Macroeducação: metodologia de formação de educadores ambientais e sociedade sustentável.

Pressupondo a necessidade de tornar a sociedade apta a ?construir? um modelo de desenvolvimento sustentável, a educação ambiental tem por missão conscientizar os diversos setores e segmentos sociais a melhorar sua relação com a natureza. Cabe a Embrapa contribuir para melhorar a relação da sociedade com a agricultura. Neste sentido, os Projetos retratados validaram a Macroeducação como uma metodologia de capacitação téorico-vivencial de formação de educadores ambientais para atuarem como multiplicadores e articuladores de parcerias inter-institucionais, que viabilizam por meio da internalização das questões ambientais das respectivas comunidades internas, o melhor exercício socioambiental das competências institucionais e valorização da agricultura. Unidades da Embrapa, Prefeituras, Empresas Privadas, Comitê de Bacias, Redes de Ensino Pública e Comunidades conquistaram em poucos meses melhorias efetivas em processos e qualidade do espaço físico, com destaque nas questões de alimentação e agricultura. Desta forma, a Macroeducação se apresenta como uma linguagem metodológica comum para o estabelecimento de uma rede institucional voltada ao pleno exercício da cidadania da comunidade interna e da responsabilidade socioambiental das entidades envolvidas, contribuindo para a formação de sociedade sustentável. Observaçao

Correlations between total cell concentration, total adenosine tri-phosphate concentration and heterotrophic plate counts during microbial monitoring of drinking water

The general microbial quality of drinking water is normally monitored by heterotrophic plate counts (HPC). This method has been used for more than 100 years and is recommended in drinking water guidelines. However, the HPC method is handicapped because it is time-consuming and restricted to culturable bacteria. Recently, rapid and accurate detection methods have emerged, such as adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) measurements to assess microbial activity in drinking water, and flow cytometry (FCM) to determine the total cell concentration (TCC). It is necessary and important for drinking water quality control to understand the relationships among the conventional and new methods. In the current study, all three methods were applied to 200 drinking water samples obtained from two local buildings connected to the same distribution system. Samples were taken both on normal working days and weekends, and the correlations between the different microbiological parameters were determined. TCC in the samples ranged from 0.37–5.61×10<sup>5</sup> cells/ml, and two clusters, the so-called high (HNA) and low (LNA) nucleic acid bacterial groups, were clearly distinguished. The results showed that the rapid determination methods (i.e., FCM and ATP) correlated well (<i>R</i><sup>2</sup>=0.69), but only a weak correlation (<i>R</i><sup>2</sup>=0.31) was observed between the rapid methods and conventional HPC data. With respect to drinking water monitoring, both FCM and ATP measurements were confirmed to be useful and complimentary parameters for rapid assessing of drinking water microbial quality

Evanescent-wave trapping and evaporative cooling of an atomic gas near two-dimensionality

A dense gas of cesium atoms at the crossover to two-dimensionality is prepared in a highly anisotropic surface trap that is realized with two evanescent light waves. Temperatures as low as 100nK are reached with 20.000 atoms at a phase-space density close to 0.1. The lowest quantum state in the tightly confined direction is populated by more than 60%. The system offers intriguing prospects for future experiments on degenerate quantum gases in two dimensions

Agir: planejamento estratégico da Associação dos Produtores de Morango de Atibaia e Jarinú (SP) para a implementação da produção integrada.

Em abril de 2006, a Embrapa Meio Ambiente em parceria com a Prefeitura da Estância de Atibaia (convênio nº 21300.04/0003-3) e a Associação dos Produtores de Morangos e Hortifrutigranjeiros de Atibaia, Jarinu e Região iniciou na região uma seqüência de eventos de educação e conscientização ambiental da cadeia produtiva visando estimular a implementação da Produção Integrada de Morangos (PIMo). Configurou-se um grupo representativo da cadeia produtiva de morango local formado por produtores, engenheiros agrônomos, técnicos agrícolas, gestores públicos e representantes de revendas de produtos agropecuários. De acordo com a Macroeducação (HAMMES, 2004), o processo construtivista e participativo de conscientização ambiental de um grupo proporciona a re-construção do conhecimento da realidade ambiental local, segundo a práxis socioambiental ?Ver, Julgar e Agir? e subsidia a tomada de decisão de ?mudança ou não de atitude?. Neste caso, orienta a decisão sobre a adoção ou não da PIMo, mais especificamente nas áreas temáticas de capacitação e organização de produtores conforme o Marco Legal da Produção Integrada de Frutas do Brasil (ANDRIGUETO; KOSOSKI, 2002). Após o ?Ver? da microrregião e das propriedades rurais e o ?Julgar? das vantagens e dificuldades da produção de morangos na região (CALEGARIO et al., 2006a, 2006b, 2006c, 2006d; HAMMES et al., 2006), realizou-se o ?Agir?, que corresponde à fase de decisão e planejamento do processo de mudança de atitude. Este trabalho visa descrever esta etapa, que resultou no Planejamento Estratégico da Associação dos Produtores de Morangos e Hortifrutigranjeiros de Atibaia, Jarinu e Região (SP) para a implementação da PIMo

Optimized production of a cesium Bose-Einstein condensate

We report on the optimized production of a Bose-Einstein condensate of cesium atoms using an optical trapping approach. Based on an improved trap loading and evaporation scheme we obtain more than $10^5$ atoms in the condensed phase. To test the tunability of the interaction in the condensate we study the expansion of the condensate as a function of scattering length. We further excite strong oscillations of the trapped condensate by rapidly varying the interaction strength.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, submitted to Appl. Phys.

Pars plana vitrectomy for diabetic macular edema. Internal limiting membrane delamination vs posterior hyaloid removal. A prospective randomized trial

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field.BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus, as well as subsequent ocular complications such as cystoid macular edema (CME), are of fundametal socio-economic relevance. Therefore, we evaluated the influence of internal limiting membrane (ILM) removal on longterm morphological and functional outcome in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) type 2 and chronic CME without evident vitreomacular traction. METHOD: Forty eyes with attached posterior hyaloid were included in this prospective trial and randomized intraoperatively. Prior focal (n = 31) or panretinal (n = 25) laser coagulation was permitted. Group I (n = 19 patients) underwent surgical induction of posterior vitreous detachment (PVD), group II (n = 20 patients) PVD and removal of the ILM. Eleven patients with detached posterior hyaloid (group III) were not randomized, and ILM removal was performed. One eye had to be excluded from further analysis. Examinations included ETDRS best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), fluorescein angiography (FLA) and OCT at baseline, 3 and 6 months postoperatively. Main outcome measure was BCVA at 6 months, secondary was foveal thickness. RESULTS: Mean BCVA over 6 months remained unchanged in 85% of patients of group II, and decreased in 53% of patients of group I. Results were not statistically significant different [group I: mean decrease log MAR 95% CI (0.06; 0.32), group II: (-0.02; 0.11)]. OCT revealed a significantly greater reduction of foveal thickness following PVD with ILM removal [group I: mean change: 95% CI (-208.95 μm; -78.05 μm), group II: (-80.90 μm: +59.17 μm)]. CONCLUSION: Vitrectomy, PVD with or without ILM removal does not improve vision in patients with DM type 2 and cystoid diabetic macular edema without evident vitreoretinal traction. ILM delamination shows improved morphological results, and appears to be beneficial in eyes with preexisting PVD

Just when you thought it was safe to go into the membrane: the growing complexities of extra-nuclear progesterone signaling

The diversity of membrane-initiated progesterone actions has made characterization and establishment of its biological importance a complicated endeavor. A new study by Zuo and colleagues shows that progesterone via endogenous membrane progesterone receptor-α acts as a negative regulator of proliferation and epithelial to mesenchymal transition in a breast cancer cell line. These progesterone-mediated actions appear to be regulated through epidermal growth factor receptor and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling localized in caveolae. Moreover, the study shows expression of membrane progesterone receptor-α in benign and malignant breast cancer tissues. These data bring forth novel concepts with regard to progesterone actions in the breast; however, further work is warranted to fully characterize the physiologic actions of extra-nuclear progesterone signaling in the breast

Solution and Solid-State Characterization of Zn(II) Complexes Containing A New Tridentate N\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3es Ligand

A new N2S ligand bis(pyridyl)(2-mercapto-1-methylimidazolyl)methane (2, Py2MeImS) has been synthesized and characterized. Treatment of this ligand with bromide and triflate salts of Zn(II) results in the complexes (Py2MeImS)ZnBr2 (3) and [(Py2MeImS)2Zn](OTf)2 (4), respectively. The solid-state structure of (Py2MeImS)ZnBr2 shows bidentate N,N-coordination of Py2MeImS to the zinc ion, with the sulfur atom of the 2-mercaptoimidazole moiety uncoordinated. Two conformers of 3 rapidly interconvert in solution at room temperature, and variable temperature NMR studies and DFT calculations were used to help assign the likely identity of these conformers. In contrast, the crystal structure of [(Py2MeImS)2Zn] (OTf)2 exhibits a zinc ion with a distorted octahedral geometry where the two sulfur atoms of the two ligands are coordinated to the zinc center in a cis-configuration. Even though the cis-isomer (4-cis) is calculated to be lower in energy than the trans-isomer (4-trans), the low temperature 1H NMR spectrum of 4 reveals a single symmetric species that is inconsistent with the cis-isomer observed in the solid-state structure. DFT calculations propose alternative higher energy structures, including a trans-configuration of the coordinated S-atoms of the two Py2MeImS ligands, as well as structures in which the 2-mercaptoimidazole groups are no longer coordinated to the zinc(II) center. These studies provide valuable insight into the potential binding modes of this new ligand and its behavior in solution

Rates of referable eye disease in the Scottish National Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Programme

Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.Peer reviewedPublisher PD