Experimental design in Behavior Analysis: discussion on its use in inclusive educational interventions

A aplicação de intervenções educacionais inclusivas por agentes educacionais em estudantes da educação especial deveria ser sistematicamente avaliada, para garantir replicação futura dos procedimentos e resultados, a partir do uso de um delineamento experimental adequado à proposta. O objetivo foi analisar como pesquisas aplicadas podem contribuir no arranjo de intervenções educacionais inclusivas mais sistemáticas, a partir do uso de delineamentos experimentais em Análise do Comportamento; discutir a tomada de decisão para a escolha de um delineamento e o impacto dessa escolha nos dados coletados e no conhecimento que se deseja produzir, especialmente a partir do envolvimento dos diferentes agentes educacionais na aplicação de intervenções pedagógicas com estudantes com DI ou TEA. Discute-se a garantia de um delineamento que avalie os resultados das intervenções aplicadas por agentes e a dificuldade de identificar um delineamento que assegure com precisão científica o impacto de cada intervenção aplicada por cada um deles.L’application d’interventions éducatives inclusives par des agents de l’éducation à des étudiants de l’éducation specialisée devrait être systématiquement évaluée afin de garantir la reproduction à l’avenir des procédures et des résultats de l’utilisation d’un plan expérimental approprié. L’objectif était d’analyser en quoi la recherche appliquée pouvait contribuer à le arrangement d’interventions éducatives inclusives plus systématiques, fondées sur l’utilisation de modèles expérimentaux dans l’analyse comportementale; discuter de la prise de décision pour le choix d’un design et de l’impact de ce choix sur les données collectées et les connaissances à produire, en particulier grâce à la participation des différents agents de l’éducation à la mise en œuvre d’interventions pédagogiques auprès d’élèves présentant un IDD ou un TSA. Il traite de la garantie d’un plan qui évalue les résultats des interventions appliquées par les agents et de la difficulté d’identifier un plan qui assure avec une précision scientifique l’impact de chaque intervention appliquée.La aplicación de intervenciones educativas inclusivas por agentes educativos a los estudiantes de la educación especial debería ser sistemáticamente evaluada para garantizar la futura replicación de los procedimientos y resultados a partir del uso de un diseño experimental adecuado a la propuesta. El objetivo del texto fue analizar cómo las investigaciones aplicadas pueden contribuir a la disposición de intervenciones educativas inclusivas más sistemáticas, a partir del uso de diseños experimentales en el Análisis de la Conducta; así como discutir la toma de decisiones para seleccionar un diseño y el impacto de esa elección en los datos recolectados y en el conocimiento que se desea producir, especialmente desde la participación de los diferentes agentes educativos en la aplicación de intervenciones pedagógicas con estudiantes con DI o TEA. Se discute la garantía de un diseño que evalúe los resultados de las intervenciones aplicadas por agentes y la dificultad de identificar un diseño que garantice con precisión científica el impacto de cada intervención aplicada por cada uno de ellos.The application of inclusive educational interventions by educational agents to special education students should be systematically evaluated to ensure future replication of procedures and results from the use of an adequate experimental design. The aim was to analyze how applied researches can contribute to the arrangement of more systematic inclusive educational interventions, based on the use of experimental designs in Behavior Analysis; to discuss decision making for choosing a design and the impact of this choice on the data collected and on the knowledge to be produced, especially from the involvement of different educational agents in the application of pedagogical interventions with students with ID or ASD. It discusses the guarantee of a design that evaluates the results of interventions applied by agents and the difficulty to identify a design that assures with scientific precision the impact of each intervention applied

Experimental design in Behavior Analysis: discussion on its use in inclusive educational interventions

The application of inclusive educational interventions by educational agents to special education students should be systematically evaluated to ensure future replication of procedures and results from the use of an adequate experimental design. The aim was to analyze how applied researches can contribute to the arrangement of more systematic inclusive educational interventions, based on the use of experimental designs in Behavior Analysis; to discuss decision making for choosing a design and the impact of this choice on the data collected and on the knowledge to be produced, especially from the involvement of different educational agents in the application of pedagogical interventions with students with ID or ASD. It discusses the guarantee of a design that evaluates the results of interventions applied by agents and the difficulty to identify a design that assures with scientific precision the impact of each intervention applied.La aplicación de intervenciones educativas inclusivas por agentes educativos a los estudiantes de la educación especial debería ser sistemáticamente evaluada para garantizar la futura replicación de los procedimientos y resultados a partir del uso de un diseño experimental adecuado a la propuesta. El objetivo del texto fue analizar cómo las investigaciones aplicadas pueden contribuir a la disposición de intervenciones educativas inclusivas más sistemáticas, a partir del uso de diseños experimentales en el Análisis de la Conducta; así como discutir la toma de decisiones para seleccionar un diseño y el impacto de esa elección en los datos recolectados y en el conocimiento que se desea producir, especialmente desde la participación de los diferentes agentes educativos en la aplicación de intervenciones pedagógicas con estudiantes con DI o TEA. Se discute la garantía de un diseño que evalúe los resultados de las intervenciones aplicadas por agentes y la dificultad de identificar un diseño que garantice con precisión científica el impacto de cada intervención aplicada por cada uno de ellos.A aplicação de intervenções educacionais inclusivas por agentes educacionais em estudantes da educação especial deveria ser sistematicamente avaliada, para garantir replicação futura dos procedimentos e resultados, a partir do uso de um delineamento experimental adequado à proposta. O objetivo foi analisar como pesquisas aplicadas podem contribuir no arranjo de intervenções educacionais inclusivas mais sistemáticas, a partir do uso de delineamentos experimentais em Análise do Comportamento; discutir a tomada de decisão para a escolha de um delineamento e o impacto dessa escolha nos dados coletados e no conhecimento que se deseja produzir, especialmente a partir do envolvimento dos diferentes agentes educacionais na aplicação de intervenções pedagógicas com estudantes com DI ou TEA. Discute-se a garantia de um delineamento que avalie os resultados das intervenções aplicadas por agentes e a dificuldade de identificar um delineamento que assegure com precisão científica o impacto de cada intervenção aplicada por cada um deles.L’application d’interventions éducatives inclusives par des agents de l’éducation à des étudiants de l’éducation specialisée devrait être systématiquement évaluée afin de garantir la reproduction à l’avenir des procédures et des résultats de l’utilisation d’un plan expérimental approprié. L’objectif était d’analyser en quoi la recherche appliquée pouvait contribuer à le arrangement d’interventions éducatives inclusives plus systématiques, fondées sur l’utilisation de modèles expérimentaux dans l’analyse comportementale; discuter de la prise de décision pour le choix d’un design et de l’impact de ce choix sur les données collectées et les connaissances à produire, en particulier grâce à la participation des différents agents de l’éducation à la mise en œuvre d’interventions pédagogiques auprès d’élèves présentant un IDD ou un TSA. Il traite de la garantie d’un plan qui évalue les résultats des interventions appliquées par les agents et de la difficulté d’identifier un plan qui assure avec une précision scientifique l’impact de chaque intervention appliquée

The Iceman as a Burial

Since his discovery in 1991 the iceman has been widely seen as meeting a dramatic end – mortally wounded by an arrow shot while attempting to flee through an Alpine pass. A careful study of all the located grave goods, here planned comprehensively for the first time, points strongly towards the scene as one of a ceremonial burial, subsequently dispersed by thawing and gravity. The whole assemblage thus takes on another aspect – not a casual tragedy but a mortuary statement of its day

Leggere le Indicazioni. Riflessioni e proposte per la scuola dell'infanzia

Il volume presenta il testo delle indicazioni nazionali per il curricolo della scuola dell'infanzia e del primo ciclo d'istruzione, pubblicato in forma ufficiale dal Ministero dell'Istruzione nel 2013, e ne propone un commento per quanto riguarda la parte relativa alla scuola dell'infanzia, mettendo a fuoco alcune tematiche cruciali: l'idea di scuola, di relazione educativa, di contesto, di continuità, di attività professional

Synergic strategies to improve the PBF-LB/M processability of a cracking-sensitive alloy

The Powder Bed Fusion-Laser Beam\Metals (PBF-LB\M) is a promising additive manufacturing process that can be used to directly produce functional components with a complex shape for a wide variety of applications. However, the layer-by-layer scanning and high cooling rates result in a high thermal gra- dient and thus, in thermally induced stresses. The stresses developed during the additive process could lead to undesirable cracking and delamination phenomena that can seriously affect the performance of the final component. The alloy composition can exacerbate crack and delamination formation, however, the need to expand the portfolio of high-strength materials processable for PBF-LB\M makes the resolu- tion of these undesirable phenomena a primary challenge in the additive manufacturing field. This works aims to systematically investigate some strategies to make processable non-standard compositions. As no standard compositions, the promising pre-alloyed AlSi10Cu8Mg composition was chosen for the present work. Based on the results obtained from a condition of severe delamination, the synergetic use of appro- priate process parameters and support structures can lead to crack-free and fully dense specimens also when platform heating is not allowed. The developed approach could also be applied to adapt other cracking-sensitive alloys for PBF-LB\M production

Advantages of additive manufacturing for biomedical applications of polyhydroxyalkanoates

In recent years, biopolymers have been attracting the attention of researchers and special-ists from different fields, including biotechnology, material science, engineering, and medicine. The reason is the possibility of combining sustainability with scientific and technological progress. This is an extremely broad research topic, and a distinction has to be made among different classes and types of biopolymers. Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) is a particular family of polyesters, synthetized by microorganisms under unbalanced growth conditions, making them both bio-based and biodegradable polymers with a thermoplastic behavior. Recently, PHAs were used more intensively in biomedical applications because of their tunable mechanical properties, cytocompatibility, adhesion for cells, and controllable biodegradability. Similarly, the 3D-printing technologies show increasing potential in this particular field of application, due to their advantages in tailor-made design, rapid prototyping, and manufacturing of complex structures. In this review, first, the synthesis and the production of PHAs are described, and different production techniques of medical implants are compared. Then, an overview is given on the most recent and relevant medical applications of PHA for drug delivery, vessel stenting, and tissue engineering. A special focus is reserved for the inno-vations brought by the introduction of additive manufacturing in this field, as compared to the traditional techniques. All of these advances are expected to have important scientific and commer-cial applications in the near future

Development of glass-stalks-unsaturated polyester hybrid composites

The aim of this study is to investigate the possibility to use agro-residues of the vinification process as a cheaper and eco-friendly fillers to prepare unsaturated polyester composites for interior design building sector. Experimental unsaturated polyester–based resin composite samples, reinforced with grape stalks, were prepared by a simple casting technique. The glass microspheres were added in the mixing to increase the mechanical and physical properties of the final materials. A silane coupling agent was used to increase the interface adhesion between resin and grape stalks. The samples were subjected to several tests. Unfilled samples were analyzed by Differential Scanning calorimetry (DSC). Prepared silanized and non-silanized composites were completely characterized in order to study the effect of stalk fibers concentration on the mechanical, chemical and physical properties. The results showed that mechanical and physical properties for silanized composites were superior to non-silanized composites. The presence of stalks, up to 50% wt. increased Young's Modulus preserving a satisfactory tensile strength and hardness in comparison with the neat resin properties. Then, the final results showed that grape stalks from winemaking can be satisfactory used as natural filler resource to produce composites for interior furniture

A new noninvasive method for the accurate and precise assessment of varicose vein diameters

The feasibility and reproducibility of a new ultrasonic method for the direct assessment of maximal varicose vein diameter (VVD) were evaluated. A study was also performed to demonstrate the capacity of the method to detect changes in venous diameter induced by a pharmacologic treatment. Patients with varicose vein disease were recruited. A method that allows the precise positioning of patient and transducer and performance of scans in a gel-bath was developed. Maximal VVD was recorded both in the standing and supine positions. The intraassay reproducibility was determined by replicate scans made within 15 minutes in both positions. The interobserver variability was assessed by comparing VVDs measured during the first phase baseline examination with those obtained during baseline examinations in the second phase of the study. The error in reproducibility of VVD determinations was 5.3% when diameters were evaluated in the standing position and 6.4% when assessed in the supine position. The intramethod agreement was high, with a bias between readings of 0.06 ±0.18 mm and of –0.02 ±0.19 mm, respectively, in standing and supine positions. Correlation coefficients were better than 0.99 in both positions. The method appears to be sensitive enough to detect small changes in VVDs induced by treatments. The proposed technique provides a tool of potential valid use in the detection and in vivo monitoring of VVD changes in patients with varicose vein disease. The method offers an innovative approach to obtain a quantitative assessment of varicose vein progression and of treatment effects, thus providing a basis for epidemiologic survey