The friction force mouse-pad and the forearm muscles efforts (preliminary results)

The objective of the article is to evaluate the impact of the friction force mouse-pad in the contraction level of the forearm muscles M. extensor carpi ulnaris, M. extensor digitorum M. extensor carpi radialis longus.A standard protocol of mouse movements was performed involving horizontal, vertical and diagonal mouse displacements drag-and-drop type. The operators were instructed to execute the protocol with their normal working speed. The movements protocol were performed by each subject (n=17) with three selected pairs mouse-pad, classified as low, medium and high friction force pairs. The mean time to execute the protocol with each mouse was ~138s. Mean values of ~13%MVE and ~17%MVE were found in the M. extensor carpi ulnaris and in the M. extensor digitorum respectively when performing the movements’ protocol. A 8.1% increase in %MVE was observed in the M. extensor digitorum and a 9.4% increase in %MVE was observed in the M. extensor carpi ulnaris when the high friction force pair was operated, relatively to the low friction force pair (pComputer mouse, Forearm muscles, EMG, Drag-and-drop, Friction force mouse-pad

Sistemas de gestão de risco em caso de catástrofes naturais: fichas de inspecção pós-sismo

Mestrado em Engenharia CivilViver no Planeta Terra tem os seus contratempos. As catástrofes naturais são fenómenos de grande impacto, impossíveis de evitar. Cabe a nós seres humanos e habitantes desta “pequena” esfera fazer tudo o que está ao nosso alcance para minimizar as suas consequências, tanto no que concerne a vítimas humanas, como às perdas económicas e materiais. Entre os fenómenos naturais de maior impacto encontram-se os sismos. Estes, podem ser de baixa intensidade, afectando uma zona restrita, mas também podem ser completamente devastadores ao ponto de deixar um país destruído. Com o avanço da tecnologia, é possível nos dias de hoje, prever a ocorrência de um fenómeno deste tipo em escassos segundos, evitando uma catástrofe de maior envergadura. O desenvolvimento de ferramentas de alerta tornou-se uma ajuda importante na previsão da ocorrência de sismos. Por outro lado, esta inevitabilidade de acontecimentos provocou uma enorme solidariedade colectiva na união de esforços, quer na elaboração de planos de emergência, quer na definição de estratégias a seguir. Quando ocorrem é necessário dar uma resposta eficaz e eficiente de modo a avaliar os danos e retomar à normalidade. Surge neste contexto e no âmbito desta dissertação, o desenvolvimento de fichas de registo de dano pós-sismo para edifícios de alvenaria correntes. Estas fichas dividem-se em dois modelos, A e B, sendo o primeiro modelo para levantamento expedito e o segundo modelo para um levantamento mais detalhado. Por fim, são aplicadas em dois casos de estudo a nível Nacional.Living on Earth has its downsides. Natural disasters are events of great impact, impossible to avoid. It's up to us humans and inhabitants of this "small" globe to do everything in our power to minimize its consequences, with regard to both human victims, as well as the economic and material losses. The tremors are among the natural phenomena of greatest impact. These can be of low intensity, affecting a restricted area, but also can be quite devastating, to the extent of destroying a country. With the advance of technology, it is possible nowadays to predict the occurrence of such phenomenon in a few seconds, avoiding a larger catastrophe. The development of warning tools has become an important aid in predicting the occurrence of earthquakes. On the other hand this inevitability of events led to a huge collective solidarity in the union of efforts, both in the preparation of emergency plans, but also in defining strategies to follow. When they occur it is necessary to respond effectively and efficiently in order to assess the damage and return to normality. The development of records for the registration of post-earthquake damage to current masonry buildings arises in this context and within the scope of this dissertation. These records are divided into two models, A and B, the first one for an expedited survey and the second one for a more detailed survey. Finally they are applied in two case studies on a national level

Comparação de sistemas de partículas em suportes digitais bidimensionais e realidade virtual

O objectivo deste estudo é o de entender a importância que os sistemas de partículas possuem para a sensação de presença em diferentes tipos de display virtuais. Isto dará um melhor entendimento sobre as áreas de esforço que devem ser escolhidas na criação de ambientes bidimensionais ou de realidade virtual. Para esse fim foram criadas duas versões do mesmo ambiente virtual enriquecido com sistemas de partículas, uma para ser navegada em displays tradicionais e outra em realidade virtual. Foi pedido a um número de sujeitos que navegassem ambas as versões e respondessem a questionários criados com a intenção de medir a sua sensação de presença nos diferentes ambientes quando ligada aos diferentes efeitos e técnicas usados. Os resultados ajudaram na distinção de diferentes técnicas que possuem resultados diferentes no nível de presença dos sujeitos. Isso poderá ajudar a criação de futuros ambientes e projectos na área fazendo com que seja mais simples a escolha de técnicas para a criação de sistemas de partículas, ajudando assim o alocamento de tempo e recursos por parte dos criadores.The goal of this study is to understand the importance which particle systems have for the feeling of presence in different kinds of virtual displays. This will give a better understanding on the areas of effort to be chosen in the creation of two dimensional or virtual reality environments. To that end, two versions of the same particle enriched virtual environment were created, one to be navigated in traditional displays and the other in virtual reality. A number of subjects were asked to navigate both those versions and answer questionnaires created with the intent of measuring their presence in said environments when connected to the different effects and techniques used. The results helped in the distinction of different techniques which have different results in the subjects' feeling of presence. That may aid in the creation of future environments and projects in the area making the process of selecting particle system creation techniques easier, thus helping the creators allocate time and resources

The friction force mouse-pad and the forearm muscles efforts (preliminary results)

The objective of the article is to evaluate the impact of the friction force mouse-pad in the contraction level of the forearm muscles M. extensor carpi ulnaris, M. extensor digitorum and M. extensor carpi radialis longus. A standard protocol of mouse movements was performed involving horizontal, vertical and diagonal mouse displacements drag-and-drop type. The operators were instructed to execute the protocol with their normal working speed. The movements protocol were performed by each subject (n=17) with three selected pairs mouse-pad, classified as low, medium and high friction force pairs. The mean time to execute the protocol with each mouse was ~138s. Mean values of ~13%MVE and ~17%MVE were found in the M. extensor carpi ulnaris and in the M. extensor digitorum respectively when performing the movements’ protocol. A 8.1% increase in %MVE was observed in the M. extensor digitorum and a 9.4% increase in %MVE was observed in the M. extensor carpi ulnaris when the high friction force pair was operated, relatively to the low friction force pair (p<0.05). The main preliminary conclusions of this study is that operating a high friction force mouse-pad may increase the risk to symptoms or disorders in the wrist due to an increase in the forearm muscles contraction levels, particularly during work with drawing applicatio

Afro-Derived Amazonian Populations: Inferring Continental Ancestry and Population Substructure

A panel of Ancestry Informative Markers (AIMs) was used to identify population substructure and estimate individual and overall interethnic admixture in 294 individuals from seven African-derived communities of the Brazilian Amazon. A panel of 48 biallelic markers, representing the insertion (IN) or the deletion (DEL) of small DNA fragments, was employed for this purpose. Overall interethnic admixture estimates showed high miscegenation with other ethnic groups in all populations (between 46% and 64%). The proportion of ancestral genes varied significantly among individuals of the sample: the contribution of African genes varied between 12% and 75%; of European genes between 10% and 73%; and of Amerindians genes between 8% and 66%. The obtained data reveal a high contribution of Amerindian genes in these communities, unlike in other African-derived communities of the Northeast and the South of Brazil. In addition, the majority of the Amerindian contribution may result from the preferential inclusion of indigenous women in the African descent groups. High heterogeneity of the proportion of interethnic admixture among analyzed individuals was found when the proportion of ancestral genes of each individual of the sample was estimated. This heterogeneity is reflected in the fact that four populations can be considered as substructured and that the global African descent sample is possibly formed by two subpopulations

Culture numérique, enseignement à distance d’urgence et formation continue des enseignants de l'école primaire et secondaire:: les leçons de la pandémie de COVID-19

A inserção da cultura digital na vida escolar implica a formação continuada de professores para o uso das tecnologias digitais da informação e da comunicação. A experiência do Ensino Remoto Emergencial na pandemia da COVID-19 desvelou a fragilidade dessa formação continuada dos docentes da Educação Básica no Brasil. Através de um Survey com 375 docentes, esta pesquisa cruzou a experiência prévia com tecnologias na Educação, a formação continuada para uso dessas tecnologias e os dados do Ensino Remoto Emergencial. O estudo demonstrou que a experiência docente com tecnologias educacionais desconexas daquelas demandadas pelo Ensino Remoto Emergencial constituiu-se no fator mais relevante para a construção das estratégias pedagógicas durante a pandemia.The insertion of digital culture in school life is connected to school teachers’ lifelong formation on digital technologies of information and communication use. Emergency Remote Teaching during COVID-19 pandemics has revealed how fragile Elementary and High School teachers’ lifelong formation is. Using a Survey, this research has crossed the previous experience of 375 teachers with technologies in Education, lifelong formation on technology and Emergency Remote Teaching data. It has demonstrated that teaching experience with educational technologies not related to those necessary to Emergency Remote Teaching was the most relevant factor that determined the construction of pedagogical strategies during the pandemics.La inserción de la cultura digital en la vida escolar implica la educación continua del profesorado para el uso de las tecnologías digitales de la información y de la comunicación. La experiencia de Educación Remota de Emergencia en la pandemia COVID-19 reveló la fragilidad de la educación continua para docentes de educación básica en Brasil. A través de un Survey a 375 profesores, esta investigación cruzó la experiencia previa con tecnologías en educación, la educación continua para el uso de estas tecnologías y los datos de educación remota de emergencia. Esto demostró que la experiencia docente con tecnologías educativas desconectadas de las demandadas por la Educación Remota de Emergencia fue el factor más relevante para la construcción de estrategias pedagógicas durante la pandemia

A transmissão de unidade económica e o direito de oposição do trabalhador à mudança de empregador

Esta Dissertação versa sobre o regime jurídico da transmissão de empresas, estabelecimentos ou partes de empresas ou estabelecimentos que constituam uma unidade económica e os direitos dos trabalhadores em caso de transmissão, com destaque para os direitos de oposição à mudança de empregador e de resolução do contrato de trabalho por causa da transmissão.This Dissertation focusses on the legal regulation of the transfers of undertakings or businesses constituting an economic entity and the rights of the employees in the event of a transfer, with emphasis on the right to oppose the transfer and the right to breach the contract because of the transfer

Detection of mast cells in ameloblastomas and odontogenic keratocysts

MCs (MCs) have been ascribed to mediating several diseases, including malignant neoplasms. These cells can play a role in angiogenesis, tissue remodeling and immune modulation and favor neoplasm progression. Despite the studies analyzing the contribution of MCs in odontogenic lesions, its biological behavior in ameloblastomas (AMBs) and odontogenic keratocysts (OKCs) remains unclear. This study aims to detect MCs in OKCs and AMBs and clarify the role of MCs in these lesions. A total of 40 odontogenic lesions were analyzed. This included 20 OKCs and 20 AMBs, 10 being the solid type and the other 10 being the unicystic type of AMB. All cases were histologically reviewed in hematoxylin-eosin. Clinical data, such as age, gender, location, size, radiographic presentation and, histologic patterns were collected from the clinical charts. The Mann?Whitney U test (MWU) was used verify the hypothesis, through inferential statistics. The level of significance used in the statistical test was 0.5%. MCs were observed in 60% of OKCs, and 35% of AMBs. The ratio of MCs observed in OKCs was 0.37, 0.48 in solid AMBs and 0.01 in unicystic AMBs. There was no significant difference between number of MCs in AMBs and OKCs, however, a significant difference was observed between solid and unicystic AMBs (p ? 0.01). MCs may play an important role in the biological behavior of AMBs and OKCs. However, in this study it was not possible to confirm the contribution of MCs in the biological behavior of these lesions and more studies are needed to clarify this relation

Lasertherapy efficacy in temporomandibular disorders: control study

A disfunção têmporo-mandibular é caracterizada pela presença de sintomatologia dolorosa articular/muscular na região da face. A principal justificativa do uso do laser da laserterapia na disfunção é seu efeito analgésico, fato observado na maioria dos estudos encontrados na literatura. OBJETIVO: Foi avaliar a eficácia da laserterapia no tratamento das disfunções têmporo-mandibulares. MATERIAL E MÉTODO: 50 voluntários com disfunção têmporo-mandibular foram divididos em dois grupos (controle e experimental) tiveram as amplitudes dos movimentos de abertura bucal, lateralidade direita e esquerda registrados, antes e após aplicação do laser. Foi registrada, também, a nota de dor do indivíduo através da escala analógica visual de dor e, através do exame físico, os pontos álgicos. Utilizou-se o laser de AsGaAl com potência de 40mW, com 80J/cm², por 16 segundos, em quatro pontos selecionados por apenas uma sessão com reavaliação após uma semana. Desenho Científico Utilizado: Clínico. RESULTADOS: Notou-se que a laserterapia promoveu aumento da média de amplitude dos movimentos mandibulares (p=0,0317) e houve redução significativa (43,6%) da intensidade de dor dos pacientes medida através da escala analógica visual de dor. CONCLUSÕES: A laserterapia promove redução da sintomatologia dolorosa do paciente após a aplicação por ação analgésica e/ou por um efeito placebo.Temporomandibular dysfunction is characterized by the presence of painful joint/muscular symptoms muscle in the face. The main justification for the use of lasers in laser therapy dysfunction is its analgesic effect, which was observed in most studies in the literature. AIM: We evaluated the effectiveness of laser therapy in the treatment of temporomandibular disorders. METHODS: 50 volunteers with temporomandibular disorders were divided into two groups (control and experimental) had amplitudes of movements of mouth opening, right and left laterality recorded before and after laser application. Was also recorded, the score the individual gave to pain by visual analog scale and, through physical examination, the pain points. We used the AsGaAl laser with a 40mW power, with 80J/cm² for 16 seconds at four selected points for just one session with reassessment after a week. Study design: Clinical. RESULTS: It was noted that laser therapy increased the mean amplitude of mandibular movements (p = 0.0317) and decreased significantly (43.6%) the pain intensity measured by the visual analog scale. CONCLUSIONS: The laser decreases the painful symptoms of the patient after application through its analgesic and/or a placebo effect