Social representations of a group of Colombian university students about the environment

En el ámbito social existe una relación bidireccional muy fuerte entre lo que los sujetos piensan, dicen y hacen. Precisamente por ello, teniendo en cuenta la importancia cada vez mayor de los temas ambientales en ámbito de la educación superior, en este trabajo se abordó dicho tópico desde la perspectiva de las representaciones sociales y la sociolingüística. Puntualmente, el objetivo de la presente investigación fue caracterizar las representaciones sociales de un grupo de estudiantes universitarios bogotanos sobre el ambiente. Esto se hizo desde un enfoque cualitativo, usando los referentes teóricos y metodológicos de las representaciones sociales y la sociolingüística. Para el análisis de las representaciones del ambiente se utilizó la caracterización propuesta por el profesor y experto en la materia Marcos Reigota. Desde tales referentes, la indagación concluye que en los discursos de estos estudiantes, prevalece una representación social antropocéntrica y sistémica del ambiente. La primera se evidencia cuando se observa que en la mayoría de los discursos analizados, la naturaleza suele importar solo como medio para el bienestar humano. La segunda, cuando se aprecia que en casi todos estos discursos, la problemática ambiental aparece estrechamente ligada a las dinámicas ecológicas, socioculturales y político-económicas. El artículo finaliza proponiendo que la categoría representación sistémica del ambiente, puede subdividirse en dos categorías, Sencillas y Complejas, según el nivel de profundidad alcanzando en el análisis del tema ambiental por cada una de ellas; y que es fundamental tener en cuenta el contenido de dichas representaciones al diseñar propuestas de educación ambiental.In the social field, there is a strong bidirectional relation between what individuals think, say, and do. Precisely for this reason, considering the growing importance of environmental issues in higher education, this study addresses them from the perspective of social representations and sociolinguistics. Its specific objective was to characterize the social representations that a group of university students in Bogotá city has about the environment. This was done from a qualitative perspective, using the theoretical and methodological framework of social representations and sociolinguistics. For the analysis of the representations of the environment, we used the characterization proposed by professor and expert in the field Marcos Reigota. The inquiry concluded that, in the discourses of these students, an anthropocentric and systemic social representation of the environment prevails. The first is evident when it is observed that, in most of the discourses analyzed, nature usually matters only as a means for human welfare. The second is clear when it is observed that, in most of these discourses, environmental issues appear closely tied to the environmental, socio-cultural, and political-economic dynamics. The article concludes by proposing that the category Systemic Representation of the Environment can be subdivided into two sub-categories, Simple and Complex, depending on the depth reached in the analysis of environmental issues for each one. This research also indicates that it is essential to consider the content of these representations in the design of environmental education programs

Análisis sociolingüístico de los discursos ambientales sobre la Amazonía

ABSTRAC: The debates around the planning of the Amazons become more and more frequent and complex. Some of them plead for the intact conservation of this natural reservation humanity’s biological and cultural patrimony, while others argue that this will only be preserved by means of their sustainable commercial use. The present article tries to show how such divergences and contradictions are explained partly by the social, environmental and economic contexts where these discussions take place, appealing for it to the sociolinguistic analysis of the speech proposed by Bourdieu and Jociles, where the social conditions of production of the speech, explain partially its content, structures, and true premeditation (Bourdieu, 1985). The study points out how the speech can be constituted in a tool of great symbolic power through which is possible to give genuineness to a series of supremely controversial events and finally it concludes that if the complete objectivity of the discursive practices is technically impossible, it becomes strictly necessary, mainly in debates so complex as those that concern the Amazons, to investigate the social conditions in which these take place.RESUMEN:La presente investigación se realizó en el marco del proyecto “Encuentros y desencuentros entre el discurso ambientalista y el discurso de los líderes indígenas del Amazonas” dirigido por la antropóloga Sandra Turbay y financiado simultáneamente por COLCIENCIAS y la Universidad de Antioquia. Los debates en torno a la planificación del Amazonas se hacen cada vez más frecuentes y complejos. Algunos de ellos abogan por la conservación intacta de esta reserva natural patrimonio biológico y cultural de la humanidad, mientras que otros argumentan que ésta sólo se preservará mediante su aprovechamiento comercial sostenible. El presente artículo intenta mostrar cómo tales divergencias y contradicciones se explican en parte por los contextos sociales, ambientales y económicos donde estas discusiones tienen lugar, recurriendo para ello al análisis sociolingüístico del discurso propuesto por Bourdieu y Jociles, donde las condiciones sociales de producción del discurso, explican parcialmente su contenido, estructura, y verdadera intencionalidad (Bourdieu, 1985). El estudio señala cómo éste puede constituirse en una herramienta de gran poder simbólico a través de la cual es posible darle legitimidad a una serie de acciones supremamente controversiales y finalmente concluye que si la plena objetividad de las prácticas discursivas es técnicamente imposible, se hace indispensable, sobre todo en debates tan complejos como los que atañen al Amazonas, indagar por las condiciones sociales en las cuales estas tienen lugar

Metodologia na pesquisa epidemiológica de doenças respiratórias e poluição ambiental

There are complex and diverse methodological problems involved in the clinical and epidemiological study of respiratory diseases and their etiological factors. The association of urban growth, industrialization and environmental deterioration with respiratory diseases makes it necessary to pay more attention to this research area with a multidisciplinary approach. Appropriate study designs and statistical techniques to analyze and improve our understanding of the pathological events and their causes must be implemented to reduce the growing morbidity and mortality through better preventive actions and health programs. The objective of the article is to review the most common methodological problems in this research area and to present the most available statistical tools used.Existem problemas metodológicos diversos e complexos envolvidos no estudo clínico e epidemiológico de doenças respiratórias e seus fatores etiológicos. A associação do crescimento urbano, da industrialização e da deterioração ambiental com as doenças respiratórias torna necessário focalizar a atenção a esse campo de estudo com uma abordagem multidisciplinar. Devem ser implementados modelos de estudo e técnicas estatísticas adequadas para analisar e melhorar o entendimento sobre os eventos patológicos e suas causas e para reduzir a crescente morbimortalidade fazendo uso de medidas preventivas e melhores programas de saúde. O objetivo do artigo é revisar os problemas metodológicos mais comuns nessa área de pesquisa e apresentar os métodos estatísticos usados de maior acesso

Ley ZIDRES: fundamentos normativos emergentes de legitimidad estatal en áreas rurales de Colombia

This work builds off the observations of contemporary scholarship in the study of food security to explore its potential effects on the normative foundations of state legitimacy and rural governance. Today the concept of food security is different; states no longer need to primarily rely on domestic agricultural production to feed their population. Similarly, countries with available land for agriculture like Colombia are exposed to an increasing rush for land which is transforming the dynamics of rural governance. The article suggests that central government is willing to outsource governing functions in remote areas to private investors as long as they increase economic output, control populations and provide public goods. This finding has important implications for the post-conflict scenario in Colombia.Este trabajo surge del análisis de las transformaciones en la narrativa sobre seguridad alimentaria y sus efectos sobre los fundamentos normativos de la legitimidad estatal y la gobernanza rural. El concepto de seguridad alimentaria es diferente, en tanto los países no necesitan depender exclusivamente de la producción agrícola nacional para alimentar su población. Simultáneamente, países con tierra cultivable disponible, como Colombia, se encuentran expuestos a una creciente demanda de tierras para proyectos agrícolas; este fenómeno está transformando la gobernanza rural. El artículo sugiere que el Estado está dispuesto a ceder funciones de gobierno a inversionistas privados en áreas remotas, esperando crecimiento económico, control poblacional y provisión de bienes públicos. Dicho modelo tiene importantes implicaciones para el post-acuerdo en Colombia.

Why gender and land matter: Examples from rural Ghana

No Abstract

A Semantically Enhanced UPnP Control Point for Sharing Multimedia Content

The Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) protocol lets users share multimedia content across devices and display it in multimedia renderers in homebased LANs. However, UPnP doesn’t support sharing this content between homes (for example, with friends, relatives, or workmates), and content can be difficult to find. A UPnP extension provides uniform access to multimedia content belonging to different homes, such as content from a user’s Facebook friends. In addition, an extended UPnP control point lets users add semantic annotations to their multimedia resources and link them to the linked data cloud to facilitate their discovery by others

Optical emission properties of Nd3+ in NaBi(WO4)(2) single crystal

Room temperature optical absorption measurements of Nd3+ in NaBi(WO4)2 single crystals grown by the Czochralski method have been used to calculate the following Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters: Omega2 =30.9 × 10-20 cm2, Omega4 = 12.0 × 10-20 cm2 and Omega6 =9.3 × 10-20 cm2. Using these parameters the emission properties of Nd3+ in this host have been estimated with particular attention to the 4F3/2 energy level responsible for stimulated emission channels. The experimental branching ratios of this level are obtained from photoluminescence and agree with those calculated using the above Omegak parameters. The 4F3/2 emission has negligible non-radiative intrinsic losses and the 10 K lifetime at low Nd concentration, 0.9× 1018 cm-3, is tauexp= 143 mus. Even at 300 K and for a much higher Nd concentration, 4.0× 1019 cm-3, non-radiative losses are moderate, giving a quantum efficiency eta ap 0.85. The 4F3/2 emissions show a strongly polarized character. The largest emission cross-section occurs at lambda =1060.9 nm for the 4F3/2 rarr4I11/2 laser channel with a pi-polarized character, sigmaEMI= 16× 10-20 cm2.This work is supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnologıa(MCy T) in Spain, under project the MAT2002-0463-C05-05. V. Volkov acknowledges support by a NATO grant. A. Mendez-Blas is supported by CONACYT (Mexico), grant No. 128118.Peer reviewe

Diseño de un modelo de unidad bibliométrica para bibliotecas universitarias : aplicado a la Universidad la Gran Colombia (UGC)

Se presenta un diseño de modelo metodológico para la creación de la unidad de bibliometría, en la Universidad La Gran Colombia, apoyado en herramientas bibliométricas para mejorar la producción científica y el estatus de la institución universitaria, a través de tres ejes de trabajo: apoyo a la investigación, gestión editorial y visibilidad de la producción científica institucional, desde los que se busca el reconocimiento de la institución a nivel nacional e internacional como referente científico y académico. La propuesta metodológica toma como base otros modelos establecidos en escenarios internacionales; la adaptación a la Universidad la Gran Colombia se desarrolla mediante el análisis de las publicaciones de la universidad visibles en las fuentes de datos: Scopus, Emerging Source y SciELO Citation Index. A partir del análisis se identifican las necesidades específicas a trabajar en los ejes estratégicos definidos para la unidad bibliométrica en la institución. A partir de los resultados, se logra identificar que la institución requiere un fortalecimiento en su área de publicación científica, es por esto que la universidad requiere la implementación de una unidad bibliométrica, que permita potencializar, orientar estratégicamente los esfuerzos de investigación para alcanzar un desarrollo científico y académico, que le permita posicionarse en el país, dentro de los hallazgos más relevantes la universidad tiene deficiencias en el nivel de publicación, de visibilidad, de definición de líneas temáticas y selección de fuentes adecuadas.A methodological model design for the creation of the bibliometry unit is presented, at the Universidad La Gran Colombia, supported by bibliometric tools to improve scientific production and the status of the university institution, through three lines of work: support for research, editorial management and visibility of institutional scientific production, from which the recognition of the institution at a national and international level as a scientific and academic reference is sought. The methodological proposal is based on other models established in international scenarios; The adaptation to Universidad la Gran Colombia is developed through the analysis of university publications visible in the data sources: Scopus, Emerging Source and SciELO Citation Index. From the analysis, the specific needs to work in the strategic axes defined for the bibliometric unit in the institution are identified. Based on the results, it is possible to identify that the institution requires a strengthening in its area of ​​scientific publication, that is why the university requires the implementation of a bibliometric unit, which allows to potentiate, strategically guide research efforts to achieve a development scientific and academic, which allows it to position itself in the country, within the most relevant findings the university has deficiencies in the level of publication, visibility, definition of thematic lines and selection of appropriate sources.Profesional en Ciencia de la Información - Bibliotecólogo (a)Pregrad

Discovery, Photometry, and Kinematics of Planetary Nebulae in M 82

Using an [OIII]5007 on-band/off-band filter technique, we identify 109 planetary nebulae (PNe) candidates in M 82, using the FOCAS instrument at the 8.2m Subaru Telescope. The use of ancillary high-resolution HST ACS H-alpha imaging aided in discriminating PNe from contaminants such as supernova remnants and compact HII regions. Once identified, these PNe reveal a great deal about the host galaxy; our analysis covers kinematics, stellar distribution, and distance determination. Radial velocities were determined for 94 of these PNe using a method of slitless spectroscopy, from which we obtain a clear picture of the galaxy's rotation. Overall, our results agree with those derived by CO(2-1) and HI measurements that show a falling, near-Keplerian rotation curve. However, we find a subset of our PNe that appear to lie far above the plane (~1 kpc), yet these objects appear to be rotating as fast as objects close to the plane. These objects will require further study to determine if they are members of a halo population, or if they can be interpreted as a manifestation of a thickened disk as a consequence of a past interaction with M 81. In addition, [OIII]5007 emission line photometry of the PNe allows the construction of a planetary nebula luminosity function (PNLF). Our PNLF distance determination for M 82 yields a larger distance than those derived using the TRGB, using Cepheid variable stars in nearby group member M 81, or using the PNLF of M 81. We show that this inconsistency most likely stems from our inability to completely correct for internal extinction imparted by this dusty, starburst galaxy. (Abridged)Comment: 16 pages, 13 figures, Accepted by Ap

On the dynamics of valley times and its application to bulk-transfer scheduling

Periods of low load have been used for the scheduling of non-interactive tasks since the early stages of computing. Nowadays, the scheduling of bulk transfers—i.e., large-volume transfers without precise timing, such as database distribution, resources replication or backups—stands out among such tasks, given its direct effect on both the performance and billing of networks. Through visual inspection of traffic-demand curves of diverse points of presence (PoP), either a network, link, Internet service provider or Internet exchange point, it becomes apparent that low-use periods of bandwidth demands occur at early morning, showing a noticeable convex shape. Such observation led us to study and model the time when such demands reach their minimum, on what we have named valley time of a PoP, as an approximation to the ideal moment to carry out bulk transfers. After studying and modeling single-PoP scenarios both temporally and spatially seeking homogeneity in the phenomenon, as well as its extension to multi-PoP scenarios or paths—a meta-PoP constructed as the aggregation of several single PoPs—, we propose a final predictor system for the valley time. This tool works as an oracle for scheduling bulk transfers, with different versions according to time scales and the desired trade-off between precision and complexity. The evaluation of the system, named VTP, has proven its usefulness with errors below an hour on estimating the occurrence of valley times, as well as errors around 10% in terms of bandwidth between the prediction and actual valley trafficThis work has been partially supported by the European Commission under the project H2020 METRO-HAUL (Project ID: 761727