Estudio de la satisfacción de los estudiantes de Interpretación Textual de la Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático de Córdoba

El estudio de la satisfacción de los estudiantes es fundamental para conocer los errores y aciertos de una institución educativa superior con el fin de poner en práctica estrategias que conduzcan a una mejora en la calidad de su enseñanza. Con este fin, en este artículo hemos evaluado el grado de satisfacción de los estudiantes de Interpretación Textual de la Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático de Córdoba “Miguel Salcedo Hierro”. Alejándonos de los modelos habituales de medir la satisfacción, principalmente de carácter cuantitativo, hemos utilizado como eje metodológico la Teoría Fundamentada en Datos, y como técnicas, la entrevista comprehensiva de Kaufmann y los grupos de discusión. Los resultados han sido muy positivos, pues han mostrado que estos estudiantes tienen un alto nivel de satisfacción, lo que resulta muy valioso para conocer la calidad de esta enseñanza en el momento presente, así como para desarrollar planes específicos que conduzcan a su mejora en el futuro cercano.

pcDNA3.1tdTomato is superior to pDsRed2-N1 for optical fluorescence imaging in the F344/AY-27 rat model of bladder cancer

PURPOSE: Animal models are important for pre-clinical assessment of novel therapies in metastatic bladder cancer. The F344/AY-27 model involves orthotopic colonisation with AY-27 tumour cells which are syngeneic to F344 rats. One disadvantage of the model is the unknown status of colonisation between instillation and sacrifice. Non-invasive optical imaging using red fluorescence reporters could potentially detect tumours in situ and would also reduce the number of animals required for each experiment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: AY-27 cells were stably transfected with either pDsRed2-N1 or pcDNA3.1tdTomato. The intensity and stability of fluorescence in the resultant AY-27/DsRed2-N1 and AY-27/tdTomato stable cell lines were compared using Xenogen IVIS®200 and Olympus IX51 systems.

RESULTS: AY-27/tdTomato fluorescence intensity was 60-fold brighter than AY-27/DsRed2-N1 and was sustained in AY-27/tdTomato cells following freezing and six subsequent sub-cultures. After sub-cutaneous injection, fluorescence intensity from AY-27/tdTomato cells was threefold stronger than that detected from AY-27/DsRed2-N1 cells. IVIS®200 detected fluorescence from AY-27/tdTomato and AY-27/DsRed2-N1 cells colonising resected and exteriorised bladders, respectively. However, the deep-seated position of the bladder precluded in vivo imaging. Characteristics of AY-27/tdTomato cells in vitro and in tumours colonising F344 rats resembled those of parental AY-27 cells. Tumour transformation was observed in the bladders colonised with AY-27/DsRed2-N1 cells.

CONCLUSIONS: In vivo whole-body imaging of internal red fluorescent animal tumours should use pcDNA3.1tdTomato rather than pDsRed2-N1. Optical imaging of deep-seated organs in larger animals remains a challenge which may require proteins with brighter red or far-red fluorescence and/or alternative approaches.

Carbon nanotube modified carbon composite monoliths as superior adsorbents for carbon dioxide capture

Carbon composite monoliths were prepared from a commercial phenolic resin mixed with just 1 wt% of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) followed by carbonization and physical activation with CO. The products possess a hierarchical macroporous-microporous structure and superior CO adsorption properties. In particular, they show the top-ranked CO capacity (52 mg CO per g adsorbent at 25 °C and 114 mmHg) under low CO partial pressures, which is of more relevance for flue gas applications. This matches or exceeds those of carbons produced by complex chemical activation and functionalization. Our study demonstrates an effective way to create narrow micropores through structural modification of carbon composites by CNTs. © 2013 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Turning Indium Oxide into a Superior Electrocatalyst:Deterministic Heteroatoms

The efficient electrocatalysts for many heterogeneous catalytic processes in energy conversion and storage systems must possess necessary surface active sites. Here we identify, from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations, that controlling charge density redistribution via the atomic-scale incorporation of heteroatoms is paramount to import surface active sites. We engineer the deterministic nitrogen atoms inserting the bulk material to preferentially expose active sites to turn the inactive material into a sufficient electrocatalyst. The excellent electrocatalytic activity of N-In2O3 nanocrystals leads to higher performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) than the DSCs fabricated with Pt. The successful strategy provides the rational design of transforming abundant materials into high-efficient electrocatalysts. More importantly, the exciting discovery of turning the commonly used transparent conductive oxide (TCO) in DSCs into counter electrode material means that except for decreasing the cost, the device structure and processing techniques of DSCs can be simplified in future.

An in situ ionic-liquid-assisted synthetic approach to iron fluoride/graphene hybrid nanostructures as superior cathode materials for lithium ion batteries

A tactful ionic-liquid (IL)-assisted approach to in situ synthesis of iron fluoride/graphene nanosheet (GNS) hybrid nanostructures is developed. To ensure uniform dispersion and tight anchoring of the iron fluoride on graphene, we employ an IL which serves not only as a green fluoride source for the crystallization of iron fluoride nanoparticles but also as a dispersant of GNSs. Owing to the electron transfer highways created between the nanoparticles and the GNSs, the iron fluoride/GNS hybrid cathodes exhibit a remarkable improvement in both capacity and rate performance (230 mAh g^-1 at 0.1 C and 74 mAh g^-1 at 40 C). The stable adhesion of iron fluoride nanoparticles on GNSs also introduces a significant improvement in long-term cyclic performance (115 mAh g^-1 after 250 cycles even at 10 C). The superior electrochemical performance of these iron fluoride/GNS hybrids as lithium ion battery cathodes is ascribed to the robust structure of the hybrid and the synergies between iron fluoride nanoparticles and graphene. © 2013 American Chemical Society.

A qualidade do serviço prestado pelos Serviços Académicos da Escola Superior ABC

A globalização dos mercados transformou a realidade em que vivem as nossas organizações criando a necessidade de, face à concorrência cada vez mais agressiva, lutar por uma posição de destaque no mercado onde se encontram, sendo a “qualidade” cada vez mais o fator de destaque. A qualidade vai muito além de um produto, hoje em dia a qualidade estende-se ao ensino passando pelos serviços. A qualidade preocupa não só a indústria como todas as atividades económicas, inclusive os serviços, quer estes sejam prestados por entidades privadas quer por entidades públicas. Dentro desta visão de “qualidade” de serviços, pretende este projeto de intervenção estudar a qualidade do serviço prestado, pelos serviços académicos de uma escola de ensino superior público e elaborar uma proposta de medidas de melhoria. Numa primeira fase estudámos a satisfação dos alunos face ao serviço prestado tendo sido recolhida a opinião de 120 alunos. De seguida analisámos os processos e procedimentos dos SAC e posteriormente elaborámos uma proposta de melhoria para obtermos um serviço que vá ao encontro das necessidades do seu público-alvo, correspondendo em tempo e formato às suas expectativas, por forma a obter qualidade contínua no serviço prestado. Durante a elaboração deste projeto conseguimos colocar em prática algumas das medidas propostas, sobre as quais obtivemos resultados e opiniões muito positivas.-Market globalization has transformed the reality in which our organizations live, thus creating an increasingly aggressive competition and the need to fight for a position in the market in which they are where "quality" has become an increasingly prominent factor. Quality goes far beyond a product. Nowadays, quality extends to education and even services. Quality concerns not only the industry and all economic activities including services, whether they are provided by private or by public entities. Within this vision of "quality" in services, this project aims to study the quality of the services provided by the academic department of a higher education school and develop a proposal for improvement measures. At the beginning we studied the extent to which students were satisfied with the service provided and we collected the opinions of 120 students. Then we examined the processes and procedures of SAC and subsequently drafted a proposal aiming to improve and to obtain a service which would meet the needs of our target audience, with time and format corresponding to their expectations, in order to achieve continuous quality in service. During the preparation of this project we were able to put some of the measures into practice, during obtained very positive results and opinions.

A rede de ensino superior em Portugal e o Território: o Caso do Alentejo

Da existência de instituições de ensino superior (IES) nas cidades e nas regiões decorrem efeitos variados que influenciam as dinâmicas sociais e económicas locais. Entre os efeitos mais significativos, e duradoiros, que resultam desta presença, destaca- se a possibilidade de melhorar a qualificação dos recursos humanos. Está demonstrado que territórios com populações mais qualificadas são mais desenvolvidos e, por isso, registam melhores níveis de qualidade de vida. Desta forma, a localização de IES pode ser mais relevante em territórios com níveis de desenvolvimento mais débeis, posicionando-se, nestes casos, como factor de promoção do desenvolvimento. Neste trabalho, que analisa de forma genérica o caso português, e o Alentejo em particular, procuramos avaliar a correlação entre a existência de IES num território e os respectivos níveis de desenvolvimento e qualidade de vida, de modo a consubstanciar o papel das IES enquanto instrumentos de coesão territorial.

Algumas notas sobre o contributo do ensino superior para a qualificação da população no Alentejo

As instituições de ensino superior (IES), quando analisadas do ponto de vista da sua localização no território, produzem efeitos de natureza diversa: económico-financeira, de melhoria do ambiente urbano, de melhoria do capital humano, transferência de conhecimento entre as instituições de ensino superior e o tecido produtivo, entre outros. A frequência de ensino superior é entendida, na generalidade dos casos, pelos estudantes e pelas famílias, como um investimento. Um investimento numa vida melhor, decorrente, em boa medida, da capacidade de enfrentar com maior robustez o mercado de trabalho e obter melhores remunerações e, consequentemente, melhor qualidade de vida. Neste texto temos como objectivo discutir de que forma as IES localizadas no Alentejo têm vindo a promover a melhoria da qualificação da população da região. Não obstante o conhecimento poder ser produzido e transmitido no seio das IES entre docentes, investigadores e estudantes, mais determinante para o desenvolvimento territorial é a forma como ele chega às organizações da região. A conjuntura atual é, provavelmente, a mais difícil que as IES portuguesas conheceram desde a expansão do ensino superior iniciada na década de 80 do século XX. Por isso nos parece tão relevante, para o país e para o Alentejo em particular, conhecer como está estruturada a procura de ensino superior bem como de que forma as IES se têm mostrado relevantes na melhoria da qualificação da população.

A desocultação dos saberes profissionais: um espaço do ensino superior

The practical knowledge has characteristics of a process with peculiar idiosyncrasies that require disruption with preconceived ideas, dialogue, negotiation and joint action. The knowledge underlying remains unclear despite of being what informs decision making. It is academia’s responsibility to unveil and nominate knowledge and that is the reason why we conducted two studies with clinical nurses. The aim is to understand the social representation that nurses make of their knowledge about nursing and analyze their clinical practices. In one of the studies, based on the theoretical-methodological referential of social representations, we used the technique of free association of words with the stimulus “knowledge in nursing”. In another study, developed within a naturalistic context and under the “Grounded Theory” referential, we used non-participative observation and explanatory interviews. From the first study we identified the structure of social representations of knowledge in nursing, from which emerged the central core constituted by four elements (Investigation, Wisdom, help Relation, Competence) and a second periphery with one element (Reflection). With the second study we identified that decisions are made within a dynamic, systematic and continuous process of diagnostic evaluation and clinical intervention using the various types of knowledge (e.g. clinic, experiential, scientific, personal). We concluded that the various types of knowledge in nursing, represented by the expressions mentioned above, are systematically and creatively mobilized within the dynamic process of diagnostic evaluation and clinical intervention. It is therefore important to unveil and nominate the different knowledge implicit in the clinical practice and Academia should be responsible for that task.