O objetivo do estudo foi analisar a força muscular e a flexibilidade de adolescentes obesos, com idade entre 15 e 18 anos. Para tanto, a amostra foi constituída de 179 adolescentes, sendo 85 obesos e 94 eutróficos, de ambos os gêneros. Foram realizadas as medidas de massa corporal e estatura. Para classificar obesidade e eutrofia foram adotados como referência os valores de corte do índice de massa corporal proposto por MUST, DALLAL e DIETZ (1991). A avaliação das capacidades motoras constou dos testes de preensão manual, abdominal modificado, flexão e extensão dos braços em suspensão na barra e oito medidas de flexibilidade com o fleximeter. Os principais resultados demonstraram que os adolescentes obesos, quando comparados aos adolescentes eutróficos de mesma faixa etária e gênero, apresentaram valores inferiores com diferenças significantes na força/resistência da região abdominal, na força/resistência dos membros superiores e na flexibilidade dos movimentos de flexão do quadril e flexão do joelho (p≤0,05). Não houve diferenças significantes na força de preensão manual e na flexibilidade dos movimentos de flexão lateral da coluna cervical, flexão/extensão do tronco, abdução do ombro, abdução do quadril, flexão plantar e dorsal do tornozelo (p≤0,05). Conclui-se que a obesidade influenciou, negativamente, somente nas tarefas motoras em que a própria massa corporal se constituiu em uma resistência natural ao esforço e na amplitude de movimento de regiões corporais em que o acúmulo de massa de gordura corporal foi maior. / The aim of the study was to analyse the muscular strength and the flexibility in obese adolescents between 15 and 18 years of age. In order to do so, the sample was comprised of 179 adolescents: 85 obese and 94 eutrophic, of both genders. The body mass and height were measured. To classify obesity and eutrophy, the cut-off values of body mass index proposed by MUST, DALLAL and DIETZ (1991) were adopted. The evaluation of the motor capacities consisted of the following tests: handgrip, modified sit-up, modified pull-up and eight measures of flexibility with the fleximeter. The main results demonstrated that the obese adolescents, when compared to the eutrophic adolescents of the same age group and gender, presented inferior values with significant differences in the abdominal muscular endurance, upper limb muscular endurance and in the flexibility of hip flexion and knee flexion movements (p≤0.05). No significant differences in the handgrip strength and in the flexibility of cervical spine lateral flexion, flexion and extension trunk, shoulder abduction, hip abduction, ankle flexion and extension movements (p≤0.05). We concluded that obesity had a negative influence only on the motor tasks in which the body mass itself represented a natural resistance to the effort and in the range of motion of body areas in which the accumulation of body fat mass was larger.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2004. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xx, 157, [12] p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 143-157).

O objetivo do estudo foi analisar a força muscular e a flexibilidade de adolescentes obesos, com idade entre 15 e 18 anos. Para tanto, a amostra foi constituída de 179 adolescentes, sendo 85 obesos e 94 eutróficos, de ambos os gêneros. Foram realizadas as medidas de massa corporal e estatura. Para classificar obesidade e eutrofia foram adotados como referência os valores de corte do índice de massa corporal proposto por MUST, DALLAL e DIETZ (1991). A avaliação das capacidades motoras constou dos testes de preensão manual, abdominal modificado, flexão e extensão dos braços em suspensão na barra e oito medidas de flexibilidade com o fleximeter. Os principais resultados demonstraram que os adolescentes obesos, quando comparados aos adolescentes eutróficos de mesma faixa etária e gênero, apresentaram valores inferiores com diferenças significantes na força/resistência da região abdominal, na força/resistência dos membros superiores e na flexibilidade dos movimentos de flexão do quadril e flexão do joelho (p≤0,05). Não houve diferenças significantes na força de preensão manual e na flexibilidade dos movimentos de flexão lateral da coluna cervical, flexão/extensão do tronco, abdução do ombro, abdução do quadril, flexão plantar e dorsal do tornozelo (p≤0,05). Conclui-se que a obesidade influenciou, negativamente, somente nas tarefas motoras em que a própria massa corporal se constituiu em uma resistência natural ao esforço e na amplitude de movimento de regiões corporais em que o acúmulo de massa de gordura corporal foi maior. / The aim of the study was to analyse the muscular strength and the flexibility in obese adolescents between 15 and 18 years of age. In order to do so, the sample was comprised of 179 adolescents: 85 obese and 94 eutrophic, of both genders. The body mass and height were measured. To classify obesity and eutrophy, the cut-off values of body mass index proposed by MUST, DALLAL and DIETZ (1991) were adopted. The evaluation of the motor capacities consisted of the following tests: handgrip, modified sit-up, modified pull-up and eight measures of flexibility with the fleximeter. The main results demonstrated that the obese adolescents, when compared to the eutrophic adolescents of the same age group and gender, presented inferior values with significant differences in the abdominal muscular endurance, upper limb muscular endurance and in the flexibility of hip flexion and knee flexion movements (p≤0.05). No significant differences in the handgrip strength and in the flexibility of cervical spine lateral flexion, flexion and extension trunk, shoulder abduction, hip abduction, ankle flexion and extension movements (p≤0.05). We concluded that obesity had a negative influence only on the motor tasks in which the body mass itself represented a natural resistance to the effort and in the range of motion of body areas in which the accumulation of body fat mass was larger.

Accurate wave measurements are required for wave energy applications, including resource assessments and performance assessments. In response, wave data are measured from deployment sites, commonly using wave buoys or other point wave sensors. Spatial variability in the wave field will introduce inaccuracies to the analysis of data captured from a single point to represent a separate location or area. This thesis describes research undertaken to quantify the effect of spatial variability on the accuracy of direct wave measurements taken at a wave energy site. An array of four timesynchronised wave buoys were deployed, separated by 500m, in a location close to the Wave Hub wave energy test site in Cornwall, UK. These data were subject to close scrutiny in terms of data processing and quality control, which raised specific issues regarding data processing and the validation of wave data for a new measurement facility. Specific recommendations are made for data captured from this facility, and bespoke quality control routines were developed. This process minimises the possible contribution of errors to the processed data, which is observed to be of the highest importance when analysing simultaneous data sets, and provides a data set that is particularly suited to the examination of the spatial characteristics of ocean waves. The differences between simultaneous data demonstrated local physical processes to be causing a deterministic difference between the waves at the measurement sites, which contributed to a significant difference between the power statistics at different locations within the site. Instantaneous differences between measurements were observed to agree well with theoretical estimations of random error, based on sampling theory. The culmination of the research is a unique analysis of the spatial properties of ocean wave fields on the scale of a wave energy test site, of direct relevance to the development and monitoring of wave energy test sites.

[pt] Neste trabalho apresentamos algumas contrubuições ao estudo dos modelos de avaliação estatística usados nas ciências sociais. As contribuições originais são: i ) uma descrição unificada sobre como a teoria da medição evoluiu nas diversas disciplinas científicas; ii ) uma resenha abrangente sobre os métodos de estimação por máxima verossimilhança empregados na medição estatística; iii ) uma formulação geral do métodos da máxima verossimilhan ça tendo em vista a aplicação em modelos não-lineares; e principalmente, iv ) a apresentação do método da aproximação estocástica na estimação dos modelos estatísticos de avaliação e medição. Os modelos não-lineares ocorrem freqüentemente nas ciências sociais onde é importante a modelagem de variáveis de resposta dicotômicas ou ordinais. Em particular, este trabalho trata dos modelos da teoria da resposta ao item, dos modelos de regressão logística e dos modelos de componentes aleatórias em geral. A estimação destes modelos ainda é objeto de intensa pesquisa. Não se pode afirmar que exista um método de estimação inteiramente confiável. Os métodos aproximados produzem estimativas com viés acentuado nas componentes de variância, enquanto os métodos de integração numérica e os métodos bayesianos podem apresentar problemas de convergência em muitos casos. O método da aproximação estocástica se baseia na maximização da verossimilhança e emprega o algoritmo de Robbins- Monro para resolver a equação do escore. Como um método estocástico ele gera um processo de Markov que se aproxima das estimativas desejadas e portanto pode ser considerado um MCMC (Monte Carlo Markov chain) freqüentista. Nas simulações realizadas o método apresentou um bom desempenho, produzindo estimativas com viés pequeno, precisão razoável e raros problemas de convergência. / [en] This work presents a study of statistical models used for assessment and measurement in the social sciences. The main contributions are: i ) a unified description of how evaluation, assessment, and the theory of measurement evolved within several branches of science; ii ) a review of estimation methods currently employed in nonlinear models; iii ) a general formulation of the maximum likelihood estimation method; and particularly, iv the presentation of the stochastic approximation method for estimation of non linear statistical models in measurement and assessment. Non linear models occurs frequently in the social sciences where it is important to model binary or ordinal response variables. This work deals with item response theory models, logistic regression models and general models with random components. The estimation of these models has been the subject of several recent simulation studies. One cannot say there is a best estimation method. The approximate methods are known to produce biased estimates, numerical integration methods and bayesian methods can present convergence problems in many cases. Stochastic approximation method is a maximum likelihood method that uses the Robbins-Monro algorithm to solve the score equation. As a stochastic approximation method it generates a Markov chain that converges to the desired estimates and can be considered a frequentist MCMC. A simulation study and a comparative estimation study show a good performance, the method producing small bias for the estimates, good precision, and very rare convergence problems.

This research study focused on measuring the impact of structures that support community-university research partnerships. The broad research question asked: How can we determine the impact of community-university research partnership support structures such as the Office of Community Based Research at the University of Victoria, within the university and within local, regional, national and international communities? Methods of inquiry included: participatory research, institutional ethnography and case study. These are among an increasing number of research approaches consistent with what is called engaged scholarship. Congruent with the methods of inquiry, methods of investigation included: in-context immersion, participant-observer-listener, use of available documents and information, use of an impact assessment framework prototype designed pre-data collection, key informant interviews, field notes, research journaling and the writing process. Data contributing to this study were drawn from key informant interviews. Interview participants were situated within local, regional, national and international communities. Methods of analysis included: a two-pronged approach to organising data, deductive and inductive approaches, the lens of praxis, and the prototype as an analytical framework. Assessment as praxis is proposed as broad analytic framework. Theory was constructed through data analysis. This study’s data and analysis point to impact assessment as a cycle of inquiry and eight elements that inform impact on and through community life and impact on and through the university. The proposed Impact Assessment and Measurement Framework (IAMF) includes eight elements: coupling intention with impact, spheres of impact, categories of impact, conditions of impact, points of impact, impact-focused documentation, multiple perspectives of impact, and impact assessment and measurement statements. Contributions of this study include: recognition of staff who support community-university research partnerships through their varied work spaces, research councils as a type of support structure, impact assessment as a cycle of inquiry, explicating impact through elements of impact assessment, and a literature consolidation of impact assessment in the context of support structures. Future research may include revision and refinement of the IAMF across different types of community-university research partnership support structures. / Graduate