Escola e gênero : representações de gênero na escola

The study Escola e Gênero: representações de gênero na escola show us the social man made, starting of an analysis in the having fun time in the children´s life and how it´s an important aspect of the building childish universe simbolic. My analysis started in a children´s daily at school and how they noticed the play value od dominant society. Our propouse is think about the linking between ideology, representations and gender like the children´s knowledge in the school activities. The toy, an instrument which is noticed and exist in the funny activities, is full of cultural concepts of male and female parts. Your color, lines, functions and the way you manipulate is driven of gender cathegories. In the scool, the ideological concepts have it´s important way which is to domesticate the feelings, the desires; categorize and normalize them without be known by the educational employers. In the children´s education, the funny time is noticed by others ways and turned as important as others subjects. By the way it´s not noticed by the school, like another thing which isn´t a funny moment. And it´s exactly here in the school funny time, the school did your cultural power of separete the gender and your extencions, feed by the society, generaly, in favor of the man whose woman is your subordinate. This ways of analysis help the society and the school universe about the funny time e how they are important in the Man made life. And how the toys bring the concepts and addicted thinking, ideological which put the power in the stages, without equal, addicted feelings around the gender concepts. I read and used the theories of Kishimoto, Berger & luckmann, Brougère, Sousa Filho, Bourdieu, Badinter, Geertz, Grossi, Louro, Foucault, among others

Estimativas de mortalidade para a região nordeste do Brasil em 2010: uma associação do método demográfico equação geral de balanceamento, com o estimador bayesiano empírico

One of the greatest challenges of demography, nowadays, is to obtain estimates of mortality, in a consistent manner, mainly in small areas. The lack of this information, hinders public health actions and leads to impairment of quality of classification of deaths, generating concern on the part of demographers and epidemiologists in obtaining reliable statistics of mortality in the country. In this context, the objective of this work is to obtain estimates of deaths adjustment factors for correction of adult mortality, by States, meso-regions and age groups in the northeastern region, in 2010. The proposal is based on two lines of observation: a demographic one and a statistical one, considering also two areas of coverage in the States of the Northeast region, the meso-regions, as larger areas and counties, as small areas. The methodological principle is to use the General Equation and Balancing demographic method or General Growth Balance to correct the observed deaths, in larger areas (meso-regions) of the states, since they are less prone to breakage of methodological assumptions. In the sequence, it will be applied the statistical empirical Bayesian estimator method, considering as sum of deaths in the meso-regions, the death value corrected by the demographic method, and as reference of observation of smaller area, the observed deaths in small areas (counties). As results of this combination, a smoothing effect on the degree of coverage of deaths is obtained, due to the association with the empirical Bayesian Estimator, and the possibility of evaluating the degree of coverage of deaths by age groups at counties, meso-regions and states levels, with the advantage of estimete adjustment factors, according to the desired level of aggregation. The results grouped by State, point to a significant improvement of the degree of coverage of deaths, according to the combination of the methods with values above 80%. Alagoas (0.88), Bahia (0.90), Ceará (0.90), Maranhão (0.84), Paraíba (0.88), Pernambuco (0.93), Piauí (0.85), Rio Grande do Norte (0.89) and Sergipe (0.92). Advances in the control of the registry information in the health system, linked to improvements in socioeconomic conditions and urbanization of the counties, in the last decade, provided a better quality of information registry of deaths in small areas

Repercussão geral e súmula vinculante: os efeitos no controle difuso

Brazil since its first republican constitution has adopted systems of laws control. The review activity was given to three state powers or functions state, Executive, Legislative and Judiciary. However, it appears that in the country along the constitutional history, has stood considerably the jurisdictional control of the most important control. Initially, back in 1891, Brazil adopted the jurisdictional control of diffuse from U.S, whose role in monitoring of standards is delivered to all organs of the judiciary, which may face a case, put on trial, ascertain whether or not the possibility of applying a law, removing its impact in case of unconstitutionality. In 1969, entered in the second legal model of judicial review, the concentrated control of constitutionality, whose inspiration comes from the positivist theory of Hans Kelsen, and was adopted by the Austrian Constitution of 1920. According to the abstract control the supervision of law is given to a Court or Constitutional Court, responsible for the analysis of the legal constitutionality independent of its application to a specific case. In Brazil the role of concentrated control was handed over exclusively to the Supreme Court, which serves as the Constitutional Court, which accumulates that function with other constitutionally provided jurisdiction. Throughout this period, from 1891 until today, Brazil has maintained a dual system of judicial control of legal constitutionality, where they coexist and harmonize the diffuse control exercised by any organ of the Judiciary, and concentrated control of competence the Supreme Court. However, one must recognize that with the advent of the Federal Constitution of 1988, the concentrated control has emerged on the national stage due to two important factors: the expansion of the legal capacity to sue and the inclusion of other ways control, besides the already known Direct Claim of Unconstitutionality. This concentrated control and projection of the Supreme Court s attempt to become a true constitutional court, led to a relative weakening of diffuse control even when performed by the Brazilian Constitutional Court. In order to become a true constitutional court, all decisions handed down by the Supreme in the exercise of constitutional jurisdiction should have the same weight and the same measure, or at least bring improvement to similar effects, once is the responsible for the final word when it comes to constitutional interpretation. Thus, the writs of certiorari and stare decisis were responsible for profound changes in the diffuse control, allowing the Supreme Court can strengthen its decisions even in the diffuse control. These two institutions have substantially changed the legal status of diffuse control, allowing an extension of the effects of decisions handed down by the Supreme Court, so that you can no longer be said that the effects of this control to restrict the disputing parties in the process

A função social do contrato como concretização de direitos fundamentais nas relações privadas

This dissertation deals with the social function of the contract, based on constitutional principles, especially those relating to fundamental rights. The social function of the contract (general clause) is described in the Civil Code so intentionally generic, no precise criteria to define it. Because of the fluidity of this principle, it is justified its closer study, seeking to assess its various meanings and looking away from the legal uncertainty that an unlimited conceptual vagueness can cause. The social function of the contract arises from a transformation experienced in private law from the inflows received from the Constitutional Law, the result of an evolutionary process by which it became the state structure, leaving the foundations of the classical liberal state and moving toward a vision guided by existential human values that give the keynote of the Welfare State. Arose, then the concern about the effectiveness of fundamental rights in relations between individuals, which is studied from the inapplicability of fundamental rights in private relations (U.S. doctrine of State action), passing to the analysis of the Theory of indirect horizontal effect of fundamental rights (of German creation and majority acceptance), reaching the right horizontal efficacy Theory of fundamental rights, prevailing Brazilian doctrine and jurisprudence. It has also been investigated the foundations of the social contract, pointing out that, apart from the provisions of the constitutional legislation, that base the principle on screen, there have also been noticed foundations in the Federal Constitution, in devices like the art. 1, III, the dignity of the human person is the north of the relationship between contractors. Also art. 3rd, I CF/88 bases the vision of social covenants, equipping it for the implementation of social solidarity, as one of the fundamental objectives of the Republic. Still on art. 170 of the Constitution it is seen as a locus of reasoning in the social function of the contract, the maintenance of the economic order. It is also studied the internal and external aspects of the social function of the contract, being the first part the one that considers the requirement of respect for contractual loyalty, through the objective good faith, as a result of the dignity of the hirer may not be offended by the other through the contract. On the other hand, the external facet of the social function of the contract, in line with the constitutional mandate of solidarity, indicates the need for contractors to respect the rights of society, namely the diffuse, collective and individual third party. In this external appearance, it is also pointed the notion of external credit protection, addressing the duty of society to respect the contract. There has been shown some notions of the social contract in comparative law. Then, there has been investigated the content of principle study, through their interrelationships with other provisions of private and constitutional law, namely equality, objective good faith, private autonomy and dignity of the human person. We study the application of the social contract in contractual networks as well as the guidance of conservation of contracts, especially those denominated long-term captive contracts, considering the theory of substantive due performance, concluding with an analysis of the social contract in code of Consumer Protection

O licenciamento ambiental pelos municípios: uma análise sobre o federalismo cooperativo adotado pela Constituição Federal

In complex federal systems as that found in Brazil, which provides simultaneous attributions to of the Union, States and Cities in many aspects, the definition of performance limits of each of these entities, in procedural or material aspect, generates many (positive and/or negative) competence conflicts, bringing insecurity to general administered. Environmental licensing is one of the most important instruments of environmental management, seeking the realization of the fundamental right to an ecologically balanced and sustainable development. Despite its importance, the environmental licensing has not been more effective due the conflict related to the authority to regulate regardind environmental law. This essay will analyze the structure of competence distribution for conducting the environmental licensing processes, the conflict between laws, the performance of the municipal environmental agencies, the cooperation between the licensing agencies and the future about the additional regulatory law of article 23 of Federal Constitution

Hermenêutica constitucional e fficácia dos Direitos Sociais

The present research has, as general objective, to seek a constitucional hermeneutics directed toward the improvement of the efficacy of the social rights rules, with the purpose to solve the elapsins problems from the general picture of its inefficiency, which are disposed on the Constitution, in its ample majority, as mere regular norms. Leaving of the premise that no Constitutional norm can be without being materialized and the true development of the State is it the social one (based on the principles of freedom, equality and solidarity), it will be demonstrated that the arguments in favor of the legislative inefficiency configure a true blow on the Democratic State of Brazilian Law. For this, it will be done, preliminarily, a study of the basic rights, legal category where it is found the social rights. To follow, it will be analyzed the hermeneutics of the legal norms, with emphasis on the specifics of the constitutional hermeneutics and its methods of interpretation. Finally, the aspect on the improvement of efficacy and the effectiveness of the social rights will be studied, through a new readind of certain dogmas that still persist in the legal world, being distinguished the institutiones of the reserve of the possible and the existential minimum. Ahead of this, after verifying the new paradigmas of the interpretable activity, will be demonstrated how it is possible to get an upgrade on the effectiveness of the social rights

Crescimento econômico e restrição externa da economia brasileira: uma análise do padrão das exportações em relação ao BRIC e do Sistema de Inovação do Brasil (1980-2012)

This Master s Thesis aims to use the theoretical models of growth with restricted balance of payments, specifically Kaldor (1970) and Thirlwall (1979) models, to analyze the behavior and the pattern of specialization of Brazilian exports and imports in the last years. It is observed that, in some periods, the pattern of specialization has contributed in restricting long-term growth of the Brazilian economy. It has been hypothesized that overall this is due to lack of structural transformation policies. To achieve this goal, it analyzed the performance of Brazilian exports and imports disaggregating them according to their technological content. The basis for comparison was a group of countries to which Brazil is inserted in, the BRIC. In this regard, the work is a comparative analysis by using descriptive statistics. It is concluded that the low rate of GDP growth experienced by Brazil since the 1980s can be explained in part by the decoupling of the Brazilian National Innovation System (NIS) and the Brazilian productive structure. This would be reducing the income elasticity of exports and raising imports, causing a pattern of specialization intensive primary commodities and labor and low-skill labor

O Probásica e a formação de professores no Pólo de Parnamirim: política de formação profissional no Rio Grande do Norte?

This work studies the thematic of the politics of formation of teachers in the Program of Professional Qualification for Basic Education (PROBÁSICA) developed in the City of Parnamirim, Rio Grande do Norte. It has as its main objective to identify and to analyze the contribution of this politics of initial formation for the professional formation of teachers. To install the work, we will use the procedures of bibliographical research, documentary analysis, comment, structuralized interview, questionnaire-script and virtual research. In the analysis of the data, we trace a general view on PROBÁSICA while initial formation along with the continued formation, pedagogical research, collaborative research and the exercise of the teaching profession, identifying the possibilities and limits of the Program in the direction to reach the objective considered in this work. From the inquiry, we construct the institutional land scope of the program in question, also focusing, the organizational aspects of its functioning. We have to take care about the results, we evidence that PROBÁSICA is making the possible to access of the teachers in the educational service to the University, what the main aspect that consists, trying to prove eminent weak points in its systematic due to give to the organizational structure of this educational politics that does not count with curricular, institutional and financial the necessary conditions for the success of the professional formation of the teachers. The research will try to understand that the operationalization of the politics of formation in Parnamirim will be belong with it the main idea of the Educational Reformation in years of 1990, articulated to the neoliberal interests, that the responsibility for the problems of the public system of education attributed to the teachers, and that are not answered completely through the purpose of the professional formation, and ti seems that it does not define one global national politics that deals with seriousness to the questions the initial formation, permanent formation, pedagogical research, , career and conditions of work for the teachers

Política de formação de professores: uma leitura a partir da análise do programa especial de formação de professores para a educação básica PROEB/UFMA

Study of Teacher Education Policy: a reading from the analysis of Programa Especial de Formação de Professores para a Educação Básica Proeb - aims to analyze the initial teacher training developed by the Universidade Federal do Maranhão - UFMA. Proeb is a policy of in-service training of teachers, formulated and implemented in the context of current educational policies for basic education. This work assumes that the guidelines developed in the last decades of the twentieth century are linked to international organizations that spread in Latin America continent a homogeneous model of training which has as main features to be held in service through the mode the distance and the school as a leading locus. In Brazil, these guidelines are supported on the Law of Directives and Bases of National Education No. 9.394/96 and Report 09/2001, which deals with the Syllabus Guidelines for the formation of Basic Education Teachers. To carry out the study was taken as reference, the syllabus developed for the deployment of Proeb from 1998 to 2002, specifically the proposal operationalized in the Degree Course of Mathematics in the city of Vitória do Mearim in Maranhão. To conduct the study, it was used literature as a way to deepen understanding, clarify and aim the conceptual aspect of the object researched. The documental research was consisted in the analysis of legal documents concerning the reform of education policies, teacher training and pedagogical project Proeb/UFMA and, finally, the semi-structured interviews were used to allow a better understanding of the subjects involved with research. The data analysis has shown that the curriculum designed to operationalize the course of undergraduate mathematics Proeb/UFMA, despite having guidelines that point to the separation of theory/practice dichotomy and establish as a principle work as an educational principle, has an disciplinary curriculum organization that reinforces the instrumental view of the syllabus, not enabling in practice, the execution of their initial proposal. Concerning to the view of graduates on the course, they highlight the weaknesses of the course, but also evidence that it has allowed an improvement of initial training, through the disciplines of the common core syllabus of courses and special training. It is possible seeing in graduates words, that the course have had repercussions in their teaching and improving their integration into the labor market and in the community of Vitória do Mearim. Overall, these developments have indicated evidence of teacher professionalization, although they are incipient. The work has shown that for the professionalization of teachers is introduced, the syllabus of undergraduate teacher education must overcome the traditional view of syllabus and implement contextualized curricula in a multidisciplinary approach involving, in equal proportions, the general education and training specific course. Accordingly, it is believed in need to review the role of the University in the formative process, as well as recovering as part of educational policies, the omnilateral size of teacher education

Educação inclusiva: práticas de professores frente à deficiência intelectual

The present work is a survey of pedagogical practices of teachers who experience the daily school with students with Intellectual Disability (ID) in their classrooms, considered inclusive. The study was conducted in academic year 2010 in a municipal school in Natal-RN, aimed at investigating the pedagogical practices developed by the participating teachers as well as its view of the front of Intellectual Disabilities students who are inserted in the initial years of Elementary School. In methodological choice, considering the nature of the phenomenon, we chose the qualitative approach and the case study method. The observation and semi-structured interview were used as procedures, which contributed to a significant collection of data in an attempt to answer the objectives. The study subjects were selected by convenience and were formed into two teachers from Elementary School I, linked to the public educational system, which volunteered to collaborate in this research. The analysis of the observations and of the speeches made possible build pedagogical considerations on the action with students with Intellectual Disabilities in a regular school. The results point to a practice covered with a traditional pedagogy, with a few adjustments, although there is an initial process of change, what we observe in the classroom and captured in the words, because, at various times, we saw an interest in developing a pedagogy of Freire. One aspect that caught our attention refers to the formative action at school for these teachers. We found its incipiency, because this does not happen in a systematic way at school. Throughout the years investigated, the teachers had no access to any form of training neither to any form of specialized monitoring. We realize that there is still a concept of Intellectual Disability that makes difficult to "see" this student as a human being having learning opportunities. The aspects that interfere in the formation hinder the development of a pedagogical practice that meets the uniqueness of its customers and promotes a truly effective school inclusion, consistent with social rights proclaimed in this century. We believe in the irreversibility of the inclusive process initiated a few decades ago and that obstacles to the practice of teaching students with ID are visible and possible to overcome if they are turned into challenges for all those who compose the school, the municipal education system and those who build public policies for inclusive education

Qualidade de vida de pessoas com úlcera venosa: associação dos aspectos sociodemográficos, de saúde, assistência e clínicos da lesão

Venous ulcer (VU) is a lower limbs injury resulting from inadequate return of venous blood in feet or legs. Although it is not a deadly disease, it causes chronic wounds, which seriously undermine patients´ quality of life (QOL) and sometimes leads to drastic family, social, economic and psychological changes. In this sense, there are several aspects that may influence the venous ulcers patients´ QOL. The study´s objective aimed on the association of socio-demographic and health, health care and clinical injury on UV patients‟ QOL. Analytical studies, which consider the complexity of factors involved in changes in UV patients‟ QOL has a cross-sectional and quantitative approach. The HUOL Ethics Committee approved this project (n.279/09). The collection of data lasted a period of 3 months in 2010 and it took place at the clinic of Angiology at Hospital Universitário Onofre Lopes (HUOL). The data sample consisted of 60 patients treated by UV angiologists in the HUOL Surgical Clinic. The results were analyzed with SPSS 15.0 by descriptive and inferential statistics. The study was based on UV patients that were predominantly female, average age of 61.4 years, that had low education level and low family income, with occupations requiring long periods of standing or sitting, but mostly retired, unemployed or laid off due to the disease and/or due to chronic diseases associated with the UV. The study took also into consideration patients that used inappropriate products, that were improperly treated by a professional caregiver, that lacked of adequate guidance and compression therapy, that performed no lifting of the lower limbs and regular exercise, that the time of injury were greater than or equal to six months, that were missing specific laboratory tests. The study‟s reference were on recurrent lesions, medium to large lesions area, bed of the lesion (injuries) with fibrin and/or necrosis, with amount of exudate with medium to large, odorless and no signs of infection, with tissue loss between 1st and 2nd degree, without collecting swab or biopsy and with pain. In general, QOL of researched individuals were considered low, the maximum score was 69 points, which the areas that were mostly influenced were the total scores of QOL functional capacity (0.021), emotional (0.000) and social functioning (0.080). Of the 60 individuals, 53.3% had scores between 40 and 69 points in SF-36, and they had the best scores in sociodemographic and health variables (ρ = 0.049). In respect to the assistance and injury characteristics, patients who scored between 40 and 69 points in SF-36 had better scores on these characteristics. By combining the socio-demographic variables, health, and handling characteristics of the injury, we observed a significant difference (ρ = 0.032) when linking them with the QOL total scores. When analyzing separately the domains of the SF-36 scores on the quality of life, we find that the areas that showed statistical significance were functional ability (ρ = 0.035), appearance (ρ = 0.019), emotional (ρ = 0.000), and mental health (ρ = 0.050). Among the socio-demographic characteristics studied, gender and marital status contributed more to the reduction of QOL and among the variables of assistance and the injury, orientation, reference and area of UV contributed the most. By analyzing these five variables all together in accordance with the overall score obtained in the quality of life, we found a significant correlation (ρ = 0.002); with 6.23 times more chances of patients have better QOL in the presence of these five positive factors. By conducting the Mann Whitney U test between all the five demographic variables, health, and clinical care, we found that this combination also proved to be significant (ρ = 0.006). Therefore, patients with these five variables positive tend to have a better QOL. Based on these results, we reject the null hypothesis (H0) and accept the alternative hypothesis (H1) proposed in this study because we noted that the QOL of patients with UV is associated with sociodemographic and health, health care and clinical aspects of the injury

Uso de técnicas de otimização baseadas em derivadas como suporte do planejamento operacional de redes de distribuição de energia elétrica

The usual programs for load flow calculation were in general developped aiming the simulation of electric energy transmission, subtransmission and distribution systems. However, the mathematical methods and algorithms used by the formulations were based, in majority, just on the characteristics of the transmittion systems, which were the main concern focus of engineers and researchers. Though, the physical characteristics of these systems are quite different from the distribution ones. In the transmission systems, the voltage levels are high and the lines are generally very long. These aspects contribute the capacitive and inductive effects that appear in the system to have a considerable influence in the values of the interest quantities, reason why they should be taken into consideration. Still in the transmission systems, the loads have a macro nature, as for example, cities, neiborhoods, or big industries. These loads are, generally, practically balanced, what reduces the necessity of utilization of three-phase methodology for the load flow calculation. Distribution systems, on the other hand, present different characteristics: the voltage levels are small in comparison to the transmission ones. This almost annul the capacitive effects of the lines. The loads are, in this case, transformers, in whose secondaries are connected small consumers, in a sort of times, mono-phase ones, so that the probability of finding an unbalanced circuit is high. This way, the utilization of three-phase methodologies assumes an important dimension. Besides, equipments like voltage regulators, that use simultaneously the concepts of phase and line voltage in their functioning, need a three-phase methodology, in order to allow the simulation of their real behavior. For the exposed reasons, initially was developped, in the scope of this work, a method for three-phase load flow calculation in order to simulate the steady-state behaviour of distribution systems. Aiming to achieve this goal, the Power Summation Algorithm was used, as a base for developping the three phase method. This algorithm was already widely tested and approved by researchers and engineers in the simulation of radial electric energy distribution systems, mainly for single-phase representation. By our formulation, lines are modeled in three-phase circuits, considering the magnetic coupling between the phases; but the earth effect is considered through the Carson reduction. Its important to point out that, in spite of the loads being normally connected to the transformers secondaries, was considered the hypothesis of existence of star or delta loads connected to the primary circuit. To perform the simulation of voltage regulators, a new model was utilized, allowing the simulation of various types of configurations, according to their real functioning. Finally, was considered the possibility of representation of switches with current measuring in various points of the feeder. The loads are adjusted during the iteractive process, in order to match the current in each switch, converging to the measured value specified by the input data. In a second stage of the work, sensibility parameters were derived taking as base the described load flow, with the objective of suporting further optimization processes. This parameters are found by calculating of the partial derivatives of a variable in respect to another, in general, voltages, losses and reactive powers. After describing the calculation of the sensibility parameters, the Gradient Method was presented, using these parameters to optimize an objective function, that will be defined for each type of study. The first one refers to the reduction of technical losses in a medium voltage feeder, through the installation of capacitor banks; the second one refers to the problem of correction of voltage profile, through the instalation of capacitor banks or voltage regulators. In case of the losses reduction will be considered, as objective function, the sum of the losses in all the parts of the system. To the correction of the voltage profile, the objective function will be the sum of the square voltage deviations in each node, in respect to the rated voltage. In the end of the work, results of application of the described methods in some feeders are presented, aiming to give insight about their performance and acuity

Estudos de algumas ferramentas de coleta e visualização de dados e desempenho de aplicações paralelas no ambiente MPI

The last years have presented an increase in the acceptance and adoption of the parallel processing, as much for scientific computation of high performance as for applications of general intention. This acceptance has been favored mainly for the development of environments with massive parallel processing (MPP - Massively Parallel Processing) and of the distributed computation. A common point between distributed systems and MPPs architectures is the notion of message exchange, that allows the communication between processes. An environment of message exchange consists basically of a communication library that, acting as an extension of the programming languages that allow to the elaboration of applications parallel, such as C, C++ and Fortran. In the development of applications parallel, a basic aspect is on to the analysis of performance of the same ones. Several can be the metric ones used in this analysis: time of execution, efficiency in the use of the processing elements, scalability of the application with respect to the increase in the number of processors or to the increase of the instance of the treat problem. The establishment of models or mechanisms that allow this analysis can be a task sufficiently complicated considering parameters and involved degrees of freedom in the implementation of the parallel application. An joined alternative has been the use of collection tools and visualization of performance data, that allow the user to identify to points of strangulation and sources of inefficiency in an application. For an efficient visualization one becomes necessary to identify and to collect given relative to the execution of the application, stage this called instrumentation. In this work it is presented, initially, a study of the main techniques used in the collection of the performance data, and after that a detailed analysis of the main available tools is made that can be used in architectures parallel of the type to cluster Beowulf with Linux on X86 platform being used libraries of communication based in applications MPI - Message Passing Interface, such as LAM and MPICH. This analysis is validated on applications parallel bars that deal with the problems of the training of neural nets of the type perceptrons using retro-propagation. The gotten conclusions show to the potentiality and easinesses of the analyzed tools.

Análise da bacia hidrográfica do Rio Punaú-Rio Grande do Norte utilizando ferramentas de geoprocessamento

Provide data and information on watershed becomes important since the knowledge of their physical characteristics, land use, etcetera, allows for better planning and sustainable use of economically, socially and environmentally in this area. The investigation of the physical environment has been commonly given with the use of geoprocessing, which has proved a very efficient tool. Within this context, this research aims at analyzing the river basin Punaú (located in the cities of Touros, Rio do Fogo and Pureza, state of Rio Grande do Norte) in several aspects, using geoprocessing as a tool of work, to provide information about the entire watershed. Specifically, this study aimed to update pre-existing maps, such as geological, geomorphological and land use, generating map of environmental vulnerability, under the aspect of erosion susceptibility of the area, generating map of legal incompatibility, identifying areas that are already being employed in breach of environmental legislation; propose solutions to the occupation of the river basin Punaú, focused on environmental planning. The methodology was based on the use of geoprocessing tools for data analysis and to make maps of legal incompatibility and environmental vulnerability. For the first map was taken into account the environmental legislation regarding the protection of watersheds. For the vulnerability analysis, the generated map was the result of crossing the maps of geology, geomorphology, soils and land use, having been assigned weights to different attributes of thematic maps, generating a map of environmental vulnerability in relation to susceptibility to erosion. The analysis results indicate that agriculture is the most significant activity in the basin, in total occupied area, which confers a high degree of environmental vulnerability in most of the basin, and some agricultural areas eventually develop in a manner inconsistent with Brazilian environmental legislation. It is proposed to consider deploying a measure of revitalization of the watershed in more critical areas and conservation through mitigation measures on the causes of environmental degradation, such as protection of water sources, protection and restoration of riparian vegetation, protection of permanent preservation areas, containment of erosion processes in general, and others listed or not in specific laws, and even the establishment of a committee of basins in the area

Atividades experimentais no ensino de biologia em escolas públicas do estado do Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil: caracterização geral e concepção de professores

Recent research has revealed that the majority of Biology teachers believe the practice of experimental activities as a didactical means would be the solution for the improvement of the Biology teaching-learning process. There are, however, studies which signal the lack of efficiency in such practice lessons as far as building scientific knowledge is concerned. It is also said that despite the enthusiasm on the teachers‟ part, such classes are rarely taught in high school. Several studies point pedagogical difficulties as well as nonexistence of a minimal infrastructure needed in laboratories as cause of low frequency in experimental activities. The poor teacher performance in terms of planning and development of classes; the large number of students per class; lack of financial stimulus for teachers are other reasons to be taken into account among others, in which can also be included difficulties of epistemological nature. That means an unfavorable eye of the teacher towards experimental activities. Our study aimed to clarify if such scenario is generalized in high schools throughout the state of Rio Grande do Norte Brazil. During our investigation a sample of twenty teaching institutions were used. They were divided in two groups: in the first group, five IFRN- Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio Grande do Norte schools. Two of those in Natal, and the other three from the country side. The second group is represented by fifteen state schools belonging to the Natal metropolitan area. The objectives of the research were to label schools concerning laboratory facilities; to identify difficulties pointed by teachers when performing experiment classes, and to become familiar with the conceptions of the teachers in regarding biology experiment classes. To perform such task, a questionnaire was used as instrument of data collecting. It contained multiple choice, essay questions and a semi-structured interview with the assistance of a voice recorder. The data analysis and the in loco observation allowed the conclusion that the federal schools do present better facilities for the practice of experimental activities when compared to state schools. Another aspect pointed is the fact that teachers of federal schools have more time available for planning the experiments; they are also better paid and are given access a career development, which leads to better salaries. All those advantages however, do not show a significantly higher frequency regarding the development of experiments when compared to state school teachers. Both teachers of federal and state schools pointed infra-structure problems such as the availability of reactants, equipments and consumption supplies as main obstacle to the practice of experiments in biology classes. Such fact leads us to conclude that maybe there are other problems not covered by the questionnaire such as poor ability to plan and execute experimental activities. As far as conceptions about experimental activities, it was verified in the majority of the interviewees a inductive-empiric point of view of science possibly inherited during their academic formation and such point of view reflected on the way they plan and execute experiments with students