Folclore brasileiro

 

 

É mentira, Terta?

 

A citação original: Ao contrário do que se diz, não é a ocasião que faz o ladrão. A ocasião faz o roubo, o ladrão já nasce pronto. (O.Bilac)

Pedindo licença ao Olavo Bilac, acho que a frase “A ocasião faz o ladrão” ficaria melhor assim: “A ocasião propícia favorece o ladrão oportunista”.  Então, a citação de Bilac ficaria assim:

A ocasião propícia favorece o roubo para o ladrão oportunista.

Mas a citação original :”A ocasião faz o ladrão”  tem o seguinte sentido : Uma ocasião favorável ou propícia, incita aquele que, ou é cleptomaníaco ou ladrão iniciante praticar o roubo. Esse é o sentido original da citação popular.     A ocasião “Faz o ladrão” está mais ligado à um indivíduo que não tem uma propensão profunda para o roubo, àquele que diante de uma situação favorável para roubar algo, não se contém e rouba mesmo. Se depois disso acaba gostando e se torna um ladrão legítimo,um grande larápio, então a acepção do aforismo já toma um outro rumo.

JSMelo.

Nota: No momento da edição das postagens, muitas vezes o editor (no caso, EU)  não está lá com sua mente bem afiada para lides literárias, então sai alguma coisa meio confusa, se bem que é bastante raro eu me envolver com essas notas adicionais, e também neste caso, o assunto em si é bastante simples, quase uma brincadeira.  Espero ter melhorado as explicações acima porque a original estava meio estereotipada.

Velhas árvores–(Fernando Pessoa)

 

New, forward-thinking report addresses environmental research, education

 

NSF advisory committee offers recommendations spanning next decade Photo gallery: NSF's AC-ERE releases forward-looking report. Credit and Larger Version September 16, 2015 The nation is at an environmental crossroads, states a report released today by the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Advisory Committee for Environmental Research and Education (AC-ERE): America's Future: Environmental Research and Education for a Thriving Century: A 10-year Outlook. Climate change in the Arctic, urban growth in Phoenix, West Coast fisheries affected by El Niño, land-use change in New England, nutrients in watersheds in the Midwest--the report finds society is facing a wide array of environmental challenges. "We're experiencing a time in which human society and technology are increasing the pace and rate of environmental change in ways for which no precedent exists, and which have significant potential consequences," the report states. "Human systems are becoming dominant forces in ecosystems and the environment, resulting in novel landscapes, altered hydrologic and biogeochemical regimes, and new disease pathways." Importance of environmental science At the same time those changes are occurring, society has the opportunity to incorporate environmental science as part of the nation's economic engine, improving the welfare of citizens and creating economic opportunities and prosperity for all Americans, AC-ERE members believe. The report advances the notion that viewing environmental protection and economic prosperity as conflicting goals is outdated. "Environment and development go hand-in-hand with making a nation strong and prosperous," it states. "Interdisciplinary research and education are essential to carrying out NSF's vision," says James Olds, NSF assistant director (AD) for Biological Sciences and NSF AD coordinator for environmental research and education. "This report is very forward-looking and highlights the current and potential role of science as a catalyst for progress in the coming decades." We need to invest in changing the trajectories of current environmental trends away from warming, stress, conflict and vulnerability--and toward resilience, well-being, stewardship and prosperity, the report proposes. "Whether it's to support sustainable water systems, increased productivity in natural and managed systems, the design of low-carbon built environments, or reducing risk and increasing resilience in our food and energy systems," says scientist David Skole of Michigan State University and chair of the AC-ERE, "NSF-led environmental science will make significant and lasting contributions to America's future in a thriving century ahead." Looking to science for answers Society is increasingly looking to science for answers to help solve current, and prevent future, challenges. "Scientists are increasingly recognizing the need to work together with decision-makers, educators, community leaders, and other stakeholders to enable research and education that fosters well-being on our dynamic and rapidly changing planet," the report says. It emphasizes that the environment is a network of complex socio-environmental systems, and stresses the need to integrate our understanding of biophysical processes, social processes and engineered systems. Following NSF's Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability (SEES) portfolio, which began in 2010, the scientific community is ready, according to the AC-ERE, for new approaches to research and education that reach across scales and disciplines to provide the basic understanding needed to solve fundamental environmental and societal challenges. The report states that, of the U.S. federal agencies that fund science, NSF is uniquely poised to establish broad, systems-level approaches needed to understand complex socio-environmental systems at multiple scales and across multiple disciplines. Advisory committee recommendations "With the goal of building capacity in environmental problem-solving and design, in the next decade NSF should invest in projects focused on studying best practices and supporting research that will improve methods of connecting science with decisionmaking," the report says. The AC-ERE recommends that NSF build on its current core and special programs--for example, Dynamics of Coupled Natural and Human Systems (CNH), Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy and Water Systems (INFEWS), and Risk and Resilience--to integrate a stable, foundation-wide environmental portfolio across its research and education directorates and programs, creating new programs when needed to address specific research questions and societal-environmental challenges. Broader impact networks and nodes Specifically, the AC-ERE proposes creating a program to support Broader Impact Networks and Nodes (BINNs). As envisioned, BINNs would be multi-institutional collaborations to connect education and community engagement professionals with researchers to more effectively accomplish broader impact objectives. BINNs would enable principal investigators (PIs) who receive NSF awards to embed their projects' education and outreach activities in a larger framework. That framework is designed to integrate current learning science and advance innovation in education and outreach, in what the report calls "robust evaluation plans, iterative engagement with adaptive design, long-term relationships with partners, and involvement of underserved populations." That integrated approach, the report states, "is more likely to have and document significant broader impacts than small-scale and uncoordinated activities of individual investigators. Establishing larger broader impact frameworks can be achieved through long-term support for networks and nodes which PIs can use in their individual projects." A program that supports BINNs, AC-ERE members believe, "would accelerate transfer of knowledge to the public to create a scientifically literate nation, integrate current learning in science and advance innovation in education and outreach, establish long-term relationships with broader impact partners, target underserved populations, and allocate sufficient funding levels and terms to have the impact that is needed to address these challenges." Modeled on the NSF Science and Technology Centers, Centers for Ocean Science Education Excellence, and Research Coordination Networks, BINNs could be thematic, regional, or institutional, the AC-ERE envisions. Environmental challenges and opportunities The AC-ERE acknowledges that the vision is broad, the challenges enormous, and with current resources that pale in comparison. "Our recommendation is to build on the environmental education and research programs developed over the first decade and a half of this century," the report states, "but strategically increase investments through 2025." The time to begin, say AC-ERE members, is now. -NSF- Media Contacts Cheryl Dybas, NSF, (703) 292-7734, cdybas@nsf.gov Related Websites NSF Environmental Research and Education:http://www.nsf.gov/geo/ere/ereweb/about.cfm NSF Discovery Article Series: Environmental Research and Education:http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=135187 NSF News: NSF Advisory Committee for Environmental Research and Education Releases New Report (2009): http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=115474 The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. In fiscal year (FY) 2015, its budget is $7.3 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and other institutions. Each year, NSF receives about 48,000 competitive proposals for funding, and makes about 11,000 new funding awards. NSF also awards about $626 million in professional and service contracts yearly.   http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=136041&WT.mc_id=USNSF_51&WT.mc_ev=click

Researchers develop 3-D printed autonomous soft robot

 

Harvard University engineers have developed one of the first 3-D printed, soft robots that moves autonomously. Traditional industrial robots are rigid, mostly metal and fast, precise and powerful. But their speed and precision comes at the cost of complexity and can often pose a danger to humans who get too close. Soft robots are adaptable and resilient but slow, difficult to fabricate, and challenging to make autonomous because most motors, pumps, batteries, sensors and microcontrollers are rigid. Harvard's soft robot's design offers a new solution to an engineering challenge that has plagued soft robotics: the integration of rigid and soft materials. The robots body transitions from soft to hard, reducing the stress where the rigid electronic components join the body and increasing the robots resiliency. The bodys monolithic design--created in one continuous print job using several different materials--increases its strength and robustness. With no sliding parts or traditional joints, the robot isnt victim to dirt or debris like its more intricate cousins, making it a good candidate for use in harsh terrains. The robots jumping ability and soft body would come in handy in harsh and unpredictable environments or disaster situations, allowing it to survive large falls and other unexpected situations. This research was supported in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) (grant DMR 1420570). To learn more, see the NSF News From the Field story Hopping towards a better soft robot. (Date of Image: 2015) Credit: Harvard Microrobotics Lab General Restrictions: Images and other media in the National Science Foundation Multimedia Gallery are available for use in print and electronic material by NSF employees, members of the media, university staff, teachers and the general public. All media in the gallery are intended for personal, educational and nonprofit/non-commercial use only. Images credited to the National Science Foundation, a federal agency, are in the public domain. The images were created by employees of the United States Government as part of their official duties or prepared by contractors as "works for hire" for NSF. You may freely use NSF-credited images and, at your discretion, credit NSF with a "Courtesy: National Science Foundation" notation. Additional information about general usage can be found in Conditions. http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/mmg_disp.jsp?med_id=79356

Esta torre genial suga poluição do ar e a transforma em joia

 

Smog Free Tower: protótipo entrou em operação no começo de setembro, na cidade de Roterdã, na Holanda São Paulo -  A poluição atmosférica é um problema grave para o meio ambiente e para a saúde pública. Um estudo recente mostrou que o ar carregado pode causar a morte prematura de 6,6 milhões de pessoas por ano até 2050. Atento ao problema, o designer  holandês Daan Roosegaarde criou um megapurificador de ar de 7 metros de altura que pode ajudar a limpar a atmosfera e, de quebra, produzir joias. Após três anos de pesquisa, o protótipo, chamado de Smog Free Tower, entrou em operação no começo de setembro, na cidade de Roterdã, na Holanda. Instalada em um parque público, a torre é capaz de limpar mais de 30.000 metros cúbicos de ar por hora, segundo o site do projeto. "Com uma única torre funcionando o dia todo você pode limpar um pequeno bairro", disse Roosegaard à revista Wired. Grosso modo, o processo utiliza filtros iônicos que atraem e aprisionam as micropariculas de poluentes, devolvendo ar fresco e purificado por aberturas laterais na torre. As finas partículas de carbono que a torre coleta podem ser condensadas para criar pequenas "pedras preciosas" que podem ser incorporadas em peças de jóias como anéis. Cada uma das pequenas pedras tem o equivalente de 1.000 metros cúbicos de ar. Toda essa parte mais "operacional" do projeto ficou a cargo do pesquisador Bob Ursem, da Universidade de Tecnologia de Delft e da European Nano Solutions, uma empresa de tecnologia verde da Holanda. A equipe espera que o projeto ajude a criar um futuro mais limpo e, por isso, está buscando apoio junto a governos, ONGs e setores de tecnologia limpa. Recentemente, eles lançaram um bem sucedido financiamento coletivo no Kickstarter, e com a arrecadação planejam lançar outros modelos da torre em Pequim, Cidade do México, Paris, entre outras cidades do mundo.  Autora:  Vanessa Barbosa, de Exame.com   Fonte : http://exame.abril.com.br/tecnologia/noticias/esta-torre-genial-suga-poluicao-do-ar-e-a-transforma-em-joia

Economia global e China com a batuta.

 

O PESO DA CHINA NA ECONOMIA GLOBAL

Closer look reveals true cost of coal

 

The cost of coal use is greater than it seems and policies geared toward subsidizing its use must be reformed quickly, before countries invest in coal-fired plants, Ottmar Edenhofer argues in this Perspective. The costs of generating electricity from wind and solar power have declined substantially in recent years, but coal still remains the cheaper option. Some major emitters such as China and the US have pledged to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels over the next few decades to mitigate climate change -- yet this will only cause world market coal prices drop, making coal more appealing to developing countries that are only now beginning to invest in long-term energy infrastructure. Yet this will only make world market coal prices drop, making coal more appealing to developing countries that are only now beginning to invest in long-term energy infrastructure. But what is the true cost of coal? As Edenhofer points out, governments around the world heavily subsidize fossil fuels, and in 2013 pretax subsidies amounted to about $550 billion US worldwide. These substantial subsidies not only drain funds that could be used for other purposes, such as sanitation and poverty reduction, but discourage investments in low-carbon alternatives. Furthermore, a recent report by the International Monetary Fund quantifies substantial additional costs of burning fossil fuels, such as local air pollution and other adverse side effects of vehicle use. Thus, the cost of coal usage can be deceptively low, and understanding the true costs -- before long-term energy infrastructure is built -- is essential, Edenhofer concludes. Story Source: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by American Association for the Advancement of Science. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: O. Edenhofer. King Coal and the queen of subsidies. Science, 2015; 349 (6254): 1286 DOI: 10.1126/science.aad0674

3-D printed guide helps regrow complex nerves after injury

 

This is a 3-D printed nerve regeneration pathway implanted in a rat helped to improve walking in 10 to 12 weeks after implantation. Credit: University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering A national team of researchers has developed a first-of-its-kind, 3D-printed guide that helps regrow both the sensory and motor functions of complex nerves after injury. The groundbreaking research has the potential to help more than 200,000 people annually who experience nerve injuries or disease. Collaborators on the project are from the University of Minnesota, Virginia Tech, University of Maryland, Princeton University, and Johns Hopkins University. Nerve regeneration is a complex process. Because of this complexity, regrowth of nerves after injury or disease is very rare, according to the Mayo Clinic. Nerve damage is often permanent. Advanced 3D printing methods may now be the solution. In a new study, published today in the journal Advanced Functional Materials, researchers used a combination of 3D imaging and 3D printing techniques to create a custom silicone guide implanted with biochemical cues to help nerve regeneration. The guide's effectiveness was tested in the lab using rats. To achieve their results, researchers used a 3D scanner to reverse engineer the structure of a rat's sciatic nerve. They then used a specialized, custom-built 3D printer to print a guide for regeneration. Incorporated into the guide were 3D-printed chemical cues to promote both motor and sensory nerve regeneration. The guide was then implanted into the rat by surgically grafting it to the cut ends of the nerve. Within about 10 to 12 weeks, the rat's ability to walk again was improved. "This represents an important proof of concept of the 3D printing of custom nerve guides for the regeneration of complex nerve injuries," said University of Minnesota mechanical engineering professor Michael McAlpine, the study's lead researcher. "Someday we hope that we could have a 3D scanner and printer right at the hospital to create custom nerve guides right on site to restore nerve function." Scanning and printing takes about an hour, but the body needs several weeks to regrow the nerves. McAlpine said previous studies have shown regrowth of linear nerves, but this is the first time a study has shown the creation of a custom guide for regrowth of a complex nerve like the Y-shaped sciatic nerve that has both sensory and motor branches. "The exciting next step would be to implant these guides in humans rather than rats," McAlpine said. In cases where a nerve is unavailable for scanning, McAlpine said there could someday be a "library" of scanned nerves from other people or cadavers that hospitals could use to create closely matched 3D-printed guides for patients. In addition to McAlpine, major contributors to the research team include Blake N. Johnson, Virginia Tech; Xiaofeng Jia, University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University; and Karen Z. Lancaster, Esteban Engel, and Lynn W. Enquist, Princeton University. This research was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund, and the Grand Challenges Program at Princeton University. To read more about the study entitled "3D Printed Anatomical Nerve Regeneration Pathways," visit the Advanced Functional Materials website. Story Source: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by University of Minnesota. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Blake N. Johnson, Karen Z. Lancaster, Gehua Zhen, Junyun He, Maneesh K. Gupta, Yong Lin Kong, Esteban A. Engel, Kellin D. Krick, Alex Ju, Fanben Meng, Lynn W. Enquist, Xiaofeng Jia, Michael C. McAlpine. 3D Printed Anatomical Nerve Regeneration Pathways. Advanced Functional Materials, 2015; DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201501760