Educação e desenvolvimento em Santa Catarina (Cabo Verde)

RESUMO: A educação e o desenvolvimento, são questões fundamentais do mundo actual, hoje mais do que nunca, fazem parte integrante dos discursos, discussões, convenções locais, nacionais e internacionais. Esta dissertação procura verificar se há ou não convergência entre a educação e desenvolvimento, respondendo à seguinte questão: o desenvolvimento e a educação podem ser complementares, através do investimento em capital humano? Este trabalho de investigação foi desenvolvido a partir de uma perspectiva educativa, isto é dando centralidade aos processos de aprendizagem da própria pessoa e sua construção como resposta aos desafios, aos imprevistos e incertezas, característicos da sociedade actual. Pretendemos também fornecer elementos de reflexão sobre os desafios que se colocam aos sistemas de educação, numa perspectiva sistémica, e na sua relação com o desenvolvimento. Para concretizar a investigação, avaliamos a influência da educação nas práticas efectivas do desenvolvimento de Santa Catarina (Cabo Verde), partindo de pressuposto de que a educação na sociedade cabo-verdiana, em particular no município de Santa Catarina, é a chave do desenvolvimento e progresso, no contexto dos recursos e constrangimentos existentes. Por isso, tivemos como objectivo analisar a influência da educação no processo de desenvolvimento para se avaliar o referido contributo. As nossas conclusões apontam para a existência de uma forte relação entre educação e desenvolvimento, as pessoas a ganharem centralidade no processo de desenvolvimento e a educação a surgir como motor do desenvolvimento. ABSTRACT: Education and deveopment are key issues in today's world, today more than ever they do make part of speeches, debates, local conventions, national and international meetings. This essay seeks to determine whether in Santa Catarina (Cape Verde) there is convergence between education and development, answering to the following question: development and education can be complementary, through investment in human capital? The research will be developed from an educational perspective, that is, giving centrality to the learning processes and to their construction as a response to the challenges, contingencies and uncertainties, which are characteristic of contemporary society. We also wanted to provide input on the challenges facing education systems, in a systemic perspective, and in their relationship with development To achieve the research, we intended to evaluate the impact of education in the actuals practices of the development of Santa Catarina (Cape Verde), beginning from the assumption that education in Cape Verde society, particularly in the municipality of Santa Catarina, is the key of development and progress, under or in respect of resources and existing constraints. Therefore, we aim to analyze the impact of education in the development processes to evaluate this contribution Our results indicate the presence of a strong relationship between education and development, people gains centrality in the development process and the education emerges as the motor of development.

A documentação museológica num museu local: algumas considerações

A museologia contemporânea tem sido repensada principalmente a partir da década de 70 devido a contribuição das ciências sociais e educativas que em muito fortaleceram a busca de um desenvolvimento técnico e científico. Esse tem sido um processo da maior importância para todas as ciências: de um lado a antropologia trabalhando com o conceito de cultura e bem cultural de forma mais abrangente, sem discriminar nenhum segmento social e de outro a pedagogia pondo em discussão a educação dialógica e participativa na qual o homem é entendido como sujeito histórico. Com as transformações da sociedade revelou-se mais evidente a necessidade de um fazer museológico de maior intervenção social. Oficialmente essa museologia participativa e comunitária legitima-se através de documentos como a Mesa Redonda de Santiago no Chile, Declaração de Quebec e a Declaração de Caracas, documentos fundamentais para a compreensão da museologia actual na medida que traduzem mudança do Pensamento Museológico contemporâneo. Mudanças que podem ser percebidas, de modo a melhor compreender a forma como o homem se relaciona com o bem cultural; o património cultural que passa a ser trabalhado não só por suas características físicas mas também por toda uma gama de informação que está para além destas e uma nova conceituação de museu e de museologia.

O papel da liderança na promoção de uma dinâmica de escola aprendente- um projeto em desenvolvimento

A época atual exige que a escola se reformule e se adapte às exigências locais, nacionais e mundiais com as quais se confronta. O professor, ator principal das mudanças requeridas, vê aumentar significativamente as suas funções, necessitando de uma formação que corresponda às suas necessidades e que terá de efetivar ao longo de toda a sua vida profissional. Contudo, a formação proposta pelos centros de formação nem sempre se afigura a mais adequada. Para mudar, a escola precisa de lideranças fortes que apostem numa formação que vá ao encontro das necessidades sentidas e tente dar respostas eficazes. Tendo por base estes pressupostos, o presente projeto pretende investigar, no contexto particular de uma determinada escola, o modo como a(s) lideranças promovem uma dinâmica de escola aprendente e dinamizam formações que correspondam às necessidades sentidas. Este estudo permite-nos concluir que a(s) liderança(s) é um dos fatores que influencia fortemente o plano de formação, muito embora não seja o único. O entendimento que a(s) lideranças têm da formação, do desenvolvimento profissional e do futuro da escola, condiciona fortemente a dinâmica de escola que aprende. Decorrente da visão sobre a formação na escola alvo deste estudo, construiu-se um plano de ação de formação que assenta na criação de uma equipa de formação, team-teaching, centrada na escola, trabalhando colaborativamente, para dar início ao que poderá ser a solução para o problema identificado: uma formação que responda efetivamente e eficazmente às necessidades de formação dos professores da escola para fazer face às exigências da escola atual. Assim, partindo do team-teaching no departamento de línguas, tentar-se-á alargar a experiência e criar as bases para uma formação que promova a dinâmica de escola aprendente.

Sistemas e tecnologias da informação Autárquicos : o impacto da gestão no seu respetivo desenvolvimento

É do conhecimento geral a importância do envolvimento dos dirigentes de topo de qualquer organização na gestão dos seus STI – Sistemas e Tecnologias de Informação – internos. Nas câmaras municipais os dirigentes de topo são o Executivo Municipal eleito pelos respetivos munícipes e, portanto, com fortíssima influência política. As câmaras municipais em si, são organizações estatais que não têm concorrentes diretos, mas a escolha, i.e. a eleição ou reeleição do seu executivo pode ser influenciada pela sua atuação e/ou do partido político a que pertencem. Os STI Autárquicos tem pouca visibilidade exterior à organização e, portanto, pouco ou nada contribuem para o garante de votos necessários à eleição/reeleição do executivo municipal. Por esta razão, embora a maior parte dos executivos municipais reconheça o quanto estes são importantes, nem sempre se envolvem na sua gestão nem lhes conferem o devido destaque ou importância. Com este trabalho pretende-se perceber até que ponto o envolvimento do Executivo Municipal na gestão dos STI Autárquicos é importante e/ou determinante para o seu respetivo desenvolvimento i.e. se tem influência no seu aumento quantitativo e qualitativo.

Habitat Split as a Cause of Local Population Declines of Amphibians with Aquatic Larvae

Most amphibian species have biphasic life histories and undergo an ontogenetic shift from aquatic to terrestrial habitats. In deforested landscapes, streams and forest fragments are frequently disjunct, jeopardizing the life cycle of forest-associated amphibians with aquatic larvae. We tested the impact of habitat split-defined as human-induced disconnection between habitats used by different life-history stages of a species-on four forest-associated amphibian species in a severely fragmented landscape of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We surveyed amphibians in forest fragments with and without streams (referred to as wet and dry fragments, respectively), including the adjacent grass-field matrix. Our comparison of capture rates in dry fragments and nearby streams in the matrix allowed us to evaluate the number of individuals that engaged in high-risk migrations through nonforested habitats. Adult amphibians moved from dry fragments to matrix streams at the beginning of the rainy season, reproduced, and returned at the end of the breeding period. Juveniles of the year moved to dry fragments along with adults. These risky reproductive migrations through nonforested habitats that expose individuals to dehydration, predation, and other hazards may cause population declines in dry fragments. Indeed, capture rates were significantly lower in dry fragments compared with wet fragments. Declining amphibians would strongly benefit from investments in the conservation and restoration of riparian vegetation and corridors linking breeding and nonbreeding areas.

Local richness and distribution of the lizard fauna in natural habitat mosaics of the Brazilian Cerrado

We investigate local lizard richness and distribution in central Brazilian Cerrado, harbouring one of the least studied herpetofaunas in the Neotropical region. Our results are based on standardized samplings at 10 localities, involving 2917 captures of 57 lizard species in 10 families. Local richness values exceeded most presented in earlier studies and varied from 13 to 28 species, with modal values between 19 and 28 species. Most of the Cerrado lizard fauna is composed of habitat-specialists with patchy distributions in the mosaic of grasslands, savannas and forests, resulting in habitat-structured lizard assemblages. Faunal overlap between open and forested habitats is limited, and forested and open areas may act as mutual barriers to lizard distribution. Habitat use is influenced by niche conservatism in deep lineages, with iguanians and gekkotans showing higher use of forested habitats, whereas autarchoglossans are richer and more abundant in open habitats. Contrary to trends observed in Cerrado birds and large mammals, lizard richness is significantly higher in open, interfluvial habitats that dominate the Cerrado landscape. Between-localities variation in lizard richness seems tied to geographical distance, landscape history and phylogenetic constraints, factors operating in other well-studied lizard faunas in open environments. Higher richness in dominant, open interfluvial habitats may be recurrent in Squamata and other small-bodied vertebrates, posing a threat to conservation as these habitats are most vulnerable to the fast, widespread and ongoing process of habitat destruction in central Brazil.

Local Corticosterone Infusion Enhances Nocturnal Pineal Melatonin Production In Vivo

Melatonin, an important marker of the endogenous rhythmicity in mammals, also plays a role in the body defence against pathogens and injuries. In vitro experiments have shown that either pro- or anti-inflammatory agents, acting directly in the organ, are able to change noradrenaline-induced pineal indoleamine production. Whereas corticosterone potentiates melatonin production, incubation of the gland with tumour necrosis factor-alpha decreases pineal hormonal production. In the present study, we show that nocturnal melatonin production measured by intra-pineal microdialysis is enhanced in pineals perfused with corticosterone at concentrations similar to those measured in inflamed animals. In vitro experiments suggest that this enhancement may be due to an increase in the activity of the two enzymes that convert serotonin to N-acetylserotonin (NAS) and NAS to melatonin. The present results support the hypothesis that the pineal gland is a sensor of inflammation mediators and that it plays a central role in the control of the inflammatory response.

Untangling associations between chironomid taxa in Neotropical streams using local and landscape filters

1. Analyses of species association have major implications for selecting indicators for freshwater biomonitoring and conservation, because they allow for the elimination of redundant information and focus on taxa that can be easily handled and identified. These analyses are particularly relevant in the debate about using speciose groups (such as the Chironomidae) as indicators in the tropics, because they require difficult and time-consuming analysis, and their responses to environmental gradients, including anthropogenic stressors, are poorly known. 2. Our objective was to show whether chironomid assemblages in Neotropical streams include clear associations of taxa and, if so, how well these associations could be explained by a set of models containing information from different spatial scales. For this, we formulated a priori models that allowed for the influence of local, landscape and spatial factors on chironomid taxon associations (CTA). These models represented biological hypotheses capable of explaining associations between chironomid taxa. For instance, CTA could be best explained by local variables (e.g. pH, conductivity and water temperature) or by processes acting at wider landscape scales (e.g. percentage of forest cover). 3. Biological data were taken from 61 streams in Southeastern Brazil, 47 of which were in well-preserved regions, and 14 of which drained areas severely affected by anthropogenic activities. We adopted a model selection procedure using Akaike`s information criterion to determine the most parsimonious models for explaining CTA. 4. Applying Kendall`s coefficient of concordance, seven genera (Tanytarsus/Caladomyia, Ablabesmyia, Parametriocnemus, Pentaneura, Nanocladius, Polypedilum and Rheotanytarsus) were identified as associated taxa. The best-supported model explained 42.6% of the total variance in the abundance of associated taxa. This model combined local and landscape environmental filters and spatial variables (which were derived from eigenfunction analysis). However, the model with local filters and spatial variables also had a good chance of being selected as the best model. 5. Standardised partial regression coefficients of local and landscape filters, including spatial variables, derived from model averaging allowed an estimation of which variables were best correlated with the abundance of associated taxa. In general, the abundance of the associated genera tended to be lower in streams characterised by a high percentage of forest cover (landscape scale), lower proportion of muddy substrata and high values of pH and conductivity (local scale). 6. Overall, our main result adds to the increasing number of studies that have indicated the importance of local and landscape variables, as well as the spatial relationships among sampling sites, for explaining aquatic insect community patterns in streams. Furthermore, our findings open new possibilities for the elimination of redundant data in the assessment of anthropogenic impacts on tropical streams.

Delayed local inflammatory response induced by Thalassophryne nattereri venom is related to extracellular matrix degradation

Symptoms evoked by Thalassophryne nattereri fish envenomation include local oedema, severe pain and intense necrosis with strikingly inefficient healing, continuing for several weeks or months. Investigations carried out in our laboratory showed that, in the venom-induced acute inflammation, thrombosis in venules and constrictions in arterioles were highly visible, in contrast to a notable lack of inflammatory cell. Nevertheless, the reason that the venom toxins favour delayed local inflammatory response is poorly defined. In this study, we analysed the movement of leucocytes after T. nattereri venom injection in the intraplantar region of Swiss mice, the production of pro-inflammatory mediators and the venom potential to elicit matrix metalloproteinase production and extracellular matrix degradation. Total absence of mononuclear and neutrophil influx was observed until 14 days, but the venom stimulates pro-inflammatory mediator secretion. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 were detected in greater quantities, accompanied by tissue degradation of collagenous fibre. An influx of mononuclear cells was noted very late and at this time the levels of IL-6, IL-1 beta and MMP-2 remained high. Additionally, the action of venom on the cytoskeletal organization was assessed in vitro. Swift F-actin disruption and subsequent loss of focal adhesion was noted. Collectively these findings show that the altered specific interaction cell-matrix during the inflammatory process creates an inadequate environment for infiltration of inflammatory cells.

Local and cardiorenal effects of periodontitis in nitric oxide-deficient hypertensive rats

Objective: In this study we have assessed the renal and cardiac consequences of ligature-induced periodontitis in both normotensive and nitric oxide (NO)-deficient (L-NAME-treated) hypertensive rats. Materials and methods: Oral L-NAME (or water) treatment was started two weeks prior to induction of periodontitis. Rats were sacrificed 3, 7 or 14 days after ligature placement, and alveolar bone loss was evaluated radiographically. Thiobarbituric reactive species (TBARS; a lipid peroxidation index), protein nitrotyrosine (NT; a marker of protein nitration) and myeloperoxidase activity (MPO; a neutrophil marker) were determined in the heart and kidney. Results: In NO-deficient hypertensive rats, periodontitis-induced alveolar bone loss was significantly diminished. In addition, periodontitis-induced cardiac NT elevation was completely prevented by L-NAME treatment. On the other hand L-NAME treatment enhanced MPO production in both heart and kidneys of rats with periodontitis. No changes due to periodontitis were observed in cardiac or renal TBARS content. Conclusions: In addition to mediating alveolar bone loss, NO contributes to systemic effects of periodontitis in the heart and kidney. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Local and remote tissue injury upon intestinal ischemia and reperfusion depends on the TLR/MyD88 signaling pathway

Innate immune responses against microorganisms may be mediated by Toll-like receptors (TLRs). Intestinal ischemia-reperfusion (i-I/R) leads to the translocation of bacteria and/or bacterial products such as endotoxin, which activate TLRs leading to acute intestinal and lung injury and inflammation observed upon gut trauma. Here, we investigated the role of TLR activation by using mice deficient for the common TLR adaptor protein myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) on local and remote inflammation following intestinal ischemia. Balb/c and MyD88(-/-) mice were subjected to occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery (45 min) followed by intestinal reperfusion (4 h). Acute neutrophil recruitment into the intestinal wall and the lung was significantly diminished in MyD88(-/-) after i-I/R, which was confirmed microscopically. Diminished neutrophil recruitment was accompanied with reduced concentration of TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta level. Furthermore, diminished microvascular leak and bacteremia were associated with enhanced survival of MyD88(-/-) mice. However, neither TNF-alpha nor IL-1 beta neutralization prevented neutrophil recruitment into the lung but attenuated intestinal inflammation upon i-I/R. In conclusion, our data demonstrate that disruption of the TLR/MyD88 pathway in mice attenuates acute intestinal and lung injury, inflammation, and endothelial damage allowing enhanced survival.

Discontinuous local semiflows for Kurzweil equations leading to LaSalle`s invariance principle for differential systems with impulses at variable times

In this paper, we consider an initial value problem for a class of generalized ODEs, also known as Kurzweil equations, and we prove the existence of a local semidynamical system there. Under certain perturbation conditions, we also show that this class of generalized ODEs admits a discontinuous semiflow which we shall refer to as an impulsive semidynamical system. As a consequence, we obtain LaSalle`s invariance principle for such a class of generalized ODEs. Due to the importance of LaSalle`s invariance principle in studying stability of differential systems, we include an application to autonomous ordinary differential systems with impulse action at variable times. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Clustering and diffusion in a symplectic map lattice with non-local coupling

We study a symplectic chain with a non-local form of coupling by means of a standard map lattice where the interaction strength decreases with the lattice distance as a power-law, in Such a way that one can pass continuously from a local (nearest-neighbor) to a global (mean-field) type of coupling. We investigate the formation of map clusters, or spatially coherent structures generated by the system dynamics. Such clusters are found to be related to stickiness of chaotic phase-space trajectories near periodic island remnants, and also to the behavior of the diffusion coefficient. An approximate two-dimensional map is derived to explain some of the features of this connection. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Beyond the average: Detecting global singular nodes from local features in complex networks

Deviations from the average can provide valuable insights about the organization of natural systems. The present article extends this important principle to the systematic identification and analysis of singular motifs in complex networks. Six measurements quantifying different and complementary features of the connectivity around each node of a network were calculated, and multivariate statistical methods applied to identify singular nodes. The potential of the presented concepts and methodology was illustrated with respect to different types of complex real-world networks, namely the US air transportation network, the protein-protein interactions of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the Roget thesaurus networks. The obtained singular motifs possessed unique functional roles in the networks. Three classic theoretical network models were also investigated, with the Barabasi-Albert model resulting in singular motifs corresponding to hubs, confirming the potential of the approach. Interestingly, the number of different types of singular node motifs as well as the number of their instances were found to be considerably higher in the real-world networks than in any of the benchmark networks. Copyright (C) EPLA, 2009

Femtosecond laser ablation on dental hard tissues-Analysis of ablated profile near an interface using local effective intensity

This study evaluated the process of ablation produced by a Ti:Sapphire femtosecond laser under different average powers taking place at the enamel/dentin interface. Based on the geometry of ablated microcavities the effective intensity for ablation was obtained. This study shows the validity for the local effective intensity analysis and allows a quantification of the variation in the ablation geometry taking place at the interface of two naturally different materials. It shows that the variation of the diameter of the ablated region as a function of the cavity depth comes essentially from a mechanism of effective intensity attenuation, as a result of a series of complex effects. Additionally, our data are sufficient to predict that a discontinuity on the ablation profile will occur on the interface between two biological media: enamel-dentin, showing a suddenly jump on the ablated cavity dimensions.