Integrated electromyogram and eye-gaze tracking cursor control system for computer users with motor disabilities

This research pursued the conceptualization, implementation, and testing of a system that allows for computer cursor control without requiring hand movement. The target user group for this system are individuals who are unable to use their hands because of spinal dysfunction or other afflictions. The system inputs consisted of electromyogram (EMG) signals from muscles in the face and point-of-gaze coordinates produced by an eye-gaze tracking (EGT) system. Each input was processed by an algorithm that produced its own cursor update information. These algorithm outputs were fused to produce an effective and efficient cursor control. Experiments were conducted to compare the performance of EMG/EGT, EGT-only, and mouse cursor controls. The experiments revealed that, although EMG/ EGT control was slower than EGT-only and mouse control, it effectively controlled the cursor without a spatial accuracy limitation and also facilitated a reliable click operation

A INFLU?NCIA DA QUALIDADE DE VIDA NO TRABALHO NO CLIMA ORGANIZACIONAL DO DGDP

O presente trabalho de conclus?o de curso foi realizado no IFPB ? Campus Jo?o Pessoa no Departamento de Gest?o e Desenvolvimento de Pessoas, o estudo buscou analisar de que forma a Qualidade de Vida no Trabalho influencia o clima organizacional no DGDP. A metodologia que foi utilizada ? de natureza aplicada, quanto aos objetivos ? descritiva, teve uma abordagem quali-quantitativa, os procedimentos t?cnicos utilizados foram a pesquisa Bibliogr?fica e de Campo, o m?todo de estudo foi indutivo, o instrumento de coleta de dados foi um question?rio contendo quinze quest?es, e a an?lise desses dados foram feitas atrav?s do uso do Excel. A pesquisa constatou que tanto na QVT quanto no clima organizacional foram identificados alguns problemas que precisam ser melhorados, como a proporcionalidade na rela??o do sal?rio com a responsabilidade do cargo, atividades laborais afetando as rela??es familiares, conflitos entre os departamentos, desperd?cio de material, programas de sugest?es malsucedidos e a falta de comprometimento das pessoas com a organiza??o tendo como resultado o absente?smo, tamb?m apareceram pontos favor?veis como, as boas condi??es de seguran?a e bem-estar, risco m?nimo de doen?as e danos f?sicos, o uso e desenvolvimento de capacidades, oportunidade de carreira, identidade com a fun??o e equipamentos em bom estado de conserva??o. A QVT influencia no clima organizacional tanto nos aspectos positivos quanto nos aspectos negativos, e esses aspectos afetam o bem-estar e a satisfa??o dos colaboradores do Departamento de Gest?o e Desenvolvimento de Pessoas, resultando com que o DGDP proporcione uma maior aten??o aos colaboradores e procure poss?veis solu??es para os problemas encontrados para melhorar a qualidade de vida e o clima organizacional dos mesmos

p53 and Sp1 Interact and Cooperate in the Tumor Necrosis Factor-induced Transcriptional Activation of the HIV-1 Long Terminal Repeat

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF) is a potent activator of transcription directed by the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) long terminal repeat (LTR). We have recently reported that the p53 tumor suppressor gene product binds to a site within the Sp1 binding region of the HIV-1 LTR and contributes to the TNF induction of this promoter. In this study we show that the transcription factor Sp1 cooperates with p53 in the transcriptional activation directed by the HIV-1 LTR. The presence of Sp1 increased p53 binding to its recognition sequence in the HIV-1 LTR, and experiments in Drosophila cells show that Sp1 is necessary for full transactivation by mutant p53. Importantly, TNF induced the association between p53 and Sp1 in Jurkat T cells. These data demonstrate a synergistic role for these proteins in the mechanism of TNF induction of HIV-1 LTR-mediated transcription and suggest that Sp1 may play an important role in modulating certain functions of p53

Parameters That Influence the Extent of Site Occupancy by a Candidate Telomere End-binding Protein

The MF3 protein specifically recognizes telomeric and non-telomeric DNA probes that can form G.G base-paired structures (Gualberto, A., Patrick, R. M., and Walsh, K. (1992) Genes & Dev. 6, 815-824). Here we further characterize the nucleic acid recognition properties of MF3 and present a mathematical analysis that evaluates the potential extent of telomere site occupancy by this factor. The substitution of dI at dG positions in telomeric DNA probes revealed that a single dG at any position within the internal repeat was sufficient for high affinity binding to MF3. The RNA analogs of high affinity DNA sites were not bound specifically by MF3, but the substitution of dU for dT in a DNA probe had little or no effect on binding. These data demonstrate that ribose ring structure is a critical feature of nucleoprotein complex formation, and this ribose specificity may enable MF3 to occupy sites of unusual DNA structure while minimizing interactions with cellular RNAs. Collectively, the nucleic acid binding properties of MF3 suggest that it may occupy a significant fraction of sites at telomere ends or other G-rich regions of altered DNA structure in vivo

Tuberculous meningitis in HIV-infected patients in Brazil: clinical and laboratory characteristics and factors associated with mortality

Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is a growing problem in HIV-infected patients in developing countries, where there is scarce data about this co-infection. Our objectives were to analyze the main features and outcomes of HIV-infected patients with TBM. Methods This was a retrospective study of HIV-infected Brazilian patients admitted consecutively for TBM. All patients had Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Presenting clinical and laboratory features were studied. Multivariate analysis was used to identify variables associated with death during hospitalization and at 9 months after diagnosis. Survival was estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Results We included 108 cases (median age 36 years, 72% male). Only 15% had fever, headache, and meningeal signs simultaneously. Forty-eight percent had extrameningeal tuberculosis. The median CD4+ cell count was 65 cells/μl. Among 90 cases, 7% had primary resistance to isoniazid and 9% presented multidrug-resistant strains. The overall mortality during hospitalization was 29% and at 9 months was 41%. Tachycardia and prior highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) were associated with 9-month mortality. The 9-month survival rate was 22% (95% confidence interval 12–43%). Conclusions Clinical and laboratory manifestations were unspecific. Disseminated tuberculosis and severe immunosuppression were common. Mortality was high and the 9-month survival rate was low. Tachycardia and prior HAART were associated with death within 9 months of diagnosis147e586e59