How much debtors' punishment?

This paper investigates how the bankruptcy exemptions applied by the Personal Bankruptcy Law in each American state affect the aggregated leveI of individuaIs and small businesses' loans. Higher leveIs of bankruptcy exemptions imply in a lenient rule, motivating debtors to file for bankruptcy, what makes lenders worsen the terms of credito On the other hand, lower leveIs of exemptions imply in a harsh punishment to debtors, inhibiting their demand for credit fearing a possible bankruptcy by bad luck. Confirming the theoretical daims, empirical tests show the existence of a non-monotonic shape in the relationship between the bankruptcy exemptions and the amount of credit to individuaIs and small businesses, where the optimal leveI of exemptions should be neither too high nor too low. Since the majority of the states in V.S. do not apply the optimallevel, an intervention that brings the exemption leveI doser to the optimal one can be credit and welfare enhancing.

Teorias de motivação de pessoas, aplicadas nas organizações públicas fortemente hierarquizadas

Esta tese teve por objetivo identificar os principais fatores de motivação de pessoas que trabalham em organizações públicas fortemente hierarquizadas, como as do Exército Brasileiro, preenchendo uma lacuna de conhecimento existente em pesquisas acadêmicas sobre o tema. Diferentes trabalhadores possuem diferentes fatores de motivação, fatores estes que liberam a motivação que está dentro dessas pessoas.Estudou-se dezoito teorias sobre motivação dentre as mais citadas no meio acadêmico. Estas teorias permitiram estruturar um roteiro de entrevistas que foi aplicado em trinta e três militares do Exército Brasileiro.Estas entrevistas foram submetidas à análise de conteúdo, o que permitiu a identificação dos principais fatores de motivação desses profissionais.Concluiu-se que os principais fatores de motivação das pessoas que trabalham em organizações fortemente hierarquizadas, em ordem de importância, são: 1) valorização, 2) fazer o que se gosta, 3) exemplo do chefe, 4) importância do que se faz, 5) realização, 6) confiança e 7) justiça. Os três primeiros fatores formam um primeiro grupo e os outros quatro fatores formam um segundo grupo. Essa divisão se fez necessária porque os fatores do primeiro grupo se revelaram muito mais fortes que os fatores do segundo grupo, havendo necessidade de destacá-los. Confirmou-se, também, que as teorias de motivação são perfeitamente aplicáveis às organizações públicas fortemente hierarquizadas e que estas teorias produzem alguns fatores de motivação específicos à realidade organizacionaldessas instituições. Após a análise do conteúdo das entrevistas, à luz das teorias de motivação, concluiu-se que há uma necessidade psicológica muito forte nas pessoas: a necessidadede se sentir valorizada. A motivação no contexto organizacional normalmente depende do relacionamento entre o gestor de pessoas, ou o líder e os seus liderados. A ação do líder é fundamental para despertar a motivação que já está dentro das pessoas. O foco das atenções do líder deve estar voltado para os liderados e não para si mesmo.Porque quando os liderados são fortes, o líder é forte e a organização obtém resultados surpreendentes. Por fim, conclui-se que a motivação das pessoas, nas organizações públicas fortemente hierarquizadas, como o Exército Brasileiro, é liberada quando a organização procura aplicar os sete principais fatores de motivação de pessoas revelados nesta tese.E acima de tudo, quando o líder cria condições para a satisfação da principal necessidade das pessoas: se sentir valorizadas.

Direito de recesso e respectivo valor de reembolso em companhias

Direito de recesso e valor de reembolso em companhias devem ser interpretados conjuntamente. São duas faces da mesma moeda. A aferição do valor de reembolso, conforme previsto no artigo 45 e respectivos parágrafos da Lei 6.404/1976, não é necessariamente feita pelo valor de patrimônio líquido da companhia. Ali se estabelece apenas um piso, no caso de previsão estatutária sobre o tema. No caso de silencia estatutário, há uma lacuna quanto ao critério de aferição do valor de reembolso. A melhor interpretação é uma interpretação sistemática e finalística da norma, no sentido de que o valor das ações a serem reembolsadas deve ser o valor mais próximo do real. Atualmente, na maioria dos casos, o valor econômico é o que melhor representa o real valor de uma companhia e, portanto, em caso de silencia estatutário, deveria prevalecer como critério de aferição do valor de reembolso. Como fundamentos deste raciocínio, utiliza-se do conceito e função do direito de recesso em companhias, suas características, principalmente a taxatividade de suas hipóteses e possibilidade de reversão da decisão motivadora do recesso, seu histórico legislativo, mormente as influências políticas e econômicas na definição de suas hipóteses. O trabalho analisa, também, como seu elemento de sustentação, a jurisprudência e aborda o entendimento da Comissão de Valores Mobiliários. Ainda como forma de justificar e fundamentar o raciocínio desenvolvido no presente trabalho, os conceitos de eficiência e valor justo e sua possível e pacífica convivência são abordados no item que trata de uma visão de Direito e Economia sobre o tema. Por fim, faz-se uma análise de como, na prática, as companhias de capital aberto tem se comportado com relação a esta questão, por meio da análise de todos os estatutos das companhias listadas na "BMF/BOVESPA" na primeira quinzena de janeiro de 2015.

BlueFriends: measuring, analyzing and preventing social exclusion between elementary school students

Social exclusion is a relatively recent term, whose creation is attributed to René Lenoir(Lenoir, 1974). Its concept covers a remarkably wide range of social and economic problems, and can be triggered for various reasons: mentally and physically handicapped, abused children, delinquents, multi-problem households, asocial people, and other social “misfits” (Silver, 1995, pp. 63; Foucault, 1992). With an increasingly multi-cultural population, cultural and social inequalities rapidly ascend, bringing with them the need for educational restructuring. We are living in an evermore diverse world, and children need to be educated to be receptive to the different types of people around them, especially considering social and cultural aspects. It is with these goals that inclusive education has seen an increased trend in today’s academic environment, reminding us that even though children may be taught under the same roof, discriminatory practices might still happen. There are, however, a number of developed tools to assess the various dimensions of social networks. These are mostly based on questionnaires and interviews, which tend to be fastidious and don’t allow for longitudinal, large scale measurement. This thesis introduces BlueFriends, a Bluetooth-based measurement tool for social inclusion/exclusion on elementary school classes. The main goals behind the development of this tool were a) understanding how exclusion manifests in students’ behaviors, and b) motivating pro-social behaviors on children through the use of a persuasive technology. BlueFriends is a distributed application, comprised by an application running on several smartphones, a web-hosted database and a computer providing a visual representation of the data collected on a TV screen, attempting to influence children behaviors. The application makes use of the Bluetooth device present on each phone to continuously sample the RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indication) from other phones, storing the data locally on each phone. All of the stored data is collected, processed and then inserted into the database at the end of each day. At the beginning of each recess, children are reminded of how their behaviors affect others with the help of a visual display, which consists of interactions between dogs. This display illustrates every child’s best friends, as well as which colleagues they don’t interact with as much. Several tips encouraging social interaction and inclusiveness are displayed, inspiring children to change their behaviors towards the colleagues they spend less time with. This thesis documents the process of designing, deploying and analyzing the results of two field studies. On the first study, we assess how the current developed tools are inferior to our measuring tool by deploying a measurement only study, aimed at perceiving how much information can be obtained by the BlueFriends application and attempting to understand how exclusion manifests itself in the school environment. On the second study, we pile on the previous to try and motivate pro-social behaviors on students, with the use of visual cues and recommendations. Ultimately, we confirm that our measurement tool’s results were satisfying towards measuring and changing children’s behaviors, and conclude with our thoughts on possible future work, suggesting a number of possible extensions and improvements.

Technologies that motivates healthy toothbrushing: practices through social translucence

Fifty percent of the European Union’s population suffers from an oral disease. Studies have repeatedly shown that while acquiring healthy toothbrushing practices early on in one’s life is of significance, children and adults often fail to adhere to those. In this thesis we attempt to design and prototype interactive technologies that motivate healthy tooth brushing habits on individuals. Rather than focusing on the technologies’ persuasive power over individuals, we tap on the social mechanisms employed by families. In this sense, we think of these technologies as social translucent rather than persuasive, whose goal is to raise awareness within the family on each other’s habits and that aim at leveraging families’ existing social mechanisms for behavior change, rather than replacing them. More specifically, we aim to gain insights with respect to the following questions: a) What are the drivers and barriers towards adhering to healthy tooth brushing behaviors? b) Can we effectively measure toothbrushing behaviors? c) How can technologies leverage family communication practices in motivating proper toothbrushing behaviors? First, we present two studies about children and adults’ tooth brushing behaviors and how these are influenced by social interactions within the family. Secondly, we present the design and prototyping of two systems that sense toothbrushing practices and provide feedback, using the Social Translucence Framework as a design lens. We conclude with an overview of lessons learnt from the prototyping of these systems supported by an analysis of the strengths and pitfalls of the developed technologies.

Trajetos cênicos do grupo parafolclórico da UFRN:que dança é essa?

This paper aims at studying UFRN Parafolclórico Group, whose aesthetic formation is subjected to our analysis, specially at its two last performances, that is, Flor do Lírio (Lily Flower), 2004, and Debaixo do Barro do Chão (Under the Mud of the Ground), 2008. Three targets are envisaged here: to analyze the aesthetic ideas backing Parafolclórico Group exhibitions; to evaluate how their many folk elements interact with different artist languages in order to compose a certain choreography; and finally, to identify the aesthetic conformation placed behind the two different choreographs of the last performances, their trends and innermost features that differentiate them. In accordance with the Analysis of Contents (BARDIN, 2006), interviews have been made with the choreographers and the staff of the spectacles, resulting in elucidating answers to the understanding of their thematic axis. On the first chapter we called attention to motivating subjects as recollection, personal experiences, bibliography research, research in loco regarded as propelling forces of the creative works. Herein, folk culture is depicted as a dynamic process opening a frank dialogue with contemporary events and reinforcing their continuity. On the second chapter, we approached the aesthetic conformation and the scenic elements (costumes, light, scenario, make-up), integrating the studied spectacles and disseminating folk songs in various ways. As what concerns the subjects discourse, we have obtained support in authors like Robatto (1994); Lobo; Navas (2008); Burke (1989); Canclini (2006); Dufrenne (2005); Medeiros (2005); Pavis (2005); Silva (2005), among others. Those authors have provided us with an indispensable theoretic support which, added to the interviews, convinced us that the Parafolclórico Group s aesthetic conception tends to identify itself with the artist languages and other techniques of that Group. It also made sure that the Group s course aims at an aesthetic conception which is not limited to popular culture manifestations, like dance, but admits to play with other media in order to communicate its art. In view of this situation, we arrived to two conclusions: first: the group s interchanges emphasize the dynamic character of popular culture which, by establishing contacts with different realities, receives influences capable of extending its own continuity; second: the contemporary state of arts also improves multiple interchanges opening way, so, for many accomplishments in their field. Therefore, UFRN Parafolclórico Group inserts itself in the contemporary scenery by performing new evaluations of the popular dances as long as it puts them in contact with different technical, aesthetic, artist and culture combinations

Análise do comportamento reológico de pastas de cimento contendo resíduos de pneu para poços de petróleo

The low tenacity presented by the Portland cement pastes used in the oil wells cementation has been motivating several researches with attention focused on alternative materials. Additives have been developed to generate flexible pastes with mechanical resistance capable to support the expansions and retractions of the metallic covering of the wells that submit to the steam injection, technique very used to increase the recovery factor in oil reservoirs with high viscosity. A fresh paste with inadequate rheological behavior may commit the cementation process seriously, involving flaws that affect the performance of the paste substantially in the hardened state. This work proposes the elaboration and the rheological analysis of Portland cement pastes with addition of residues of rubber tire in several proportions, with the aim of minimizing the damages provoked in the hem cementing of these wells. By thermogravimetric analysis, the particles of eraser that go by the sieve of 0,5mm (35 mesh) opening and treated superficially with NaOH solution of 1 mol/L presented appropriate thermal resistance for wells that submit to thermal cyclic. The evaluation of the study based on the results of the rheological analysis of the pastes, complemented by the mechanical analysis, thickening, stability, tenor of free water and filtrate loss, being used as parameter a paste reference, without rubber addition. The results showed satisfactory rheology, passive of few corrections; considerable loss of mechanical resistance (traction and compression), compensated by earnings of tenacity, however with established limits for its application in oil wells; satisfactory stability, free water and thickening time

Análise da modelagem experimental da perda de injetividade

Injectivity decline, which can be caused by particle retention, generally occurs during water injection or reinjection in oil fields. Several mechanisms, including straining, are responsible for particle retention and pore blocking causing formation damage and injectivity decline. Predicting formation damage and injectivity decline is essential in waterflooding projects. The Classic Model (CM), which incorporates filtration coefficients and formation damage functions, has been widely used to predict injectivity decline. However, various authors have reported significant discrepancies between Classical Model and experimental results, motivating the development of deep bed filtration models considering multiple particle retention mechanisms (Santos & Barros, 2010; SBM). In this dissertation, inverse problem solution was studied and a software for experimental data treatment was developed. Finally, experimental data were fitted using both the CM and SBM. The results showed that, depending on the formation damage function, the predictions for injectivity decline using CM and SBM models can be significantly different

Programa nova semente em perspectiva (2009-2012): uma avaliação de processo

Historically the provision of childcare facilities in Brazil was short of demand. This problem affects a large part of the population and has a tendency to worsen, due to the accelerated decline in the number of parents of dedication exclusive family. The program called "Nova Semente" seeks to accelerate the creation of childcare facilities in the county, enabling the opening of units at low cost and in record time, through partnerships between government, non-governmental and civil society organizations. This study conducted a process evaluation of the implementation of public policy, to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the policy. In real terms, this paper seeks to understand the motivation for the development of the program, identifying the reasons set out in the project match what is being sent; Understand how it is giving practical partnership between the government entity and the entities "non-state"; Identify the degree of achievement of goals that should be met even in the implementation phase; verify employment of instruments provided for its implementation. For this, the literature of public policy evaluation is used, and fits the criteria and mechanisms for analysis in the assessment of efficacy, to answer the question motivating the work, which deals with uncertainty about the durability of the Program. the framework is the criteria and mechanisms for analysis in the assessment of efficacy, to answer the question motivating the work, which deals with uncertainty about the durability of the Program

Simetria na dança: vestígios matemáticos na prática da dança esportiva em cadeira de rodas

To investigate in practice of the Wheelchair Dancesport (WDS), the mathematics of the characteristic isometric movements of the dance of ChaChaCha was the generating subject of this study. The subjects and the locus of the research were the athletes dancers of the Associação Baiana de Dança em Cadeira de Rodas (ABDCR). Referred him study aimed at to describe reflections concerning the athletes' practicing dancers of the technical acting Wheelchair Dancesport, using the inherent mathematical knowledge to the isometric movements executed in the ChaChaCha. For that, I stimulated in the athlete dancer the need to be investigating of his/her own practice, motivating him/it to be searching of information that they collaborate with his/her technical refinement, proposing like this roads to make possible his/her growth, while dancer and, also, promoting of their own movements. To reach my objectives I dialogued with some specialists to understand, to the light of their theories as, Espaçonumerática, Sociology of the mathematics, Etnomathematical, Dance and Symmetry, as those spaces they interact with the atmosphere of the Wheelchair Dancesport and that contributions could supply to the study. However, two authors of the Dancesport for walking , Ried e Laird, they brought contributions that aided in the creation of a prototype for the study of isometric movements in practice of the modality promoting the interface between the theory and the practice. The study showed to be possible to navigate still with the Mathematical Education in an universe little known as the one of the Wheelchair Dancesport. And it is in this adapts that propose a more attentive glance to the illustrations executed by the athlete dancer wheelchair and walking , in the dance of the ChaChaCha, verifying and proposing an analysis with focus investigate, looking for mathematical tracks concerning the symmetry that you/they characterize some of their illustrations

Análise do modelo de gestão implantado no Centro de Atenção Psicossocial CAPS II OESTE de 1995 a 2005, situado no distrito sanitário Oeste do município de Natal/RN, à luz da Co-gestão

This dissertation has as aim the praxis of co-management of the health service of CAPS II OESTE of Natal-RN, where health workers, family members got to materialize guidelines and principles of psychiatric Brazilian reform in real possibilities of subjectivity construction, whereas they changed social relations in daily life. The path chosen to record was from testimonials and contributions of those who meant their done. Redeeming this story from social representations of the majority of their builders was an instigating, delicate and rewarding task, emphasizing the living memory, rebuilt in a line of time which could not be found in simple documentary collections. Mainly, by knowing that service routine was intense and had as characteristic the singular mobility itself from a creation process and therefore not always its dynamic allowed adequate records. At the same time, from this occurred the field and bibliographic research which allowed the detailed information from the prior milestones and motivated to the practice here reported. The rereading of concepts in an interface with the reports of the interviewees enabled the verification that the model of mental health advocated by psychiatric reform was understood. Once noticed the presence of the beliefs and values of people in motivating energy for the progress of reform, it has gone to fetch theoretical subsidies of administrative order to understand how they saw this building and that uniqueness has been printed. The theoretical way and praxis have tracked here has allowed to analyze how occurred such a process of production and subjectivity and collectives that when organize enabled themselves for analysis and intervention, including in crisis situations. Therefore, it was revealed that ethical and multi-disciplinarity, the humanitarian sense, the coresponsibility, co-production and horizontal management were the key factors for spread from a changing protagonist. One can thus conclude that co-management from that collective has been multi-disciplinary weaving a cross

Utilização de um secador solar para desintoxicação da torta de mamona

It´s been motivating motivated by the current rulers as an energy solution the use of the biodiesel as source of energy, that doesn't damage the environment and promotes the development of the areas where the base plant are grown. The process of production of the biodiesel, starting from the castor oil plant and its derivers, generates a known product as castor oil plant pie that has been used as fertilizer. Once disintoxicated, it can serve as animal ration, because it contains high content of proteins, presenting larger joined value. The disintoxication process, can be obtained through the process of drying the pie with the construction and use of models of dryers capable to elevate the temperature of the castor oil plant pie to approximately 60ºC.In this temperature the product tends to eliminate the ricina, with the aid of an aqueous solution of hydroxide of calcium, or still reach higher temperatures to make the disintoxication without a chemical treatment. It was made a bibliographical research about known processes of disintoxication of the castor oil plant pie from the autoclave use to the drying direct exposure to the sun. Starting from the state of the art and identification of the object, it was chosen solar dryers to eliminate the ricina. It was applied two types of solar dryers: the one of solar direct exposure, and the one with concentrador. The castor oil plant pie was separated in samples, with measurement of its initial mass, codified and placed in the dryers. The results were presented in graphs and tables forms, with the values of temperatures noticed. It was noticed the variations of temperature and the relationships analyzed related with the ricina content eliminated from the pie. The analysis of the ricina content was accomplished by Embrapa - Campina Grande, by eletroforese method. The analysis of the result of considering the content of ricina of the samples. It was observed that, we obtained lower rate of ricina in samples that had larger drying time and average value temperature above 60ºC. Comparing with the ones submitted to higher temperatures and in a shorter period of time. It was possible to evaluate the efficiency of the dryers in the desintoxication process of the samples, as well as the type of more appropriate dryer for the drying pie process. Finally, it was concluded that the solar dryer with concentrador presents higher values temperatures than the direct exposure one. So, it´s being more opportune applied in the castor oil plant pie drying process. However, more than one hour for drying time is needed

Reflexões e contribuições para o ensino de gravitação clássica no nível médio

The subject of Classic Gravitation is part of the actual curriculum for High School in Brazil, and it is taught in the first year of that education level. This master thesis presents a research regarding the subject Classic Gravitation in High School. This research was based in two complementary guidelines of research and action. The first guideline was the analysis of 21 didactic books of physics which are the more frequently used in High School, in the city of Natal/RN. The second guideline, worked after being verified the most common deficiencies presents in the didactic books, was the elaboration, followed by a practical application, of a course suggesting how to approach that subject in the classroom. The Parâmetros Curriculares Nacionais para o Ensino Médio (National Curricular Parameters for High School PCNEM) defend that Classic Gravitation is very important in the student s formation and that its study helps the comprehension of many nature s phenomena. Because of this vision of that subject by the PCNEM, the 21 analyzed books were separated in two groups: the first one, containing 10 books, was edited before the spreading of PCNEM, and the second, with 11 books, after that spreading. Whatever the group to which the didactic books belonged, the great majority of them let that subject in a second plan; two of them even suggesting, in the teacher s orientations, that the subject Gravitation can be suppressed in case of insufficient time . These analyses points that the PCNEM had produced no changes in the conception of the authors that wrote books regarding that subject. To analyze the didactic books, we elaborated a script which was used as an analysis tool, in which we put in evidence the relative importance of the historic and philosophic contextualization of the subject, the quotidian experience of the students and the interdisciplinary approach, among other aspects. It became evident that the didactic books give very little emphasis to historic aspects of the knowledge construction, to the relations with the day-by-day questions and to the interdisciplinary character of the subject Gravitation. It calls attention the non concordance among the authors opinions regarding the necessary previous knowledge or prerequisites the students should fulfill in order to begin to study Gravitation. The course we elaborated was given to a group of teachers as well as to students. In those courses we treated theoretical and practical aspects and emphasized historical questions and the ones which are related to people s daily life. The course for teachers was realized as an extra-mural activity of the UFRN and was given by the author of this thesis at the Escola Estadual Francisco Ivo Cavalcanti (a state public school in Natal/RN). There were 23 teachers present, from several public schools and several fields of knowledge. The thesis supervisor and the master degree s colleagues of the author acted as collaborators , reporting the participants opinions and speeches. The course to the students, on the other hand, had the participation of 300 regular students who belonged to 6 different 1st year classes of the High School Escola Marista de Natal (RN), in which the author acts as a physics teacher. The student s course was realized as part of the regular curriculum activities, in which three classes stood under the responsibility of the author and other three classes in charge of another Marista s teacher, who participated as a collaborator . The teacher s course as well as the students one were given in two stages, with five hours each. The first stage was divided in two moments, the first one focused on the survey of the spontaneous conceptions about gravitation, in which we worked basically with experiments of free throwing and pendulum, and the second one focused in theoretical presentations and quarrels about universe s models. In the second stage of the course we improved the study of Kepler s laws and the Newton s Universal Gravitation law, and we used as motivating tools some practices involving the construction of the solar system in scale. As instruments for evaluating both courses we used questionnaires and reported the speeches with participants opinions, beyond usual written evaluations in the course for the students. The teachers who participated in the course showed very good wills in realizing interdisciplinary practices; nevertheless, according their own speeches, they frequently came across the difficulty of how to do . From the experience we had in both courses, we conclude that the approach we propose hear to the teaching of the subject Classic Gravitation , supported on the tripod theory, practice and historical and philosophical aspects, is viable and effective. One hopes that this research may contribute in the formation of a opinion, among the teachers, concerning how to approach the subject of Classic Gravitation, and may offer suggestions in order those who want to apply that approach may develop classroom practices aiming to improve the teaching of that subject, which has a singular importance in the formation of High School students

Influência do tipo de chanfro, tecimento e sentido de laminação na distorção angular em soldagem GMAW-P robotizada de alumínio

The industry's interest in having a greater control of the deformations caused by welding is due to the geometric and dimensional tolerances been more and more precise in the project specifications, motivating the manufacturing engineering to develop stable processes and to ensure routine production. Aiming at it, the main goal of this present work is to analyze how much routine situations used in automatic aluminum welding can influence on the angular deformations of this material. Using the alloy AA 5052 H34, and the automatic welding in pulsed GMAW process, three types of weaving were applied throughout the length of the weld, in butt joints assembled without groove and with 60 degrees single-V-groove, arranged transversely as well as longitudinally to the rolling direction of the plate. The measurement of the deformations was made by a three-dimensional equipment, before and after the welding, in three distinct regions in the specimens. The profile of the weld bead was the main factor for the different types of deformations found, as revealed by macrographical analysis. The 60 degrees single-V-groove had higher amplitudes of deformations as the joint without groove. The torch oscillation wasn't a variable of statistically significant influence on this amplitudes.