Utilização de índices r e R obtidos de programas interlaboratoriais para o controle de precisão de método analítico: Determinação de água por Karl Fischer

Values of repeatability (r) and reproducibility (R) are parameters of an analytical method. They are related to the maximum difference between two results of analysis (permissible range) and can be obtained by interlaboratorial comparisons. They represent great importance for the quality control of the results and decisions about the fitness-for-purpose of the method. Water determination in fuel oil samples were performed by 16 laboratories, using the Karl Fischer reaction, during the period from June 1997 to December 1999. Values of r and R were presented. Discussion is made in terms of the main factors that would be contribution to analytical method variabilities and uncertainties of final results.

Aportaciones del Comunicado de Londres en el Proceso de Bolonia: conclusiones sobre los programas de doctorado y otros aspectos destacables

[spa] El pasado 18 de mayo de 2007, tuvo lugar en Londres el último de los encuentros bienales del Proceso de Bolonia, en el que se reunieron los ministros responsables de la educación superior de los países participantes. En el consiguiente London Communiqué se resumieron las valoraciones de los ministros sobre el estado en el que dicho proceso se halla. Así, se pasó revista a los avances consolidados, a aquellas deficiencias que aún no han recibido la atención necesaria, y a las medidas y estrategias urgentes para su definitiva conclusión. El presente texto da noticia de todas estas cuestiones y, con motivo de ofrecer al lector referencias adicionales sobre el contexto general, incluye una breve síntesis de otros documentos directamente relacionados con los temas más destacados en Londres 2007: los programas de doctorado y la figura del doctorando.

Avaliação dos programas de pós-graduação em química no Brasil: versão 2002

The graduate programs in Chemistry were evaluated and classified from the data collected for the period 1998-2000 by CAPES, the Minister of Education agency that is responsible for the regulation and support of this level of human resources formation. The next classification will be made in 2004, from the data of the period 2001-2003. The years in between, like the present year, are used for an evaluation without classification, from what comments are emitted to the programs to know how their data are improving or not, before the new ranking reporting. The progresses in the area of chemistry in Brazil are analysed from the confrontation of the present data with that of all previous evaluations, since 1983. The results confirm that the research and graduate formation in the area of Chemistry is continuously improving in Brazil, particularly during the last seven years.

O papel dos programas interlaboratoriais para a qualidade dos resultados analíticos

Interlaboratorial programs are conducted for a number of purposes: to identify problems related to the calibration of instruments, to assess the degree of equivalence of analytical results among several laboratories, to attribute quantity values and its uncertainties in the development of a certified reference material and to verify the performance of laboratories as in proficiency testing, a key quality assurance technique, which is sometimes used in conjunction with accreditation. Several statistics tools are employed to assess the analytical results of laboratories participating in an intercomparison program. Among them are the z-score technique, the elypse of confidence and the Grubbs and Cochran test. This work presents the experience in coordinating an intercomparison exercise in order to determine Ca, Al, Fe, Ti and Mn, as impurities in samples of silicon metal of chemical grade prepared as a candidate for reference material.

La formación continua de los profesionales de la acción socioeducativa : un estudio de necesidades

El artículo analiza las necesidades de formación continua de los profesionales de la acción socioeducativa y reflexiona sobre el papel de la universidad en este tipo de formación. Se presenta una investigación realizada en la Universidad de Girona con el objetivo de identificar las necesidades de formación continua de los educadores sociales. El estudio, que utiliza como instrumento básico un cuestionario, trata de hallar discrepancias en cuanto a la situación actual percibida por estos profesionales, en lo que a formación se refiere, y la situación deseable. En este artículo se ofrecen los principales resultados obtenidos con relación a la valoración que los profesionales realizan sobre las tareas y funciones que desarrollan en sus puestos de trabajo y sobre sus necesidades de formación percibidas. Los resultados indican la necesidad de actualización profesional y una demanda de instrumentos y recursos para mejorar la acción socioeducativa en temas relacionados con las competencias interpersonales y el apoyo a la reflexión y autoevaluación de la práctica profesional, la detección de necesidades y la construcción de respuestas personalizadas adecuadas a través de la elaboración de programas individuales y comunitarios, la gestión del tiempo y la supervisión de estudiantes de prácticas. El contexto universitario aparece como un espacio de formación continua adecuado para organizar programas de larga duración y con un alto nivel de especialización

El proceso de valoración de programas preventivos en drogodependencias

Programs evaluation is one of the models developed in the field of Psychological Assessment for determining how interventions or programmes aimed at promoting changes in the social context work. Drug preventive interventions have been the specific object of this type of evaluation. The present study describes stages involved in evaluating drug preventive programs and contemplates the main considerations to take into account to make this type of evaluation more effective in line with recommendations by the main programs evaluation guides

Guía para la evaluación de programas y políticas públicas de discapacidad

El estudio se ha llevado a cabo de acuerdo con el Contrato de prestación de serviciosfirmado entre la Fundación ONCE y la Fundació Bosch i Gimpera (Universidadde Barcelona) con fecha 23 de julio de 2012. Este Contrato se enmarca en el ProgramaOperativo de “Lucha contra la Discriminación 2007-2013”, cofinanciado por elFondo Social Europeo (FSE).

La internacionalización del aula, un reto para los docentes

Dados ciertos cambios en el ámbito socio político como la globalización, el incremento de la movilidad y las características de la emigración, y en el ámbito educativo europeo, como el proceso de Bologna y el apoyo por parte de las instituciones europeas a los programas de intercambio, el aula de la educación terciaria se está convirtiendo cada vez más en un espacio heterogéneo. Hasta ahora los académicos han esperado y dado por hecho que los estudiantes se adapten a su método y concepto de enseñanza, este naturalmente impregnado por su paradigma cultural, sin tener en consideración diferencias en estilos de aprendizaje, cultura, valores y normas; en otras palabras se ha asumido una enseñanza centrada en el profesor como la única válida y viable. En opinión de las autoras esta actitud no corresponde con la tan proclamada internacionalización de la educación sino más bien con una perspectiva etnocéntrica y desfasada por parte del profesorado. Este artículo postula contemplar al estudiante como un cliente (“personalización de la educación”) y por consiguiente adaptar el estilo docente a la nueva realidad internacional universitaria con dos claros fines: mantener y/o mejorar la excelencia académica y satisfacer al cliente, al estudiante. En la última parte del artículo se proponen innovativos enfoques en la enseñanza que pueden respaldar al profesorado en su tarea de tratar con un alumnado cada vez más diverso

Socio-Cultural Transformation and the Promotion of Learning

The main premise of Vygotsky’s cultural-historical theory is that to promotelearning, and thus development, educators must intervene in, and change, the students’ socio-cultural context. Vygotsky’s theory, however, has been misinterpreted and the opposite approach has been accepted: the teaching is adapted, according to the context. The result is widespread failure in schools. This article reclaims the true transformative meaning of Vygotskian theory and shows how successful schools in several countries implement various actions to transform their social and cultural environment. Data is presented from six casestudies of successful schools conducted in five European countries. The analysis showsthat these actions improve instrumental learning and, consequently, cognitive development. All these efforts focus on teaching methods that aim to increase the amount that students learn

Formação docente no ensino superior de Química: contribuições dos programas de aperfeiçoamento de ensino

The literature on the challenges of teacher education in undergraduate chemistry teaching is limited. In the present study, the application of didactic proposals elaborated by two authors of this paper, graduate students and teaching assistants of the teaching improvement program at University of São Paulo, was investigated in terms of their contribution to the teaching assistants' education and undergraduate students' receptivity toward them. Such proposals were based on the jigsaw cooperative learning strategy and applied in two undergraduate courses. The results indicate students' good receptivity and suggest their importance to teaching assistants' education.

Caracterização biológica e molecular de isolados do Citrus tristeza virus com potencial para utilização em programas de pré-imunização

O experimento teve como objetivo caracterizar biológica e molecularmente os isolados de CTV, obtidos de árvores de laranja Pêra em pomares das regiões Norte e Noroeste do Paraná, visando selecionar isolados fracos do Citrus tristeza virus com capacidade protetiva para pré-imunização. Os resultados apontaram sintomas fracos a moderados de caneluras e revelaram similaridade genética da maioria dos isolados analisados e o isolado fraco controle, sugerindo que as plantas selecionadas estão infectadas por haplótipos fracos de CTV, com potencial para serem utilizadas como plantas matrizes.

Innovations of ageing and societal transition : Dynamics of change of the socio-technical regime of ageing

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the dynamics of the socio-technical system in the field of ageing. The study stems from the notion that the ageing of the population as a powerful megatrend has wide societal effects, and is not just a matter for the social and health sector. The central topic in the study is change: not only the age structures and structures of society are changing, but also at the same time there is constant development, for instance, in technologies, infrastructures and cultural perceptions. The changing concept of innovation has widened the understanding of innovations related to ageing from medical and assistive technological innovations to service and social innovations, as well as systemic innovations at different levels, which means the intertwined and co-evolutionary change in technologies, structures, services and thinking models. By the same token, the perceptions of older people and old age are becoming more multi-faceted: old age is no longer equated to illnesses and decline, but visions of active ageing and a third age have emerged, which are framed by choices, opportunities, resources and consumption in later life. The research task in this study is to open up the processes and mechanisms of change in the field of ageing, which are studied as a complex, multi-level and interrelated socio-technical system. The question is about co-effective elements consisting of macro-level landscape changes, the existing socio-technical regime (the rule system, practices and structures) and bottom-up niche-innovations. Societal transitions do not account for the things inside the regime alone, or for the long-term changes in the landscape, nor for the radical innovations, but for the interplay between all these levels. The research problem is studied through five research articles, which offer micro-level case studies to macro-level phenomenon. Each of the articles focus on different aspects related to ageing and change, and utilise various datasets. The framework of this study leans on the studies of socio-technical systems and multi-level perspective on transitions mainly developed by Frank Geels. Essential factors in transition from one socio-technological regime to another are the co-evolutionary processes between landscape changes, regime level and experimental niches. Landscape level changes, like the ageing of the population, destabilise the regime in the forms of coming pressures. This destabilization offers windows for opportunity to niche-innovations outside or at fringe of the regime, which, through their breakthrough, accelerate the transition process. However, the change is not easy because of various kinds of lock-ins and inertia, which tend to maintain the stability of the regime. In this dissertation, a constructionist approach of society is applied leaning mainly to the ideas of Anthony Giddens’ theory of structuration, with the dual nature of structures. The change is taking place in the interplay between actors and structures: structures shape people’s practices, but at the same time these practices constitute and reproduce social systems. Technology and other material aspects, as part of socio-technical systems, and the use of them, also take part in the structuration process. The findings of the study point out that co-evolutionary and co-effective relationships between economic, cultural, technological and institutional fields, as well as relationships between landscape changes, changes in the local and regime-level practices and rule systems, are a very complex and multi-level dynamic socio-technical phenomenon. At the landscape level of ageing, which creates the pressures and triggers to the regime change, there are three remarkable megatrends: demographic change, changes in the global economy and the development of technologies. These exert pressures to the socio-technical regime, which as a rule system is experiencing changes in the form of new markets and consumer habits, new ways of perceiving ageing, new models of organising the health care and other services and as new ways of considering innovation and innovativeness. There are also inner dynamics in the relationships between these aspects within the regime. These are interrelated and coconstructed: the prevailing perceptions of ageing and innovation, for instance, reflect the ageing policies, innovation policies, societal structures, organising models, technology and scientific discussion, and vice versa. Technology is part of the inner dynamics of the sociotechnological regime. Physical properties of the artefacts set limitations and opportunities with regard to their functions and uses. The use of and discussion about technology, contributes producing and reproducing the perceptions of old age. For societal transition, micro-level changes are also needed, in form of niche-innovations, for instance new services, organisational models or new technologies, Regimes, as stabilitystriven systems, tend to generate incremental innovations, but radically new innovations are generated in experimental niches protected from ‘normal’ market selection. The windows of opportunity for radical novelties may be opened if the circumstances are favourable for instance by tensions in the socio-technical regime affected by landscape level changes. This dissertation indicates that a change is taking place, firstly, in the dynamic interactionbetween levels, as a result of purposive action and governance to some extent. Breaking the inertia and using the window of opportunity for change and innovation offered by dynamics between levels, presupposes the actors’ special capabilities and actions such as dynamic capabilities and distance management. Secondly, the change is taking place the socio-technological negotiations inside the regime: interaction between technological and social, which is embodied in the use of technology. The use of technology includes small-level contextual scripts that also participate in forming broader societal scripts (for instance defining old age at the society level), which in their turn affect the formation of policies for innovation and ageing. Thirdly, the change is taking place by the means of active formation of the multi-actor innovation networks, where the role of distance management is crucial to facilitate the communication between actors coming from different backgrounds as well as to help the niches born outside the regime to utilise the window of opportunity offered by regime destabilisation. This dissertation has both theoretical and practical contributions. This study participates in the discussion of action-oriented view on transition by opening up of the socio-technological, coevolutionary processes of the multi-faceted phenomenon of ageing, which has lacked systematic analyses. The focus of this study, however, is not on the large-scale coordination and governance, but rather on opening up the incremental elements and structuration processes, which contribute to the transition little by little, and which can be affected to. This increases the practical importance of this dissertation, by highlighting the importance of very tiny, everyday elements in the change processes in the long run.

Implantação de programas e redefinição de práticas profissionais

Com o objetivo de avaliar as perspectivas de incorporação de novas características ao perfil profissional médico na implantação de novas práticas de atenção (Programa de Saúde da Família) no Programa de Articulação Docente-Assistencial de Florianópolis, entrevistaram-se preceptores e alunos da décima fase do internato médico do curso de Medicina da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. A análise indicou que o tipo de desempenho no presente e a socialização representada pela oferta da experiência pela universidade foram fatores explicativos potentes para compreender a incorporação de novas características identitárias pelos alunos e novas variações na identidade dos profissionais. Os estudantes reconheceram a necessidade de adquirir novos perfis de práticas e de saberes para recuperar as bases éticas e relacionais da medicina, consideradas perdidas com a tecnificação e especialização da profissão. Avaliaram o PSF como mercado de trabalho promissor e uma possibilidade intermediária até o alcance da situação ideal na posição especializada.

Formas de interação de três bairros periféricos com o Parque Municipal das Mangabeiras, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais

Este estudo teve como objetivo verificar se as diferenças no padrão socioeconômico dos habitantes de bairros adjacentes ao Parque Municipal das Mangabeiras - PARMA levariam a diferenças na interação dos moradores de cada bairro com essa área. Para tanto, foram analisadas respostas de 30 moradores de cada um dos três bairros imediatamente limítrofes ao PARMA, em Belo Horizonte, capital do Estado de Minas Gerais, os quais responderam a questionários semi-abertos, avaliaram a interação da comunidade com o Parque e com o ambiente e o seu comportamento de conservação. O objetivo geral do estudo foi dar subsídios ao Plano de Educação Ambiental do Parque das Mangabeiras, sendo o específico verificar se as diferenças socioeconômicas influem na interação do morador do entorno com o Parque. Durante as análises dos resultados, observou-se que as três comunidades diferiram em relação à freqüência nos programas e projetos do Parque, em relação às desvantagens causadas pela proximidade do PARMA e em relação à importância do Parque, fato corroborado pelas análises estatísticas. No tocante às demais questões, apesar de não terem sido verificadas diferenças estatisticamente significativas, observaram-se diferenças qualitativas nas respostas dadas pelos moradores.