Hearing evaluation of portuguese school communities: school‑based audiology and hearing screening

Introduction: Hearing loss h sone raised impact in the development and academic progress of a child. In several developed countries, early detection is part of the national health plan through universal neonatal hearing screening (UNHS) and also with school hearing screening programs (SHSP), but only a few have published national data and revised protocols. Currently in Portugal, the UNHS is implemented in the main district hospitals but not the SHPS, as well we still do not make use of concrete data nor publication of studies on the national reality. Objectives: The incidence of the hearing loss and of otological problems was studied in school communities in the north of the country with 2550 participants between 3 and 17 years old. Methods: Statistical data collected within the schools with a standard auditory hearing screening protocol. All participants were evaluated with the same protocol, an audiological anamnesis, otoscopy and audiometric exam screening (500, 1000, 2000 and 4000 Hz) were fulfilled. Results: Different otological problems were identified and the audiometric screening exam counted auditory thresholds that outpointed uni and bilateral hearing loss in about 5.7% of the cases. Conclusions: The study has demonstrated that auditory school screening should take place as early as possible and be part of the primary health care to identify and direct children to appropriate rehabilitation, education and attendance. Thus, reducing high costs with late treatment.

Projeto de fundações e estrutura de colégio em Ponta Delgada utilizando os eurocódigos estruturais

Trabalho de Projeto para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Civil na Área de Especialização em Estruturas

A influência do acompanhamento em suporte digital na motivação dos alunos de saxofone: relatório de estágio

I (Prática pedagógica)- Esta secção do Relatório de Estágio pretende apresentar elementos referentes ao Estágio do Ensino Especializado da Música no ensino do saxofone, efectuado na Escola de Música Luís António Maldonado Rodrigues, no ano lectivo 2012/2013. Neste estágio foram envolvidos e analisados três alunos, em níveis distintos de desenvolvimento, mas com orientações semelhantes no que respeita à organização do trabalho. Para cada aluno foram realizados trinta planos de aula, uma planificação anual e três gravações vídeo/áudio em contexto de sala de aula, permitindo uma análise e reflexão mais profunda do trabalho docente. A secção é composta pela caracterização da escola onde se realizou o estágio, através da sua contextualização/funcionamento, dos seus espaços e equipamentos, recursos humanos existentes e organização pedagógica. Posteriormente é efectuada a caracterização dos três alunos envolvidos no estágio, baseada na experiência docente e nos conhecimentos fornecidos pelas Unidades Curriculares do Mestrado em Ensino da Música. Seguidamente descrevem-se as práticas lectivas desenvolvidas ao longo do ano lectivo por parte do docente, incorporando linhas orientadoras da docência aplicadas na prática pedagógica. É feita uma análise crítica da actividade docente no âmbito do estágio do Ensino Especializado da Música, e, por último, uma conclusão desta primeira secção. .

Teacher placement report: investigation: action research project investigating methods for promoting creativity in double bass students attending a portuguese music school

The investigation which employed the action research method (qualitative analysis)was divided into four fases. In phases 1-3 the participants were six double bass students at Nossa Senhora do Cabo Music School. Pilot exercises in creativity were followed by broader and more ambitious projects. In phase 4 the techniques were tested and amplified during a summer course for twelve double bass students at Santa Cecilia College.

A prática pedagógica partilhada em técnicas de dança contemporânea no 3º ano do Curso Básico de Dança da Escola de Dança do Órfeão de Leiria

Relatório Final de Estágio apresentado à Escola Superior de Dança, com vista à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ensino de Dança.

Heterophoria, fusional amplitudes and stereoacuity in school aged children

The stability of binocular vision depends on good fusional amplitudes and its measurements provide information about the patient’s ability to cope with a deviation. However, weak correlations between fusional amplitudes and angle of deviation have been reported in the literature. There are no uniform normative values of fusional amplitudes, even though standards for vergence have been established since 1940s. Aims: 1) Determine the prevalence of heterephoria; 2) Determine the relationship between heterophoria, fusional amplitudes and stereoacuity in children.

Senses of body image in adolescents in elementary school

OBJECTIVE To comprehend the perception of body image in adolescence. METHODS A qualitative study was conducted with eight focus groups with 96 students of both sexes attending four public elementary school institutions in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Southeastern Brazil, in 2013. An interview guide with questions about the adolescents’ feelings in relation to: their bodies, standards of idealized beauty, practice of physical exercise and sociocultural influences on self-image. In the data analysis we sought to understand and interpret the meanings and contradictions of narratives, understanding the subjects’ context and reasons and the internal logic of the group. RESULTS Three thematic categories were identified. The influence of media on body image showed the difficulty of achieving the perfect body and is viewed with suspicion in face of standards of beauty broadcast; the importance of a healthy body was observed as standards of beauty and good looks were closely linked to good physical condition and result from having a healthy body; the relationship between the standard of beauty and prejudice, as people who are not considered attractive, having small physical imperfections, are discriminated against and can be rejected or even excluded from society. CONCLUSIONS The standard of perfect body propagated by media influences adolescents’ self-image and, consequently, self-esteem and is considered an unattainable goal, corresponding to a standard of beauty described as artificial and unreal. However, it causes great suffering and discrimination against those who do not feel they are attractive, which can lead to health problems resulting from low self-esteem.

Image quality and dose analysis in PA chest x-ray: comparison between AEC and manual mode acquisition using the 10 kVp rule

Purpose: To compare image quality and effective dose when the 10 kVp rule is applied with manual and AEC mode in PA chest X-ray. Methods and Materials: A total of 68 images (with and without lesions) were acquired of an anthropomorphic chest phantom in a Wolverson Arcoma X-ray unit. The images were evaluated against a reference image using image quality criteria and the 2 alternative forced choice (2 AFC) method by five radiographers. The effective dose was calculated using PCXMC software using the exposure parameters and DAP. The exposure index (lgM) was recorded. Results: Exposure time decreases considerably when applying the 10 kVp rule in manual mode (50%-28%) compared to AEC mode (36%-23%). Statistical differences for effective dose between several AEC modes were found (p=0.002). The effective dose is lower when using only the right AEC ionization chamber. Considering image quality, there are no statistical differences (p=0.348) between the different AEC modes for images with no lesions. Using a higher kVp value the lgM values will also increase. The lgM values showed significant statistical differences (p=0.000). The image quality scores did not present statistically significant differences (p=0.043) for the images with lesions when comparing manual with AEC modes. Conclusion: In general, the dose is lower in the manual mode. By using the right AEC ionising chamber the effective dose will be the lowest in comparison to other ionising chambers. The use of the 10 kVp rule did not affect the detectability of the lesions.

Unstabilized rammed Earth: characterization of material collected from old constructions in South Portugal and comparison to normative requirements

Unstabilized rammed earth is a recyclable, economical, and eco-friendly building material, used in the past and still applied today. Traditionally, its use was based on a long empirical knowledge of the local materials. Because this knowledge was mostly lost or is no longer sufficient, in many countries normative documents have been produced to allow the assessment of rammed earth soils. With the aim of contributing for a refining of these normative requirements, this article presents a research work that included: (i) collection of Unstabilized rammed earth samples from six constructions in Portugal; (ii) a literature survey of normative and complementary documents to identify the most mentioned key-properties, the test procedures and the corresponding threshold limits; and (iii) a discussion of the test procedures and of the thresholds limits in the light of the experimental results. The analyzed properties are the particle size distribution, maximum particle size, plasticity, compaction, linear shrinkage, organic content, and salt content. The work highlights the advantages of taking into account the characteristics of existing constructions as a basis for the establishment and further refining of consistent threshold values. In particular, it shows that it is essential to adjust the requirements to the specificities of local materials.

Self-reported diabetes in older people: comparison of prevalences and control measures

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to analyze the prevalence of diabetes in older people and the adopted control measures.METHODS Data regarding older diabetic individuals who participated in the Health Surveys conducted in the Municipality of Sao Paulo, SP, ISA-Capital, in 2003 and 2008, which were cross-sectional studies, were analyzed. Prevalences and confidence intervals were compared between 2003 and 2008, according to sociodemographic variables. The combination of the databases was performed when the confidence intervals overlapped. The Chi-square (level of significance of 5%) and the Pearson’s Chi-square (Rao-Scott) tests were performed. The variables without overlap between the confidence intervals were not tested.RESULTS The age of the older adults was 60-69 years. The majority were women, Caucasian, with an income of between > 0.5 and 2.5 times the minimum salary and low levels of schooling. The prevalence of diabetes was 17.6% (95%CI 14.9;20.6) in 2003 and 20.1% (95%CI 17.3;23.1) in 2008, which indicates a growth over this period (p at the limit of significance). The most prevalent measure adopted by the older adults to control diabetes was hypoglycemic agents, followed by diet. Physical activity was not frequent, despite the significant differences observed between 2003 and 2008 results. The use of public health services to control diabetes was significantly higher in older individuals with lower income and lower levels of education.CONCLUSIONS Diabetes is a complex and challenging disease for patients and the health systems. Measures that encourage health promotion practices are necessary because they presented a smaller proportion than the use of hypoglycemic agents. Public health policies should be implemented, and aimed mainly at older individuals with low income and schooling levels. These changes are essential to improve the health condition of older diabetic patients.

Performance comparison of a VDFLL versus VDLL and scalar GNSS receiver architectures in Harsh scenarios

We analyze the advantages and drawbacks of a vector delay/frequency-locked loop (VDFLL) architecture regarding the conventional scalar and the vector delay-locked loop (VDLL) architectures for GNSS receivers in harsh scenarios that include ionospheric scintillation, multipath, and high dynamics motion. The VDFLL is constituted by a bank of code and frequency discriminators feeding a central extended Kaiman filter (EKF) that estimates the receiver's position, velocity, and clock bias. Both code and frequency loops are closed vectorially through the EKF. The VDLL closes the code loop vectorially and the phase loops through individual PLLs while the scalar receiver closes both loops by means of individual independent PLLs and DLLs.

Public school teachers’ perceptions about mental health

OBJECTIVE To examine public school teachers’ perceptions about general health and mental health, and the way in which they obtained this information. METHODS Qualitative research was conducted with 31 primary and secondary school teachers at a state school in the municipality of Sao Paulo, SP, Southeastern Brazil, in 2010. The teachers responded to a questionnaire containing open-ended questions about mental health and general health. The following aspects were evaluated: Teachers’ understanding of the terms “health and “mental health,” the relevance of the need for information on the subject, the method preferred for obtaining information, their experience with different media regarding such matters, and perceptions about the extent to which this available information is sufficient to support their practice. The data were processed using the Qualiquantisoft software and analyzed according to the Discourse of the Collective Subject technique. RESULTS From the teachers’ perspective, general health is defined as the proper physiological functioning of the body and mental health is related to the balance between mind and body, as a requirement for happiness. Most of the teachers (80.6%) showed great interest in acquiring knowledge about mental health and receiving educational materials on the subject. For these teachers, the lack of information creates insecurity and complicates the management of everyday situations involving mental disorders. For 61.3% of the teachers, television is the medium that provides the most information on the topic. CONCLUSIONS The data indicate that there is little information available on mental health for teachers, showing that strategies need to be developed to promote mental health in schools.

Assessment of climate change statistical downscaling methods: Application and comparison of two statistical methods to a single site in Lisbon

Dissertação apresentada na Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa para a obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia do Ambiente

Digital serious games and simulation games - comparison of two approaches to lean training

In an increasingly competitive and globalized world, companies need effective training methodologies and tools for their employees. However, selecting the most suitable ones is not an easy task. It depends on the requirements of the target group (namely time restrictions), on the specificities of the contents, etc. This is typically the case for training in Lean, the waste elimination manufacturing philosophy. This paper presents and compares two different approaches to lean training methodologies and tools: a simulation game based on a single realistic manufacturing platform, involving production and assembly operations that allows learning by playing; and a digital game that helps understand lean tools. This paper shows that both tools have advantages in terms of trainee motivation and knowledge acquisition. Furthermore, they can be used in a complementary way, reinforcing the acquired knowledge.

Vocal warm-up and breathing training for teachers: randomized clinical trial

OBJECTIVE To compare the effectiveness of two speech therapy interventions, vocal warm-up and breathing training, focusing on teachers’ voice quality.METHODS A single-blind, randomized, parallel clinical trial was conducted. The research included 31 20 to 60-year old teachers from a public school in Salvador, BA, Northeasatern Brazil, with minimum workloads of 20 hours a week, who have or have not reported having vocal alterations. The exclusion criteria were the following: being a smoker, excessive alcohol consumption, receiving additional speech therapy assistance while taking part in the study, being affected by upper respiratory tract infections, professional use of the voice in another activity, neurological disorders, and history of cardiopulmonary pathologies. The subjects were distributed through simple randomization in groups vocal warm-up (n = 14) and breathing training (n = 17). The teachers’ voice quality was subjectively evaluated through the Voice Handicap Index (Índice de Desvantagem Vocal, in the Brazilian version) and computerized voice analysis (average fundamental frequency, jitter, shimmer, noise, and glottal-to-noise excitation ratio) by speech therapists.RESULTS Before the interventions, the groups were similar regarding sociodemographic characteristics, teaching activities, and vocal quality. The variations before and after the intervention in self-assessment and acoustic voice indicators have not significantly differed between the groups. In the comparison between groups before and after the six-week interventions, significant reductions in the Voice Handicap Index of subjects in both groups were observed, as wells as reduced average fundamental frequencies in the vocal warm-up group and increased shimmer in the breathing training group. Subjects from the vocal warm-up group reported speaking more easily and having their voices more improved in a general way as compared to the breathing training group.CONCLUSIONS Both interventions were similar regarding their effects on the teachers’ voice quality. However, each contribution has individually contributed to improve the teachers’ voice quality, especially the vocal warm-up.TRIAL RECORD NCT02102399, “Vocal Warm-up and Respiratory Muscle Training in Teachers”.