A unified solution to the small scale problems of the Lambda CDM model II: introducing parent-satellite interaction

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

NURSES' PERCEPTION REGARDING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF COMPUTER-BASED CLINICAL NURSING DOCUMENTATION

This qualitative, exploratory, descriptive study was performed with the objective of understanding the perception of the nurses working in medical-surgical units of a university hospital, regarding the strategies developed to perform a pilot test of the PROCEnf-USP electronic system, with the purpose of computerizing clinical nursing documentation. Eleven nurses of a theoretical-practical training program were interviewed and the obtained data were analyzed using the Content Analysis Technique. The following categories were discussed based on the references of participative management and planned changes: favorable aspects for the implementation; unfavorable aspects for the implementation; and expectations regarding the implementation. According to the nurses' perceptions, the preliminary use of the electronic system allowed them to show their potential and to propose improvements, encouraging them to become partners of the group manager in the dissemination to other nurses of the institution.

Some advances in open problems of isogeometric analysis

[EN]Isogeometric analysis (IGA) has arisen as an attempt to unify the fields of CAD and classical finite element methods. The main idea of IGA consists in using for analysis the same functions (splines) that are used in CAD representation of the geometry. The main advantage with respect to the traditional finite element method is a higher smoothness of the numerical solution and more accurate representation of the geometry. IGA seems to be a promising tool with wide range of applications in engineering. However, this relatively new technique have some open problems that require a solution. In this work we present our results and contributions to this issue…

The problems of equivalence in advertising translation: examples from English and Russian

Abstract The academic environment has recently recognized the importance and benefits that an extensive research on the translation of advertising can have for translation studies. Despite the growing interest and increasing research activity in the field it is still difficult to speak about a theory of advertising translation in general. There is a need for further study encompassing different languages and both heterogeneous and homogenous cultures that will give the possibility to receive a more complete map of what the translation of advertising is and should be. Previous studies have been concentrated, for the most part, on Western European language pairs. This study is a research into perfume and cosmetics print advertisements translated from English into Russian where both visual and verbal elements are considered. Three broad translation approaches have been identified in what concerns the verbal message: Translated message, parallel translation, recreated adverts, and three approaches in dealing with the image: similar images, modified images, completely different images. The thesis shows that where Russian advertisements for perfume products tend to have a message, or create one, this is often lacking in the English copy. The article ends by suggesting that perfume advertisements favor the standardization approach when entering Russian market. The attempts to localize the advert have also been noticed although they are obviously less numerous in perfume adverts and are rather instances of adaptation - a mix between the localization and standardization approaches since they keep drawing on the same globally accepted universals about female beauty and concern for ‘woman’s identity’ (we focused our analysis on products designed for female consumers). This study, complementing previous studies, aims to be a contribution to the description of laws and strategies that guide the translation of advertising texts into Russian.

Use of computer algebra in the calculation of Feynman diagrams

The increasing precision of current and future experiments in high-energy physics requires a likewise increase in the accuracy of the calculation of theoretical predictions, in order to find evidence for possible deviations of the generally accepted Standard Model of elementary particles and interactions. Calculating the experimentally measurable cross sections of scattering and decay processes to a higher accuracy directly translates into including higher order radiative corrections in the calculation. The large number of particles and interactions in the full Standard Model results in an exponentially growing number of Feynman diagrams contributing to any given process in higher orders. Additionally, the appearance of multiple independent mass scales makes even the calculation of single diagrams non-trivial. For over two decades now, the only way to cope with these issues has been to rely on the assistance of computers. The aim of the xloops project is to provide the necessary tools to automate the calculation procedures as far as possible, including the generation of the contributing diagrams and the evaluation of the resulting Feynman integrals. The latter is based on the techniques developed in Mainz for solving one- and two-loop diagrams in a general and systematic way using parallel/orthogonal space methods. These techniques involve a considerable amount of symbolic computations. During the development of xloops it was found that conventional computer algebra systems were not a suitable implementation environment. For this reason, a new system called GiNaC has been created, which allows the development of large-scale symbolic applications in an object-oriented fashion within the C++ programming language. This system, which is now also in use for other projects besides xloops, is the main focus of this thesis. The implementation of GiNaC as a C++ library sets it apart from other algebraic systems. Our results prove that a highly efficient symbolic manipulator can be designed in an object-oriented way, and that having a very fine granularity of objects is also feasible. The xloops-related parts of this work consist of a new implementation, based on GiNaC, of functions for calculating one-loop Feynman integrals that already existed in the original xloops program, as well as the addition of supplementary modules belonging to the interface between the library of integral functions and the diagram generator.

A proposal for a virtual museum of computer science

A proposal for a virtual museum of computer science

Fast and accurate numerical solutions in some problems of particle and radiation transport: synthetic acceleration for the method of short characteristics, Doppler-broadened scattering kernel, remote sensing of the cryosphere

The aim of this work is to present various aspects of numerical simulation of particle and radiation transport for industrial and environmental protection applications, to enable the analysis of complex physical processes in a fast, reliable, and efficient way. In the first part we deal with speed-up of numerical simulation of neutron transport for nuclear reactor core analysis. The convergence properties of the source iteration scheme of the Method of Characteristics applied to be heterogeneous structured geometries has been enhanced by means of Boundary Projection Acceleration, enabling the study of 2D and 3D geometries with transport theory without spatial homogenization. The computational performances have been verified with the C5G7 2D and 3D benchmarks, showing a sensible reduction of iterations and CPU time. The second part is devoted to the study of temperature-dependent elastic scattering of neutrons for heavy isotopes near to the thermal zone. A numerical computation of the Doppler convolution of the elastic scattering kernel based on the gas model is presented, for a general energy dependent cross section and scattering law in the center of mass system. The range of integration has been optimized employing a numerical cutoff, allowing a faster numerical evaluation of the convolution integral. Legendre moments of the transfer kernel are subsequently obtained by direct quadrature and a numerical analysis of the convergence is presented. In the third part we focus our attention to remote sensing applications of radiative transfer employed to investigate the Earth's cryosphere. The photon transport equation is applied to simulate reflectivity of glaciers varying the age of the layer of snow or ice, its thickness, the presence or not other underlying layers, the degree of dust included in the snow, creating a framework able to decipher spectral signals collected by orbiting detectors.

Outcome of computer-assisted surgery in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis

To compare the complication rates and outcome of computer-assisted versus non-computer-assisted functional endoscopic sinus surgery.

Romany Families in Romania: Intelligence and Personality of Children Cross-cultural and Specific Problems of Development

Psychogenetic research has emphasised the influence of social factors on a child's intellectual development. In her work, Ms. Dumitrascu examines two such factors; family size and order of birth. However, since these formal parameters tend to be unstable, other more informal factors should be taken into consideration. Of these, perhaps the most interesting is the "style" of parental education, which Ms. Dumitrascu regards as an expression of national traditions at the family level. This educational style is culture dependent. Only a comparative, cross-cultural study can reveal the real mechanism through which educational style influences the development of a child's intellect and personality. Ms. Dumitrascu conducted an experimental cross-cultural study aimed at examining the effects of the family environment on a child's intellectual development. Three distinct populations were involved in her investigation, each having quite a distinct status in their geographical area; Romanians, Romanies (Gypsies) from Romania, and Russians from the Republic of Moldova. She presented her research in the form of a series of articles written in English totalling 85 pages, and also on disc. A significant difference was revealed between the intelligence of a child living in a large family, and that of a child with no brothers or sisters. In the case of Romany children, the gap is remarkably large. Ms. Dumitrascu concludes that the simultaneous action of several negative factors (low socio-economic status, large family size, socio-cultural isolation of a population) may delay child development. Subjected to such a precarious environment, Romany children do not seek self-realisation, but rather struggle to survive the hardship. Most of them remain out of civilisation. Unfortunately, adult Romanies seldom express any concern regarding their children's successful social integration. The school as main socialisation tool has no value for most parents. Ms. Dumitrascu argues the need for a major effort aimed at helping Romany's social integration. She hopes this project will be of some help for psychologists, social workers, teachers, and all those who are interested in the integration into society of minority groups.

Creation of Computer Simulation Model for Ecological Consequences Prognosis of Toxic Chemicals Discharge from Sunken on Baltic Sea Bottom Weapons"

This study summarises all the accessible data on old German chemical weapons dumped in the Baltic Sea. Mr. Goncharov formulated a concept of ecological impact evaluation of chemical warfare agents (CWA) on the marine environment and structured a simulation model adapted to the specific character of the hydrological condition and hydrobiological subjects of the Bornholm Deep. The mathematical model he has created describes the spreading of contaminants by currents and turbulence in the near bottom boundary layer. Parameters of CWA discharge through corrosion of canisters were given for various kinds of bottom sediments with allowance for current velocity. He created a method for integral estimations and a computer simulation model and completed a forecast for CWA "Mustard", which showed that in normal hydrometeorological conditions there are local toxic plumes drifting along the bottom for a distance of up to several kilometres. With storm winds the toxic plumes from separate canisters interflow and lengthen and can reach fishery areas near Bornholm Island. When salt water from the North Sea flows in, the length of toxic zones can increase up to and over 100 kilometres and toxic water masses can spread into the northern Baltic. On this basis, Mr. Goncharov drew up recommendations to reduce dangers for human ecology and proposed the creation of a special system for the forecasting and remote sensing of the environmental conditions of CWA burial places.

The Supportive Role of the Family in Solving Real and Projected Problems of Everyday Life

In this research the supportive role of the family in coping with everyday problems was studied using two large data sets. The results show the importance of the structural aspect of social support. Mapping individual preferences to support referents showed the crucial role of spouse and parents in solving everyday problems. The individual choices of particular support referents could be fairly accurately predicted from knowledge of the composition of the family, in both categorical regression and logit models. The far lower predictability of the criterion variable was shown using a wide range of socioeconomic, social and demographic indicators. Residence in small cities and indicators of extreme occupational strata were particularly predictive of the choice of support referent. The supportive role of the family was also traced in the personal projects of young adults, which were seen as ecological, natural and dynamic middle-level units of analysis of personality. Different aspects of personal projects, including reliance on social support referents, turned out to be highly interrelated. One the one hand, expectations of support were determined by the content of the project, and on the other, expected social support also influences the content of the project. Sivuha sees this as one of the ways others can enter self-structures.