A new scenario framework for climate change research: background, process, and future directions

The scientific community is developing new global, regional, and sectoral scenarios to facilitate interdisciplinary research and assessment to explore the range of possible future climates and related physical changes that could pose risks to human and natural systems; how these changes could interact with social, economic, and environmental development pathways; the degree to which mitigation and adaptation policies can avoid and reduce risks; the costs and benefits of various policy mixes; residual impacts under alternative pathways; and the relationship of future climate change and adaptation and mitigation policy responses with sustainable development. This paper provides the background to and process of developing the conceptual framework for these scenarios, as described in the three subsequent papers in this Special Issue (Van Vuuren et al.; O’Neill et al.; Kriegler et al.). The paper also discusses research needs to further develop and apply this framework. A key goal of the current framework design and its future development is to facilitate the collaboration of climate change researchers from a broad range of perspectives and disciplines to develop policy- and decision-relevant scenarios and explore the challenges and opportunities human and natural systems could face with additional climate change.

Competitividade de destinos turísticos: fatores de demanda e desempenho

Esta tese defende que os modelos de mensuração da competitividade de destinos turísticos estão estruturados essencialmente com base em fatores da oferta e foram concebidos fundamentalmente pelos estudiosos e profissionais do turismo. Assim, o objetivo foi traduzir a experiência do turista em termos de competitividade do destino. Ou seja, significa incorporar aos estudos sobre o tema o fator da demanda. Para alcançar esse propósito, discutiram-se as principais teorias que explicam o fenômeno da competitividade e os modelos utilizados para mensurar o fenômeno competitivo. Foram identificadas as abordagens principais, os elementos-chave que influenciam a competitividade e as lacunas teóricas dos modelos. Discutiu-se um método para captar a experiência turística em destinos que foi testado com diferentes tipos de turistas por meio de uma pesquisa qualitativa. Os dados foram submetidos à análise de conteúdo e à luz do modelo brasileiro de competitividade. Os resultados mostraram que a competitividade de destinos é analisada essencialmente por fatores de oferta e consegue captar apenas parcialmente a avaliação realizada pela demanda turística. Falta, portanto, incorporar o fator da demanda aos estudos de competitividade para proporcionar aos gestores do destino mais precisão e segurança nas suas ações.

Uma odisséia em busca de Héstia: do turismo à hospitalidade pelos caminhos das representações sociais

This thesis is the result of a piece of research on hospitality social representations between tourism professionals and academics in the city of Natal. The reasearch s corner stone is the point of the view that the notion of hospitality, with all its theoretical and practical implications, is essential to the success of any tourist destination. Is there any relevance in the growing use of the word, almost as a synonym for tourism? How is this notion, first learned in the domestic context and then exercised in the contact with the city and especially with visitors, represented in the learning process for professional practice and in the exercise of professional tourist reception itself? In order to answer this question, initially we chose to study the concept of hospitality in their current academic view, with reference to the French school, which binds hospitality to the maussian perspective of donation, and other scholars of the current theme, with emphasis on the research performed in the program of Master of Hospitality at the Anhembi Morumbi University, whose philosophy imprints in the hospitality concept the same sense we want to give this study. Then we chose to analyze the notion of hospitality, by the Social Representations Theory, in light of Moscovici s methodology, as well as the analysis of the core of this concept among tourism professionals and students. It was found that hospitality is still a very diffuse reference to representations of these two groups and that academic education, if accepted both theoretical and practical implications of this research s starting point, will still have a long way to go. Cities such as Natal, "naturally" hospitable, according to its dwellers, where tourism is relevant to their economies, need (re)thinking and (re)organizing, continuously, their actions towards quality and performance of their professional training especially those concerned with receptive structure

Interação entre a equipe de enfermagem e a gestante com diagnóstico de pré-eclâmpsia

The objective of this exploratory descriptive study with a qualitative approach was to analyze the perception of the nursing team and the pregnant women hospitalized with pre-eclampsia regarding the interactive process occurring in the care relationship. Data were collected by semi-structured interview with twenty nursing professionals that work in the high-risk ward and ten pregnant women with the diagnosis of pre-eclampsia. The discourses were analyzed using the content analysis method, in the modality of thematic identification. Three categories were identified that describe the perception of the interaction by the nursing professionals: recognizing the needs of the hospitalized pregnant woman, understanding the woman with pre-eclampsia, and presenting difficulties in the interactive process. With regards to the pregnant women, four categories emerged: recognizing the clinical care, feeling the lack of information, experiencing feelings during the hospitalization, and envisioning the interaction process. The meaning of the discourses was analyzed according to the principles of symbolic interactionism. The results indicate that both, the nursing professionals and the pregnant women, have a limited perception of their interaction, suggesting a need for further reflection about this reality in the health service units and in the nursing education environment

Ajuda mútua nos CAPS: o papel dos serviços no empoderamento dos usuários

The research objective is explore practices to mutual help between CAPS users from the east and west regions of the city of Natal, RN, in Brazil. In the mental health field, we observe the care from substitutive services is based on technical knowledge where the person of the mental health professional is predominant. The Brazilian psychiatry reform invests in equipments and mental health care protocols, but it is necessary to invest more vigorously in new strategies and actors capable of obtaining resources to achieve this goal, such as the users. If one cornerstone of the psychiatric reform consists of changing the type of relationship established with the person with mental disorders, why this relationship, nowadays, is still dominated by technique and unevenness, where on one side we have a person who knows something and who needs take care of someone, and on other side we have another who knows nothing and thus needs to be cared for? Starting from this problematization of the traditional methods of health/mental health care, an attempt was made to investigate in what ways the mutual help practices between people with mental disorders can realize potential avenues not yet explored within the scope of psychiatric reform. The objective of this research was to map possible mutual help practices among the users, and the technical understanding of such practices. For that, we took part in the daily activities of the CAPS, mapping the experiences of mutual help among users. In addition, we accompanied the users in external activities (such as return home, trips, etc), and we had roundtables with the professionals. The research was guided by theoretical methodological references of the institutional analysis. The results pointed to a lack of behaviors of mutual help or support among users, something that can probably be explained by the service work dynamics, as well as the relationship between technicians and users, which has a tendency to create hurdles for meetings among users, as well as being non-conducive to theirempowerment

Ensino superior em Turismo: uma análise da relação dos cursos acadêmicos de Turismo da cidade do Natal-RN e o mercado de trabalho na percepção dos egressos dos anos de 2009 e 2010

The process of development of any area is closely linked to teaching and research, and in Tourism it is not different. Thus, in this area in which service is one of the factors intrinsically related to its success , it is observed the need for people with deep and critical training in the various aspects of this activity acting in this sector. However, we can see the existence of some differences between what is offered by the academy from what is required by the market. Therefore, the objective of this research is to verify the relationship between higher education in Tourism and labor market through the perception of the bachelor in this area, graduated in Natal-RN, since it is the tourismologist who makes the link between this two fields. To know the perception of these tourismologists, it was necessary to apply a questionnaire to those ones graduated in the years 2009 and 2010. In accordance with the aim of this study, this research was exploratory-descriptive. Related to the technical procedures, it was a documentary, literature and field research. To have it analyzed, some qualitative and quantitative techniques were applied according to our specific objectives and the types of data collected, such as: content analysis, factorial analysis to synthesize the information and identify the basic dimensions that represent the different variables studied, the standard deviation to verify the variation of the responses in some items and the correlation technique that allows the analysis of the relationship between two variables. In response to the objectives proposed here, we could finally conclude that: the syllabuses of these courses are too general and the graduates themselves consider them so. It was diagnosed that the graduates 1) are mostly female, 2) a very small part of them is working in the area that they are graduated in, and 3) not all of them receive satisfactory wages which contributes to having a negative view of their degree course. Moreover, the educational institution where they studied was not a decisive factor to get a job. It was still diagnosed that most part of them do not have positive perceptions when thinking about the future of their careers as bachelors in Tourism. Many of them, including, if it was possible to change something in their careers so far, they could have chosen another college degree. It was found that, although there is a negative perception about their professional future, almost half of them believe that the course met the needs of the market. However, those ones that are not working have a more positive point of view related to the applicability of higher education. On the other hand, the other ones who already worked in this area have a more negative perception about it and do not believe that the course meets the market's needs. In summary, this study allowed the understanding of the existence of some gaps that exist between higher education in Tourism and the market needs, professionally speaking, thus contributing to the spreading of ideas on that subject for teachers, researchers and the current and future students of the area.

Profile evaluation of orthodontic professionals as for their legal actions

Objective: Evaluate the legal actions and behavior in the doctor/patient relationship, used by dental surgeons practicing orthodontics. Methods: The population sample of the present study consisted of dental surgeons, active in the field of orthodontics, and registered with Dental Press Publishing Company - Maringá/PR, Brazil, with a total sample size of 525 professionals. The research was conducted using a 17-question survey forwarded to these professionals. Results and Conclusions: The majority of participants in our study are specialized in orthodontics; 75% of professionals use some sort of contract at the office/clinic; 73.7% of professionals periodically request maintenance X-rays; a large percentage of professionals (58.9%) keep patient records on file for life. The interviewed professionals demonstrate good knowledge of the Brazilian Code of Ethics in Dentistry, especially of Chapter XIV - on Communication.

Inclusão de alunos com deficiência intelectual: considerações sobre avaliação da aprendizagem escolar

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Connecting the Dots: Families and Children with Special Needs in a Rural Community

Due to the rising number of children with disabilities, the needs of these families must be addressed. This article describes the development and implementation of a regional forum in a rural community to address education and training needs of families and professionals. The Special Needs Summit provided workshops, information, and activities for parents and professionals. Participants were invited to participate in a study through a survey soliciting feedback regarding the importance and effectiveness of the training and information received through the Summit, gaps in resources, and future educational and training needs. Overall, participants gave satisfactory ratings regarding the training and education provided during the forum, and gave direction for future programming.

The Weekly Adjustment Indicators Checklist: An Application in the Child Welfare Field

Research on the effectiveness of various home-based interventions implemented in the 1980s and 1990s indicates that results have been equivocal. Because of the unique and complex behavioral challenges presented by each family and the need for individualized treatments and long-term interventions for these families, group research and evaluation designs are often insufficient in assessing effectiveness of home-based interventions. Alternative evaluation strategies are needed. The purpose of this exploratory study was two-fold: (a) to investigate the applicability and acceptability of the Weekly Adjustment Indicators Checklist (WAIC) in monitoring adult and child behaviors and (b) to monitor, on an on-going basis, the progress of a family referred to an urban family preservation and reunification program. The target family on whom data were collected consisted of a 13-year old girl and her foster parent who was her maternal aunt. The findings of this study indicate that the WAIC is applicable in monitoring the progress of children and adults in care and that it has the endorsement of its user, namely, the direct care provider. Other results of the study, limitations of the study, and future research needs are discussed.

Grenzen des Machbaren. Was Pilgerwege erfolgreich macht

Auch in Deutschland versuchen immer mehr Touristiker vom Pilgerboom zu profitieren. Die neuen Wege werden oft nur wenig genutzt. Wer versteht, was Pilgern ausmacht, kann auch erfolgreich agieren. Auf Basis eines empirischen Forschungsprojektes entfaltet der Beitrag das Spezifikum des Pilgerns als einen bestimmten Erfahrungsmodus: Pilger erfahren sich selbst eingebunden in den Zusammenhang des Seins, einen sie tragenden Grund. Es geht um ein Unverfügbares, dem sie sich überlassen, weil es Gewissheit stiftet. Dies setzt dem touristischen Inszenieren enge Grenzen. Werden diese beachtet, entstehen nachhaltige und erfahrungswirksame Pilgerwege. Schlagworte: Pilgern, Erfahrung, Körper, Natur

Research for Mitigating Syndromes of Global Change: Research for Mitigating Syndromes of Global Change. A Transdisciplinary Appraisal of Selected Regions of the World to Prepare Development-Oriented Research Partnerships

The present publication is the final outcome of the "Syndrome Pre-SynthesisProject" (SPSP), a preparatory project initiated in 2001 to pave the way for the NCCR North-South. The SPSP applied a transdisciplinary approach to identify research partnerships for development in 8 regions of the world. The primary aim of the present publication is to present an initial synthesis of core problems in each region, of the status and focus of related research, and of corresponding new research needs. Based on the results of this participatory process, the NCCR North-South programme has followed up on the outcomes of the regional syntheses by identifying future research aims along the general lines determined in the workshops.

Aiming at improving access to research output through the institutional repository

The paper is to introduce the institutional repository (IR) as a powerful tool to support the researchers of the institution to archive and disseminate their research findings freely to the scholarly community on the Internet. The IR can improve the access to an institution’s research output enormously. The operations of an IR also require various interactions with researchers, which enables the library to gain a solid understanding of research needs and expectations. Through such interaction, the relationship and mutual trust between researchers and the library are strengthened. The experiences of the Institute of Developing Economies (IDE) library can be useful to other special libraries.