Hardwiring Student Success: Building Disciplines for Retention and Timely Graduation

This study profiles innovators��� efforts to elevate student success initiatives from the current patchwork of support services to an actively managed enterprise process that is designed to systematically identify and rapidly intervene with students exhibiting behaviors predictive of attrition or graduation delays. Based on nearly two years of work and hundreds of interviews with colleges and universities across the country, the report presents 16 best practices in the areas most critical to improving student persistence and graduation.

Modelo de gest��o de risco em seguran��a da informa����o: um estudo de caso no mercado brasileiro de cart��es de cr��dito

As quest��es ligadas a gest��o de riscos associados a seguran��a da informa����o j�� �� uma realidade no cen��rio empresarial brasileiro. O crescimento das opera����es de neg��cios em dire����o aos sistemas de informa����o baseados em tecnologia fez com que os n��meros de amea��as e de vulnerabilidades sobre as redes de computadores e comunica����es aumentassem. V��rios s��o os desafios de estrutura����o e implementa����o de uma ��rea de seguran��a da informa����o dentro das empresas. Este trabalho analisa as diversas formas de constru����o de uma infra-estrutura de gest��o de risco em seguran��a de informa����o, n��o s�� no ��mbito tecnol��gico, mas tamb��m, no operacional e no mercadol��gico, de forma a estabelecer uma rela����o transparente ��s demais ��reas internas da organiza����o, aos clientes e a todo o mercado. A seguran��a da informa����o, vista freq��entemente como um assunto ligado a tecnologia, passa a ser entendida cada vez mais como um processo de neg��cio, e conseq��entemente, uma grande vantagem competitiva para o mundo empresarial.

Os jornais brasileiros e sua atua����o na internet: um estudo explorat��rio com base na economia da informa����o

A internet �� considerada a mais completa manifesta����o da nova m��dia e tem causado um impacto relevante no campo da comunica����o. Os ve��culos de comunica����o tradicionais enfrentam hoje um cen��rio de incerteza em rela����o ao futuro. As mudan��as provocadas pela nova m��dia criam in��meras possibilidades, que podem ser amea��as ou novas oportunidades, mas que, em ambos os casos, exigem rea����es dos participantes deste mercado. Este estudo tem por objetivo identificar como os jornais di��rios brasileiros est��o atuando no meio online em rea����o a estas mudan��as. O processo para se atingir este objetivo ocorreu, primeiramente por meio da identifica����o das caracter��sticas e da classifica����o dos principais jornais brasileiros nos meios impresso e online. Em seguida, houve um aprofundamento desta pesquisa em entrevistas com profissionais deste mercado. Com base nos conceitos te��ricos da economia da informa����o, foi constru��da a estrutura de uma taxonomia que permitisse uma an��lise mais objetiva dos ve��culos estudados. A avalia����o dos dados coletados, tendo o apoio das informa����es capturadas nas entrevistas, resultou em uma an��lise bastante rica, da qual algumas conclus��es importantes foram extra��das. Identificou-se, por exemplo, uma poss��vel rela����o entre o n��vel de adapta����o do jornal ao meio online a categoria de seu conte��do. Outra constata����o �� a grande import��ncia que o meio impresso ainda tem em termos de resultados financeiros dos jornais. Em rela����o ao futuro, existem muitas expectativas para o mercado de not��cias, mas seu rumo ainda �� muito incerto. Apesar disso, uma coisa parece clara: �� importante a constru����o de uma marca forte baseada em credibilidade. No futuro, independentemente dos modelos de neg��cios que vigorarem, este ser�� um diferencial importante para a sobreviv��ncia dos jornais.

O impacto da converg��ncia tecnol��gica sobre o modelo organizacional das empresas

Estamos vivenciando uma era na qual a converg��ncia entre a tecnologia da informa����o e a comunica����o vem sendo identificada, por diversos estudiosos e acad��micos, como a respons��vel pelas mudan��as identificadas na sociedade, na economia e na revis��o do papel do Estado ocorridas na segunda metade do s��culo XX. Segundo estes pesquisadores, com sua apregoada capacidade de transforma����o dos conceitos de tempo e espa��o, a converg��ncia tecnol��gica vem introduzindo profundas transforma����es no modelo de gest��o das empresas a partir do momento em que velocidade, flexibilidade, capacidade de integra����o e capacidade de inova����o tornam-se fatores cr��ticos de sucesso para qualquer organiza����o que queira ser bem sucedida na economia atual. Cada vez mais efic��cia, efici��ncia, disponibilidade e produtividade s��o exigidas dos profissionais, independentemente do n��vel hier��rquico, da especializa����o ou da localiza����o f��sica de seus escrit��rios. Essa disserta����o tem como objetivo verificar se a utiliza����o de ferramentas oriundas da converg��ncia da tecnologia da informa����o e comunica����o pode ser considerada como um fator determinante para a implementa����o de uma organiza����o com barreiras fluidas.

Stage level measurement of information and communication technology in organizations

Na moderna Economia do Conhecimento, na Era do Big Data, entender corretamente o uso e a gest��o da Tecnologia de Informa����o e Comunica����o (TIC) tendo como base o campo acad��mico de estudos de Sistemas de Informa����o (SI), torna-se cada vez mais relevante e estrat��gico para as organiza����es que pretendem: permanecer em atividade, estar aptas para atender novas demandas (internas e externas) e enfrentar as complexas mudan��as na competi����o de mercado. Esta pesquisa utiliza a teoria dos est��gios de crescimento, fundamentada pelos estudos de Richard L. Nolan nos anos 70. A literatura acad��mica relacionada com modelos de est��gios de crescimento e o contexto do campo de estudo de SI, fornecem as bases conceituais deste estudo. A pesquisa identifica um modelo com seus construtos relacionados aos est��gios de crescimento das iniciativas da TIC/SI organizacional, partindo das vari��veis de benchmark de segundo n��vel de Nolan, e prop��e sua operacionaliza����o com a cria����o e desenvolvimento de uma escala. De car��ter explorat��rio e descritivo, a pesquisa traz contribui����o te��rica ao paradigma da teoria dos est��gios de crescimento, adicionando um novo processo de crescimento em sua estrutura conceitual. Como resultado, �� disponibilizado al��m de um instrumento de escala bil��ngue (portugu��s e ingl��s), recomenda����es e regras para aplica����o de um instrumento de pesquisa do tipo survey, na continuidade deste estudo. Como implica����o geral desta pesquisa, �� esperado que seu uso e aplica����o ao mensurar a avalia����o do n��vel de est��gio da TIC/SI em organiza����es, possam auxiliar dois perfis de indiv��duos: acad��micos que estudam essa tem��tica, assim como, profissionais que buscam respostas de suas a����es pr��ticas nas organiza����es onde trabalham.

Multilayer optimization in radio resource allocation for the packet transmission in wireless networks

In the last decade mobile wireless communications have witnessed an explosive growth in the user���s penetration rate and their widespread deployment around the globe. It is expected that this tendency will continue to increase with the convergence of fixed Internet wired networks with mobile ones and with the evolution to the full IP architecture paradigm. Therefore mobile wireless communications will be of paramount importance on the development of the information society of the near future. In particular a research topic of particular relevance in telecommunications nowadays is related to the design and implementation of mobile communication systems of 4th generation. 4G networks will be characterized by the support of multiple radio access technologies in a core network fully compliant with the Internet Protocol (all IP paradigm). Such networks will sustain the stringent quality of service (QoS) requirements and the expected high data rates from the type of multimedia applications to be available in the near future. The approach followed in the design and implementation of the mobile wireless networks of current generation (2G and 3G) has been the stratification of the architecture into a communication protocol model composed by a set of layers, in which each one encompasses some set of functionalities. In such protocol layered model, communications is only allowed between adjacent layers and through specific interface service points. This modular concept eases the implementation of new functionalities as the behaviour of each layer in the protocol stack is not affected by the others. However, the fact that lower layers in the protocol stack model do not utilize information available from upper layers, and vice versa, downgrades the performance achieved. This is particularly relevant if multiple antenna systems, in a MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) configuration, are implemented. MIMO schemes introduce another degree of freedom for radio resource allocation: the space domain. Contrary to the time and frequency domains, radio resources mapped into the spatial domain cannot be assumed as completely orthogonal, due to the amount of interference resulting from users transmitting in the same frequency sub-channel and/or time slots but in different spatial beams. Therefore, the availability of information regarding the state of radio resources, from lower to upper layers, is of fundamental importance in the prosecution of the levels of QoS expected from those multimedia applications. In order to match applications requirements and the constraints of the mobile radio channel, in the last few years researches have proposed a new paradigm for the layered architecture for communications: the cross-layer design framework. In a general way, the cross-layer design paradigm refers to a protocol design in which the dependence between protocol layers is actively exploited, by breaking out the stringent rules which restrict the communication only between adjacent layers in the original reference model, and allowing direct interaction among different layers of the stack. An efficient management of the set of available radio resources demand for the implementation of efficient and low complexity packet schedulers which prioritize user���s transmissions according to inputs provided from lower as well as upper layers in the protocol stack, fully compliant with the cross-layer design paradigm. Specifically, efficiently designed packet schedulers for 4G networks should result in the maximization of the capacity available, through the consideration of the limitations imposed by the mobile radio channel and comply with the set of QoS requirements from the application layer. IEEE 802.16e standard, also named as Mobile WiMAX, seems to comply with the specifications of 4G mobile networks. The scalable architecture, low cost implementation and high data throughput, enable efficient data multiplexing and low data latency, which are attributes essential to enable broadband data services. Also, the connection oriented approach of Its medium access layer is fully compliant with the quality of service demands from such applications. Therefore, Mobile WiMAX seems to be a promising 4G mobile wireless networks candidate. In this thesis it is proposed the investigation, design and implementation of packet scheduling algorithms for the efficient management of the set of available radio resources, in time, frequency and spatial domains of the Mobile WiMAX networks. The proposed algorithms combine input metrics from physical layer and QoS requirements from upper layers, according to the crosslayer design paradigm. Proposed schedulers are evaluated by means of system level simulations, conducted in a system level simulation platform implementing the physical and medium access control layers of the IEEE802.16e standard.

Organizations redesign and building of information systems

Develop software is still a risky business. After 60 years of experience, this community is still not able to consistently build Information Systems (IS) for organizations with predictable quality, within previously agreed budget and time constraints. Although software is changeable we are still unable to cope with the amount and complexity of change that organizations demand for their IS. To improve results, developers followed two alternatives: Frameworks that increase productivity but constrain the flexibility of possible solutions; Agile ways of developing software that keep flexibility with less upfront commitments. With strict frameworks, specific hacks have to be put in place to get around the framework construction options. In time this leads to inconsistent architectures that are harder to maintain due to incomplete documentation and human resources turnover. The main goals of this work is to create a new way to develop flexible IS for organizations, using web technologies, in a faster, better and cheaper way that is more suited to handle organizational change. To do so we propose an adaptive object model that uses a new ontology for data and action with strict normalizing rules. These rules should bound the effects of changes that can be better tested and therefore corrected. Interfaces are built with templates of resources that can be reused and extended in a flexible way. The ���state of the world��� for each IS is determined by all production and coordination acts that agents performed over time, even those performed by external systems. When bugs are found during maintenance, their past cascading effects can be checked through simulation, re-running the log of transaction acts over time and checking results with previous records. This work implements a prototype with part of the proposed system in order to have a preliminary assessment its feasibility and limitations.

A gest��o da informa����o sob a luz do Enterprise Content Management (ECM): um estudo de caso em uma universidade p��blica

This work involves the organization and content perspectives on Enterprise Content Management (ECM) framework. The case study at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte was based on ECM model to analyse the information management provided by the three main administrative systems: The Integrated Management of Academic Activities (SIGAA), Integrated System of Inheritance, and Contracts Administration (SIPAC) and the Integrated System for Administration and Human Resources (SIGRH). A case study protocol was designed to provide greater reliability to research process. Four propositions were examined in order to reach the specific objectives of identification and evaluation of ECM components from UFRN perspective. The preliminary phase provided the guidelines for the data collection. In total, 75 individuals were interviewed. Interviews with four managers directly involved on systems design were recorded (average duration of 90 minutes). The 70 remaining individuals were approached in random way in UFRN s units, including teachers, administrative-technical employees and students. The results showed the presence of many ECM elements in the management of UFRN administrative information. The technological component with higher presence was "management of web content / collaboration". But initiatives of other components (e.g. email and document management) were found and are in continuous improvement. The assessment made use of eQual 4.0 to examine the effectiveness of applications under three factors: usability, quality of information and offered service. In general, the quality offered by the systems was very good and walk side by side with the obtained benefits of ECM strategy adoption in the context of the whole institution

Group Sequential Communication (GSC): Especifica����o e An��lise de Desempenho de umMecanismo de Comunica����o de Tempo Real Compat��vel ao Padr��o IEEE 802.11/11e Aplicado �� Automa����o Industrial

This thesis proposes the specification and performance analysis of a real-time communication mechanism for IEEE 802.11/11e standard. This approach is called Group Sequential Communication (GSC). The GSC has a better performance for dealing with small data packets when compared to the HCCA mechanism by adopting a decentralized medium access control using a publish/subscribe communication scheme. The main objective of the thesis is the HCCA overhead reduction of the Polling, ACK and QoS Null frames exchanged between the Hybrid Coordinator and the polled stations. The GSC eliminates the polling scheme used by HCCA scheduling algorithm by using a Virtual Token Passing procedure among members of the real-time group to whom a high-priority and sequential access to communication medium is granted. In order to improve the reliability of the mechanism proposed into a noisy channel, it is presented an error recovery scheme called second chance algorithm. This scheme is based on block acknowledgment strategy where there is a possibility of retransmitting when missing real-time messages. Thus, the GSC mechanism maintains the real-time traffic across many IEEE 802.11/11e devices, optimized bandwidth usage and minimal delay variation for data packets in the wireless network. For validation purpose of the communication scheme, the GSC and HCCA mechanisms have been implemented in network simulation software developed in C/C++ and their performance results were compared. The experiments show the efficiency of the GSC mechanism, especially in industrial communication scenarios.

Narrativas de professores em forma����o sobre a didatiza����o de podcasts para o ensino de ingl��s na floresta

Considering the following conditions: (1) the fluency demands of students in an undergraduate program in Languages and Literatures/English in the Amazon region; (2) the listening and speaking needs of pre-service teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL); (3) my continuing education as a professor of EFL and my academic literacy as a teacher-researcher and pre-service-teacher trainer, this study, which is based on Narrative Inquiry, reports on a teacher experience of working didactically with oral genres through podcasting an activity that emerged with the advent of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Through this process, I engage with some theorists who promote teaching as a process that is driven by a concept of language as social practice. Subsequently, I make use of the notions of context of culture and context of situation, derived from Systemic Functional Linguistics, as well as the concept of genre and register derived from the perspective of this theory. Based on these principles and beliefs, the Amazon region constitutes the register (situation) of the genres used in this study. These principles also provide, opportunities for building learning strategies appropriate to this local context, and also to teach listening and speaking skills from a task-based approach. During the experience, based on the reflective teacher-education model, the participants produced narratives about the process, which I then analyzed according to Ely, Vinz, Downing and Anzul (2001), who propose possibilities of composing meanings in Narrative Inquiry. Based on this perspective, I discuss the following topics, which were highly emphasized in the participants narratives: the lack of didactic activities using oral genres; the relevance of context within teacher education; and collaborative work as a strategy to overcome gaps in digital literacy, language fluency and teaching skills. The meanings I thereby compose point to a paradigm shift in English language teaching within this context. I also argue for a pedagogical practice that is engaged with historical and socio-cultural issues, and with the development of language skills, also one that promotes the implementation of ICTs at the very start of teacher training programs, adopting teaching and learning strategies that correspond to the demands of fluency in this particular context, and deficiencies imposed by geographical isolation

A VHDL-based protocol controller for NCAP processors

This work presents the development of an IEEE 1451.2 protocol controller based on a low-cost FPGA that is directly connected to the parallel port of a conventional personal computer. In this manner it is possible to implement a Network Capable Application Processor (NCAP) based on a personal computer, without parallel port modifications. This approach allows supporting the ten signal lines of the 10-wire IEEE 1451.2 Transducer Independent Interface (TII), that connects the network processor to the Smart Transducer Interface Module (STIM) also defined in the IEEE 1451.2 standard. The protocol controller is connected to the STIM through the TII's physical interface, enabling the portability of the application at the transducer and network processor level. The protocol controller architecture was fully developed in VHDL language and we have projected a special prototype configured in a general-purpose programmable logic device. We have implemented two versions of the protocol controller, which is based on IEEE 1451 standard, and we have obtained results using simulation and experimental tests. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Open and Standardized Resources for Smart Transducer Networking

Coordena����o de Aperfei��oamento de Pessoal de N��vel Superior (CAPES)

No mutations found in exons of TP53, H-RAS and K-RAS genes in liver of male Wistar rats submitted to a medium-term chemical carcinogenesis assay

Funda����o de Amparo �� Pesquisa do Estado de S��o Paulo (FAPESP)

Chemically induced immunotoxicity in a medium-term multiorgan bioassay for carcinogenesis with Wistar rats

A variety of chemicals can adversely affect the immune system and influence tumor development. The modifying potential of chemical carcinogens on the lymphoid organs and cytokine production of rats submitted to a medium-term initiation-promotion bioassay for carcinogenesis was investigated. Male Wistar rats were sequentially initiated with N-nitrosodiethylamine (DEN), N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU), N-butyl-N-(4hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine (BBN), dihydroxy-di-n-propylnitrosamine (DHPN), and 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) during 4 weeks. Two initiated groups received phenobarbital (PB) or 2-acetyl amino fluorene (2-AAF) for 25 weeks and two noninitiated groups received only PB or 2-AAF. A nontreated group was used as control. Lymphohematopoietic organs, liver, kidneys, lung, intestines, and Zymbal's gland were removed for histological analysis. Interleukin (IL)-2, IL-12, interferon gamma (IFN-gamma), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), IL-10, and transforming growth factor betal (TGF-beta1) levels were determined by ELISA in spleen cell culture supernatants. At the fourth week, exposure to the initiating carcinogens resulted in cell depletion of the thymus, spleen and bone marrow, and impairment of IL-2, IL-12, and IFN-gamma production. However, at the 30th week, no important alterations were observed both in lymphoid organs and cytokine production in the different groups. The results indicate that the initiating carcinogens used in the present protocol exert toxic effects on the lymphoid organs and affect the production of cytokines at the initiation step of carcinogenesis. This early and reversible depression of the immune surveillance may contribute to the survival of initiated cells facilitating the development of future neoplasia. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Lymphoproliferative response and T lymphocyte subsets in a medium-term multi-organ bioassay for carcinogenesis in Wistar rats

The lymphoproliferative response and T lymphocyte subsets were evaluated at different stages of carcinogenesis in male Wistar, rats sequentially initiated with N-diethylnitrosamine (DEN), N-butyl-N-4(hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine (BBN), N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU), dihydroxy-di-N-propylnitrosamine (DHPN) and N,N'-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) (DMBDD initiation). One group was evaluated at the 4th week and other initiated group at the 30th week. Two initiated groups were also exposed through diet to 7-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF) or phenobarbital (PB), from the 6th until the 30th week. Two groups received only 2-AAF or PB until the 30th week. Five groups were studied to evaluate the effects of each initiator. The lymphoproliferative response was induced in vitro by concanavalin A and the percentage of T lymphocyte subsets was determined by flow cytometry, All groups submitted to initiation only, initiation plus promotion, or promotion only, developed significantly more preneoplastic: lesions than the untreated control group. The main target organs for tumor development were the liver, colon, urinary bladder, kidneys and Zymbal glands, mainly in the group treated with DMBDD + 2-AAF, There were no alterations of the lymphoproliferative response and of the T lymphocyte subsets percentage in the DMBDD-treated group at the 4th and 30th weeks. At the 30th week, the T lymphocyte subsets percentage was also not affected in the initiated groups after treatments with 2-AAF or PB. The lymphoproliferative response, however, was decreased in the DMBDD + 2-AAF group and in the groups treated only with 2-AAF or PB, the present results indicate that the initiating chemicals used in the DMBDD initiation protocol do not exert any influence on the immune system. The alteration of lymphoproliferative response induced at the advanced stage of carcinogenesis without alteration of T lymphocyte subsets may indicate that the influence of 2-AAF and PB on the immune system is functional and not toxic. (C) 2000 Elsevier B.V. Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.