A população idosa mundial está crescendo e, com ela, o número de diagnósticos de doenças relacionadas à velhice como, por exemplo, declínios cognitivos também. Essas doenças costumam afetar a autonomia do idoso no seu lar, especialmente no que se refere à realização de atividades diárias. Com isso em vista, é preciso empregar cuidadores e serviços de saúde que acabam por implicar em altos custos. Nesse sentido, surge a necessidade de conceber sistemas robustos, automatizados, utilizáveis e de baixo custo para a assistência pessoal. A concepção desses sistemas faz menção à área de Ambientes de Vivência Assistida. Portanto, esta dissertação propõe uma abordagem que beneficia os sistemas para Ambientes de Vivência Assistida com a capacidade de prever ações humanas para a facilitação de atividades diárias, particularmente quando declínios cognitivos relacionados à elas ocorrerem. Nesse sentido, foi concebido um meta-modelo semântico para a geração de modelos conceituais de contexto e de comportamento, compostos pelas ações humanas. A partir disso, a previsão de ações (informação de suporte) é realizada por um mecanismo de predição e inferência composto por um modelo semântico probabilístico. A abordagem é demonstrada através de um estudo de caso cujo cenário representa uma situação de declínio cognitivo, enfrentada por um usuário, que impede a condução de uma atividade diária. Então, o mecanismo de predição e inferência, utilizando o modelo semântico probabilístico, prevê qual a ação mais adequada que facilite a conclusão da atividade. Essa previsão é avaliada para aferir o quão bem um usuário seria auxiliado, isto é, se a operação prevista foi por ele realizada. Para isso, foi utilizado um dataset relacionado ao cenário do estudo de caso e medidas de desempenho como a precisão, a revocação e a medida-F. Os resultados dessa avaliação se mostraram promissores sendo, em média, 69,5% para a precisão, 100% para a revocação e 81% para a medida-F. As principais contribuições deste trabalho dizem respeito ao meta-modelo semântico a partir do qual pesquisas na área deste trabalho podem utilizar para gerar modelos de comportamento, e ao modelo semântico probabilístico que realiza predição através de raciocínio incerto sobre os modelos de comportamento, propiciando decisões mais precisas para auxiliar usuários com declínio cognitivo. / The world’s elderly population is growing and, with it, the number of diagnoses of diseases related to old age, such as cognitive declines as well. These diseases usually affect the autonomy of the elderly in their home, especially when it comes to performing daily activities. With this in mind, it is necessary to employ caregivers and health services that end up implying high costs. In this sense, the need arises to design robust, automated, usable and low-cost systems for personal assistance. The design of these systems makes reference to the area of Ambient Assisted Living. Therefore, this dissertation proposes an approach that benefits the Ambient Assisted Living systems with the ability to predict human actions for the facilitation of daily activities, particularly when cognitive declines related to them occur. In this sense, a semantic meta-model was conceived for the generation of conceptual models of context and behavior, composed by human actions. From this, the prediction of actions (information of support) is realized by a mechanism of prediction and inference composed by a probabilistic semantic model. The approach is demonstrated through a case study whose scenario represents a situation of cognitive decline, faced by a user, that prevents the conduct of a daily activity. Then, the prediction and inference mechanism, using the probabilistic semantic model, predicts the most appropriate action that facilitates the conclusion of the activity. This forecast is evaluated to gauge how well a user would be assisted, that is, if the intended operation was performed by him. For this, a dataset related to the case study scenario and performance measures such as precision, recall, and F-measure were used. The results of this evaluation are promising, averaging 69.5% for precision, 100% for recall and 81% for F-measure. The main contributions of this work are related to the semantic meta-model from which research in the area of this work can be used to generate behavioral models, and to the probabilistic semantic model that performs prediction through uncertain reasoning over behavior models, providing better decisions to help users with cognitive decline.

In this dissertation, I examine a former sixties era hippie commune from the things and memories its residents have left behind. I focus on the intersections of memories, materialities, identities and systems of signification in order to suggest the following: that we might consider through archaeological, anthropological, and oral historical analyses the value of a genealogy of the sixties alongside histories of the era; that plastic presents a challenging archaeological issue (one of method and curation) while simultaneously reifying a social sense of its artificiality as an artifact of New Buffalo and a present-fact of speech (i.e. referring metaphorically to things as ‘plastic’, meaning false or artificial); that considerations of a ‘hippie’ work ethic might be productively brought to bear upon contemporary concerns about work and labor, but also might unpack our understandings of work and labor in American history; that playing primitive is a performance of citation and appropriation, a process of the inauthentic mimesis creating an authentic new (problematic) identity; and that artifacts and other objects shape (even re-appropriate) memories as much as they are re-made by them, and that recent historical artifacts can open up interesting collaborative analytical spaces when brought into actual conversation with site inhabitants, residents, and visitors. I aim to synthesize a number of threads, a number of different thought clusters throughout this dissertation in an effort to unpack anew questions of authenticity, of performing primitive as a kind of ‘Indian play’, or cultural appropriation, while also articulating a kind of identity creation that is aesthetic, political and counter to hegemonic and dominant traditions and forms. This work combines original field research at the site of New Buffalo commune in Arroyo Hondo, NM (in Taos County) and among the New Buffalos.

Em virtude dos danos cognitivos, sensório motores e psicossociais causados pelo transtorno mental no funcionamento ocupacional, a qualidade de vida dos sujeitos é deteriorada e o isolamento e a inatividade se impõem, acentuando a exclusão. OBJETIVO: Identificar o nível de desempenho em atividades de vida independente de portadores de transtornos mentais e correlacionar variáveis. MÉTODO: Estudo transversal descritivo em dois serviços de saúde mental matogrossenses. Amostra constituída por 146 sujeitos (73 portadores de transtorno mental/ 73 informantes destes). Foi feita a Revisão Integrativa da Literatura sobre atividades de vida independente em portadores de transtorno mental, posteriormente aplicado um questionário sociodemográfico e o Inventário de Habilidades de Vida Independente (ILSS-BR) para identificar áreas da vida independente potencialmente prejudicadas. ANÁLISE DOS DADOS: Análise e correlações pelo STATA. Escores obtidos equiparados de acordo com a pontuação do ILSS, no escore global e subescalas.RESULTADOS: Maioria mulheres (71,2%), casados (63%), 35 a44 anos (46%), baixo nível escolar (48% concluíram quarta série), baixo poder de compra (68,6% com renda máxima R$ 1.024,00). Os domínios da vida independente mais comprometidos são Emprego, Lazer e Transporte, que sofreram influência de diagnóstico, tempo de transtorno mental, escolaridade e nível econômico. DISCUSSÃO: Os escores da versão para o informante ficaram em 1,3 (de 0 a 4) e do paciente, em 10,2% (de 0 A 100%), indicando graves limitações em atividades de vida independente e discrepâncias entre a percepção dos dois grupos. Foram correlacionados prejuízo nas atividades de vida independente e baixa escolaridade, baixo nível econômico, desqualificação profissional, maior tendência a abandonar estudos e cursos profissionalizantes. Os homens são mais vulneráveis ao comprometimento e sofrem maior impacto na área laboral. CONCLUSÕES: Os domínios comprometidos são relacionadas à contratualidade e socialização pelas atividades, merecendo intervenções de enfermagem diretas e singulares, macrossociais e empreendidas no habitat / Because of the cognitive, sensory motor and psychosocial damage caused by mental disorders in occupational functioning, quality of life is deteriorating, isolation and inactivity are result, accentuating the deletion. OBJECTIVE: To identify the level of performance in life activities regardless of the mental patients and correlate variables.METHODS: A descriptive cross- sectional study in two Mato Grosso mental health services. Sample of 146 subjects (73 patients with mental disorders / 73 informants of them). Integrative Literature Review was done about independent living activities in patients with mental disorders, afterward to a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Inventory of Independent Living Skills (ILSS-BR) was intended to identify areas of potentially impaired independent living. ANALYSIS: Analysis and correlations by STATA. Similar scores obtained by the score of ILSS, the overall score and subscales. RESULTS: Most women (71.2%), married (63), 44 35 years old (46%), low educational level (48% completed fourth grade), low purchasing power (68.6% with R$1.024,00 maximum income). The more committed areas of independent living are Employment, Leisure and Transport, who have been influenced by diagnosis, duration of mental disorder, education and income. DISCUSSION: The scores for the informant version were 1.3% and patient, at 10.2%, indicating severe limitations in independent living activities and discrepancies between the perceptions of the two groups. Injury were correlated in independent living and low education, low income, greater tendency to abandon studies and vocational courses activities. Men are more vulnerable and suffer greater impact in employment area. CONCLUSIONS: The affected modules are related by contractuality and socialization activities, requiring direct and individuallynursing interventions in macrosocial- habitat

Purpose To describe: (1) development of ReadNPlay for a Bright Future with community stakeholders, (2) integration of a novel communicative tool, the ReadNPlay Baby Book, into infant-toddler well child visits, and (3) use of a quality improvement approach to monitor progress in promoting healthy active living in families with young children. Methods ReadNPlay for a Bright Future is funded by a grant from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and Metlife Foundation awarded to the East Tennessee State University Department of Pediatrics and Tennessee Chapter of the AAP. The setting for this project is in rural southern Appalachia, a U.S. region with a disproportionately high prevalence of obesity. During a community forum held in Northeast Tennessee in fall 2012, community stakeholders provided feedback to help finalize project materials and messages developed by the project team around four themes: Play More: Shut off the Screen, Play Together: Be Active as a Family, Fuel to Play: Eat Healthy, and Play Safely. A behavioral health consultant (BHC) assisted with provider training in brief motivational interviewing and behavioral counseling and project implementation in the clinic. An anonymous mothers’ survey was designed to identify opportunities for improving behaviors and monitor progress in promoting healthy active living during well child visits. Process measures and feedback will be obtained from provider surveys and focus groups with parents and providers. Results As of February 2013, the ReadNPlay Baby Book is being provided to families starting at the newborn visit. The book contains age-appropriate guidance and areas for parents to record their baby’s growth, milestones, eating habits, favorite books, and activities between birth and 18 months. Families are receiving small incentives for bringing it to each well child visit. A companion Healthy Active Living Tips booklet encourages healthy behaviors in the whole family. Use of social media, posters, and periodic community events provide reinforcement. A total of 80 mothers with infants 9-24 months of age are completing anonymous surveys during well child visits every 4-6 months (mostly Caucasian, 70% WIC recipients). Baseline surveys with mothers of younger infants (9-12 months of age) suggest: 60% of mothers are reading or looking at books with their infants on most days of the week; 80% of infants watch at least 30 minutes of television and 48.7% drink juice on a typical day; 82% of infants were ever-breastfed; 20% of mothers had sought care for their infants due to an injury; and 13.2% of infants routinely bed-share. Over 80% of all mothers wished that they themselves could get more exercise. Conclusion ReadNPlay for a Bright Future is using novel communication tools, community partnerships, and quality improvement methodology to encourage healthy active living during infant-toddler well child visits.

Purpose To describe outcomes of community partnerships for promoting healthy active living among families with young children in the ReadNPlay for a Bright Future Project. Methods ReadNPlay for a Bright Future was developed through grant support from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and Metlife Foundation awarded to the East Tennessee State University Department of Pediatrics and Tennessee AAP Chapter. ReadNPlay is a coordinated, multi-level, multi-component initiative promoting healthy active living among families with young children during infant-toddler health supervision visits and in childcare and other community settings. The project site is located in rural southern Appalachia, an area of the country with a high prevalence of obesity. Materials and messages developed by the project team were finalized during a community forum with stakeholders held in Northeast Tennessee in fall 2012. Four themes emerged as a focus for the initiative: Play More: Shut off the Screen, Play Together: Be Active as a Family, Fuel to Play: Eat Healthy, and Play Safely. Partnerships with the regional children's hospital, childcare providers, health department, public libraries, and farmers' markets were supported through on-going communication via email, social media, and individual meetings. Availability of two $750 pediatric resident mini-grants and structure afforded by the residency program's existing community pediatrics rotation facilitated development and implementation of community initiatives for this project. Results Project posters displayed in community settings, use of social media, and periodic community events are reinforcing efforts to promote healthy active living in the clinical setting. A new event for families with infants/toddlers was added to the children's hospital annual Kids Run, involving over 120 families during the first year. Walk N' Rollers received free Reach Out and Read books and were surprised at the sugar content of juice and other beverages displayed in sippy cups as part of a “Sugar Quiz.” Information disseminated through regional child care centers will promote participation in a summer Walk N' Roll program in addition to this annual event. At a regional childcare provider conference, ReadNPlay workshops with over 100 infant-toddler teachers and 40 families were conducted and information on Tennessee's “Gold Sneaker” designation for compliance with state nutrition and physical activity policies was shared (only 6% of local centers are designated). During summer 2013, 75 families are being provided with $10 farmers' market vouchers at their 12-15 month well child visit to encourage consumption of fruits and vegetables. 18-month statistics on social media reach, walking program participation, new Gold Sneaker designations, and farmers' market program participation will be presented. Conclusion This presentation will illustrate how pediatric residency programs and practitioners may partner with existing community organizations and initiatives to promote healthy active living in families with young children.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Anthropology Department, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

The problem that is studied is formulated in chapter 1. It boils down to the fact that nowadays, also in churches with 'mainly white congregations, there are different viewpoints on living together. It varies from a direct rejection to a de facto acceptance. In view of this research is done for the purpose of assessing cohabitation according to Scriptures. In chapter 2 the essence and purpose of the Christian marriage are portrayed. It becomes clear that it is God's will that sexual intercourse may only take place inside the marriage. In chapter 3 the main reasons for cohabitation are examined. It is found that if all the causes are considered in their close relationship with each other, a favourable infrastructure for living together is created and people are strongly influenced to live together. The practice of cohabitation is evaluated in chapter 4 by using 8 of the 9 social ethical norms formulated by Heyns in the light of Scriptures and applied by Steensma as normative viewpoints. It is found that cohabiting is at variance with all eight social ethical norms. It is also found that living together doesn't always result in marriage, and if it results in marriage, there is no guarantee that the marriage will succeed and will not end up in at court of divorce. In chapter 5 a summary is given of the problem identification and the results of the previous 4 chapters. Then a conclusion is made about cohabitation in the light of Scriptures, namely that it is in conflict with the will of God. In the third section guidelines are given for the purpose of pastoral guidance towards people who cohabit or plan to do so. The role of the government and topics for further studies about cohabitation are also given. / Thesis (Th.M. (Ethics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

The problem that is studied is formulated in chapter 1. It boils down to the fact that nowadays, also in churches with 'mainly white congregations, there are different viewpoints on living together. It varies from a direct rejection to a de facto acceptance. In view of this research is done for the purpose of assessing cohabitation according to Scriptures. In chapter 2 the essence and purpose of the Christian marriage are portrayed. It becomes clear that it is God's will that sexual intercourse may only take place inside the marriage. In chapter 3 the main reasons for cohabitation are examined. It is found that if all the causes are considered in their close relationship with each other, a favourable infrastructure for living together is created and people are strongly influenced to live together. The practice of cohabitation is evaluated in chapter 4 by using 8 of the 9 social ethical norms formulated by Heyns in the light of Scriptures and applied by Steensma as normative viewpoints. It is found that cohabiting is at variance with all eight social ethical norms. It is also found that living together doesn't always result in marriage, and if it results in marriage, there is no guarantee that the marriage will succeed and will not end up in at court of divorce. In chapter 5 a summary is given of the problem identification and the results of the previous 4 chapters. Then a conclusion is made about cohabitation in the light of Scriptures, namely that it is in conflict with the will of God. In the third section guidelines are given for the purpose of pastoral guidance towards people who cohabit or plan to do so. The role of the government and topics for further studies about cohabitation are also given. / Thesis (Th.M. (Ethics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

Graduation date: 1930

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Virginia, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 112-118).