Interpretation of ERTS-MSS images of a Savanna area in eastern Colombia

The application of ERTS-1 imagery for extrapolating existing soil maps into unmapped areas of the Llanos Orientales of Colombia, South America is discussed. Interpretations of ERTS-1 data were made according to conventional photointerpretation techniques. Most units delineated in the existing reconnaissance soil map at a scale of 1:250,000 could be recognized and delineated in the ERTS image. The methods of interpretation are described and the results obtained for specific areas are analyzed

Improving Validity of Referrals for Comprehensive Autism Evaluation : A Tier-2 Direct Autism Observation Checklist

Early identification of autism has received national attention and can lead to positive treatment outcomes. Research has demonstrated that qualitative impairments in social and communicative behaviors can be detected within the first two years of life. Unfortunately, many children with autism will not receive an autism diagnosis until they enter preschool. Professionals within school settings have not often received extensive training on assessment of autism spectrum disorders. Expectations, however, are that school-based teams can identify students who demonstrate characteristics associated with autism and refer those students for a comprehensive autism evaluation. Currently, autism screening tools are limited to rating scales completed by parents or teachers. Although rating scales have value in the screening process, they should not be relied upon solely to determine whether or not further assessment is warranted. Instead, rating scales should be used in conjunction with direct observation in determining if an intensive autism evaluation is necessary. Because direct observation can be subjective and reliant on the skills and experience of the observer, a tool is needed to guide and quantify observations. The current research study provided a retrospective analysis of such an observational screening tool used to observe students enrolled in a preschool program within the Christina School District. The first research question examined the relationship between scores on the observational checklist for students with typical development, developmental delays, and autism. Students with autism scored significantly lower than students with typical development and also lower than those with developmental delays. The second research question examined the effectiveness of individual checklist items at differentiating between the identified groups. Although all items effectively discriminated autism from typical and developmentally delayed peers, removing the two least effective items increased the overall sensitivity, positive predictive validity and negative predictive validity of the checklist. The third research question investigated the relationship between developmental level and overall checklist score. Developmental level, characterized as “high” (cognitive score of 85 or greater) or “low” (cognitive score of 84 or lower) did not correlate with performance on the checklist. Regardless of developmental level, the checklist correctly identified children within the autism group, based on a cut-score lower than 10 (on the 12-item checklist)

Educação física para escolares com síndrome de down, uma breve reflexão das possibilidades

Introdução: Síndrome de Down é presença do cromossomo 21 nas células que ocorre na maioria dos casos por não disjunção cromossômica, as características dessa síndrome são, retardo mental, face larga, pregas epicânticas, língua sulcada, baixa estatura dentre outras, os sindrômicos precisam de um desenvolvimento mental e social e é a Educação Física a grande responsável. O aluno com síndrome de down tem controle das funções motoras e mentais, porém com certo atraso comparado a alunos normais e estes alunos necessitam de uma intervenção para que recuperem esse atraso e é nas aulas de Educação Física onde serão ofertados estes estímulos e a disciplina também promove uma interação, inclusão e construção de relacionamentos exatamente pelo seu currículo flexível. Objetivo: Desenvolver possíveis respostas ao seguinte questionamento: “Quais são as contribuições em relação à inclusão, aspectos motores e psicomotores da Educação Física para escolares com síndrome de down?”. Materiais e Métodos: Foram analisados artigos publicados em periódicos nacionais relevantes, disponíveis para consulta em base de dados, tais como: Scielo, Google Acadêmico, as palavras utilizadas como chave de pesquisa foram, psicomotricidade, desenvolvimento motor, síndrome de down, inclusão escolar, educação física adaptada. Considerações Finais: A Educação Física é fator determinante para o bom rendimento dos alunos com Síndrome de Down e a psicomotricidade contribui com a melhoria na motricidade global, lateralidade, equilíbrio, esquema corporal. Alunos com a síndrome possuem dificuldade no relacionamento com seus colegas de classe e que isso está totalmente ligado a seus índices insatisfatórios na aprendizagem, por isso existe a necessidade de novos estudos e métodos de intervenção.Introduction: Down syndrome is the presence of chromosome 21 in cells that occurs in most cases by not chromosomal disjunction, the features of this syndrome are, mental retardation, wide face, epicânticas folds, Lingua plicata, short stature, among others, the sindrômicos need a mental and social development and physical education is largely responsible. The student with down syndrome has control of mental and motor functions, but with certain delay compared to normal students and those students in need of an intervention to recover the delay and is in physical education classes where they will be offered these incentives and discipline also promotes an interaction, inclusion and building relationships exactly by its flexible curriculum. Objective: to Develop possible responses to the following question: "what are the contributions in relation to inclusion, and psychomotor aspects of physical education to school children with down syndrome?". Materials and Methods: We analyzed articles published in national journals, available for consultation in the database, such as Scielo, Google Scholar, the words used as lookup key were, psychomotor, motor development, down syndrome, school inclusion, adapted physical education. Final Considerations: Physical education is a determining factor for the good performance of students with Down syndrome and the psychomotricity contributes to improvement in the global Motricity, laterality, balance, body schema. Students with the syndrome have difficulty in relating to their classmates and that it is fully wired to their unsatisfactory learning indices, so there is a need for new studies and intervention methods

Molecular assessment of complex microbial communities degrading long chain fatty acids in methanogenic bioreactors

Microbial diversity of anaerobic sludge after extended contact with long chain fatty acids (LCFA) was studied using molecular approaches. Samples containing high amounts of accumulated LCFA were obtained after continuous loading of two bioreactors with oleate or with palmitate. These sludge samples were then incubated in batch assays to allow degradation of the biomass-associated LCFA. In addition, sludge used as inoculum for the reactors was also characterized. Predominant phylotypes of the different samples were monitored using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene fragments. Fingerprinting analysis showed changes in bacterial and archaeal communities during LCFA accumulation and degradation. Full-length 16S rRNA gene sequences of 22 clones, representing the predominant bacteria and archaea, were determined. Most bacterial clones (80%) clustered within the Clostridiaceae. Two major groups of methanogens were identified: hydrogen- and formate-utilizing organisms, closely related to Methanobacterium, and acetoclastic organisms closely related to Methanosaeta and Methanosarcina. Quantification by FISH and real-time PCR showed that the relative abundance of archaea increased during degradation of biomass-accumulated LCFA. These results provide insight into the importance and dynamics of balanced communities of bacteria and methanogens in LCFAaccumulation/ degradation cycles.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT); Fundo Social Europeu (FSE)

O imperialismo e a resistência na áfrica de 1885 à 1995.

O que se sabe sobre a África, hoje em dia, é normalmente atribuído a uma visão dos europeus conquistadores. A história dos africanos sofreu influência da historiografia etnocêntrica dos europeus, sendo muitas vezes ignorada a participação dos africanos em sua própria história. A resistência cultural era muito importante para os africanos frente aos esforços dos colonizadores de impedir práticas culturais e o exercício da identidade daqueles povos. Entretanto, movimentos populares cresciam na África ainda no século XIX, lutando contra o domínio colonial. Era uma resposta à Conferência de Berlim, que em 1885, os países europeus estabeleceram a partilha do território africano. Nesse sentido, o presente trabalho consiste numa análise sobre o imperialismo europeu e a resistência dos movimentos de libertação da África num recorte histórico de 1885 à 1995. A pesquisa bibliográfica foi elaborada e analisada por docentes e discente dos cursos de Geografia e História. Palavras-chave: Imperialismo. África. Resistênci