Informe de talleres de creatividad en empaques y embalajes con Artesanos participantes en Expoartesanías 2003.

78 hojas : ilustraciones, cuadros.

Capacitación para la elaboración de artesanías en tagua; Taller de creatividad, Municipio de Tumaco, Nariño, agosto de 2003.

45 hojas : Fotografías.

Casa colombiana: café sabor esencial, Bogotá, diciembre 2003.

33 hojas : ilustraciones.

C 176 INST-D 2013. 357 Curso de capacitación para la recuperación del oficio del tejido en fique a artesanos indígenas desplazados a Bogotá (2003)

18 fotografías a color.

Bisutería de manillas tejidas y collares elaborados con ensarte de materiales vegetales : proyecto de indígenas desplazados a Bogotá, Bogotá, 2003.

17 hojas : ilustraciones, fotografías a color.

A Two-step Statistical Approach for Inferring Network Traffic Demands (Revises Technical Report BUCS-2003-003)

Accurate knowledge of traffic demands in a communication network enables or enhances a variety of traffic engineering and network management tasks of paramount importance for operational networks. Directly measuring a complete set of these demands is prohibitively expensive because of the huge amounts of data that must be collected and the performance impact that such measurements would impose on the regular behavior of the network. As a consequence, we must rely on statistical techniques to produce estimates of actual traffic demands from partial information. The performance of such techniques is however limited due to their reliance on limited information and the high amount of computations they incur, which limits their convergence behavior. In this paper we study a two-step approach for inferring network traffic demands. First we elaborate and evaluate a modeling approach for generating good starting points to be fed to iterative statistical inference techniques. We call these starting points informed priors since they are obtained using actual network information such as packet traces and SNMP link counts. Second we provide a very fast variant of the EM algorithm which extends its computation range, increasing its accuracy and decreasing its dependence on the quality of the starting point. Finally, we evaluate and compare alternative mechanisms for generating starting points and the convergence characteristics of our EM algorithm against a recently proposed Weighted Least Squares approach.

The Vietnam's Transition Economy and Its Fledgling Financial Markets: 1986-2003

In this paper, we analyze the context of Vietnam’s economic standings in the reform period. The first section embarks on most remarkable factors, which promote the development of financial markets are: (i) Doi Moi policies in 1986 unleash ‘productive powers’. Real GDP growth, and key economic indicators improve. The economy truly departs from the old-style command economy; (ii) FDI component is present in the economy as sine qua non; a crucial growth engine, forming part of the financial markets, planting the ‘seeds’ for its growth; and (iii) the private economy is both the result and cause of the reform. Its growth is steady. Today, it represents a powerhouse, and helps form part of the genuine financial economy. A few noteworthy points found in the next section are: (i) No evidence of financial markets existence was found before Doi Moi. The reform has generated a bulk of private-sector financial companies. New developments have roots in the 1992-amended constitution (x3.2); (ii) The need to reform the financial started with the domino collapse of credit cooperatives in early 1990s. More stress is caused by the ‘blow’ of banking deficiency in late 1990s; and (iii) Laws on SBV and credit institutions, and the launch of the stock market are bold steps. Besides, the Asian financial turmoil forces the economy to reaffirm its reform agenda. Our findings also indicate, through empirical evidences, that economic conditions have stabilized throughout the reform, thanks to the contributions of the FDI and private economic sector. Private investment flows continue to be an eminent factor that drives the economy growth.

Figer: A Quadraphonic Electroacoustic Composition

Figer (to congeal, to solidify) is a quadraphonic electroacoustic composition. It was completed in the fall of 2003. Several software programs were used in creating and assembling the piece (C-Sound, Grain Mill, AL/Erwin (grain generator), Sound Forge and Acid Music). The sounds used in the piece are of two general types: synthesized and sampled, both of which were subjected to various processing techniques. The most important of these techniques, and one that formally defines large portions of the piece, is granular synthesis. Form The notion of time perception is of great importance in this piece. Figer addresses this question in several ways. In one sense, the form of Figer is simple. There are three layers of activity (see diagram). Layer 1 is continuous and non-sectional and supplies a backdrop (not necessarily a background) for the other two. The second and third layers overlap and interrupt one another. Each consists of two blocks of sound. The layers, and blocks within, relate to each other in various ways. Layer 1 is formally continuous. Layer 2 consists of well-defined columns of sound that evolve from soft and mild to loud and abrasive. The layer is, in reality, a whole that is simply cut into two parts (block 1 and block 2). In contrast, the blocks of layer 3 do not constitute a whole. Each is a complete unit and has its own self-contained evolutionary path. Those paths, however, do cross the paths of other units (layers, blocks), influencing them and absorbing some of their essence. At the heart of Figer lies a constant process of presenting materials or ideas and immediately, or, at times, simultaneously, commenting, reflecting on, or reinterpreting that material. All of the layers of this piece deal, both at local and global levels, with the problem of time and its perception relative to the materials, sonic or otherwise, that occupy it and the manner in which they unfold and relate to each other.

The quantity and quality of worldwide new drug introductions, 1982-2003.

We examined trends in the introduction of new chemical entities (NCEs) worldwide from 1982 through 2003. Although annual introductions of NCEs decreased over time, introductions of high-quality NCEs (that is, global and first-in-class NCEs) increased moderately. Both biotech and orphan products enjoyed tremendous growth, especially for cancer treatment. Country-level analyses for 1993-2003 indicate that U.S. firms overtook their European counterparts in innovative performance or the introduction of first-in-class, biotech, and orphan products. The United States also became the leading market for first launch.

Erratum: Fundamental amplitude noise limitations to supercontinuum spectra generated in a microstructured fiber (Appl. Phys. B (2003) 77 (269-277))

SCOPUS: er.j

How mathematics is defined and measured in PISA 2003

In this report I present a summary of the three dimensions used in PISA 2003assessment in mathematics: Content, Process and Situation, and I includesome examples of items.

Evaluación de competencias matemáticas: proyecto PISA/OCDE 2003

Las ideas que aquí se presentan son un resumen e interpretación de las publicadas en el capítulo Mathematics Literacy, incluido en el documento editado en 2003 por la OCDE The PISA 2003 Assessment Framework y aparecen en el documento Aproximación a un modelo de evaluación: el proyecto PISA 2000, que ha sido publicado por el Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deportes.

How mathematics is defined and measured in PISA 2003

Description of some variables used in PISA 2003 project to asses competences.

[Conference report] Magic and mathematics: The life and work of John Dee. National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, 13-14 June 2003

Tony Mann provides a report of a two-day meeting "Magic and mathematics: The life and work of John Dee" held from 13-14 June 2003 at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.