Prevalence of Asthma Symptoms and Associated Factors in Schoolchildren from Brazilian Amazon Islands

Objectives. To determine the prevalence of asthma symptoms among schoolchildren living on two different Brazilian Amazon islands and to identify the risk factors related to this condition. Methods. A cross-sectional study of 400 schoolchildren (5-8 years old) using written questionnaires produced by the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood, a skin prick test (allergic sensitization), and a stool examination (for helminthic infection). Nonparametric tests were carried out, and the risk factors were identified by logistic regression. Results. the prevalence of active asthma symptoms was markedly higher in children living on Outeiro Island (OI) than those living on Comb Island (CBI) (30.5% and 16.5%, respectively). the logistic regression identified several risk factors of asthma symptoms on CBI: parental history of asthma, night coughing in the past year, and currently have a cat. On OI, the major risk factors were parental history of asthma, personal history of eczema, having two or more older siblings, and night coughing in the past year. the risk factors in common on both the islands were night coughing in the past year and parental history of asthma. Conclusions. the prevalence of asthma symptoms was higher in those with a lifestyle closer to that observed in urban areas (i.e., better sanitation and hygiene), reinforcing the protective effect of a rural environment. Different risk factors were associated with asthma symptoms in schoolchildren living on OI and on CBI. This fact may reflect the environmental individuality and particularities of each island.

Reading the Irishwoman: Studies in Cultural Encounter and Exchange, 1714-1960

In 1700 few Irishwomen were literate. Most lived in a rural environment, rarely encountered a book or a play or ventured much beyond their own domestic space. By 1960 literacy was universal, all Irishwomen attended primary school, had access to a variety of books, magazines, newspapers and other forms of popular media and the wider world was now part of their every-day life. This study seeks to examine the cultural encounters and exchanges inherent in this transformation. It analyses reading and popular and consumer culture as sites of negotiation of gender roles. This is not an exhaustive treatment of the theme but focusses on three key points of cultural encounter: the Enlightenment, emigration and modernism. The writings and intellectual discourse generated by the Enlightenment was one of the most influential forces shaping western society. It set the agenda for scientific, political and social thought for the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The migration of peoples to north America was another key historical marker in the development of the modern world. Emigration altered and shaped American society as well as the lives of those who remained behind. By the twentieth century, aesthetic modernism suspicious of enlightenment rationalism and determined to produce new cultural forms developed in a complex relationship with the forces of industrialisation, urbanisation and social change. This study analyses the impact of these three key forces in Western culture on changing roles and perceptions of Irish women from 1700 to 1960.

A proposed method for evaluating the artisanal production of recycled plastic paving blocks in West Africa

Plastic wastes, and particularly plastic bags and sachets, are a major concern for urban and rural environment in African countries. In the last years some actions have been started for the plastic recycling like the artisanal production of paving blocks with melted plastic bags and sand, albeit with differences in production processes. Nevertheless, the environmental and economic impact of such activities is still to be confirmed. The aim of this study is to propose a methodology for assessing and comparing the environmental and energetic performances of artisanal methods, and for defining the overall quality of the produced blocks. This methodology has been shaped through the analysis of
production processes operated by artisans/small enterprises in West Africa and through physic-mechanical tests on the blocks. A questionnaire which allows an insight into the process and on the product has been developed and tested over five processes. Results show that a high input energy level is observed through all the processes, while considerable savings of energy could be achieved. Moreover, tests results confirmed the importance of the utilised plastic concerning thermal dilatation, mechanical resistance at higher temperature and cooling-shrinkage effects. In conclusion, doubts remain about the technical and environmental effectiveness of the sampled experiences, durability of the products and sustainability of this approach. Nevertheless, being the collection and recycling of plastic wastes a potential income generation activity for marginalised social groups in urban environment, a process optimisation could improve the impact of blocks production. Alternative recycling activities should also be considered.

A repeated measures experiment of green exercise to improve self-esteem in UK school children

Exercising in natural, green environments creates greater improvements in adult's self-esteem than exercise undertaken in urban or indoor settings. No comparable data are available for children. The aim of this study was to determine whether so called ‘green exercise’ affected changes in self-esteem; enjoyment and perceived exertion in children differently to urban exercise. We assessed cardiorespiratory fitness (20 m shuttle-run) and self-reported physical activity (PAQ-A) in 11 and 12 year olds (n = 75). Each pupil completed two 1.5 mile timed runs, one in an urban and another in a rural environment. Trials were completed one week apart during scheduled physical education lessons allocated using a repeated measures design. Self-esteem was measured before and after each trial, ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) and enjoyment were assessed after completing each trial. We found a significant main effect (F (1,74), = 12.2, p<0.001), for the increase in self-esteem following exercise but there was no condition by exercise interaction (F (1,74), = 0.13, p = 0.72). There were no significant differences in perceived exertion or enjoyment between conditions. There was a negative correlation (r = −0.26, p = 0.04) between habitual physical activity and RPE during the control condition, which was not evident in the green exercise condition (r = −0.07, p = 0.55). Contrary to previous studies in adults, green exercise did not produce significantly greater increases in self-esteem than the urban exercise condition. Green exercise was enjoyed more equally by children with differing levels of habitual physical activity and has the potential to engage less active children in exercise.

As formas animadas e a criatividade

Projeto de Intervenção apresentado à Escola Superior de Educação de Lisboa para obtenção de grau de mestre em Educação Artística - Especialidade Teatro na Educação

Paysages d’adolescents du Québec, saisons en regards filmiques

Le chemin pour circonscrire le rapport intime qu’ont des adolescents à leur milieu de vie via le paysage est relaté par ce texte intitulé «Paysages d’adolescents du Québec, saisons en regards filmiques». Ce travail de recherche documente ce qui de la nature ou des indices de traces sociales composent leurs images vidéographiques tournées en automne et en hiver, et ce faisant, contribue à l’exploration des valeurs qu’ils accordent au territoire. Les conclusions de cette recherche révèlent d’une part, la présence d’une oscillation entre des éléments de la nature et de la communauté dans les images filmiques et que la maison serait le vecteur principal de l’ancrage au territoire; elle est le théâtre où se développent, à petites échelles, les sensibilités paysagères des adolescents. La méthodologie qui a été développée pour arriver à ces résultats reposait sur des projets dans des écoles secondaires de la Montérégie et du Bas-Saint-Laurent dans le cadre desquels des adolescents ont filmé leur milieu puis évalué et décrit leurs images. Les analyses effectuées à l’aide d’observations récurrentes et thématiques successives ont permis de cibler plusieurs dimensions de l’interface paysagère entre l’adolescent et le territoire.

Small and Closed vs. Large and Open: Some Lessons from Comparing Cuban to Colombian Agricultural Development

Comparing the experiences of selected Latin America and the Caribbean countries and their trajectories over the past 15 years offers rich insights into the dynamics and causes for not meeting the 2015 MDGs. They also offer clues for post-MDG strategies. Central to achieving sustainable growth are government policies able to support small and medium-sized farms and peasants, as they are crucial for the achievement of several goals, centrally: to achieve food security; to provide a sound and stable rural environment able to resist external (financial) shocks; to secure healthy food; to secure local food; and to protect vibrant and culturally rich local communities. This paper analyses and compares the most successful government policies to the least successful policies carried out over the last 15 years in selected Latin American and Caribbean countries and based on this analysis, offers strategies for more promising post-MDG politics, able to reduce poverty, reduce inequality, fight back informality, and achieve more decent work in poor countries.

Territorio y ciudad: contexto y pretexto para un enfoque integrativo de análisis

En las últimas décadas el territorio y la ciudad se han constituido en asuntos de preocupación relevante para las distintas disciplinas y por lo tanto para la academia en general; sin embargo, su análisis ha sido parcial y sesgado a los enfoques propios de las profesiones. Las disciplinas, si bien han hecho importantes aportes para su abordaje, dejan entrever la ausencia de enfoques integrales que permitan una mejor comprensión sobre estos asuntos, complejos y dinámicos.En el presente análisis el territorio se asume como el contexto en el que se desarrollan las dinámicas, los procesos urbanos y las interacciones de estos con el entorno rural, mientras que la ciudad se constituye en el pretexto para la comprensión de la vida moderna de hoy y del futuro –ya que la aglomeración es un hecho cierto en el mundo– el cual se ha intensificado en los países en desarrollo, como es el caso colombiano.Este artículo plantea cuatro aspectos claves para abordar el tema de estudio: primero, la pertinencia de la temática; segundo, explora el contexto histórico sobre la ciudad y el proceso de urbanización; tercero, se esbozan los principales elementos de un enfoque integral para el análisis del territorio y la ciudad a partir de una triada –la noción de paradigma de Kuhn, la ecología social de Capra y la Equística– como método que permite integrar los aportes disciplinarios y transversales a dicho análisis; finalmente, se presenta una agenda preliminar de temas de investigación que contribuye a dinamizar el debate.-----The territory and the city in the last decades have been constituted in matters of outstanding concern for the different disciplines and therefore for the academy in general, however, their analysis has been partially and slanted to the focuses characteristic of the professions. These, the disciplines, although they have made important contributions for their boarding, they allow to see the absence of integral focuses that you/they allow a better understanding on these matters, complex and dynamic.Presently analysis, the territory is assumed as the context in which the dynamics and the urban processes and the interactions of these are developed with the rural environment, while the city is constituted in the pretext for the understanding of today’s modern life and of the future, since the mass is a certain fact in the world, which has been intensified in the developing countries, like it is the Colombian case.For the development of this thematic one, the article outlines four key aspects to approach the study topic: In the first place, the relevancy of the thematic one; the second it explores the historical context on the city and the urbanization process; in the third the main elements of an integral focus are sketched for the analysis of the territory and the city, starting from a triad: The notion of paradigm of Kuhn, the social ecology of Capra and the Equistica, as method that allows to integrate the disciplinary contributions and the traverse ones to this analysis and in fourth place, a preliminary calendar of investigation topics is presented that contributes to energize the debate.

Food choice in an interdisciplinary context

Reform of agricultural policies, notably the continuing elimination of production-enhancing subsidies, makes it possible for policies to respond to social issues such as the rural environment and health in future. In this paper, we draw on a Rural Economy and Land Use (RELU) research project which is examining the potential for the development of healthy food chains and the implications for human health and the environment. One of the key issues to be addressed is consumers' willingness to pay for the nutritionally enhanced food products from these new chains, but it is evident that only a partial understanding can be gained from a traditional economics approach. In the paper, we discuss how economists are beginning to incorporate views from other disciplines into their models of consumer choice.

The potential for competitive and healthy food chains of benefit to the countryside

Agricultural policy liberalisation, concern about unhealthy diets and growing recognition of the importance of sustainable land use have fostered interest in the development of competitive food chains based around products that are beneficial to the rural environment. We review the potential for foods with enhanced health attributes based on alternative varieties/breeds and production systems to traditional agriculture which has been predominantly motivated by yields. We concentrate on soft fruit, which is an important source of polyphenols, and grazing livestock systems that have the potential for improving fatty acid profiles in meat products and find there to be clear scientific potential, but limited research to date. Consumer research suggests considerable acceptance of such products and willingness to pay sufficient to cover additional production costs. Purchase of such foods could have major implications for agricultural land use and the rural environment. There is little research to date on specific healthier food products, but spatially explicit models are being developed to assess land use and environmental implications of changing demand and husbandry methods.

From student to therapist : follow up of a first cohort of Bachelor of occupational therapy students

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the perception of graduate students on their preparation for practice, at 7 months post graduation.
Method: Using an anonymous postal questionnaire, 18 respondents (58% response rate) provided data on the nature of current employment, the experience as a graduate therapist, and perceptions of their undergraduate experience in preparing them for practice.
Results: Fifty percent of the respondents were practising in a rural environment. There was a significant positive relationship between respondents perception of their curriculum and fieldwork experiences and their preparation for practice (rho = 0.52, p < 0.05, and rho = 0.55, p < 0.05, respectively). Of the fieldwork experiences, respondents rated block placements as more beneficial to practice than non-traditional placements. However, a correlational analysis showed the non-traditional placement was significantly related to preparation for practice (rho = 0.54, p < 0.05). On a sevenpoint Likert scale, respondents rated themselves from 5.2 to 5.7 for perceived self-competence as a newly graduated practitioner with community-based graduates having the higher rating. Confidence in clinical decision-making was rated 5.0 to 5.6 with community-based graduates having higher rating. Respondents reported a positive perception that the undergraduate program prepared them to enter the workforce and practise as an occupational therapist (mean ratings 5.5 to 6.2).
Conclusion: Respondents felt adequately prepared to enter the occupational therapy profession and workforce. Strengths and weaknesses in their preparation are discussed as well as the need for further research.

Gestão e sociabilidades do trabalho em rede: as relações de trabalho em novos formatos organizacionais

O objetivo deste texto é refletir sobre o trabalho organizado em redes sociais produtivas, tomando-se como exemplo a Rede de Agroecologia Ecovida, situada nos estados de Santa Catarina, Paraná e Rio Grande do Sul. A pesquisa privilegiou a complexidade inerente à configuração do trabalho em rede, desenvolvido pelos agricultores familiares em dois núcleos desta rede no estado de Santa Catarina. Foram investigadas, dentre outras, as peculiaridades da produção agroecológica, as inovações técnicas na forma de produzir, a revalorização das práticas sociais tradicionais no meio rural, assim como a ampliação dos riscos para o pequeno produtor. A reflexão se concentrou nas formas de organização em redes sociais produtivas, caracterizadas como projetos alternativos de produção, que apresentam duplo direcionamento - o da cooperação e o da orientação para resultados econômicos. Mais especificamente, se pretendeu investigar as consequências e desafios destas relações, atentando para a configuração atual do trabalho na sociedade.

Desenvolvimento e autonomia das mulheres: uma avaliação do POPMR na região oeste potiguar - 2008/2012

The dissertation evaluates about Rural Women s Productive Organization Program effectiveness of Western Rio Grande do Norte(2008-2012). Specifically, it has aimed to: 1) Describe about Rural Women s Productive Organization Program characteristics in Western Potiguar Region; 2) Investigate which social economic changes the program has caused in Rural Women s lives from Western Potiguar Region; 3) Evaluate whether women s participation in the feminist social movement has contributed in order to facilitate access to the program; 4) evaluate whether rural women s participation from western Potiguar region in POPMR has provoked some questions in relation to labor sexual division in policy all female users or whether it has amplified their capacities for their economical autonomy conquest. The evaluation has been as reference the development concept as freedom according to Amartya Sen (2000) and labor sex division sustained by separation and hierarchy activities performed by men and women according to Kergoat (2009). The qualitative character investigation was made up by a bibliographical and documental research, semi-structured interviews and focal group. The interviews with female mediator agents and female public managers have demonstrated the paths how to create the program by explaining the difficulties and possibilities. The research was concluded with focal groups that had accessed POPMR in western region. With the methodological instruments used, it was possible to achieve the results: The research data show that POPMR has contributed for the region development specifically by expanding rural women s capacities. However, there are still some difficulties which could be overcome with a state actualization, as policies for home labor and home labor care socialization. In this way, the infrastructure construction for production and reproduction must be based on a kind of legislation for a small production which are indispensable elements for a bigger effective policy for women in a rural environment

A formação do professor em diferentes espaços socializadores: um olhar sobre os alunos do curso Pedagogia da Terra da UFRN

This work is an analysis about the teacher's formation starting from certain aspects of its culture. It is supposed that the teacher is constituted in an individual that acts starting from singular aspects, in an individual point of view, but at the same time it interacts with other individuals in an environment strongly marked by the culture. Those two dimensions are representatives of the socio-cultural characteristics and they can be seen in the perspective of the individual and collective identity. Based on those presuppositions we chose, as reference, four environment of formation: the family, the school, the work and the Movement of the Rural Workers Without-Soil/MST (MST: The without-soil-ones in Portuguese) observing as the teachers refers to those environment highlighting, mostly, the formative aspects stood out. The individuals researched are teachers involved in the education of settled communities, who are students of the Earth Pedagogy course of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte/UFFRN. For our analyses, we used narrative texts, written by the teachers, as conclusion of the discipline History of the Brazilian Education in which they tell their life histories. The speeches show as the environments of reference influence in their world conceptions, attitudes and values that not just mix in an individual dimension, but also collective. The research make us reflect about the possibility to think on the educational action starting from that understanding of wide formation considering the present elements in the courses of teacher's life