Voices from the Field: Exploring Partnerships with the African American Library at Gregory School in Houston, Texas

Dr. Bernardo Pohl conducted an interview with Ms. Valerie Wade, the library’s historian and oral archivist, to discuss the library’s history, partnerships, and vital role in the community

Analysis of pressure blips in aft-finocyl solid rocket motor

Ballistic anomalies have frequently occurred during the firing of several solid rocket motors (SRMs) (Inertial Upper Stage, Space Shuttle Redesigned SRM (RSRM) and Titan IV SRM Upgrade (SRMU)), producing even relevant and unexpected variations of the SRM pressure trace from its nominal profile. This paper has the purpose to provide a numerical analysis of the following possible causes of ballistic anomalies in SRMs: an inert object discharge, a slag ejection, and an unexpected increase in the propellant burning rate or in the combustion surface. The SRM configuration under investigation is an aft-finocyl SRM with a first-stage/small booster design. The numerical simulations are performed with a quasi-one-dimensional (Q1D) unsteady model of the SRM internal ballistics, properly tailored to model each possible cause of the ballistic anomalies. The results have shown that a classification based on the head-end pressure (HEP) signature, relating each other the HEP shape and the ballistic anomaly cause, can be made. For each cause of ballistic anomalies, a deepened discussion of the parameters driving the HEP signatures is provided, as well as qualitative and quantitative assessments of the resultant pressure signals

Corporate ethical policies: evidence from large firms in Chile

This study explores the current status of corporate ethical policies in the large-size firms currently operating in Chile and focus on the edition of formal documents on corporate ethics by means of a survey sent to the companies whose manning table exceeds 350 employees (460 firms), using for this selection the 2005 Directorio ITV de Empresas en Chile (ITV Directory of Corporations in Chile). The results obtained from the 116 responses received reveal that almost 60% of the firms possess ethics corporate documents; that in general there is consensus about the need to bear in mind the ethical conduct in the personnel selection, promotion and bonuses; and that generally a greater proportion of foreign firms have documents on ethics, as compared with the domestic firms. Likewise, a statistical verification was performed –whose results are only extrapolated to the large-size firms– on the correlation between possession of formal ethics documents and performance (measured as the value of 2005 sales), which had positive results and was statistically significant; at the same time, evidence was found, although somewhat weaker, to support the hypothesis of statistically positive correlation between such documents possession and the number of employees.Corporate ethical documents; Business ethics policy; Codes of conduct; Chile

A Moral Debate at the Invisible Rainbow: Thoughts about Best Practices in Servicing LGBTQ Students in Special Education

Instead of occupying a marginal space within teacher preparation programs, special education courses and training should promote diversity in servicing marginalized groups such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) students. Within these programs, issues related to LGBTQ students should occupy a meaningful and formative space in the training of future teachers in special education. Often, special education teachers are at a loss about how to educate LGBTQ students with disabilities. Rethinking the role of special education and LGBTQ students with special needs within teacher education programs enables pre-service teachers to cultivate new values and attitudes that can enrich the student/teacher relationship within public schools. As such, this article proposes to explore best practices for servicing LGTBQ students in special education by promoting better ways to train future teachers

NetEvo: A computational framework for the evolution of dynamical complex networks

NetEvo is a computational framework designed to help understand the evolution of dynamical complex networks. It provides flexible tools for the simulation of dynamical processes on networks and methods for the evolution of underlying topological structures. The concept of a supervisor is used to bring together both these aspects in a coherent way. It is the job of the supervisor to rewire the network topology and alter model parameters such that a user specified performance measure is minimised. This performance measure can make use of current topological information and simulated dynamical output from the system. Such an abstraction provides a suitable basis in which to study many outstanding questions related to complex system design and evolution

Financial Market Runs

Our paper offers a minimalist model of a run on a financial market. The prime ingredient is that each risk-neutral investor fears having to liquidate after a run, but before prices can recover back to fundamental values. During the urn, only the risk-averse market-making sector is willing to absorb shares. To avoid having to possibly liquidate shares at the marginal post-run price in which case the market-making sector will already hold a lot of share inventory and thus be more reluctant to absorb additional shares all investors may prefer selling their shares into the market today at the average run price, thereby causing the run itself. Consequently, stock prices are low and risk is allocated inefficiently. Liquidity runs and crises are not caused by liquidity shocks per se, but by the fear of future liquidity shocks.

On the Evolution of Overconfidence and Entrepreneurs

This paper explains why seemingly irrational overconfident behavior can persist. Information aggregation is poor in groups in which most individuals herd. By ignoring the herd, the actions of overconfident individuals ("entrepreneurs") convey their private information. However, entrepreneurs make mistakes and thus die more frequently. The socially optimal proportion of entrepreneurs trades off the positive information externality against high attrition rates of entrepreneurs, and depends on the size of the group, on the degree of overconfidence, and on the accuracy of individuals' private information. The stationary distribution trades off the fitness of the group against the fitness of overconfident individuals.Evolution, overconfidence, behavioral economics

O monitoramento eletrônico como medida alternativa à prisão preventiva

O presente trabalho, vinculado à linha de pesquisa Criminologia e Controle Social, do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Criminais da Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul e ao projeto Descarcerização e Sistema Penal – A Construção de Políticas Públicas de Racionalização do Poder Punitivo, financiado pela CAPES-CNJ Acadêmico, aborda o monitoramento eletrônico como medida alternativa à prisão preventiva, enfoque justificado em virtude das alterações no Código de Processo Penal pela Lei 12. 403, de 4 de maio de 2011. Para tanto, parte-se da (inegável) crise que perpassa o sistema prisional brasileiro e dos efeitos decorrentes do cárcere, sob um viés interdisciplinar. Compreendida a necessidade de alternativas ao encarceramento, seja provisório ou definitivo, passa-se, em seguida, ao estudo do monitoramento eletrônico propriamente dito. Em continuidade, delineia-se um panorama do processo de implementação do monitoramento eletrônico no Brasil, sendo então apresentadas as principais dificuldades enfrentadas pelos estados e as hipóteses de aplicação da medida. A dissertação encerra-se com a análise dos discursos empregados pelos magistrados brasileiros para (des)legitimar o monitoramento eletrônico como medida alternativa à prisão preventiva.El presente trabajo, vinculado a la línea de investigación Criminología y Control Social, del programa de Pos-Graduación en Ciencias Criminales de la Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul y al proyecto Descarcerización y Sistema Penal – La Construcción de Políticas Públicas de Racionalización del Poder Punitivo, financiado por la CAPES-CNJ Académico, aborda el monitoreo electrónico como medida alternativa al arresto preventivo, enfoque que se justifica en virtud de las alteraciones en el Código de Proceso Penal por la Ley 12. 403, de 4 de mayo de 2011. Para tanto, se parte de la (innegable) crisis por la cual atraviesa el sistema prisional brasileño y de los efectos decurrentes del cárcel, bajo un bies interdisciplinar. Comprendida la necesidad de alternativas a el encarcelamiento, sea provisorio o definitivo, se pasa al estudio del monitoreo electrónico propiamente dicho. A continuación, se delinea un panorama del proceso de implementación del monitoreo electrónico en Brasil, siendo entonces presentadas las principales dificultades enfrentadas por los Estados y las hipótesis de aplicación de medida. La disertación se cierra con el análisis de los discursos usados por los magistrados brasileños al (des)legitimar el monitoreo electrónico como medida alternativa al arresto preventivo. sp

Modelling and Forecasting Dynamic VaR Thresholds for Risk Management and Regulation

The paper presents methods of estimating Value-at-Risk (VaR) thresholds utilising two calibrated models and three conditional volatility or GARCH models. These are used to estimate and forecast the VaR thresholds of an equally-weighted portfolio, comprising: the S & P500, CAC40, FTSE100 a Swiss market index (SMI). On the basis of the number of (non-)violations of the Basel Accord thresholds, the best performing model is PS-GARCH, followed by VARMA-AGARCH, then Portfolio-GARCH and the RiskmetricsTM -EWMA models, both of which would attract a penalty of 0.5. The worst forecasts are obtained from the standard normal method based on historical variances.Value at Risk (VaR) modelling, forecasting risk thresholds, Portfolio Spillover-Garch, risk management and regulation Acknowledgements: The authors wish to thank Felix Chan, Suhejla Hoti, Alex Zsimayer and seminar participants at the Institute of Economics, Academia Sinica, Taiwan, Ling Tung Institute of Technology, Griffith University, Queensland University of Technology, and University of Queensland for helpful comments and suggestions. The first and second authors wish to thank the Australian Research Council for financial support. The third author wishes to acknowledge a University Postgraduate Award and an International Postgraduate Research Scholarship at the University of Western Australia.

Methodological contributions of a diaphasic oral corpus

El artículo tiene como objetivo central mostrar algunas ventajas metodológicas de un corpus oral cuando se pueden establecer algunas comparaciones entre discursos de diversas situaciones de comunicación. El análisis está basado en el Corpus Michoacano del Español, que contiene datos sistemáticos orales de diversidad de contextos, y ahora cuenta ya con más de 40 hrs. de grabación y transcripción disponibles para el análisis lingüístico oral. Para la elaboración de este corpus se ha seguido la propuesta de Koch y Oesterreicher (1985, 2001, 22011), que permite integrar la variación lingüística desde los ejes de la inmediatez y la distancia comunicativa y con una distinción medial entre el canal fónico y el gráfico. Una ventaja de este corpus es que posibilita no sólo el análisis de textos orales de manera general con metodologías cualitativas, sino que permite también establecer comparaciones entre textos orales de diferentes registros discursivos, lo que posibilita el estudio diferenciado de ciertos fenómenos, incluso con metodologías cuantitativas. Estas ventajas metodológicas se ejemplifican y discuten en la segunda parte. En particular, se trata de revisar algunos fenómenos como la deixis espacial, o de ciertas estructuras conectivas en el discurso oral. También se mostrarán formas que, siguiendo una estructura monológica formal que tiende a una concepción escrita del texto, entran en conflicto con la capacidad cognitiva de la memoria de trabajo de los hablantes, por lo que se recurre a usos paratácticos de construcciones comúnmente hipotácticas en la escritura. La selección de diferentes discursos en el arco de tensión entre inmediatez y distancia comunicativas proporciona una visión integradora de la variación lingüística, bajo el presupuesto de que una lengua y su variación sólo pueden ser estudiados desde los discursos emitidos.This paper shows some of the methodological advantages of an oral corpus which allows for a comparison of different communicative situations. Our analysis is based on the Corpus Michoacano del Español, which contains oral data of more than 40 hrs. of recording and transcription, systematically collected following Koch and Oesterreicher’s (1985, 2001) model of language variation within the two poles of communicative immediacy and distance. An advantage of this corpus is that it facilitates a highly differentiated, qualitative as well as quantitative analysis of oral registers and “texts”. These and other methodological benefits are exemplified and discussed in the second part of the paper, in particular with respect to spatial deixis and some type of connective structures. Another point is to show that these and other structures typical of “written” monologic language, such as hypotaxis will be replaced by paratactic structures in oral language due to cognitive restrictions of the working memory, whenever there is a need to provide more information. The selection of different types of oral discourse situated on the axis between the two poles of communicative immediacy and distance argues for an integrated view of linguistic variation under the premise that variation can only be studied in “real life discourse”