Cota racial e estado: abolição do racismo ou direitos de raça?

The objective of this article is to examine the current government proposal of racialization in the Brazilian population, in order to offer support to affirmative action programs that meet the specific needs of those who classify themselves as black. Firstly we focused on the revival of the notion of race among scholars, politicians, and anti-racism activists, as well as on the difficulty in determining who is black in Brazil. Next we examined the racial quota system in the United States and its proclaimed success. Finally, we assessed the extent to which the introduction of racial quota in employment and university enrollment should be imposed as the sole political option for those intending to eliminate racism in Brazilian society.

Homogeneidade e heterogeneidade nos sistemas educacionais: Argentina, Brasil, Chile e México

This study focus on the reconfiguration of educational management in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico, which was promoted by the new logic of social regulation and the new role attributed to the State, considering each country's own historicity. So, the cultural factors that interfere on the dynamics of the 90' school reform are analyzed. Aspects that show the homogeneity or heterogeneity of these reforms in the region, as well as local specificities that block out the concretization of the reform are underlined. It is shown that the historicity that characterizes the educational reform has taken, in each country, a form that can be called, in Mexico, conservative rupture; in Chile, conservative continuity; in Brazil, conservative renovation; and, in Argentina, interrupted rupture. Some conclusions about the impact of educational reform in the selected countries are recuperated through the analysis of 186 academic texts on the subject.

O valor do diploma nas práticas de recrutamento de grandes empresas

Studies show that higher level diplomas make access to well-paid jobs easier and are an important source of prestige and social honor in Brazil. However, a broad literature today indicates a reduction of the importance of the diploma in hiring processes and argues that having a diploma becomes less and less sufficient for getting a job. This article examines the processes of selection of recently graduated engineers by eight large companies in the region of Campinas. Based on interviews with the main actors of the selection processes and on observation of the initial steps of a selection carried out by a consultancy company hired by one of the companies, the study shows that the weight of a diploma from a prestigious university is still the most important variable for the hiring decision, as it defines not only whether it will be possible to get the job or not, but also the access to vacancies that lead to better paid and more prestigious managerial positions. Finally, it discusses theoretical implications as well as what these results suggest in terms of public policies.

Políticas sociais de atendimento às crianças e aos adolescentes no Brasil

This article analyses the emergence and development of social policies for children and adolescents attendance that are in line with the development process of the Brazilian social protection system, focusing on some of the main representations attributed to childhood, according to the historical and political periods. It seeks to present the notion of childhood instituted under the constitution of the Brazilian welfare state, in such a way as to place it within the broader context of the historical and political transformations that involved the emergence and consolidation of the social policies directed towards children and adolescents in Brazil in the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st.

Reflexão sobre alguns desafios do ensino médio no Brasil hoje

The purpose of this article is to develop some ideas that may contribute to the debate about the secondary education in Brazil, giving emphasis to the conditions existing in the educational institutions, the ongoing educational policies and the challenges posed by the social, economic and political reality of the country. It is also discussed the political, social and economic importance of the expansion and the compulsory character of secondary education as well as the school's culture dimension, in its relationship to the so-called knowledge society. Finally, the role of secondary education for the youth and the new demands it poses for teachers are presented, among some others aspects.

Governamentalidade democrática e ensino de Filosofia no Brasil contemporâneo

This article takes the concepts of biopower and governmentality as the starting point for an analysis of certain recent Brazilian government documents about the introduction of Philosophy as a subject in secondary school. In the 1980s, this argument centered on Philosophy's so-called criticism and its potential for preparing citizens for a democratic society, was used by the movements aimed to restore democracy in Brazil. This argument appears to have been assimilated by the Brazilian government, because it is stated in the Guidelines and Bases of Education Law, secondary school students should demonstrate knowledge of philosophy necessary for the exercise of citizenship. The argument also appears in documents such as the PCN and PCN+ (National Curricular Parameters) and OCEM (Curriculum Guidelines for Secondary School) in their chapters on Philosophy. These documents are examined here in the light of governmentality, making explicit how Philosophy is equipped to train young people according to what is understood as a modern democratic society.

Organização de pesquisa no Brasil: lições do passado, propostas para o futuro

Chemical research in Brazil has grown significantly in the past 20 years, largely thanks to the Brazilian S&T Development Program of the federal government (PADCT). However, the newly achieved levels of highly qualified manpower and research infra-structure require new research organization frameworks to make science, technology and innovation really useful and meaningful for the citizens. The current requirements for creating viable networks of academic and industry researchers are presented and discussed as well as some structural and procedural bottlenecks that have to be eliminated, to achieve maximum high-quality science, technology and relevant innovation output.

O emprego de quitosana quimicamente modificada com anidrido succínico na adsorção de azul de metileno

The adsorption capacity of alpha-chitosan and its modified form with succinic anhydride was compared with the traditional adsorbent active carbon by using the dye methylene blue, employed in the textile industry. The isotherms for both biopolymers were classified as SSA systems in the Giles model, more specifically in L class and subgroup 3. The dye concentration in the supernatant in the adsorption assay was determined through electronic spectroscopy. By calorimetric titration thermodynamic data of the interaction between methyene blue and the chemically modified chitosan at the solid/liquid interface were obtained. The enthalpy of the dye/chitosan interaction gave 2.47 ± 0.02 kJ mol-1 with an equilibrium constant of 7350 ± 10 and for the carbon/dye interaction this constant gave 5951 ± 8. The spontaneity of these adsorptions are reflected by the free Gibbs energies of -22.1 ± 0.4 and -21.5 ± 0.2 kJ mol-1, respectively, found for these systems. This new adsorbent derived from a natural polysaccharide is as efficient as activated carbon. However 97% of the bonded dye can be eluted by sodium chloride solution, while this same operation elutes only 42% from carbon. Chitosan is efficient in dye removal with the additional advantage of being cheap, non-toxic, biocompatible and biodegradable.

25 anos de quimiometria no Brasil

Chemometric activities in Brazil are described according to three phases: before the existence of microcomputers in the 1970s, through the initial stages of microcomputer use in the 1980s and during the years of extensive microcomputer applications of the ´90s and into this century. Pioneering activities in both the university and industry are emphasized. Active research areas in chemometrics are cited including experimental design, pattern recognition and classification, curve resolution for complex systems and multivariate calibration. New trends in chemometrics, especially higher order methods for treating data, are emphasized.

A importância das revistas Química Nova e Journal of the Brazilian Chemical Society no crescimento da área de química no Brasil

Quimica Nova and the Journal of the Brazilian Chemical Society are two examples of successful initiatives taken by the Brazilian Chemical Society (SBQ - Sociedade Brasileira de Química), and may serve as models for the scientific societies of developing countries. Pillars of the SBQ, these two periodicals are undeniable demonstrations that idealism, utopia and dignity are the essential ingredients for transforming dreams into reality. Few believed that the Brazilian chemical community would one day have, as it does today, two scientific research periodicals indexed in the principal international data banks.

Estudo da capacidade de complexação e sua relação com algumas variáveis ambientais em cinco represas do Rio Tietê/Brasil

The copper and cadmium complexation properties in natural sediment suspensions of reservoirs of the Tietê River were studied using the solid membrane copper and cadmium ion-selective electrodes. The complexation and the average conditional stability constants were determined under equilibrium conditions at pH=6.00 ± 0.05 in a medium of 1.0 mol L-1 sodium nitrate, using the Scatchard method. The copper and cadmium electrodes presented Nernstian behavior from 1x10-6 to 1x10-3 mol L-1 of total metal concentration. Scatchard graphs suggest two classes of binding sites for both metals. A multivariate study was done to correlate the reservoirs and the variables: complexation properties, size, total organic carbon, volatile acid sulfide, E II and pH.

Própolis do sudeste e nordeste do Brasil: influência da sazonalidade na atividade antibacteriana e composição fenólica

The composition and biological activities of propolis, a resinous hive product collected by honeybees from various plant sources, depends on various factors such as season and vegetation of the area. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the seasonal effect on the ethanolic extracts of Brazilian propolis (EEP) type 6 and type 12, collected during 6 months in terms of antibacterial activity and phenolic composition. The antimicrobial properties were evaluated by MIC and MBC on S. mutans Ingbritt 1600 and the profile of chemical composition by UV-visible spectrophotometry, HPLC-RF and GC-MS. The results demonstrated that the season in which propolis is collected influences its chemical composition, resulting in modifications in its antibacterial activity.

Emprego da fluorescência de raios X por dispersão de energia para o mapeamento de troncos de árvores em Campinas, São Paulo

Dendrochemistry is based on the determination of elements retained in tree rings, which can be useful to characterize environmental occurrences. This work shows elemental mappings obtained by EDXRF of the cross section of a tree stem. The tree is originated from a polluted area in Campinas, São Paulo. Some profiles, as the sulfur one, show variations that can be attributed to external contributions, whereas the silicon one can be inferred to a protection defense natural mechanism. Besides being simultaneous and multielementar, the main advantages here are its performance through a non-destructive sample treatment and the ease of operation of XRF equipments.

Levantamento fitossociológico e caráter sucessional de um trecho de floresta secundária ciliar em Juquitiba, SP, Brasil

The objective of this study was to evaluate the horizontal and vertical structures of tree community in regeneration in a fragment of a secondary riparian forest at approximately 30 years of age and to identify the most abundant species in each fragment of the forest to determine the sucessional stage. An area of 800 m² was subdivided into 16 samples of 10 x 5 m and all individuals with DBH ≥ 1 cm were sampled and identified for the following analyzes: horizontal parameters (DR, FR, DoR, IVC and IVI), vertical parameters (PSR and RNR) and mixed parameters, from of value of increased importance index (IVIa). The survey measured 689 individuals, belonging to 38 families, 74 genus and 109 species. The total density was 8,614 individuals/ha. The index of Shannon´s diversity was 3.99 and the index of Pielou´s equability was 0.85. Tibouchina pulchra, Psychotria suterella and Endlicheria paniculata obtained high values of IVIa. Guarea macrophylla, Gomidesia anacardiaefolia, Xylopia langsdorffiana and Endlicheria paniculata achieved high values of RNT, indicating adequate natural regeneration in the plot. The initial secondary and umbrophylous species showed the highest ecological importance in this fragment of the forest, with the highest values of sociologic position and importance index. Furthermore, the presence of late secondary species in all layers suggest that the studied fragment is in intermediate succession degree.

Determinação em tempo real da magnitude de danos físicos por impacto em linhas de beneficiamento e em condições de laboratório e seus efeitos na qualidade de tomate

Tomatoes are one of the most important vegetable crops grown in Brazil and are among the crops that have one of the highest post-harvest losses indexes in the country. The present work aimed at evaluating impact damage observed in packing lines of fresh tomatoes as well as to determine, under laboratory conditions, quality alterations of tomato fruits submitted to impact damage in different surface types. Critical points evaluation was accomplished using an instrumented sphere. Critical transference points found showed variations in acceleration levels from 30 to 129 G (m s-2). Tests carried out under laboratory conditions showed that padded surfaces reduced up to 31% impact damage. Incidence of severe internal physical damage was evaluated by a subjective scale and increased by 79% on hard surfaces for the highest fall drop. On the other hand, it was observed an effective reduction in physical damage on fruits when padded surfaces were used. When a 10-cm drop was performed, the maximum reduction measured was 10% for hard surfaces and 5% for previously padded surfaces. For quality parameters, it was observed for high drops on hard surfaces, highest values for weight loss, total acidity, lower values for vitamin C and Soluble Solids.