The Development of Science Education Research in Brazil and Contributions from the History and Philosophy of Science

Over the last 50 years a new research area, science education research, has arisen and undergone singular development worldwide. In the specific case of Brazil, research in science education first appeared systematically 40 years ago, as a consequence of an overall renovation in the field of science education. This evolution was also related to the political events taking place in the country. We will use the theoretical work of Rene Kaes on the development of groups and institutions as a basis for our discussion of the most important aspects that have helped the area of science education research develop into an institution and kept it operating as such. The growth of this area of research can be divided into three phases: The first was related to its beginning and early configurations; the second consisted of a process of consolidation of this institution; and the third consists of more recent developments, characterised by a multiplicity of research lines and corresponding challenges to be faced. In particular, we will analyse the special contributions to this study gleaned from the field known as the history and philosophy of science.

Why Implementing History and Philosophy in School Science Education is a Challenge: An Analysis of Obstacles

Teaching and learning with history and philosophy of science (HPS) has been, and continues to be, supported by science educators. While science education standards documents in many countries also stress the importance of teaching and learning with HPS, the approach still suffers from ineffective implementation in school science teaching. In order to better understand this problem, an analysis of the obstacles of implementing HPS into classrooms was undertaken. The obstacles taken into account were structured in four groups: 1. culture of teaching physics, 2. teachers` skills, epistemological and didactical attitudes and beliefs, 3. institutional framework of science teaching, and 4. textbooks as fundamental didactical support. Implications for more effective implementation of HPS are presented, taking the social nature of educational systems into account.

New data on the natural history and description of the immatures of Fulgeochlizus bruchi, a bioluminescent beetle from Central Brazil (Elateridae, Pyrophorini)

The mature larva and pupa of Fulgeochlizus bruchi (Candèze, 1896) are described and illustrated. Bioluminescent patterns are also given. Comments, new data on the first instar larva and natural history data are presented. The first instar larvae differ from the mature larvae mainly in their chaetotaxy, which is sparse and more symmetrically distributed.

Natural history and population data of fishes in caves of the Serra do Ramalho karst area, Middle São Francisco basin, northeastern Brazil

During the exploration and mapping of new caves in Serra do Ramalho karst area, southern Bahia state, cavers from the Grupo Bambuí de Pesquisas Espeleológicas - GBPE (Belo Horizonte) noticed the presence of troglomorphic catfishes (species with reduced eyes and/or melanic pigmentation), which we intensively investigated with regards to their ecology and behavior since 2005. Non-troglomorphic fishes regularly found in the studied caves were included in this investigation. We present here data on the natural history of two troglobitic (exclusively subterranean troglomorphic species) fishes - Rhamdia enfurnada Bichuette & Trajano, 2005 (Heptapteridae; Gruna do Enfurnado) and Trichomycterus undescribed species (Trichomycteridae; Lapa dos Peixes and Gruna da Água Clara), and non-troglomorphic Hoplias cf. malabaricus, probably a troglophile (able to form populations both in epigean and subterranean habitats) in the Gruna do Enfurnado, and Pimelodella sp., a species with a sink population in the Lapa dos Peixes.

Peak torque and rate of torque development in elderly with and without fall history

Background Falls are one of the greatest concerns among the elderly A number of studies have described peak torque as one of the best fall-related predictor. No studies have comprehensively focused on the rate of torque development of the lower limb muscles among elderly fallers. Then, the aim of this study was to determine the relationship between muscle peak torque and rate of torque development of the lower limb joints in elderly with and without fall history It was also aimed to determine whether these parameters of muscle performance (i e, peak torque and rate of torque development) are related to the number of falls. Methods: Thirty-one women volunteered to participate in the study and were assigned in one of the groups according to the number of falls over the 12 months that preceded the present Then, participants with no fall history (Cl; n = 13; 67.6[7.5] years-old), one fall (GII; n = 8, 66 0[4 91 years-old) and two or more falls (GIII, n = 10; 67.8[8.8] years-old) performed a number of lower limb maximal isometric voluntary contractions from which peak torque and rate of torque development were quantified Findings. Primary outcomes indicated no peak torque differences between experimental groups in any lower limb joint. The rate of torque development of the knee flexor muscles observed in the non-fallers (Cl) was greater than that observed in the fallers (P < 0.05) and had a significant relationship with the number of falls (P < 0 05) Interpretation. The greater knee flexor muscles` rate of torque development found in the non-fallers in comparison to the fallers indicated that the ability of the elderly to rapidly reorganise the arrangement of the lower limb may play a significant role in allowing the elderly to recover balance after a trip. Thus, training stimulus aimed to improve the rate of torque development may be more beneficial to prevent falls among the elderly than other training stimulus, which are not specifically designed to improve the ability to rapidly produce large amounts of torque (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd

Thermal history versus sedimentary history: OSL sensitivity of quartz grains extracted from rocks and sediments

The optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) sensitivity of quartz has a significant influence on luminescence dating procedures. Furthermore, identifying the natural controls of quartz OSL sensitivity is an important step towards new applications of OSL in geology such as provenance tracing. We evaluate the OSL sensitivity (total and the proportion of the informally assigned fast, medium and slow components) of single grains of quartz extracted from 10 different igneous and metamorphic rocks with known formation conditions; and from fluvial and coastal sediments with different sedimentary histories and known source rocks. This sample suite allows assessment of the variability of the OSL sensitivity of single quartz grains with respect to their primary origin and sedimentary history. We observed significant variability in the OSL sensitivity of grains within all studied rock and sediment samples, with the brightest grains of each sample being those dominated by the fast component. Quartz from rocks formed under high temperature (> 500 degrees C) conditions, such as rhyolites and metamorphic rocks from the amphibolite facies, display higher OSL sensitivity. The OSL sensitivity of fluvial sediments which have experienced only a short transport distance is relatively low. These sediments show a small increase in OSL sensitivity downstream, mainly due to a decreasing fraction of ""dim"" grains. The quartz grains from coastal sands present very high sensitivity and variability, which is consistent with their long sedimentary history. The high variability of the OSL sensitivity of quartz from coastal sands is attributed more to the mixture of grains with distinct sedimentary histories than to the provenance from many types of source rocks. The temperature of crystallization and the number of cycles of burial and solar exposure are suggested as the main natural factors controlling the OSL sensitivity of quartz grains. The increase in OSL sensitivity due to cycles of erosion and deposition surpasses the sensitivity inherited from the source rock, with this increase being mainly related to the sensitization of fast OSL components. The discrimination of grains with different sedimentary histories through their OSL sensitivities can allow the development of quantitative provenance methods based on quartz. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.