A pesquisa como perspectiva de formação continuada do professor de química

The education of a chemistry teacher is not being seen as a specific preparation for the exercise of a professional activity, which differs from the professional activity of a chemist or a chemistry researcher. This happens because in the academic field, mainly in the exact and natural sciences, the idea that knowing a determined subject is enough to be able to teach it, is tacitly accepted. This is, actually, the first condition to be able to be a university professor. There is another necessary condition for competent teaching: to have specific professional knowledege of teaching. I defend that this knowledge can be constitued in the interaction with other professionals in the form of research. Thus, as a chemist constitutes himself through the research in the interaction with other chemists, the teacher develops himself in this professional field in the interaction with other teachers and the permanent attitude of researching.

Impacto do acordo de cooperação do Conselho Nacional de Pesquisas (CNPq) com a National Academy of Sciences - (NAS)

In the beginning of the 1960's, the university education in chemistry, in Brasil, represented only a professional preparation, with no official post-graduate teaching and research, as yet. The name Federal University Rio de Janeiro, evolved, since January 30, 1959, from University of Brazil, RJ, to Federal University of Guanabara, which, on August 20, 1965, became the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. With the Resolution nº 4, of the University direction, the first Institute of Chemistry was created, to include the Centers of Mathematical and Natural Sciences, and the Medical Sciences. The strictu sensu's system was established only in 1961.

Radioautographology: the proposal of a new concept

A new concept termed "radioautographology" is advocated. This term was synthesized from "radioautography" and "ology", expressing a new science derived from radioautography. The concept of radioautographology (RAGology) is that of a science whose objective is to localize radioactive substances in the biological structure of objects and to analyze and study the significance of these substances in the biological structure. On the other hand, the old term radioautography (RAG) is the technique used to demonstrate the pattern of localization of various radiolabeled compounds in specimens. The specimens used in biology and medicine are cells and tissues. They are fixed, sectioned and placed in contact with the radioautographic emulsions, which are exposed and developed to produce metallic silver grains. Such specimens are designated as radioautographs and the patterns of pictures made of silver grains are named radioautograms. The technicians who produce radioautographs are named radioautographers, while those who study RAGology are scientists and should be called radioautographologists. The science of RAGology can be divided into two parts, general RAGology and special RAGology, as most natural sciences usually can. General RAGology is the technology of RAG which consists of three fields of science, i.e., physics concerning radioactivity, histochemistry for the treatment of cells and tissues, and photochemistry dealing with the photographic emulsions. Special RAGology, on the other hand, consists of applications of general RAGology. The applications can be classified into several scientific fields, i.e., cellular and molecular biology, anatomy, histology, embryology, pathology and pharmacology. Studies carried out in our laboratory are summarized and reviewed. All the results obtained from such applications should be systematized as a new field of science in the future.

Biomphalaria occidentalis sp.n. from South America (Mollusca basommatophora pulmonata)

A new species of South American planorbid snail, Biomphalaria occidentalis, is described. It is indistinguishable from B. tenagophila (Orbigny, 1835), by the characteristics of the shell and of most organs of the genital system. In B. tenagophila there is a pouch on the ventral wall of the vagina (Fig. 4A, vp), absent in B. occidentalis (Fig. 3A), and on the ventral wall of the vagina (Fig. 4A, vp), absent in B. occidentalis (Fig. 3A), and the prepuce is much wider than the penial sheath, its width increasing distalward (Fig. 4, ps,pp), whereas in B. occidentalis the prepuce is wider than the penial sheath but keeps about the same width all along (Fig.3, ps, pp). The two species are biologically separate by absolute reproductive isolation. The geographical distribution of B. occidentalis is shown in Fig. 14. So far it has been found in the Brazilian states of Acre, Amazonas (?), Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul and Paraná, and in Paraguay. Its type-locality is Campo Grande, state of Mato Grosso do sul, where it was collected from several biotopes related to affluents of the Aquiduana river, chiefly Córrego Prosa and Córrego Ceroula. Specimens were deposited in the following malacological collections: Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro; Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia; Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan; and British Museum (Natural History).

Lymnaea rupestris sp. n. from Southern Brazil (Pulmonata: Lymnaeidae)

A new species of South American lymnaeid snail, Lymnaea rupestris, is described. So far it has been found only in its type-locality, Nova TeuTõnia, a village in the municipality of Seara (27° 07' S, 52° 17' W), state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. It is distinguishable, by characteristics of the shell and internal organs, from the other two lymnaeid species known to occur in the area, Lymnaea columella and L. viatrix. Its shell has 4 markedly shouldered whorls, deep suture, ovoid or rounded aperture occupying about half the length of the shell, and reaches about 6 mm in length in adults; in columella and viatrix the shell has 4-5 rounded whorls, shallow suture, and reaches over 10 mm in adults; the aperture is ovoid, occupying about half the length of the shell in viatrix, about two thirds in columella. Anatomically it is readily separated from L. columella by the shape of the ureter, straight in rupestris, with a double flexure in columella. Comparison with L. viatrix shows the following main differences: distalmost portion of the oviduct with a low, caplike lateral swelling in rupestris, with a well-developed pouch in viatrix; uterus bent abruptly caudalward in rupestris, only slightly curved rightward in viatrix; basal half of the spermathecal duct hidden by the prostate in rupestris, wholly visible or nearly so in viatrix; spermiduct sinuous and uniformly wide in rupestris, straight and gradually narrowing in viatrix; prostate more than half as long and nearly as wide as the nidamental gland, and with a slit-like lumen in cross-section in rupestris, less than half as long as and much narrower than the nidamental gland, and with an inward fold in cross-section in viatrix; penial sheath about as long and as wide as the prepuce in rupesris, shorter and narrower than the prepuce in viatrix. An important ecological characteristic of L. rupestris is its habitat on wet rocks most often outside bodies of water, although in close proximity to them. Specimens were deposited in the following malacological collections: Instituto OswaldoCruz, Rio de Janeiro; Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia; Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan; and British Museum (Natural History).