Steering Committee on Technical Education Report to the Minister for Education on Regional Technical Colleges

This Committee was established on 20 September 1966 to advise the Minister for Education generally on technical education in Ireland and, in particular, to provide the Department of Education Building Consortium with a brief for the technical colleges. This report from the Committee addresses the following aspects: the need/demand for technicians and skilled personnel; the role of the regional technical colleges; analysis of courses and student population; recruitment and training of teachers; organisation structure; accommodation needs (in the colleges, and residential requirements); growth and flexibility; and cost and time. Recommendations are made in relation to: the building program; the establishment of a Building Project Unit to be accountable for all school and college building work for the Department of Education; the establishment of Regional Education Councils with accountability for all education in each of the regions; and the establishment of a National Council for Educational Awards.

Les Tecnologies de la Informació i la Comunicació : criteris psicopedagògics per al desenvolupament curricular

Els objectius d'aquest treball es concreten en les aportacions que es poden fer des de la psicopedagogia per a definir els criteris que han de guiar el procés d'elaboració del currículum de les TIC en l'ensenyament obligatori i en la manera com el psicopedagog col·labora en aquesta tasca amb altres professionals (tècnics i docents). Així, concretant més les meves intencions, la tasca per a aquest pràcticum consistirà en la revisió de diferents models curriculars sobre les TIC (models d'altres països i propostes parcials dels PCC d'alguns centres d'educació primària de Catalunya), analitzant-los des del punt de vista psicopedagògic i segons un model constructivista de l'ensenyament i de l'aprenentatge, per tal d'arribar a la proposta d'un model propi emmarcat en els principis del currículum prescriptiu marcat per la LOGSE, referits a educació infantil i primària.

Parental occupational exposure to organic solvents and anencephaly in Mexico

Objective: To assess the relationship between parental occupational exposure to organic solvents, and the risk of anencephaly in Mexico. Methods: A case-control study was conducted based on the registers of the Epidemiological Surveillance System for Neural Tube Defects in Mexico; 151 cases of anencephaly of ≥20 weeks’ gestation were included. A control, born alive and without any apparent congenital malformations at birth, was selected for each case in the same maternity service in which the case was born. Information on occupational exposures, lifestyle habits, reproductive history, use of medicines, supplementation with multivitamins and folic acid, was obtained by a general questionnaire; a food frequency questionnaire was also applied to obtain information of daily intake of folate and other B vitamins. Occupational exposure to organic solvents was based on job title as a proxy for exposure and analysed considering two critical periods around conception. Results: In logistic regression analysis, the odds of having a child with anencephaly was higher if the mother or the father was occupationally exposed to organic solvents during the periconceptional period, or when both parents or at least one of them were occupationally exposed during this period with an adjusted odds ratio of 2.97 (95% CI 1.36 to 6.52). Conclusions: The results support the hypothesis that both maternal and paternal occupational exposure to organic solvents can increase the probability of having a child with anencephaly.

Air pollution exposure during pregnancy and reduced birth size: a prospective birth cohort study in Valencia, Spain

Background Maternal exposure to air pollution has been related to fetal growth in a number of recent scientific studies. The objective of this study was to assess the association between exposure to air pollution during pregnancy and anthropometric measures at birth in a cohort in Valencia, Spain. Methods Seven hundred and eighty-five pregnant women and their singleton newborns participated in the study. Exposure to ambient nitrogen dioxide (NO2) was estimated by means of land use regression. NO2 spatial estimations were adjusted to correspond to relevant pregnancy periods (whole pregnancy and trimesters) for each woman. Outcome variables were birth weight, length, and head circumference (HC), along with being small for gestational age (SGA). The association between exposure to residential outdoor NO2 and outcomes was assessed controlling for potential confounders and examining the shape of the relationship using generalized additive models (GAM). Results For continuous anthropometric measures, GAM indicated a change in slope at NO2 concentrations of around 40 μg/m3. NO2 exposure >40 μg/m3 during the first trimester was associated with a change in birth length of -0.27 cm (95% CI: -0.51 to -0.03) and with a change in birth weight of -40.3 grams (-96.3 to 15.6); the same exposure throughout the whole pregnancy was associated with a change in birth HC of -0.17 cm (-0.34 to -0.003). The shape of the relation was seen to be roughly linear for the risk of being SGA. A 10 μg/m3 increase in NO2 during the second trimester was associated with being SGA-weight, odds ratio (OR): 1.37 (1.01-1.85). For SGA-length the estimate for the same comparison was OR: 1.42 (0.89-2.25). Conclusions Prenatal exposure to traffic-related air pollution may reduce fetal growth. Findings from this study provide further evidence of the need for developing strategies to reduce air pollution in order to prevent risks to fetal health and development.

El medi està androcentrat. Qui el desandrocentritzarà?... Experiència femenina, coneixement ecològic i canvi cultural

The article is the result of an attempt to define universal categories which permit a nonandrocentric conceptualization of the natural environment, in which femenine experience in environmental topics is unveiled and emphatized as a collective heritage. The theoretic content concentrates on defining and outlining the characteristics of two basic concepts: the femenine model of conscience and environmental actionr and ccwomen's ecologismn. The potential of both concepts for structuring research in genderlenvironment relations is demostrated. Finally, the article offers reasoned criticism of the androcentric nature of the guide-lines which predominate in environmental management and proposes, as the basis of an alternative model, the recognition of the legitimacy and authority of feminine experience in environmental affairs

Contaminación de las aguas por nitratos y efectos sobre la salud

Publicado en la página web de la Consejería de Salud: www.juntadeandalucia.es/salud (Consejería de Salud / Ciudadanía / Nuestra Salud / Medio ambiente y Salud / Aguas de Consumo Público)

Programa de vigilancia sanitaria y calidad del agua de consumo de Andalucía

En port.: Dirección General de Salud Pública y Participación. Publicado en la página web de la Consejería de Salud y Bienestar Social: www.juntadeandalucia.es/salud (Consejería de Salud y Bienestar Social / Ciudadanía / Nuestra Salud / Medio ambiente y Salud / Aguas de Consumo Público / Programa de Vigilancia Sanitaria y Calidad del Agua de Consumo de Andalucía)

Schistosomiasis control program in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil

The Schistosomiasis Control Program (PCE) was implemented in Minas Gerais (MG) in 1984. In 1999, the state started the investigation and control of schistosomiasis in 470 municipalities. The aim of the present paper is to report the evolution of this Program from 1984-2007. The program included a coproscopic survey carried out in the municipalities of known endemic areas using a quantitative method. Positives were treated with praziquantel and given a program of health education. The information for this study was obtained from data collected and stored by the Health State Department. From 2003-2007, 2,643,564 stool examinations resulted in 141,284 positive tests for Schistosoma mansoni (5.3%). In the first evaluation after treatment, a decrease in the number of municipalities with prevalence over 10% was documented. In one village, selected for a more detailed evaluation, the percentage of positive tests decreased from 14.9% in the baseline survey to 5.3% after treatment. A reference centre for patients with severe schistosomiasis was created in Belo Horizonte, MG. Based on our findings, we believe that the implementation of PCE in MG is on the right path and in due time these new initiatives will provide desirable results.

Municipal distribution of bladder cancer mortality in Spain: Possible role of mining and industry

BACKGROUND Spain shows the highest bladder cancer incidence rates in men among European countries. The most important risk factors are tobacco smoking and occupational exposure to a range of different chemical substances, such as aromatic amines. METHODS This paper describes the municipal distribution of bladder cancer mortality and attempts to "adjust" this spatial pattern for the prevalence of smokers, using the autoregressive spatial model proposed by Besag, York and Molliè, with relative risk of lung cancer mortality as a surrogate. RESULTS It has been possible to compile and ascertain the posterior distribution of relative risk for bladder cancer adjusted for lung cancer mortality, on the basis of a single Bayesian spatial model covering all of Spain's 8077 towns. Maps were plotted depicting smoothed relative risk (RR) estimates, and the distribution of the posterior probability of RR>1 by sex. Towns that registered the highest relative risks for both sexes were mostly located in the Provinces of Cadiz, Seville, Huelva, Barcelona and Almería. The highest-risk area in Barcelona Province corresponded to very specific municipal areas in the Bages district, e.g., Suría, Sallent, Balsareny, Manresa and Cardona. CONCLUSION Mining/industrial pollution and the risk entailed in certain occupational exposures could in part be dictating the pattern of municipal bladder cancer mortality in Spain. Population exposure to arsenic is a matter that calls for attention. It would be of great interest if the relationship between the chemical quality of drinking water and the frequency of bladder cancer could be studied.

Exposure to Trihalomethanes through Different Water Uses and Birth Weight, Small for Gestational Age, and Preterm Delivery in Spain

BACKGROUND Evidence associating exposure to water disinfection by-products with reduced birth weight and altered duration of gestation remains inconclusive. OBJECTIVE We assessed exposure to trihalomethanes (THMs) during pregnancy through different water uses and evaluated the association with birth weight, small for gestational age (SGA), low birth weight (LBW), and preterm delivery. METHODS Mother-child cohorts set up in five Spanish areas during the years 2000-2008 contributed data on water ingestion, showering, bathing, and swimming in pools. We ascertained residential THM levels during pregnancy periods through ad hoc sampling campaigns (828 measurements) and regulatory data (264 measurements), which were modeled and combined with personal water use and uptake factors to estimate personal uptake. We defined outcomes following standard definitions and included 2,158 newborns in the analysis. RESULTS Median residential THM ranged from 5.9 μg/L (Valencia) to 114.7 μg/L (Sabadell), and speciation differed across areas. We estimated that 89% of residential chloroform and 96% of brominated THM uptakes were from showering/bathing. The estimated change of birth weight for a 10% increase in residential uptake was -0.45 g (95% confidence interval: -1.36, 0.45 g) for chloroform and 0.16 g (-1.38, 1.70 g) for brominated THMs. Overall, THMs were not associated with SGA, LBW, or preterm delivery. CONCLUSIONS Despite the high THM levels in some areas and the extensive exposure assessment, results suggest that residential THM exposure during pregnancy driven by inhalation and dermal contact routes is not associated with birth weight, SGA, LBW, or preterm delivery in Spain.

Ecoauditoria del CEIP l'Entorn, pla d'acció i seguiment

El projecte "Ecoauditoria del CEIP l'Entorn, pla d'acció i seguiment" consisteix en la diagnosi ambiental del centre, el pla d'acció, l'execució i el seguiment indispensables per a que el centre pugui aconseguir el distintiu d'Escola Verda que atorga la Generalitat de Catalunya. S'introdueix un assaig pedagògic encaminat en l'Educació per la Sostenibilitat

Maleta pedagògica familiar "Descobrim l'estany de Banyoles"

L’educació ambiental a Catalunya i, en concret a les comarques gironines, compta amb una certa tradició. Són diversos els equipaments que, de mica en mica, han anat oferint a les escoles la possibilitat de fer un aprenentatge directe i experimental de les Ciències Naturals i Socials, tot oferint als centres allò que la seva infraestructura no els permet obtenir o allò que el seu context geogràfic els impedeix conèixer. Doncs la ciutat de Banyoles i la seva comarca, el Pla de l’Estany, constitueixen una zona de gran interès paisatgístic i natural, a més de cultural i artístic, que comporten un gran nombre de possibilitats didàctiques ja que el propi medi ofereix un ampli ventall de recursos pedagògics. Per això, amb l’interès de fer conèixer als escolars de Catalunya la riquesa de la comarca i de recolzar amb l'experiència directa el treball de l'aula, va néixer l’Escola de Natura de Banyoles (d’ara endavant EdNB)

Ecoauditoria de l’IES Santa Coloma de Farners

El projecte “Ecoauditoria de l’IES Santa Coloma de Farners” consisteix en: la diagnosi ambiental del centre, les propostes de les línees d'acció, les propostes d’ actuació, la valoració i anàlisi de les propostes i l’ autoseguiment del pla d’ acció indispensables per a que el centre pugui aconseguir el distintiu d'Escola Verda que atorga la Generalitat de Catalunya. Incorporar l’ educació ambiental en el currículum escolar és un altre dels objectius d’ aquest treball. Així que es proposen activitats curriculars amb l’ objectiu de transmetre una major sensibilització ambiental a l’alumnat i a tota la comunitat educativa en general

Aider les étudiants en médecine à approcher la mort [Helping medical students to approach death].

A project recently launched by the Faculty of biology and medicine of Lausanne introduces the approach of facing death during both the dissection and the course of clinical activities. Existential questions relating to mortality are bound to arise sooner or later during the course of the study. For the sake of humanized clinical practice, these questions must be confronted. In response to a request by a student association, an accompanying curriculum with active student's contribution through encounters with death in anatomy and clinical situations was created in Lausanne. Students will benefit from this new program throughout their curriculum. This program is the first of its kind in Switzerland.

Calidad microbiológica de las aguas de baño del embalse Conde del Guadalhorce, de Málaga (España), 2000-2005.

Background. Determine the presence and evolution of indicators microorganisms of water pollution in “Conde del Guadalhorce” reservoir, Málaga city, Spain. A second objective was to analyze pollution degree and evaluate the sanitary quality of bathing water and compliance with European Directive 76/160/CE. Method. A total of 120 water samples were collected in two bathing freshwater sites during May to September sampling period between 2000 to 2005, and the numbers of total coliforms (CT), faecal coliforms (CF) and faecal streptococci (EF) were enumerated using the membrane filtration method. We used the log-normal distribution method and calculate the logarithmic means, percentile points, ratios CF:EF, ANOVA and Pearson correlations. Results. Only two samples overcome CF limit values at Camping sampling station during 2000 year. Ratios CF:EF values were higher (> 4) during 2000 to 2002, and lower (< 0,7) during 2003 to 2005. Significant differences (ANOVA F = 3,41, ∝ < 0,01) was only observed with EF during evaluated period. There was no significant difference between concentration means at bathing water sites (ANOVA, F = 3,395, ∝ < 0,01). The counts of CT and CF were significantly correlated in Kiosko water samples, while in Camping water, significant correlation (t = 0,632, p < 0,05) was only observed with EF at the Camping station during 2000, 2003 and 2005 years. Conclusions. “Conde del Guadalhorce” reservoir showed hygienic conditions for safety bathing. Globally, water bathing quality is good. CT, CF y EF indicators were agreed with UE Directive during 2000- 2005, with exception CF at Camping station in 2000 year. CT y CF concentrations at Camping were frecuently higher than Kiosko, it could be caused to swimmers abundance and recreational activities. There was a trend towards rising EF, it could be caused to faecal pollution source of animal origin, needed to research it.