Visita professional als serveis bibliotecaris d'universitats anglosaxones

Informe de l'estada per a formació i adquisició d’experiència professional becada per la Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, convocatòria de mobilitat de PAS de la UPC 2007.

Traduir i interpretar les llengües de la immigració a Catalunya: cap a la formació i acreditació d’un perfil professional emergent

El projecte que sol•licitem és el resultat natural d’una recerca iniciada l’any 2008 pel grup de recerca MIRAS (Mediació i Interpretació: Recerca en l’Àmbit Social) de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. La recerca del grup MIRAS ha tingut com a objectiu general, durant els darrers dos anys, la definició del perfil professional del traductor/intèrpret als serveis públics. Aquesta figura emergent i encara poc reconeguda al nostre país va començar a sorgir a partir del boom migratori de les darreres dècades a Catalunya com a resposta als problemes de comunicació freqüents entre la població nouvinguda i els serveis públics locals. Per a assolir l’objectiu esmentat, la primera fase de la recerca del grup MIRAS s’ha centrat en el disseny, distribució, buidatge, anàlisi i creuament de dades de 250 qüestionaris semioberts dirigits als tres principals agents implicats en la interacció comunicativa que estudiem: els traductors/intèrprets, els usuaris i els proveïdors dels serveis. Els resultats d’aquest estudi han demostrat, entre d’altres qüestions rellevants, la manca d’una formació específica per als traductors/intèrprets als serveis públics, així com una absència de regulació de la professió que aquests exerceixen. Un cop realitzat aquest primer estudi pilot, i en vista dels resultats obtinguts, ens sembla doncs evident que el següent pas de la nostra recerca ha d’anar orientat cap a la formació i regulació professional dels traductors/intèrprets als serveis públics. En concret, en el projecte que sol•licitem ens proposem dissenyar una formació especialitzada per a traductors/intèrprets als serveis públics que compleixi amb els següents tres prerequisits: a) estar oberta a tot tipus de persones, independentment del seu nivell d’estudis; b) oferir un ampli ventall de llengües, principalment les llengües de la immigració a Catalunya (per a una primera selecció d’aquestes llengües, vegeu informe demogràfic de la SIM de l’1 de gener de 2010 i resultats de l’estudi pilot de MIRAS), i c) conduir a una acreditació nacional que reguli l’exercici de la professió de traductor/intèrpret als serveis públics de Catalunya. La implementació d’un sistema d’acreditació, segon objectiu del projecte que presentem, és essencial ja que no només permetrà la regulació d’una professió fins avui poc o mal definida, sinó que també garantirà la qualitat dels serveis oferts per aquests professionals en el futur.

Trajectòries d'èxit de joves immigrants a l'ensenyament superior i al món professional

L’educació dels immigrants és un tema prioritari a les agendes polítiques de molts països de la OCDE. En molts casos, els governs s’han preocupat especialment de la seva integració al món del treball però creix l’interès en els seus resultats al sistema educatiu i en la revisió de les polítiques adreçades a respondre a les seves necessitats educatives i formatives. La majoria d’aquests estudis es situen a l’esfera de l’educació infantil, primària, secundaria i formació professional, per això resulta pràcticament impossible trobar estudis que analitzin el baix percentatge d’accés d’estudiants immigrants extracomunitaris a la universitat (al voltant de 3,3% en el cas de Catalunya); que contribueixin a entendre els factors que configuren les trajectòries d’èxit escolar i d’integració laboral dels estudiants immigrants que accedeixen i completen els estudis universitaris; que puguin donar pautes per desenvolupar polítiques educatives que millorin els resultats d’aprenentatge dels estudiants immigrants; i que puguin servir com a mirall i incentiu per a altres persones immigrants i, perquè no, també del país. Aquest projecte ha estudiat el conjunt d’elements que condicionen l’accés dels joves immigrants als estudis universitaris, i a l’estatus laboral que els hauria de possibilitar la seva formació universitària. L’estudi ha consistit en una metaanàlisi dels documents existents sobre el tema i en la realització de 8 narratives biogràfiques; quatre de persones cursant diferents estudis a les universitats catalanes i quatre que ja s’han incorporat al món del professional. Aquestes narratives venen acompanyades de 8 vídeos que exploren noves maneres de visibilització d’aquesta població i es transformen en una pràctica d’autoria. Aquest material visual pot servir com a recurs educatiu, en la mida que pugui ser un mirall i un incentiu per a altres persones immigrants i del país. Finalment, presenta un seguit de recomanacions per als responsables de les polítiques i dels centres educatius.

Nematode selenoproteome: the use of the selenocysteine insertion system to decode one codon in an animal genome?

Selenocysteine (Sec) is co-translationally inserted into selenoproteins in response to codon UGA with the help of the selenocysteine insertion sequence (SECIS) element. The number of selenoproteins in animals varies, with humans having 25 and mice having 24 selenoproteins. To date, however, only one selenoprotein, thioredoxin reductase, has been detected in Caenorhabditis elegans, and this enzyme contains only one Sec. Here, we characterize the selenoproteomes of C.elegans and Caenorhabditis briggsae with three independent algorithms, one searching for pairs of homologous nematode SECIS elements, another searching for Cys- or Sec-containing homologs of potential nematode selenoprotein genes and the third identifying Sec-containing homologs of annotated nematode proteins. These methods suggest that thioredoxin reductase is the only Sec-containing protein in the C.elegans and C.briggsae genomes. In contrast, we identified additional selenoproteins in other nematodes. Assuming that Sec insertion mechanisms are conserved between nematodes and other eukaryotes, the data suggest that nematode selenoproteomes were reduced during evolution, and that in an extreme reduction case Sec insertion systems probably decode only a single UGA codon in C.elegans and C.briggsae genomes. In addition, all detected genes had a rare form of SECIS element containing a guanosine in place of a conserved adenosine present in most other SECIS structures, suggesting that in organisms with small selenoproteomes SECIS elements may change rapidly.

Marco metodológico para la definición de un perfil profesional en educación superior = Methodological framework for the definition of a professional profile in higher education

En el marco del Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior 1 se inscriben innumerables acciones que están desarrollando todas las universidades europeas con la intención de llegar al 2010 con un bagaje lo suficientemente importante como para afrontar este cambio con entereza y sobretodo conservando (o incrementando) la calidad de los procesos de enseñanza- aprendizaje que hasta el momento han predominado. Dentro de este amplio proceso de transformación se encuentra el diseño de los nuevos Grados que brinda la oportunidad de replantear los planes de estudios, por tanto, la organización de las asignaturas, estructura de los contenidos, metodologías y sistemas de evaluación. Toda esta reflexión debe girar, a nuestro entender, alrededor de tres núcleos que se encuentran en estado deinterdependencia: los escenarios profesionales, los perfiles profesionales y las competencias que en ellos se inscriben.Para poder plantear los nuevos Grados en coherencia con la era del EEES debe hacerse un análisis minucioso de los perfil profesionales demandados por el mercado de trabajo que, al fin y al cabo será el destino de los profesionales que se forman en nuestras universidades, es por ello, que la tarea de definir el perfil profesional a priori del diseño de los nuevos Grados resulta una máxima para garantizar la calidad de estos. En este trabajo se presenta un ejemplo de metodología a seguir para la definición de un perfil profesional en Educación Superior, concretamente, el del Ingeniero TIC mediante el Análisis Funcional.

Transposase and cointegrase: specialized transposition proteins of the bacterial insertion sequence IS21 and related elements.

The bacterial insertion sequence IS21 shares with many insertion sequences a two-step, reactive junction transposition pathway, for which a model is presented in this review: a reactive junction with abutted inverted repeats is first formed and subsequently integrated into the target DNA. The reactive junction occurs in IS21-IS21 tandems and IS21 minicircles. In addition, IS21 shows a unique specialization of transposition functions. By alternative translation initiation, the transposase gene codes for two products: the transposase, capable of promoting both steps of the reactive junction pathway, and the cointegrase, which only promotes the integration of reactive junctions but with higher efficiency. This review also includes a survey of the IS21 family and speculates on the possibility that other members present a similar transpositional specialization.

Department of Commerce Iowa Professional Licensing and Regulation Division Performance Report, FY 2004

Agency Performance Report from the Professional Licensing and Regulation Division

Moral distress: challenges for an autonomous nursing professional practice

Constantly experiencing limiting situations that hinder a professional practice coherent with its principles - of autonomy and advocacy of users' interests -, and often conditioned to experience moral distress, the nursing profession plays a prominent role in the current health model because it has the characteristic of managing the care rendered to users in a perspective of social inclusion, both in the basic health network and in hospitals. Aiming at carrying out a reflection on the nursing practice and the difficulties present in its work routine, and considering its characteristics as a profession, this article sought to make a reflection between the practice of nursing and the numerous moral challenges imposed by the routine, resulting, in many cases, in a value crisis that can reverberate directly on the quality of the service rendered, and in abandonment of the ideals of advocacy for users.

Organization of healthcare and assistance to the elderly indigenous population: synergies and particularities of the professional context

This study aimed to describe the effects of the organization of primary healthcare on the assistance provided to the elderly Kaingang population, according to the perception of health professionals that work in this area. It is a qualitative and descriptive study, supported by ethnography methodological references, and was conducted with ten healthcare professionals that work in Faxinal, an indigenous territory in the state of Paraná, in Brazil. Data was collected from November 2010 to February 2012 through participant observation and interviews. The results revealed that health professionals strive to meet the health needs of the elderly Kaingang people; however, there are negative effects that hinder the professional care, especially limited human resources, lack of training and material resources, heavy workload and high turnover rates. This study highlights the need to improve work conditions in order to provide better healthcare.

Formação Profissional e Empreendedorismo: O Caso do Centro de Juventude de S. Vicente

À medida que oportunidades de emprego para toda a vida escasseiam, altas taxas de desemprego têm despertado o interesse por empreendedorismo. A salvação passa a ser a empregabilidade, sendo a educação empreendedora apontada como uma das áreas chave para fazer com que todos descubram potencialidades inovadoras e criativas despertando comportamentos empreendedores. A inserção dos jovens no mercado de trabalho é neste momento um dos maiores problemas da ilha de São Vicente com 23,3% de desempregados numa população maioritariamente jovem (65,7%) segundo INE (Instituto Nacional de Estatística). É neste contexto marcado por instabilidade e incerteza, que o Centro de Juventude de São Vicente tem vindo a promover a formação profissional oferecendo cursos de curta duração visando a inserção sócio económica de jovens carenciados e em situação de risco. Com base num suporte teórico que revela a possibilidade de desenvolver o espírito empreendedor através do ensino, optou-se pela metodologia de estudo de caso para analisar de que forma o Centro de Juventude de São Vicente contribui na formação para a empregabilidade e/ou no despertar do espírito empreendedor. Os resultados revelam que o Centro está dando os primeiros passos nesse sentido e que terá um papel importante no estímulo e incentivo ao trabalho por conta própria através da formação profissional, desde que em estreita articulação com o IEFP (Instituto do Emprego e Formação Profissional) e o mercado de trabalho. Visando uma mudança de mentalidade tem propiciado aos jovens um contexto de estímulo à iniciativa sobretudo através do apoio psicológico e na busca de financiamento. While opportunities for lifetime jobs are decreasing, high unemployment rates have aroused the interest in entrepreneurship. Employability will be the solution, being entrepreneurial education pointed out as one of the key factors in finding out innovative and creative potentialities as well as in stimulating entrepreneurial behaviours. Inserting young people in the labour market is, at present, one of the biggest problems in S.Vicente, an island with 23,3% of unemployed in a population mostly constituted by young people (65,7%), according to INE (National Institute of Statistics). In this context characterised by instability and uncertainty, the Youth Centre in S.Vicente has been promoting professional training through short courses aimed at socioeconomic insertion of young people in vulnerable and risky situations. Based on a theoretical support which points out the possibility of developing entrepreneurial spirit through education, the case study methodology was selected in order to analyse how the Youth Centre contributes through its training courses to employability and/or entrepreneurial spirit. The results obtained indicate that the Centre is taking its first steps in this direction and will play an important role in encouraging self-employment, through professional training. This has to be carried out in close relationship with both IEFP (Institute of Employment and Professional Training) and the labour market. With a view to changing mentalities, the Centre has been providing young people with a context capable of stimulating initiative, especially by supplying psychological support and helping them find financing sources.

Professional competencies in primary health care for attending to older adults

Objective To identify and analyze the necessary competencies in primary health care for attending to older adults. Method An exploratory, descriptive, and quali-quantitative study was developed. Three rounds of the Delphi Technique were conducted with participants from primary health care services and a multidisciplinary committee. The first questionnaire asked participants to indicate the competencies needed for attending to older adults in primary health care. They were compiled into a list and added to a Likert Scale (from 1 to 5) for the second and third questionnaires. A consensus criterion of 70% was adopted. Results Twenty eight competencies were reached by consensus and were classified into twelve domains. Conclusion The competencies reflect Brazilian health care policy and constitute a reference for professional health practice and education when caring for the older adult in primary health care.

Professional knowledge in primary health care of the person/family in mental distress: Le Boterf perspective

Aim of this study was to identify knowing-doing actions constituted the practice of Family Health (FH), in view of nurses in relation to the person and family care in mental distress in terms of professional knowledge of Le Boterf. Method: Descriptive exploratory qualitative study, to deepen contruction of nurse in FH. The survey was conducted in 3 Units FH. Result: Doing a thematic analysis, came to the following categories: “Knowing how to act and react with relevance”; “Knowing how to combine resources and mobilize them in a professional context”; “Knowing how to interact with multiple knowledges”; “Knowing how to transpose”; “Knowing how to learn and knowing how to learn to learn”; “Knowing how to engage”. Final considerations: the greatest difficulty was "be able to transpose," and that the daily demand of the FH teams requires a lot of this knowledge. Little transposition of knowing-doing in real situations has been verified.

Evaluation of professional knowledge and attitudes on dementia patient care: a trans-cultural adaptation of an evaluation instrument

Objective To describe the trans-cultural adaptation of the evaluation instrument entitled Atenció Sanitària de Les Demències: la visió de L' Atenció Primarià from Catalan into versions in Portuguese for doctors and nurses. This study evaluates the knowledge and perspectives of these professionals in their treatment of patients diagnosed with dementia in cases of primary care. Method The adaptation followed internationally accepted rules, which include the following steps: translation, synthesis, back-translation, revision by a committee of specialists, and a test run with 35 practicing doctors and 35 practicing nurses in Brazil's Family Health Strategy (Estratégia Saúde da Família, or ESF in Portuguese). Results The translation, synthesis, and back-translation steps were performed satisfactorily; only small adjustments were required. The committee of specialists verified the face validity in the version translated into Portuguese, and all of the items that received an agreement score lower than 80% during the initial evaluation were revised. In the test run, the difficulties presented by the health care professionals did not reach 15% of the sample, and therefore, no changes were made. Conclusion The Portuguese translation of the instrument can be considered semantically, idiomatically, culturally, and conceptually equivalent to the original Catalan version and is, therefore, appropriate for use in Brazil.