TACTILE CARTOGRAPHY EXPERIENCES IN BRAZIL: METHODOLOGIES AND DIDACTICAL MATERIAL WITH TECHNOLOGICAL RESOURCES FOR INCLUSION OF BLIND AND LOW VISION STUDENTS

The tactile cartography is an area of Cartography that aims the development of methodologies and didactical material to work cartographic concepts with blind and low vision people. The main aim of this article is to present the experience of Tactile Cartography Research Group from Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), including some didactical material and courses for teachers using the System MAPAVOX. The System MAPAVOX is software developed by our research group in a partnership with Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) that integrates maps and models with a voice synthesizer, sound emission, texts, images and video visualizing for computers. Our research methodology is based in authors that have in the students the centre of didactical activity such as Ochaita and Espinosa in [1], which developed studies related to blind children's literacy. According to Almeida the child's drawing is, thus, a system of representation. It isn't a copy of objects, but interpretation of that which is real, done by the child in graphic language[2]. In the proposed activities with blind and low vision students they are prepared to interpret reality and represent it by adopting concepts of graphic language learned. To start the cartographic initialization it is necessary to use personal and quotidian references, for example the classroom tactile model or map, to include concepts in generalization and scale concerning to their space of life. During these years many case studies were developed with blind and low vision students from Special School for Hearing Impaired and Visually Impaired in Araras and Rio Claro, Sao Paulo - Brazil. The most part of these experiences and others from Brazil and Chile are presented in [3]. Tactile material and MAPAVOX facilities are analysed by students and teachers who contribute with suggestions to reformulate and adapt them to their sensibility and necessity. Since 2005 we offer courses in Tactile Cartography to prepare teachers from elementary school in the manipulation of didactical material and attending students with special educational needs in regular classroom. There were 6 classroom and blended courses offered for 184 teachers from public schools in this region of the Sao Paulo state. As conclusion we can observe that methodological procedures centred in the blind and low vision students are successful in their spatial orientation if use didactical material from places or objects with which they have significant experience. During the applying of courses for teachers we could see that interdisciplinary groups can find creative cartographic alternatives more easily. We observed too that the best results in methodological procedures were those who provided concreteness to abstract concepts using daily experiences.

Metaloproteinases da matriz 2 e 9 em coelhos com cardiomiopatia induzida pela doxorrubicina

Pós-graduação em Medicina Veterinária - FCAV

Production of β-(1,3)-glucanases by Trichoderma harzianum Rifai: Optimization and Application to Produce Gluco-oligosaccharides from Paramylon and Pustulan

β-(1→3)-Glucanases were produced by Trichoderma harzianum Rifai PAMB-86 cultivated on botryosphaeran in a bench-fermenter and optimised by the response surface method. Maximal enzyme titres occurred at 5 days, initial pH 5.5 and aeration of 1.5vvm. β-(1→3)-The β-glucanolytic enzyme complex produced by T. harzianum Rifai PAMB- 86 was fractionated by gel filtration into 2 fractions (F-I, F-II), and employed to produce gluco-oligosaccharides from algal paramylon ((1→3)-β-D-glucan) and lichen pustulan ((1→6)-β-D-glucan). Both enzymes attacked paramylon to the extent of ~15-20% in 30 min releasing glucose and laminaribiose as major end-products, and laminarioligosaccharides of degree of polymerization (DP) ≥3. Only F-I degraded pustulan resulting in ~2% degradation at 30 min, with glucose, gentiobiose and gentio-oligosaccharides of DP ≥4 as major products. The difference in the nature of the hydrolysis products can be explained by the substrate specificities of each enzyme fraction, and the structural differences of the β-D-glucans attacked.

Tetraethylortossilicate plasma thin film with hydrophilic and hydrophobic characteristics: Use on passive mixers

This work aims to obtain plasma thin film composites with hydrophobic/hydrophilic alternated regions, which are useful for the production of miniaturized mixers. These regions were acquired by two different strategies: either the codeposition of TEOS and HFE plasma thin films or the exposition of TEOS plasma films to ultraviolet radiation (UVA and UVC). These films were characterized by several chemical and physical techniques. The refractive indexes vary from 1.4 to 1.7; infrared and photoelectron spectroscopy detect Si-O-Si and CHn species. Silicone-like structures with high or low number of amorphous carbon microparticles and with fluorinated organic clusters were produced. Cluster dimensions were in the 1-5 mm range and they are made of graphite or COF (carbon/oxygen/fluorine) compounds. Scanning electron and optical microscopy showed rough surfaces. Water contact angles were 90º; however, for TEOS films that value changed after 6 hr of UVC exposure. Moreover, after UV exposure, organic polar compounds could be adsorbed in those films and water was not. The passive mixer performance was simulated using the FemLab 3.2® program and was tested with 20 nm thick films on a silicon wafer, showing the capacity of these films to be used in such devices.

Asymmetric and Symmetric Triazenido Cyclopalladated Complexes: Synthesis, Structural Analysis and DFT Calculations

The reaction of [Pd{dmba}(l-N3)]2 (dmba = N,N-dimethylbenzylamine) with 1-(2-fluorophenyl)-3-(4- nitrophenyl)triazenido (L1 ) or 1,3-bis(4-nitrophenyl)triazenido (L2 ) anions, in methanol, and subsequent treatment with pyridine (py) allows the preparation of the corresponding cyclopalladated compounds [Pd(dmba)(L1 )(py)] (1) and [Pd(dmba)(L2 )(py)]py (2). The acentric mononuclear entities of (1) and (2) are connected by weak intermolecular non-classical CAHC hydrogen bonds, which results in 2-D arrangements by translation, along the [1 0 0] and [0 01] crystallographic directions, respectively.

Chemical and morphological features of nanofilled composite resin: influence of finishing and polishing procedures and fluoride solutions

This study evaluated the influence of finishing and polishing procedures and differ-ent fluoride solutions on superficial morphology and chemistry of the nanofilled composite resinSupreme XT (3M) through the EDX analysis and SEM evaluation. Circular specimens (n 5 30) of 10mm diameter and 2 mm thickness were prepared, with half of the sample assays finished and polishedwith Super-Snap1sandpaper. The experimental groups were divided according to the presence or ab-sence of finishing and polishing and solutions (arti ficial saliva, 0.0 5% of manipulated sodium fluoridesolution, Fluordent Re ach, Oral B, Fluorgard). Specimens were immersed in each respective solutionfor 1 min per day, during 60 days and stored in artificial saliva at 37 6 18C between immersion peri-ods. Topography and chemical analysis was qualitative. It was observed that specimens submitted tofinishing and polishing procedures had lower superficial degradation. Fluoride solutio ns promoted su-perficial alterations on specimens, being the highest degradation obtained with Fluordent Reach. Itca n be concluded that finishing and polishing procedures and the immersion media influence the su-perficial morphology of composite resin tested; the Fluordent Reach was the flu oride solution thatmo st affected the material’s surface.

Open-closed superstring amplitudes using vertex operators in AdS5xS5

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

Role of cyclooxygenase-2 in Trypanosoma cruzi survival in the early stages of parasite host-cell interaction

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Systematic analysis of protein-detergent complexes applying dynamic light scattering to optimize solutions for crystallization trials

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Dirac gaugions, R symmetry and the 125 GeV Higgs

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

Quasimodular instanton partition function and the elliptic solution of Korteweg-de Vries equations

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

Open-closed superstring amplitudes using vertex operators in AdS(5) x S-5

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

A new heterologous fibrin sealant as scaffold to recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) and natural latex proteins for the repair of tibial bone defects

Tissue engineering has special interest in bone tissue aiming at future medical applications Studies have focused on recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) and natural latex proteins due to the osteogenic properties of rhBMP-2 and the angiogenic characteristic of fraction 1 protein (P-1) extracted from the rubber tree Hevea brasiliensis. Furthermore, heterologous fibrin sealant (FS) has been shown as a promising alternative in regenerative therapies. The aim of this study was to evaluate these substances for the repair of bone defects in rats. A bone defect measuring 3 mm in diameter was created in the proximal metaphysis of the left tibia of 60 rats and was implanted with rhBMP-2 or P-1 in combination with a new heterologous FS derived from snake venom. The animals were divided into six groups: control (unfilled bone defect), rhBMP-2 (defect filled with 5 mu g rhBMP-2), P-1 (defect filled with 5 mu g P-1), FS (defect filled with 8 mu g FS), FS/rhBMP-2 (defect filled with 8 mu g FS and 5 mu g rhBMP-2), FS/P-1 (defect filled with 8 mu g FS and 5 mu g P-1). The animals were sacrificed 2 and 6 weeks after surgery. The newly formed bone projected from the margins of the original bone and exhibited trabecular morphology and a disorganized arrangement of osteocyte lacunae. Immunohistochemical analysis showed intense expression of osteocalcin in all groups. Histometric analysis revealed a significant difference in all groups after 2 weeks (p < 0.05), except for the rhBMP-2 and FS/rhBMP-2 groups (p > 0.05). A statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) was observed in all groups after 6 weeks in relation to the volume of newly formed bone in the surgical area. In conclusion, the new heterologous fibrin sealant was found to be biocompatible and the combination with rhBMP-2 showed the highest osteogenic and osteoconductive capacity for bone healing. These findings suggest a promising application of this combination in the regeneration surgery.

Neural tool condition estimation in the grinding of advanced ceramics

Ceramic parts are increasingly replacing metal parts due to their excellent physical, chemical and mechanical properties, however they also make them difficult to manufacture by traditional machining methods. The developments carried out in this work are used to estimate tool wear during the grinding of advanced ceramics. The learning process was fed with data collected from a surface grinding machine with tangential diamond wheel and alumina ceramic test specimens, in three cutting configurations: with depths of cut of 120 mu m, 70 mu m and 20 mu m. The grinding wheel speed was 35m/s and the table speed 2.3m/s. Four neural models were evaluated, namely: Multilayer Perceptron, Radial Basis Function, Generalized Regression Neural Networks and the Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System. The models'performance evaluation routines were executed automatically, testing all the possible combinations of inputs, number of neurons, number of layers, and spreading. The computational results reveal that the neural models were highly successful in estimating tool wear, since the errors were lower than 4%.

Quantum Discord for d circle times 2 Systems

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