Energy education: breaking up the rational energy use barriers

Human development is associated directly or indirectly with the energy use, and because of this the energetic sources were dealt with in the recent past, as fully available to human necessities. The reality shows that the energy availability, considering the nonrenewable sources, is limited, and beyond that, the exploration, the processing and the use of energy impose considerable impacts on the environment. There is not a system which operates with no losses and without imposing changes to the environment. Therefore, the energy conservation incorporates the concepts and the actions applied to the research of sustainable balance between nature and the energy availability and use. Such actions can be presented both in the short term, in which the energy system is close to a collapse, or in the medium/long term, in which those responsible for the energy policies are concerned with the structure of the socioeconomic development. Such a situation requires more responsibility in the treatment of energy questions, mainly through education, which represents long-term investments. This paper discusses barriers that are present in the projects applied to energy conservation, by making clear that education is one of the best ways to transform the human behavior in for the rational use of energy. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Behavioral and biological correlates of medicine use in type 2 diabetic patients attended by Brazilian public healthcare system

A relação entre atividade física e consumo de medicamentos não é clara. Assim, o objetivo do estudo foi investigar a relação entre nível de atividade física e uso de medicamentosem diabéticos tipo 2 atendidos pelo Sistema Único de Saúde. A amostra foi composta por 121 diabéticos do tipo 2 de ambos os sexos atendidos pelos sistema público de saúde. Gordura corporal (antropometria e bioimpedância elétrica), atividade física (Questionário de Baecke) e uso de medicamentos (15 dias prévios a avaliação) foram avaliados. Houve relação entre uso de medicamentos e sexo (r = 0.18; p = 0.045), índice de massa corporal (r = 0.22; p = 0.012), circunferência de cintura (r = 0.19; p = 0.029), percentual de gordura (r = 0.21; p = 0.016), idade (r = 0.23; p = 0.009) e atividade física (r = -0.22; p = 0.012). A regressão linear incluiu no modelo apenas idade (β = 0.718; p = 0.057), IMC BMI (β = 0.057; p = 0.022) e atividade física (β = -0.176; p = 0.044) no modelo multivariado. Conclui-se que a prática de atividade física diminui uso de medicamentos independente da idade e obesidade.

The limits of human development and the use of energy and natural resources

The development of nations is an unquestionable requirement. A lot of challenges concerning health, education and economy are present. A discussion on these development models has occupied the minds of decision makers in recent years. When energy supply and demand is considered, the situation becomes critical and the crucial question is: how to improve the quality of life of developing countries based on available models of development that are related to the life style of developed countries, for which the necessary use and waste of energy are present? How much energy is essential to humanity for not so as to endangering the survival conditions of future generations? the human development index (HDI) establishes the relationship among energy use, economic growth and social growth. Here it can be seen that 75% of the world population has a significant energy consumption potential. This is a strong reason to consider that the sustainable development concepts on energy policies are strategic to the future of the planet. This paper deals with the importance of seeking alternative development models for human development balance, natural resources conservation and environment through rational energy use concepts. (c) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Estudo da bula de medicamentos: Uma análise da situação

This study was carried out in the city of Araraquara (SP, Brazil), where 1829 people selected randomly from 42 districts were interviewed with regard to their use of medicines, in particular whether and how they read the insert information sheet and the most frequently read items and problems encountered in the text. Surveys were performed in two stages, the first when package inserts were regulated in Brazil by Portaria SVS 110/1997 (Ministry of Health directive) and the second after the new regulation (RDC 140/2003) came into force. Out of 1829 people interviewed, 1597 reported using some medicine. The markedly similar results in both stages of the research pointed to the difficulties encounteved in reading the package inserts, due to the small letters, the obscure language and the massive amount of information. This paper shows that package inserts of medicines need to be simpler, so the patients have an idea of the importance of the medicine and are able to realize soon any problem that might appear due to the use of the medicine and what action they should take. Furthermore, it will be helpful to the evaluation of the package inserts of medicines, elaborated in conformity with RDC 140, if they work effectively as a source of information and guidance for the patient are not simply given a new layout, while maintaining items that impede their understanding and use.

Estoque doméstico e uso de medicamentos em uma população cadastrada na estratégia saúde da família no Brasil

Objective. To identify families served by the family health strategy (FHS) storing medicines at home, to evaluate storage conditions, and to investigate medicine use practices.Methods. The study was conducted in a municipality in the state of São Paulo with two FHS units serving 1 867 households. The sample was selected by means of stratified random sampling. Data collection was conducted through semistructured interviews from July to October 2008.Results. One resident was interviewed in each of the 280 households visited. Medicines were found in 255 households (91.1%). of 326 storage locations, 217 (75.8%) were inadequate (easily accessible to children or exposed to moisture, light). of the 2 578 medicines identified, 2 059 medicines (79.9%) in 236 (84.3%) households had safety or identification problems. of the 280 respondents, 179 (63.9%) used medications. of these, 24 were self-medicating, only one with an over-the-counter drug. Only 44 users had the prescription for their medication, and 21 did not follow the prescription in terms of dosage or had interrupted the treatment.Conclusions. Non-adherence to recommended treatment can lead to negative outcomes, such as inefficiency (using dosages lower than prescribed), poisoning (using dosages higher than prescribed), and other adverse reactions.

Antioxidative action of methanolic extract and buthanolic fraction of Vochysia tucanorum Mart. in the gastroprotection

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Electrical devices obtained from polymeric precursors process

Nowadays, many investments have been made in the area of superconductor materials, with the aim to improve their potential technological applications. Applications on the energy transport using cables, to get high resolution images in the medicine use high magnetic fields, high speed signals use superconductor devices all of them are in crescent evidence and they are showing that the future is coming and next for this new kind of materials. Obviously that everything of this is possible due to the increasing of research with new materials, where the synthesis, characterization and applications are of the mainly objective of these researches. The production of cable for the energy transport has been in advanced stage as the bulks production is too. However, the film production that to aim at the electronic devices area is not as developed or it still need expensive investments. Thinking about that, we are developing a research where we may increase the relation of cost/benefits. Thereby, we are applying the polymeric precursors method to obtain films that will be used in the built of electronic devices. Thin films (mono and multilayers, on crystalline or metallic substrates, controlled thickness) of the BSCCO system have been obtained from dip coating deposition process with excellent results in terms of preferential orientation, controlled thickness, a large area, which may indicate future applications. Based on these results, we present an electrical circuit and their principal characteristics as superconductor transition (85K), transport current density and structure. DC four probes method, scanning electron microscopy, digital optical microscopy and X-ray diffractometry were some techniques used for the characterization of this superconductor electric device. © 2006 Materials Research Society.

A concepção de desenvolvimento sustentável nos parâmetros curriculares nacionais

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Análise numérica da convecção natural em dispositivos solar integrados coletor-tanque

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Sono e atividade física habitual em escolares

Pós-graduação em Ciências da Motricidade - IBRC

Desenvolvimento de um modelo educacional para a conservação de energia

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Proposta de metodologia para aplicação de eficiência energética em uma usina hidrelétrica

Pós-graduação em Engenharia Mecânica - FEG

Presença de fatores de risco dependentes ou não de esforço físico em praticantes de corrida de rua

In order to reduce the sedentarism and to improve population's health condition, many physical activity incentive programs have been stimulated. As a result, many people have adhered to street racing, but their health condition is almost always ignored. The aim of this study was to evaluate street racers' health condition, identifying the presence of cardiovascular risk factors as well as problems associated to street racing. The study case was composed by 111 racers from the town of Bauru (94 men and 17 women) aged in average 39±13 years old, who were evaluated in 4 street race competitions. The subjects answered to an anamnesis with questions about their socioeconomic status, medicine use, cardiovascular risk, physical exercise practices, and issues related to racing and injury. Weight (kg) and height (m) were measured to calculate the body mass index (BMI, kg/m²) as well as systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), abdominal circumference (AC), and flexibility. It could be observed that the majority of racers were Caucasian, married and belonged to social classes over C. The prevalent age was between 18 and 35 years old (42%). Among the participants, 38.7% have already undergone some kind of surgery and 13% declared having some health problem. The questionnaire pointed out that 36% had low and moderate cardiovascular risk. It could be noticed from the AC that 10% of men and 18% of women had high cardiac risk. Among the tested, 43.2% (24.3% altered and 18.9% borderline) showed high BP on the day of the test, but only 2.7% had self-declared hypertensive. In relation to injury, 36% had already had lesions of some kind, 27.5% of which had occurred in the last 8 months. 66.6% had derived from training or racing competitions and the knee was the mostly affected body part. Only 43% had professional orientation by a physical education teacher during their training and the main reasons for them to begin racing practice were...

Cães e gatos: expressão das lesões em intoxicações criminais

Pós-graduação em Medicina Veterinária - FMVZ

Teaching the Rational Use of Medicines to medical students: a qualitative research

Background: Prescribing is a complex and challenging task that must be part of a logical deductive process based on accurate and objective information and not an automated action, without critical thinking or a response to commercial pressure. The objectives of this study were 1) develop and implement a discipline based on the WHO's Guide to Good Prescribing; 2) evaluate the course acceptance by students; 3) assess the impact that the Rational Use of Medicines (RUM) knowledge had on the students habits of prescribing medication in the University Hospital.Methods: In 2003, the RUM principal, based in the WHO's Guide to Good Prescribing, was included in the official curriculum of the Botucatu School of Medicine, Brazil, to be taught over a total of 24 hours to students in the 4th year. We analyzed the students' feedback forms about content and teaching methodology filled out immediately after the end of the discipline from 2003 to 2010. In 2010, the use of RUM by past students in their medical practice was assessed through a qualitative approach by a questionnaire with closed-ended rank scaling questions distributed at random and a single semistructured interview for content analysis.Results: The discipline teaches future prescribers to use a logical deductive process, based on accurate and objective information, to adopt strict criteria (efficacy, safety, convenience and cost) on selecting drugs and to write a complete prescription. At the end of it, most students considered the discipline very good due to the opportunity to reflect on different actions involved in the prescribing process and liked the teaching methodology. However, former students report that although they are aware of the RUM concepts they cannot regularly use this knowledge in their daily practice because they are not stimulated or even allowed to do so by neither older residents nor senior medical staff.Conclusions: This discipline is useful to teach RUM to medical students who become aware of the importance of this subject, but the assimilation of the RUM principles in the institution seems to be a long-term process which requires the involvement of a greater number of the academic members.