Opinion dynamics: models, extensions and external effects

Recently, social phenomena have received a lot of attention not only from social scientists, but also from physicists, mathematicians and computer scientists, in the emerging interdisciplinary field of complex system science. Opinion dynamics is one of the processes studied, since opinions are the drivers of human behaviour, and play a crucial role in many global challenges that our complex world and societies are facing: global financial crises, global pandemics, growth of cities, urbanisation and migration patterns, and last but not least important, climate change and environmental sustainability and protection. Opinion formation is a complex process affected by the interplay of different elements, including the individual predisposition, the influence of positive and negative peer interaction (social networks playing a crucial role in this respect), the information each individual is exposed to, and many others. Several models inspired from those in use in physics have been developed to encompass many of these elements, and to allow for the identification of the mechanisms involved in the opinion formation process and the understanding of their role, with the practical aim of simulating opinion formation and spreading under various conditions. These modelling schemes range from binary simple models such as the voter model, to multi-dimensional continuous approaches. Here, we provide a review of recent methods, focusing on models employing both peer interaction and external information, and emphasising the role that less studied mechanisms, such as disagreement, has in driving the opinion dynamics. [...]Comment: 42 pages, 6 figure

THE EVALUATION OF A TOOL FOR DISSEMINATION OF BIOTECHNOLOGY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY CONCEPTS IN FORMAL EDUCATION

Since 2003, the CBME Scientific Dissemination Coordination hasdeveloped a project related to the production and distribution of a scientificdissemination newspaper, called CBME InFORMAÇÃO, directed to high-schoolstudents and teachers. It is a quarterly publication and shows the concepts andadvances of studies in molecular biology and biotechnology. In order to evaluatethe newspaper, a research was accomplished in 2005. It involved 177 studentsfrom six high schools of São Carlos and region. In addition, opinions of fivescience teachers that worked with the newspaper in their classrooms, as well aseight Biology undergraduates were collected. The teachers received somequestionnaires that had to be answered by them and their students after a specifyactivity with the periodical – basically, the activities consisted of three stages:individual reading of the newspaper; formulation of questions by the teacher and,finally, group discussion on the chosen theme. The research confirmed theimportance of the use of the periodical as a tool in the formation of critical readersof facts related to the biotechnology and molecular biology, what should contributewith the citizenship development in the students. Moreover, it provided a possibilityto reorganize the periodical

Conceptions of elementary and high school teachers on biotechnology

The progress in the areas of molecular biology and biotechnology has been demonstrating the importance of the teaching-learning of those subjects to students and teachers of the elementary and high school as well as to the society in general.In this sense, the Scientific Dissemination Coordination of CBME has as objective contributes for the dissemination and learning of techniques and basic concepts in that area of the knowledge, in order to awake in the public the scientific interest and the critical sense related to these advances.  With the goal to offer elements for the elaboration of activities addressed to science teachers of elementary and high school, a survey of their conceptions on science and biotechnology was made. A questionnaire was applied to 30 teachers that participated in updating courses and training, being that 13 teachers belonged to the region of São Carlos city (SP), 8 belonged to the region of Campinas city (SP) and 9 belonged to Fortaleza city (CE).  The questionnaire was applied to the teachers in the beginning of the courses and it was composed of different types of questions, which allowed capturing their personal reflections about science, their knowledge on basic concepts of cell and molecular biology, and their opinions about the applications of the biotechnology.  In the analysis of the question What you think about using the modern biotechnology in the production of foods to increase its protein content, in order to turn it larger or to change its taste?, 57% of the teachers agreed partially that this application is useful for the society, 52% agreed totally that the application is morally acceptable while 70% totally disagree as for the encouragement of this application.Some conflicts presented in the registered answers reflect, in certain way, the conflict shown by the academic and scientific communities, as for the ethical aspects of some applications such as transgenic foods, genetic manipulation in animals and the possibility of human cloning

Set of Activities Addressed for Elementary School Students: Cells and the Genetic Material

The time lag between the progresses in the area of molecular biology reached in the last years and the schools science curricula  can be reduced through  initiatives of the university  regarding  the dissemina- tion of sciences. Inside of this context, one of the major objectives of the CBME has been the scientific education  and  dissemination on Molecular  Biosciences.  Among the  strategies organized  to promote the dissemination of this area, the Scientific Dissemination Coordination of CBME developed a set of playful activities  for students from public and private  elementary schools (7th  and 8th grades).  As a first step science teachers were interviewed  in order to indicate  which topics related  to molecular bio- sciences they  usually  include in their curricula  planning.  The approach  considered  in the elaboration of the set of activities  was the construction of knowledge of the concepts related  to topics as cell types, their  structures and  organelles,  and  the  importance of the  nucleus and  DNA. The set was offered to170 students. Students from private  schools were evaluated by their  performance  through  the classes, which were registered  by the  notes  of the  instructors.  Students from public  schools were evaluated through  questionnaires containing  basic  concepts  on the  theme  applied  before (pre-test) and  after (post-test) the set of activities  in order to measure,  respectively,  the previous and acquired knowledge. The  programming accomplished  at  the  public  school was partially modified  due  to  the  absence  of a laboratory, microscopes  and  a room  of computers, without, however,  to  alter  the  objectives  and content of the  activities.   The  comparative analysis  of the  pre- and  post-tests revealed  that, in this latter, there  was an increase of the average percentage  of correct  answers and an improvement on the elaboration of the  answers.  These  results  assure  the  efficiency of the program  and  the  methodology used.  The students considered the organization, contents and methodology  employed in the course as being satisfactory. Support  by CNPq  and FAPES