Desenho universal para a aprendizagem: construindo práticas pedagógicas inclusivas

O presente artigo tem como objetivo apresentar uma grelha de planificação da intervenção facilitadora do desenvolvimento de práticas pedagógicas inclusivas. Para o efeito, procedeu-se a uma revisão da literatura centrada nos conceitos de Educação Inclusiva e de Desenho Universal para a Aprendizagem (Universal Design for Learning), a qual permitiu identificar e fundamentar a pertinência das dimensões a considerar na planificação da intervenção pedagógica, de modo a assegurar o acesso, a participação e o sucesso de todos os alunos. Com a apresentação da grelha de planificação da intervenção pedagógica pretende-se, em última análise, sublinhar a necessidade e a importância de desenvolver processos de planificação que disponibilizem formas diversificadas de motivação e envolvimento dos alunos, que equacionem múltiplos processos de apresentação dos conteúdos a aprender e, por último, que possibilitem a utilização de diversas formas de ação e expressão por parte dos alunos.

Res Publica: Citizenship and Political Representation in Portugal, 1820-1926

The term res publica (literally “thing of the people”) was coined by the Romans to translate the Greek word politeia, which, as we know, referred to a political community organised in accordance with certain principles, amongst which the notion of the “good life” (as against exclusively private interests) was paramount. This ideal also came to be known as political virtue. To achieve it, it was necessary to combine the best of each “constitutional” type and avoid their worst aspects (tyranny, oligarchy and ochlocracy). Hence, the term acquired from the Greeks a sense of being a “mixed” and “balanced” system. Anyone that was entitled to citizenship could participate in the governance of the “public thing”. This implied the institutionalization of open debate and confrontation between interested parties as a way of achieving the consensus necessary to ensure that man the political animal, who fought with words and reason, prevailed over his “natural” counterpart. These premises lie at the heart of the project which is now being presented under the title of Res Publica: Citizenship and Political Representation in Portugal, 1820-1926. The fact that it is integrated into the centenary commemorations of the establishment of the Republic in Portugal is significant, as it was the idea of revolution – with its promise of rupture and change – that inspired it. However, it has also sought to explore events that could be considered the precursor of democratization in the history of Portugal, namely the vintista, setembrista and patuleia revolutions. It is true that the republican regime was opposed to the monarchic. However, although the thesis that monarchy would inevitably lead to tyranny had held sway for centuries, it had also been long believed that the monarchic system could be as “politically virtuous” as a republic (in the strict sense of the word) provided that power was not concentrated in the hands of a single individual. Moreover, various historical experiments had shown that republics could also degenerate into Caesarism and different kinds of despotism. Thus, when absolutism began to be overturned in continental Europe in the name of the natural rights of man and the new social pact theories, initiating the difficult process of (written) constitutionalization, the monarchic principle began to be qualified as a “monarchy hedged by republican institutions”, a situation in which not even the king was exempt from isonomy. This context justifies the time frame chosen here, as it captures the various changes and continuities that run through it. Having rejected the imperative mandate and the reinstatement of the model of corporative representation (which did not mean that, in new contexts, this might not be revived, or that the second chamber established by the Constitutional Charter of 1826 might not be given another lease of life), a new power base was convened: national sovereignty, a precept that would be shared by the monarchic constitutions of 1822 and 1838, and by the republican one of 1911. This followed the French example (manifested in the monarchic constitution of 1791 and in the Spanish constitution of 1812), as not even republicans entertained a tradition of republicanism based upon popular sovereignty. This enables us to better understand the rejection of direct democracy and universal suffrage, and also the long incapacitation (concerning voting and standing for office) of the vast body of “passive” citizens, justified by “enlightened”, property- and gender-based criteria. Although the republicans had promised in the propaganda phase to alter this situation, they ultimately failed to do so. Indeed, throughout the whole period under analysis, the realisation of the potential of national sovereignty was mediated above all by the individual citizen through his choice of representatives. However, this representation was indirect and took place at national level, in the hope that action would be motivated not by particular local interests but by the common good, as dictated by reason. This was considered the only way for the law to be virtuous, a requirement that was also manifested in the separation and balance of powers. As sovereignty was postulated as single and indivisible, so would be the nation that gave it soul and the State that embodied it. Although these characteristics were common to foreign paradigms of reference, in Portugal, the constitutionalization process also sought to nationalise the idea of Empire. Indeed, this had been the overriding purpose of the 1822 Constitution, and it persisted, even after the loss of Brazil, until decolonization. Then, the dream of a single nation stretching from the Minho to Timor finally came to an end.

In Search of the Origins of Modernism: Venice and the Crisis of Classical Architecture in the mid-eighteenth century

This paper attempts to prove that in the years 1735 to 1755 Venice was the birthplace and cradle of Modern architectural theory, generating a major crisis in classical architecture traditionally based on the Vitruvian assumption that it imitates early wooden structures in stone or in marble. According to its rationalist critics such as the Venetian Observant Franciscan friar and architectural theorist Carlo Lodoli (1690-1761) and his nineteenth-century followers, classical architecture is singularly deceptive and not true to the nature of materials, in other words, dishonest and fallacious. This questioning did not emanate from practising architects, but from Lodoli himself– a philosopher and educator of the Venetian patriciate – who had not been trained as an architect. The roots of this crisis lay in a new approach to architecture stemming from the new rationalist philosophy of the Enlightenment age with its emphasis on reason and universal criticism.

Hand gesture recognition system based in computer vision and machine learning

"Lecture notes in computational vision and biomechanics series, ISSN 2212-9391, vol. 19"

Estudio de los modos de vida e historia biológica de las poblaciones humanas de la región central de argentina desde el registro bioarqueológico. Lifestyles and biological history of human populations of the central region of argentina from bioarchaeological record.

Se pretende aportar al estudio de la estructura, historia biológica y estilos de vida de las poblaciones que habitaron la región central de Argentina durante el Holoceno, desde una perspectiva que combina los aportes teóricos y metodológicos de la Genética del paisaje y la Bioarqueología. Interesa a) identificar barreras de diferenciación morfológica entre poblaciones, b) poner a prueba modelos poblacionales para explicar la variación observada e identificar las variables que contribuyan a dicha diferenciación, c) evaluar la congruencia de los resultados obtenidos, d) reconstruir los patrones de movilidad residencial de las poblaciones, e) estudiar sus patrones dietarios considerando diferencias temporales y espaciales, f) identificar indicadores de diversos tipos de estrés (nutricional, funcional), así como traumas, g) estudiar las historias tafonómicas del registro bioarqueológico regional, y h) proponer un modelo para explicar el poblamiento y la evolución local de las poblaciones que habitaron esta región, a partir de la información arqueológica y bioantropológica. Para el análisis de los patrones espaciales de variación biológica se trabajará a partir del registro de rasgos epigenéticos craneales, medidas lineales y datos obtenidos a partir de morfometría geométrica sobre fotografías en 2D sobre muestras arqueológicas procedentes de esta región y de otras regiones geográficas de la Argentina. Para el análisis de la estructura de la población se trabajará a partir del cálculo de la matriz R para datos morfológicos y sus estimaciones derivadas (distancia D², Fst, coordenadas principales) y la aplicación del modelo de Harpending y Ward. Desde la genética del paisaje, se realizarán análisis de autocorrelación espacial, barreras genéticas y análisis geoestadísticos (kriging). Para el estudio de los modos de vida a partir del registro bioarqueológico se relevarán patologías dento-alveolares y alteraciones vinculadas con la salud bucal tales como desgaste dental –a nivel micro y macroscópico- caries, abscesos, pérdidas dentales antemortem, cálculos, hipoplasias, marcadores esqueletales de salud y lesiones traumáticas. Se analizarán isótopos estables (δ13C, δ15N, 86Sr y 87Sr) en restos óseos humanos de diversos sitios arqueológicos con el objetivo de reconstruir patrones dietarios y analizar la movilidad residencial y migración de las poblaciones. Paralelamente, se establecerán procedimientos de control tafonómico de los restos óseos, y se harán análisis específicos para estudiar las historias tafonómicas y evaluar el grado de integridad de los contextos de depositación y de las colecciones en general. Estimamos que el análisis de los patrones espaciales y temporales de variabilidad morfológica craneofacial, así como el estudio de las dietas a partir de información isotópica y bioarqueológica, de las migraciones y la movilidad residencial de las poblaciones a partir de isótopos de estroncio, la reconstrucción de comportamientos y actividades cotidianas a partir de marcadores de estrés músculo-esqueletal, en un marco cronológico y espacial constituye un aporte novedoso y eficaz que permitirá incrementar de manera substancial la información sobre la evolución de las poblaciones originarias del centro del territorio argentino. The aim of this project is to study the structure, biological history and lifestyles of the people that inhabitated the central region of Argentina during the Holocene, from a perspective that combines theoretical and methodological contributions of Landscape Genetics and Bioarchaeology. To analyze the spatial patterns of biological variation we consider epigenetic cranial traits, linear measurements and data obtained from geometric morphometric on 2D photographs. Morphological variation will be focused on landscape genetics (autocorrelation, genetic barriers and geostatistical analysis –kriging-) and population structure (matrix R, D², Fst, principal coordinates, Harpendig and Ward model). For the study of lifestyles from bioarchaeological record we consider alveolar pathologies and disorders related to oral health such as tooth wear, micro and macroscopic level, caries, abscesses, antemortem tooth loss, hypoplasia, markers skeletal health and traumatic injuries, as well as taphonomic processes. Stable isotopes will be analyzed (δ13C, d15N, 86Sr and 87Sr) in human skeletal remains from various archaeological sites in order to reconstruct and analyze dietary patterns of residential mobility and migration of populations. It will be established procedures of taphonomic control on skeletal remains, analysis to study taphonomic histories and assess the degree of completeness of depositional context and collection, in general terms. We consider that analysis of spatial and temporal patterns of variability in craniofacial morphology and the study of health and diets from isotopic and bioarchaeological data, migration and residential mobility patterns from strontium isotopes, as well as activity patterns from stress markers is a novel and effective contribution that will substantially increase the information about the local evolution of populations that inhabitated the center of Argentina.

Complex landslide behaviour and structural controlled by the structures: A 3D conceptual model example of Åknes rockslide, Norway

Åknes is an active complex large rockslide of approximately 30?40 Mm3 located within the Proterozoic gneisses of western Norway. The observed surface displacements indicate that this rockslide is divided into several blocks moving in different directions at velocities of between 3 and 10 cm year?1. Because of regional safety issues and economic interests this rockslide has been extensively monitored since 2004. The understanding of the deformation mechanism is crucial for the implementation of a viable monitoring system. Detailed field investigations and the analysis of a digital elevation model (DEM) indicate that the movements and the block geometry are controlled by the main schistosity (S1) in gneisses, folds, joints and regional faults. Such complex slope deformations use pre-existing structures, but also result in new failure surfaces and deformation zones, like preferential rupture in fold-hinge zones. Our interpretation provides a consistent conceptual three-dimensional (3D) model for the movements measured by various methods that is crucial for numerical stability modelling. In addition, this reinterpretation of the morphology confirms that in the past several rockslides occurred from the Åknes slope. They may be related to scars propagating along the vertical foliation in folds hinges. Finally, a model of the evolution of the Åknes slope is presented.

A randomized controlled trial of the effectiveness of a Computer-Assisted Cognitive Remediation (CACR) program in adolescents with psychosis or at high risk of psychosis: Short term and long term outcomes

The present study investigates the short- and long-term outcomes of a computer-assisted cognitive remediation (CACR) program in adolescents with psychosis or at high risk. 32 adolescents participated in a blinded 8-week randomized controlled trial of CACR treatment compared to computer games (CG). Clinical and neuropsychological evaluations were undertaken at baseline, at the end of the program and at 6-month. At the end of the program (n = 28), results indicated that visuospatial abilities (Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status, RBANS; P = .005) improved signifi cantly more in the CACR group compared to the CG group. Furthermore, other cognitive functions (RBANS), psychotic symptoms (Positive and Negative Symptom Scale) and psychosocial functioning (Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale) improved signifi cantly, but at similar rates, in the two groups. At long term (n = 22), cognitive abilities did not demonstrated any amelioration in the control group while, in the CACR group, signifi cant long-term improvements in inhibition (Stroop; P = .040) and reasoning (Block Design Test; P = .005) were observed. In addition, symptom severity (Clinical Global Improvement) decreased signifi cantly in the control group (P = .046) and marginally in the CACR group (P = .088). To sum up, CACR can be successfully administered in this population. CACR proved to be effective over and above CG for the most intensively trained cognitive ability. Finally, on the long-term, enhanced reasoning and inhibition abilities, which are necessary to execute higher-order goals or to adapt behavior to the ever-changing environment, were observed in adolescents benefi ting from a CACR.

Universal complex structures in written language

Quantitative linguistics has provided us with a number of empirical laws that characterise the evolution of languages and competition amongst them. In terms of language usage, one of the most influential results is Zipf’s law of word frequencies. Zipf’s law appears to be universal, and may not even be unique to human language. However, there is ongoing controversy over whether Zipf’s law is a good indicator of complexity. Here we present an alternative approach that puts Zipf’s law in the context of critical phenomena (the cornerstone of complexity in physics) and establishes the presence of a large-scale “attraction” between successive repetitions of words. Moreover, this phenomenon is scale-invariant and universal – the pattern is independent of word frequency and is observed in texts by different authors and written in different languages. There is evidence, however, that the shape of the scaling relation changes for words that play a key role in the text, implying the existence of different “universality classes” in the repetition of words. These behaviours exhibit striking parallels with complex catastrophic phenomena.

Wavelet analysis residual kriging vs. neural network residual kriging

This paper deals with the problem of spatial data mapping. A new method based on wavelet interpolation and geostatistical prediction (kriging) is proposed. The method - wavelet analysis residual kriging (WARK) - is developed in order to assess the problems rising for highly variable data in presence of spatial trends. In these cases stationary prediction models have very limited application. Wavelet analysis is used to model large-scale structures and kriging of the remaining residuals focuses on small-scale peculiarities. WARK is able to model spatial pattern which features multiscale structure. In the present work WARK is applied to the rainfall data and the results of validation are compared with the ones obtained from neural network residual kriging (NNRK). NNRK is also a residual-based method, which uses artificial neural network to model large-scale non-linear trends. The comparison of the results demonstrates the high quality performance of WARK in predicting hot spots, reproducing global statistical characteristics of the distribution and spatial correlation structure.

Mutations in the epithelial Na+ channel ENaC outer pore disrupt amiloride block by increasing its dissociation rate.

The epithelial Na+ channel ENaC mediates transepithelial Na+ transport in the distal kidney, the colon, and the lung and is a key element for the maintenance of Na+ balance and the regulation of blood pressure. Mutagenesis studies have identified residues alphaS583 and the homologous betaG525 and gammaG537 in the outer pore entrance that are critical for ENaC block by the K+-sparing diuretic amiloride. The aim of the present study was to determine first, whether these residues are part of the amiloride binding site, and second, whether they are general determinants of ENaC block by amiloride and its derivatives. Kinetic analysis of the association and dissociation rates of amiloride and benzamil to ENaC showed that mutation of residue alphaS583C and the homologous betaG525C increased the dissociation rate of the drugs from the binding site, with little changes in their association rate. Thus, these mutations destabilize the binding interaction between the blockers and the receptor on the channel, favoring the unbinding of the ligand. This strongly suggests that they are part of the binding site. Because mutations of alphaS583, betaG525, and gammaG537 have similar effects on amiloride, benzamil, and triamterene block, we conclude that these three ENaC blockers share a common receptor within the ion channel pore.

Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor knockout mice are impaired in learning, synaptic plasticity, and neurogenesis.

Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) is a key incretin hormone, released from intestine after a meal, producing a glucose-dependent insulin secretion. The GIP receptor (GIPR) is expressed on pyramidal neurons in the cortex and hippocampus, and GIP is synthesized in a subset of neurons in the brain. However, the role of the GIPR in neuronal signaling is not clear. In this study, we used a mouse strain with GIPR gene deletion (GIPR KO) to elucidate the role of the GIPR in neuronal communication and brain function. Compared with C57BL/6 control mice, GIPR KO mice displayed higher locomotor activity in an open-field task. Impairment of recognition and spatial learning and memory of GIPR KO mice were found in the object recognition task and a spatial water maze task, respectively. In an object location task, no impairment was found. GIPR KO mice also showed impaired synaptic plasticity in paired-pulse facilitation and a block of long-term potentiation in area CA1 of the hippocampus. Moreover, a large decrease in the number of neuronal progenitor cells was found in the dentate gyrus of transgenic mice, although the numbers of young neurons was not changed. Together the results suggest that GIP receptors play an important role in cognition, neurotransmission, and cell proliferation.

A systematic review of glomerular hyperfiltration assessment and definition in the medical literature.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Evaluation of glomerular hyperfiltration (GH) is difficult; the variable reported definitions impede comparisons between studies. A clear and universal definition of GH would help in comparing results of trials aimed at reducing GH. This study assessed how GH is measured and defined in the literature. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: Three databases (Embase, MEDLINE, CINAHL) were systematically searched using the terms "hyperfiltration" or "glomerular hyperfiltration". All studies reporting a GH threshold or studying the effect of a high GFR in a continuous manner against another outcome of interest were included. RESULTS: The literature search was performed from November 2012 to February 2013 and updated in August 2014. From 2013 retrieved studies, 405 studies were included. Threshold use to define GH was reported in 55.6% of studies. Of these, 88.4% used a single threshold and 11.6% used numerous thresholds adapted to participant sex or age. In 29.8% of the studies, the choice of a GH threshold was not based on a control group or literature references. After 2004, the use of GH threshold use increased (P<0.001), but the use of a control group to precisely define that GH threshold decreased significantly (P<0.001); the threshold did not differ among pediatric, adult, or mixed-age studies. The GH threshold ranged from 90.7 to 175 ml/min per 1.73 m(2) (median, 135 ml/min per 1.73 m(2)). CONCLUSION: Thirty percent of studies did not justify the choice of threshold values. The decrease of GFR in the elderly was rarely considered in defining GH. From a methodologic point of view, an age- and sex-matched control group should be used to define a GH threshold.

Spatial variability of air dry bulb temperature and black globe humidity index in a broiler house during the heating phase

The air dry-bulb temperature (t db),as well as the black globe humidity index (BGHI), exert great influence on the development of broiler chickens during their heating phase. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the structure and the magnitude of the t db and BGHI spatial variability, using geostatistics tools such as semivariogram analysis and also producing kriging maps. The experiment was conducted in the west mesoregion of the states of Minas Gerais in 2010, in a commercial broiler house with heating system consisting of two furnaces that heat the air indirectly, in the firsts 14 days of the birds' life. The data were registered at intervals of five minutes in the period from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. The variables were evaluated by variograms fitted by residual maximum likelihood (REML) testing the Spherical and Exponential models. Kriging maps were generated based on the best model used to fit the variogram. It was possible to characterize the variability of the t db and BGHI, which allowed observing the spatial dependence by using geostatistics techniques. In addition, the use of geostatistics and distribution maps made possible to identify problems in the heating system in regions inside the broiler house that may harm the development of chicks.

Capillary electrophoresis for monitoring of carboxylic, phenolic and amino acids in bioprocesses

Bioprocess technology is a multidisciplinary industry that combines knowledge of biology and chemistry with process engineering. It is a growing industry because its applications have an important role in the food, pharmaceutical, diagnostics and chemical industries. In addition, the current pressure to decrease our dependence on fossil fuels motivates new, innovative research in the replacement of petrochemical products. Bioprocesses are processes that utilize cells and/or their components in the production of desired products. Bioprocesses are already used to produce fuels and chemicals, especially ethanol and building-block chemicals such as carboxylic acids. In order to enable more efficient, sustainable and economically feasible bioprocesses, the raw materials must be cheap and the bioprocesses must be operated at optimal conditions. It is essential to measure different parameters that provide information about the process conditions and the main critical process parameters including cell density, substrate concentrations and products. In addition to offline analysis methods, online monitoring tools are becoming increasingly important in the optimization of bioprocesses. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is a versatile analysis technique with no limitations concerning polar solvents, analytes or samples. Its resolution and efficiency are high in optimized methods creating a great potential for rapid detection and quantification. This work demonstrates the potential and possibilities of CE as a versatile bioprocess monitoring tool. As a part of this study a commercial CE device was modified for use as an online analysis tool for automated monitoring. The work describes three offline CE analysis methods for the determination of carboxylic, phenolic and amino acids that are present in bioprocesses, and an online CE analysis method for the monitoring of carboxylic acid production during bioprocesses. The detection methods were indirect and direct UV, and laser-induced frescence. The results of this work can be used for the optimization of bioprocess conditions, for the development of more robust and tolerant microorganisms, and to study the dynamics of bioprocesses.

Chronic macro-economic and financial imbalances in the world economy: a meta-economic view

Global finance, combining offshore banking and universal banks to drive a broader globalization process, has transformed the modus operandi of the world economy. This requires a new "meta-economic" framework in which short-term portfolio-investment flows are treated as the dominant phenomenon they have become. Organized by global finance, these layered bi-directional flows between center and periphery manage a tension between financial concentration and monetary fragmentation. The resulting imbalances express the asymmetries built into that tension and render the exchange rate a more strategic policy variable than ever.