The Scheme of Movement as an Organizer of Action in Classical and Relativistic Mechanics

This paper reports on the use of the concept of scheme as one of the references for analyzing the process of making out the meaning of relative time. It is part of the current perspective that discusses the inclusion of Modern Physics topics in high school education; the paper investigates the conditions for such inclusion to occur. To this end, a didactic sequence was produced based on the transition between the key concepts of Classical Mechanics and the Special Theory of Relativity, where one of the central points was the discussion of the influence of the reference frame in the study of motion. The research activities lasted 16 classroom hours in a third-grade year high school and were quite diverse, with lectures, group discussions, open problem-solving, and thought experiments. We analyzed, in this paper, episodes of verbal interaction and written activities of the students related to the concept of reference frame and its influence on the notion of relative time. The theoretical framework used for the analysis of the students' productions was the Theory of Conceptual Fields, which was supported by the content analysis technique. Different operational invariants were identified in the students' schema of motion and time. We concluded our research by indicating that there must be a reciprocal assimilation between the schema of time and motion for the students to be able to propose correct answers to problems in Mechanics

Peak expiratory flow mediates the relationship between handgrip strength and timed up and go performance in elderly women, but not men

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to verify if there is sex difference in the associations among handgrip strength, peak expiratory flow (PEF) and timed up and go (TUG) test results. METHODS: The sample included 288 consecutive elderly men (n=93) and women (n=195). Functional capacity was measured using the TUG test, and muscle strength was measured based on handgrip. Moreover, as a measure of current health status, PEF was evaluated. Linear regression procedures were performed to analyze the relationships between handgrip and both PEF and TUG test results, with adjustment for confounders, and to identify the possible mediating role of PEF in the association between handgrip strength and TUG test results. RESULTS: In men, handgrip strength was associated with both PEF and TUG performance (p<0.01). After adjustment for PEF, the relationship between handgrip strength and TUG performance remained significant. In women, handgrip strength was also associated with both PEF and TUG performance (p<0.01). However, after adjustment for PEF, the relationship between handgrip strength and TUG performance was no longer significant. CONCLUSION: Mobility in the elderly is sex dependent. In particular, PEF mediates the relationship between handgrip strength and TUG performance in women, but not in men

Fatores ecológicos que influenciam a agregação de territórios em tizius (volatinia jacarina) e sua relação com o risco de atropelamento

A heterogeneidade ambiental influencia a seleção de habitat. Por meio dos critérios de escolha, os animais selecionam locais adequados para maximizar sua aptidão, o que envolve um processo comportamental complexo que leva em consideração fatores ecológicos de diferentes escalas. Diversos estudos vêm destacando a influência dos recursos alimentares na seleção de territórios, sendo que uma distribuição descontinua desses recursos pode favorecer um padrão de distribuição territorial agregada. As agregações territoriais condensam territórios individuais a territórios já demarcados por outros indivíduos. Esse fenômeno ocorre em diversos grupos taxonômicos, como em aracnídeos (Trichonephila clavipes), mamíferos (Dama dama) e aves (Empidonax traillii). No tiziu (Volatinia jacarina), as agregações territoriais ocorrem de maneira recorrente às margens de rodovias, devido a predominância de gramíneas. Nesse trabalho, investigamos como a vegetação e a distribuição descontinua de recursos pode explicar o arranjo de territórios de tizius ao longo das margens da rodovia BR-020, no entorno da Estação Ecológica de Águas Emendadas (ESECAE). Adicionalmente, investigamos a influência desse arranjo no atropelamento da espécie. Durante o estudo, foram realizados monitoramentos a pé ao longo da rodovia em busca de registros de atropelamentos. Para cada carcaça identificada na rodovia foram registradas a data do registro, as coordenadas do ponto e a identificação do material no menor nível taxonômico possível. Foram registrados os pontos onde machos estavam defendendo território ao longo da rodovia e ninhos foram localizados por busca ativa. Posteriormente, foram amostrados 200 quadrantes com uma distância de 50 metros entre si, ao longo dos 10 km da rodovia. Nesses quadrantes foram registradas as seguintes informações sobre a vegetação: número de espécies, cobertura de gramíneas (%), produção de gramíneas com sementes (%), solo exposto (%), altura média da vegetação (m) e número de arbustos, lenhosas e herbáceas. Foi utilizada uma Análise de Componentes Principais para reduzir o número de variáveis relacionadas à estrutura da vegetação e os escores foram usados nas análises posteriores. Foi observado que a presença de tizius foi explicada pela presença de gramíneas e pelo percentual de gramíneas com sementes. No entanto, nenhum fator explicou a probabilidade de atropelamento na espécie. Os resultados sugerem que os tizius são atraídos para áreas com elevada disponibilidade de recursos alimentares, indicando que esses recursos podem ser determinantes para a agregação de territórios na espécie. Apesar disso, as áreas de agregações de territórios não estão associadas a um maior risco de atropelamento

Les invariants opératoires dans un atelier artistique de recyclage

Nous présentons une recherche qualitative où nous avons ciblé les processus créatifs en rts Visuels en ayant la thématique du développement durable en tant que tableau de fond. Notre but était d’identifier les invariantes opératoires utilisés par les sujets face aux activités de transformation de canettes de déodorant en sculptures de fleurs. Pour ce faire, nous avons proposé 12 ateliers à quatre enseignants brésiliens de l’éducation primaire. Chaque activité dura 2 heures où nous avons pu (1) enseigner les techniques de travail artistique, (2) proposer des tâches et (3) suivre les processus créatifs de chaque sujet. La participation de chaque sujet était volontaire à partir d’un appel à candidatures publié sur internet. Aucun participant avait une expérience soit en Arts, soit en développement durable. L’organisation des activités et l’interprétation des résultats ont été faites par la Théorie des Champs Conceptuels, où nous essayons d’utiliser l’interprétation construit par l’auteur au concept de schème, c’est-à-dire, la base pour l’action des sujets. Dans le schème, les invariants opératoires sont la base épistémique que, pour qu’on puisse les identifier, il nous faut proposer des activités provocant les sujets pour qu’ils puissent faire face aux situations. Pour cette théorie, les concepts ne sont pas des « choses » isolés mais outils culturels étroitement liés l’un sur les autres. Alors, on peut dire qu’un champ conceptuel est, au même temps, un ensemble de concepts et un ensemble de situations. Les situations sont des tâches qu’un sujet reconnaît en tant que quelque chose qu’il doit faire en utilisant ses connaissances déjà construits ainsi que des autres qui sont en train de construction, ses compétences, son énergie, etc. C’est la raison par laquelle les situations donnent du sens aux concepts. Nous avons cherché dans l’implication personnelle des participants soit en moments individuels soit en groupe, les aspects tels que les prises de parole, les gestes et les actions qui pourraient nous donner des indices sur le processus créatif développé dans la production des sculptures de fleurs. Les participants ont concentré leurs rapports sur la conscience présente, la réutilisation des matériaux, le regard différent sur ces matériaux comme élément déclencheur du processus créatif, la richesse du processus de transformation dans ses aspects sociaux, psychologiques et éducatifs et dans le pouvoir esthétique de la sculpture présentée comme la tâche. On a trouvé une forte corrélation entre les expériences précédentes des sujets et la façon dont chaque participant manipule ses outils, c’est-àdire, on a pu vérifier l’ampliation du schème de coupage pour abréger la nouvelle technique de recyclage. Par ailleurs, on a vu comment la thématique du développement durable rend un contexte très fort pour l’implication des sujets dans l’accomplissement des situations. Nos résultats nous permettent donc de construire une meilleure compréhension du processus de conceptualisation en arts visuels ainsi qu’insérer la thématique du développement durable en tant qu’un sujet transversal dans les espaces scolaires

Equilibration of Isolated Systems: investigating the role of coarse-graining on the initial state magnetization

Many theoretical and experimental results show that even isolated quantum systems evolving unitarily may equilibrate, since the evolution of some observables may be around an equilibrium value with negligible fluctuations most of the time. There are rigorous theorems giving the conditions for such equilibration to happen. In particular, initial states prepared with a lack of resolution in the energy will equilibrate. We investigate how equilibration may be affected by a lack of resolution, or coarse-graining, in the magnetization of the initial state. In particular, for a chaotic spin chain and using exact diagonalization, we show that an initial state with a coarse, not well-defined magnetization in the z direction show a greater tendency to equilibrate when compared with an initial state with well-defined magnetization. And this tendency will depend on the degree of coarse-graining. We also analyze the time for the system to reach equilibrium, showing good agreement with theoretical estimates and with some evidence that less resolution leads to faster equilibration. Our study highlights the crucial role of initial state preparation in the equilibration dynamics of quantum systems and provides new insights into the fundamental nature of equilibration in closed systems

Estado pós-democrático e retrocesso dos direitos fundamentais no Brasil

O propósito deste estudo é apresentar os resultados obtidos no desenvolvimento das atividades de pesquisa realizadas no período de agosto de 2021 a julho de 2022, em que orientando e orientado desenvolveram o projeto “Estado Pós-Democrático e retrocesso de direitos fundamentais no Brasil” vinculado ao Programa Institucional de Bolsas de Iniciação Científica (PIBIC) da Universidade de Uberaba (Uniube). O trabalho tem como escopo a analisar a possibilidade do Brasil não estar vivendo em um Estado de Direito, muito menos em uma democracia, por inexistir barreiras legais ao exercício de seu poder. A tese baseia-se na concretização e efetividade dos institutos democráticos e não apenas na existência deles. Por isso, influenciado pelo pensamento neoliberal, o que se tem, de acordo com a literatura analisada, é o Estado desrespeitando os direitos e garantias fundamentais da população

Intra-urban differences underlying leprosy spatial distribution in central Brazil:geospatial techniques as potential tools for surveillance

This ecological study identified an aggregation of urban neighbourhoods spatial patterns in the cumulative new case detection rate (NCDR) of leprosy in the municipality of Rondonópolis, central Brazil, as well as intra-urban socioeconomic differences underlying this distribution. Scan statistics of all leprosy cases reported in the area from 2011 to 2017 were used to investigate spatial and spatiotemporal clusters of the disease at the neighbourhood level. The associations between the log of the smoothed NCDR and demographic, socioeconomic, and structural characteristics were explored by comparing multivariate models based on ordinary least squares (OLS) regression, spatial lag, spatial error, and geographically weighted regression (GWR). Leprosy cases were observed in 84.1% of the neighbourhoods of Rondonópolis, where 848 new cases of leprosy were reported corresponding to a cumulative NCDR of 57.9 cases/100,000 inhabitants. Spatial and spatiotemporal high-risk clusters were identified in western and northern neighbourhoods, whereas central and southern areas comprised low-risk areas. The GWR model was selected as the most appropriate modelling strategy (adjusted R²: 0.305; AIC: 242.85). By mapping the GWR coefficients, we identified that low literacy rate and low mean monthly nominal income per household were associated with a high NCDR of leprosy, especially in the neighbourhoods located within high-risk areas. In conclusion, leprosy presented a heterogeneous and peripheral spatial distribution at the neighbourhood level, which seems to have been shaped by intra-urban differences related to deprivation and poor living conditions. This information should be considered by decision-makers while implementing surveillance measures aimed at leprosy control.</p