Análisis organizacional del partido de la democracia social brasileña en el estado de San Pablo (1988-2006)

The article represents a theoretical and methodological approach to the analysis of organizational dynamics of political parties today, based on a study of the Party of Brazilian Social Democracy (PSDB) in the State of Sao Pãulo (period between 1988 to 2006). It is hypothesized that the structure and the institutional rules of a particular party, or even their election results, are insufficient to explain the inner workings, such as the role of party organization in the electoral system. An approach that articulates the relationship patterns, election results and posts held in the party, identified the factors that explain the political capital that circulated within the party and ensured its organizational dynamics over the period analyzed.

ALMASat-1, ALMASat-EO and beyond: evolution of structural concepts and technologies towards multifunctional structures for microsatellites

Multifunctional Structures (MFS) represent one of the most promising disruptive technologies in the space industry. The possibility to merge spacecraft primary and secondary structures as well as attitude control, power management and onboard computing functions is expected to allow for mass, volume and integration effort savings. Additionally, this will bring the modular construction of spacecraft to a whole new level, by making the development and integration of spacecraft modules, or building blocks, leaner, reducing lead times from commissioning to launch from the current 3-6 years down to the order of 10 months, as foreseen by the latest Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) initiatives. Several basic functionalities have been integrated and tested in specimens of various natures over the last two decades. However, a more integrated, system-level approach was yet to be developed. The activity reported in this thesis was focused on the system-level approach to multifunctional structures for spacecraft, namely in the context of nano- and micro-satellites. This thesis documents the work undertaken in the context of the MFS program promoted by the European Space Agency under the Technology Readiness Program (TRP): a feasibility study, including specimens manufacturing and testing. The work sequence covered a state of the art review, with particular attention to traditional modular architectures implemented in ALMASat-1 and ALMASat-EO satellites, and requirements definition, followed by the development of a modular multi-purpose nano-spacecraft concept, and finally by the design, integration and testing of integrated MFS specimens. The approach for the integration of several critical functionalities into nano-spacecraft modules was validated and the overall performance of the system was verified through relevant functional and environmental testing at University of Bologna and University of Southampton laboratories.

Unterstützung des Managements von großen Netzen in der Logistik durch die systematische Bereitstellung von Methodenwissen

Das Management komplexer, interorganisatorischer und durch eine Vielzahl unterschiedlicher Beziehungen miteinander verknüpfter Strukturen und Prozesse, wie sie großen Netzen der Logistik zu-grunde liegen, stellt für die verantwortlichen Akteure eine anspruchsvolle Aufgabe dar. Der nachfolgende Beitrag stellt einen systematischen Ansatz vor, mit dem Netzwerkmanager bei der Erfüllung dieser Auf-gabe durch eine verbesserte Informationsgrundlage über verfügbare Methoden und Gestaltungsoptionen unterstützt werden sollen. Exemplarisch demonstriert wird die Funktionsweise dieses Ansatzes anhand des umfangreichen Instrumentariums des Netzwerk-Controlling, welches zur Schaffung von Transparenz in den unternehmensübergreifenden Prozessen zur Verfügung steht.

Setting Inventory Levels of CONWIP Flow Lines via Linear Programming

This paper treats the problem of setting the inventory level and optimizing the buffer allocation of closed-loop flow lines operating under the constant-work-in-process (CONWIP) protocol. We solve a very large but simple linear program that models an entire simulation run of a closed-loop flow line in discrete time to determine a production rate estimate of the system. This approach introduced in Helber, Schimmelpfeng, Stolletz, and Lagershausen (2011) for open flow lines with limited buffer capacities is extended to closed-loop CONWIP flow lines. Via this method, both the CONWIP level and the buffer allocation can be optimized simultaneously. The first part of a numerical study deals with the accuracy of the method. In the second part, we focus on the relationship between the CONWIP inventory level and the short-term profit. The accuracy of the method turns out to be best for such configurations that maximize production rate and/or short-term profit.

Zukunftsforschung in Deutschland

Der zweite Teil des historischen Abrisses befasst sich mit der Geschichte der Zukunftsforschung in der alten Bundesrepublik von etwa 1972 bis zur Wiedervereinigung. Anhand von Institutionen, Herangehensweisen und zentralen Themen werden Strömungen und Entwicklungsetappen dargestellt. Auf das Neben- und Gegeneinander von systemkritischer und kybernetisch-systemtechnischer Futurologie noch Anfang der 1970er-Jahre folgte in den späten 1970er- und 1980er-Jahren eine Krise der Zukunftsforschung bei gleichzeitig ablaufenden Differenzierungsprozessen.

Locational policies in secondary capital cities: constructing a dynamic framework

Capital cities that are not the economic centers of their nations – so-called secondary capital cities (SSCs) – tend to be overlooked in the field of political science. Consequentially, there is a lack of research and resulting theory describing their local economy and their public policies. This paper analyzes how SCCs try to develop and position themselves through the formulation of locational policies. By linking three different theoretical strands – the Regional Innovation System (RIS) approach, the concept of locational policies, and the regime perspective – this paper aims for constructing a framework to study the economic and political dynamics in SCCs.

Factor structure of the Bern Psychopathology Scale in a sample of patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

BACKGROUND The Bern Psychopathology Scale (BPS) is based on a system-specific approach to classifying the psychopathological symptom pattern of schizophrenia. It consists of subscales for three domains (language, affect and motor behaviour) that are hypothesized to be related to specific brain circuits. The aim of the study was to examine the factor structure of the BPS in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. METHODS One hundred and forty-nine inpatients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders were recruited at the Department of Psychiatry II, Ulm University, Germany (n=100) and at the University Hospital of Psychiatry, Bern, Switzerland (n=49). Psychopathology was assessed with the BPS. The VARCLUS procedure of SAS(®) (a type of oblique component analysis) was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS Six clusters were identified (inhibited language, inhibited motor behaviour, inhibited affect, disinhibited affect, disinhibited language/motor behaviour, inhibited language/motor behaviour) which explained 40.13% of the total variance of the data. A binary division of attributes into an inhibited and disinhibited cluster was appropriate, although an overlap was found between the language and motor behaviour domains. There was a clear distinction between qualitative and quantitative symptoms. CONCLUSIONS The results argue for the validity of the BPS in identifying subsyndromes of schizophrenia spectrum disorders according to a dimensional approach. Future research should address the longitudinal assessment of dimensional psychopathological symptoms and elucidate the underlying neurobiological processes.

Dimensional approaches to schizophrenia: A comparison of the Bern Psychopathology scale and the five-factor model of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale

The aim was to examine to what extent the dimensions of the BPS map the five factors derived from the PANSS in order to explore the level of agreement of these alternative dimensional approaches in patients with schizophrenia. 149 inpatients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders were recruited. Psychopathological symptoms were assessed with the Bern Psychopathology Scale (BPS) and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Linear regression analyses were conducted to explore the association between the factors and the items of the BPS. The robustness of patterns was evaluated. An understandable overlap of both approaches was found for positive and negative symptoms and excitement. The PANSS positive factor was associated with symptoms of the affect domain in terms of both inhibition and disinhibition, the PANSS negative factor with symptoms of all three domains of the BPS as an inhibition and the PANSS excitement factor with an inhibition of the affect domain and a disinhibition of the language and motor domains. The results show that here is only a partial overlap between the system-specific approach of the BPS and the five-factor PANSS model. A longitudinal assessment of psychopathological symptoms would therefore be of interest.

Commentary on "Alternative Strategies for Identifying High-Performing Charter Schools in Texas"

In the last few years policy makers and practitioners nationally have shown much interest in identifying, recognizing, and replicating successful charter schools, many of which are showing that they can educate low-income and otherwise at-risk students remarkably well. However past efforts to identify high performing schools have been problematic. Using these systematic, rigorous value-added methods, the authors identify 44 Open Enrollment charter schools that merit a “high-performer” rating. Nearly all of those campuses identified serve a disadvantaged student population. The article also finds that most of those high performers are highly cost-effective, earning high ratings on the cost-efficiency measures. The authors argue for more widespread use of value-added modeling in the state accountability system. The approach taken to identifying high-performers is sensible and fair, but any formulaic approach to school labels comes with some limitations.

Probabilistic analysis of water availability for agriculture and associated crop net margins.

Rising water demands are difficult to meet in many regions of the world. In consequence, under meteorological adverse conditions, big economic losses in agriculture can take place. This paper aims to analyze the variability of water shortage in an irrigation district and the effect on farmer?s income. A probabilistic analysis of water availability for agriculture in the irrigation district is performed, through a supply-system simulation approach, considering stochastically generated series of stream-flows. Net margins associated to crop production are as well estimated depending on final water allocations. Net margins are calculated considering either single-crop farming, either a polyculture system. In a polyculture system, crop distribution and water redistribution are calculated through an optimization approach using the General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS) for several scenarios of irrigation water availability. Expected net margins are obtained by crop and for the optimal crop and water distribution. The maximum expected margins are obtained for the optimal crop combination, followed by the alfalfa monoculture, maize, rice, wheat and finally barley. Water is distributed as follows, from biggest to smallest allocation: rice, alfalfa, maize, wheat and barley.

A ribozyme-mediated, gene “knockdown” strategy for the identification of gene function in zebrafish

The zebrafish system offers many unique opportunities for the study of molecular biology. To date, only random mutagenesis, and not directed gene knockouts, have been demonstrated in this system. To more fully develop the potential of the zebrafish system, an approach to effectively inhibit the expression of any targeted gene in the developing zebrafish embryo has been developed. This approach uses a transient, cytoplasmic, T7 expression system, injected into the fertilized zebrafish egg to rapidly produce high levels of a ribozyme directed against the mRNA encoded by the targeted gene to inhibit its expression. In a demonstration of this strategy, expression of the recessive dominant zebrafish no tail gene was effectively inhibited by using this strategy to yield a phenotype identical to that resulting from a known defective mutation in this same gene. This, ribozyme-mediated, message deletion strategy may have use in determining the function of genetic coding sequences of unknown function.

Estudos climáticos e ambiente construído no município de Descalvado - SP

O presente trabalho analisou o ritmo climático da cidade de Descalvado - SP, por meio de dois episódios representativos do fato climático (de inverno e de primavera), bem como o comportamento térmico no interior de duas casas populares ocupadas, situadas na área urbana do município. Utilizou-se estação automática (CR10X - Campbell Scientific Inc.) que possibilitou a aquisição e o armazenamento dos dados meteorológicos, vinculando estes dados climáticos ao sistema de circulação atmosférica secundária. Dentro da abordagem Dinâmica do Clima, utilizou-se os conceitos de tipos de tempo afeito ao comportamento térmico das casas ocupadas. Os limites da zona de conforto propostos por GIVONI (1992) foram utilizados como referencial na análise do comportamento térmico das casas ocupadas. Os resultados demonstraram que as duas residências apresentaram comportamento térmico semelhante durante as possíveis situações de estresse de calor e frio. Conclui-se que, apesar de se tratar, do ponto de vista econômico, de moradias de baixo custo de construção, são casas que apresentaram adequado desempenho térmico.

Identificação de sistemas para o estudo de controle motor.

Qualquer tarefa motora ativa se dá pela ativação de uma população de unidades motoras. Porém, devido a diversas dificuldades, tanto técnicas quanto éticas, não é possível medir a entrada sináptica dos motoneurônios em humanos. Por essas razões, o uso de modelos computacionais realistas de um núcleo de motoneurônios e as suas respectivas fibras musculares tem um importante papel no estudo do controle humano dos músculos. Entretanto, tais modelos são complexos e uma análise matemática é difícil. Neste texto é apresentada uma abordagem baseada em identificação de sistemas de um modelo realista de um núcleo de unidades motoras, com o objetivo de obter um modelo mais simples capaz de representar a transdução das entradas do núcleo de unidades motoras na força do músculo associado ao núcleo. A identificação de sistemas foi baseada em um algoritmo de mínimos quadrados ortogonal para achar um modelo NARMAX, sendo que a entrada considerada foi a condutância sináptica excitatória dendrítica total dos motoneurônios e a saída foi a força dos músculos produzida pelo núcleo de unidades motoras. O modelo identificado reproduziu o comportamento médio da saída do modelo computacional realista, mesmo para pares de sinal de entrada-saída não usados durante o processo de identificação do modelo, como sinais de força muscular modulados senoidalmente. Funções de resposta em frequência generalizada do núcleo de motoneurônios foram obtidas do modelo NARMAX, e levaram a que se inferisse que oscilações corticais na banda-beta (20 Hz) podem influenciar no controle da geração de força pela medula espinhal, comportamento do núcleo de motoneurônios até então desconhecido.

An Electronic Reconfigurable Neural Architecture for Intrusion Detection

The explosive growth of the traffic in computer systems has made it clear that traditional control techniques are not adequate to provide the system users fast access to network resources and prevent unfair uses. In this paper, we present a reconfigurable digital hardware implementation of a specific neural model for intrusion detection. It uses a specific vector of characterization of the network packages (intrusion vector) which is starting from information obtained during the access intent. This vector will be treated by the system. Our approach is adaptative and to detecting these intrusions by using a complex artificial intelligence method known as multilayer perceptron. The implementation have been developed and tested into a reconfigurable hardware (FPGA) for embedded systems. Finally, the Intrusion detection system was tested in a real-world simulation to gauge its effectiveness and real-time response.

Pedagogiken i tiden : Om framväxten av nya undervisningsformer under tidigt 2000-tal – exemplet Kunskapsskolan

The study concerns the new educational activities that emerge within the deregulated school system at the beginning of the 21st century. Which ideas guide the work? How is the activity formed? What does one hope to achieve? The aim of the thesis is to explore these educational practices in one of the larges independent schools in Sweden – Kunskapsskolan. The study was based upon a sociocultural perspective on learning and on twenty situated interviews with seven principals. Tools central for the activity in Kunskapsskolan were used as basis for the interviews. A qualitative analysis has been used; one of the methods for analysis applied is phenomenography. The study shows how the school, with the help of centrally developed tools, organised the teaching and the environments for learning that were implemented in all schools of the company. Individually organised teaching is the foundation for all teaching, where the students are expected to be self-regulated and self-correcting and use the tools provided for their learning. With regards to the students’ learning, the teachers’ role is mainly related to individual tutorial conversations. Thereby the tools intended to create freedom and control for the students, also create problems and obstacles. Students who do not learn to use the tools have difficulties in managing their studies. The new tools also affect the teachers’ work. In comparison with other schools, the teachers are expected to submit to the educational model and a centrally controlled planning. The teaching is centrally planned in subject specific stages or subject integrated courses. Teachers can influence the central planning by working collaboratively in teacher teams but not individually. The main commission of the teachers is to follow the educational model decided by the company. In comparison with the traditional school, both teachers and students are given new roles. When learning is individually organised for the students, the teachers are expected to develop their knowledge collectively. According to the results, both students and teachers have different approaches to the system – they can submit to the system or approach it in a more independent and reflective way.