Developing Environmental and Scientific Education in School

Initiatives involving notions of environmental education and scientific education were stimulated in a state secondary school (Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), using practical and dynamic activities undertaken with pupils aged from 15 to 17 years old during an entire academic year. Each activity had a specific organization, with its own goals, targets, and a schedule for completing tasks, as well as staggered participation by the pupils involved. The variety of activities allowed pupils to be assigned according to their specific skills and interests. The aim of the project was to foster commitment in pupils in their day-to-day performance of activities, thereby helping create habits in accordance with an environmental and scientific education. The implementation of this project afforded the pupils the opportunity to plan actions which would allow ideas to be put into practice, turning them into reality. As well as teaching them subject matter from the curriculum, the actions undertaken also enable the teaching of auxiliary strategies to promote better eating habits and minimize the amount of organic waste discarded. Cultivating vegetable gardens in crates only requires small spaces, and raw vegetable peelings thrown in the bin were used to create organic compost for the garden itself. Activities such as these contribute towards making the school not just a place for formal education, but also a centre for teaching and disseminating measures that could yield immediate results in terms of raising the quality of life of the school community.Des initiatives portant sur des notions d’éducation environnementale et d’éducation scientifique, ont été encouragées dans une école publique (Niterói, RJ - Brésil) de l’enseignement secondaire, par le biais d’activités pratiques et dynamiques développées auprès d’élèves de 15 à 17 ans, sur toute une année scolaire. Chaque activité a exigé une organisation particulière comprenant des objectifs spécifiques, des buts et un calendrier d’exécution des tâches ainsi que la participation échelonnée des élèves concernés. La variété des activités a permis de répartir les élèves en fonction de leurs intérêts et aptitudes spécifiques. Le but du projet était de favoriser l’adoption, dans le quotidien des élèves, d’attitudes développées au cours des activités afin de contribuer à la création d’habitudes conformes à l’éducation environnementale et scientifique. Ce projet a donné l’occasion aux élèves de planifier des actions permettant de mettre des idées en pratique, et de les réaliser. Tout en permettant d’enseigner des contenus de programmes scolaires, les actions réalisées ont également été l’occasion d’enseigner des stratégies auxiliaires de promotion de meilleures habitudes alimentaires et de réduction du problème de l’élimination des déchets organiques. La culture de potagers dans des caisses peut se faire dans de petits espaces et les déchets crus de légumes jetés normalement à la poubelle ont pu être réutilisés  comme compost organique pour le potager. Ce genre d’activités contribue à faire de l’école, non seulement un espace d’éducation formelle, mais également un centre d’enseignement et de diffusion de mesures susceptibles de produire des résultats immédiats en termes de qualité de la vie dans la communauté scolaire.En una escuela pública (Niterói, RJ - Brasil) de enseñanza media, se estimularon iniciativas que implican nociones de educación medioambiental y científica mediante actividades prácticas y dinámicas desarrolladas con alumnos de 15 a 17 años, a lo largo de un año lectivo. Para cada actividad hubo una organización propia, con objetivos específicos, metas, y un calendario de trabajo para el cumplimiento de las tareas, así como la participación escalonada de los alumnos implicados. La variedad de actividades permitió organizar a los alumnos de acuerdo con sus intereses y habilidades específicas. El proyecto tenía como objetivo favorecer la incorporación, en la vida diaria de los alumnos, de las actitudes desempeñadas durante las actividades, contribuyendo a la creación de hábitos coherentes con una educación medioambiental y científica. El desarrollo de este proyecto permitió a los alumnos planear acciones que posibilitasen la puesta en práctica de ideas, transformándolas en realidad. Además de proporcionar la enseñanza de contenidos curriculares, las acciones realizadas también permitieron enseñar estrategias auxiliares para fomentar mejores hábitos alimenticios y minimizar el problema de la eliminación de la basura orgánica. El cultivo de huertos en cajas puede realizarse en espacios reducidos, y los restos crudos de vegetales desechados en la basura pueden ser reaprovechados como compost orgánico para la propia huerta. Actividades como estas contribuyen a transformar la escuela no solo en un espacio para la educación formal sino también en un centro de enseñanza y divulgación de medidas que pueden propiciar resultados inmediatos para aumentar la calidad de vida de la comunidad escolar.Iniciativas envolvendo noções de educação ambiental e educação científica foram estimuladas numa escola pública (Niterói, RJ - Brasil) de ensino médio, por meio de atividades práticas e dinâmicas desenvolvidas com alunos de 15 a 17 anos, ao longo de um ano letivo. Para cada atividade houve uma organização própria, com objetivos específicos, metas, e cronograma para cumprimento das tarefas, assim como a participação escalonada dos alunos envolvidos. A variedade de atividades permitiu a organização dos alunos de acordo com seus interesses e habilidades específicas. O projeto teve como objetivo favorecer a incorporação, no cotidiano dos alunos, de atitudes desempenhadas durante as atividades, contribuindo para criação de hábitos condizentes com a educação ambiental e científica. O desenvolvimento deste projeto permitiu aos alunos a oportunidade de planejar ações que possibilitaram a prática de ideias, transformando-as em realidade. Além de proporcionar o ensino de conteúdos curriculares, as ações realizadas também permitiram o ensino de estratégias auxiliares na promoção de melhores hábitos alimentares e na minimização do problema do descarte do lixo orgânico. O cultivo de hortas em caixotes é passível de realização em pequenos espaços e os restos crus de vegetais descartados no lixo puderam ser reaproveitados como composto orgânico para a própria horta. Atividades como essas contribuem para tornar a escola, além de um espaço para a educação formal, um centro de ensino e divulgação de medidas que podem propiciar resultados imediatos para aumento da qualidade de vida da comunidade escolar

Search for H→γγ produced in association with top quarks and constraints on the Yukawa coupling between the top quark and the Higgs boson using data taken at 7 TeV and 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search is performed for Higgs bosons produced in association with top quarks using the diphoton decay mode of the Higgs boson. Selection requirements are optimized separately for leptonic and fully hadronic final states from the top quark decays. The dataset used corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 4.5 fb−14.5 fb−1 of proton–proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV and 20.3 fb−1 at 8 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. No significant excess over the background prediction is observed and upper limits are set on the tt¯H production cross section. The observed exclusion upper limit at 95% confidence level is 6.7 times the predicted Standard Model cross section value. In addition, limits are set on the strength of the Yukawa coupling between the top quark and the Higgs boson, taking into account the dependence of the tt¯H and tH cross sections as well as the H→γγ branching fraction on the Yukawa coupling. Lower and upper limits at 95% confidence level are set at −1.3 and +8.0 times the Yukawa coupling strength in the Standard Model

Desenvolvendo a educão ambiental e a educão científica escola

Initiatives involving notions of environmental education and scientific education were stimulated in a state secondary school (Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), using practical and dynamic activities undertaken with pupils aged from 15 to 17 years old during an entire academic year. Each activity had a specific organization, with its own goals, targets, and a schedule for completing tasks, as well as staggered participation by the pupils involved. The variety of activities allowed pupils to be assigned according to their specific skills and interests. The aim of the project was to foster commitment in pupils in their day-to-day performance of activities, thereby helping create habits in accordance with an environmental and scientific education. The implementation of this project afforded the pupils the opportunity to plan actions which would allow ideas to be put into practice, turning them into reality. As well as teaching them subject matter from the curriculum, the actions undertaken also enable the teaching of auxiliary strategies to promote better eating habits and minimize the amount of organic waste discarded. Cultivating vegetable gardens in crates only requires small spaces, and raw vegetable peelings thrown in the bin were used to create organic compost for the garden itself. Activities such as these contribute towards making the school not just a place for formal education, but also a centre for teaching and disseminating measures that could yield immediate results in terms of raising the quality of life of the school community

Developing Environmental and Scientific Education in School

Initiatives involving notions of environmental education and scientific education were stimulated in a state secondary school (Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), using practical and dynamic activities undertaken with pupils aged from 15 to 17 years old during an entire academic year. Each activity had a specific organization, with its own goals, targets, and a schedule for completing tasks, as well as staggered participation by the pupils involved. The variety of activities allowed pupils to be assigned according to their specific skills and interests. The aim of the project was to foster commitment in pupils in their day-to-day performance of activities, thereby helping create habits in accordance with an environmental and scientific education. The implementation of this project afforded the pupils the opportunity to plan actions which would allow ideas to be put into practice, turning them into reality. As well as teaching them subject matter from the curriculum, the actions undertaken also enable the teaching of auxiliary strategies to promote better eating habits and minimize the amount of organic waste discarded. Cultivating vegetable gardens in crates only requires small spaces, and raw vegetable peelings thrown in the bin were used to create organic compost for the garden itself. Activities such as these contribute towards making the school not just a place for formal education, but also a centre for teaching and disseminating measures that could yield immediate results in terms of raising the quality of life of the school community

Alterations of left ventricular deformation and cardiac sympathetic derangement in patients with systolic heart failure: a 3D speckle tracking echocardiography and cardiac 123I-MIBG study

PURPOSE: Myocardial contractile function is under the control of cardiac sympathetic activity. Three-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (3D-STE) and cardiac imaging with (123)I-metaiodobenzylguanidine ((123)I-MIBG) are two sophisticated techniques for the assessment of left ventricular (LV) deformation and sympathetic innervation, respectively, which offer important prognostic information in patients with heart failure (HF). The purpose of this investigation was to explore, in patients with systolic HF, the relationship between LV deformation assessed by 3D-STE and cardiac sympathetic derangement evaluated by (123)I-MIBG imaging. METHODS: We prospectively studied 75 patients with systolic HF. All patients underwent a 3D-STE study (longitudinal, circumferential, area and radial) and (123)I-MIBG planar and SPECT cardiac imaging. RESULTS: 3D-STE longitudinal, circumferential and area strain values were correlated with (123)I-MIBG late heart to mediastinum (H/M) ratio and late SPECT total defect score. After stratification of the patients according to ischaemic or nonischaemic HF aetiology, we observed a good correlation of all 3D-STE measurements with late H/M ratio and SPECT data in the ischaemic group, but in patients with HF of nonischaemic aetiology, no correlation was found between LV deformation and cardiac sympathetic activity. At the regional level, the strongest correlation between LV deformation and adrenergic innervation was found for the left anterior descending coronary artery distribution territory for all four 3D-STE values. In multivariate linear regression analyses, including age, gender, LV ejection fraction, NYHA class, body mass index, heart rate and HF aetiology, only 3D-STE area and radial strain values significantly predicted cardiac sympathetic derangement on (123)I-MIBG late SPECT. CONCLUSION: This study indicated that 3D-STE measurements are correlated with (123)I-MIBG planar and SPECT data. Furthermore, 3D-STE area and radial strain values, but not LVEF, predict cardiac sympathetic derangement in human postischaemic HF