Cidadania e educação física : matrizes históricas e políticas, contradições e perspectivas = Citizenship and physical education : historical and political matrices, perspectives and contradictions

Universidade Estadual de Campinas . Faculdade de Educação Física

Perspectives of vaccination in Chagas disease revisited

The perspectives for a Chagas Disease vaccine 30 years ago and today are compared. Antigens and adjuvants have improved, but logistic problems remain the same. Sterilizing vaccines have not been produced and animal models for chronic Chagas have not been developed. Vector control has been successful and Chagas incidence has come to a halt. We do not have a population candidate to vaccination now in Brazil. And if we had, we would not know how to evaluate the success of vaccination in a short time period. A vaccine may not seem important at the moment. However, scientific reasons and incertitudes about the future recommend that a search for a vaccine be continued.

Pesquisa-Ação-Formação Inter e Transdisciplinar com Pessoas Envolvidas com a Questão do Morador de Rua

Este artigo apresenta reflexões teórico-metodológicas sobre processo de investigação de pós-doutorado que objetivava basicamente construir - na ação - estratégia de "psico-sócio-formação" de pessoas envolvidas com a questão do morador de rua; criar e aplicar um recurso metodológico operacional denominado "conto de encontro transformador". Do ponto de vista teórico, sob perspectivas inter e transdisciplinares de produção do conhecimento, essa "pesquisa-ação-formação" baseou-se no encontro dialógico entre os conhecimentos sobre "encontro transformador", "resiliência" e "ágape" e construtos teóricos da área da Educação, com ênfase no processo de autoformação. O projeto contou com vinte participantes: moradores de rua; trabalhadores de instituições de apoio a moradores de rua; técnicos das Secretarias de Assistência Social da Prefeitura de São Paulo e/ou da Secretaria da Saúde; e provenientes da Universidade de São Paulo e de outras Universidades do Brasil, França e Canadá.

Using the ultrasound and instrumented indentation techniques to measure the elastic modulus of engineering materials

Currently, the acoustic and nanoindentation techniques are two of the most used techniques for material elastic modulus measurement. In this article fundamental principles and limitations of both techniques are shown and discussed. Last advances in nanoindentation technique are also reviewed. An experimental study in ceramic, metallic, composite and single crystals was also done. Results shown that ultrasonic technique is capable to provide results in agreement with those reported in literature. However, ultrasonic technique does not allow measuring the elastic modulus of some small samples and single crystals. On the other hand, the nanoindentation technique estimates the elastic modulus values in reasonable agreement with those measured by acoustic methods, particularly in amorphous materials, while in some policristaline materials some deviation from expected values was obtained.

Selenium and Mercury in the Brazilian Amazon: Opposing Influences on Age-Related Cataracts

BACKGROUND: Age-related cataracts (ARCs) are an important cause of blindness in developing countries. Although antioxidants may be part of the body's defense to prevent ARC, environmental contaminants may contribute to cataractogenesis. In fish-eating populations of the lower Tapajos region, elevated exposure to mercury (Hg) has been reported, and blood levels of selenium (Se) range from normal to very high (> 1,000 mu g/L). OBJECTIVES: We examined ARCs in relation to these elements among adults (>= 40 years of age) from 12 riverside communities. METHODS: Participants (n = 211) provided blood samples and underwent an extensive ocular examination. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was used to assess Hg and Se in blood and plasma. RESULTS: One-third (n = 69; 32.7%) of the participants had ARC. Lower plasma Se (P-Se; < 25th percentile, 110 mu g/L) and higher blood Hg (B-Hg; >= 25th percentile, 25 mu g/L) were associated with a higher prevalence odds ratio (POR) of ARC [adjusted POR (95% confidence interval), 2.69 (1.11-6.56) and 4.45 (1.43-13.83), respectively]. Among participants with high P-Se, we observed a positive but nonsignificant association with high B-Hg exposure, whereas among those with low B-Hg, we observed no association for P-Se. However, compared with the optimum situation (high P-Se, low B-Hg), the POR for those with low P-Se and high B-Hg was 16.4 (3.0-87.9). This finding suggests a synergistic effect. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that persons in this population with elevated Hg, the cataractogenic effects of Hg may be offset by Se. Because of the relatively small sample size and possible confounding by other dietary nutrients, additional studies with sufficient power to assess multiple nutrient and toxic interactions are required to confirm these findings.

Engineering interactions for quasiperfect transfer of polariton states through nonideal bosonic networks of distinct topologies

We present a scheme for quasiperfect transfer of polariton states from a sender to a spatially separated receiver, both composed of high-quality cavities filled by atomic samples. The sender and the receiver are connected by a nonideal transmission channel -the data bus- modelled by a network of lossy empty cavities. In particular, we analyze the influence of a large class of data-bus topologies on the fidelity and transfer time of the polariton state. Moreover, we also assume dispersive couplings between the polariton fields and the data-bus normal modes in order to achieve a tunneling-like state transfer. Such a tunneling-transfer mechanism, by which the excitation energy of the polariton effectively does not populate the data-bus cavities, is capable of attenuating appreciably the dissipative effects of the data-bus cavities. After deriving a Hamiltonian for the effective coupling between the sender and the receiver, we show that the decay rate of the fidelity is proportional to a cooperativity parameter that weighs the cost of the dissipation rate against the benefit of the effective coupling strength. The increase of the fidelity of the transfer process can be achieved at the expense of longer transfer times. We also show that the dependence of both the fidelity and the transfer time on the network topology is analyzed in detail for distinct regimes of parameters. It follows that the data-bus topology can be explored to control the time of the state-transfer process.

Nonadiabatic Coherent Evolution of Two-Level Systems under Spontaneous Decay

In this Letter we extend current perspectives in engineering reservoirs by producing a time-dependent master equation leading to a nonstationary superposition equilibrium state that can be nonadiabatically controlled by the system-reservoir parameters. Working with an ion trapped inside a nonideal cavity, we first engineer effective interactions, which allow us to achieve two classes of decoherence-free evolution of superpositions of the ground and excited ionic levels: those with a time-dependent azimuthal or polar angle. As an application, we generalize the purpose of an earlier study [Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 150403 (2006)], showing how to observe the geometric phases acquired by the protected nonstationary states even under nonadiabatic evolution.

Reverse engineering in many-body quantum physics: Correspondence between many-body systems and effective single-particle equations

The mapping, exact or approximate, of a many-body problem onto an effective single-body problem is one of the most widely used conceptual and computational tools of physics. Here, we propose and investigate the inverse map of effective approximate single-particle equations onto the corresponding many-particle system. This approach allows us to understand which interacting system a given single-particle approximation is actually describing, and how far this is from the original physical many-body system. We illustrate the resulting reverse engineering process by means of the Kohn-Sham equations of density-functional theory. In this application, our procedure sheds light on the nonlocality of the density-potential mapping of density-functional theory, and on the self-interaction error inherent in approximate density functionals.

On the resilience of long cycles in random graphs

In this paper we determine the local and global resilience of random graphs G(n,p) (p >> n(-1)) with respect to the property of containing a cycle of length at least (1 - alpha)n. Roughly speaking, given alpha > 0, we determine the smallest r(g) (G, alpha) with the property that almost surely every subgraph of G = G(n,p) having more than r(g) (G, alpha)vertical bar E(G)vertical bar edges contains a cycle of length at least (1 - alpha)n (global resilience). We also obtain, for alpha < 1/2, the smallest r(l) (G, alpha) such that any H subset of G having deg(H) (v) larger than r(l) (G, alpha) deg(G) (v) for all v is an element of V(G) contains a cycle of length at least (1 - alpha)n (local resilience). The results above are in fact proved in the more general setting of pseudorandom graphs.

New perspectives on the processing and release of public information

This article discusses issues related to the organization and reception of information in the context of services and public information systems driven by technology. It stems from the assumption that in a ""technologized"" society, the distance between users and information is almost always of cognitive and socio-cultural nature, a product of our effort to design communication. In this context, we favor the approach of the information sign, seeking to answer how a documentary message turns into information, i.e. a structure recognized as socially useful. Observing the structural, cognitive and communicative aspects of the documentary message, based on Documentary Linguistics, Terminology, as well as on Textual Linguistics, the policy of knowledge management and innovation of the Government of the State of Sao Paulo is analyzed, which authorizes the use of Web 2.0, also questioning to what extent this initiative represents innovation in the environment of libraries.

Psychosocial perspectives of the partners of breast cancer patients treated with a mastectomy

The family members of cancer patients play a central role as caregivers. This study reports on the perspectives of men whose wives underwent a mastectomy because of breast cancer. This qualitative research used a narrative analysis method, and 17 men were interviewed. Five main themes emerged from the analysis of the narratives: initial reactions to the diagnosis, involvement in caregiving, support received, influence of breast cancer on the couples` relationships, and evaluation of care provided by the institution. The findings indicated the existence of substantive evidence that the spouses attended to and followed the recommendations of healthcare providers on ways to care for their wives, including their emotional demands and care needs. In this sense, the healthcare professionals should interact with a. patient`s primary caregiver, take the family dynamics and the caregiver`s personal characteristics into account, and systematically consider and include the needs of the patients` caregivers in the entire healthcare process.

City tuberculosis control coordinators` perspectives of patient adherence to DOT in Sao Paulo State, Brazil, 2005

SETTING: Thirty-six priority cities in Sao Paulo State, Brazil, with a high incidence of tuberculosis (TB) cases, deaths and treatment default. OBJECTIVE: To identify the perspectives of city TB control coordinators regarding the most important components of adherence strategies adopted by health care teams to ensure patient adherence in 36 priority cities in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. DESIGN: Qualitative research with semi-structured interviews conducted with the coordinators of the National TB Control Programme involved in the management of TB treatment services in the public sector. RESULTS: The main issues thought to influence adherence to directly observed treatment (DOT) by coordinators include incentives and benefits delivered to patients, patient-health care worker bonding and comprehensive care, the encouragement given by others to follow treatment (family, neighbours and health professionals), and help provided by health professionals for patients to recover their self-esteem. CONCLUSION: The main aspects mentioned by city TB control coordinators regarding patient adherence to treatment and to DOT in Sao Paulo are improvements in communications, relationships based on trust, a humane approach and including the patients in the decision-making process concerning their health.

Cultural meaning of quality of life: perspectives of Brazilian burn patients

Purpose. This study was designed to explore the cultural meaning and dimensions of quality of life from the perspective of Brazilian burn patients. Method. A qualitative research approach was used. Nineteen burn patients and their close relatives participated in this ethnographic study. Data were collected by means of direct observation and semi-structured interviews, conducted in a hospital outpatient clinic and during visits to patients` homes. The following inter-related phases guided the analysis process: reading of the material and data reduction, data display, conclusion outlining and verification. Results. Participants reported that the quality of life is related to autonomy and the ability to work. The dimensions of quality of life included: resuming work and functional ability, body image, having leisure and interpersonal relationships. Their descriptions revealed their feelings and attitudes about resuming their previous activities and social lives, particularly concerning the work. Conclusion. For burn patients, quality of life is associated with the concept of normality, the satisfactory performance of social roles in the context of family life and the social world. The results showed the importance of the sociocultural dimension in the concept of quality of life for persons undergoing burn rehabilitation.

Ecodesign methods focused on remanufacturing

Understanding the product`s `end-of-life` is important to reduce the environmental impact of the products` final disposal. When the initial stages of product development consider end-of-life aspects, which can be established by ecodesign (a proactive approach of environmental management that aims to reduce the total environmental impact of products), it becomes easier to close the loop of materials. The `end-of-life` ecodesign methods generally include more than one `end-of-life` strategy. Since product complexity varies substantially, some components, systems or sub-systems are easier to be recycled, reused or remanufactured than others. Remanufacture is an effective way to maintain products in a closed-loop, reducing both environmental impacts and costs of the manufacturing processes. This paper presents some ecodesign methods focused on the integration of different `end-of-life` strategies, with special attention to remanufacturing, given its increasing importance in the international scenario to reduce the life cycle impacts of products. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.