The sociological perspective on the knowledge-based society: assumptions, facts and visions

The paper will present the central discourse of the knowledge-based society. Already in the 1960s the debate of the industrial society already raised the question whether there can be considered a paradigm shift towards a knowledge-based society. Some prominent authors already foreseen ���knowledge��� as the main indicator in order to displace ���labour��� and ���capital��� as the main driving forces of the capitalistic development. Today on the political level and also in many scientific disciplines the assumption that we are already living in a knowledge-based society seems obvious. Although we still do not have a theory of the knowledge-based society and there still exist a methodological gap about the empirical indicators, the vision of a knowledge-based society determines at least the perception of the Western societies. In a first step the author will pinpoint the assumptions about the knowledge-based society on three levels: on the societal, on the organisational and on the individual level. These assumptions are relied on the following topics: a) The role of the information and communication technologies; b) The dynamic development of globalisation as an ���evolutionary��� process; c) The increasing importance of knowledge management within organisations; d) The changing role of the state within the economic processes. Not only the differentiation between the levels but also the revision of the assumptions of a knowledge-based society will show that the ���topics raised in the debates��� cannot be considered as the results of a profound societal paradigm shift. However what seems very impressive is the normative and virtual shift towards a concept of modernity, which strongly focuses on the role of technology as a driving force as well as on the global economic markets, which has to be accepted. Therefore ��� according to the official debate - the successful adaptation of these processes seems the only way to meet the knowledge-based society. Analysing the societal changes on the three levels, the label ���knowledge-based society��� can be seen critically. Therefore the main question of Theodor W. Adorno during the 16th Congress of Sociology in 1968 did not loose its actuality. Facing the societal changes he asked whether we are still living in the industrial society or already in a post-industrial state. Thinking about the knowledge-based society according to these two options, this exercise would enrich the whole debate in terms of social inequality, political, economic exclusion processes and at least the power relationship between social groups.

Unlimited or disrupted communication? How does the development of the mobile phone effect our ability of social action?

The aim of this essay is to discuss the thesis of the German Sociologist G��nter Burkhart that in modern societies a phenomenon appeared which he calls ���handymania���, an excessive and nearly addictive use of the mobile phones especially from adolescents. After a short overview about the history of the cell phone, I will relate this development to J��rgen Habermas ���theory of communicative action���, more precisely to his diagnosis of a pathological society (���lifeworld���) to find out if the ���handymania��� could be one expression of it. Adjacent I will present social-psychological theories from E.H.Erikson and Tilmann Habermas to ascertain whether juveniles could really be a high-risk group for this kind of addiction. I will focus on the ability to communicate in an Habermasian way that could be seriously harmed by the unregulated usage of cell phones.

Miocene marine-continental correlations in the Lisbon area and some discussion related to personnal experience

Sandpit exploitation near Lisbon allowed collecting of many Miocene, non marine fossils. These sands are part of the mostly marine Miocene series in the Lower Tagus basin. The particularly favourable situation led several researchers to deal with marine-continental correlations. Difficulties often concern methodologic aspects. Some poorly based interpretations exerced a lasting influence. A critical approach is presented. Analysis requires data. Methods based upon models often lead to the temptation of fitting data in order to confirm a priori conclusions, or of mixing up data as if of equal statistic value while they have not at all the same weight. Erroneous interpretations' uncritical repetition for many years "upgraded" them into absolute truth. Another point is endemism vs. europeism. Miocene mammals from Lisbon compared well with corresponding French, contemporaneous taxa, while this was apparently not true for Spanish ones. Too much accent had been put on the endemic character of Spanish, or even regional, mammalian faunas. Nationalist bias and sensationalism also weigh, albeit negatively. Meanwhile nearly all the more evident examples as the rhinoceros Hispanotherium are discredited as Iberian endemisms. Taxa may appear as endemic just because they have not yet been found elsewhere. At least for the medium to large-sized mammals, with their huge geographic distribution, faunal differences depend much more on ecology, climate and environmental conditions. Emphasis on differences may also result from researchers that are often in a precarious situation and need very much to achieve short-term, preferably sensational results. Overvalued differences may mask real similarities. Unethic and not scientific behaviour are further enhanced by "nomina nuda" tricks that may simply be a way to circunvent or cheat the Priority Rule. On the other hand, access to communication networks may present as sensational novelties items that are not new at all, misleading the audience. A new class of "science people" arose, created by the media and not by the value of their real achievements. Discussion is presented on sedimentation processes and discontinuities that are often regarded as absolute precision dating tools, as well as on some geochemical and paleomagnetic interpretations. A very good chronologie frame has been obtained for the basin under study on the basis of an impressive set of data, providing a rather detailed and accurate frame for Miocene marine-continental correlations.

Modela����o de organismos com crescimento logar��tmico: aplica����o ��s amonites *

This work refers to the development of modelling tools to create Ammonite shells in order to produce animated models for scientific dissemination and didactic purposes. In the approach here proposed we assume that the growth of those shells from an initial stage ��� the protoconch ��� can be interpreted as a succession of revolutions in turn of a central axis; thus the conch���s section will increase as a non-linear progression. So, we emphasise that the shape of many type of shells, e.g. gastropods and bivalves, is based on the equation of the logarithmic spiral deduced by R. Descartes. Pixels 3d (Pixels Digital Inc., 2005) is a TCL ��� scriptable modelling and animation software that allows extendable interapplication communication. Hence a standalone prototype (Shellia) with shell assignable parameters was produced and some of their issues and results will be presented here.

Communication and choice in yeast mating

Disserta����o apresentada para obten����o do grau de doutor em Biologia de Sistemas pelo Instituto de Tecnologia Qu��mica e Biol��gica da Universidade Nova de Lisboa.

Molecular modelling of ABC transporters: from ATP hydrolysis to substrate transport

Disserta����o para a obten����o de grau de doutor em Bioqu��mica pelo Instituto de Tecnologia Qu��mica e Biol��gica da Universidade Nova de Lisboa

Bridging environmental conflicts with social metabolism : forestry expansion and socioeconomic change

Disserta����o apresentada para obten����o do Grau de Doutor em Ci��ncias do Ambiente, pela Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ci��ncias e Tecnologia

Bacterial inter-species communication mediated by the autoinducer-2 signal

Dissertation presented to obtain the Ph.D degree in Biology by Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Instituto de Tecnologia Qu��mica e Biol��gica, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ci��ncia.

Epidemiologia e Sa��de P��bli

RESUMO - Visa-se explicitar a origem, a raz��o de ser, a natureza e o que se perspectiva da rela����o entre a Epidemiologia e a Sa��de P��blica, atrav��s de uma leitura hist��rica. As duas entidades foram-se definindo e fazendo sentido em conjunto, com sucessos e, tamb��m, muita pol��mica, desde h�� mil��nios e at�� meados do s��culo XIX. Nesta ��poca, uma combina����o de circunst��ncias proporcionou-lhes uma explos��o de crescimento e de defini����o, de par com v��rias outras ��reas disciplinares. Desde o antigo relato b��blico de como boa alimenta����o explica o bom estado de sa��de, at�� �� valoriza����o cient��fica das condicionantes sociais e econ��micas da sa��de por Marmot e Rose, passando por ��miasmas�� causando doen��a e pela desloca����o do conceito de risco individual de sa��de para o de risco populacional ��� com as implica����es inerentes a essa importante inova����o ���, este percurso permite identificar as funda����es de t��o not��vel simbiose, explicar o estado presente, v��-la evoluir e achar nela o significado do patrim��nio hoje dispon��vel, e o que ele promete. Algumas discrep��ncias quanto �� designa����o dos seus m��todos, bem como a cont��nua discuss��o quanto �� sua verdadeira natureza e orienta����o futura, atestam a juventude da Epidemiologia como disciplina cient��fica. Entretanto, a Sa��de P��blica esfor��a-se por manter a sua ess��ncia integradora, �� medida que outras disciplinas contribuem mais para que concretize os seus objectivos; �� desafiada pela exposi����o das popula����es, em larga escala, a factores de doen��a, por vezes de intensidade m��nima, e pelo surgimento de novas doen��as ou a amplia����o do volume de outras na popula����o, muitas vezes n��o respeitando fronteiras. A hist��ria dessa simbiose mostra bem que conhecer o modo como uma doen��a se origina permite control��-la na popula����o, ou mesmo evit��-la, e que �� grande o n��mero de problemas que, em sinergia, as duas disciplinas podem clarificar e resolver. Assim, a Epidemiologia oferece �� Sa��de P��blica explica����es (olhos, intelig��ncia e linguagem) para os problemas de sa��de das popula����es ��� o que permite �� segunda saber sobre o qu�� agir ���, cen��rios de poss��vel evolu����o dos problemas ��� o que permite aos decisores optarem em fun����o de diferentes pressupostos, sobre como agir ��� e capacidade de ju��zo sobre os resultados das ac����es empreendidas, em simult��neo com a eleva����o do n��vel de consci��ncia, de compreens��o e de interven����o quanto ao que se est�� a passar, tanto pelos profissionais, como pela popula����o ��� transfer��ncia do conhecimento. Facilmente se antecipa que a rela����o entre as duas disciplinas ir�� evoluir para maior complexidade e, tamb��m, solicita����o e exig��ncia da Sa��de P��blica sobre a Epidemiologia, que ter�� que corresponder em utilidade. E esta, continuando a subespecializar-se e a sofisticar-se tanto nos m��todos, como nos enfoques sobre categorias espec��ficas de factores, precisar�� de progredir muito na gest��o da sua consist��ncia enquanto corpo de conhecimento integrado e com peculiaridades metodol��gicas, �� semelhan��a da Sa��de P��blica.O modo como evoluir�� a rela����o entre ambas depende ainda da evolu����o dos pr��prios problemas, conceitos, teorias e solu����es relacionados com a sa��de das popula����es, e ainda do desenvolvimento das demais disciplinas chamadas �� integra����o por ambas, para enfrentarem esses desafios. Nomeadamente, a Epidemiologia ter�� que gerir com per��cia dificuldades j�� identificadas, como: incorporar m��todos qualitativos de investiga����o na sua fort��ssima tradi����o e cultura quantitativa; operacionalizar satisfatoriamente o conceito de ��risco atribu��vel na popula����o��, ao servi��o da defini����o de prioridades de ac����o dirigida ��s necessidades de sa��de; aperfei��oar modelos de interpreta����o causal que respeitem a multicausalidade; aproveitar as t��cnicas estat��sticas de an��lise multivariada, sem se perder na abstrac����o dos seus modelos; desenvolver a investiga����o nas dimens��es positivas de sa��de, al��m da doen��a, para contribuir melhor para a realiza����o da Sa��de P��blica, sua principal cliente e fornecedora de oportunidades.--------------------------ABSTRACT - The aim of the author is to explicit the origin, the rationale, the nature and the prospects of the relationship between Epidemiology and Public health, through an historic approach. The two entities have been defining and making sense together, by achieving successes, but also with much controversy, since millennia ago, until mid XIX century. A combination of circumstances provided them the opportunity for an explosion of growth and definition, then, alongside several other disciplines. From the ancient biblical report on how good food explains good health, up to the scientific appreciation of both social and economical constraints to health by Marmot and Rose, passing through ��miasma�� causing disease and through displacing from individual health risk to population risk ��� with the inherent implications of that important innovation ���, this route allows the identification of the foundations of such remarkable symbiosis, the explanation of current status, to see its evolution and find in it the meaning of today���s heritage and what it promises. Some discrepancies on the name of its methods, as well as the continuing discussion about its true nature and future orientation, attest Epidemiology���s youth as a scientific discipline. Meanwhile, Public Health strives to keep its integrating essence, while other disciplines increasingly contribute so that it achieves its objectives; it is challenged by large scale population exposure to disease factors, sometimes with a minimum intensity, and by new diseases emerging in the population or by old ones getting amplified, often not respecting regions boundaries. The history of such a symbiosis shows that knowing the way a disease is generated allows to control it in the population, or even to avoid it, and that the number of problems that the two disciplines are able to clarify and solve together in synergy is considerable. Therefore, Epidemiology offers Public Health explanations (eyes, intelligence and language) for populations���s health problems ��� allowing that the latter knows on what to act ���, scenarios on how problems may tend to evolve ��� allowing decision-makers to make their choices as a function of different assumptions, on how to act ��� and judgement capabilities on the results of already undertaken actions, accompanied by the raising of conscience level, understanding and intervention of what is going on by both professionals and the population ��� knowledge transfer. It is easy to anticipate that the relationship between both disciplines will develop towards increasing complexity and demand from Public Health to Epidemiology, and that this one will have to correspond in usefulness. And the latter, while continuing its subspecialisation and sophistication either in its methods, or in its approaches to specific factor categories, will need to progress in managing its consistency as an integrated body of knowledge having methodological peculiarities, similarly to Public Health. Further, the way the relationship between both will evolve depends on the evolution of the problems themselves, of the concepts, theories and solutions related to the health of populations, and on the development of remaining disciplines called to integration by both, in other to face those problems. Namely, Epidemiology will have to manage with expertise some already known difficulties, as: the inclusion of qualitative research methods in its very strong quantitative tradition and culture; to grant satisfactory operation to the ��population attributable risk�� concept, in support to the definition of action priorities envisaging health needs; to improve causal interpretation models that comply with multicausality; to take advantage of multivariate statistical techniques, without get

Proactive services ecosystem framework

Dissertation presented to obtain the degree of Doctor in Electrical and Computer Engineering, specialization on Collaborative Enterprise Networks

A framework for scientific computing with GPUs

Disserta����o para obten����o do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Inform��tica

Heterogeneous sensor database framework for the sensor observation service: integrating remote and in-situ sensor observations at the database backend

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies.

Sustainability of systems interoperability in dynamic business networks

Disserta����o para obten����o do Grau de Doutor em Engenharia Electrot��cnica e de Computadores

A cultura de seguran��a do doente em alunos do 4�� ano dos cursos de tecnologias da sa��de

RESUMO - O presente trabalho pretende estudar a cultura de seguran��a de doente em alunos do ensino superior, na ��rea das tecnologias de diagn��stico e terap��utica. Esta problem��tica n��o tem sido abordada pela comunidade cient��fica, pelo que o seu estudo �� relevante. Os alunos que finalizam a licenciatura est��o legalmente autorizados para intervir perante o doente, contudo, a sensibilidade que t��m para as quest��es da seguran��a do doente deve ser analisada com o intuito de melhorar a sua prepara����o como futuros profissionais de sa��de. Neste estudo participaram 180 alunos estratificados consoante o curso e sexo de modo a obter uma amostra representativa da popula����o alvo. Foi constitu��do um question��rio com 31 itens numa escala dicot��mica que avaliam a cultura de seguran��a do doente em 7 dimens��es ��� lideran��a, trabalho de equipa, a pr��tica baseada na evid��ncia cient��fica, a comunica����o, a aprendizagem, a justi��a, e a pr��tica cl��nica centrada no doente. Pode igualmente compor-se uma medida global de cultura de seguran��a do doente atrav��s do somat��rio das 7 dimens��es. Os resultados evidenciam a exist��ncia de uma correla����o positiva moderada entre as dimens��es ��� Trabalho em equipa (0,660); Lideran��a (0,610); Pr��tica baseada na evid��ncia cient��fica (0,627); Ambiente justo (0,570); Comunica����o (0,501) e o Total.

A communication strategy for Continente: proposals to promote fresh products of Continente���s own brands

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA ��� School of Business and Economics