Domain-Specific Language for Coordination patterns

The integration and composition of software systems requires a good architectural design phase to speed up communications between (remote) components. However, during implementation phase, the code to coordinate such components often ends up mixed in the main business code. This leads to maintenance problems, raising the need for, on the one hand, separating the coordination code from the business code, and on the other hand, providing mechanisms for analysis and comprehension of the architectural decisions once made. In this context our aim is at developing a domain-specific language, CoordL, to describe typical coordination patterns. From our point of view, coordination patterns are abstractions, in a graph form, over the composition of coordination statements from the system code. These patterns would allow us to identify, by means of pattern-based graph search strategies, the code responsible for the coordination of the several components in a system. The recovering and separation of the architectural decisions for a better comprehension of the software is the main purpose of this pattern language

Anuário Financeiro das Freguesias Portuguesas - 2014: Divulgação online da informação e sua análise preliminar

Desde 2003 que é publicado o Anuário Financeiros dos Municípios Portugueses que apresenta, de uma forma independente, a situação económica, financeira e patrimonial de todos os municípios portugueses (308) e também do setor empresarial local. Ao longo deste anos tem-se assistido ao aumento da disponibilização da informação financeira nos websites dos municípios e de uma forma menos presente nas entidades do sector empresarial local. Efetivamente, a preocupação com a accountability e a transparência das contas públicas tem crescido de forma significativa nos últimos 20 anos. Com o processo de descentralização de poderes e delegação de competências do governo central para o governo local, nomeadamente para as os municípios e por sua vez destes para as freguesias, aumentou a preocupação com a accountability e transparência ao nível das freguesias. Decorrente da reforma administrativa de 2011, Portugal conta com a existência, a nível nacional de 3091 freguesias distribuídas pelo território nacional, onde se identificam freguesias de diferentes dimensões, com diferentes modelos de organização. A freguesia representa a entidade pública com maior aproximação das comunidades locais, desempenhando por isso um papel fulcral na divulgação de informação relevante e no uso das novas tecnologias e dos meios digitais para melhor comunicar com a população. Assim, e considerando a sua representatividade ao nível da administração local, e o impacto que têm no seu conjunto, entendeu-se oportuno iniciar-se o projeto do Anuário Financeiro das Freguesias Portuguesas que, numa primeira fase e de forma preliminar, analisa a divulgação online da informação por parte das freguesias e, num segundo momento, analisa a informação financeira divulgada de forma agregada. É intenção do autores dar continuidade ao Anuário, apresentando resultados de uma forma sistemática, pelo menos de dois em dois anos, evidenciando as evoluções a nível da divulgação da informação. Para a realização deste projeto contamos com habitual apoio do Tribunal de Contas que se associou a este projeto através da disponibilização da informação aí depositada por parte das freguesias.

El rol de la usabilidad percibida sobre la confianza en las subastas online

Si bien se ha considerado que la usabilidad del sitio presente estudio se lleva a cabo en el caso particular web es una de las variables clave en la formación de de los sitios de subastas por Internet, que representan la confianza de los usuarios, esta relación no ha sido un mercado creciente y en auge entre los servicios a profundamente analizada respecto a su efecto directo través de Internet en Latinoamérica. Luego de probar la o mediado. Dentro de este contexto, se propone que la unidimensionalidad, fiabilidad y validez de las escalas usabilidad influye sobre la confianza, pero no de ma-de medida, se contrastan las hipótesis a través de un nera directa, sino más bien a través de la satisfacción, modelo de ecuaciones estructurales y una estrategia de con esta última actuando como variable mediadora. El modelos rivales.

Multilevel and multidimensional scale for online trust

This paper examines the nature of the construct of consumers' trust toward the electronic channel of their financial institution. Through a study of a total of 372 individual users of Internet banking in Spain, we have managed to develop a third-order measuring instrument that integrates a total of seven dimensions. The exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to test the validation and reliability of the proposed scale. Findings provide useful information to professionals who seek to identify how customer's trust is formed in the online channel and in the financial sector.

Effectiveness of online corporate collaborative teams

With this article we intend to contribute to the understanding of what can make Online Collaborative Teams (OCT) effective. This is done by identifying what can be considered best practices for individual team members, for leaders of OCT, and for the organizations that the teams are a part of. Best practices in these categories were identified from the existing literature related to online teams and collaborative work literature.

Geographical patterns of proportionate mortality for the most common causes of death in Brazil

Mortality due to chronic diseases has been increasing in all regions of Brazil with corresponding decreases in mortality from infectious diseases. The geographical variation in proportionate mortality for chronic diseases for 17 Brazilian state capitals for the year 1985 and their association with socio-economic variables and infectious disease was studied. Calculations were made of correlation coefficients of proportionate mortality for adults of 30 years or above due to ischaemic heart disease, stroke and cancer of the lung, the breast and stomach with 3 socio-economic variables, race, and mortality due to infectious disease. Linear regression analysis included as independent variables the % of illiteracy, % of whites, % of houses with piped water, mean income, age group, sex, and % of deaths caused by infectious disease. The dependent variables were the % of deaths due to each one of the chronic diseases studied by age-sex group. Chronic diseases were an important cause of death in all regions of Brazil. Ischaemic heart diseases, stroke and malignant neoplasms accounted for more than 34% of the mortality in each of the 17 capitals studied. Proportionate cause-specific mortality varied markedly among state capitals. Ranges were 6.3-19.5% for ischaemic heart diseases, 8.3-25.4% for stroke, 2.3-10.4% for infections and 12.2-21.5% for malignant neoplasm. Infectious disease mortality had the highest (p < 0.001) correlation with all the four socio-economic variables studied and ischaemic heart disease showed the second highest correlation (p < 0.05). Higher socio-economic level was related to a lower % of infectious diseases and a higher % of ischaemic heart diseases. Mortality due to breast cancer and stroke was not associated with socio-economic variables. Multivariate linear regression models explained 59% of the variance among state capitals for mortality due to ischaemic heart disease, 50% for stroke, 28% for lung cancer, 24% for breast cancer and 40% for stomach cancer. There were major differences in the proportionate mortality due to chronic diseases among the capitals which could not be accounted for by the social and environmental factors and by the mortality due to infectious disease.

Um modelo de análise das comunidades online - a Vespa nas comunidades sociais online

Dissertação apresentada à Escola Superior de Comunicação Social para obtenção de grau de mestre em Publicidade e Marketing.

Patterns of induced abortion in urban area of Southeastern region, Brazil

OBJECTIVE: To assess the behavior of induced abortion as a function of certain demographic variables, for the population of fertile women (15 to 49 years old) residing in the Vila Madalena subdistrict S. Paulo (Brazil). MATERIAL AND METHOD: Two population samples were selected. One sample, with 996 women, investigated the incidence of induced abortions during 1987, using the RRT. In the other, involving 1,004 women, the same information was detected through a conventional approach. In both samples, the induced abortion occurring during the reproductive life was recorded in direct fashion. Though this analysis refers only to information about past abortions, that is by 2,000 women -, it should be noted that it is exactly the RRT that lends credibility to the found or results given results. CONCLUSION: The analysis furnishes evidence showing that single women, young women between the ages of 15 and 19, women who have not had live births, women who have a number of children below the expected ideal, women who use contraceptive methods (especially inefficient ones) and women who do not have any restrictions as to abortion constitute the categories most inclined to resort to induced abortion. This grouping suggests the existence of interrelationships between categories, that is, each of these categories is probably composed primarily of the same women, those who are at the beginning of their reproductive lives.

Intra-population plasticity of Anopheles darlingi's (Diptera, Culicidae) biting activity patterns in the state of Amapá, Brazil

OBJECTIVE: To assess the variation in Anopheles darlingi's biting activity compared to An. marajoara in the same locality and to biting activity data from other regions. METHODS: Using human bait, eight observations of the biting activity of An. darlingi and An. marajoara were carried out during 1999 and 2000 in the municipality of São Raimundo do Pirativa, state of Amapá, Brazil. Each observation consisted of three consecutive 13-hour collections, close to full moon. There were shifts of collectors in the observation points and nocturnal periods. RESULTS: An. darlingi revealed considerable plasticity of biting activity in contrast to An. marajoara, which showed well-defined crepuscular biting peaks. No significant correlation between density and biting activity was found, but a significant correlation existed between time and proportional crepuscular activity, indicating underlying ecological processes not yet understood. Two of the four available data sets having multiple observations at one locality showed considerable plasticity of this species' biting patterns as well. CONCLUSION: Intra-population variation of biting activity can be as significant as inter-population variation. Some implications in malaria vector control and specific studies are also discussed.

YouTubers as satirists: humour and remix in online video

This article aims to discuss the role humour plays in politics, particularly in a media environment overflowing with user-generated video. We start with a genealogy of political satire, from classical to Internet times, followed by a general description of “the Downfall meme,” a series of videos on YouTube featuring footage from the film Der Untergang and nonsensical subtitles. Amid video-games, celebrities, and the Internet itself, politicians and politics are the target of such twenty-first century caricatures. By analysing these videos we hope to elucidate how the manipulation of images is embedded in everyday practices and may be of political consequence, namely by deflating politicians' constructed media image. The realm of image, at the centre of the Internet's technological culture, is connected with decisive aspects of today's social structure of knowledge and play. It is timely to understand which part of “playing” is in fact an expressive practice with political significance.

O Comércio Electrónico e as Plataformas B2C e C2C: contribuições para o estudo do comportamento do consumidor online

Dissertação apresentada à Escola Superior de Comunicação Social para obtenção de grau de mestre em Publicidade e Marketing.

Determinantes do comportamento de compra online

Dissertação apresentada à Escola Superior de Comunicação Social para obtenção de grau de mestre em Publicidade e Marketing.

Alcohol drinking patterns by gender, ethnicity, and social class in Bahia, Brazil

OBJECTIVE: To study patterns of alcohol consumption and prevalence of high-risk drinking. METHODS: A household survey was carried out in a sample of 2,302 adults in Salvador, Brazil. Cases of High-Risk Drinking (HRD) were defined as those subjects who referred daily or weekly binge drinking plus episodes of drunkenness and those who reported any use of alcoholic beverages but with frequent drunkenness (at least once a week). RESULTS: Fifty-six per cent of the sample acknowledged drinking alcoholic beverages. Overall consumption was significantly related with gender (male), marital status (single), migration (non-migrant), better educated (college level), and social class (upper). No significant differences were found regarding ethnicity, except for cachaça (Brazilian sugarcane liquor) and other distilled beverages. Overall 12-month prevalence of high-risk drinking was 7%, six times more prevalent among males than females (almost 13% compared to 2.4%). A positive association of HRD prevalence with education and social class was found. No overall relationship was found between ethnicity and HRD. Male gender and higher socioeconomic status were associated with increased odds of HRD. Two-way stratified analyses yielded consistent gender effects throughout all strata of independent variables. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that social and cultural elements determine local patterns of alcohol-drinking behavior. Additional research on long-term and differential effects of gender, ethnicity, and social class on alcohol use and misuse is needed in order to explain their role as sources of social health inequities.

Wrinkling Labyrinth Patterns on Elastomeric Janus Particles

We describe a novel, low-cost and low-tech method for the fabrication of elastomeric Janus particles with diameters ranging from micrometers to millimeters. This consists of UV-irradiating soft urethane/urea elastomer spheres, which are then extracted in toluene and dried. The spheres are thus composed of a single material: no coating or film deposition steps are required. Furthermore, the whole procedure is carried out at ambient temperature and pressure. Long, labyrinthine corrugations ("wrinkles") appear on the irradiated portions of the particles' surfaces, the spatial periodicity of which can be controlled by varying the sizes of particles. The asymmetric morphology of the resulting Janus particles has been confirmed by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and optical microscopy. We have also established that the spheres behave elastically by performing bouncing tests with dried and swollen spheres. Results can be interpreted by assuming that each sphere consists of a thin, stiff surface layer ("skin") lying atop a thicker, softer substrate ("bulk"). The skin's higher stiffness is hypothesized to result from the more extensive cross-linking of the polymer chains located near the surface by the UV radiation. Textures then arise from competition between the effects of bending the skin and compressing the bulk, as the solvent evaporates and the sphere shrinks.