Ética e diferença no processo de pesquisa com grupos de conversações públicas

Objetivamos analisar a realização de 10 encontros de facilitação de diálogos sobre direitos de pessoas LGBT (Lésbicas, Gays, Bissexuais, Travestis e Transexuais) em dois estados brasileiros - Paraná e Minas Gerais -, seguindo a estrutura de conversa do Projeto de Conversações Públicas (PCP). 50 pessoas participaram dos encontros, sendo LGBT, familiares de LGBT, pastores, padres, militantes LGBT, coordenadores de grupos religiosos, profissionais da saúde, educadores, policiais e políticos. A perspectiva construcionista social sustentou a análise da transcrição das áudio-gravações dos encontros, das conversas pós-grupo e dos formulários de feedback dos participantes. A discussão destacou: 1) as implicações da valorização da diferença como compromisso ético e epistemológico do PCP, 2) a necessidade da reflexão por parte dos facilitadores com relação a com quais diferenças eles podem/devem se comprometer, e 3) o questionamento de quais efeitos pretendidos e alcançados enquadram e dão direção ao compromisso dos facilitadores com a diferença no grupo.The aim of this study is to analyze 10 dialogue facilitation meetings on the subject of the rights to LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) in the states of Paraná and Minas Gerais, Brazil, following the Public Conversations Project (PCP), Boston, USA. 50 people attended the meetings, LGBT, LGBT family members, pastors, priests, LGBT activists, coordinators of religious groups, health professionals, educators, police and politicians. Social constructionist discourse supported the analysis of the meetings, the post-group discussions and feedback forms from participants about their participation in the meetings. Discussion highlighted: 1) the implications of valuing difference as ethical and epistemological commitment to conduct the PCP, 2) the need for reflection on the part of the facilitators with respect to which differences they can/should be committed with, and 3) the questioning of which intended and achieved effects give direction to the commitment of the facilitators with the difference in the group

Full Bayesian analysis for a class of jump-diffusion models

A new Bayesian significance test is adjusted for jump detection in a diffusion process. This is an advantageous procedure for temporal data having extreme valued outliers, like financial data, pluvial or tectonic forces records and others.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures; real data analysis adde

Comparison of the Accuracy of Traffic Counting Devices

Traffic counting devices are commonly used by governmental agencies and private companies in order to assess traffic patterns and the level of occupancy of roadway networks. The data provided by these devices normally encompasses traffic volumes, vehicle classes and vehicle speeds, and are used by traffic engineers in the planning, design and operations of transportation systems. An evaluation of the accuracy of these devices is of great importance because traffic management decisions are compromised without qualified data. This research evaluated the performance of two different models of traffic counters, Jamar Technologies’ Radar Recorder and Vaisala’s Traffic Analyzer NC-200, both commonly used by the Indiana Local Technical Assistance Program in data collection for local agencies. These devices were installed for eight counts at seven different road segments under various traffic conditions. The accuracy of each device was assessed by comparing its readings to hand-count data also taken at each location. Results suggest that these devices have a high level of accuracy when measuring traffic volumes and vehicle speeds, with errors usually below 15% for volumes and below 10% for speeds. However, both devices failed to provide satisfactory results in terms of vehicle classification, with significant truck detection errors in 4 out of 8 counts for each model. The findings of this research will be helpful for local transportation agencies in the management of their traffic data in order to assure safe and informed decisions about their transportation network

La participación de la familia en el tratamiento de los trastornos alimentarios

O objetivo deste estudo foi compreender os sentidos da participação da família no tratamento produzidos em um grupo de apoio aos familiares de pessoas diagnosticadas com anorexia e bulimia. Participaram familiares atendidos no contexto de um serviço especializado. O corpus foi constituído pelos registros audiogravados de sessão de grupo, nos quais se buscou delimitar os segmentos interacionais relevantes para o alcance dos objetivos. A perspectiva construcionista social foi utilizada como suporte teórico-metodológico e fundamentou a análise dos dados. Os resultados permitiram compreender que as diversas descrições das relações da família com o "transtorno alimentar" permitem delimitar diferentes possibilidades de significar a participação dos familiares no tratamento. Concluiu-se que o grupo pode funcionar como um espaço privilegiado para acompanhar essa produção de sentidos in statu nascendi, permitindo explorar a construção, desconstrução e reconstrução de significados alternativos, que podem enriquecer o horizonte interpretativo de cada participante.This study aims to understand the meanings about the family participation in the treatment produced in a support group for the families of people diagnosed with anorexia and bulimia. The participants of this study were families attended at a specialized health care service. The data was constituted by the audio recorded registrations of the group session, which were analyzed through the delimitation of its different interactional sections according to this study purposes. The social constructionism approach was used as theoretical and methodological reference and was used to data analysis. The results permitted understanding that the different descriptions about the relation between the family and the treatment can restrict the different possibilities to give meanings to the families' participation in the treatment. We conclude that the group may function as a significant space to observe the meaning production in statu nascendi, making possible to explore the construction and reconstruction of alternative meanings, that may enrich the interpretative possibilities of each participant.El objetivo de cuesto estudio fue comprender los sentidos sobre la participación de la familia en el tratamiento producido en un grupo de apoyo a los familiares de personas diagnosticadas con anorexia y bulimia. Hicieron parte del estudio familiares atendidos en el contexto de un servicio especializado. El corpus fue constituido por los registros audio grabados de sesiones de grupo, en los cuales se buscó delimitar los segmentos interacciónales relevantes para el alcance del objetivo. El enfoque del construccionismo social fue utilizado como suporte teórico-metodológico y fundamentó el analisis de los datos. Los resultados permitieron comprender que las diversas descripciones sobre las relaciones de la familia con trastornos alimentarios permiten delimitar diferentes posibilidades de significar la participación de los familiares en el tratamiento. Concluye que los grupos pueden funcionar como un espacio privilegiado para acompañar esa producción de sentidos in statu nascendi, permitiendo explorar la construcción, desmanche y reconstrucción de los significados alternativos, que pueden enriquecer los horizontes de interpretación de cada participante

Mahākāśyapa, His Lineage, and the Wish for Buddhahood: Reading Anew the Bodhgayā Inscriptions of Mahānāman

This article investigates the religious message of a set of inscriptions from Bodhgayā issued by Sinhalese monks in the 5th and 6th centuries ce. The long inscription of the hierarch Mahānāman, in particular, allows an in-depth understanding of this monk’s self-representation as the heir of a virtuous lineage descending from the Elder Mahākāśyapa, committed to the transmission of the Saṃyukta-Āgama, and related to the ruling dynasty of Laṅkā. Moreover, it provides the rationale behind Mahānāman’s aspiration to Buddhahood, as the donor dedicates to this aim the merits of the erection of a temple on the Bodhimaṇḍa itself, hosting a representation of Śākyamuni’s Awakening. I argue that Mahānāman is part of a milieu sharing common origins, monastic background, and aspirations, a milieu that was later labelled as *Mahāyāna-Sthavira by the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang

The emancipation debates on education and curriculum : perspectives and meanings

This article presents the results of an investigation - an exploratory study - on the emancipation concept in the field domain of curriculum theories over the theoretical debates and practices of Portuguese educators. Based on a thorough literature search and on the view of some professors from the University of Minho and Porto, we sought to understand how to scale the concept of emancipation both at the theoretical level and in curriculum practices the well, that they develop in the educational institutions. Assuming that, in addition to the theoretical component, their students embodied by the experienced, we tried to question whether educational institutions are organized or not only to facilitate (consultancy), working with labor reflection, critical thinking and autonomy of students, resulting formative processes grounded on an effective their students of emancipation. In methodological terms, the methods and theoretical research were conducted by using semi-structured interviews with educators in order to as certain how their productions offer the prospect theory, how they animate the debates the critical education and shape their practices. The results allowed us to understand that empowerment is a structural element of the critical theory, both in the discussions of the educational field and the curriculum the well, which interferes on the way they organize curriculum practices. We intend to understand how teachers work the concept of emancipation and how they do it. In this sense, while synonym of critical education, reflexive and transformative education - mediated or not by the curriculum - the emancipation has been understood and viewed the possibility to substantiate swagger and add changes in the individuals and, is consequence, in the education and society itself

Participación en Conversaciones Públicas : homosexualidad y matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo

El Proyecto de Conversaciones Públicas (PCP) al proponer una conversación entre personas con opiniones contrarias sobre temas polémicos, busca comprender los sentidos producidos con participantes en encuentros del PCP sobre su participación en la conversación entre homofobia y matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo. Dos encuentros sobre la criminalización de la homofobia y dos sobre el matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo fueron realizados. Esta investigación se basa en el discurso construccionista. Las estrategias de producción de datos utilizadas fueron: rellenar formularios de feedback en el pos-grupo y entrevistas individuales después de un año y medio de participación en el encuentro. Estas estrategias se mostraron útiles para perfeccionar la propuesta de mediación de diálogos, discutiendo la calidad en la producción de significados, estructura de la conversación, compostura de los facilitadores, momentos excepcionales de los encuentros, sugerencias de cambios y efectos de la conversación a lo largo del tiempo.Considering the success of the Project Public Conversations (PCP, in Portuguese) in the proposition of conversations between people with opposing views on controversial issues, we aimed to understand the meanings produced with participants from PCP meetings on their participation in the conversation about homophobia and same sex marriage. Two meetings on the criminalization of homophobia and two on same sex marriage were performed. The social constructionist discourse sustained this search. Different data production strategies were used: feedback form in the post-group; individual interviews in post-group and after a year and a half of participation in the meeting. These strategies were useful for the improvement of the intervention considering its capacity to produce rich meanings about the participation in the meeting, the conversation structure, the posture of the facilitators, arresting moments of the meeting, suggestions for changes and effects of the conversation over time