Programming for young children using tangible tiles and camera-enabled handheld devices

Schools are trying to teach programming at an earlier age, but there are some difficulties, namely the cost of having enough computer stations for the kids. We present the tangible system Tactode for young students to learn to program in the classroom, using handheld camera devices. The system was tested with a small focus group of students between 10 and 12 years old, that were asked to draw a regular polygon using the Scratch cat. All students completed the required task although some required help. Both students and teachers reported that they thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would like to repeat. In questionaries following the activities, the students declared that they found the language easy to use, with only 14% deeming it somewhat difficult. We consider these early results encouraging as well as informative for future developments

Using plagiarism detection tools in order to control group work submissions in large courses

Peer education and teamwork are looked upon as important educational tools due to the massificationof higher education programmes. As such, teams frequently produce several deliverables throughouta given course, and these should be properly organized and assessed.As the deliverables submission process often occur in large numbers, any attempt to manage theprocedure too tightly is bound to make the evaluators spend a lot of time just checking, controlling andcorrecting each individual submission; assessing these vast numbers of deliverables, is anotherproblem, which is simply too vast to tackle in this article. Nevertheless, we do use plagiarism detectiontools which offer invaluable information to evaluators. These mentioned tools are also used in anunsuspecting way: while allowing the students to submit the deliverables in a loose way, these toolscan be used to check, and control any wrongdoing with little effort.This article shows the details of the implementation and the lessons learned. The prototype was testedin a course which has roughly one thousand students enrolled in, and that had effectively produced acourse-portfolio of an organized set with all deliverables in an (almost totally) automated manner

Melanocytic Proliferations of Uncertain Malignant Potential: A Retrospective Study of 23 patients

Introduction: Diagnostic uncertainty is an inseparable component of medical practice. The dichotomous classification of melanocytic lesions as benign or malignant has been replaced in recent years by a more flexible approach in which diagnostic uncertainty is recognized and accepted. Methods: In order to characterize the population of melanocytic proliferations of uncertain malignant potential diagnosed at our center between 2007 and 2017, histopathological reports of melanocytic lesions classified, in this period, as either dysplastic or malignant were analyzed. Results: Twenty-three lesions (4.3%) with borderline histopathological features or uncertain malignant potential were identified. The mean patient age was 34.8 years. Sixteen lesions (69.6%) were observed by a second pathologist. The most frequently performed treatment was wide excision. A sentinel lymph node biopsy was performed on 2 patients, both being negative. The median follow-up time was 22 months, and there was no recurrence of any treated lesion. Discussion: The controversy of the subject extends from the nature and classification of these lesions to their treatment. In this work we perform a statistical review of the population of melanocytic proliferations of uncertain malignant potential diagnosed in our department.Introdução: As lesões melanocíticas podem apresentar características histológicas que impossibilitam a sua classificação de forma dicotómica como benignas ou malignas. Estas lesões, designadas proliferações melanocíticas de potencial maligno incerto, frequentemente apresentam características limítrofes entre nevo benigno e melanoma maligno, o que reflete o seu potencial biológico indeterminado

A prática desportiva regular e a capacidade aeróbia em alunos do 10º e 11º anos : estudo centrado no ensino secundário de uma escola pública

Relatório de estágio de mestrado em Ensino de Educação Física no Ensino Básico e SecundárioEste relatório de estágio insere-se na unidade curricular de Prática de Ensino Supervisionada I e II do 2º ano do curso de Mestrado em Ensino de Educação Física nos Ensinos Básico e Secundário, do Instituo de Educação da Universidade do Minho. A prática de Ensino Supervisionada foi realizada numa Escola Secundária do concelho de Guimarães no ano letivo 2011/2012 num núcleo de estágio constituído por 5 elementos, numa turma do 10ºano. A orientação do estágio foi efetuada por uma professora da escola, designada por professora cooperante e por uma professora da universidade. A elaboração do Relatório de Estágio teve sobretudo o intuito, de ser um documento onde se concentra toda a informação relativa à realização e desenvolvimento do Estágio Profissional pelo professor estagiário, tendo este por finalidade descrever e as vivências no contexto escolar, na função de professor estagiário, a fim de consolidar as aprendizagens geradas nos ciclos de estudo anteriores. Na primeira área é feita a caraterização geral do estágio, das turmas e da escola de acolhimento. Nesta área abordamos as planificações (anual, didática e aula) e ainda refletimos sobre a realização, onde se insere a instrução, gestão, clima e a disciplina. Por fim, referimos a avaliação procurando expor de que forma esta foi aplicada ao longo do estágio. Na área da participação na escola e relação com a comunidade é apresentada, de forma sucinta, a atividade por nós desenvolvida e as restantes atividades em que fomos participando. Na última área desenvolvida do presente relatório, investigação e desenvolvimento profissional, pretendeu-se analisar e relacionar a prática desportiva regular com a capacidade aeróbia em alunos de ambos os géneros, com idades compreendidas entre 15 e 17 anos. As conclusões do estudo indicam que existe uma maior predominância dos rapazes nas zonas acima e dentro dos valores de referência de prestação aeróbia, em relação às raparigas pelo que podemos concluir que os rapazes têm maior capacidade aeróbia. Verificamos ainda que há um maior número de rapazes a praticar desporto do que raparigas pelo que podemos concluir que existe maior preocupação em praticar desporto pelo género masculino.This report is part of the curricular unit of Supervised Teaching Practice I and II of the 2nd year of the Institute of Education, University of Minho. Supervised Teaching Practice was held in a Secondary School in the municipality of Guimarães in the school year 2011/2012 a core stage consisting of 5 elements, a class of 10th grade. The supervision of the practicum is performed by a school teacher, and a university professor of the university. The Report has the purpose, to be a document which concentrates all the information on the implementation and development of the practicum to descrive the experience in the school context as teacher consolidating the learning in previous cycles of study . The first area is made general characterization of the practicum, the classes and the school. In this area we approach the lesson plans (annual, teaching and classroom) and also reflect on the performance, which includes instruction, management, climate and discipline. Finally, exacerbated us on the subject of review seeking to expose how this was applied along the practicum. In the area of participation in school and community relations is presented succinctly the activity proposed by us and the other activities in which we participate. In the last area developed in this report, research and professional development, we analyzed doing sports with regular aerobic capacity in students of both genders, aged between 15 and 17 years. The findings indicate that there is a predominance of boys in or above the heath patron of aerobic capacity compared to girls, than we conclude that boys have more aerobic capacity and, greater concern towards doing sport

A cross-sectional study on physical and sedentary activity and health-related quality of life in institutionalized vs. non-institutionalized elderly

Aims: to compare the physical activity, sedentary activity and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in institutionalized vs. non-institutionalized elderly, and to establish a pattern of relationship and prediction of physical and sedentary activity with physical and mental components of HRQoL. Methods: the sample consisted of 383 elderly with ≥ 75 years old (n=187 institutionalized and n=196 non-institutionalized). Were administered the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) for evaluated the physical and sedentary activity and HRQoL. Also was used the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) as exclusion criteria for cognitive problems in the elderly. Results: differences between institutionalized and non-institutionalized elderly were found in moderate-intensity activities and walking, a favour of non-institutionalized. The institutionalized elderly remain more minutes in sedentary activity. Also, were observed differences between both groups in physical component of HRQoL, a favour of non-institutionalized elderly. The mental component remained unchanged. The multivariate regression analyses showed that physical activity predicted the physical (8 to 12%) and mental (5 to 8%) components of HRQoL for institutionalized and non-institutionalized elderly. Conclusions: non-institutionalized elderly were more physically active, spent less time in sedentary activity and showed better perception physical component of HRQoL that institutionalized elderly. An important and encouraging result of this study was that physical activity is a predictor of improved physical and mental component of HRQoL for institutionalized and non-institutionalized elderly

The double white dwarf merger progenitors of SDSS J2211+1136 and ZTF J1901+1458

Double white dwarf (DWD) mergers are possibly the leading formation channel of massive, rapidly rotating, highfield magnetic white dwarfs (HFMWDs). However, a direct link connecting a DWD merger to any observed HFMWD is still missing. We here show that the HFMWDs SDSS J221141.80+113604.4 (hereafter J2211+1136) and ZTF J190132.9+145808.7 (hereafter J1901+1458) might be DWD merger products. J2211+1136 is a 1.27 Me white dwarf (WD) with a rotation period of 70.32 s and a surface magnetic field of 15 MG. J1901+1458 is a 1.327–1.365 Me WD with a rotation period of 416.20 s, and a surface magnetic field in the range 600–900 MG. With the assumption of single-star evolution and the currently measured WD masses and surface temperatures, the cooling ages of J2211+1136 and J1901+1458 are, respectively, 2.61–2.85 Gyr and 10–100 Myr. We hypothesize that these WDs are DWD merger products and compute the evolution of the postmerged configuration formed by a central WD surrounded by a disk. We show that the postmerger system evolves through three phases depending on whether accretion, mass ejection (propeller), or magnetic braking dominates the torque onto the central WD. We calculate the time the WD spends in each of these phases and obtain the accretion rate and disk mass for which the WD rotational age, i.e., the total time elapsed since the merger to the instant where the WD central remnant reaches the current measured rotation period, agrees with the estimated WD cooling age. We infer the mass values of the primary and secondary WD components of the DWD merger that lead to a postmerger evolution consistent with the observations

Etanercept-Induced Interstitial Lung Disease in a Patient with Plaque Psoriasis

O etanercept é um dos fármacos biológicos aprovados para o tratamento da psoríase. Apesar da sua vasta utilização e comprovada eficácia, estão descritos raros casos de toxicidade pulmonar com a sua utilização.Apresentamos uma doente com psoríase vulgar medicada com etanercept. Sete meses após o início do fármaco, inicia um quadro de tosse produtiva, sem febre ou sintomas constitucionais. Na tomografia computorizada torácica, apresentava um padrão de micronódulos densos bilaterais, com predomínio nos lobos superiores. Após suspensão do agente verificou-se resolução sintomática e imagiológica, sem necessidade de tratamento farmacológico adicional. Optou-se pela troca de agente biológicopara ustecinumab, com boa tolerância e elevada eficácia.Etanercept is one of the biologic drugs approved for the treatment of psoriasis. Despite its wide use and proven efficacy, few cases of pulmonary toxicity have been reported.We present a patient with psoriasis vulgaris medicated with etanercept. Seven months after its start, the patient developed productive cough, with no fever or constitutional symptoms. The thoracic computerized tomography revealed a pattern of bilateral dense micronodules, with predominance in the superior lobes. After suspension of etanercept, there was symptomatic and imaging resolution, without the need for additional pharmacological treatment. We switched the biologic agent for ustekinumab, with goodtolerance and high efficacy

Neuropathic pain is associated with depressive behaviour and induces neuroplasticity in the amygdala of the rat

Chronic pain is associated with the development of affective disorders but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Changes in brain centres implicated in both emotional and pain processing are likely to be critical in the interplay of pain control and affective emotional behaviour. In the present study, we assessed emotional behaviour and performed a structural analysis of the amygdala (AMY) in neuropathic rats after two months of hyperalgesia and allodynia, induced by the spared nerve injury model (SNI). When compared with Sham-controls, SNI animals displayed signs of depressive-like behaviour. In addition, we found an increased amygdalar volume in SNI rats. No alterations were found in the dendritic arborizations of AMY neurons but, surprisingly, the amygdalar hypertrophy was associated with an increased cell proliferation [bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)-positive cells] in the central (CeA) and basolateral (BLA) amygdaloid nuclei. The phenotypic analysis of the newly-acquired cells revealed that they co-label for neuronal markers (BrdU + NeuN and BrdU + Calbindin), but not for differentiated glial cells (BrdU + glial fibrillary acidic protein). We demonstrate that neuropathic pain promotes generation of new neurons in the AMY. Given the established role of the AMY in emotional behaviour, we propose that these neuroplastic changes might contribute for the development of depressive-like symptoms that are usually present in prolonged pain syndromes in humans.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) Project no. POCTI/NSE/46399/2002FEDERFundação Calouste Gulbenkian Project no. 7455