[pt] O objetivo desta dissertação é analisar o que significa ou pode significar ser um professor mediador na educação de crianças pequenas. O trabalho é embasado pelo conceito de mediação semiótica de Vigotski, pelo conceito de signo de Bakhtin e pelo referencial da Sociologia da Infância. Além disso, os textos teóricos da década de 90 e 2000, que tratam do tema da mediação do professor são referências para o estudo. Com o foco direcionado para as relações, a pesquisa busca conhecer quais os tipos de mediação realizadas pelos sujeitos adultos e crianças que integram duas turmas de educação infantil em uma escola de ensino fundamental, compreendendo como eles se concebem e concebem suas ações na escola. No contexto do trabalho de campo, as relações entre crianças, adultos e signos mediadores permitiram a percepção de algumas recorrências e, também, algumas diferenças nos tipos de mediações que ocorrem no cotidiano de cada grupo. No caso das mediações dos adultos com as crianças das turmas A (crianças de 4 anos) e B (crianças de 5 anos), são presentes as mediações do tipo organizadoras, as do tipo desafiadoras no que diz respeito à convivência com os colegas, as mediações do tipo informativas e as mediações do tipo instrutivas, ou seja, siga o modelo do professor. No caso das mediações de crianças com crianças e com adultos, foram observadas as que as crianças solicitam a participação direta do adulto para resolver algo que sozinhas não conseguiram, as que se inspiram nas falas ou atitudes do adulto sem a presença direta deste em suas ações e as mediações que vão além do modelo adulto. Nestas relações, signos revelam idéias e concepções importantes para uma discussão sobre as práticas escolares para/ com as crianças pequenas. / [en] The purpose of this research is to analyse what being a mediator teacher means or is likely to mean in children education. This investigation is based on i) Vigotski's concept of semiotic mediation, ii) on the concept of signs developed by Bakhtin; iii) on the studies of early childhood Sociology, and, finally, iv) on the theoretical texts that approached the topic between the 1990s and the year 2000. Focusing mainly on the relationship among individuals, this study seeks to investigate the types of mediations which occur between adults and children in the school environment. The research was carried out with two different classes of four and five- year-old children pupils, respectively, in a state school of Early Childhood Education and Primary School, with the purpose of comprehending how children and adults perceive themselves and perceive their actions in that particular environment. The field work provided a broad understanding of the mediating signs existing in the relationship between children and adults, their recurrences and also the differences in the types of mediation that occur in the every-day interaction in each group. The mediations identified between the adults and the children in group A (fouryear- old children) and B (five-year-old children) are: the organising mediations; challenging mediations, encountered in inter personal communication with their peers; informative mediations, and instructive mediations which position the teachers as models to be immitated. As for the mediations occurring when adults and children are engaged in joint activity, it could be noticed that mediation was necessary in situations in which children often requested the adults as a support to appproach problems that they were not be able to solve by themselves. There was also the kind of mediation which could be found in the adults' speeches and attitudes, regardless of their presence. Finally, it could be seen that some mediations were beyond the adult model. Yet, in all these relations, the signs have proved to be crucial tools, in that they reveal important ideas and concepts that enable us to discuss and reflect on the school practices regarding small children.

This research project is about symbolism and semiotics (the science of signs) in digital-games. There’s firstly introductory information about what symbolism and semiotics are and the different aspects of them that is needed to fully understand the subject. These are things such as the two parts of a sign, signifier and signifier as well as the three modes of signs, symbolic, iconic and indexical. Then there’s information about how this is all put together in a digital game, that a game isn’t playable without some form of signs and that besides making the game playable it is used to enhance the characters, story and experience for the player. How this is used in a more practical way is mentioned further to the end with the different approaches of working with symbolism in games. There’s either being subtle or making symbolism the main focus of the game. Through all this there’s also the importance of considering your audience and if they will understand your signs that is talked about.

We have received a mission from a surgical ward at a hospital in northern Sweden; they want a solution that can be used on portable devices. On these devices the healthcare professionals should be able to document the measured vital signs and the results should automatically be documented in the patient record. In the context of a Participatory Design project we conducted design sessions which focused on the user interface of the solution but also deliberated possible functionalities that were not mentioned in the original mission description. The purpose of this study is to describe the situation surrounding the measurement of vital signs of patients. It is currently done manually on a paper form and then registered in the digital patient record. Our aim was to find a design and formulate the functional requirement of a tablet application together with the staff at a hospital in Sweden.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This thesis involves the study of compressive and infectious neurological diseases in dogs, including the evaluation of functional recovery with intervertebral disc disease (IVD) thoracolumbar paraplegics and without deep pain perception (DPP) underwent surgical treatment, dogs with neurological signs associated to distemper (NSAD) and neoplasms of the central nervous system (CNS). Retrospective studies were conducted by reviewing the records of Veterinary neurology department (Veterinarian Hospital), of Federal University of Santa Maria. 208 cases were analyzed between March 2003 and June 2014. The satisfactory functional recovery of paraplegic dogs without DPP was observed in 73.3% (11/15) of the dogs. Recovery time after surgery occurred in one day [9% (01)], between 15 and 30 days [63.7% (07)] and over than 30 days [27.3% (03)]. 134 dogs with NSSD were studied, 39 definitive diagnosis (Group A) and 95 presumptive diagnosis (Group B). Adults were affected in 60.4%, followed by 31.3% of young and 8.2% old dogs. Neurological signs were varied according to the site of lesions in the CNS. According to the owners, the vaccine was applied only by veterinarians in 68% of dogs and clinical examination was performed in 56%, increasing the risk of vaccine failure. The CNS neoplasms occurred mainly in Boxers (35%), and the predominantly affected age-group was 5-year-old or older (92.3%). The course of clinical signs was higher for spinal cord (7-420 days) than for intracranial neoplasms (7-115 days). The most frequently neurological signs observed in dogs with brain and spinal cord neoplasms were, respectively, changes in the conscience level (58%) and hyperesthesia (57%) in neoplasms of the spinal cord. The cortico-thalamic region and T3-L3 spinal cord segment were the most frequently anatomical sites involved (58% and 43% respectively). Meningioma was the most frequently primary neoplasms affecting the brain and the spinal cord of dogs, consisting respectively of 40% and 75% of the cases. / Esta tese envolveu o estudo de doenças neurológicas compressivas e infecciosa em cães, incluindo a avaliação da recuperação funcional com doença do disco intervertebral (DDIV) toracolombar, paraplégicos e sem percepção à dor profunda (PDP) submetidos ao tratamento cirúrgico, cães com sinais neurológicos associados à cinomose (SNAC) e com neoplasmas do sistema nervoso central. Os estudos retrospectivos foram realizados por meio de revisão dos registros neurológicos de cães atendidos pelo Setor de Neurologia Veterinária, do Hospital Veterinário Universitário (HVU) da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria. Foram analisados 208 casos, entre março de 2003 e junho de 2014. De acordo com nossos resultados, a recuperação funcional de cães paraplégicos sem PDP em decorrência da DDIV toracolombar ocorreu em 73.3% (11/15). O tempo de recuperação funcional após a cirurgia foi de um dia [9% (01)], entre 15 e 30 dias [63.7% (07)] e maior do que 30 dias [27.3% (03)]. Foram incluídos 134 cães com SNAC, sendo 39 com diagnóstico definitivo (Grupo A) e 95 com diagnóstico presuntivo (Grupo B). Os cães adultos foram acometidos em 60.4% das vezes, seguido de 31.3% dos filhotes e 8.2% dos idosos. Os SNAC variaram de acordo com a fase de infecção e distribuição das lesões no sistema nervoso central (SNC). Os resultados normais do líquido cerebroespinhal e hemograma não excluíram o diagnóstico definitivo. A vacina foi aplicada por médicos veterinários em 68% dos cães e a avaliação clínica prévia à vacinação foi realizada em 56% dos pacientes. Os neoplasmas do SNC foram observados principalmente em cães Boxer (35%), com idade entre cinco e 10 anos (92.3%). A evolução dos sinais clínicos foi maior para medula espinhal (ME) (7-420 dias) do que para os intracranianos (7- 115 dias). O sinal neurológico predominante foi a alteração do nível de consciência (58%) em cães com neoplasma encefálico e a hiperestesia espinhal (57%) naqueles com neoplasmas da ME. As regiões tálamo-cortical e segmento medular entre T3-L3 foram as mais acometidas por neoplasias do SNC (58% e 43% respectivamente). O meningioma foi o neoplasma primário mais frequente no encéfalo (40%) e na ME (75%) dos cães avaliados.

Abstract The main objective of this thesis project is to implement a wireless vital signs monitoring system for measuring the ECG of a patient in the home environment. The research focuses on two specific research objectives: 1) the development of a distributed healthcare system for vital signs monitoring using wireless sensor network devices and 2) a practical test and performance evaluation for the reliability for such low-rate wireless technology in ubiquitous health monitoring applications. The first section of the thesis describes the design and implementation of a ubiquitous healthcare system constructed from tiny components for the home healthcare of elderly persons. The system comprises a smart shirt with ECG electrodes and acceleration sensors, a wireless sensor network node, a base station and a server computer for the continuous monitoring of ECG signals. ECG data is a commonly used vital sign in clinical and trauma care. The ECG data is displayed on a graphical user interface (GUI) by transferring it to a PDA or a terminal PC. The smart shirt is a wearable T-shirt designed to collect ECG and acceleration signals from the human body in the course of daily life. In the second section, a performance evaluation of the reliability of IEEE 802.15.4 low-rate wireless ubiquitous health monitoring is presented. Three scenarios of performance studies are applied through practical tests: 1) the effects of the distance between sensor nodes and base-station, 2) the deployment of the number of sensor nodes in a network and 3) data transmission using different time intervals. These factors were measured to analyse the reliability of the developed technology in low-rate wireless ubiquitous health monitoring applications. The results showed how the relationship between the bit-error-rate (BER) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was affected when varying the distance between sensor node and base-station, through the deployment of the number of sensor nodes in a network and through data transmission using different time intervals.

High brightness inorganic LEDs have been utilized effectively for signage application using the edgelighting technique. In this thesis. the inorganic LED-based edgelit signage using transparent acrylic has been evaluated. We determine that the edgelighting technique, although superior in efficiency to other available techniques, suffers from intrinsic limitations, particularly in terms of illumination uniformity. The illumination uniformity can be improved by external means such as a diamond grating. In order to quantitatively establish this, the illumination uniformity of the LED-based signage with and without the diamond grating is examined. The results show a considerable improvement in the illumination uniformity when a diamond grating is used. However, the high cost of the diamond grating and the transparent acrylic amplify the overall cost of signage using LEDs. Therefore, a distributed light source, which can eliminate the use of the diamond grating. is determined to be more suitable for signage application. Organic Light-Emitting diode (OLED), which is a distributed light source, emerges as a possible contender. The second part of our research focuses on the application of OLEDs for signage. We examine two OLED modules from different manufacturers for our evaluation. The first module is a prototype module obtained from the National Research Council (NRC) and the second module is a commercially available OLED from RiT Display Corporation. We present novel design techniques that can be used to implement signage based on OLEDs. A prototype tiled OLED display using commercially available OLEDs is designed and tested. Our investigation suggests that good light uniformity in signage panels can be achieved using OLED modules in the form of tiles. This proves that OLEDs are superior to conventional light-emitting diodes as light sources for signage in terms of illumination uniformity. However, we determine that the currently available OLEDs have a lower light-conversion efficiency in addition to higher costs when compared with conventional LEDs. Though the individual OLEDs cost more than LEDs. signage panels based on OLEDs can be made cheaper by avoiding the use of acrylic sheet and diamond grating. Moreover, the light weight of OLEDs and the fact that OLEDs are diffused sources (rather than point sources like LEDs) add an additional advantage. Also. OLEDs have the potential to be built inexpensively on flexible substrates by using the roll-to-roll technique. This makes OLEDs superior to conventional LEDs in large-area signage applications.

This thesis comprises an exploratory study of the dynamic of communication symbols during growth and transcendence cycles of the unique individual. It moreover explores how the quintessence of the individual, the quantum self, transforms itself through the use of intrapsychic communication. The exploration focuses on the confluence of a subjective, inner experiential reality and reality as a social construct. This inner, subjective and experiential reality of the individual relates to the correspondence between the transcendence of consciousness and the creation of meaning derived from the Jungian constructs of archetypal images, symbols and myths. The eclectic nature of the study necessitates a multidisciplinary approach, and consequently, theories and constructs in Depth and Transpersonal Psychology, the New Physics (Quantum Physics), Complexity and Chaos Theories, Mysticism, and Philosophy are explored and integrated with contemporary communication notions of the self, symbols and consciousness. Integration and inclusiveness consequently form the bedrock of this study. Archetypal communication symbols are considered as the derivatives of a subjective, inner reality. The exploration and comprehension of an inner reality are considered to be of prime significance to the transcendence of the self: the individual as a unique multifarious being. An archetypal and mythical semiotic textual analysis of ‘The Alchemist’ by Paolo Coehlo, and an individual case analysis of dream symbols and a self-report based on the interpretation of a dream theme by using active imagination indicate that a transcendental spirituality, and consequently an inner, subjective transcendental reality are imminent in the individual. An intrinsic need for equanimity and unity is reflected in the images, symbols and myths of the Self as archetype of meaning nested in the collective unconscious. Ensuing from the exploration in this study, an experiential and ‘lived’ theory and model of the dynamic process of intrapsychic communication are described and depicted. Moreover, the employment of archetypal images, symbols and myths of the Self during intrapsychic communication are described and contrasted with a complex adaptive system. The relationship between the self, consciousness, and intrapsychic communication is hence depicted and described in terms of an experiential theory of intrapsychic communication as a complex adaptive system iterating between balance and harmony, and chaos. Intrapsychic communication, which represents all the levels of communication within the Self with its corresponding levels of consciousness, facilitates both awareness and integration of the inner subjective reality, and the external socio-cultural reality of the ego which is at the core of the Self. It is asserted that the transcendence of consciousness cannot be experienced as a distinct experience. Rather, intrapsychic communication facilitates a sense and experience of the Self by an individual through the use of archetypal images, symbols and myths as represented in dream experiences of an individual and the text of a modern narrative. The inclusion of the archetypal spiritual dimension of the Self and the indication of an intrinsic need for wholeness, unity and transcendence in intrapsychic communication, alludes to a shared innate and universal heritage which cuts across all cultural and racial boundaries. Since the study is of an exploratory nature suggestions for further study and research are also made. / Dr. H.L. Venter

M.Ing. / Another method is suggested in this paper to decide on the method of control at intersections. A computer program has been developed to simulate traffic on a macroscopic basis to obtain cost for delay, fuel consumption, accidents, maintenance, oil consumption and capital investment. The total cost per vehicle proved that the existing criteria are conservative in so far they warrant traffic signs earlier than necessary ...

Background The International Council of Nurses (ICN) states in it’s ethical code that the nurse practitioner is responsible for giving each patient correct and culturally adapted care. Military culture is unique and comes with its own challenges and needs of nursing care. Aim The aim is to find the prominent nursing diagnoses in military personnel in relation to the military ethos. Method A literature review of twenty articles found through searches in PubMed, Cinhal and Summon. Results The prominent nursing diagnoses were risk-prone health behavior together with pain issues and sleep disturbances. Two thirds of military personnel consumed high amounts of alcohol, pain issues was the most prevalent, up to half of all personnel experienced sleep disturbances and willingness to seek care was low. Stress, depression, consequences of pain and effects on the family process was also found. Result of military duty could also be infections, wounds, dermatological problems, hearing impairment and diarrhea. Conclusion Military culture is unique and reports health differently than the civilian population. Because of this it is important to know the prominent diagnoses to be able to give this patient group appropriate nursing interventions and competent care. / Bakgrund I enlighet med International Council of Nurses (ICN) etiska kod har sjuksköterskan ett ansvar för att varje person ska få en korrekt, tillfredsställande och kulturellt anpassad information som grund till sin vård och behandling. Militärkulturen ger upphov till en patientgrupp med unika behov och detta skall styra vården. Syfte Syftet är att genom en litteraturstudie förstå vilka omvårdnadsdiagnoser som är framträdande hos militärpersonal med relation till militärt etos. Metod En litteraturstudie av artiklar (n=20) genom sökningar i PubMed, Cinhal och Summon. Resultat Riskfyllt hälsobeteende var största temat följt av smärta och sömnproblematik. Hos militärpersonal var alkoholkonsumtion hög hos två tredjedelar, smärta hade högst prevalens, påverkan på sömnen återfanns i upp till hälften av personalen och viljan att söka vård var nedsatt. Stress, depression, smärtkonsekvenser samt påverkade familjerelationer och processer återfanns. Följder av tjänstgöringen var infektioner, hudskada, hudåkommor, hörselnedsättning och diarré. Slutsats Militärkulturen är unik och underrapporterar ohälsa, därför behövs det en förståelse för de framträdande omvårdnadsdiagnoserna för att kunna ge denna patientgrupp god vård.

During the nineteenth century, as today, nausea and vomiting were common signs and symptoms of illness, the interpretation of which contributed to doctors' diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic choices. At the core of this thesis lies the research question: how did medical understandings and management of nausea and vomiting change in the period 1800-1900? In addition to being signs of bodily disorder, nausea and vomiting constituted an individual, typically non-medicalised experience of sickness. As such, a secondary thesis question is: how were nausea and vomiting experienced, interpreted and responded to by sufferers? These questions are pursued through four key themes: physiology, vomit analysis, morning sickness and sea-sickness. Medical textbooks, journals, hospital case reports, newspapers, letters and diaries are the principal source base. Throughout the nineteenth century physiological explanations for nausea and vomiting followed a generally reductionist path. In the 1830s Marshall Hall's reflex theory encouraged new perceptions of the nervous mechanisms involved in nausea and vomiting, and helped stimulate their redefinition into local, central and peripheral causes. Changing physiological explanations for nausea and vomiting were also contemporaneous to the growth of microscopy. This thesis draws attention to the interest nineteenth-century practitioners showed in using vomited matters as pathological fluids. This is explored primarily through a case study of sarcina ventriculi, a vegetable microorganism discovered in fermenting vomit. Responses to this discovery showed that laboratory techniques were largely inapplicable to everyday occurrences of nausea and vomiting. Consequently, neither the increasing localisation of the causes of vomiting, nor interest in vomited matters as pathological fluids, contributed to specificity in diagnoses or treatments. This research thereby demonstrates the cumulative and overlapping nature of nineteenth-century medical cosmologies - 'bedside', 'hospital' and 'laboratory' - and the continuation of the 'clinical art'. The histories of morning sickness and sea-sickness contextualise medical understandings of nausea and vomiting in relation to these transient conditions. They bring to the fore perceptions of health and sickness and show that medical theory was often secondary to cultural beliefs and practices. Specifically, this thesis questions the medicalisation of pregnancy during the nineteenth century and uses experiences of sea-sickness to reveal new features of Victorian understandings of the mind-body relationship. This thesis shows that 'feeling sick' (nausea) was arguably as significant to contemporaries as actually 'being sick' (vomiting). It also confirms the complexity and fluidity of taken-for-granted terms such as: 'patient', 'sufferer', 'disease', 'illness' 'sign' and 'symptom', and, of course, 'sick'. Furthermore, it demonstrates the importance to historians of studying everyday, self-limiting illnesses and morbidity.