivity of frugivorous phyllostomid bats depends on predator identity and presence. Among the predators used in this study, only T. alba is an effective bat predator in the Neotropics. Sound stimuli of T. alba seem not to be a cue of predation risk, possibly because their vocalizations are used only for intraspecific communication. This study emphasizes the importance of evaluating different predator stimuli on the behavior of vertebrates, as well as the effects of these stimuli on trait-mediated trophic cascades. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Resilience as protagonism: interpersonal relationships, cultural practices, and personal agency among working adolescents in Brazil

A visual methods study was conducted with 16 at-risk youth living in a mid-sized Brazilian city. In this study, we focus on data obtained from four of those youth who were working adolescents, aged 13-15, and identify contextually specific protective processes associated with resilience. Through a reciprocal process of collaborative research that included observation, photo elicitation, video recording of a 'day in the life' of each youth, and semi-structured interviews, youth and researchers co-constructed an understanding of adaptive coping in a particularly challenging social environment. By employing techniques from grounded theory to analyze the data, we identified a pattern of protagonism among these youth that enabled them to maintain well-being despite exploitation as working children. This conceptualization of protagonism as a protective process has implications for human service workers who intervene to improve the living conditions of working children. © 2013 Taylor & Francis.

Análise da influência dos movimentos verticais e horizontais das barras de um pulverizador na aplicação da calda

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Energia na Agricultura) - FCA

Uso de videografia digital para avaliação da estabilidade da barra de pulverização em área de florestamento

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Energia na Agricultura) - FCA

Caracterização de práticas de ensino e delineamentos de recursos didáticos para área curricular de matemática no ensino fundamental

Pós-graduação em Educação para a Ciência - FC

Crenças de uma professora e de seus alunos acerca do processo de ensino e aprendizagem de inglês em escola pública: contribuições para formação continuada

Pós-graduação em Estudos Linguísticos - IBILCE

Crenças de uma professora e alunos de quinta série e suas influências no processo de ensino e aprendizagem de inglês em escola pública

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

O ensino da gramática da língua inglesa em um contexto de escola pública: crenças, abordagens e motivação

Pós-graduação em Estudos Linguísticos - IBILCE

Investigando crenças e motivação: suas relações e implicações na aprendizagem de LE (francês) de alunos da terceira idade

Pós-graduação em Estudos Linguísticos - IBILCE

Caracterização do comportamento de instruir do treinador esportivo em contingências de competição

Pós-graduação em Psicologia do Desenvolvimento e Aprendizagem - FC

Nível de desenvolvimento motor em crianças do Ensino Fundamental I da Paraíba

Pós-graduação em Ciências da Motricidade - IBRC

Ações educativas para promover o agir comunicativo na interface matemática e trânsito: pesquisa sobre a própria prática

Pós-graduação em Educação para a Ciência - FC

Comportamentos e situações de risco e de segurança para acidente com material biológico durante estágio curricular de enfermagem

Pós-graduação em Educação - FFC

Estratégias para o ensino inclusivo de alunos com deficiência nas aulas de educação física

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)