Aportes del Aprendizaje Basado en Problemas (ABP) en la enseñanza de la Fisiología Animal en un programa de Zootecnia

En partant de quelques difficultés observées autour des aspects de la conceptualisation technoscientifique et de l’intégration de la de la théorie et la pratique dans l’apprentissage de la physiologie animale chez les étudiants du programme de Zootechnie de l’Université Nationale de Colombie, siège Medellín, cette recherche propose une stratégie didactique s’appuyant sur la méthode de l’Apprentissage Basé sur les Problèmes (ABP), appliquée spécifiquement aux sujets de thermorégulation et stress physiologique des animaux domestiques. Dans cette étude de cas on a travaillé avec un échantillon de huit étudiants à qui on a présenté dès la première session un problème didactique pour être résolu à travers le cours. Afin d’évaluer le processus on a réalisé trois enquêtes nommées Épreuves de Niveau de Formulation (NF) réalisées à différents moments de l’essai : l’une avant de commencer avec le sujet (NF 1), l’autre après la troisième classe théorique donnée et avant de faire la pratique sur le terrain (NF 2), et l’autre à la fin du processus (NF 3). Finalement on a réalisé des entretiens individuels avec chaque étudiant afin de connaître sa perception concernant la méthode. L’information obtenue a été soumise à une analyse qualitative et par des correspondances, par le biais du programme QDA Miner à travers de la révision et codification des textes provenants des enquêtes et de l’entretien individuel, complétés à leur tour par des observations sur le terrain, en analysant le changement conceptuel, la relation théorie-pratique et les correspondances entre les variables et les catégories établies. Parmi les principaux résultats obtenus on souligne le fait qu’après avoir appliqué l’ABP dans ce cours de Physiologie Animale le changement conceptuel a été favorisé et le problème formulé a servi comme connecteur entre la théorie et la pratique. En outre, on a observé la fusion des connaissances préalables avec les nouveaux acquis, l’apprentissage significatif, l’amélioration du niveau de formulation et l’augmentation de la scientificité des définitions; également il a mené à la solution viii de problèmes et à surmonter les obstacles épistémologiques comme la pluridisciplinarité et la non-linéarité. Il reste comme recommandation celle d’évaluer cette méthode dans d’autres sujets de la Physiologie Animale, dans d’autres sciences, dans des échantillons d’une taille majeure, ainsi comme approcher le sujet de l’évaluation appliquée directement à cette méthode.

Le soutien maternel à l’autonomie : stabilité et relation avec le développement des fonctions exécutives à l'âge préscolaire

Bien qu’il y ait de plus en plus d’études sur le soutien maternel à l’autonomie, de nombreuses questions restent à éclaircir dans le domaine. Notamment, on en sait très peu sur ses relations avec le développement cognitif de l’enfant, sa stabilité temporelle et les antécédents de celle-ci. La thèse est composée de trois articles empiriques. Le premier explore le rôle médiateur du langage dans la relation entre le soutien maternel à l'autonomie et les fonctions exécutives de l'enfant. Le deuxième examine la stabilité relative et absolue du soutien maternel à l'autonomie entre la petite enfance et l’âge préscolaire en fonction des représentations d'attachement de la mère, des évènements de vie stressants et du sexe de l'enfant. Le troisième article se penche sur le rôle du soutien maternel à l’autonomie mesuré à la petite enfance et à l’âge préscolaire dans la prédiction des fonctions exécutives de l’enfant, ainsi que sur l’impact de différents patrons de stabilité du soutien maternel à l’autonomie sur les fonctions exécutives. 70 dyades mère-enfant ont participé à 5 visites à domicile. Lorsque l’enfant était âgé de 7-8 mois, les représentations d’attachement de la mère ont été mesurées à l’aide de l’entrevue d’attachement à l’âge adulte (George, Kaplan, & Main, 1996). Le soutien maternel à l’autonomie a été mesuré à 15 mois et à 3 ans à l’aide du système de codification de Whipple, Bernier, et Mageau (2011). Les évènements de vie stressants ont été mesurés à 3 reprises entre l’âge de 15 mois et 3 ans à l’aide de l’inventaire des expériences de vie (Sarason, Johnson, & Siegel, 1978). À 2 ans, le langage de l’enfant a été évalué à l’aide des inventaires MacArthur du développement de la communication (Dionne, Tremblay, Boivin, Laplante, & Pérusse, 2003). Les fonctions exécutives de l’enfant ont quant à elles été mesurées à l’âge de 3 ans à l’aide d’une batterie de tâches (Carlson, 2005). Les résultats du premier article indiquent que le langage de l’enfant joue un rôle médiateur dans la relation entre le soutien maternel à l’autonomie et une composante des fonctions exécutives de l’enfant, l’inhibition volontaire. Les résultats du deuxième article démontrent que le soutien maternel à l’autonomie est stable de façon relative, mais non absolue. Les résultats démontrent aussi que les mères qui ont une fille, qui ont vécu peu d’évènements de vie stressants ou qui ont des représentations d’attachement sécurisées sont plus stables dans leur degré de soutien à l’autonomie. Le troisième article démontre d’abord que la moyenne de soutien maternel à l’autonomie entre 15 mois et 3 ans est un prédicteur plus efficace des fonctions exécutives de l’enfant que ne l’est le soutien à l’autonomie à 15 mois ou à 3 ans pris séparément. De plus, les enfants dont les mères conservent un degré élevé de soutien à l’autonomie entre 15 mois et 3 ans performent mieux aux tâches d’inhibition que les enfants dont les mères conservent un faible degré de soutien à l’autonomie. Les résultats présentés dans les articles sont discutés ainsi que leurs implications.

Constructing a ‘moment of crisis’ and its adequate solution

The rejection of the European Constitution marks an important crystallization point for debate about the European Union (EU) and the integration process. The European Constitution was envisaged as the founding document of a renewed and enlarged European Union and thus it was rather assumed to find wide public support. Its rejection was not anticipated. The negative referenda in France and the Netherlands therefore led to a controversial debate about the more fundamental meaning and the consequences of the rejection both for the immediate state of affairs as well as for the further integration process. The rejection of the Constitution and the controversy about its correct interpretation therefore present an intriguing puzzle for political analysis. Although the treaty rejection was taken up widely in the field of European Studies, the focus of existing analyses has predominantly been on explaining why the current situation occurred. Underlying these approaches is the premise that by establishing the reasons for the rejection it is possible to derive the ‘true’ meaning of the event for the EU integration process. In my paper I rely on an alternative, discourse theoretical approach which aims to overcome the positivist perspective dominating the existing analyses. I argue that the meaning of the event ‘treaty rejection’ is not fixed or inherent to it but discursively constructed. The critical assessment of this concrete meaning-production is of high relevance as the specific meaning attributed to the treaty rejection effectively constrains the scope for supposedly ‘reasonable’ options for action, both in the concrete situation and in the further European integration process more generally. I will argue that the overall framing suggests a fundamental technocratic approach to governance from part of the Commission. Political struggle and public deliberation is no longer foreseen as the concrete solutions to the citizens’ general concerns are designed by supposedly apolitical experts. Through the communicative diffusion and the active implementation of this particular model of governance the Commission shapes the future integration process in a more substantial way than is obvious from its seemingly limited immediate problem-solving orientation of overcoming the ‘constitutional crisis’. As the European Commission is a central actor in the discourse production my analysis focuses on the specific interpretation of the situation put forward by the Commission. In order to work out the Commission’s particular take on the event I conducted a frame analysis (according to Benford/Snow) on a body of key sources produced in the context of coping with the treaty rejection.

Electrical Design: A Problem for Artificial Intelligence Research

This report outlines the problem of intelligent failure recovery in a problem-solver for electrical design. We want our problem solver to learn as much as it can from its mistakes. Thus we cast the engineering design process on terms of Problem Solving by Debugging Almost-Right Plans, a paradigm for automatic problem solving based on the belief that creation and removal of "bugs" is an unavoidable part of the process of solving a complex problem. The process of localization and removal of bugs called for by the PSBDARP theory requires an approach to engineering analysis in which every result has a justification which describes the exact set of assumptions it depends upon. We have developed a program based on Analysis by Propagation of Constraints which can explain the basis of its deductions. In addition to being useful to a PSBDARP designer, these justifications are used in Dependency-Directed Backtracking to limit the combinatorial search in the analysis routines. Although the research we will describe is explicitly about electrical circuits, we believe that similar principles and methods are employed by other kinds of engineers, including computer programmers.

Using problem-based learning for introducing producer theory and market structure in intermediate microeconomics

This paper shows how instructors can use the problem‐based learning method to introduce producer theory and market structure in intermediate microeconomics courses. The paper proposes a framework where different decision problems are presented to students, who are asked to imagine that they are the managers of a firm who need to solve a problem in a particular business setting. In this setting, the instructors’ role is to provide both guidance to facilitate student learning and content knowledge on a just‐in‐time basis

Supervisory systems in waste water treatment plants: sistematise their implementation

La implantació de Sistemes de Suport a la presa de Decisions (SSD) en Estacions Depuradores d'Aigües Residuals Urbanes (EDAR) facilita l'aplicació de tècniques més eficients basades en el coneixement per a la gestió del procés, assegurant la qualitat de l'aigua de sortida tot minimitzant el cost ambiental de la seva explotació. Els sistemes basats en el coneixement es caracteritzen per la seva capacitat de treballar amb dominis molt poc estructurats, i gran part de la informació rellevant de tipus qualitatiu i/o incerta. Precisament aquests són els trets característics que es poden trobar en els sistemes biològics de depuració, i en conseqüència en una EDAR. No obstant, l'elevada complexitat dels SSD fa molt costós el seu disseny, desenvolupament i aplicació en planta real, pel que resulta determinant la generació d'un protocol que faciliti la seva exportació a EDARs de tecnologia similar. L'objectiu del present treball de Tesi és precisament el desenvolupament d'un protocol que faciliti l'exportació sistemàtica de SSD i l'aprofitament del coneixement del procés prèviament adquirit. El treball es desenvolupa en base al cas d'estudi resultant de l'exportació a l'EDAR Montornès del prototipus original de SSD implementat a l'EDAR Granollers. Aquest SSD integra dos tipus de sistemes basats en el coneixement, concretament els sistemes basats en regles (els quals són programes informàtics que emulen el raonament humà i la seva capacitat de solucionar problemes utilitzant les mateixes fonts d'informació) i els sistemes de raonament basats en casos (els quals són programes informàtics basats en el coneixement que volen solucionar les situacions anormals que pateix la planta en el moment actual mitjançant el record de l'acció efectuada en una situació passada similar). El treball està estructurat en diferents capítols, en el primer dels quals, el lector s'introdueix en el món dels sistemes de suport a la decisió i en el domini de la depuració d'aigües. Seguidament es fixen els objectius i es descriuen els materials i mètodes utilitzats. A continuació es presenta el prototipus de SSD desenvolupat per la EDAR Granollers. Una vegada el prototipus ha estat presentat es descriu el primer protocol plantejat pel mateix autor de la Tesi en el seu Treball de Recerca. A continuació es presenten els resultats obtinguts en l'aplicació pràctica del protocol per generar un nou SSD, per una planta depuradora diferent, partint del prototipus. L'aplicació pràctica del protocol permet l'evolució del mateix cap a un millor pla d'exportació. Finalment, es pot concloure que el nou protocol redueix el temps necessari per realitzar el procés d'exportació, tot i que el nombre de passos necessaris ha augmentat, la qual cosa significa que el nou protocol és més sistemàtic.

Working memory and working attention: What could possibly evolve?

The concept of “working” memory is traceable back to nineteenth century theorists (Baldwin, 1894; James 1890) but the term itself was not used until the mid-twentieth century (Miller, Galanter & Pribram, 1960). A variety of different explanatory constructs have since evolved which all make use of the working memory label (Miyake & Shah, 1999). This history is briefly reviewed and alternative formulations of working memory (as language-processor, executive attention, and global workspace) are considered as potential mechanisms for cognitive change within and between individuals and between species. A means, derived from the literature on human problem-solving (Newell & Simon, 1972), of tracing memory and computational demands across a single task is described and applied to two specific examples of tool-use by chimpanzees and early hominids. The examples show how specific proposals for necessary and/or sufficient computational and memory requirements can be more rigorously assessed on a task by task basis. General difficulties in connecting cognitive theories (arising from the observed capabilities of individuals deprived of material support) with archaeological data (primarily remnants of material culture) are discussed.

Conversational success in Williams syndrome: communication in the face of cognitive and linguistic limitations

Williams syndrome (WS) is characterized by apparent relative strengths in language, facial processing and social cognition but by profound impairment in spatial cognition, planning and problem solving. Following recent research which suggests that individuals with WS may be less linguistically able than was once thought, in this paper we begin to investigate why and how they may give the impression of linguistic proficiency despite poor standardized test results. This case study of Brendan, a 12-year-old boy with WS, who presents with a considerable lack of linguistic ability, suggests that impressions of linguistic competence may to some extent be the result of conversational strategies which enable him to compensate for various cognitive and linguistic deficits with a considerable degree of success. These conversational strengths are not predicted by his standardized language test results, and provide compelling support for the use of approaches such as Conversation Analysis in the assessment of individuals with communication impairments.

A multicentre randomized controlled trial of an empowerment-inspired intervention for adolescents starting continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion : a study protocol

Background. Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) treatment among children with type 1 diabetes is increasing in Sweden. However, studies evaluating glycaemic control in children using CSII show inconsistent results. Omitting bolus insulin doses using CSII may cause reduced glycaemic control among adolescents. The distribution of responsibility for diabetes self-management between children and parents is often unclear and needs clarification. There is much published support for continued parental involvement and shared diabetes management during adolescence. Guided Self-Determination (GSD) is an empowerment-based, person-centred, reflection and problem solving method intended to guide the patient to become self-sufficient and develop life skills for managing difficulties in diabetes self-management. This method has been adapted for adolescents and parents as Guided Self-Determination-Young (GSD-Y). This study aims to evaluate the effect of an intervention with GSD-Y in groups of adolescents starting on insulin pumps and their parents on diabetes-related family conflicts, perceived health and quality of life (QoL), and metabolic control. Here, we describe the protocol and plans for study enrolment. Methods. This study is designed as a randomized, controlled, prospective, multicentre study. Eighty patients between 12-18 years of age who are planning to start CSII will be included. All adolescents and their parents will receive standard insulin pump training. The education intervention will be conducted when CSII is to be started and at four appointments in the first 4 months after starting CSII. The primary outcome is haemoglobin A1c levels. Secondary outcomes are perceived health and QoL, frequency of blood glucose self-monitoring and bolus doses, and usage of carbohydrate counting. The following instruments will be used to evaluate perceived health and QoL: Disabkids, 'Check your health', the Diabetes Family Conflict Scale and the Swedish Diabetes Empowerment Scale. Outcomes will be evaluated within and between groups by comparing data at baseline, and at 6 and 12 months after starting treatment. Results and discussion. In this study, we will assess the effect of starting an insulin pump together with the model of Guided Self-Determination to determine whether this approach leads to retention of improved glycaemic control, QoL, responsibility distribution and reduced diabetes-related conflicts in the family. Trial registration: Current controlled trials: ISRCTN22444034

Agir, aprender, formar, intervir, agir uma experiência dos consultores internos na gestão do conhecimento da Petrobrás UN-RNCE

This research aims at studying the formation of internal consultants in organizational setting in the joint resolution of problems, around the conversion of knowledge. The objective of research is to understand and explain the meanings attributed by Petrobras internal consultants to their practice and training for the conversion process of tacit knowledge into explicit, around the joint resolution of their problems with their collaborators. It has directed the next question: what the meanings assigned by the consultants of Unidade de Negócios Rio Grande do Norte e Ceara (UN-RNCE) in Knowledge Management (KM), for their interventionist and formative practices in problem solving, as well as conversion of tacit knowledge in explicit? This paper has assumed that there is a dual logic integrated into its daily practices: solving troubles and converting knowledge. The thesis has considered the daily practices of these consultants are characterized as epistemic spaces and permanent education through the conversion of knowledge. It has adopted the principles of multi-referential approach as foundations, regarding the translation of a variety of angles, perspectives and prospects which allow the interpretation and understanding of complex issues that are part of conversion of knowledge. The understanding and explanation of the senses are based on the methodology of the comprehensive interview; taking ownership is the sensitive listening for comprehensive interpretation of oral discourses of ten consultants, in addition to the autoscopy that putting into practice, thus, the stance of the researcher as an intellectual craftsman. Furthermore, it has assessed that the limits and possibilities for training and learning in the conversion of knowledge arise, on one hand from a predominantly driven training culture by the paradigm of technical rationality and one the other hand, from a set of relationship to knowledge and relation to know , revealed in the search for training in other dimensions. There are tensions between the local and global demands located in a situation marked by a systemic organization of knowledge. However, the context is perceived by researchers as impregnated by the discontinuity, unpredictability and uncertainty; mobilizing a number of elements necessary for the mediation in training practices of these consultants. Finally, it has set an instrumental and technological support, restricting the formation and undermining the position of the consultancy as nuclear function in Knowledge Management

O projeto politico pedagógico de enfermagem e o sistema único de saúde: a visão de discentes

This research aims to analyze, in the view of students, the pedagogic project of undergraduate nursing course, of UFRN, and its articulation with the SUS, in an attempt to understand the issues that permeate the teaching and learning of nursing. This is a qualitative study that used the focus group technique as a tool to collect empirical data. There were three meetings, where we had the collaboration of 23 graduating students from the eighth period of the semester 2009.1. For the analysis of information, we use a theoretical framework based on curriculum guidelines and basic principles of the SUS, making the analogy of the results with the metaphor of Greek mythology, Ariadne's thread, in dialogue with authors who discuss education as a transformative practice. Thus, the texture of the yarn was built of five thematic fields: joint the pedagogic project with the SUS; the teaching/service and theory/practice relation; interdisciplinarity or transdisciplinarity; didactic/methodological and relational approaches; and co-participation of students in the pedagogic project. According to the discussions, we find many difficulties in the teaching and learning process of undergraduate nursing in UFRN to strengthen the SUS, including: dislocation of educational institutions with services, professionals, managers and community; dichotomy between theory and practice; reality of services as a learning field and working process in health; posture adopted by professionals, teachers and other subjects included in the process of health education; decontextualization and fragmentation of teaching with the practice in health and nursing; excessive use of very illustrative methodologies, but little problem-solving; difficult and precarious situation in the relations between teachers and between teachers/students, regarding the acceptance of differences; absence of participation of students in the evaluation process and conduct of the educational project in progress. In this sense, we understand the need an auto-reflexive act of teaching and conducting collective pedagogical course with a view to achieving the SUS. Thus, it is necessary to support practices motivated by the polyphonic dialogue and the exercise of symbiosis and autopoiesis of subjects/actors jointly responsible for the ongoing process of learning for life.

The application of preprocessing and cutting plane techniques for a class of production planning problems

This paper investigates properties of integer programming models for a class of production planning problems. The models are developed within a decision support system to advise a sales team of the products on which to focus their efforts in gaining new orders in the short term. The products generally require processing on several manufacturing cells and involve precedence relationships. The cells are already (partially) committed with products for stock and to satisfy existing orders and therefore only the residual capacities of each cell in each time period of the planning horizon are considered. The determination of production recommendations to the sales team that make use of residual capacities is a nontrivial optimization problem. Solving such models is computationally demanding and techniques for speeding up solution times are highly desirable. An integer programming model is developed and various preprocessing techniques are investigated and evaluated. In addition, a number of cutting plane approaches have been applied. The performance of these approaches which are both general and application specific is examined.

Fourth-order method for solving the Navier-Stokes equations in a constricting channel

A fourth-order numerical method for solving the Navier-Stokes equations in streamfunction/vorticity formulation on a two-dimensional non-uniform orthogonal grid has been tested on the fluid flow in a constricted symmetric channel. The family of grids is generated algebraically using a conformal transformation followed by a non-uniform stretching of the mesh cells in which the shape of the channel boundary can vary from a smooth constriction to one which one possesses a very sharp but smooth corner. The generality of the grids allows the use of long channels upstream and downstream as well as having a refined grid near the sharp corner. Derivatives in the governing equations are replaced by fourth-order central differences and the vorticity is eliminated, either before or after the discretization, to form a wide difference molecule for the streamfunction. Extra boundary conditions, necessary for wide-molecule methods, are supplied by a procedure proposed by Henshaw et al. The ensuing set of non-linear equations is solved using Newton iteration. Results have been obtained for Reynolds numbers up to 250 for three constrictions, the first being smooth, the second having a moderately sharp corner and the third with a very sharp corner. Estimates of the error incurred show that the results are very accurate and substantially better than those of the corresponding second-order method. The observed order of the method has been shown to be close to four, demonstrating that the method is genuinely fourth-order. © 1977 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Concept of Matching Parallelepiped and its use in the correspondence problem

In this paper, the concept of Matching Parallelepiped (MP) is presented. It is shown that the volume of the MP can be used as an additional measure of `distance' between a pair of candidate points in a matching algorithm by Relaxation Labeling (RL). The volume of the MP is related with the Epipolar Geometry and the use of this measure works as an epipolar constraint in a RL process, decreasing the efforts in the matching algorithm since it is not necessary to explicitly determine the equations of the epipolar lines and to compute the distance of a candidate point to each epipolar line. As at the beginning of the process the Relative Orientation (RO) parameters are unknown, a initial matching based on gradient, intensities and correlation is obtained. Based on this set of labeled points the RO is determined and the epipolar constraint included in the algorithm. The obtained results shown that the proposed approach is suitable to determine feature-point matching with simultaneous estimation of camera orientation parameters even for the cases where the pair of optical axes are not parallel.