Modeling changes in gross motor coordination of Portuguese Children: Effects of BMI and physical activity

To model annual changes in GMC of children, and (2 ) to evaluate the importance of time varying predictors: body mass index (BMI) and physical activity levels (PA)

Coordenação motora: um estudo de tracking em crianças dos 6 aos 10 anos da Região Autónoma dos Açores, Portugal

O objetivo do estudo é caracterizar o desenvolvimento coordenativo em crianças açorianas dos 6 aos 10 anos em função do sexo e estimar a estabilidade da mudança intraindividual nas diferenças interindividuais ao longo dos quatro anos. A amostra de 285 crianças (143 meninos e 142 meninas) é proveniente do estudo longitudinal-misto da Região Autônoma dos Açores (RAA). A coordenação motora (CoM) foi determinada com a bateria de testes KTK que compreende 4 provas: equilíbrio à retaguarda (ER), saltos laterais (SL), saltos monopedais (SM) e transposição lateral (TL). As estatísticas descritivas básicas, a ANOVA II, assim como as auto-correlações foram realizadas no SPSS 15. Recorremos ao y de Foulkes e Davies para verificar a quantidade de crianças que mantêm a mesma posição relativa. As medidas descritivas básicas revelaram um incremento das médias, em ambos os sexos, ao longo da idade. A ANOVA II mostrou diferenças significativas em todos os testes ao longo dos quatro anos e, somente no teste ER foi encontrada uma interação significativa entre tempo e sexo. O desvio-padrão revelou diferenças inter-individuais marcantes, sobretudo nos testes ER, SM e SL. A correlação de Pearson apresentou uma estabilidade moderada. No teste Equilíbrio à Retaguarda, em ambos os sexos, e Saltos Monopedais nos meninos não se verificou nenhum tracking no desempenho o que revela uma forte heterogeneidade no desenvolvimento da Coordenação Motora ao longo dos quatro anos. Tais resultados reafirmam o direito à diferença nos níveis de coordenação e apelam para o entendimento do seu significado em termos pedagógicos

Low-energy p-d Scattering: High Precision Data, Comparisons with Theory, and Phase-Shift Analyses

Angular distributions of sigma(theta), A_y, iT_11, T_20, T_21, and T_22 have been measured for d-p scattering at E_c.m.=667 keV. This set of high-precision data is compared to variational calculations with the nucleon-nucleon potential alone and also to calculations including a three-nucleon (3N) potential. Agreement with cross-section and tensor analyzing power data is excellent when a 3N potential is used. However, a comparison between the vector analyzing powers reveals differences of approximately 40% in the maxima of the angular distributions which is larger than reported at higher energies for both p-d and n-d scattering. Single-energy phase-shift analyses were performed on this data set and a similar data set at E_c.m.=431.3 keV. The role of the different phase-shift parameters in fitting these data is discussed.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figure

Effect of partial soil wetting on transpiration, vegetative growth and root system of young orange trees

The wetted area fraction is a factor critical to the success of drip irrigation. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of partial soil wetting on transpiration, vegetative growth and root system of young orange trees. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse where plants were grown in 0.5 m3boxes internally divided into compartments. The wetting of 12 % of soil area was tested on two types of soil cultivated with ‘Valencia’ orange trees grafted onto Rangpur lime and ‘Swingle’ citrumelo rootstocks. Transpiration was determined in 40 plants. Water extraction and root density were evaluated in the compartments. Transpiration is reduced by restriction in wetted soil area, and such reduction is influenced by the number of days after the beginning of partial irrigation, atmospheric evaporative demand and plant phenological stage. Mean transpiration of plants with partial irrigation was equivalent to 84 % of the mean transpiration of plants with 100 % of wetted soil area in the period studied. However, after 156 days of imposing partial irrigation there was no difference in transpiration between treatments. Plant acclimation was caused by an increase in root concentration in the irrigated area. After a period of acclimation, if the entire root system is wetted, soil water extraction becomes proportional to the percentage of wetted area after a short period of time. Despite the reduction in transpiration, there was no difference between treatments with 12 % and 100 % of wetted soil area in terms of vegetative growth