Jorge Machado

Anatomic Study of the Filum Terminale and Its Correlations with the Tethered Cord Syndrome

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the intradural anatomic features of the filum terminale (FT) in fresh human cadavers, analyzing morphological parameters relevant for the diagnosis of the tethered cord syndrome. METHODS Forty-one fresh cadavers were dissected, and the following parameters were evaluated: cadaver height, weight, and age, FT length, FT diameters at the initial point and midpoint, and topographic relationships of the initial and fusion points of the FT to the adjacent vertebrae. RESULTS The mean FT length was 156.44 mm (range, 112.8–211.1 mm), the mean initial diameter was 1.38 mm (range, 0.4–2.5 mm), and the mean midpoint diameter was 0.76 mm (range, 0.1–1.55 mm). Four specimens (9.76%) exhibited FT thicknesses of more than 2 mm at their initial points. The FT most frequently started at the middle L1 level (19.51%) and fused with the dura mater at the upper S2 level (31.71%). Two fila (4.88%) started below the L2 level. Statistically significant correlations were observed (Pearson correlation, P < 0.05) between specimen weight and height (P = 0.019), initial point and midpoint diameters of the FT (P < 0.001), initial vertebral level and specimen height (P = 0.012), and initial and fusion vertebral levels (P = 0.004). CONCLUSION Variation ranges were large for almost all anatomic parameters of the FT. Six cadavers (14.63%) in our study fulfilled one of the anatomic diagnostic criteria for tethered cord syndrome. Neurosurgeons must remember the normal variations in the anatomic features of this region when establishing the diagnosis of tethered cord syndrome or performing surgical procedures involving the caudal part of the dural sac.

Ativismo em rede e conexões identitárias: novas perspectivas para os movimentos sociais

Neste trabalho, busco identificar as principais caracteristicas das novas formas de organizacao dos movimentos sociais, com base no uso das novas tecnologias de informacao e comunicacao. A partir da descricao de alguns casos, e mostrado como os coletivos sociais atribuem a Internet um papel central em suas formas de articulacao, desenvolvendo com exito novas formas de organizacao, com compartilhamento de metas, alinhamento de estrategias e formacao de coalizoes e aliancas de alcance global. Tal fenomeno abre um amplo horizonte de transformacoes e mudancas sociais, que apontam para o surgimento de novas dinâmicas de acao coletiva com base em complexas redes identitarias, orientadas por valores “universais”. E sobre tais tendencias que enfoco a analise neste paper.

The Use of Open Government Data to Citizen Empowerment

To this date, governments, civil society organizations, and private sector representatives consider Open Government Data as a building block for open government, as they see it as a key enabler of improved service delivery, transparency, and public engagement. But scientific literature also presents and discusses challenges and barriers to the effective citizen empowerment, especially among the most marginalized ones. Unequal skills, resources and time have a big impact on who is making use of OGD. The reach they can have using OGD, as data literacy and skills of individual groups of citizens, and their access to technology, should also be considered. The goal of this research is to analyze the output, outcomes and/or impacts that a network of organizations, institutions and individuals derives from OGD through a case study in the city of São Paulo focusing on a budget-transparency tool used by unskilled citizens.

“Reprodução Proibida”: Financiamento público e direitos de cópia privados | Reproduction forbidden: public financing and private copyrights

Resumo Esse texto apresenta um sumario das pesquisas realizadas pelo Grupo de Politicas Publicas para Acesso a Informacao GPOPAI) desde 2006 sobre o financiamento publico de conteudos cientificos. Os resultados apontam que, apesar do intenso investimento publico no Brasil, o setor privado vem se apropriando e impondo barreiras ao acesso a livros tecnico-cientificos e artigos cientificos – neste caso, em especial, as editoras estrangeiras. No que se refere ao software produzido na academia, os dados apontam para uma completa indiferenca da comunidade e a ausencia de politicas publicas para o seu acesso. De modo geral, os resultados indicam para a necessidade de uma reforma na lei de direitos autorais, de modo a atualiza-la face as novas tecnologias de informacao e comunicacao e a atender ao interesse publico do acesso ao conhecimento que as tecnologias digitais proporcionam. Palavras-chave acesso ao conhecimento, direitos autorais, financiamento publico, ciencia Abstract This paper presents a summary of research conducted since 2006 on public funding of scientific contents by the Public Policy Group for Access to Information (GPOPAI). The results suggest that in the case of technical and scientific books and scientific articles, the private sector is creating and imposing barriers to access to knowledge, despite of intensive public investments in Brazil. In relation to software produced by universities, the community is completely indifferent and there is a lack of public policies for its access. Overall, the results indicate the need for a profound reform and update of copyright law regarding new information and communication technologies, considering the public interest in access to knowledge. Keywords access to knowledge, copyright, public investiment, science