Systemic governance and development in Latin America

Includes bibliography

COBAMOS: Endnutzerprogrammierung auf Basis nachrichtenbasierter Komponentenvernetzung

Die Aufgabenstellung, welche dieser Dissertation zugrunde liegt, lässt sich kurz als die Untersuchung von komponentenbasierten Konzepten zum Einsatz in der Softwareentwicklung durch Endanwender beschreiben. In den letzten 20 bis 30 Jahren hat sich das technische Umfeld, in dem ein Großteil der Arbeitnehmer seine täglichen Aufgaben verrichtet, grundlegend verändert. Der Computer, früher in Form eines Großrechners ausschließlich die Domäne von Spezialisten, ist nun ein selbstverständlicher Bestandteil der täglichen Arbeit. Der Umgang mit Anwendungsprogrammen, die dem Nutzer erlauben in einem gewissen Rahmen neue, eigene Funktionalität zu definieren, ist in vielen Bereichen so selbstverständlich, dass viele dieser Tätigkeiten nicht bewusst als Programmieren wahrgenommen werden. Da diese Nutzer nicht notwendigerweise in der Entwicklung von Software ausgebildet sind, benötigen sie entsprechende Unterstützung bei diesen Tätigkeiten. Dies macht deutlich, welche praktische Relevanz die Untersuchungen in diesem Bereich haben. Zur Erstellung eines Programmiersystems für Endanwender wird zunächst ein flexibler Anwendungsrahmen entwickelt, welcher sich als Basis zur Erstellung solcher Systeme eignet. In Softwareprojekten sind sich ändernde Anforderungen und daraus resultierende Notwendigkeiten ein wichtiger Aspekt. Dies wird im Entwurf des Frameworks durch Konzepte zur Bereitstellung von wieder verwendbarer Funktionalität durch das Framework und Möglichkeiten zur Anpassung und Erweiterung der vorhandenen Funktionalität berücksichtigt. Hier ist zum einen der Einsatz einer serviceorientierten Architektur innerhalb der Anwendung und zum anderen eine komponentenorientierte Variante des Kommando-Musters zu nennen. Zum anderen wird ein Konzept zur Kapselung von Endnutzerprogrammiermodellen in Komponenten erarbeitet. Dieser Ansatz ermöglicht es, unterschiedliche Modelle als Grundlage der entworfenen Entwicklungsumgebung zu verwenden. Im weiteren Verlauf der Arbeit wird ein Programmiermodell entworfen und unter Verwendung des zuvor genannten Frameworks implementiert. Damit dieses zur Nutzung durch Endanwender geeignet ist, ist eine Anhebung der zur Beschreibung eines Softwaresystems verwendeten Abstraktionsebene notwendig. Dies wird durch die Verwendung von Komponenten und einem nachrichtenbasierten Kompositionsmechanismus erreicht. Die vorgenommene Realisierung ist dabei noch nicht auf konkrete Anwendungsfamilien bezogen, diese Anpassungen erfolgen in einem weiteren Schritt für zwei unterschiedliche Anwendungsbereiche.

Development of control-oriented models of Dual Clutch Transmission systems

A control-oriented model of a Dual Clutch Transmission was developed for real-time Hardware In the Loop (HIL) applications, to support model-based development of the DCT controller. The model is an innovative attempt to reproduce the fast dynamics of the actuation system while maintaining a step size large enough for real-time applications. The model comprehends a detailed physical description of hydraulic circuit, clutches, synchronizers and gears, and simplified vehicle and internal combustion engine sub-models. As the oil circulating in the system has a large bulk modulus, the pressure dynamics are very fast, possibly causing instability in a real-time simulation; the same challenge involves the servo valves dynamics, due to the very small masses of the moving elements. Therefore, the hydraulic circuit model has been modified and simplified without losing physical validity, in order to adapt it to the real-time simulation requirements. The results of offline simulations have been compared to on-board measurements to verify the validity of the developed model, that was then implemented in a HIL system and connected to the TCU (Transmission Control Unit). Several tests have been performed: electrical failure tests on sensors and actuators, hydraulic and mechanical failure tests on hydraulic valves, clutches and synchronizers, and application tests comprehending all the main features of the control performed by the TCU. Being based on physical laws, in every condition the model simulates a plausible reaction of the system. The first intensive use of the HIL application led to the validation of the new safety strategies implemented inside the TCU software. A test automation procedure has been developed to permit the execution of a pattern of tests without the interaction of the user; fully repeatable tests can be performed for non-regression verification, allowing the testing of new software releases in fully automatic mode.

The Intersection of Economics and Politics in a Small OPEC Country: the Case of Ecuador, 1990 - March 2014

Today, crude oil remains a vital resource all around the world. This non-renewable resource powers countries worldwide. Besides serving as an energy source, crude oil is also the most important component for different world economies, especially in developing countries. Ecuador, a small member of the OPEC oil cartel, presents a case where its economy is oil dependent. A great percentage of the country¿s GDP and government¿s budget comes from oil revenues. Ecuador has always been a primary exporter of raw materials. In the last centuries, the country experienced three important economic booms: cacao, bananas, and, ultimately, crude oil. In this sense, the country has not been able to fully industrialize and begin to export manufactured goods, i.e., Ecuador suffers from the Dutch disease. The latter has deterred Ecuador from achieving broad-based economic development. Given crude oil¿s importance for the Ecuadorian economy, the government has always tried to influence the oil industry in search of profits and benefits. Therefore, this thesis, explores the question: how and to what extent have political interventions affected the oil industry in Ecuador from 1990 until March 2014? In general, this thesis establishes an economic history context during the last twenty-four years, attempting to research how political interventions have shaped Ecuador¿s oil industry and economy. In the analysis, it covers a period where political instability prevailed, until Rafael Correa became president. The thesis examines Ecuador¿s participation in OPEC, trying to find explanations as to why the country voluntarily left the organization in 1992, only to rejoin in 2007 when Correa rose to power. During the ¿Revolución Ciudadana¿ period, the thesis researches reforms to the Law of Hydrocarbons, variations in the relations with other nations, the controversy surrounding the Yasuní-ITT oil block, and the ¿Refinería del Pacífico¿ construction. The thesis is an Industrial Organization detailed case study that analyzes, updates, and evaluates the intersection of economics and politics in Ecuador¿s crude oil industry during the last 24 years. In this sense I have consulted past theses, newspaper articles, books, and other published data about the petroleum industry, both from a global and Ecuadorian perspective. In addition to published sources, I was able to interview sociologists, public figures, history and economics academics, and other experts, accessing unique unpublished data about Ecuador¿s oil industry. I made an effort to collect information that shows the private and public side of the industry, i.e., from government-related and independent sources. I attempted to remain as objective as possible to make conclusions about the appropriate Industrial Organization policy for Ecuador¿s oil industry, addressing the issue from an economic, social, political, and environmental point of view. I found how Ecuador¿s political instability caused public policy to fail, molding the conduct and market structure of the crude oil industry. Throughout history, developed nations have benefited from low oil prices, but things shifted since oil prices began to rise, which is more beneficial for the developing nations that actually possess and produce the raw material. Nevertheless, Ecuador, a victim of the Dutch disease due to its heavy reliance on crude oil as a primary product, has not achieved broad-based development.

Youth empowerment evaluation to improve afterschool programming

Community-based participatory research necessitates that community members act as partners in decision making and mutual learning and discovery. In the same light, for programs/issues involving youth, youth should be partners in knowledge sharing and evaluation (Checkoway & Richards-Schuster, 2004). This study is a youth-focused empowerment evaluation for the Successful Youth program. Successful Youth is a multi-component youth development after-school program for Latino middle school youth, created with the goal of reducing teen pregnancy. An empowerment evaluation is collaborative and participatory (Balcazar and Harper 2003). The three steps of an empowerment evaluation are: (1) defining mission, (2) taking stock, and (3) planning for the future (Fetterman 2001).^ In a program where youth are developing leadership skills, making choices, and learning how to self reflect and evaluate, the empowerment evaluation could not be more aligned with promoting and enhancing these skills. In addition, an empowerment evaluation is designed to "foster improvement and self-determination" and "build capacity" (Fetterman 2001). Four empowerment groups were conducted with approximately 6-9 Latino 7th grade students per group. All participants were enrolled in the Successful Youth program. Results indicate points where students' perceptions of the program were aligned with the program's mission and where gaps were identified. Students offered recommendations for program improvements. Additionally, students enjoyed expressing their feelings about the program and appreciated that their opinions were valued. Youth recommendations will be brought to program staff; and, where possible, gaps will be addressed. Empowerment evaluations with youth will continue during the duration of the program so that youth involvement and input remains integral in the evaluation and to ascertain whether the program's goals are being met. ^

Computer-aided programming using formally specificed design templates

This paper describes a formal component language, used to support automated component-based program development. The components, referred to as templates, are machine processable, meaning that appropriate tool support, such as retrieval support, can be developed. The templates are highly adaptable, meaning that they can be applied to a wide range of problems. Some of the main features of the language are described, including: higher-order parameters; state variable declarations; specification statements and conditionals; applicability conditions and theories; meta-level place holders; and abstract data structures.

Defining the Fluid framework

In this position paper we present the developing Fluid framework, which we believe offers considerable advantages in maintaining software stability in dynamic or evolving application settings. The Fluid framework facilitates the development of component software via the selection, composition and configuration of components. Fluid's composition language incorporates a high-level type system supporting object-oriented principles such as type description, type inheritance, and type instantiation. Object-oriented relationships are represented via the dynamic composition of component instances. This representation allows the software structure, as specified by type and instance descriptions, to change dynamically at runtime as existing types are modified and new types and instances are introduced. We therefore move from static software structure descriptions to more dynamic representations, while maintaining the expressiveness of object-oriented semantics. We show how the Fluid framework relates to existing, largely component based, software frameworks and conclude with suggestions for future enhancements. © 2007 IEEE.

Data driven graphical applications:a fluid approach

The inclusion of high-level scripting functionality in state-of-the-art rendering APIs indicates a movement toward data-driven methodologies for structuring next generation rendering pipelines. A similar theme can be seen in the use of composition languages to deploy component software using selection and configuration of collaborating component implementations. In this paper we introduce the Fluid framework, which places particular emphasis on the use of high-level data manipulations in order to develop component based software that is flexible, extensible, and expressive. We introduce a data-driven, object oriented programming methodology to component based software development, and demonstrate how a rendering system with a similar focus on abstract manipulations can be incorporated, in order to develop a visualization application for geospatial data. In particular we describe a novel SAS script integration layer that provides access to vertex and fragment programs, producing a very controllable, responsive rendering system. The proposed system is very similar to developments speculatively planned for DirectX 10, but uses open standards and has cross platform applicability. © The Eurographics Association 2007.

A pre-post test evaluation of the impact of the PELICAN MDT-TME development programme on the working lives of colorectal cancer team members

Background - The PELICAN Multidisciplinary Team Total Mesorectal Excision (MDT-TME) Development Programme aimed to improve clinical outcomes for rectal cancer by educating colorectal cancer teams in precision surgery and related aspects of multidisciplinary care. The Programme reached almost all colorectal cancer teams across England. We took the opportunity to assess the impact of participating in this novel team-based Development Programme on the working lives of colorectal cancer team members. Methods - The impact of participating in the programme on team members' self-reported job stress, job satisfaction and team performance was assessed in a pre-post course study. 333/568 (59%) team members, from the 75 multidisciplinary teams who attended the final year of the Programme, completed questionnaires pre-course, and 6-8 weeks post-course. Results - Across all team members, the main sources of job satisfaction related to working in multidisciplinary teams; whilst feeling overloaded was the main source of job stress. Surgeons and clinical nurse specialists reported higher levels of job satisfaction than team members who do not provide direct patient care, whilst MDT coordinators reported the lowest levels of job satisfaction and job stress. Both job stress and satisfaction decreased after participating in the Programme for all team members. There was a small improvement in team performance. Conclusions - Participation in the Development Programme had a mixed impact on the working lives of team members in the immediate aftermath of attending. The decrease in team members' job stress may reflect the improved knowledge and skills conferred by the Programme. The decrease in job satisfaction may be the consequence of being unable to apply these skills immediately in clinical practice because of a lack of required infrastructure and/or equipment. In addition, whilst the Programme raised awareness of the challenges of teamworking, a greater focus on tackling these issues may have improved working lives further.

SLA-Based Guidelines for Database Transitioning

Component-based Software Engineering (CBSE) and Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) became popular ways to develop software over the last years. During the life-cycle of a software system, several components and services can be developed, evolved and replaced. In production environments, the replacement of core components, such as databases, is often a risky and delicate operation, where several factors and stakeholders should be considered. Service Level Agreement (SLA), according to ITILv3’s official glossary, is “an agreement between an IT service provider and a customer. The agreement consists on a set of measurable constraints that a service provider must guarantee to its customers.”. In practical terms, SLA is a document that a service provider delivers to its consumers with minimum quality of service (QoS) metrics.This work is intended to assesses and improve the use of SLAs to guide the transitioning process of databases on production environments. In particular, in this work we propose SLA-Based Guidelines/Process to support migrations from a relational database management system (RDBMS) to a NoSQL one. Our study is validated by case studies.

Model Development Guidelines for UML-RT: Conventions, Patterns and Antipatterns

Software development guidelines are a set of rules which can help improve the quality of software. These rules are defined on the basis of experience gained by the software development community over time. This paper discusses a set of design guidelines for model-based development of complex real-time embedded software systems. To be precise, we propose nine design conventions, three design patterns and thirteen antipatterns for developing UML-RT models. These guidelines have been identified based on our analysis of around 100 UML-RT models from industry and academia. Most of the guidelines are explained with the help of examples, and standard templates from the current state of the art are used for documenting the design rules.

Formação das substâncias de reserva durante o desenvolvimento de sementes de urucum (Bixa orellana L. - Bixaceae)

Annatto seeds do not germinate during early stages of their development because of insufficient reserve substances. In situ analysis showed that the principal reserves are proteins and starch, deposited in endosperm cells. During the early stages of development, the starch grains were elliptic, because amylose was the minor component. During development, these grains became more spherical due to an increase in amylose relative to amylopectin. Endosperm cells do not contain protein bodies, but they accumulate proteins dispersed in the cytoplasm. At the final stage of development the proteins became compacted due to the dehydration of the seeds wich is part of the global process of orthodox seeds maturation. Natural fluorescence revealed aromatic amino acids, principally tryptophan and tyrosine in the proteins. The seeds reached their maximum dry weight after moisture contents had declined to around 60%. At this point the seeds presented maximum germination capacity.

The young, tight, and low-mass binary TWA22AB: a new calibrator for evolutionary models? Orbit, spectral types, and temperature

Context. Tight binaries discovered in young, nearby associations are ideal targets for providing dynamical mass measurements to test the physics of evolutionary models at young ages and very low masses. Aims. We report the binarity of TWA22 for the first time. We aim at monitoring the orbit of this young and tight system to determine its total dynamical mass using an accurate distance determination. We also intend to characterize the physical properties (luminosity, effective temperature, and surface gravity) of each component based on near-infrared photometric and spectroscopic observations. Methods. We used the adaptive-optics assisted imager NACO to resolve the components, to monitor the complete orbit and to obtain the relative near-infrared photometry of TWA22 AB. The adaptive-optics assisted integral field spectrometer SINFONI was also used to obtain medium-resolution (R(lambda) = 1500-2000) spectra in JHK bands. Comparison with empirical and synthetic librairies were necessary for deriving the spectral type, the effective temperature, and the surface gravity for each component of the system. Results. Based on an accurate trigonometric distance (17.5 +/- 0.2 pc) determination, we infer a total dynamical mass of 220 +/- 21 M(Jup) for the system. From the complete set of spectra, we find an effective temperature T(eff) = 2900(-200)(+200) K for TWA22A and T(eff) = 2900(-100)(+200) for TWA22 B and surface gravities between 4.0 and 5.5 dex. From our photometry and an M6 +/- 1 spectral type for both components, we find luminosities of log(L/L(circle dot)) = -2.11 +/- 0.13 dex and log(L/L(circle dot)) = -2.30 +/- 0.16 dex for TWA22 A and B, respectively. By comparing these parameters with evolutionary models, we question the age and the multiplicity of this system. We also discuss a possible underestimation of the mass predicted by evolutionary models for young stars close to the substellar boundary.

Organizational responses to a changing aid environment: the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ)

As a major European donor, German government development assistance faces a series of challenges. Recent political changes have raised expectations for demonstrable health outcomes as a result of German development assistance; there has been a deepened commitment to collaboration with other bilateral and multilateral donors; and partner countries are increasingly open to new approaches to development. German development assistance also reflects a new ethos of partnership and the shift to programmatic and sector based development approaches. At the same time, its particular organizational structure and administrative framework highlight the extent of structural and systems reforms required of donors by changing development relationships, and the tensions created in responding to these. This paper examines organizational changes within the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit) (GTZ), aimed at increasing its Regional, Sectoral, Managerial and Process competence as they affect health and related sectors. These include the decentralization of GTZ, the trend to integration of projects, the increasing focus on policy and health systems reform, increased inter-sectoral collaboration, changes in recruitment and training, new perspectives in planning and evaluation and the introduction of a quality management programme. Copyright (C) 2002 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.

O trabalho em equipas docentes e o desenvolvimento da Educação Física

RESUMO: O sucesso das respostas aos novos desafios, exigências e expectativas que, nos dias de hoje, recaem sobre a escola, parece depender da concepção das estratégias organizacionais que globalmente a escola define, tendo em conta as características do contexto e das populações que serve. Depende por isso do modo como os actores chave se organizam e trabalham. Os modos de entender o trabalho docente em equipa prenunciam formas de entender a acção educativa e de conduzir a aprendizagem dos alunos. Tomando como ponto de partida as nossas experiências profissionais, este trabalho constitui uma reflexão sobre as possibilidades de desenvolvimento da Educação Física, baseada na escola e sustentada na organização do trabalho dos seus professores. Elaborando uma síntese dos principais problemas do seu desenvolvimento discutem-se as possibilidades e as vantagens da organização do trabalho dos professores em equipas, num contexto organizacional marcado por avanços e retrocessos nos processos de descentralização e atribuição de autonomia às escolas. Enquadra-se a organização do trabalho docente no âmbito das culturas de escola. Revisita-se o conceito de trabalho em equipa, distinguindo-o da simples participação nas estruturas da escola, realçando a sua importância na construção e gestão de conhecimento profissional através do estabelecimento de parcerias sinérgicas, onde o desempenho de papéis de liderança tem uma enorme importância. ABSTRACT: Successful responses to the new challenges, demands and expectations that currently are ascribed to schools seem to depend on the design of organizational strategies that broadly define the school, taking into account the characteristics of its context and the population it serves. Therefore, their success depends on how the key players are organized and work. The ways of perceiving the teaching team work forecast the ways of understanding the educational activity and how to lead learning. Starting from our own professional experience, this study is a reflection on the school based development of physical education, sustained by the organization of their teachers’ work. On organizing a summary of the major problems found in the development of this subject, we discuss the feasibilities and the gains got from the organization of teachers' teamwork, in an organizational context marked by promises and setbacks in the processes of decentralization and schools autonomy. The organization of teaching is to be seen as part of the school culture. We review the concept of teamwork as distinct from mere participation in the structures of the school, and its importance in the construction and management of professional knowledge will be highlighted by the establishment of synergistic partnerships, in which the performance of leadership roles is of the greatest importance. RÉSUMÉ: Le succès des réponses aux nouveaux défis, les exigences et les attentes que dans ces jours, s’accomplissent sur l'école, semble dépendre de la conception des stratégies d'organisation qui définit de façon générale l'école, en tenant compte des caractéristiques du contexte et des populations qu'elle dessert. Tout cela dépend donc de la façon dont les acteurs principaux sont organisés et travaillent. Les façons de comprendre l'équipe pédagogique démontrent des formes de comprendre l'activité éducative et de conduire à l'apprentissage des élèves. En prenant comme point de départ nos expériences professionnelles, ce travail est une réflexion sur le potentiel de développement de l'Éducation Physique, dépendante de l'école et soutenue dans l'organisation du travail de leurs enseignants. En préparant une synthèse des principaux problèmes de leur développement, on discute les possibilités et les avantages de l'organisation du travail des enseignants dans les équipes, dans un contexte organisationnel marqué par des avancées et des reculs dans le processus de décentralisation et l'accomplissement de l'autonomie aux écoles. On encadre l'organisation du travail des enseignants dans le champ des cultures de l’école. On revoit le concept du travail en équipe, en le distinguant de la simple participation dans les structures de l'école, en soulignant son importance dans la construction et gestion des connaissances professionnelles à travers l'établissement de partenariats synergiques, où les rôles de leadership joue un rôle d'une grande importance.