Predicting academic success of engineering students in technical drawing from working memory

Tests on spatial aptitude, in particular Visualization, have been shown to be efficient predictors of the academic performance of Technical Drawing stu-dents. It has recently been found that Spatial Working Memory (a construct defined as the ability to perform tasks with a figurative content that require si-multaneous storage and transformation of information) is strongly associated with Visualization. In the present study we analyze the predictive efficiency of a bat-tery of tests that included tests on Visualization, SpatialWorking Memory, Spatial Short-term Memory and Executive Function on a sample of first year engineering students. The results show that Spatial Working Memory (SWM) is the most important predictor of academic success in Technical Drawing. In our view, SWM tests can be useful for detecting as early as possible those students who will require more attention and support in the teaching-learning process.

Greening the campus of a Brazilian university: cultural challenges

Purpose - This study examined the relationship between environmental management practices developed at a campus of a Brazilian university (University of Sao Paulo) and the greening of its organizational culture. The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approach - This article presents a theoretical background based on the concepts of environmental management, organizational culture and environmental management in higher education institutions. The main framework of this research is the model proposed by Harris and Crane.Findings - The studied university has an environmental management program that is sometimes constrained in the following ways: the university bureaucracy and hierarchy; the main performance indicators for lecturers and professors are based on scientific production and publication, giving them little time for complementary activities; and some units develop their own environmental management practices, but they are not disseminated as best practices for use by other units. Some academic units showcase the proactive actions of professors who incorporate environmental management into their daily activities. The general perception is that the phrase environmental management is almost synonymous with solid waste management.Originality/value - This research details the first Brazilian application of the Harris and Crane model. It contributes an original analysis of environmental management and green organizational culture of a Brazilian university, an organizational type that has seldom been studied to date.

Information access law and disclosing of information by joint-stock companies in Brazil: open data and Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) standard

The strategic management of information plays a fundamental role in the organizational management process since the decision-making process depend on the need for survival in a highly competitive market. Companies are constantly concerned about information transparency and good practices of corporate governance (CG) which, in turn, directs relations between the controlling power of the company and investors. In this context, this article presents the relationship between the disclosing of information of joint-stock companies by means of using XBRL, the open data model adopted by the Brazilian government, a model that boosted the publication of Information Access Law (Lei de Acesso à Informação), nº 12,527 of 18 November 2011. Information access should be permeated by a mediation policy in order to subsidize the knowledge construction and decision-making of investors. The XBRL is the main model for the publishing of financial information. The use of XBRL by means of new semantic standard created for Linked Data, strengthens the information dissemination, as well as creates analysis mechanisms and cross-referencing of data with different open databases available on the Internet, providing added value to the data/information accessed by civil society.

Student's academic efficacy or Inefficacy? an example on how to evaluate the psychometric properties of a measuring instrument and evaluate the effects of item wording

This study evaluated the effect of item inversion on the construct validity and reliability of psychometric scales and proposed a theoretical framework for the evaluation of the psychometric properties of data gathered with psychometric instruments. To this propose, we used the Maslach Burnout Inventory, which is the most used psychometric inventory to measure burnout in different professional context (Students, Teachers, Police, Doctors, Nurses, etc…). The version of the MBI used was the MBI-Student Survey (MBI-SS). This inventory is composed of three key dimensions: Exhaustion, Cynicism and Professional Efficacy. The two first dimensions—which have positive formulated items—are moderate to strong positive correlated, and show moderate to strong negative correlations with the 3rd dimension—which has negative formulated items. We tested the hypothesis that, in college students, formulating the 3rd dimension of burnout as Inefficacy (reverting the negatively worded items in the Efficacy dimension) improves the correlation of the 3rd dimension with the other two dimensions, improves its internal consistency, and the overall MBI-SS’ construct validity and reliability. Confirmatory factor analysis results, estimated by Maximum Likelihood, revealed adequate factorial fit for both forms of the MBI-SS (with Efficacy) vs. the MBI-SSi (with Inefficacy). Also both forms showed adequate convergent and discriminant related validity. However, reliability and convergent validity were higher for the MBI-SSi. There were also stronger (positive) correlations between the 3 factors in MBI-SSi than the ones observed in MBI-SS. Results show that positively rewording of the 3rd dimension of the MBI-SS improves its validity and reliability. We therefore propose that the 3rd dimension of the MBI-SS should be named Professional Inefficacy and its items should be positively worded.

Human gammaherpesviruses viraemia in HIV infected patients

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and Kaposi's sarcoma associated herpesvirus (KSHV) are consistently associated with lymphoproliferative diseases and cancers in humans, notably in patients with HIV. Our aim was to evaluate whether EBV and/or KSHV viral loads regularly assessed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) correlate with clinical or laboratorial parameters retrieved for patients living with HIV. This was a longitudinal study with a cohort of 157 HIV positive patients attending an academic HIV outpatient clinic in São Paulo State, Brazil. For each patient, up to four blood samples were collected over a 1 year clinical follow-up: on enrolment into the study, and after 4, 8 and 12 months. Total DNA was extracted from PBMC, and EBV and KSHV viral loads were assessed by real time quantitative PCR. Higher viral loads for EBV were significantly associated with high HIV viraemia, a greater number of circulating T CD8+ cells and lack of virological response to the antiretroviral treatment. KSHV viral load was undetectable in virtually all samples. EBV viral load in PBMC correlated with the number of circulating T CD8+ lymphocytes and the response to the antiretroviral therapy in HIV infected patients. In contrast, KSHV was undetectable in PBMC, presumably an effect of the antiretroviral treatment. Therefore, either KSHV infection in the population studied was absent or viral load in PBMC was beyond the analytical limit of the assay.

A ficção portuguesa contemporânea na revista Colóquio Letras: seção “Recensões Críticas” (1971-2013)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Review of Native Americans in the School System: Family, Community, and Academic Achievement by Carol J. Ward

The title of this volume promises more than the content delivers. The heart of the book is information from Ward's 1992 University of Chicago doctoral dissertation, which focused on the social and cultural reasons leading to students dropping out of school. Her first two chapters provide a good review of research on dropouts and Indian education; the following six focus on the results of her 1987-1989 study of 698 Northern Cheyenne, Crow, and white high school students attending the Colstrip Public, St. Labre Catholic, and Busby Tribal Schools in Montana. Fifty-two percent of the students in this study were Indian, with a dropout rate of 45% .

Theses, Projects, and Africana Materials Management in Nigerian Academic Libraries: The Case of Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library

This is a survey of the procurement, organization and use of unpublished projects, theses, and Africana mateials in Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. The Africana section conserves knowledge, preserves cultural heritage, provides information, and supports education and research. This paper the location, mode of processing, circulation, and terms of availability of these materials. Recommendations are made on how to manage Africana materials in academic libraries where they constitute a vital component of collections.

Academic Library Websites in Bangalore City, India: An Evaluative Study

This study evaluates the content and quality of academic library websites. An evaluation checklist is used as a tool for evaluation of academic library websites. The checklist is divided into five main parts followed by Rating Table. The quantitative pointing system (ten point scale) and five point rating scales are used to evaluate and rank the websites. The study reveals that very few (16 percent) websites provide information about the date of last updating. Similarly very few (20 percent) websites provide links to other web reference sites and a moderate number (40 percent) have feedback forms for comments. On the other side, a good number of websites (76 percent) are efficient in loading images, icons, and graphics, and a large number (80 percent) have incorporated a web OPAC. The study is limited to the evaluation of websites of five academic libraries located in Bangalore, India.

Effective Communication and Smooth Administration of Academic Libraries in the 21st Century: a New Paradigm in Nigeria

Effective communication is the soul of any institution. New opportunities are presented by Information and Communication Technology (ICTS). Library managers must adopt a more critical and communication plan that will enhance their skills and allow for further training, as well as allowing stakeholders to have input into decision-making.

Linear parameter varying control design for rotating systems supported by journal bearings

Linear parameter varying (LPV) control is a model-based control technique that takes into account time-varying parameters of the plant. In the case of rotating systems supported by lubricated bearings, the dynamic characteristics of the bearings change in time as a function of the rotating speed. Hence, LPV control can tackle the problem of run-up and run-down operational conditions when dynamic characteristics of the rotating system change significantly in time due to the bearings and high vibration levels occur. In this work, the LPV control design for a flexible shaft supported by plain journal bearings is presented. The model used in the LPV control design is updated from unbalance response experimental results and dynamic coefficients for the entire range of rotating speeds are obtained by numerical optimization. Experimental implementation of the designed LPV control resulted in strong reduction of vibration amplitudes when crossing the critical speed, without affecting system behavior in sub- or supercritical speeds. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Social phobia in Brazilian university students: Prevalence, under-recognition and academic impairment in women

Background: Despite the fact that public speaking is a common academic activity and that social phobia has been associated with lower educational achievement and impaired academic performance, little research has examined the prevalence of social phobia in college students. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of social phobia in a large sample of Brazilian college students and to examine the academic impact of this disorder. Methods: The Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) and the MINI-SPIN, used as the indicator of social phobia in the screening phase, were applied to 2319 randomly selected students from two Brazilian universities. For the second phase (diagnostic confirmation), four psychiatrists and one clinical psychologist administered the SCID-IV to subjects with MINI-SPIN scores of 6 or higher. Results: The prevalence of social phobia among the university students was 11.6%. Women with social phobia had significantly lower grades than those without the disorder. Fear of public speaking was the most common social fear. Only two of the 237 students with social phobia (0.8%) had previously received a diagnosis of social phobia and were under treatment. Limitations: Social phobia comorbidities were not evaluated in this study. The methods of assessment employed by the universities (written exams) may mask the presence of social phobia. This was not a population-based study, and thus the results are not generalizable to the entire population with social phobia. Conclusion: Preventive strategies are recommended to reduce the under-recognition and the adverse impact of social phobia on academic performance and overall quality of life of university students. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

El Open Journal Systems en la Universidade de São Paulo: la experiencia de gestión del Portal de Revistas da USP

El objeto de este poster es presentar la experiencia de manejamiento de un portal de revistas científicas de acceso abierto, en una universidad pública y que integra los editores científicos, profesores y bibliotecarios. Iniciativas de esta naturaleza tienen importancia estratégica para la consolidación y el fortalecimiento del Movimiento de Acceso Abierto en los países en desarrollo, puesto que ofrecen la oportunidad de se vivir plenamente una cultura de acceso abierto en todas las etapas de certificación del conocimiento. La experiencia de la Universidade de São Paulo, se convierte en relevante, ya que promueve la integración de los diversos actores involucrados en la producción de revistas científicas. El Portal de Revistas da USP (http://www.revistas.usp.br), lanzado en 2008, es una iniciativa del Departamento Técnico do Sistema Integrado de Bibliotecas de USP que tiene el Programa de Apoio às Publicações Científicas Periódicas da USP. Esta iniciativa, basada en los principios del Movimiento de Acceso Abierto, tiene como objetivo promover la visibilidad y la accesibilidad de las revistas científicas publicadas oficialmente por la USP. Considerase que las revistas cumplen con un doble papel, como objeto y también vehículo de comunicación. Con esto las inversiones para calificación de las revistas incluyen recursos informáticos para garantizar la interoperabilidad entre distintos sistemas de información (bases de datos, catálogos, repositorios etc.), sistemas de gestión editorial en línea (para agilizar la tramitación de los manuscritos y la disminución de la publicación); la formación de los equipos (técnicos y bibliotecarios), atribuición de nomes DOI (digital object identifier), software de verificación de plágio. En 2012 se cambió el software de gestión del Portal para Open Journal Systems - OJS por lo cual se reunió por la primera vez, en um mismo dominio web las revistas científicas editadas en USP. De las más de 100 revistas publicadas en el Portal 29 están en DOAJ, 27 en SciELO Brasil, 20 en Scopus, 11 en JCR entre outros. En el Portal hay revistas con distintos perfiles, unas más institucionales y otras de calidad internacional. Algunas revistas más antíguas y consolidadas se utilizan de distintos sistemas de gestión de los manuscriptos y en el Portal es como un espejo para garantizar la presencia en la Universidad. Con tantas y tan distintas publicaciones el OJS se presenta como una promisora herramienta para la gestión del Portal de Revistas. El OJS surge como un sistema para la gestión individual de revistas científicos y con los avances de las tecnologías y principalmente del uso por la comunidad se conviertió en herramienta de gestión de Portal. Para una mejor gestión del Portal se presenta algunas recomendaciones, basadas en la experiencia, y que podrán mejorar el trabajo de gestión del conjunto de las revistas: en la pantalla de creación de revistas se deberá incluir todos los datos del registro oficial en ISSN, sin posibilidad de edición por los editores-gerentes; en el listado general de revistas se podría incluir una indicación de las revistas que están en línea y las que están aún en configuración; clara identificación de las revistas vigentes y no-vigentes, una vinculación mas clara de las revistas que cambiaran su título y que están vigentes; una tabla para selección de fuentes de indización; edición de contenidos ya publicados solamente por el administrador del sistema; gestión centralizada del DOI y de la preservación digital en LOCKSS y un painel con los datos estadísticos (total de revistas, ediciones, estatísticas Counter, autores etc). Además el fortalecimiento y creación de centros de desarrollo de OJS en las Universidades Latinoamericanas podría impulsionar el uso del sistema en su totalidad por los editores de la región.

Absence of placeholders abolishes exogenous attention effect in a peripheral cueing procedure

Most studies of exogenous visuospatial attention use placeholders indicating the regions where the stimuli appear on the screen. Preliminary results from our laboratory provided evidence that the attentional effect is more frequently observed when placeholders are used in these experimental procedures. Four experiments were carried out. Experiment 1 aimed at confirming the finding that the attentional effect of a spatially non-informative cue (S1) observed in the presence of placeholders disappears in their absence. The results confirmed this finding. Experiments 2, 3, and 4 examined several possible processes that could explain this finding. Experiment 2 investigated if the contribution of a faster disengagement of attention from the cued location or a stronger forward masking could explain the absence of attentional effect when no placeholders were used. Experiment 3 investigated if increased difficulty in discrimination of the target (S2) from S1 would favor the appearance of the attentional effect in the absence of placeholders. Experiment 4 investigated if an insufficient focusing of attention towards the cued location could explain the absence of attentional effect when no placeholders were used. The results of the three experiments indicated that placeholders act by reducing the discriminability of the S2. This would presumably lead to the adoption of an attentional set that favors the mobilization of attention by the S1