Executive functions in preschool children with aggressive behavior: impairments in inhibitory control

The question whether executive function (EF) deficits in children are associated with conduct problems remains controversial. Although the origins of aggressive behavior are to be found in early childhood, findings from EF studies in preschool children with aggressive behavior are inconsistent. The current study aimed to investigate whether preschool children with aggressive behavior show impairments in EF. From a population-based sample, 82 preschool children who were showing aggressive behavior as indicated by scores at or above the 93rd percentile on the Aggressive Behavior Scale of the CBCL 1 1/2-5 were selected. These children with aggressive behavior were matched on IQ to a group of typically developing control children (N=99). Six neuropsychological tasks were administered to assess set shifting, inhibition, working memory and verbal fluency. A factor analysis was conducted which yielded one clear factor: inhibition. Aggressive preschool children showed poorer performance on this inhibition factor than control children and boys performed worse on this factor than girls. This association between aggressive behavior and inhibition deficits was maintained after controlling for attention problems. In addition, gender differences in all EFs measured were found with boys exhibiting more impairment in EF than girls. These findings demonstrate that preschool children with aggressive behavior show impairments in inhibition, irrespective of attention problems

Microscopic anatomy of sensory receptors

Experiences following stimulation of the senses have been recorded for millennia, and they could be related to the gross anatomy of the sense organs. Examination of their microanatomy was to await the development of achromatic microscopes in the early nineteenth century. Among the microscopic structures that were isolated and described were specialized sensory cells, called receptors, and they could be related to the stimuli that excited them. Those located in well-defined sense organs (like the eyes, ears, nose, and tongue) were named on the basis of their morphology, whereas the receptors in or beneath the surface of the skin were generally named after those who first described them. Illustrations of early representations of sensory receptors are combined with "perceptual portraits" of the microanatomists who described them.</p

Livro didático público paranaense "lingua portuguesa e literatura" : o professor-autor e o gênero discursivo

Orientadora: Profa. Dra. Iara Bemquerer CostaAutor não autorizou a divulgação do arquivo digitalTese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências Humanas, Letras e Artes, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Letras. Defesa: Curitiba, 23/04/2012Bibliografia: fls. 163-178Área de concentração :Resumo: Esta pesquisa descritivo-explicativa tem como objetivo averiguar a relacao dialogica entre o Livro Didatico Publico Paranaense \Lingua Portuguesa e Literatura. (LDP-PR) e os livros representantes do genero discursivo Livro Didatico de Lingua Portuguesa (LD-LP). A partir de uma perspectiva socio-historico-discursiva e empregando fontes bibliografica e documental, desenvolvemos esta pesquisa em duas etapas. Na primeira, procuramos efetuar uma reflexao teorica sobre os Generos Discursivos (BAKHTIN) e sobre como a abordagem sociointeracionista se apropria desta concepcao bakhtiniana e discute a questao da didatizacao dos generos (SCHNEUWLY e DOLZ). Na segunda, aplicamos estes pressupostos ao LDP-PR com o intuito de averiguar o encaminhamento didatico dado aos textos de generos discursivos empregados neste material didatico. A partir desta averiguacao do conteudo tematico do LDP-PR, realizada pelo trabalho com as praticas de leitura, escrita e oralidade, buscamos sustentacao para a analise deste LD como um exemplar do genero LD-LP. Nossos resultados mostram que o LDP-PR inova na escolha do conteudo tematico, mas mantem o estilo (marcado pelo emprego de discursos injuntivos, explicativos e expositivos) e a construcao composicional (de textualidade multimodal) tipicos do genero LD-LP. Creditamos a autoria multipla (constituida por professores da rede escolar), marcada pela experiencia reduzida e a merce da Secretaria de Estado da Educacao do Parana (SEED-PR) este apego ao genero consolidado.Abstract: This descriptive-explanatory research aims to investigate the dialogic relationship between the Parana‘s Public Textbook "Portuguese and Literature" (LDP-PR) and the representative books of the discursive genre of Portuguese Textbook (LP-LD). From a socio-historic-discursive perspective and by the use of bibliographical and documentary sources, we developed this research in two stages. In the first one, we carried out a theoretical reflection about the Discursive Genres (BAKHTIN) and how the social interactionist approach appropriates this Bakhtinian concept and discusses the issue of making genre educational (SCHNEUWLY and DOLZ). In the second one, we applied these assumptions to the LDP-PR with the intent of investigating the educational directions given to the texts of discursive genres employed in such a teaching materials. From this investigation of the LDP-PR‘s thematic contents, performed through the work with reading, writing and speaking skills practices, we sought support for the analysis of this LD as an exemplar of the LD-LP genre. Our results reveal that the LDP-PR innovates the choice of the thematic content but retains the style (marked by the use of injunctive, explanatory and expository discourses) and compositional construction (multimodal textuality) that is typical of the LD-LP genre. We attribute to the multiple authorship (made up of teachers from the public educational system), marked by limited experience and at the mercy of the Parana‘s State Department of Education (SEED-PR), this attachment to the consolidated genre

Electric telegraphy in the pages of “O Instituto”, Journal of Coimbra’s Academy

Analisamos os avanços da telegrafia eléctrica e da telegrafia sem fios no mundo e, em particular, em Portugal, com base em artigos da revista O Instituto, publicada pelo Instituto de Coimbra, uma sociedade científica, fundada em 1852, que reuniu um vasto leque de personalidades das ciências e artes nacionais. Passamos em revista os principais artigos sobre a telegrafia: o artigo de José Maria de Abreu de 1855, publicado menos de um mês depois da adjudicação das primeiras linhas telegráficas em Portugal; o parecer da Faculdade de Filosofia da Universidade de Coimbra sobre as deliberações do Congresso e Conferências de Paris para determinação das unidades eléctricas, onde esteve Santos Viegas, Presidente do Instituto; e o artigo de Álvaro Silva Basto de 1903 sobre a telegrafia sem fios. Uma menção especial é feita ao artigo de Adriano Paiva Brandão de 1878 sobre telescopiaWe analyze the advances of electric telegraphy and of wireless telegraphy in the world and, in particular, in Portugal, based on articles of the periodical O Instituto, published by the Instituto de Coimbra, a scientific society, founded in 1852, that gathered many Portuguese personalities of science and arts. We review the main articles on telegraphy: the paper by José Maria de Abreu in 1855, less than a month after the adjudication of the first telegraphic lines in Portugal; the assessment by the Philosophical Faculty of the University of Coimbra on the deliberations of the Congress and Conferences of Paris for the unification of electric units, where Santos Viegas, the President of the Coimbra's Institute was present; and the paper of Álvaro Silva Basto in 1903 on wireless telegraphy. Special mention is made to the article by Adriano Paiva Brandão in 1978 on telescop