Economia Ecológica e a escala sustentável da produção agrícola no município de Araras, SP.

O desenvolvimento econômico e o meio ambiente estão indissoluvelmente vinculados e devem ser tratados mediante a mudança do conteúdo, das modalidades e das utilizações do crescimento, devendo ser levados em consideração critérios fundamentais de equidade social, prudência ecológica e eficiência econômica. Recentemente tem ocorrido uma intensificação do debate sobre as consequências do aumento sem precedentes da escala do sistema econômico sobre o capital natural da Terra. A Economia Ecológica preconiza a integração de conceitos das ciências econômicas e das demais ciências sociais e políticas e das ciências naturais, notadamente a Ecologia, oferecendo uma perspectiva integrada e biofísica das interações do meio ambiente. Assim, a Economia Ecológica traz implícita a ideia de uma agenda de pesquisa verdadeiramente "transdisciplinar" e está fundamentada na visão pré-analítica que considera a economia um subsistema inserido em um sistema maior, finito e materialmente fechado (porém, aberto ao fluxo energético solar). O enfoque deve, então, promover a sustentabilidade dos bens e serviços ecossistêmicos e, para tanto, deve estar apoiado em componentes estruturais como: "escala" sustentável de exploração; "alocação" dos bens e serviços ecossistêmicos; "distribuição" desses bens e serviços; e o "princípio da precaução".

Automated Acquisition of Evolving Informal Descriptions

The Listener is an automated system that unintrusively performs knowledge acquisition from informal input. The Listener develops a coherent internal representation of a description from an initial set of disorganized, imprecise, incomplete, ambiguous, and possibly inconsistent statements. The Listener can produce a summary document from its internal representation to facilitate communication, review, and validation. A special purpose Listener, called the Requirements Apprentice (RA), has been implemented in the software requirements acquisition domain. Unlike most other requirements analysis tools, which start from a formal description language, the focus of the RA is on the transition between informal and formal specifications.

Homecare and the informal information grapevine: implications for the electronic record in social care

Cooper, J. & Urquhart, C. (2008). Homecare and the informal information grapevine: implications for the electronic record in social care. Health Informatics Journal, 14(1), 59-69. Sponsorship: AHRC

Perceptions, expectations, and informal supports influence exercise activity in frail older adults

This study aims to explore frail older adults’ perceptions of what influences their exercise behaviors. A qualitative descriptive design was used. Semi-structured, open-ended interviews were conducted with 29 frail older adults. Thematic content analysis established the findings. Frail older adults perceive exercise as a by-product of other purposeful activities such as manual work or social activities. Progression into frailty appears to be associated with a decline in non-family support, changing traditional roles within family support networks, and lower baseline activity levels. Frail older adults perceive exercise as incidental to more purposeful activities rather than an endpoint in itself. Therefore, exercise programs concentrating on functional outcomes may be more relevant for this population. Strategies that educate and promote social support networks may also benefit frail older adults.

Conocimiento aritmético informal puesto de manifiesto por una pareja de alumnos (6-7 años) sobre la invención y resolución de problemas

Se describe y analiza el desempeño de dos niños de educación primaria con edades comprendidas entre 6 y 7 años, en varias cuestiones y tareas sobre invención y resolución de problemas aritméticos verbales. Los resultados informan de su conocimiento informal sobre la idea de problema, los elementos que lo componen, el papel que juegan los números en un problema, y los factores que determinan que un problema sea difícil.

Uso de material fílmico para el aprendiza cooperativo informal en la clase matemáticas

Que la educación por sí misma es una actividad cooperativa, es una afirmación que hasta los propios estudiantes reconocen en sus mejores experiencias educativas en un marco pleno de cooperación, y con la guía adecuada. Como orientación para el desarrollo de actividades en el marco del aprendizaje cooperativo, la organización y esquematización de prescripciones, la identificación de los procesos de aprendizaje, con la correspondiente función de la enseñanza y la orientación para el docente, es que se propone interesar al alumno por el proceso y por los resultados. Para la etapa de aprestamiento como actividad inicial se pensó en una obra cinematográfica: La habitación de Fermat.

Informal Learning in Online Knowledge Communities: Predicting Community Response to Visitor Inquiries

Nistor, N., Dascalu, M., Stavarache, L.L., Serafin, Y., & Trausan-Matu, S. (2015). Informal Learning in Online Knowledge Communities: Predicting Community Response to Visitor Inquiries. In G. Conole, T. Klobucar, C. Rensing, J. Konert & É. Lavoué (Eds.), 10th European Conf. on Technology Enhanced Learning (pp. 447–452). Toledo, Spain: Springer.

Formal and informal care utilisation amongst elderly persons with visual impairment.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the determinants of formal and informal care utilisation amongst persons with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). DESIGN: Cross-sectional hospital-based study. SETTING: Hospital eye clinic in Northern Ireland. PARTICIPANTS: 284 persons aged >or=50 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants were questioned about their care, living arrangements, eyesight-related ability to self-care, and eyesight-related need to be more careful whilst undertaking everyday tasks. RESULTS: The percentage of older persons receiving formal and informal care rose with the level of visual impairment. 34.9% and 37.3% of those with no visual impairment received formal and informal care, respectively, compared with 51.6% and 69.9% of those with moderate visual impairment and 55.6% and 88.9% of those with severe visual impairment. Three factors (age, best corrected distance visual acuity in the better eye and living alone) were significant predictors (p