1,433 research outputs found
Handgrip strength
The basic function of the human hand is the manipulation and grasping of various objects in all daily activities, including work activities. This is greatly influenced by strength and manual dexterity. However age, gender and other contexts such as work or leisure activities could influence strength. Handgrip strength, a measure of maximum voluntary force of the hand, has proved to be reliable and valid as an objective parameter to evaluate the functional integrity of the hand as part of the musculoskeletal system. It correlates highly with strength in other muscular groups and is therefore considered as a good indicator of overall muscular strength and functional stress and could be used as a predictor of physical disability. Handgrip strength assessment is simple and reliable and used commonly by several investigators and health professionals, in different contexts (medical, nutritional, rehabilitation, professional settings, engineering, etc.) and with different purposes (research, diagnostic, assessment, etc.). In clinical and rehabilitation settings is of vital importance in the determination of effectiveness of several interventions and for monitoring evolution of diseases. Various ways (methods, techniques and equipments) of collecting information on grip strength have been reported. This chapter will review basic concepts on handgrip function, methodologies of assessment, contexts of application and correlates, such as physical activity, health or nutritional status. Several populations and reference values as also the relationships between handgrip and clinical status, aging, risk of disability and diseases, will be discussed
High HIV incidence in the postpartum period sustains vertical transmission in settings with generalized epidemics: A cohort study in Southern Mozambique
Introduction: Acute infection with HIV in the postpartum period results in a high risk of vertical transmission through breastfeeding. A study was done to determine the HIV incidence rate and associated risk factors among postpartum women in Southern Mozambique, where HIV prevalence among pregnant women is 21%.
Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted in six rural health facilities in Gaza and Maputo provinces from March 2008 to July 2011. A total of 1221 women who were HIV-negative on testing at delivery or within two months postpartum were recruited and followed until 18 months postpartum. HIV testing, collection of dried blood spot samples and administration of a structured questionnaire to women were performed every three months. Infant testing by DNA-PCR was done as soon as possible after identification of a new infection in women. HIV incidence was estimated, and potential risk factors at baseline were compared using Poisson regression.
Results: Data from 957 women were analyzed with follow-up after the enrolment visit, with a median follow-up of 18.2 months. The HIV incidence in postpartum women is estimated at 3.20/100 women-years (95% CI: 2.30–4.46), with the highest rate among 18- to 19-year-olds (4.92 per 100 women-years; 95% CI: 2.65–9.15). Of the new infections, 14 (34%) were identified during the first six months postpartum, 11 (27%) between 6 and 12 months and 16 (39%) between 12 and 18 months postpartum. Risk factors for incident HIV infection include young age, low number of children, higher education level of the woman\u27s partner and having had sex with someone other than one\u27s partner. The vertical transmission was 21% (95% CI: 5–36) among newly infected women.
Conclusions: Incidence of HIV is high among breastfeeding women in Southern Mozambique, contributing to increasing numbers of HIV-infected infants. Comprehensive primary prevention strategies targeting women of reproductive age, particularly pregnant and postpartum women and their partners, will be crucial for the elimination of paediatric AIDS in Africa
O COACHING COMO FERRAMENTA PARA DESENVOLVER COMPETÊNCIAS: Um estudo de caso na Secretaria de Planejamento do Estado de Alagoas - SEPLAG
Este artigo analisa a possibilidade do uso do coaching como auxiliar no processo da gestão por competência. O presente estudo visa responder a seguinte indagação, quais as dificuldades no desenvolvimento e aprimoramento da gestão por competência? E tem como objetivo analisar as possíveis soluções para as dificuldades no desenvolvimento da gestão por competências. Abordando os diversos conceitos de competência, as formas de implantação desse modelo de gestão, as dificuldades encontradas na implantação desse modelo, e as formas de soluciona-las, tendo em vista o coaching como a principal ferramenta de solução. Foi adotado como metodologia deste estudo a pesquisa bibliográfica e estudo de caso, na coleta de dados incluiu livros, periódicos, artigos científicos entre outras fontes. Foi utilizado um questionário contendo 10 itens para avaliar a percepção de pessoas que vivenciam o processo da gestão por competência. A partir da coleta de dados foi possível obter conclusões parciais sobre o uso do coaching como uma ferramenta essencial para a implantação da gestão por competências, auxiliando no desenvolvimento e aprimoramento das competências individuais, e por sua vez, organizacionais
A model for transition of 5 '-nuclease domain of DNA polymerase I from inert to active modes
Bacteria contain DNA polymerase I (PolI), a single polypeptide chain consisting of similar to 930 residues, possessing DNA-dependent DNA polymerase, 3'-5' proofreading and 5'-3' exonuclease (also known as flap endonuclease) activities. PolI is particularly important in the processing of Okazaki fragments generated during lagging strand replication and must ultimately produce a double-stranded substrate with a nick suitable for DNA ligase to seal. PolI's activities must be highly coordinated both temporally and spatially otherwise uncontrolled 5'-nuclease activity could attack a nick and produce extended gaps leading to potentially lethal double-strand breaks. To investigate the mechanism of how PolI efficiently produces these nicks, we present theoretical studies on the dynamics of two possible scenarios or models. In one the flap DNA substrate can transit from the polymerase active site to the 5'-nuclease active site, with the relative position of the two active sites being kept fixed; while the other is that the 5'-nuclease domain can transit from the inactive mode, with the 5'-nuclease active site distant from the cleavage site on the DNA substrate, to the active mode, where the active site and substrate cleavage site are juxtaposed. The theoretical results based on the former scenario are inconsistent with the available experimental data that indicated that the majority of 5'-nucleolytic processing events are carried out by the same PolI molecule that has just extended the upstream primer terminus. By contrast, the theoretical results on the latter model, which is constructed based on available structural studies, are consistent with the experimental data. We thus conclude that the latter model rather than the former one is reasonable to describe the cooperation of the PolI's polymerase and 5'-3' exonuclease activities. Moreover, predicted results for the latter model are presented
Avaliação laboratorial do tipo e teor de ligante e da granulometria na deformação permanente de misturas asfálticas
Este trabalho avaliou a influência na deformação permanente do tipo e teor de ligante asfáltico e da granulometria quanto ao método Bailey, Faixa de Agregado Dominante (FAD) e faixas granulométricas B e C por meio do ensaio uniaxial de carga repetida. Para isso utilizaram-se três ligantes asfálticos, 50/70, AMP 60/85 e o Highly Modified Asphalt (HiMA), quatro granulometrias, sendo duas Faixa B e duas C, e dois métodos de dosagem, Superpave e Marshall, totalizando 24 misturas asfálticas. Os resultados indicaram que as modificações no tipo e no teor dos ligantes asfálticos foram mais influentes na deformação permanente do que a granulometria das misturas, inclusive encontrou-se boa correlação entre a reologia dos ligantes e os Flow Numbers (FNs) obtidos. O método Bailey apresentou-se mais efetivo em conferir ganho de resistência comparado ao método FAD e a utilização da granulometria faixa B não resultou em um melhor comportamento comparado a uma granulometria faixa C
CONTRIBUIÇÕES DA TEORIA DE PIAGET PARA ALÉM DA ADOLESCÊNCIA: O FAZER E O COMPREENDER NAS SIGNIFICAÇÕES DE UNIVERSITÁRIOS NA RESOLUÇÃO DO JOGO TORRE DE HANÓI
Este estudo se pautou nos princípios do método clínico-crítico piagetiano (CARRAHER, 1983; DELVAL, 2002), tendo como foco a abordagem microgenética (INHELDER; CELLÉRIER et al., 1996). A microgênese, como desdobramento do método clínico-crítico, enfatiza os processos funcionais que estão em curso na resolução dos problemas. Refere-se ao funcionamento e aos processos em construção manifestos nas ações do sujeito, para além do estudo das estruturas que organiza e dirige o pensamento, o qual Piaget se dedicou. Esta pesquisa se propôs investigar as significações de universitários acerca do processo da to-mada de consciência das ações e das relações entre a conceituação e ação material na resolução do jogo Torre de Hanói. Os participantes da pesquisa foram quatro acadêmicos da 1ª a 4ª série do curso de Licenciatura em Música de uma Universidade pública do Estado do Paraná. Na análise dos dados levou-se em conta as significações dos sujeitos quanto à tomada de consciência das ações e das relações entre a conceituação e ação material, seja no plano do saber fazer e do compreender (PIAGET, 1977; 1978). Todos os participantes resolveram a situação-problema imposta pelo material da Torre de Hanói, porém com graus diferentes de resolução. Dois participantes obtiveram sucesso imediato na resolução das torres com dois e três discos. No caso da torre com quatro discos, um dos sujeitos obteve êxito parcial e o outro obteve êxito pleno. Já na torre com cinco discos, apenas um participante obteve êxito pleno. Desse modo, constata-se que o jogo se complexifica à medida que os discos são acrescidos às torres. Compreende-se que as instituições de ensino, sejam elas de educação básica ou superior, são espaços fundamentais de socialização. Por essa razão, podem apropriar-se de tais conhecimentos como um dos pontos de partida para a reflexão e reestruturação de suas práticas pedagógicas
Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS) for the Subaru Telescope: Overview, recent progress, and future perspectives
PFS (Prime Focus Spectrograph), a next generation facility instrument on the
8.2-meter Subaru Telescope, is a very wide-field, massively multiplexed,
optical and near-infrared spectrograph. Exploiting the Subaru prime focus, 2394
reconfigurable fibers will be distributed over the 1.3 deg field of view. The
spectrograph has been designed with 3 arms of blue, red, and near-infrared
cameras to simultaneously observe spectra from 380nm to 1260nm in one exposure
at a resolution of ~1.6-2.7A. An international collaboration is developing this
instrument under the initiative of Kavli IPMU. The project is now going into
the construction phase aiming at undertaking system integration in 2017-2018
and subsequently carrying out engineering operations in 2018-2019. This article
gives an overview of the instrument, current project status and future paths
forward.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures. Proceeding of SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and
Instrumentation 201
Schinus terebinthifolius raddi (Aroeira) and Orbignya phalerata mart. (Babassu) effect in cecorrahphy healing in rats
Clonal diversity and conservation genetics of the medicinal plant Carapichea ipecacuanha (Rubiaceae)
The roots of the understorey shrub Carapichea ipecacuanha (ipecac) have medicinal properties, and the uprooting of wild plants has supplied most of the world demand for this species. Although under severe population decline, C. ipecacuanha lacks legal protection. In the wild, the aerial stems of ipecac clump together to form clusters with well-defined borders. Cluster size may range from several to hundreds of aerial stems. To investigate the extent of clonality among aerial stems in ipecac clusters, we sampled 50 wild clusters (a total of 291 aerial stems) and screened them with 89 inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. The 291 aerial stems were grouped into 42 putative clones. The clonal groups generally consisted of aerial stems from the same cluster, and there was little or no genetic differentiation among aerial stems at the cluster level. These findings suggest that strategies designed to conserve ipecac in situ should not rely upon census data, which are based on the number of aerial stems per cluster and the number of clusters per population, because such data greatly underestimate the species effective population size and genetic diversity. Our results also indicate that this species needs protection at a federal level
- …