Corpos mortos e vivos: as cerimônias mortuárias e as representações da morte entre católicos brasileiros

Esta pesquisa procurou descrever, analisar e comparar as cerimônias mortuárias e as representações coletivas de católicos brasileiros da morte e do luto. Tivemos por objetivo estudar os sistemas simbólicos desenvolvidos em várias sociedades, começando com as culturas tribais, passando depois para o cristianismo dos primeiros séculos, antes da instauração do processo de institucionalização que originou o cristianismo católico e durante ele. Analisamos as práticas e representações católicas relacionadas com a morte e o morrer, na Idade Média, Idade Moderna e Contemporânea, tanto na Europa como no Brasil. O objetivo também foi apresentar os ritos mortuários como formas de dar sentido à vida, de reforçar e manter a coesão social, em que indivíduos vivem constantemente os desarranjos gerados pela presença da morte que arrebata um dos seus semelhantes provocando um desequilíbrio social. Ao realizar tal pesquisa sobre os rituais mortuários católicos, a meta consistiu em avançar um pouco mais no conhecimento sobre um fenômeno social religioso nem sempre abordado pelos pesquisadores: a morte do crente, as práticas mortuárias dos grupos católicos, seus hábitos e discurso quanto ao morto, dentro de um cenário brasileiro que se torna cada vez mais urbano e secularizado.(AU)

Food choices and practices during pregnancy of immigrant and Aboriginal women in Canada: a study protocol

Abstract Background Facilitating the provision of appropriate health care for immigrant and Aboriginal populations in Canada is critical for maximizing health potential and well-being. Numerous reports describe heightened risks of poor maternal and birth outcomes for immigrant and Aboriginal women. Many of these outcomes may relate to food consumption/practices and thus may be obviated through provision of resources which suit the women's ethnocultural preferences. This project aims to understand ethnocultural food and health practices of Aboriginal and immigrant women, and how these intersect with respect to the legacy of Aboriginal colonialism and to the social contexts of cultural adaptation and adjustment of immigrants. The findings will inform the development of visual tools for health promotion by practitioners. Methods/Design This four-phase study employs a case study design allowing for multiple means of data collection and different units of analysis. Phase 1 consists of a scoping review of the literature. Phases 2 and 3 incorporate pictorial representations of food choices (photovoice in Phase 2) with semi-structured photo-elicited interviews (in Phase 3). The findings from Phases 1-3 and consultations with key stakeholders will generate key understandings for Phase 4, the production of culturally appropriate visual tools. For the scoping review, an emerging methodological framework will be utilized in addition to systematic review guidelines. A research librarian will assist with the search strategy and retrieval of literature. For Phases 2 and 3, recruitment of 20-24 women will be facilitated by team member affiliations at perinatal clinics in one of the city's most diverse neighbourhoods. The interviews will reveal culturally normative practices surrounding maternal food choices and consumption, including how women negotiate these practices within their own worldview and experiences. A structured and comprehensive integrated knowledge translation plan has been formulated. Discussion The findings of this study will provide practitioners with an understanding of the cultural differences that affect women's dietary choices during maternity. We expect that the developed resources will be of immediate use within the women's units and will enhance counseling efforts. Wide dissemination of outputs may have a greater long term impact in the primary and secondary prevention of these high risk conditions.

Intellectuals and Japanese Buddhism in Brazil

This study concentrates on the discovery of Japanese Buddhism by Brazilian intellectuals as a group of spiritual practices and as a body of spiritual wisdom. The study has been realized through readings and meetings with Japanese Buddhist monks and/or Japanese immigrants. These intellectuals defend a religious experience based on a universal notion of representations of Japanese Buddhism, which provides them with a non-dualistic philosophical perspective and a unique psychological experience. Through innovative spiritual experiences these intellectuals have broken the tension created within the dispute between secularized science and the Catholic hegemony, both predominant in the intellectual panorama.

Living Our Lives on the Edge: Power, Space and Sexual Orientation in Cape Town Townships, South Africa

Much of social science literature about South African cities fails to represent its complex spectrum of sexual practices and associated identities. The unintended effects of such representations are that a compulsory heterosexuality is naturalised in, and reiterative with, dominant constructions of blackness in townships. In this paper, we argue that the assertion of discreet lesbian and gay identities in black townships of a South African city such as Cape Town is influenced by the historical racial and socio-economic divides that have marked urban landscape. In their efforts to recoup a positive sense of gendered personhood, residents have constructed a moral economy anchored in reproductive heterosexuality. We draw upon ethnographic data to show how sexual minorities live their lives vicariously in spaces they have prised open within the extant sex/gender binary. They are able to assert the identities of moffie and man-vrou (mannish woman) without threatening the dominant ideology of heterosexuality.

Knowledge and practices of medical students to prevent tuberculosis transmission in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Objectives. To describe knowledge, practices, and associated factors of medical students to prevent transmission of tuberculosis (TB) in five medical schools. Methods. Cross-sectional survey of undergraduate medical students in preclinical and in early and late clinical years. Information was obtained on sociodemographic profile, previous lectures on TB, knowledge about TB transmission, exposure to patients with active pulmonary TB, and use of respiratory protective masks. Results. Among 1 094 respondents, 575 (52.6%) correctly answered that coughing, speaking, and sneezing can transmit TB. Early [adjusted odds ratio = 4.0 (3.0, 5.5)] and late [adjusted odds ratio = 4.2 (3.1, 5.8)] clinical years were associated with correct answers, but having had previous lectures on TB was not. Among those who had previous lectures on TB, the rate of correct answers increased from 42.1% to 61.6%. Among 332 medical students who reported exposure to TB patients, 194 (58.4%) had not used protective masks. More years of clinical experience was associated with the use of masks [adjusted odds ratio = 2.9 (1.4, 6.1)], while knowledge was inversely associated with the use of masks [adjusted odds ratio = 0.4 (0.2, 0.6)]. Conclusions. Many medical students are not aware of the main routes of TB infection, and lectures on TB are not sufficient to change knowledge and practices. Regardless of knowledge about TB transmission, students engage in risky behaviors: more than two-thirds do not use a protective mask when examining an active TB case. We suggest innovative, effective active learning experiences to change this scenario.

The impact of high involvement human resources practices on resistance to change: The mediator effect of commitment to change and the influence of ethical leadership

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Exploring Literary Landscapes: From Texts to Spatiotemporal Analysis through Collaborative Work and GIS

This article argues that the study of literary representations of landscapes can be aided and enriched by the application of digital geographic technologies. As an example, the article focuses on the methods and preliminary findings of LITESCAPE.PT—Atlas of Literary Landscapes of Mainland Portugal, an on-going project that aims to study literary representations of mainland Portugal and to explore their connections with social and environmental realities both in the past and in the present. LITESCAPE.PT integrates traditional reading practices and ‘distant reading’ approaches, along with collaborative work, relational databases, and geographic information systems (GIS) in order to classify and analyse excerpts from 350 works of Portuguese literature according to a set of ecological, socioeconomic, temporal and cultural themes. As we argue herein this combination of qualitative and quantitative methods—itself a response to the difficulty of obtaining external funding—can lead to (a) increased productivity, (b) the pursuit of new research goals, and (c) the creation of new knowledge about natural and cultural history. As proof of concept, the article presents two initial outcomes of the LITESCAPE.PT project: a case study documenting the evolving literary geography of Lisbon and a case study exploring the representation of wolves in Portuguese literature.

Family relationship and parenting practices: a pathway to adolesents’ collectivist and individualist values?

Adolescents’ perceptions of parenting and family relationships are important variables for identifying mechanisms involved in how children acquire values and how these values are transmitted through families. In a sample of 515 adolescents, we investigated whether perceptions of the quality of parental practices would predict adolescents’ collectivist and individualist values. We hypothesized that perceived quality of family relations would mediate the relationship between the quality of parental practices and collectivist values but not of individualist values. The results of structural equation modeling suggested that perception of the quality of parental practices predicted adolescents’ both collectivist and individualist values. The predicted mediation effect was found for collectivist values, but not for individualist values. The results point to different functions of parenting and family relations on value acquisition. Implications for practice, such as the development and implementation of interventions to improve the formation of adolescents’ values by enhancing the quality of parenting and family relationships are discussed.

Adherence to best care practices in normal birth: construction and validation of an instrument

Abstract OBJECTIVE To describe the stages of construction and validation of an instrument in order to analyze the adherence to best care practices during labour and birth. METHOD Methodological research, carried out in three steps: construction of dimensions and items, face and content validity and semantic analysis of the items. RESULTS The face and content validity was carried out by 10 judges working in healthcare, teaching and research. Items with Content Validity Index (CVI) ≥ 0.9 were kept in full or undergone revisions as suggested by the judges. Semantic analysis, performed twice, indicated that there was no difficulty in understanding the items. CONCLUSION The instrument with three dimensions (organization of healthcare network to pregnancy and childbirth, evidence-based practices and work processes) followed the steps recommended in the literature, concluded with 50 items and total CVI of 0.98.

Appraising and selecting strategies to combat and mitigate desertification based on stakeholder knowledge and globalbest practices in Cape Verde Archipelago

Cape Verde is considered part of Sahelian Africa, where drought and desertification are common occurrences. The main activity of the rural population is rain-fed agriculture, which over time has been increasingly challenged by high temporal and spatial rainfall variability, lack of inputs, limited land area, fragmentation of land, steep slopes, pests, lack of mechanization and loss of top soil by water erosion. Human activities, largely through poor farming practices and deforestation (Gomez, 1989) have accelerated natural erosion processes, shifting the balance between soil erosion and soil formation (Norton, 1987). According to previous studies, vegetation cover is one of the most important factors in controlling soil loss (Cyr et al., 1995; Hupy, 2004; Zhang et al., 2004; Zhou et al., 2006). For this reason, reforestation is a touchstone of the Cape Verdean policy to combat desertification. After Independence in 1975, the Cape Verde government had pressing and closely entangled environmental and socio-economic issues to address, as long-term desertification had resulted in a lack of soil cover, severe soil erosion and a scarcity of water resources and fuel wood. Across the archipelago, desertification was resulting from a variety of processes including poor farming practices, soil erosion by water and wind, soil and water salinity in coastal areas due to over pumping and seawater intrusion, drought and unplanned urbanization (DGA-MAAP, 2004). All these issues directly affected socio-economic vulnerability in rural areas, where about 70% of people depended directly or indirectly on agriculture in 1975. By becoming part of the Inter- State Committee for the Fight against Drought in the Sahel in 1975, the government of Cape Verde gained structured support to address these issues more efficiently. Presentday policies and strategies were defined on the basis of rational use of resources and human efforts and were incorporated into three subsequent national plans: the National Action Plan for Development (NDP) (1982–1986), the NDP (1986–1990) and the NDP (1991–1995) (Carvalho

Identification of Practices, Design, Construction, and Repair Using Trenchless Technology, TR-570, 2010

Trenchless technologies are methods used for the construction and rehabilitation of underground utility pipes. These methods are growing increasingly popular due to their versatility and their potential to lower project costs. However, the use of trenchless technologies in Iowa and their effects on surrounding soil and nearby structures has not been adequately documented. Surveys of and interviews with professionals working in trenchless-related industries in Iowa were conducted, and the results were analyzed and compared to survey results from the United States as a whole. The surveys focused on method familiarity, pavement distress observed, reliability of trenchless methods, and future improvements. Results indicate that the frequency of pavement distress or other trenchless-related issues are an ongoing problem in the industry. Inadequate soil information and quality control/quality assurance (QC/QA) are partially to blame. Fieldwork involving the observation of trenchless construction projects was undertaken with the purpose of documenting current practices and applications of trenchless technology in the United States and Iowa. Field tests were performed in which push-in pressure cells were used to measure the soil stresses induced by trenchless construction methods. A program of laboratory soil testing was carried out in conjunction with the field testing. Soil testing showed that the installations were made in sandy clay or well-graded sand with silt and gravel. Pipes were installed primarily using horizontal directional drilling with pipe diameters from 3 to 12 inches. Pressure cell monitoring was conducted during the following construction phases: pilot bore, pre-reaming, and combined pipe pulling and reaming. The greatest increase in lateral earth pressure was 5.6 psi and was detected 2.1 feet from the centerline of the bore during a pilot hole operation in sandy lean clay. Measurements from 1.0 to 2.5 psi were common. Comparisons were made between field measurements and analytical and finite element calculation methods.

An Empirical Study on Faculty Perceptions and Teaching Practices of Wikipedia

Some faculty members from different universities around the world have begun to use Wikipedia as a teaching tool in recent years. These experiences show, in most cases, very satisfactory results and a substantial improvement in various basic skills, as well as a positive influence on the students' motivation. Nevertheless and despite the growing importance of e-learning methodologies based on the use of the Internet for higher education, the use of Wikipedia as a teaching resource remains scarce among university faculty.Our investigation tries to identify which are the main factors that determine acceptance or resistance to that use. We approach the decision to use Wikipedia as a teaching tool by analyzing both the individual attributes of faculty members and the characteristics of the environment where they develop their teaching activity. From a specific survey sent to all faculty of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), pioneer and leader in online education in Spain, we have tried to infer the influence of these internal and external elements. The questionnaire was designed to measure different constructs: perceived quality of Wikipedia, teaching practices involving Wikipedia, use experience, perceived usefulness and use of 2.0 tools. Control items were also included for gathering information on gender, age, teaching experience, academic rank, and area of expertise.Our results reveal that academic rank, teaching experience, age or gender, are not decisive factors in explaining the educational use of Wikipedia. Instead, the decision to use it is closely linked to the perception of Wikipedia's quality, the use of other collaborative learning tools, an active attitude towards web 2.0 applications, and connections with the professional non-academic world. Situational context is also very important, since the use is higher when faculty members have got reference models in their close environment and when they perceive it is positively valued by their colleagues. As far as these attitudes, practices and cultural norms diverge in different scientific disciplines, we have also detected clear differences in the use of Wikipedia among areas of academic expertise. As a consequence, a greater application of Wikipedia both as a teaching resource and as a driver for teaching innovation would require much more active institutional policies and some changes in the dominant academic culture among faculty members.

Project «Water and Environment»: Improving educational practices in the aquatic environment

The project "Water and Environment"for the improvement of educational practices in the aquatic environment, is a research project led by four members of the Research Group of Physical Education at the University of Vic (GREF) experts in water activities. The aim is to train the technicians who teach swimming during school hours. The training is based on improving water treatment practices and competence to face a contradictory scene where clubs develop educational content and where schools transfer to clubs part of its educational activity to contribute significantly and positively to water activities fitting the educational curriculum.

Patient Seclusion and Restraint Practices in Psychiatric Hospitals - Towards Evidence Based Clinical Nursing

The overall goal of this study was to support evidence based clinical nursing regarding patient seclusion and restraint practices. This was done by ensuring professional competence through innovative learning methods. The data were collected in three phases between March 2007 and May 2009 on acute psychiatric wards. Firstly, psychiatric inpatients’ experiences and suggestions for seclusion and restraint practices were explored (n=30). Secondly, nursing and medical personnel’s perceptions of seclusion and restraint practices were explored (n=27). Thirdly, the impacts of a continuing vocational eLearning course on nurses’ professional competence was evaluated (n=158). Patients’ perspectives received insufficient attention during the seclusion and restraint process. Improvements and alternatives to seclusion and restraint as suggested by the patients focused on essential parts of clinical nursing, but were not extensively adopted. Also nursing and medical personnel thought that patients’ subjective perspective received little attention. Personnel proposed a number of alternatives to seclusion and restraint, and they expressed a need for education and support to adopt these in clinical nursing. Evaluation of impacts of eLearning course on nurses’ professional competence showed no statistical differences between an eLearning group and an education-as-usual group. This dissertation provides evidence based knowledge about the realization of seclusion and restraint practices and the impacts of eLearning course on nurses’ professional competence in psychiatric hospitals. In order to improve clinical nursing the patient perspective must be accentuated. To ensure personnel’s professional competence, there is a need for written clinical guidelines, education and support. Continuing vocational education should bring together written clinical guidelines, ethical and legal issues and the support for personnel. To achieve the ambitious goal of such integration, achievable and affordable educational programmes are required. This, in turn, yields a call for innovative learning methods.

Managing business risk relating to pending patent applications – A comparison U.S. and European practices

This thesis presents different IPR risk mitigation actions as well as enforcement practices and evaluates their usability in different situations. The focus is on pending patent applications, where the right is not officially recognized or established yet, but some references are made to granted patents as well. The thesis presents the different aspects when assessing the risk level created by patents and pending applications. At all times it compares the patent law of the United States and European Patent Convention. Occasionally some references are made to national law, when the European Patent Convention cannot be applied. The thesis presents two case examples, which bring the risk mitigation actions and enforcement practices closer to practice.