Educational Attainment in Brazil: An Analysis of the Rates Between 1970 and 2000

This paper analyzes the differentials in the rates of educational attainment in Brazil for people 15 years and older, between 1970 and 2000, by age groups and sex, according to period and cohort. For the oldest age groups, a growth in formal education resulted in an increase in the ratio of people with a primary education. For the youngest age groups, the increase in the ratio of people with secondary and tertiary education is more significant. As expected, the cohort analysis shows that in the long term, the biggest increases in secondary and tertiary education are found within the youngest cohorts and for women. The older age structure of the Brazilian population in 2000 causes the difference between the prevalence rates of 1970 and 2000 to diminish for those with no formal education, basic and secondary education. With relation to the tertiary level, however, it causes the difference to increase. The educational distribution of the international immigrants registered by the censuses of 1991 and 2000 indicates an increase in the rates of higher levels of education

Population aging and the rising costs of public pension in Brazil

This article examines the evolution of retirement in Brazil and its old-age support programs (public pension). The key objective is to show that given the current trend in population and size of the programs, their sustainability in the near future may be endangered. In this paper, we also provide a measure of public pension expenditure under different policy scenarios. This paper provides empirical evidence indicating that the absence of appropriate policies can aggravate adverse effects of population aging. We show that the public pension system works less efficiently than desired and that it is already in a weaker condition than systems in more developed nations. We contribute to the debate on how critical policy areas may reduce the potential economic impact of demographic changes.public pension system, population aging, demographic changes, forecasting.

Synthesis of nanostructured mixed matrix membranes for facilitated gas separation

The separation of gas mixture is a major operation in the petrol-chemical industry. The\ud separation of oxygen/nitrogen is one of the main applications. The most common\ud applied commercial gas separation processes are cryogenic distillation, adsorption and\ud classical membrane permeation. Depending on the specific requirements for the\ud process, i.e., process scale and product purity, one or more of the available gas\ud separation techniques will be economically preferable. Under economic considerations\ud membrane systems have been proven to be loss energy intensive and thus more cost\ud effective to operate than the traditional techniques mentioned. Classical polymeric\ud membrane materials used so far possessing high selectivities for specific gas pairs show\ud generally low permeabilities, which is referred to as an “upper bound” relationship.\ud Facilitated transport of a specific gas molecule can therefore be suggested as one of the\ud promising methods to improve single bulk material (polymer) properties.\ud The main goal of this project was to synthesise a new class of gas separation\ud membranes based on carrier facilitated transport for oxygen/nitrogen separation

Artificial intelligence in the design process

The book discusses how to include artificial intelligence (AI) systems in the early stages of the design process. Today designers need new tools capable of supporting them in dealing with the increasing project’s complexity and empowering their performances and capabilities. AI systems appear to be powerful means to enhance designers’ creativity. This assumption was tested in a workshop where sixteen participants collaborated with three AI systems throughout the creative phases of research, sketching, and color selection. Results show that designers can access a broader level of variance and inspiration while reducing the risk of fossilization by triggering lateral thinking through AI-generated data. Therefore, AI could significantly impact the creative phases of the design process if applied consciously. Being AI systems intelligent agents, the book treats the Human-AI collaboration as a collaboration between human agents, proposing a set of guidelines helpful to achieving an efficient partnership with the machine

Modified PEEK mixed-matrix membranes for pervaporation applications

La deshidratación del ácido acético a través de la destilación es difícil porque requiere un alto número de etapas y relaciones de reflujo. La pervaporación (PV) es una técnica de separación de membranas donde un componente de una mezcla líquida penetra selectivamente a través de una membrana densa, esta tecnica se utiliza para separaciones donde la destilación es imposible de emplear o no es económica. El problema a los que se enfrentan las membranas es el balance entre la permeabilidad y la selectividad, particularmente, en condiciones ácidas, asi como tambien la resistencia química frente al ácido. Por lo tanto, el desarrollo de las membranas está orientado a mejorar este balance a través de la investigación del rendimiento de varios materiales en mezclas ácidas, como ácido acético y agua.Se investigaron varias membranas compósitas (MMM) densas con PEEK-WC como matriz para la deshidratación de ácido acético mediante pervaporación. Se utilizaron tres MOFs: ZIF-8, HKUST-1 y MIL-101(Cr) en dos concentraciones: 2.5 wt% and 5 wt% respecto al polímero. Las caracterizaciones de las nanoparticulas sintetizadas están de acuerdo con los resultados reportados en la literatura. Además, las caracterizaciones de las MMM mostraron que no tienen defectos, son de naturaleza ligeramente hidrofílica y tienen buenas propiedades térmicas y mecánicas. Los tests de hinchamiento mostraron que las membranas MZ y MH tienen grados más bajos de hinchamiento que la membrana PEEK-WC.De las cinco muestras de membranas, sólo dos (PEEK-WC y MH-2.5) dieron valores estables de permeación. A concentraciones altas de ácido (5%), la membrana PEEK-WC tiene una permeación de agua de 1142 GPU con una selectividad de 7.3 y la membrana MH-2.5 mejoró su permeación (3176 GPU) manteniendo su selectividad (7.7) igual a la de la membrana PEEK-WC. Si el contenido de nanopartículas en la membrana aumenta a 5 wt% (MH-5), la selectividad cae. Esto demostró que con elegir el tipo y el contenido de las nanopartículas apropiadas, las MMM basadas en PEEK-WC pueden mejorar su rendimiento a la permeación del agua.<br /

Network of services facilitating and supporting job placement for people with autism spectrum disorders. The experience of the ASL Piacenza, Italy

AbstractThe Mental Health Department of Piacenza has recently activated a special programfor persons diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The Program engages anumber of stakeholders: the users, their families, social and psychiatric services as wellas specific associations for autism. The program is aimed to grant a complete and individualizedassistance to people with ASD and it is especially focused on the transitionto adulthood. In this period, it is necessary to build the “life project” in order to improvefunctioning and quality of life of users. The elective areas of the individual plan have todeal on how to reach autonomy in daily living and related skills, obtaining and maintaininga job, as well as starting and reinforcing significant relationships. This paper is especiallyfocused on job placement for people with ASD

AI IN THE DESIGN PROCESS: TRAINING THE HUMAN-AI COLLABORATION

Artificial intelligence (AI) systems are attracting more and more attention as possible tools to enhance creativity in the design process. However, alongside potentialities, introducing non-human agents in a design team can bring specific criticalities, which need a high level of awareness on the part of designers to be tackled. An exploratory study on the perception of design students regarding the inclusion of AI tools in the early stages of the design process was conducted. The results are discussed in the paper, with a specific focus on the possible role of training in supporting the development of critical awareness regarding the challenges posed by human-AI collaborations

A more sustainable membrane preparation using triethyl phosphate as solvent

Abstract In this work, hydrophobic poly(vinylidene fluoride) membranes for potential membrane distillation applications, with pore sizes ranging from ~ 0.05 to ~ 0.30 μm, were prepared by employing triethyl phosphate (TEP) as a substitute to the hazardous, commonly used, toxic solvents. Membrane morphologies and properties were tailored based on the main parameters, such as the casting solution composition and the operational conditions, which affect the phase inversion process. Experimental results showed that exposure time to controlled humid air and temperature, as well as additive content in the dope solution, strongly influence the membrane formation. The use of TEP as an alternative solvent may contribute to the development of sustainable separation operations

Artificial intelligence in the design process

The book discusses how to include artificial intelligence (AI) systems in the early stages of the design process. Today designers need new tools capable of supporting them in dealing with the increasing project’s complexity and empowering their performances and capabilities. AI systems appear to be powerful means to enhance designers’ creativity. This assumption was tested in a workshop where sixteen participants collaborated with three AI systems throughout the creative phases of research, sketching, and color selection. Results show that designers can access a broader level of variance and inspiration while reducing the risk of fossilization by triggering lateral thinking through AI-generated data. Therefore, AI could significantly impact the creative phases of the design process if applied consciously. Being AI systems intelligent agents, the book treats the Human-AI collaboration as a collaboration between human agents, proposing a set of guidelines helpful to achieving an efficient partnership with the machine

Enhanced Anti-Fouling Behavior and Performance of PES Membrane by UV Treatment

An easy method to prepare hydrophilic PES membranes with anti-fouling properties was developed by UV-polymerization of poly vinyl pirrolidone (PVP) on membrane surfaces. The modified membrane surfaces were analyzed by ATR-FTIR, and the new hydrophilic nature of the membranes was determined by contact angle measurements. The novel membranes were prepared using Rhodiasolv® Polarclean as a green solvent and compared with a control PES membrane, without the exposure at the hydrophilization procedure. The influences of the UV lamp distance (15 and 30 cm) and the exposure time (0 cm to 60 cm) were evaluated. All membranes were characterized in terms of surface morphology, porosity, pore size, and pure water permeability (PWP). The treated membranes resulted in an increase in hydrophilicity and in improved performances in terms of PWP and foulant rejection. In particular, an anti-fouling test was performed using a solution of 100 mg/L of humic acid (HA) as a model foulant. The UV-treated membrane efficiency, compared with a commercial PES membrane, showed a recovery of about 97%, confirming that these membranes can be applied in wastewater treatment