Using SSM to rethink the analysis of energy efficiency initiatives

This paper reflects an attempt to rethink the process of analysis of energy efficiency initiatives using soft systems methodology (SSM) as a problem structuring tool. The aim of the work is to provide public and private initiative promoters or evaluators with a structured support for a more informed decision regarding the implementation of energy efficiency measures. The SSM approach contributed with the identification of all market players and their relations, as well as the insight into the deficiencies of current methodologies. Some future work directions are also proposed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Structuring an MCDA model using SSM: A case study in energy efficiency

This work presents the use of a problem structuring method, Soft Systems Methodology (SSM), to structure a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) model, aimed at appraising energy efficiency initiatives. SSM was useful to help defining clearly the decision problem context and the main actors involved, as well as to unveil the relevant objectives for each stakeholder. Keeney’s Value Focused Thinking approach was then used to refine and structure the list of objectives according to the perspective of the main evaluators identified. In addition to describing this particular case study, this paper aims at providing some general guidelines on how SSM may facilitate the emergence of objectives for MCDA models.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Violências nas escolas: decifrai-me ou vos devoro

O trabalho sumaria os principais resultados de um decênio de pesquisas sobre violências nas escolas no Brasil. As principais constatações são: (1) falta nitidez e coerência das normas sobre a conduta nos grupos docente e discente, sugerindo situações de anomia; (2) a gestão escolar com fortes componentes carismáticos e participativos obteve melhores resultados que a gestão burocrática; (3) em escolas praticantes da “pedagogia bancária”, parte dos alunos oprimidos se tornam opressores dos seus colegas, reproduzindo relações escolares e sociais; (4) a formação dos professores é distante da realidade, mais complexa, levando a profissão à perda de credibilidade e atratividade e os educadores ao sofrimento psíquico. O rumo proposto é o da sintonia da escola com as mudanças do seu tempo, já que se torna cada vez mais difícil manter fórmulas típicas do século XIX.This article summarises the main results of a decade or so of research projects on forms of violence at schools in Brazil. The main observations it makes are: (1) the rules and standards governing the conduct of both teachers and pupils lack clarity and coherence, which suggests that situations arise in which those rules and standards are disrespected; (2) forms of school management that include strong charismatic and participatory elements got better results than a bureaucratic management style; (3) in schools that practise the “banking” concept of education, some of the oppressed students themselves come to oppress their schoolmates, thereby reproducing certain scholastic and social conditions; (4) teacher training is a long way from reality, which is more complex, and this leads the profession to lose credibility and become less attractive and causes kindergarten and primary teachers to suffer mentally and emotionally. The authors propose that the path forward is to bring schools into harmony with the changes in today’s world, apart from anything else because it is getting more and more difficult to maintain formulae that were typical of the 19th century.Ce travail récapitule les principaux résultats d’une décennie de recherches sur la violence dans les écoles au Brésil. Les principales constatations sont: (1) manque de clarté et de cohérence des règles de conduite pour les enseignants et les élèves, suggérant des situations anormales; (2) la gestion scolaire à fortes composantes charismatiques et participatives a obtenu de meilleurs résultats que la gestion bureaucratique; (3) dans les écoles qui pratiquent la “ pédagogie bancaire ”, une partie des élèves oppressés deviennent oppresseurs de leurs camarades et reproduisent ainsi les rapports scolaires et sociaux; (4) la formation des enseignants est éloignée de la réalité, plus complexe, ce qui entraîne une perte de crédibilité et d’attractivité de la profession et des souffrances psychiques pour les éducateurs. Le chemin proposé est celui de l’adaptation de l’école aux changements de son temps, car il est de plus en plus difficile d’appliquer des formules typiques du XIXe siècle.El trabajo resumiría los principales resultados de un decenio de pesquisas sobre violencias en las escuelas de Brazil. Las principales constataciones son: (1) falta nitidez y coherencia de las normas de conducta en los grupos docente y alumnado, provocando situaciones de anomia; (2) la gestión escolar con fuertes componentes carismáticos y participativos obtuvo mejores resultados que la gestión burocrática; (3) en escuelas practicantes de la “pedagogía bancaria”, parte de los alumnos oprimidos se vuelven opresores de sus colegas, reproduciendo relaciones escolares y sociales; (4) la formación de los profesores es distante de la realidad más compleja, llevando a la profesión a la pérdida de credibilidad y atracción y a los educadores al sufrimiento psíquico. El rumbo propuesto es la sintonía de la escuela con los cambios de su tiempo, ya que se vuelve cada vez más difícil mantener fórmulas típicas del siglo XIX

Violências nas escolas: decifrai-me ou vos devoro

O trabalho sumaria os principais resultados de um decênio de pesquisas sobre violências nas escolas no Brasil. As principais constatações são: (1) falta nitidez e coerência das normas sobre a conduta nos grupos docente e discente, sugerindo situações de anomia; (2) a gestão escolar com fortes componentes carismáticos e participativos obteve melhores resultados que a gestão burocrática; (3) em escolas praticantes da “pedagogia bancária”, parte dos alunos oprimidos se tornam opressores dos seus colegas, reproduzindo relações escolares e sociais; (4) a formação dos professores é distante da realidade, mais complexa, levando a profissão à perda de credibilidade e atratividade e os educadores ao sofrimento psíquico. O rumo proposto é o da sintonia da escola com as mudanças do seu tempo, já que se torna cada vez mais difícil manter fórmulas típicas do século XIX.This article summarises the main results of a decade or so of research projects on forms of violence at schools in Brazil. The main observations it makes are: (1) the rules and standards governing the conduct of both teachers and pupils lack clarity and coherence, which suggests that situations arise in which those rules and standards are disrespected; (2) forms of school management that include strong charismatic and participatory elements got better results than a bureaucratic management style; (3) in schools that practise the “banking” concept of education, some of the oppressed students themselves come to oppress their schoolmates, thereby reproducing certain scholastic and social conditions; (4) teacher training is a long way from reality, which is more complex, and this leads the profession to lose credibility and become less attractive and causes kindergarten and primary teachers to suffer mentally and emotionally. The authors propose that the path forward is to bring schools into harmony with the changes in today’s world, apart from anything else because it is getting more and more difficult to maintain formulae that were typical of the 19th century.Ce travail récapitule les principaux résultats d’une décennie de recherches sur la violence dans les écoles au Brésil. Les principales constatations sont: (1) manque de clarté et de cohérence des règles de conduite pour les enseignants et les élèves, suggérant des situations anormales; (2) la gestion scolaire à fortes composantes charismatiques et participatives a obtenu de meilleurs résultats que la gestion bureaucratique; (3) dans les écoles qui pratiquent la “ pédagogie bancaire ”, une partie des élèves oppressés deviennent oppresseurs de leurs camarades et reproduisent ainsi les rapports scolaires et sociaux; (4) la formation des enseignants est éloignée de la réalité, plus complexe, ce qui entraîne une perte de crédibilité et d’attractivité de la profession et des souffrances psychiques pour les éducateurs. Le chemin proposé est celui de l’adaptation de l’école aux changements de son temps, car il est de plus en plus difficile d’appliquer des formules typiques du XIXe siècle.El trabajo resumiría los principales resultados de un decenio de pesquisas sobre violencias en las escuelas de Brazil. Las principales constataciones son: (1) falta nitidez y coherencia de las normas de conducta en los grupos docente y alumnado, provocando situaciones de anomia; (2) la gestión escolar con fuertes componentes carismáticos y participativos obtuvo mejores resultados que la gestión burocrática; (3) en escuelas practicantes de la “pedagogía bancaria”, parte de los alumnos oprimidos se vuelven opresores de sus colegas, reproduciendo relaciones escolares y sociales; (4) la formación de los profesores es distante de la realidad más compleja, llevando a la profesión a la pérdida de credibilidad y atracción y a los educadores al sufrimiento psíquico. El rumbo propuesto es la sintonía de la escuela con los cambios de su tiempo, ya que se vuelve cada vez más difícil mantener fórmulas típicas del siglo XIX

CARGA IMEDIATA EM IMPLANTES DENTÁRIOS: AVALIAÇÃO DOS RESULTADOS CLÍNICOS E BIOLÓGICOS A CURTO E A LONGO PRAZO.

The present study aims to review the clinical and biological results associated with immediate loading of dental implants, addressing current evidence available in the scientific literature. An extensive literature review was carried out to identify relevant studies regarding the proposal of the present study. Electronic databases, such as PubMed, Scopus, SciELO and Google Scholar, were consulted to obtain published articles. Immediate loading, defined as the application of functional loading immediately after implant installation, represents a significant advance in clinical dental practice. However, more research is needed to validate these findings and to guide evidence-based clinical decisions and promote better results for patients undergoing this treatment modality. Ultimately, this study contributes to the advancement of scientific knowledge in the area of ​​dental implants, providing a basis for the development of more effective and personalized clinical protocols. Despite the evident benefits in terms of reducing treatment time and improving patients' quality of life, challenges such as peri-implant complications and marginal bone loss are discussed, emphasizing the need for careful case selection and rigorous monitoring to ensure satisfactory long-term results. This article highlights the importance of individualized, evidence-based assessment when implementing immediate loading of dental implants.O presente estudo possui como objetivo revisar os resultados clínicos e biológicos associados à carga imediata em implantes dentários, abordando evidências atuais disponíveis na literatura científica.  Realizou-se uma revisão da literatura para identificar estudos relevantes acerca da proposta do presente estudo. Bases de dados eletrônicas, como PubMed, Scopus, SciELO e Google Scholar, foram consultadas para obter artigos publicados. A carga imediata, definida como a aplicação de carga funcional imediatamente após a instalação do implante, representa um avanço significativo na prática clínica odontológica. No entanto, é necessário realizar mais pesquisas para validar esses achados e para orientar decisões clínicas baseadas em evidências e promover melhores resultados para os pacientes submetidos a essa modalidade de tratamento. Em última análise, este estudo contribui para o avanço do conhecimento científico na área de implantes dentários, fornecendo uma base para o desenvolvimento de protocolos clínicos mais eficazes e personalizados. Apesar dos benefícios evidentes em termos de redução do tempo de tratamento e melhoria da qualidade de vida dos pacientes, são discutidos os desafios como complicações peri-implantares e perda óssea marginal, enfatizando a necessidade de uma seleção criteriosa dos casos e um acompanhamento rigoroso para garantir resultados satisfatórios a longo prazo. Este artigo destaca a importância da avaliação individualizada e baseada em evidências na implementação da carga imediata em implantes dentários

Worldwide trends in underweight and obesity from 1990 to 2022 : a pooled analysis of 3663 population-representative studies with 222 million children, adolescents, and adults

A list of authors and their affiliations appears online. A supplementary appendix is herewith attached.Background: Underweight and obesity are associated with adverse health outcomes throughout the life course. We estimated the individual and combined prevalence of underweight or thinness and obesity, and their changes, from 1990 to 2022 for adults and school-aged children and adolescents in 200 countries and territories. Methods: We used data from 3663 population-based studies with 222 million participants that measured height and weight in representative samples of the general population. We used a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends in the prevalence of different BMI categories, separately for adults (age ≥20 years) and school-aged children and adolescents (age 5–19 years), from 1990 to 2022 for 200 countries and territories. For adults, we report the individual and combined prevalence of underweight (BMI 2 SD above the median). Findings: From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity in adults decreased in 11 countries (6%) for women and 17 (9%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 that the observed changes were true decreases. The combined prevalence increased in 162 countries (81%) for women and 140 countries (70%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. In 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity was highest in island nations in the Caribbean and Polynesia and Micronesia, and countries in the Middle East and north Africa. Obesity prevalence was higher than underweight with posterior probability of at least 0·80 in 177 countries (89%) for women and 145 (73%) for men in 2022, whereas the converse was true in 16 countries (8%) for women, and 39 (20%) for men. From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of thinness and obesity decreased among girls in five countries (3%) and among boys in 15 countries (8%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80, and increased among girls in 140 countries (70%) and boys in 137 countries (69%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. The countries with highest combined prevalence of thinness and obesity in school-aged children and adolescents in 2022 were in Polynesia and Micronesia and the Caribbean for both sexes, and Chile and Qatar for boys. Combined prevalence was also high in some countries in south Asia, such as India and Pakistan, where thinness remained prevalent despite having declined. In 2022, obesity in school-aged children and adolescents was more prevalent than thinness with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 among girls in 133 countries (67%) and boys in 125 countries (63%), whereas the converse was true in 35 countries (18%) and 42 countries (21%), respectively. In almost all countries for both adults and school-aged children and adolescents, the increases in double burden were driven by increases in obesity, and decreases in double burden by declining underweight or thinness. Interpretation: The combined burden of underweight and obesity has increased in most countries, driven by an increase in obesity, while underweight and thinness remain prevalent in south Asia and parts of Africa. A healthy nutrition transition that enhances access to nutritious foods is needed to address the remaining burden of underweight while curbing and reversing the increase in obesity.peer-reviewe