Design sensorial aplicado a um projeto conceito para deficientes visuais

Grande parte da população têm consciência de que todas as pessoas, incluindo portadores de deficiências, devem ter os mesmos direitos de participação na vida em sociedade. Porém, ainda existem poucas iniciativas que visam essa inclusão. O designer, como profissional, é responsável por trabalhar para suprir as necessidades e proporcionar o bem-estar de todos. Diante disto, este trabalho visa o desenvolvimento de um projeto sensorial, onde os usuários iniciais serão os alunos deficientes visuais da APAE de Lajeado, com o objetivo de proporcionar maior independência e, se possível, auxiliar no desenvolvimento desse aluno. Para isso, serão utilizados conceitos de design social e design sensorial, aliados à uma metodologia de projeto adaptada dos métodos propostos por Bruno Munari e Löbach. Essa metodologia foi dividida em duas fases. A fase 1, desenvolvida no primeiro de semestre de 2016, consistiu nas etapas de Definição do Problema e Coleta de Dados, onde foram pesquisados assuntos referentes às deficiências, desenvolvimento infantil, a importância do brincar no desenvolvimento da criança, o papel social do design, design sensorial e design como ferramenta par a criação de jogos e brinquedos. Além disso, o a coleta de dados traz informações sobre o histórico da APAE no Brasil e na cidade de Lajeado, bem como informações sobre a instituição e sua metodologia de ensino. A Fase 2, desenvolvida durante o segundo semestre do ano de 2016, constituiu-se de quatro etapas. Na etapa 1, Análise de Dados, foram realizadas as análises referentes às observações do público alvo realizadas na APAE de Lajeado, dos brinquedos e jogos lá disponíveis para os alunos deficientes visuais e análises das respostas obtidas através do questionário aplicado com as terapeutas ocupacionais da Escola. A etapa 2, Geração de Alternativas, foi responsável pela criação das primeiras ideias para solucionar o problema do trabalho, onde foi realizado um brainwriting juntamente com as terapeutas ocupacionais da Escola e, a partir disso, selecionadas e especificadas as melhores alternativas geradas. Na etapa 3, Verificação das Alternativas, foi selecionada a alternativa que melhor atenderia ao objetivo do trabalho e apresentada às terapeutas, a fim de receber um retorno referente à relevância da proposta criada. Ao final, a etapa 4, Solução, traz imagens e informações sobre o que foi desenvolvido a partir dos estudos realizados e a solução proposta para a problemática levantada por este trabalho. Para finalizar, as considerações finais trazem os principais apontamentos e questões mais relevantes percebidas ao longo do trabalho, bem como sugestões para projetos futuros que poderão ser iniciados por meio desta pesquisa

Mass transfer in eccentric binaries: the new Oil-on-Water SPH technique

To measure the onset of mass transfer in eccentric binaries we have developed a two-phase SPH technique. Mass transfer is important in the evolution of close binaries, and a key issue is to determine the separation at which mass transfer begins. The circular case is well understood and can be treated through the use of the Roche formalism. To treat the eccentric case we use a newly-developed two phase system. The body of the donor star is made up from high-mass "water" particles, whilst the atmosphere is modelled with low-mass "oil" particles. Both sets of particles take part fully in SPH interactions. To test the technique we model circular mass-transfer binaries containing a 0.6 Msun donor star and a 1 Msun white dwarf; such binaries are thought to form cataclysmic variable (CV) systems. We find that we can reproduce a reasonable CV mass-transfer rate, and that our extended atmosphere gives a separation that is too large by aproximately 16%, although its pressure scale height is considerably exaggerated. We use the technique to measure the semi-major axis required for the onset of mass transfer in binaries with a mass ratio of q=0.6 and a range of eccentricities. Comparing to the value obtained by considering the instantaneous Roche lobe at pericentre we find that the radius of the star required for mass transfer to begin decreases systematically with increasing eccentricity.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, accepted by MNRA

ICln ion channel splice variants in Caenorhabditis elegans: voltage dependence and interaction with an operon partner protein.

Abstract ICln is an ion channel identified by expression cloning using a cDNA library from Madin-Darby canine kidney cells. In all organisms tested so far, only one transcript for the ICln protein could be identified. Here we show that two splice variants of the ICln ion channel can be found in Caenorhabditis elegans. Moreover, we show that these two splice variants of the ICln channel protein, which we termed IClnN1 and IClnN2, can be functionally reconstituted and tested in an artificial lipid bilayer. In these experiments, the IClnN1-induced currents showed no voltage-dependent inactivation, whereas the IClnN2-induced currents fully inactivated at positive potentials. The molecular entity responsible for the voltage-dependent inactivation of IClnN2 is a cluster of positively charged amino acids encoded by exon 2a, which is absent in IClnN1. Our experiments suggest a mechanism of channel inactivation that is similar to the "ball and chain" model proposed for the Shaker potassium channel,i.e. a cluster of positively charged amino acids hinders ion permeation through the channel by a molecular and voltage-dependent interaction at the inner vestibulum of the pore. This hypothesis is supported by the finding that synthetic peptides with the same amino acid sequence as the positive cluster can transform the IClnN1-induced current to the current observed after reconstitution of IClnN2. Furthermore, we show that the nematode ICln gene is embedded in an operon harboring two additional genes, which we termed Nx and Ny. Co-reconstitution of Nx and IClnN2 and functional analysis of the related currents revealed a functional interaction between the two proteins, as evidenced by the fact that the IClnN2-induced current in the presence of Nx was no longer voltage-sensitive. The experiments described indicate that the genome organization in nematodes allows an effective approach for the identification of functional partner proteins of ion channels

Performance assessment of nitrate leaching models for highly vulnerable soils used in low-input farming based on lysimeter data

[EN] The agricultural sector faces the challenge of ensuring food security without an excessive burden on the environment. Simulationmodels provide excellent instruments for researchers to gainmore insight into relevant processes and best agricultural practices and provide tools for planners for decision making support. The extent to which models are capable of reliable extrapolation and prediction is important for exploring new farming systems or assessing the impacts of future land and climate changes. A performance assessmentwas conducted by testing six detailed state-of-the-artmodels for simulation of nitrate leaching (ARMOSA, COUPMODEL, DAISY, EPIC, SIMWASER/STOTRASIM, SWAP/ANIMO) for lysimeter data of the Wagna experimental field station in Eastern Austria, where the soil is highly vulnerable to nitrate leaching. Three consecutive phases were distinguished to gain insight in the predictive power of themodels: 1) a blind test for 2005 2008 in which only soil hydraulic characteristics, meteorological data and information about the agricultural management were accessible; 2) a calibration for the same period in which essential information on field observations was additionally available to the modellers; and 3) a validation for 2009 2011 with the corresponding type of data available as for the blind test. A set of statistical metrics (mean absolute error, root mean squared error, index of agreement,model efficiency, root relative squared error, Pearson's linear correlation coefficient) was applied for testing the results and comparing the models. None of the models performed good for all of the statistical metrics. Models designed for nitrate leaching in high-input farming systems had difficulties in accurately predicting leaching in low-input farming systems that are strongly influenced by the retention of nitrogen in catch crops and nitrogen fixation by legumes. An accurate calibration does not guarantee a good predictive power of the model. Nevertheless all models were able to identify years and crops with high- and low-leaching rates.This research was made possible by the GENESIS project of the EU 7th Framework Programme (Project No. 226536; FP7-ENV-2008-1). We are grateful for the experimental data provided by Joanneum Raum (Graz, Austria). The modelling team of Democritus University of Thrace would like to thank Per-Erik Jansson (Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden) for his valuable help during the application of Coup Model.Groenendijk, P.; Heinen, M.; Klammler, G.; Fank, J.; Kupfersberger, H.; Pisinaras, V.; Gemitzi, A.... (2014). Performance assessment of nitrate leaching models for highly vulnerable soils used in low-input farming based on lysimeter data. Science of the Total Environment. 499:463-480. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.07.002S46348049

Impact of glucocorticoid receptor density on ligand-independent dimerization, cooperative ligand-binding and basal priming of transactivation: a cell culture model

Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) levels vary between tissues and individuals and are altered by physiological and pharmacological effectors. However, the effects and implications of differences in GR concentration have not been fully elucidated. Using three statistically different GR concentrations in transiently transfected COS-1 cells, we demonstrate, using co-immunoprecipitation (CoIP) and fluorescent resonance energy transfer (FRET), that high levels of wild type GR (wtGR), but not of dimerization deficient GR (GRdim), display ligand-independent dimerization. Whole-cell saturation ligand-binding experiments furthermore establish that positive cooperative ligand-binding, with a concomitant increased ligand-binding affinity, is facilitated by ligand-independent dimerization at high concentrations of wtGR, but not GRdim. The down-stream consequences of ligand-independent dimerization at high concentrations of wtGR, but not GRdim, are shown to include basal priming of the system as witnessed by ligand-independent transactivation of both a GRE-containing promoter-reporter and the endogenous glucocorticoid (GC)-responsive gene, GILZ, as well as ligand-independent loading of GR onto the GILZ promoter. Pursuant to the basal priming of the system, addition of ligand results in a significantly greater modulation of transactivation potency than would be expected solely from the increase in ligand-binding affinity. Thus ligand-independent dimerization of the GR at high concentrations primes the system, through ligand-independent DNA loading and transactivation, which together with positive cooperative ligand-binding increases the potency of GR agonists and shifts the bio-character of partial GR agonists. Clearly GR-levels are a major factor in determining the sensitivity to GCs and a critical factor regulating transcriptional programs

Ambient-noise tomography of the wider Vienna Basin region

We present a new 3-D shear-velocity model for the top 30 km of the crust in the wider Vienna Basin region based on surface waves extracted from ambient-noise cross-correlations. We use continuous seismic records of 63 broad-band stations of the AlpArray project to retrieve interstation Green’s functions from ambient-noise cross-correlations in the period range from 5 to 25 s. From these Green’s functions, we measure Rayleigh group traveltimes, utilizing all four components of the cross-correlation tensor, which are associated with Rayleigh waves (ZZ, RR, RZ and ZR), to exploit multiple measurements per station pair. A set of selection criteria is applied to ensure that we use high-quality recordings of fundamental Rayleigh modes. We regionalize the interstation group velocities in a 5 km × 5 km grid with an average path density of ∼20 paths per cell. From the resulting group-velocity maps, we extract local 1-D dispersion curves for each cell and invert all cells independently to retrieve the crustal shear-velocity structure of the study area. The resulting model provides a previously unachieved lateral resolution of seismic velocities in the region of ∼15 km. As major features, we image the Vienna Basin and Little Hungarian Plain as low-velocity anomalies, and the Bohemian Massif with high velocities. The edges of these features are marked with prominent velocity contrasts correlated with faults, such as the Alpine Front and Vienna Basin transfer fault system. The observed structures correlate well with surface geology, gravitational anomalies and the few known crystalline basement depths from boreholes. For depths larger than those reached by boreholes, the new model allows new insight into the complex structure of the Vienna Basin and surrounding areas, including deep low-velocity zones, which we image with previously unachieved detail. This model may be used in the future to interpret the deeper structures and tectonic evolution of the wider Vienna Basin region, evaluate natural resources, model wave propagation and improve earthquake locations, among others

Arrival angles of teleseismic fundamental mode Rayleigh waves across the AlpArray

The dense AlpArray network allows studying seismic wave propagation with high spatial resolution. Here we introduce an array approach to measure arrival angles of teleseismic Rayleigh waves. The approach combines the advantages of phase correlation as in the two-station method with array beamforming to obtain the phase-velocity vector. 20 earthquakes from the first two years of the AlpArray project are selected, and spatial patterns of arrival-angle deviations across the AlpArray are shown in maps, depending on period and earthquake location. The cause of these intriguing spatial patterns is discussed. A simple wave-propagation modelling example using an isolated anomaly and a Gaussian beam solution suggests that much of the complexity can be explained as a result of wave interference after passing a structural anomaly along the wave paths. This indicates that arrival-angle information constitutes useful additional information on the Earth structure, beyond what is currently used in inversions

Shear-wave velocity structure beneath the Dinarides from the inversion of Rayleigh-wave dispersion

Highlights • Rayleigh-wave phase velocity in the wider Dinarides region using the two-station method. • Uppermost mantle shear-wave velocity model of the Dinarides-Adriatic Sea region. • Velocity model reveals a robust high-velocity anomaly present under the whole Dinarides. • High-velocity anomaly reaches depth of 160 km in the northern Dinarides to more than 200 km under southern Dinarides. • New structural model incorporating delamination as one of the processes controlling the continental collision in the Dinarides. The interaction between the Adriatic microplate (Adria) and Eurasia is the main driving factor in the central Mediterranean tectonics. Their interplay has shaped the geodynamics of the whole region and formed several mountain belts including Alps, Dinarides and Apennines. Among these, Dinarides are the least investigated and little is known about the underlying geodynamic processes. There are numerous open questions about the current state of interaction between Adria and Eurasia under the Dinaric domain. One of the most interesting is the nature of lithospheric underthrusting of Adriatic plate, e.g. length of the slab or varying slab disposition along the orogen. Previous investigations have found a low-velocity zone in the uppermost mantle under the northern-central Dinarides which was interpreted as a slab gap. Conversely, several newer studies have indicated the presence of the continuous slab under the Dinarides with no trace of the low velocity zone. Thus, to investigate the Dinaric mantle structure further, we use regional-to-teleseismic surface-wave records from 98 seismic stations in the wider Dinarides region to create a 3D shear-wave velocity model. More precisely, a two-station method is used to extract Rayleigh-wave phase velocity while tomography and 1D inversion of the phase velocity are employed to map the depth dependent shear-wave velocity. Resulting velocity model reveals a robust high-velocity anomaly present under the whole Dinarides, reaching the depths of 160 km in the north to more than 200 km under southern Dinarides. These results do not agree with most of the previous investigations and show continuous underthrusting of the Adriatic lithosphere under Europe along the whole Dinaric region. The geometry of the down-going slab varies from the deeper slab in the north and south to the shallower underthrusting in the center. On-top of both north and south slabs there is a low-velocity wedge indicating lithospheric delamination which could explain the 200 km deep high-velocity body existing under the southern Dinarides

Crustal Thinning From Orogen to Back-Arc Basin: The Structure of the Pannonian Basin Region Revealed by P-to-S Converted Seismic Waves

We present the results of P-to-S receiver function analysis to improve the 3D image of the sedimentary layer, the upper crust, and lower crust in the Pannonian Basin area. The Pannonian Basin hosts deep sedimentary depocentres superimposed on a complex basement structure and it is surrounded by mountain belts. We processed waveforms from 221 three-component broadband seismological stations. As a result of the dense station coverage, we were able to achieve so far unprecedented spatial resolution in determining the velocity structure of the crust. We applied a three-fold quality control process; the first two being applied to the observed waveforms and the third to the calculated radial receiver functions. This work is the first comprehensive receiver function study of the entire region. To prepare the inversions, we performed station-wise H-Vp/Vs grid search, as well as Common Conversion Point migration. Our main focus was then the S-wave velocity structure of the area, which we determined by the Neighborhood Algorithm inversion method at each station, where data were sub-divided into back-azimuthal bundles based on similar Ps delay times. The 1D, nonlinear inversions provided the depth of the discontinuities, shear-wave velocities and Vp/Vs ratios of each layer per bundle, and we calculated uncertainty values for each of these parameters. We then developed a 3D interpolation method based on natural neighbor interpolation to obtain the 3D crustal structure from the local inversion results. We present the sedimentary thickness map, the first Conrad depth map and an improved, detailed Moho map, as well as the first upper and lower crustal thickness maps obtained from receiver function analysis. The velocity jump across the Conrad discontinuity is estimated at less than 0.2 km/s over most of the investigated area. We also compare the new Moho map from our approach to simple grid search results and prior knowledge from other techniques. Our Moho depth map presents local variations in the investigated area: the crust-mantle boundary is at 20–26 km beneath the sedimentary basins, while it is situated deeper below the Apuseni Mountains, Transdanubian and North Hungarian Ranges (28–33 km), and it is the deepest beneath the Eastern Alps and the Southern Carpathians (40–45 km). These values reflect well the Neogene evolution of the region, such as crustal thinning of the Pannonian Basin and orogenic thickening in the neighboring mountain belts