A new approach for operating powered wheelchairs by people with severe impairments

This paper discusses the introduction of mechanisms to adapt commercial powered wheelchairs in order to facilitate its driving by people with severe impairments. Several models of operation are proposed and the most promising, at the moment, called legacy adapted mode, is detailed. A part of the formal operation model is presented. The model is then used in the STAGE simulator, not only for its valuation, but also to tune operational parameters that will be specific of each patient and to train the patients without a real wheelchair

Intervenções de enfermagem na dermatite associada à incontinência-revisão integrativa da literatura

Introduction: Dermatitis associated to Incontinence is defined as a damage of the skin connected to the exposure to urine and/or faeces, a type of contact dermatitis, which causes a great discomfort and pain, that has a difficult treatment, extended in time and expensive. The main goal is the identification of the interventions to adopt in the prevention, management and treatment of the dermatitis associated to incontinence. Methods: The used method is the integrative review of literature, performed in established data bases: EBSCO host Web – CINAHL Plus, MEDLINE and Bon. The main question of this review was: “Which are the most adequate nursing care to incontinence associated dermatitis?”Results: Eleven articles were selected and the results were grouped into three dimensions: I. the first presents the characterization of incontinence-associated dermatitis around two categories (definition of incontinence associated dermatitis and differentiation of incontinence / pressure ulcer), II. Related to the issues of diagnosis and evaluation and III. On interventions appropriate to quality care and divided into three categories (prevention, treatment, education and training).Conclusion: The comprehensive nature of the integrative review has revealed to us the need for investment in training and adoption of an evidence-based practice that will lead us to a higher quality nursing care.Introducción: La dermatitis asociada a la incontinencia se define como el daño de la piel asociado a la exposición de orina y/o heces, un tipo de dermatitis irritativa de contacto, que causa gran incomodidad y dolor y tiene tratamiento difícil, a largo plazo y caro. El objetivo principal pasa por identificar y adoptar intervenciones en la prevención, gestión y tratamiento de la dermatitis asociada a la incontinencia.Método: El método utilizado ha sido una revisión integradora de la literatura, realizada en las bases de datos establecidas: EBSCO Host Web - CINAHL Plus, MEDLINE y BOn, utilizando los descriptores "nurse”, “nurse care" e "incontinence associated dermatitis" y el carácter booleano "and". La cuestión central de esta revisión ha sido: ¿Cuáles son los cuidados de enfermería más adecuados a la dermatitis asociada a la incontinencia?Resultados: Los resultados han sido seleccionados en tres dimensiones: I. Una primera que aclara la caracterización de la dermatitis asociada a la incontinencia efectuada en torno a dos categorías (definición de dermatitis asociada a la incontinencia y diferenciación de dermatitis asociada a la incontinencia/úlcera por presión), II. Relacionada con las cuestiones de diagnóstico y evaluación y III. Sobre las intervenciones adecuadas para la prestación de cuidados de calidad y que se ha subdividido en tres categorías (prevención, tratamiento, enseñanza y formación).Conclusión: La naturaleza comprensiva de la revisión integradora nos reveló la necesidad de inversión en la formación y adopción de una práctica basada en la evidencia que nos lleve a una prestación de cuidados de enfermería de calidad superior.  Introdução: A dermatite associada à incontinência define-se como o dano da pele associado à exposição de urina e/ou fezes. É caracterizada por um tipo de dermatite irritativa de contacto que causa grande desconforto e dor, sendo de difícil tratamento, prolongado e caro. O objetivo principal passa por identificar intervenções a adotar na prevenção, gestão e tratamento da dermatite associada à incontinência. Método: O método utilizado foi a revisão integrativa da literatura, realizada nas bases de dados estabelecidas: EBSCO Host Web - CINAHL Plus, MEDLINE e BOn, utilizando os descritores “nurse”, “nurse care” e “incontinence associated dermatitis”, auxiliando a pesquisa com o caracter booleano “and”. A questão central desta revisão foi: “Quais os cuidados de enfermagem mais adequados à dermatite associada à incontinência?”.Resultados: Foram selecionados onze artigos, cujos resultados foram agrupados em três dimensões: I. a primeira apresenta-nos a caracterização da dermatite associada à incontinência efetuada em torno de duas categorias (definição de dermatite associada à incontinência e diferenciação de dermatite associada à incontinência/úlcera por pressão), II. relacionada com as questões do diagnóstico e avaliação e III. sobre as intervenções adequadas a uma prestação de cuidados com qualidade e que se subdividiu em três categorias (prevenção, tratamento, ensino e formação).Conclusão: A natureza compreensiva da revisão integrativa revelou-nos a necessidade de investimento na formação e adoção de uma prática baseada na evidência, que nos leve a uma prestação de cuidados de enfermagem de qualidade superior.   &nbsp

Using CAN to retrofit houses for quadriplegic people

DETIThis paper describes the B-Live® system targetted to automate house appliances for severely impaired people, in particular quadriplegic. This system has been developed at Micro I/O for enhancing the quality of life and the independence of its potential users. The envisaged application is the retrofitting of common dwellings. The B-Live system is described and details on its software, hardware and CAN-based communications architecture are provided. A survey of the supported appliances and interfaces is presented as well as a description of the B-live configuration and operation procedures. The adequacy of the B-Live system to improve the autonomy of the envisaged users was informally evaluated by C5 and C6 patients at a demonstration house located in the CMRRC Rovisco Pais, a rehabilitation center near Aveiro, in Portugal. The conclusion is that the system has a short learning curve and can cope with the requirements of its potential users. The use of CAN in this application opens the possibility to include safety critical real-time systems in the BLive system. This is the case of the monitoring of the ventilator used for quadriplegic people that require breath assistance

Phenolic, dietetic fibre and sensorial analyses of apples from regional varieties produced in conventional and biological mode

 Guiné R P F1, Sousa R2, Alves A2, Teixeira L2, Figueiredo C2, Fonseca S2, Soares S2, Sousa I2, Almeida P2, Correia A C2, Jordão A M1, Lopes A D3, Ferreira D1 (1. CI & DETS, Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, ESAV, Portugal;2. Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, ESAV, Portugal; 3. Direcção Regional de Agricultura e Pescas do Centro, DSAP, DPAP, Viseu, Portugal) Abstract: In the present work apples from eleven regional varieties originating from Portugal were studied in terms of their content in phenolic compounds and dietetic fibres (soluble and insoluble).  In some cases, apples from two different production modes were analysed: conventional and biological.  Some of the most commercialized apples in Portugal were also studied for comparison purposes.  In addition, a sensorial evaluation of some of the varieties was performed.  From the present work it was possible to conclude that the regional varieties studied contain higher amounts of dietetic fibre than those of commercial varieties and other fruits.  With respect to the content in total phenolic compounds, the apples of regional varieties showed values clearly higher than those quantified in commercial varieties, and being concentrated mainly on the peel, then on the seeds, and finally on the pulp.  From the sensorial analyses was possible to infer that the regional varieties which were more appreciated were Bravo de Esmolfe and Camoesa de Alcongosta. Keywords: apple, conventional production, biological production, soluble fibre, insoluble fibre, polyphenols, sensorial analysis, portugal Citation: Guiné R P F, Sousa R, Alves A, Teixeira L, Figueiredo C, Fonseca S, Soares S, Sousa I, Almeida P, Correia A C, Jordão A M, Lopes A D, Ferreira D.  Phenolic, dietetic fibre and sensorial analyses of apples from regional vareties produced in conventional and biological mode.  Agric Eng Int: CIGR Journal, 2010, 12(2): 70-78.   &nbsp

Traditional alimentary products: purchase habits and honey consumption

Este estudo tem como objectivos conhecer o perfil do consumidor do mel e descrever os seus hábitos de consumo e compra. Foi elaborado um estudo quantitativo que teve como base a construção de um questionário, que foi aplicado a 172 indivíduos do Distrito de Bragança. Através da análise descritiva dos dados faz-se a caracterização da amostra e descrevem-se os hábitos de consumo e compra do mel. Participaram neste estudo 172 indivíduos, dos quais 41,9% são do sexo masculino e 58,1% são do sexo feminino. Verificou-se que a esmagadora maioria é consumidor de mel (94,8%), prefere o mel da região porque está mais disponível, é mais saboroso e tem qualidade (70,9%). A principal forma de utilização do mel é combinado com outros alimentos (60,5%), o local preferido para a sua compra é junto do produtor (51,7%) e o factor que mais pesa na decisão de compra é o paladar (52,3%). To determine the honey consumer’s profile and to describe your purchase and consume habits are the objectives of this study. A cross-sectional survey was carried out in a probabilistic sample including 172 individuals of the Braganza region population. After, data descriptive analyses is done characterization of the sample and are described purchase and consume habits of the inquiry. In this study participated 172 individuals, of which 41,9% are male and 58,1% are female. It was verified that the smashing majority is honey consumer (94,8%), they prefer the national honey because it is more available, it is tastier, it is quality and it is trustworthy (70,9%). The main form honey use is mixed with other foods (60,5%), the favorite place for the honey purchase is near the producer (51,7%) and the factor that more it weighs in the purchase decision this product is the palate (52,3%)

Leituras e leitores de Richard Morse: a trajetória de um livro sobre a formação da metrópole paulista

De comunidade à metrópole: a biografia de São Paulo, was first published in 1954 and then re published in 1970 as Formação histórica de São Paulo: de comunidade à metrópole. Written by a young US researcher fascinated by Latin America, this material was originally submitted as his PhD thesis at Columbia University in 1952. Since then, Richard Morse's (1922-2001) work has come a long way and is now considered a primary reference in the history of urban development of São Paulo. This article briefly recovers the reader's response when Morse's research was first published, and how it ensured the book's importance in the Brazilian historiography. The aim is to draw a parallel trajectory of the book and its author - the young researcher at Columbia who became a professor of Latin American History at Yale - and to discuss the meanings regarding its importance in São Paulo's historiography as well as its contribution to a better understanding of the city.O livro De comunidade à metrópole: a biografia de São Paulo, publicado em 1954 e reeditado em 1970 com um novo título, Formação histórica de São Paulo: de comunidade à metrópole, foi escrito por um jovem norte-americano encantado com a América Latina, tendo sido inicialmente apresentado como tese de doutorado na Universidade de Columbia, em 1952. Desde então, essa obra de Richard Morse (1922-2001) percorreu um longo caminho, sendo hoje considerada "um clássico" sobre a evolução urbana da capital paulista. Retoma-se sinteticamente aqui a recepção da publicação, recuperando leitores e leituras que acabaram por garantir ao livro de Morse esse lugar na historiografia paulistana e brasileira. Busca-se, desse modo, traçar um paralelo entra a trajetória do livro e a de seu autor - que de jovem investigador em Columbia torna-se professor de História da América Latina na Universidade de Yale - para discutir o sentido do livro na historiografia e na própria interpretação que o livro fundaria sobre a cidade de São Paulo

Influence of Plastic Waste on the Workability and Mechanical Behaviour of Asphalt Concrete

The use of plastic waste as a bitumen extender added throughout the manufacturing process of asphalt concrete contributes value to that type of waste. Moreover, this type of polymer can improve some mechanical properties of asphalt concrete without weakening its workability and other mechanical characteristics too much. The study aimed to address these issues for four types of plastic waste, using different plastic contents added by the dry process and compared the results with a conventional mixture without plastic. A set of laboratory tests, such as volumetric parameter evaluation, the Marshall, gyratory compactor, and indirect tensile tests, repetitive fourpoint bending; and repetitive compression, assessed the workability and mechanical behavior of the studied materials. The results show that, although the addition of plastic waste reduces workability, the asphalt concrete retains satisfactory handling conditions. By adding plastic waste, the asphalt concrete becomes more elastic, and the stiffness values of the material are adequate to apply the material in a pavement surface layer. The resistance to fatigue cracking was at a suitable level for the asphalt mixtures studied. Adding the plastic waste in the study generally improved resistance to permanent deformation, although the performance was plastic type and content dependent

Factors associated with low quality of life in schizophrenia

Interest in quality of life in mental health care has been stimulated by the deinstitutionalization of psychiatric patients as well as a parallel interest in understanding the scope of their daily lives. This study aims to investigate the socio-demographic and clinical variables related to low quality of life, using a cross-sectional design to evaluate quality of life by means of the QLS-BR scale. We interviewed a sample of 123 outpatients from a reference mental health center in Divinópolis, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, clinically diagnosed with schizophrenia. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were carried out. The results showed that low quality of life is associated with one or more of the following: male gender, single marital status, low income plus low schooling, use of three or more prescribed psychoactive drugs, psychomotor agitation during the interview, and current follow-up care. The study identifies plausible indicators for the attention and care needed to improve psychiatric patient treatment