Playing in the creche: activities for young children

O objetivo deste estudo é verificar se a exposição da criança a atividades lúdicas mediadas por um adulto na creche favorece sua participação em brincadeiras e interações com outras pessoas. Participaram 12 crianças de creche, de ambos os sexos, com idade entre 22 e 26 meses. Foram realizadas 20 sessões coletivas de atividades lúdicas, três vezes por semana. As crianças foram observadas antes e depois da intervenção. Os registros de observação foram analisados quanto à participação em brincadeira e quanto ao comportamento orientado para o ambiente. As medidas pré e pós-intervenção foram comparadas por meio do teste de Wilcoxon. Nessas comparações, houve diminuição da brincadeira solitária, aumento da brincadeira paralela e tendência ao aumento da brincadeira associativa. A interação positiva com criança aumentou e a interação negativa com adulto tendeu para uma redução. A pesquisa traz contribuição para práticas de promoção do desenvolvimento da criança pequena em contexto de creche.This aim of this study was to ascertain if exposure to adult-mediated play activities in a crèche would improve children's participation in play and in social interaction. Twelve children of both sexes, aged from 22 to 26 months, participated in 20 collective play activity sessions, three times a week. We observed the children before and after the intervention and analyzed the observation records in terms of children's participation in play and environment-oriented behavior. By means of comparisons between pre-and post-intervention measures using the Wilcoxon Test, we detected a reduction in solitary play and an increase in associative play. Positive interaction with peers increased, while negative interaction with adults tended to be reduced. The research contributes to practices that promote the development of young children in crèches

Performance variability of family businesses : an empirical study over a sample of italian SMEs

LAUREA MAGISTRALEGli studi in letteratura nell’ambito family business, ad oggi, si sono perlopiù concentrati su aspetti critici quali la family involvement, la succession, il binomio tradizione e innovazione e altri concetti. Sviluppando e approfondendo un tema molto delicato come l’Innovation through tradition e la family involvement nel business, abbiamo esplorato gli effetti che la presenza di quest’ultima causa sulla performance variability nel caso le aziende siano innovative e tradizionali allo stesso momento. Inizialmente partendo da un campione di 1548 aziende, tutte associate al rispettivo codice ATECO, abbiamo definito quali fossero i settori sia innovativi che tradizionali. Quest’ultimo aspetto è stato valutato approfondendo i distretti industriali presenti in Italia. Abbiamo utilizzato tre dimensioni differenti per identificare la family involvement nel business e ipotizzato e verificato tramite regressioni lineari i loro effetti. L’evidenza finale dimostra che la family involvement ha un effetto negativo sulla performance variability dell’impresa in cui operano, questo effetto è ulteriormente accentuato nel caso quest’ultima si trovasse all’interno di un distretto. Questo report ha lo scopo di essere un apripista nella letteratura per approfondire ulteriormente il concetto di performance variability nelle family business.Studies in the family business literature to date have mostly focused on critical issues such as family involvement, succession, tradition and innovation, and other concepts. Developing and deepening a sensitive topic such as Innovation through tradition and family involvement in business, we explored the effects of family involvement on performance variability when firms are both innovative and traditional at the same time. Starting from a sample of 1548 firms, all associated with the respective ATECO code, we defined which sectors were both innovative and traditional. The latter was assessed by looking at the industrial districts in Italy. We used three different dimensions to identify family involvement in business and hypothesized and tested their effects through linear regressions. The final evidence shows that family involvement has a negative effect on the performance variability of the firm in which they operate, and this effect is further accentuated if the latter is located within a district. This report aims to be a pioneer in the literature to further explore the concept of performance variability in family businesses

Mild orotic aciduria in UMPS heterozygotes: a metabolic finding without clinical consequences

BACKGROUND: Elevated urinary excretion of orotic acid is associated with treatable disorders of the urea cycle and pyrimidine metabolism. Establishing the correct and timely diagnosis in a patient with orotic aciduria is key to effective treatment. Uridine monophosphate synthase is involved in de novo pyrimidine synthesis. Uridine monophosphate synthase deficiency (or hereditary orotic aciduria), due to biallelic mutations in UMPS, is a rare condition presenting with megaloblastic anemia in the first months of life. If not treated with the pyrimidine precursor uridine, neutropenia, failure to thrive, growth retardation, developmental delay, and intellectual disability may ensue. METHODS AND RESULTS: We identified mild and isolated orotic aciduria in 11 unrelated individuals with diverse clinical signs and symptoms, the most common denominator being intellectual disability/developmental delay. Of note, none had blood count abnormalities, relevant hyperammonemia or altered plasma amino acid profile. All individuals were found to have heterozygous alterations in UMPS. Four of these variants were predicted to be null alleles with complete loss of function. The remaining variants were missense changes and predicted to be damaging to the normal encoded protein. Interestingly, family screening revealed heterozygous UMPS variants in combination with mild orotic aciduria in 19 clinically asymptomatic family members. CONCLUSIONS: We therefore conclude that heterozygous UMPS-mutations can lead to mild and isolated orotic aciduria without clinical consequence. Partial UMPS-deficiency should be included in the differential diagnosis of mild orotic aciduria. The discovery of heterozygotes manifesting clinical symptoms such as hypotonia and developmental delay are likely due to ascertainment bias

A Study of D0 --> K0(S) K0(S) X Decay Channels

Using data from the FOCUS experiment (FNAL-E831), we report on the decay of $D^0$ mesons into final states containing more than one $K^0_S$. We present evidence for two Cabibbo favored decay modes, $D^0\to K^0_SK^0_S K^- \pi^+$ and $D^0\to K^0_SK^0_S K^+ \pi^-$, and measure their combined branching fraction relative to $D^0\to \bar{K} ^0\pi^+\pi^-$ to be $\frac{\Gamma(D^0\to K^0_SK^0_SK^{\pm}\pi^{\mp})}{\Gamma(D^0\to \bar{K} ^0\pi^+\pi^-)}$ = 0.0106 $\pm$ 0.0019 $\pm$ 0.0010. Further, we report new measurements of $\frac{\Gamma(D^0\to K^0_SK^0_SK^0_S)}{\Gamma(D^0\to \bar{K} ^0\pi^+\pi^-)}$ = 0.0179 $\pm$ 0.0027 $\pm$ 0.0026, $\frac{\Gamma(D^0\to K^0\bar{K} ^0)}{\Gamma(D^0\to \bar{K} ^0\pi^+\pi^-)}$ = 0.0144 $\pm$ 0.0032 $\pm$ 0.0016, and $\frac{\Gamma(D^0\to K^0_SK^0_S\pi^+\pi^-)}{\Gamma(D^0\to \bar{K} ^0\pi^+\pi^-)}$ = 0.0208 $\pm$ 0.0035 $\pm$ 0.0021 where the first error is statistical and the second is systematic.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, typos correcte

Study of Cabibbo Suppressed Decays of the Ds Charmed-Strange Meson involving a KS

We study the decay of Ds meson into final states involving a Ks and report the discovery of Cabibbo suppressed decay modes Ds -> Kspi-pi+pi+ (179 +/- 36 events) and Ds -> Kspi+ (113 +/-26 events). The branching ratios for the new modes are Gamma(Ds -> Kspi-pi+pi+)/Gamma(Ds -> KsK-pi+pi+) = 0.18 +/- 0.04 +/- 0.05 and Gamma(Ds -> Kspi+)/Gamma(Ds -> KsK+) = 0.104 +/- 0.024 +/- 0.013.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure

The Target Silicon Detector for the FOCUS Spectrometer

We describe a silicon microstrip detector interleaved with segments of a beryllium oxide target which was used in the FOCUS photoproduction experiment at Fermilab. The detector was designed to improve the vertex resolution and to enhance the reconstruction efficiency of short-lived charm particles.Comment: 18 pages, 14 figure

Search for a strongly decaying neutral charmed pentaquark

We present a search for a charmed pentaquark decaying strongly to $D^{(*)-}p$. Finding no evidence for such a state, we set limits on the cross section times branching ratio relative to $D^{*-}$ and $D^-$ under particular assumptions about the production mechanism.Comment: To be published in Physics Letters

Study of the D^0 \to pi^-pi^+pi^-pi^+ decay

Using data from the FOCUS (E831) experiment at Fermilab, we present new measurements for the Cabibbo-suppressed decay mode $D^0 \to \pi^-\pi^+\pi^-\pi^+$. We measure the branching ratio $\Gamma(D^0 \to\pi^+\pi^- \pi^+\pi^-)/\Gamma(D^0 \to K^-\pi^+\pi^-\pi^+) = 0.0914 \pm 0.0018 \pm 0.0022$. An amplitude analysis has been performed, a first for this channel, in order to determine the resonant substructure of this decay mode. The dominant component is the decay $D^0 \to a_1(1260)^+ \pi^-$, accounting for 60% of the decay rate. The second most dominant contribution comes from the decay $D^0 \to \rho(770)^0\rho(770)^0$, with a fraction of 25%. We also study the $a_1(1260)$ line shape and resonant substructure. Using the helicity formalism for the angular distribution of the decay $D^0 \to \rho(770)^0\rho(770)^0$, we measure a longitudinal polarization of $P_L = (71 \pm 4\pm 2)$%.Comment: 38 pages, 8 figures. accepted for publication in Physical Review

Dalitz plot analysis of D_s+ and D+ decay to pi+pi-pi+ using the K-matrix formalism

FOCUS results from Dalitz plot analysis of D_s+ and D+ to pi+pi-pi+ are presented. The K-matrix formalism is applied to charm decays for the first time to fully exploit the already existing knowledge coming from the light-meson spectroscopy experiments. In particular all the measured dynamics of the S-wave pipi scattering, characterized by broad/overlapping resonances and large non-resonant background, can be properly included. This paper studies the extent to which the K-matrix approach is able to reproduce the observed Dalitz plot and thus help us to understand the underlying dynamics. The results are discussed, along with their possible implications on the controversial nature of the sigma meson.Comment: To be submitted to Phys.Lett.B A misprint corrected in formula

A Measurement of the Ds+ Lifetime

A high statistics measurement of the Ds+ lifetime from the Fermilab fixed-target FOCUS photoproduction experiment is presented. We describe the analysis of the two decay modes, Ds+ -> phi(1020)pi+ and Ds+ -> \bar{K}*(892)0K+, used for the measurement. The measured lifetime is 507.4 +/- 5.5 (stat.) +/- 5.1 (syst.) fs using 8961 +/- 105 Ds+ -> phi(1020)pi+ and 4680 +/- 90 Ds+ -> \bar{K}*(892)0K+ decays. This is a significant improvement over the present world average.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables, submitted to PR