Introducing "ecoputation": a universal systems design process

A universal systems design process is specified, tested in a case study and evaluated. It links English narratives to numbers using a categorical language framework with mathematical mappings taking the place of conjunctions and numbers. The framework is a ring of English narrative words between 1 (option) and 360 (capital); beyond 360 the ring cycles again to 1. English narratives are shown to correspond to the field of fractional numbers. The process can enable the development, presentation and communication of complex narrative policy information among communities of any scale, on a software implementation known as the "ecoputer". The information is more accessible and comprehensive than that in conventional decision support, because: (1) it is expressed in narrative language; and (2) the narratives are expressed as compounds of words within the framework. Hence option generation is made more effective than in conventional decision support processes including Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis, Life Cycle Assessment and Cost-Benefit Analysis.The case study is of a participatory workshop in UK bioenergy project objectives and criteria, at which attributes were elicited in environmental, economic and social systems. From the attributes, the framework was used to derive consequences at a range of levels of precision; these are compared with the project objectives and criteria as set out in the Case for Support. The design process is to be supported by a social information manipulation, storage and retrieval system for numeric and verbal narratives attached to the "ecoputer". The "ecoputer" will have an integrated verbal and numeric operating system. Novel design source code language will assist the development of narrative policy. The utility of the program, including in the transition to sustainable development and in applications at both community micro-scale and policy macro-scale, is discussed from public, stakeholder, corporate, Governmental and regulatory perspectives.

Opportunities for magnetospheric research with coordinated cluster and ground-based observations

ESA’s first multi-satellite mission Cluster is unique in its concept of 4 satellites orbiting in controlled formations. This will give an unprecedented opportunity to study structure and dynamics of the magnetosphere. In this paper we discuss ways in which ground-based remote-sensing observations of the ionosphere can be used to support the multipoint in-situ satellite measurements. There are a very large number of potentially useful configurations between the satellites and any one ground-based observatory; however, the number of ideal occurrences for any one configuration is low. Many of the ground-based instruments cannot operate continuously and Cluster will take data only for a part of each orbit, depending on how much high-resolution (‘burst-mode’) data are acquired. In addition, there are a great many instrument modes and the formation, size and shape of the cluster of the four satellites to consider. These circumstances create a clear and pressing need for careful planning to ensure that the scientific return from Cluster is maximised by additional coordinated ground-based observations. For this reason, ESA established a working group to coordinate the observations on the ground with Cluster. We will give a number of examples how the combined spacecraft and ground-based observations can address outstanding questions in magnetospheric physics. An online computer tool has been prepared to allow for the planning of conjunctions and advantageous constellations between the Cluster spacecraft and individual or combined ground-based systems. During the mission a ground-based database containing index and summary data will help to identify interesting datasets and allow to select intervals for coordinated studies. We illustrate the philosophy of our approach, using a few important examples of the many possible configurations between the satellite and the ground-based instruments.

Hesitations and repair in German

The occurrence of pauses and hesitations in spontaneous speech has been shown to occur systematically, for example, "between sentences, after discourse markers and conjunctions and before accented content words." (Hansson [15]) This is certainly plausible in English, where pauses and hesitations can and often do occur before content words such as nominals, for example, "uh, there's a … man." (Chafe [8]) However, if hesitations are, in fact, evidence of "deciding what to talk about next," (Chafe [8]) then the complex grammatical system of German should render this pausing position precarious, since pre-modifiers must account for the gender of the nominals they modify.In this paper, I present data to test the hypothesis that pre-nominal hesitation patterns in German are dissimilar to those in English. Hesitations in German will be shown, in fact, to occur within noun phrase units. Nevertheless, native speakers most often succeed in supplying a nominal which conforms to the gender indicated by the determiner or pre-modifier. Corrections, or repairs, of infelicitous pre-modifiers indicate that the speaker was unable to supply a nominal of the same gender which the choice of pre-modifier had committed him/her to. The frequency of such repairs is shown to vary according to task, with fewest repairs occurring in elicited speech which allows for linguistic freedom and therefore is most like spontaneous speech. The data sets indicate that among German native speakers, hesitations occurring before noun phrase units (pre-NPU hesitations) indicate deliberation of what to say, while hesitations within or before the head of the noun phrase (pre-NPH hesitations) indicate deliberation of how to say what has already been decided (cf. Chafe [8]).

Uma abordagem do funcionamento discursivo das construções adversativas sob a ótica da gramaticalização

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

A gramaticalização da conjunção concessiva embora

Pós-graduação em Estudos Linguísticos - IBILCE

Incompletudes da abordagem tradicional e suas implicações no ensino/aprendizagem da língua: um recorte sobre as relações de coordenação e subordinação nos períodos compostos

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Subordinação discursiva no português à luz da gramática discursivo-funcional

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

As relações concessivas no português falado sob a perspectiva da gramática discursivo-funcional

Pós-graduação em Estudos Linguísticos - IBILCE

A partícula QUE: funções, usos e equivalências em espanhol e português

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Uma vida, duas vidas, muitas vidas: diferenciações de gênero no cotidiano familiar e profissional de camadas médias urbanas

Aborda as diferenciações de gênero entre frações de camadas médias urbanas em Belém-PA, a partir de aspectos do cotidiano familiar e profissional de pessoas que trabalham com a temática gênero no campo dos estudos acadêmicos (ensino e pesquisa). O trabalho procura demonstrar as atualizações, modificações, por vezes, fugas dos modelos sociais de referência, isto é, as conjunções e as disjunções nos discursos do sujeitos quando estes se direcionam para os contextos performativos onde são desenvolvidas práticas sociais informadas pelo gênero. Discute-se, também, como as representações sociais são atualizadas e/ou modificadas a partir da referência que fazem a elementos dos seus cotidianos pessoal e profissional. Para tanto, as histórias de vida do grupo investigado são tomadas em análise evidenciando suas experiências nos diferentes e, por vezes, imbricados cenários em que constroem/atualizam suas vidas.

A marca porque nos textos escolares: uma proposta para atividades epilingüísticas

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Violência e transgressão na periferia de Belém: sociabilidade e os arranjos criminosos no espaço de ocupação Riacho Doce

Este estudo se propõe a investigar o contexto da transgressão e violência no espaço de Ocupação Riacho Doce e suas implicações no contexto social. Nele buscamos demonstrar uma série de arranjos que resultam nas múltiplas sociabilidades que favorecem ações criminosas entre infratores da área e Agentes de Segurança Pública. Além desses aspectos pontuais, o mesmo expõe algumas discussões teóricas sobre conceitos essenciais para a compreensão do fenômeno da violência como todo. Dentre eles, pobreza e exclusão social, estigma e medo, sociedade de risco global, violência urbana, direitos humanos, crime e relações de poder. Ressaltando ainda, a trajetória histórica das Instituições de Segurança Pública, dando ênfase para as Polícias Militar do Brasil e do Pará e suas respectivas características, no intuito de demonstrar que a conjunção de todos os elementos apresentados tem favorecido um lucrativo comércio de drogas no local e conseqüentemente aumentado à criminalidade com participação de alguns Policiais acostumados a práticas ilícitas, adolescentes e criminosos da área.

GQ e Men's Health: os estilos de vida do ator masculino contemporâneo

Pós-graduação em Linguística e Língua Portuguesa - FCLAR

Intersubjetividade e interlocução nas relações de causalidade: a funcionalidade dos juntivos causais na língua portuguesa

This study approaches the expression of causality in the clause combining in Portuguese, considering, as fundamental, the thread that exists between the performance, in the socio-interaction, and cognitive trigger, based on intersubjectivity. Given that grammar is responsible for the functional organization of those relationships, the study examines the conjunctions traditionally considered as “causal”, especially those constructs invested with effects that go beyond the strict direction cause-consequence. After evaluating the proposal of formation of “causal” conjunction blocks with similar behavior, in contrast with others, we arrive at the discussion of the functional uniqueness of the conjunction porque (because).

A relação conclusiva na língua portuguesa: funções resumo, conclusão e consequência

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)