"Ordinary people only": knowledge, representativeness and the publics of public participation in healthcare

Public involvement in healthcare is a prominent policy in countries across the economically developed world. A growing body of academic literature has focused on public participation, often presenting dichotomies between good and bad practice: between initiatives that offer empowerment and those constrained by consumerism, or between those which rely for recruitment on self-selecting members of the public, and those including a more broad-based, statistically representative group. In this paper I discuss the apparent tensions between differing rationales for participation, relating recent discussions about the nature of representation in public involvement to parallel writings about the contribution of laypeople’s expertise and experience. In the academic literature, there is, I suggest, a thin line between democratic justifications for involvement, suggesting a representative role for involved publics, and technocratic ideas about the potential ‘expert’ contributions of particular subgroups of the public. Analysing recent policy documents on participation in healthcare in England, I seek moreover to show how contemporary policy transcends both categories, demanding complex roles of involved publics which invoke various qualities seen as important in governing the interface between state and society. I relate this to social-theoretical perspectives on the relationship between governmental authority and citizens in late-modern society.

Librarians, professionals and paraprofessionals

Ms. Van Patten Elia Maria de Ocampo attended the Ninth International Conference on City Library Associations Guyana from 14 to 17 July 1980, Venezuela. Elia was very inspiring to see that the Costa Rican school library system up to the head of the whole region. There are big plans in other countries but have not been able to practice in that it has successfully done in our country. This told us Elia Maria:  Venezuela was chosen by the International Association of School Librarians to host its ninth Annual Conference. The event was held in Ciudad Guayana from 14 to 18 July 1980 and its importance lies in the fact that he offered an excellent and unique opportunity to meet and exchange ideas on the situation of school libraries in America and other regions . Conference was attended by 160 delegates from 13 different countries. Representing the school libraries of the Ministry of Education and with funding from the OAS through the Multinational Project on School Library Resource Centers that attended this important library activity.

A comparative study of the photophysics and photochemistry of 4-chlorophenol adsorbed on silicalite and beta-cyclodextrin

The photochemistry and photophysics of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) were studied onto two model solid supports, silicalite and beta-cyclodextrin (beta-Cl)), using time resolved diffuse reflectance techniques and product degradation analysis. The results have shown that the photochemistry and photophysics of 4-CP are different from solution and depend on the solid. Ground state diffuse reflectance and time resolved luminescence demonstrated the inclusion of the probe in both substrates. 4-CP exhibits room temperature luminescence in both hosts, being structured and much more intense in beta-CD. The emission was assigned to phosphorescence of the inclusion complex. Transient absorption demonstrated the formation of the unsubstituted phenoxyl radical and of 4-chlorophenoxyl radical in beta-CD. In silicalite only the later was detected. The studies of the photodegradation products indicate that phenol is the main photoproduct in beta-CD. In silicalite the chromatographic analysis indicates the presence of products that involve the ring cleavage. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Photochemistry of 4-chlorophenol on cellulose and silica

The photochemistry of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) was studied on silica and cellulose, using time-resolved diffuse reflectance techniques and product degradation analysis. The results have shown that the photochemistry of 4-CP depends on the support, on the concentration, and also on the sample preparation method. Transient absorption and photoproduct results can be understood by assuming the formation of the carbene 4-oxocyclohexa-2,5-dienylidene in both supports. On cellulose, at concentrations lower than 10 mumol g(-1), the carbene leads to the unsubstituted phenoxyl radical, and phenol is the main degradation product. At higher concentrations a new transient resulting from phenoxyl radicals coupling was also observed, and dihydroxybiphenyls are also formed. The reaction of the carbene with ground-state 4-CP was also detected through the formation of 5-chloro-2,4'-dihydroxybiphenyl. 4-Chlorophenoxyl radical and degradations products resulting from its coupling were also detected. Oxygen has little effect on the photochemistry of 4-CP on cellulose. On silica the transient benzoquinone O-oxide was formed in the presence of oxygen. Benzoquinone and hydroquinone are the main degradation products. In well-dried samples the formation of hydroquinone is reduced. At higher concentrations the same products as detected on cellulose were observed. 4-CP undergoes slow photochemical decomposition under solar radiation in both supports. The same main degradation products were observed in these conditions.

The role of information literacy competence and higher order thinking skills to develop academic writing in science and engineering students

This article discusses a study organized to develop academic writing skills in undergraduate students pursuing engineering courses. The target group consisted of 30 students pursuing a Bachelor of Technology in their third year. The classroom observations regarding teaching writing revealed that writing proficiency for most of the students was at a very low level. Followed by this, an intervention program was organized in one college, where the researcher taught academic writing to the students. Units comprising tasks that focused on raising awareness of the academic texts and involving the students in the cognitive processes of writing were designed. The study focused on raising student awareness regarding the nature and characteristics of academic texts in order to develop academic writing skills. The study also emphasized that involving the students in the cognitive processes of writing (e.g., defining the rhetorical problem, identifying the rhetorical situation, determining the audience, setting goals for writing, planning for the text by generating, and organizing ideas) is necessary. The study further suggests that discussions between students and teachers regarding the construction of a text and the way language works in various text types facilitates better writing.

The influence of emotions, attitudes and perceptions on learning with technology

Welcome to this very international issue of Research in Learning Technology in which we present research that has been undertaken in UK, Chile, Finland, Germany, Portugal and USA. The articles on the use of technology span a range of effective teaching practices, showcase strategies for successful learning and propose ideas for future mechanisms to better engage students in their educational experiences. For me, one question running through this issue is: how is technology helping us to deliver more student-centred education?

Rethinking the block. The 1970s European discourses on the city and the IBA Berlin 1979-87

The dissertation explores the relationship between projects for urban blocks and the discourses on the city between the late 1960s and the 1980s, with a particular focus on the blocks of the Internationale Bauausstellung (IBA) Berlin 1979-87. The main research questions center on whether and how the block changed in connection with the emerging ideas of the city during this period and whether these changes had, in turn, effects on the whole city. Thus far, despite extensive research on the theories and the ideas of the city between the 1960s and 1980s, there is a lack of studies that interweave this research with insights into the block. To fill this gap, this dissertation examines how the block was thematized in the 1970s discourses on the city. It highlights projects for blocks designed between the late 1960s and the 70s in various European cities, particularly West Berlin. Then, it focuses on the blocks of the IBA Berlin 1979-87, examining them through theory, history, and drawings. The study of the examples reveals three distinctive aspects of all blocks considered in the dissertation: the overcoming of small private plots, the individualization of the buildings, and the accessibility of the courtyards from public streets. These aspects reflect the changing understandings of the city and of the urban spaces in the 1970s and 1980s, which resulted in new compositional logics of the block. When examined with critical distance, the blocks of the 1970s and 80s offer a lesson in architectural and urban composition which is still current. - The author has made every effort to contact the owners of the copyrights of the material in the dissertation. The author is available to the right holders with whom it was not possible to communicate as well as for any omissions or inaccuracies in quoting the sources.

Comparação entre métodos para mensuração da potência aeróbia em atletas tetraplégicos= : Comparison of methods for aerobic power assessment in athletes with tetraplegia

Universidade Estadual de Campinas . Faculdade de Educação Física

Para viver e pensar além das margens: perspectivas, agenciamentos e desencaixes no campo da saúde pública

Neste ensaio os autores buscam expor ideias, críticas e reflexão ética ao destacarem questões complexas e que requerem a análise densa de estudiosos do campo interdisciplinar da saúde pública. A defesa do ponto de vista dos autores é pensar que a complexidade inerente ao campo requer aproximação mais conseqüente junto às necessidades sociais, criatividade dos agentes públicos, investigação e estudos inovadores que possibilitem uma saúde pública contemporânea e voltada para a realidade brasileira.

Exploring the potential of functionally graded materials concept for the development of fiber cement

In this study we establish the concept of functionally graded fiber cement. We discuss the use of statistical mixture designs to choose formulations and present ideas for the production of functionally graded fiber cement components for Hatschek machines. The feasibility of producing functionally graded fiber cement by grading PVA fiber content has been experimentally evaluated. Thermogravimetric analysis (TG) was employed to assess fiber distribution profiles and four-point bending tests were applied to evaluate the mechanical performance of both conventional and graded composites. The results show that grading PVA fiber content is an effective way to produce functionally graded fiber cement, which allows for a reduction of the total fiber volume without a significant reduction on modulus of rupture of composite. TG tests were found adequate to assess the fiber content at different points in functionally graded fiber cements. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reachability of the synchronous state in a mutually connected PLL network

Second-order phase locked loops (PLLs) are devices that are able to provide synchronization between the nodes in a network even under severe quality restrictions in the signal propagation. Consequently, they are widely used in telecommunication and control. Conventional master-slave (M-S) clock-distribution systems are being, replaced by mutually connected (MC) ones due to their good potential to be used in new types of application such as wireless sensor networks, distributed computation and communication systems. Here, by using an analytical reasoning, a nonlinear algebraic system of equations is proposed to establish the existence conditions for the synchronous state in an MC PLL network. Numerical experiments confirm the analytical results and provide ideas about how the network parameters affect the reachability of the synchronous state. The phase-difference oscillation amplitudes are related to the node parameters helping to design PLL neural networks. Furthermore, estimation of the acquisition time depending on the node parameters allows the performance evaluation of time distribution systems and neural networks based on phase-locked techniques. (c) 2008 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

An ESR study of irradiated poly(tetrafluoroethylene-co-perfluoropropyl vinyl ether) (PFA)

Poly(tetrafluoroethylene-co-perfluoropropyl vinyl ether) (PFA) with 2 mol% perfluoropropyl vinyl ether (PPVE) was exposed to gamma -irradiation in vacuum at both 77 K and room temperature and the ESR spectra recorded. Both the main chain, similar to CF2-(CF)-F-.-CF(2)similar to, and end chain, similar to (CF2CF2)-F-. radicals were identified at both temperatures and their thermal stabilities measured, No radicals unique to the radiolytic cleavage at the PPVE units were observed at room temperature, either due to the low concentration of the comonomer or beta -scission to form a chain end radical and a nonradical species. G-values for radical formation at room temperature and 77 K were found to be 0.93 and 0.16, respectively. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Integrating technology to improve the efficiency of qualitative data analysis - A note on methods

Qualitative data analysis (QDA) is often a time-consuming and laborious process usually involving the management of large quantities of textual data. Recently developed computer programs offer great advances in the efficiency of the processes of QDA. In this paper we report on an innovative use of a combination of extant computer software technologies to further enhance and simplify QDA. Used in appropriate circumstances, we believe that this innovation greatly enhances the speed with which theoretical and descriptive ideas can be abstracted from rich, complex, and chaotic qualitative data. © 2001 Human Sciences Press, Inc.

Concepções de alfabetização, leitura e escrita que ancoram o Projeto Trilhas

Este trabalho tem como objeto de estudo os impressos do Projeto Trilhas, material pedagógico produzido em parceria entre o Instituto Natura, a Comunidade Educativa CEDAC e o Ministério da Educação. Trata-se de uma análise documental com as quais se procurou envolver as noções de enunciado, texto, gênero e suporte que possibilitaram fundamentar a proposta metodológica, pautada pelo diálogo, que teve como escopo problematizar como esse conjunto de materiais pode contribuir no processo do ensino e da aprendizagem das crianças matriculadas nas turmas do primeiro ano do Ensino Fundamental, com foco na análise das concepções de alfabetização, leitura e escrita, engendradas nos materiais. Para isso, o referencial teórico que balizou as reflexões se fundamentou nas contribuições da perspectiva bakhtiniana de linguagem e lançou ancoragens no conceito de alfabetização proposto criticamente por Gontijo (2008). As análises se constituíram como uma arena, isto é, um palco de alteridade. Logo, buscaram compreender como o conceito e as concepções se materializaram nas atividades produzidas pelos sujeitos-autores e problematizaram como os impressos do Projeto Trilhas podem contribuir para a melhoria do ensino e da aprendizagem das crianças matriculadas no primeiro ano do Ensino Fundamental. Com as análises, sustenta-se que o conceito que solidifica a constituição dos impressos deste projeto se aproxima das contribuições de Ferreiro e Teberosky (1999), isto é, a alfabetização é o processo pelo qual as crianças assimilam o código escrito e compreende os usos que são dados a ele nas culturas do escrito. A leitura se configurou como decodificação dos signos linguísticos e compreensão de significados, e a escrita como codificação.

Context-aware emotion-based model for group decision making

Involving groups in important management processes such as decision making has several advantages. By discussing and combining ideas, counter ideas, critical opinions, identified constraints, and alternatives, a group of individuals can test potentially better solutions, sometimes in the form of new products, services, and plans. In the past few decades, operations research, AI, and computer science have had tremendous success creating software systems that can achieve optimal solutions, even for complex problems. The only drawback is that people don’t always agree with these solutions. Sometimes this dissatisfaction is due to an incorrect parameterization of the problem. Nevertheless, the reasons people don’t like a solution might not be quantifiable, because those reasons are often based on aspects such as emotion, mood, and personality. At the same time, monolithic individual decisionsupport systems centered on optimizing solutions are being replaced by collaborative systems and group decision-support systems (GDSSs) that focus more on establishing connections between people in organizations. These systems follow a kind of social paradigm. Combining both optimization- and socialcentered approaches is a topic of current research. However, even if such a hybrid approach can be developed, it will still miss an essential point: the emotional nature of group participants in decision-making tasks. We’ve developed a context-aware emotion based model to design intelligent agents for group decision-making processes. To evaluate this model, we’ve incorporated it in an agent-based simulator called ABS4GD (Agent-Based Simulation for Group Decision), which we developed. This multiagent simulator considers emotion- and argument based factors while supporting group decision-making processes. Experiments show that agents endowed with emotional awareness achieve agreements more quickly than those without such awareness. Hence, participant agents that integrate emotional factors in their judgments can be more successful because, in exchanging arguments with other agents, they consider the emotional nature of group decision making.