Organização e aplicação de um caso simulado cts em aulas de química no ensino médio

Atualmente muito se discute sobre como a Química é geralmente trabalhada no Ensino Médio: descontextualizada, sem relações com a sociedade e o cotidiano dos estudantes. Muitas vezes, o ensino se dá como se estivesse resumido à memorização de nomes complexos e aplicação de fórmulas na resolução de problemas sem relação com aspectos sociais da ciência. Para promover mudanças nesse cenário, é necessário um posicionamento crítico por parte de professores e estudantes e compreendemos que a utilização de abordagens CTS (Ciência, Tecnologia e Sociedade) no ensino de Química pode contribuir nesse sentido. A fim de colaborar com as reflexões sobre mudanças no foco da Educação Química, buscando formas de romper a barreira do ensino tradicional, apresentamos esse estudo no qual são mostrados a organização e aplicação de um Caso Simulado CTS em aulas de Química no Ensino Médio

Geomorphological evolution of the calcareous coastal cliffs in North Iberia (Asturias and Cantabria regions)

This paper presents an analysis of the main morphologies observed in the coastal cliffs of northern Spain (Asturias and Cantabria regions). The objective of this contribution is to establish a hypothesis on the origin and evolution of this rocky coast, as well as to present a detailed inventory, to characterise quantitatively and qualitatively singular morphologies and to highlight the geological heritage of this protected coast. The evolution process starts with the formation of an ancient coastal planation surface characterised by a flat morphology caused by regional mainly uplift and to relative sea level falls. Afterwards, wave erosion processes would have started eroding the cliff foot and simultaneously, karst activity produced some exokarst morphologies (sinkholes, karren, etc.) through stratification and fracturing network, while the underground drainage systems produced some caves and chasms. In the following step, corresponding to the last glaciation from the paleoclimatic point of view, sea level fall together with a deepening of the fluvial network caused the preservation of the existing caves and chasms and the generation of new ones at a lower level. On the other hand, dissolution processes on limestones created sinkholes in those areas characterised by alternating layers of limestones and marls, generating collapses. When the sea level reached the maximum height during the Holocene a new erosion cycle of the coastal cliffs began. As a consequence, new landforms and processes were produced, like bays, caves fillings, and intrusion of new sediments in small confined estuaries. In these areas, other types of morphologies associated with the last sea level rise can be observed, such as closed beaches, uncommon closed estuaries developed inside a sinkhole, blowholes produced by mixed wave action and widening of prevailing vertical pipes inside the limestones (including the second largest in the world), total or partial sedimentary filling of small confined estuaries, as well as a tombolo deposit. It is important to point out, that some sites described are included in the Spanish Inventory of Sites of Geological Interest (IELIG). Due to the evolution model here proposed, a portion of the coastal sector described are included in the Global Geosites Project

The effect of flight line spacing on radioactivity inventory and spatial feature characteristics of airborne gamma-ray spectrometry data

Airborne Gamma Spectrometry (AGS) is well suited to the mapping of radioactivity in the environment. Flight parameters (e.g. speed and line spacing) directly affect the rate of area coverage, cost, and data quality of any survey. The influences of line spacing have been investigated for data from inter‐tidal, coastal and upland environments with a range of <sup>137</sup>Cs activity concentrations and depositional histories. Estimates of the integrated <sup>137</sup>Cs activity (‘inventory’) within specified areas and the shapes of depositional features were calculated for subsets of the data at different line spacings. Features with dimensions greater than the line spacing show variations in inventory and area of less than 3%, and features with dimensions less than the line spacing show larger variations and a decreased probability of detection. The choice of line spacing for a task is dependent on the dimensions of the features of interest and required edge definition. Options for line spacing for different tasks are suggested. It is noted that for regional mapping, even 5–10 km line spacing can produce useful data

The Effects of Short-Term Detraining and Subsequent Retraining on Body Composition and Muscle Performance in Males Consuming a Whey Protein or Carbohydrate Supplement

An acute bout of resistance exercise (RE) can up-regulate processes that stimulate muscle protein synthesis (MPS). Additionally, nutritional strategies involving carbohydrate (CHO) and whey protein (WP) supplementation can augment MPS. However, resistance training (RT) induced muscle anabolism during the early phases of training can attenuate over time. The use of a short-term cessation of training (detraining; DT) can potentially restore the attenuated muscular anabolic adaptive responses. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the effects of a successive cycle of detraining and retraining (ReT) in humans on body composition and muscle performance. Resistance-trained males (age 20.95 ± 1.23 y; n=20) were recruited and randomized into one of two groups (WP or CHO; 25 grams) in a double-blind fashion. Both groups followed a standardized 4 days per week resistance-training program for 4 weeks, carried out 2 weeks of DT and continued the resistance-training program for another 4 weeks of ReT. Participants were instructed to consume their respective supplement only on workout days during RT, but every day during DT. Research visits were conducted at baseline, 4 weeks (post-RT), 6 weeks (post-2-week-DT), and after 10 weeks (post-ReT). Each visit consisted of body composition assessments and muscular strength and endurance testing using the bench press and angled leg press exercises. Four-day diet records, workout logs, and supplement compliance forms were utilized. Factorial 2x4 (group by time) ANOVAs with repeated measures were conducted using SPSS (version 20.0) with a probability level of ≤ .05. There were no significant group by time interactions for lean or fat mass changes throughout the study (p \u3e .05). However, both groups were able to retain lean mass following 2 weeks of DT. The WP group appeared to have an elevation in lean mass (+1.58kg on average) by the end of ReT in comparison to baseline, even though it was not statistically significant (p \u3e .05). Leg press strength (LPS) increased throughout the study (p=.003), and neither group showed a decrease in LPS following DT. There were no group-by-time interactions or group differences between WP and CHO for bench press strength (BPS), bench press endurance (BPE), leg press endurance (LPE), or any dietary variables (p \u3e .05). Interestingly, the WP group presented a non-significant overall increase in lean mass compared to the CHO group by the end of 10 weeks. LPS and BPS were also elevated and retained respectfully following DT. In summary, a short-term 2 week cycle of DT in resistance trained males maintained both muscle mass and muscular strength, which potentially reinforces the importance of recovery

Organização e aplicação de um caso simulado cts em aulas de química no ensino médio

Atualmente muito se discute sobre como a Química é geralmente trabalhada no Ensino Médio: descontextualizada, sem relações com a sociedade e o cotidiano dos estudantes. Muitas vezes, o ensino se dá como se estivesse resumido à memorização de nomes complexos e aplicação de fórmulas na resolução de problemas sem relação com aspectos sociais da ciência. Para promover mudanças nesse cenário, é necessário um posicionamento crítico por parte de professores e estudantes e compreendemos que a utilização de abordagens CTS (Ciência, Tecnologia e Sociedade) no ensino de Química pode contribuir nesse sentido. A fim de colaborar com as reflexões sobre mudanças no foco da Educação Química, buscando formas de romper a barreira do ensino tradicional, apresentamos esse estudo no qual são mostrados a organização e aplicação de um Caso Simulado CTS em aulas de Química no Ensino Médio

Tactile acuity training for patients with chronic low back pain: a pilot randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Chronic pain can disrupt the cortical representation of a painful body part. This disruption may play a role in maintaining the individual’s pain. Tactile acuity training has been used to normalise cortical representation and reduce pain in certain pain conditions. However, there is little evidence for the effectiveness of this intervention for chronic low back pain (CLBP). The primary aim of this study was to inform the development of a fully powered randomised controlled trial (RCT) by providing preliminary data on the effect of tactile acuity training on pain and function in individuals with CLBP. The secondary aim was to obtain qualitative feedback about the intervention. METHODS: In this mixed-methods pilot RCT 15 individuals were randomised to either an intervention (tactile acuity training) or a placebo group (sham tactile acuity training). All participants received 3 sessions of acuity training (intervention or sham) from a physiotherapist and were requested to undertake daily acuity home training facilitated by an informal carer (friend/relative). All participants also received usual care physiotherapy. The primary outcome measures were pain (0-100visual analogue scale (VAS)) and function (Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ)). Participants and their informal carers were invited to a focus group to provide feedback on the intervention. RESULTS: The placebo group improved by the greatest magnitude for both outcome measures, but there was no statistically significant difference (Mean difference (95%CI), p-value) between groups for change in pain (25.6 (-0.7 to 51.9), p = 0.056) or function (2.2 (-1.6 to 6.0), p = 0.237). Comparing the number of individuals achieving a minimally clinically significant improvement, the placebo group had better outcomes for pain with all participants achieving ≥30% improvement compared to only a third of the intervention group (6/6 vs. 3/9, p = 0.036). Qualitatively, participants reported that needing an informal carer was a considerable barrier to the home training component of the study. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot RCT found tactile acuity training to be no more effective than sham tactile acuity training for function and less effective for pain in individuals with CLBP. That the intervention could not be self-applied was a considerable barrier to its use. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN: ISRCTN9811808

The translation, validity and reliability of the German version of the Fremantle Back Awareness Questionnaire

Background: The Fremantle Back Awareness Questionnaire (FreBAQ) claims to assess disrupted self-perception of the back. The aim of this study was to develop a German version of the Fre-BAQ (FreBAQ-G) and assess its test-retest reliability, its known-groups validity and its convergent validity with another purported measure of back perception. Methods: The FreBaQ-G was translated following international guidelines for the transcultural adaptation of questionnaires. Thirty-five patients with non-specific CLBP and 48 healthy participants were recruited. Assessor one administered the FreBAQ-G to each patient with CLBP on two separate days to quantify intra-observer reliability. Assessor two administered the FreBaQ-G to each patient on day 1. The scores were compared to those obtained by assessor one on day 1 to assess inter-observer reliability. Known-groups validity was quantified by comparing the FreBAQ-G score between patients and healthy controls. To assess convergent validity, patient\u27s FreBAQ-G scores were correlated to their two-point discrimination (TPD) scores. Results: Intra- and Inter-observer reliability were both moderate with ICC3.1 = 0.88 (95%CI: 0.77 to 0.94) and 0.89 (95%CI: 0.79 to 0.94), respectively. Intra- and inter-observer limits of agreement (LoA) were 6.2 (95%CI: 5.0±8.1) and 6.0 (4.8±7.8), respectively. The adjusted mean difference between patients and controls was 5.4 (95%CI: 3.0 to 7.8, p\u3c0.01). Patient\u27s FreBAQ-G scores were not associated with TPD thresholds (Pearson\u27s r = -0.05, p = 0.79). Conclusions: The FreBAQ-G demonstrated a degree of reliability and known-groups validity. Interpretation of patient level data should be performed with caution because the LoA were substantial. It did not demonstrate convergent validity against TPD. Floor effects of some items of the FreBAQ-G may have influenced the validity and reliability results. The clinimetric properties of the FreBAQ-G require further investigation as a simple measure of disrupted self-perception of the back before firm recommendations on its use can be made

An algorithm to study the nonnegativity, regularity and stability via state-feedbacks of singular systems of arbitrary index

This paper deals with singular systems of index k ≥ 1. Our main goal is to find a state-feedback such that the closed-loop system satis- fies the regularity condition and it is nonnegative and stable. In order to do that, the core-nilpotent decomposition of a square matrix is applied to the singular matrix of the system. Moreover, if the Drazin projector of this matrix is nonnegative then the previous decomposition allows us to write the core-part of the matrix in a specific block form. In addition, an algorithm to study this kind of systems via a state-feedback is designed.This paper has been partially supported by Ministry of Education of Spain [grant number DGI MTM2010-18228].Herrero Debón, A.; Francisco J. Ramírez; Thome, N. (2014). An algorithm to study the nonnegativity, regularity and stability via state-feedbacks of singular systems of arbitrary index. Linear and Multilinear Algebra. 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/03081087.2014.904559S11

The Dampening Effect of Iceberg Orders on Small Traders' Welfare

Iceberg orders, which allow traders to hide a portion of their order size, have become prevalent in many electronic limit order markets. This paper investigates, via a real options analysis, whether small traders, who have no use for submitting iceberg orders, are better off submitting their orders to fully transparent markets which have low depth, or to more liquid markets which do permit the placement of iceberg orders by large traders. Surprisingly, we find that in the context of our model, small traders are better off submitting to fully transparent markets in spite of them being less liquid