Controller Time and Delay Costs - a Trade-off Analysis

Air traffic controller shortages remain a significant challenge in European ATM. Comparing different rules, we quantify the cost effectiveness of adding controller hours to Area Control Centre regulations to avert the delay cost impact on airlines. Typically, adding controller hours results in a net benefit. Distributions of delay duration and aircraft weight play an important role in determining the total cost of a regulation. Errors are likely to be incurred when analysing performance based on average delay values, particularly at the disaggregate level.

Motivation and Vocabulary Breadth in CLIL and EFL Contexts. Different age, Same Time of Exposure

Numerous studies have found a positive connection between learners’ motivation towards foreign language and foreign language achievement. The present study examines the role of motivation in receptive vocabulary breadth (size) of two groups of Spanish learners of different ages, but all with 734 hours of instruction in English as a Foreign Language (EFL): a CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) group in primary education and a non-CLIL (or EFL) group in secondary education. Most students in both groups were found to be highly motivated. The primary CLIL group slightly overcame the secondary non-CLIL group with respect to the mean general motivation but this is a non-significant difference. The secondary group surpass significantly the primary group in receptive vocabulary size. No relationship between the receptive vocabulary knowledge and general motivation is found in the primary CLIL group. On the other hand, a positive significant connection, although a very small one, is identified for the secondary non-CLIL group. We will discuss on the type of test, the age of students and the type of instruction as variables that could be influencing the results.

L’externalisation chez les tout-petits : lien avec le risque pychosocial, la sensibilité maternelle et la sécurité d’attachement

Méthodologie: Analyse en composantes principales

Online organic chemistry

This is a comprehensive study of the many facets of an entirely online organic chemistry course. Online homework with structure-drawing capabilities was found to be more effective than written homework. Online lecture was found to be just as effective as in-person lecture, and students prefer an online lecture format with shorter Webcasts. Online office hours were found to be effective, and discussion sessions can be placed online as well. A model was created that explains 36.1% of student performance based on GPA, ACT Math score, grade in previous chemistry course, and attendance at various forms of discussion. Online exams have been created which test problem-solving skills and is instantly gradable. In these exams, students can submit answers until time runs out for different numbers of points. These facets were combined effectively to create an entirely online organic chemistry course which students prefer over the in-person alternative. Lastly, there is a vision for where online organic chemistry is going and what can be done to improve education for all.

Relaciones y capacidades interorganizativas: un enfoque de Supply Chain Management (SCM) en red

El presente trabajo mide, en un contexto colaborativo, un conjunto de mecanismos relacionales interconectados y su incidencia en el performance organizacional. Apoyado en la Visión Relacional (Dyer y Singh, 1998), el trabajo integra mecanismos de las capacidades relacionales y capacidades competitivas en el concepto denominado ¿capacidades interorganizativas¿. Las capacidades interorganizativas se componen de la ¿confianza¿ y los mecanismos ¿combinar recursos complementarios¿, ¿invertir en activos específicos¿, ¿compartir información¿ y ¿solucionar problemas conjuntamente¿. La medición tiene lugar en la Industria Alimentaria (IA) española en un contexto de Supply Chain Management1 en red. Además de mejorar el conocimiento sobre las relaciones interorganizativas, el trabajo también realiza una revisión teórica sobre el sector agroalimentario en general y la IA en particular. Los resultados permiten confirmar, con excepciones, el constructo teórico de las ¿capacidades interorganizativas en un contexto de Supply Chain Management en red¿. Otros resultados obtenidos son los altos niveles de confianza en las relaciones entre socios y una industria que, pese al entorno competitivo y complejo actual, presenta niveles competitivos en términos de flexibilidad, respuesta, calidad y eficiencia. De igual modo, la investigación descubre la implantación de la capacidad de las empresas de la industria para gestionar el conocimiento. En este contexto, los resultados parecen indicar una correcta integración de la cadena de suministros de la IA que confirman la efectiva aplicación de la Supply Chain Management. Otras conclusiones obtenidas son la dependencia que ha tenido y tiene la industria alimentaria española de la distribución, intensificada en parte por la expansión de las marcas del distribuidor (MDDs).

Position paper on passive sampling techniques for the monitoring of contaminants in the aquatic environment - Achievements to date and perspectives

This paper, based on the outcome of discussions at a NORMAN Network-supported workshop in Lyon (France) in November 2014 aims to provide a common position of passive sampling community experts regarding concrete actions required to foster the use of passive sampling techniques in support of contaminant risk assessment and management and for routine monitoring of contaminants in aquatic systems. The brief roadmap presented here focusses on the identification of robust passive sampling methodology, technology that requires further development or that has yet to be developed, our current knowledge of the evaluation of uncertainties when calculating a freely dissolved concentration, the relationship between data from PS and that obtained through biomonitoring. A tiered approach to identifying areas of potential environmental quality standard (EQS) exceedances is also shown. Finally, we propose a list of recommended actions to improve the acceptance of passive sampling by policy-makers. These include the drafting of guidelines, quality assurance and control procedures, developing demonstration projects where biomonitoring and passive sampling are undertaken alongside, organising proficiency testing schemes and interlaboratory comparison and, finally, establishing passive sampler-based assessment criteria in relation to existing EQS.

The relationship between visual acuity and conceptual tempo

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between visual acuity and the two components of conceptual tempo, response accuracy and response latency. Subjects were chosen at random. Each subject was then administered a test of conceptual tempo, the Matching Familiar Figures Test (MFFT) and a test of visual acuity, the Snellen. The only significant relationship found was that between response accuracy and near visual acuity. Subjects with superior visual acuity made significantly fewer errors than did those with average or inferior acuity. It was concluded that visual acuity is an important determinant of MFFT performance. Based on these results, it was recommended that further research examine the relationship between visual acuity and other psychometric measures containing a visual component.

Hierarchically grouped 2D local features applied to edge contour localisation

One of the most significant research topics in computer vision is object detection. Most of the reported object detection results localise the detected object within a bounding box, but do not explicitly label the edge contours of the object. Since object contours provide a fundamental diagnostic of object shape, some researchers have initiated work on linear contour feature representations for object detection and localisation. However, linear contour feature-based localisation is highly dependent on the performance of linear contour detection within natural images, and this can be perturbed significantly by a cluttered background. In addition, the conventional approach to achieving rotation-invariant features is to rotate the feature receptive field to align with the local dominant orientation before computing the feature representation. Grid resampling after rotation adds extra computational cost and increases the total time consumption for computing the feature descriptor. Though it is not an expensive process if using current computers, it is appreciated that if each step of the implementation is faster to compute especially when the number of local features is increasing and the application is implemented on resource limited ”smart devices”, such as mobile phones, in real-time. Motivated by the above issues, a 2D object localisation system is proposed in this thesis that matches features of edge contour points, which is an alternative method that takes advantage of the shape information for object localisation. This is inspired by edge contour points comprising the basic components of shape contours. In addition, edge point detection is usually simpler to achieve than linear edge contour detection. Therefore, the proposed localization system could avoid the need for linear contour detection and reduce the pathological disruption from the image background. Moreover, since natural images usually comprise many more edge contour points than interest points (i.e. corner points), we also propose new methods to generate rotation-invariant local feature descriptors without pre-rotating the feature receptive field to improve the computational efficiency of the whole system. In detail, the 2D object localisation system is achieved by matching edge contour points features in a constrained search area based on the initial pose-estimate produced by a prior object detection process. The local feature descriptor obtains rotation invariance by making use of rotational symmetry of the hexagonal structure. Therefore, a set of local feature descriptors is proposed based on the hierarchically hexagonal grouping structure. Ultimately, the 2D object localisation system achieves a very promising performance based on matching the proposed features of edge contour points with the mean correct labelling rate of the edge contour points 0.8654 and the mean false labelling rate 0.0314 applied on the data from Amsterdam Library of Object Images (ALOI). Furthermore, the proposed descriptors are evaluated by comparing to the state-of-the-art descriptors and achieve competitive performances in terms of pose estimate with around half-pixel pose error.

Comparação de produtos de colagem de origem animal, vegetal e extratos de leveduras em vinhos tintos

No mercado têm surgido alternativas aos produtos de colagem de origem animal, nomeadamente as proteínas de origem vegetal e extratos de levedura. O objectivo deste trabalho foi a comparação de um elevado número de produtos de colagem de origem animal (gelatinas) e produtos alternativos de origem vegetal e levuriano. Inicialmente os produtos de colagem foram aplicados ao vinho em diferentes doses. Com base na avaliação sensorial, foram selecionados os produtos e as doses que revelaram melhor desempenho. Os produtos de colagem selecionados foram aplicados ao vinho e avaliado o seu efeito nas características sensoriais e físico-químicas. O parâmetro que apresentou diferenças mais significativas foi a turbidez. A análise estatística apenas revelou diferenças significativas para os atributos qualidade do sabor e nota final; apesar de não evidenciar diferenças significativas, as variações observadas para o atributo extração/secura foram muito importantes do ponto de vista prático. As gelatinas que mostraram melhor desempenho foram as POA 10 e POA 12 e as proteínas vegetais POV 6 (proteína de ervilha) e POV 10 (proteína de batata). Este estudo permitiu a recolha de informação para ser utilizada na seleção do produto de colagem mais apropriado para o perfil de vinho da adega e a alternativa mais apropriada às gelatinas.

Género, idade e antiguidade na empresa : Uma análise comparativa de contracto psicológico.

Poucos são os estudos que relacionam variáveis de nível individual como o género, idade e antiguidade na empresa, com a percepção de contracto psicológico, no entanto para além destas variáveis moldarem o conteúdo do contracto psicológico (Guest, 2004), parecem também determinar diferentes valores e interesses de trabalho (Elizur, 1994; Bal, Lange, Jansen e Velde, 2008). Tais evidências chamam a atenção das organizações para o facto de diferentes grupos de trabalhadores apresentarem diferentes percepções de contracto psicológico, podendo consequentemente responder de diferente forma às mesmas políticas organizacionais (Freese & Schalk, 1996). O presente estudo procurou perceber se diferentes grupos de trabalhadores, de diferentes géneros, idades e antiguidades apresentam diferentes percepções de contracto psicológico, procurando posteriormente aceder às causas percebidas de quebra de contracto (Renegação, Disrupção, Incongruência e Anulação), mencionadas na literatura por Rousseau (1995) e Morrinson e Robinson (1997). Foi utilizada uma amostra, recolhida por conveniência, de 83 participantes pertencentes a uma empresa do sector alimentar, constituída por 57,8% de mulheres e 42,2% de homens. Em média possuem 37 anos de idade e 9 anos de antiguidade na empresa. Foi aplicado um questionário, desenvolvido por Lester, Turnley, Bloodgood e Bolino (2002) constituído por diferentes dimensões (Compensação, Recompensas com base na performance, Características da Função, Progressão e Desenvolvimento, Recursos e Relação Laboral) que constituem o contracto psicológico, assim como pelas diferentes causas percebidas de incumprimento da promessa. Após uma análise factorial, foram extraídos 5 factores (Características da Função, Relação Laboral, Compensação, Recursos e Progressão e Recompensas com base na performance). Os resultados demonstraram que os trabalhadores mais velhos percepcionam que a sua empresa lhes proporciona menos do que o prometido relativamente à Compensação, resultados igualmente obtidos para os trabalhadores com mais antiguidade na empresa. Uma posterior análise correlacional demonstrou que a idade está associada com a antiguidade dos trabalhadores. Quanto à causa percebida de incumprimento, os resultados evidenciaram que a maioria dos trabalhadores atribui o incumprimento das promessas à Renegação. Por outras palavras, os trabalhadores entendem que a sua organização não cumpriu as promessas que lhes fez, simplesmente porque assim o quis.

An ontology for risk management of digital collections

Maintaining accessibility to and understanding of digital information over time is a complex challenge that often requires contributions and interventions from a variety of individuals and organizations. The processes of preservation planning and evaluation are fundamentally implicit and share similar complexity. Both demand comprehensive knowledge and understanding of every aspect of to-be-preserved content and the contexts within which preservation is undertaken. Consequently, means are required for the identification, documentation and association of those properties of data, representation and management mechanisms that in combination lend value, facilitate interaction and influence the preservation process. These properties may be almost limitless in terms of diversity, but are integral to the establishment of classes of risk exposure, and the planning and deployment of appropriate preservation strategies. We explore several research objectives within the course of this thesis. Our main objective is the conception of an ontology for risk management of digital collections. Incorporated within this are our aims to survey the contexts within which preservation has been undertaken successfully, the development of an appropriate methodology for risk management, the evaluation of existing preservation evaluation approaches and metrics, the structuring of best practice knowledge and lastly the demonstration of a range of tools that utilise our findings. We describe a mixed methodology that uses interview and survey, extensive content analysis, practical case study and iterative software and ontology development. We build on a robust foundation, the development of the Digital Repository Audit Method Based on Risk Assessment. We summarise the extent of the challenge facing the digital preservation community (and by extension users and creators of digital materials from many disciplines and operational contexts) and present the case for a comprehensive and extensible knowledge base of best practice. These challenges are manifested in the scale of data growth, the increasing complexity and the increasing onus on communities with no formal training to offer assurances of data management and sustainability. These collectively imply a challenge that demands an intuitive and adaptable means of evaluating digital preservation efforts. The need for individuals and organisations to validate the legitimacy of their own efforts is particularly prioritised. We introduce our approach, based on risk management. Risk is an expression of the likelihood of a negative outcome, and an expression of the impact of such an occurrence. We describe how risk management may be considered synonymous with preservation activity, a persistent effort to negate the dangers posed to information availability, usability and sustainability. Risk can be characterised according to associated goals, activities, responsibilities and policies in terms of both their manifestation and mitigation. They have the capacity to be deconstructed into their atomic units and responsibility for their resolution delegated appropriately. We continue to describe how the manifestation of risks typically spans an entire organisational environment, and as the focus of our analysis risk safeguards against omissions that may occur when pursuing functional, departmental or role-based assessment. We discuss the importance of relating risk-factors, through the risks themselves or associated system elements. To do so will yield the preservation best-practice knowledge base that is conspicuously lacking within the international digital preservation community. We present as research outcomes an encapsulation of preservation practice (and explicitly defined best practice) as a series of case studies, in turn distilled into atomic, related information elements. We conduct our analyses in the formal evaluation of memory institutions in the UK, US and continental Europe. Furthermore we showcase a series of applications that use the fruits of this research as their intellectual foundation. Finally we document our results in a range of technical reports and conference and journal articles. We present evidence of preservation approaches and infrastructures from a series of case studies conducted in a range of international preservation environments. We then aggregate this into a linked data structure entitled PORRO, an ontology relating preservation repository, object and risk characteristics, intended to support preservation decision making and evaluation. The methodology leading to this ontology is outlined, and lessons are exposed by revisiting legacy studies and exposing the resource and associated applications to evaluation by the digital preservation community.

Inteligência emocional nas organizações: Colaboradores motivados e com desempenho emocionalmente inteligente?

Dissertação de Mestrado apresentada ao Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada para obtenção de grau de Mestre na especialidade de Psicologia Social e das Organizações.

Modeling and Mapping Agroforestry Aboveground Biomass in the Brazilian Amazon Using Airborne Lidar Data.

Agroforestry has large potential for carbon (C) sequestration while providing many economical, social, and ecological benefits via its diversified products. Airborne lidar is considered as the most accurate technology for mapping aboveground biomass (AGB) over landscape levels. However, little research in the past has been done to study AGB of agroforestry systems using airborne lidar data. Focusing on an agroforestry system in the Brazilian Amazon, this study first predicted plot-level AGB using fixed-effects regression models that assumed the regression coefficients to be constants. The model prediction errors were then analyzed from the perspectives of tree DBH (diameter at breast height)?height relationships and plot-level wood density, which suggested the need for stratifying agroforestry fields to improve plot-level AGB modeling. We separated teak plantations from other agroforestry types and predicted AGB using mixed-effects models that can incorporate the variation of AGB-height relationship across agroforestry types. We found that, at the plot scale, mixed-effects models led to better model prediction performance (based on leave-one-out cross-validation) than the fixed-effects models, with the coefficient of determination (R2) increasing from 0.38 to 0.64. At the landscape level, the difference between AGB densities from the two types of models was ~10% on average and up to ~30% at the pixel level. This study suggested the importance of stratification based on tree AGB allometry and the utility of mixed-effects models in modeling and mapping AGB of agroforestry systems.

Outsource marketing : efeitos na relação entre investimentos em ações de marketing digital e desempenho financeiro

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Economia, Administração e Contabilidade, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Administração, 2016.

Study of the impact federated erubrics on assessing competences in the practicum

Presentation Research of the Practicum and externships has a long history and involves important aspects for analysis. For example, the recent changes taking place in university grades allot more credits to the Practicum course in all grades, and the Company-University collaboration has exposed the need to study in new learning environments. The rise of ICT practices like ePortfolios, which require technological solutions and methods supported by experimentation, study and research, require particular examination due to the dynamic momentum of technological innovation. Tutoring the Practicum and externships requires remote monitoring and communication using ePortfolios, and competence-based assessment and students’ requirement to provide evidence of learning require the best tutoring methods available with ePortfolios. Among the elements of ePortfolios, eRubrics emerge as a tool for design, communication and competence-assessment. This project aims to consolidate a research line on eRubrics, already undertaken by another project -I+D+i [EDU2010-15432]- in order to expand the network of researchers and Centres of Excellence in Spain and other countries: Harvard University in USA, University of Cologne in Germany, University of Colima in Mexico, Federal University of Parana, University of Santa Catarina in Brasil, and Stockholm University in Sweden(1). This new project [EDU2013-41974-P](2) examines the impact of eRubrics on tutoring and on assessing the Practicum course and externships. Through technology, distance tutoring grants an extra dimension to human communication. New forms of teaching with technological mediation are on the rise and are highly valuable, not only for formal education but especially in both public and private sectors of non-formal education, such as occupational training, unemployed education and public servant training. Objectives Obj. 1. To analyse models of technology used in assessing learning in the Practicum of all grades at Spanish Faculties of Education. Obj. 2. To study models of learning assessment measured by eRubrics in the Practicum. Obj. 3. To analyse communication through eRubrics between students and their tutors at university and practice centres, focusing on students’ understanding of competences and evidences to be assessed in the Practicum. Obj. 4. To design assessment services and products, in order to federate companies and practice centres with training institutions. Among many other features, it has the following functions CoRubric(3) 1. The possibility to assess people, products or services by using rubrics. 2. Ipsative assessment. 3. Designing fully flexible rubrics. 4. Drafting reports and exporting results from eRubrics in a project. 5. Students and teachers talk about the evaluation and application of the criteria Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used The project will use techniques to collect and analyse data from two methodological approaches: 1. In order to meet the first objective, we suggest an initial exploratory descriptive study (Buendía Eisman, Colás Bravo & Hernández Pina, 1998), which involves conducting interviews with Practicum coordinators from all educational grades across Spain, as well as analysing the contents of the teaching guides used in all educational grades across Spain. 55 academic managers were interviewed from about 10 faculties of education in public universities in Spain (20%), and course guides 376 universities from 36 public institutions in Spain (72%) are analyzed. 2. In order to satisfy the second objective, 7 universities have been selected to implement the project two instruments aimed at tutors practice centers and tutors of the faculty. All instruments for collecting data were validated by experts using the Delphi method. The selection of experts had three aspects: years of professional experience, number and quality of publications in the field (Practicum, Educational Technology and Teacher Training), and self-rating of their knowledge. The resulting data was calculated using the Coefficient of Competence (Kcomp) (Martínez, Zúñiga, Sala & Meléndez, 2012). Results in all cases showed an average experience of more than 0.09 points. The two instruments of the first objective were validated during the first half of 2014-15 year, data collected during the second half. And the second objective during the first half of 2015-16 year and data collection for the second half. The set of four instruments (two for each objective 1 and 2) have the same dimensions as each of the sources (Coordinators, course guides, tutors of practice centers and faculty) as they were: a. Institution-Organization, b. Nature of internships, c. Relationship between agents, d. Management Practicum, e. Assessment. F. Technological support, g. Training and h. Assessment Ethics. Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings The first results respond to Objective 1, where we find different conclusions depending on each of the six dimensions. In the case of internal regulations governing the organization and structure of the practicum, we note that most traditional degrees (Elementary and Primary grades) share common internal rules, in particular development methodology and criteria against other grades (Pedagogy and Social Education ). It is also true that the centers of practices in last cases are very different from each other and can be a public institution, a school, a company, a museum, etc. The memory with a 56.34% and 43.67% daily activities are more demands on students in all degrees, Lesson plans 28.18% 19.72% Portfolio 26.7% Didactic units and Others 32,4%. The technical support has been mainly used the platform of the University 47.89% and 57.75% Email, followed by other services and tools 9.86% and rubric platforms 1.41%. The assessment criteria are divided between formal aspects of 12.38%, Written expresión 12.38%, treatment of the subject 14.45%, methodological rigor of work 10.32%, and Level of argument Clarity and relevance of conclusions 10.32%. In general terms, we could say that there is a trend and debate between formative assessment against a accreditation. It has not yet had sufficient time to further study and confront other dimensions and sources of information. We hope to provide more analysis and conclusions in the conference date.