Employability, Changes and Psychosociological Demands on Work

This article presents some reflections on the `employability` construct, based on the ""Empregabilidade: Versoes e implicacoes. Uma leitura desde a Psicologia Social"" research project. Its history is presented first as an instrumental notion implying several meanings, all oriented towards holding people responsible for entering, staying at or leaving jobs. This reflection includes, beyond individualization, questions about visible or invisible actors involved in labor markets and in the definition of its criteria and rules. Interfaces with the academic world and formation devices are also discussed, as well as demands for Human Resources personnel and practices. Finally, questions about the psychosocial implications of the phenomenon are presented.

The nurse and the care to the elderly women: a social phenomenological approach

Objective: To understand how nurses see care delivery to elderly women. Methods: In this phenomenological study, ten nurses working at Primary Health Care Units were interviewed between September 2010 and January 2011. Results: In care delivery, nurses consider the elderly women's knowledge background and biographical situation, and also value the family's participation as a care mediator. These professionals have the acuity to capture these women's specific demands, but face difficulties to deliver care to these clients. Nurses expect to deliver qualified care to these women. Conclusion: The theoretical and methodological approach of social phenomenology permitted revealing that the nurse designs qualified care to elderly women, considering the possibilities in the context. This includes the participation of different social actors and health sectors, assuming collective efforts in action strategies and professional training, in line with the particularities and care needs of elderly women nurses identify.

The standpoint of professionals on the presence and demands of men on the healthcare services: perspectives for the analysis of the implementation of the Comprehensive Healthcare Policy for Men

In 2009, the Brazilian Comprehensive Healthcare Policy for Men (PNAISH) was launched in Brazil, seeking to reduce morbidity and mortality in this population group. This article strives to analyze the conceptions that health professionals have about the specific demands and behaviors of the male population served by the healthcare services. The data analyzed are part of a larger research project, the objective of which was to evaluate the initial actions of the implementation of PNAISH. Ethnographic observations in 11 health services and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 health professionals. From the perspective of health professionals, the presence of men in the healthcare services is still limited. According to them, it is comprised of two types of clients: workers and the elderly. The male behavior characteristics - haste, objectivity, fear and resistance - and the difficulty faced by health services in receiving this population are the main factors that drive men away from health services. Although the concept of gender is central to PNAISH, it is only triggered by healthcare professionals in order to justify the social standards expected in terms of men's behavior. The attribution of men's behavior to cultural factors ultimately obscures the relations of power that underlie gender relations.

Rationale and knowledge for the universal implementation of sanitation in areas of social vulnerability

The adoption of principles of equality and universality stipulated in legislation for the sanitation sector requires discussions on innovation. The existing model was able to meet sanitary demands, but was unable to attend all areas causing disparities in vulnerable areas. The universal implementation of sanitation requires identification of the know-how that promotes it and analysis of the model adopted today to establish a new method. Analysis of how different viewpoints on the restructuring process is necessary for the definition of public policy, especially in health, and understanding its complexities and importance in confirming social practices and organizational designs. These are discussed to contribute to universal implementation of sanitation in urban areas by means of a review of the literature and practices in the industry. By way of conclusion, it is considered that accepting a particular concept or idea in sanitation means choosing some effective interventions in the network and on the lives of individual users, and implies a redefinition of the space in which it exercises control and management of sewerage networks, such that connected users are perceived as groups with different interests.

Relationship between body size and flying-related structures in Neotropical social wasps (Polistinae, Vespidae, Hymenoptera)

Body size influences wing shape and associated muscles in flying animals which is a conspicuous phenomenon in insects, given their wide range in body size. Despite the significance of this, to date, no detailed study has been conducted across a group of species with similar biology allowing a look at specific relationship between body size and flying structures. Neotropical social vespids are a model group to study this problem as they are strong predators that rely heavily on flight while exhibiting a wide range in body size. In this paper we describe the variation in both wing shape, as wing planform, and mesosoma muscle size along the body size gradient of the Neotropical social wasps and discuss the potential factors affecting these changes. Analyses of 56 species were conducted using geometric morphometrics for the wings and lineal morphometrics for the body; independent contrast method regressions were used to correct for the phylogenetic effect. Smaller vespid species exhibit rounded wings, veins that are more concentrated in the proximal region, larger stigmata and the mesosoma is proportionally larger than in larger species. Meanwhile, larger species have more elongated wings, more distally extended venation, smaller stigmata and a proportionally smaller mesosoma. The differences in wing shape and other traits could be related to differences in flight demands caused by smaller and larger body sizes. Species around the extremes of body size distribution may invest more in flight muscle mass than species of intermediate sizes.

Nurses and care delivery to elderly women: a social phenomenological approach

OBJECTIVE: To understand how nurses see care delivery to elderly women. METHODS: In this phenomenological study, ten nurses working at Primary Health Care Units were interviewed between September 2010 and January 2011. RESULTS: In care delivery, nurses consider the elderly women's knowledge background and biographical situation, and also value the family's participation as a care mediator. These professionals have the acuity to capture these women's specific demands, but face difficulties to deliver care to these clients. Nurses expect to deliver qualified care to these women. CONCLUSION: The theoretical and methodological approach of social phenomenology permitted revealing that the nurse designs qualified care to elderly women, considering the possibilities in the context. This includes the participation of different social actors and health sectors, assuming collective efforts in action strategies and professional training, in line with the particularities and care needs of elderly women nurses identify.