Vendo a vida com outros olhos: o Ensino de Ecologia para deficientes visuais / Seeing life through different eyes: teaching ecology for the visuallyimpaired

Apesar de vários grupos de pesquisas virem trabalhando na formulação de materiais para a educação de cegos, existem poucos materiais de fácil acesso aos professores para a educação inclusiva em geral,especialmente nas áreas de Ciências, entre elas, a Biologia. Com o objetivo de elaborar esses materiais para o ensino inclusivo no Ensino Médio (EM),trabalhou-se com seis deficientes visuais entre 16 e51 anos, divididos em dois grupos, alunos do 1º ano do EM e outros que já terminaram ou deixaram os estudos. Foram ministradas duas aulas com o tema ecologia, baseadas na Proposta Curricular do Estado de São Paulo de 2008, nas quais realizaram-se vivências com os materiais produzidos. Foram feitas observações sistêmicas e aplicados questionários semi-estruturados em cada aula com objetivo de avaliar a eficácia dos materiais para aprendizagem.Observou-se uma grande aceitação dos alunos, tanto nas aulas expositivas quanto nas vivências, sendo que os mesmos mostraram grande apreensão do conteúdo, mais do que se estes fossem apenas oralmente expostos. Conclui-se que a utilização de materiais táteis aliadas às aulas expositivas, auxilia na construção e amplia o conhecimento do deficiente visual, especialmente em Biologia, onde grande parte dos conteúdos é apenas visualmente explorada.

Although many research groups work in the development of educational apparatus for sually impaired, the lack of materials for teachers consideringan inclusive education is still a problem, especially in Sciences and Biology. The aim of this work, that was the development of easy access and low cost edu cational apparatus for teaching visually impaired students in high school level, was achieved with the participation of six blind individuals, among 16 and 51 years old divided into two groups: the first com posed by first year high school students, and the second by ex-high school students or people who gave up school. Two classes about Ecology were taught, based on the 2008 curricular syllabus established by the São Paulo State Department of Public Education. All the developed materials were used in practical experiences. It was performed systemic observations and semi-structured questionnaires in eachclass in order to evaluate the efficiency of the materials. It was noticed a high acceptance from the students during the classes and the experiences. It was observed a high efficiency of the material to help the blind students to understand the subject in discussion better than it was just orally exposed. In conclusion, the use of tactile materials in additionto expository classes help to raise and improve the knowledge of the visually- impairedindividuals, and it was especially perceptible in Biology, where the subjects are visually teaching.

Vendo a vida com outros olhos: o Ensino de Ecologia para deficientes visuais / Seeing life through different eyes: teaching ecology for the visuallyimpaired

Apesar de vários grupos de pesquisas virem trabalhando na formulação de materiais para a educação de cegos, existem poucos materiais de fácil acesso aos professores para a educação inclusiva em geral,especialmente nas áreas de Ciências, entre elas, a Biologia. Com o objetivo de elaborar esses materiais para o ensino inclusivo no Ensino Médio (EM),trabalhou-se com seis deficientes visuais entre 16 e51 anos, divididos em dois grupos, alunos do 1º ano do EM e outros que já terminaram ou deixaram os estudos. Foram ministradas duas aulas com o tema ecologia, baseadas na Proposta Curricular do Estado de São Paulo de 2008, nas quais realizaram-se vivências com os materiais produzidos. Foram feitas observações sistêmicas e aplicados questionários semi-estruturados em cada aula com objetivo de avaliar a eficácia dos materiais para aprendizagem.Observou-se uma grande aceitação dos alunos, tanto nas aulas expositivas quanto nas vivências, sendo que os mesmos mostraram grande apreensão do conteúdo, mais do que se estes fossem apenas oralmente expostos. Conclui-se que a utilização de materiais táteis aliadas às aulas expositivas, auxilia na construção e amplia o conhecimento do deficiente visual, especialmente em Biologia, onde grande parte dos conteúdos é apenas visualmente explorada.

A zucchini-peroxidase biosensor applied to dopamine determination.

A biosensor modified with peroxidase from crude extract of zucchini (Cucurbita pepo) was developed for the determination of dopamine in pharmaceutical samples. This enzyme catalyses the oxidation of dopamine to dopaminequinone, in presence of hydrogen peroxide, which the electrochemical reduction can be followed at a peak potential of -0.02 V. The recovery of dopamine from the samples ranged from 94.8% to 106% and a rectilinear analytical curve for dopamine concentration from 5.0 x 10(-4) to 3.0 x 10(-3) mol L-1 (r=0.9982) was obtained. The detection limit was 2.6x10(-5) mol L-1 and the relative standard deviation was less than 1.2% for 7.9 x 10(-4) mol L-1 dopamine in 0.1 mol L-1 phosphate buffer solution at pH 6.0 (n=10).

An improved flow system for phenols determination exploiting multicommutation and long pathlength spectrophotometry.

A greener and sensitive procedure for spectrophotometric determination of phenols based on a multicommuted flow system with a 100cm optical path flow cell is presented. The method exploited the oxidative coupling of phenolic compounds with 4-aminoantipyrine in alkaline medium containing potassium hexacyanoferrate(III). Sensitivity was 80-fold higher than that achieved with a 1cm flow cell, making feasible the determination of phenols in the 10-100mugl(-1) range with a detection limit estimated as 1mugl(-1) phenol. The sampling rate and the coefficient of variation were estimated as 90 determinations per hour and 0.6% (n=10), respectively. The multicommutation approach allowed a 200-fold reduction of the reagent consumption in comparison with the reference batch method. Moreover, the chloroform extraction for analyte concentration is unnecessary in view of the increase in sensitivity. Recoveries within 93.3 and 106% were achieved for determination of phenol in natural and wastewater samples. Results agreed with the obtained by a reference method at the 95% confidence level.

Electroregenerable anion-exchange resin with triiodide carbon paste electrode for the voltammetric determination of adrenaline.

An electroregenerable carbon paste electrode modified with triiodide ions immobilized in an anion-exchange resin (Lewatit M500) is proposed for the determination of adrenaline in pharmaceutical products by differential-pulse voltammetry (DPV). Adrenaline was chemically converted into adrenochrome by the I3- ions at the electrode surface. The electrochemical reduction back to adrenaline was obtained at a potential of -0.16 V vs. Ag/AgCl (3 mol l(-1) KCl). A 20% decrease of the initial analytical signal was observed after 350-400 determinations; the carbon paste electrode was 100% electroregenerated at a fixed potential of +0.65 V vs. Ag/AgCl (3 mol l(-1) KCl) in 0.1 mol l(-1) KI solution for 20 min. The differential-pulse voltammograms were obtained by applying a sweep potential between 0.0 and -0.34 V, following the adrenochrome reduction at -0.16 V. Under the optimum conditions established, such as pH 6.0; scan rate 20 mV s(-1) and pulse amplitude 50 mV, the calibration curve was linear from 2.0 x 10(-5) to 3.1 x 10(-4) mol l(-1) adrenaline with a detection limit of 3.9 x 10(-6) mol l(-1). The recovery of adrenaline ranged from 99.8 to 103.1% and the RSD was 2.6% for the solution containing 1.0 x 10(-4) mol l(-1) adrenaline (n = 10). The results obtained for adrenaline in pharmaceutical samples using the proposed carbon paste electrode are in agreement with those obtained using a pharmacopoeial procedure at the 95% confidence level.

Flow injection spectrophotometric determination of isoproterenol using an avocado (Persea americana) crude extract immobilized on controlled-pore silica reactor.

An enzymatic reactor was constructed by the immobilization of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) from avocado (Persea americana) crude extract in an inorganic support of controlled pore silica (CPS), after a previous step of silanization. This inorganic support has been used as an excellent carrier to immobilize this enzyme and the enzymatic reactor was used in a flow injection system for the determination of isoproterenol in pharmaceutical products. The procedure is based on the oxidation reaction of this drug with immobilized PPO and the product obtained was monitored at 492 nm. This system presented an analytical curve from 1.23x10(-4) to 7.38x10(-4) mol l(-1) isoproterenol with a detection limit of 6.25x10(-5) mol l(-1). Recoveries of isoproterenol between 98.5 and 103.1%, a relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) less than 1% (n=10) and 36 determinations per h were obtained.