Systemic intervention for computer-supported collaborative learning

This paper presents a systemic intervention approach as a means to overcome the methodological challenges involved in research into computer-supported collaborative learning applied to the promotion of mathematical problem-solving (CSCL-MPS) skills in schools. These challenges include how to develop an integrated analysis of several aspects of the learning process; and how to reflect on learning purposes, the context of application and participants' identities. The focus of systemic intervention is on processes for thinking through whose views and what issues and values should be considered pertinent in an analysis. Systemic intervention also advocates mixing methods from different traditions to address the purposes of multiple stakeholders. Consequently, a design for CSCL-MPS research is presented that includes several methods. This methodological design is used to analyse and reflect upon both a CSCL-MPS project with Colombian schools, and the identities of the participants in that project

Persistence on airline accidents

This paper analyses airline accidents data from 1927-2006. The fractional integration methodology is adopted. It is shown that airline accidents are persistent and (fractionally) cointegrated with airline traffic. Thus, there exists an equilibrium relation between air accidents and airline traffic, with the effect of the shocks to that relationship disappearing in the long run. Policy implications are derived for countering accidents events.

Persistence in Airline Accidents

This paper analyses airline accident data from 1927-2006, through fractional integration. It is shown that airline accidents are persistent and (fractionally) cointegrated with airline traffic. There exists a negative relation between air accidents and airline traffic, with the effect of the shocks to that relationship disappearing in the long run. Policy implications are derived for countering accident events.Accidents; airline; Time series; Persistence; Long memory; Cointegration.

A AVALIAÇÃO DA SATISFAÇÃO DE USUÁRIOS DE UM SISTEMA DE GESTÃO DE INFORMAÇÕES ACADÊMICAS: UMA EXPERIÊNCIA EM UMA UNIVERSIDADE PÚBLICA NO BRASIL

As Instituições de Ensino Superior (IES), tanto públicas quanto privadas no Brasil, vêm sendo impulsionadas a investir em tecnologias da informação (TI). O objetivo da pesquisa foi avaliar o grau de satisfação dos usuários do Sistema de Gerenciamento dos Programas de Pós-Graduação Stricto sensu (SISPG) de uma universidade pública federal que vem passando por um período de crescimento, sobretudo após a implantação do programa de reestruturação e expansão das universidades federais no Brasil, o REUNI . O trabalho é fruto de uma dissertação de mestrado e envolveu a evolução tecnológica ocorrida no contexto da universidade e as transformações na gestão da informação envolvendo um ciclo contínuo de atividades que demandaram uma sistematização de processos. A metodologia empregada no estudo foi quali-quantitativa e descritiva, caracterizada como um estudo de caso, envolvendo uma população de usuários composta por 48 gestores dos cursos de pós-graduação e 45 secretários no âmbito da universidade. Os resultados demonstraram que há um importante grau de insatisfação em quase todos os construtos pesquisados e a universidade tem o desafio de gerenciar seus fluxos de informação na gestão das suas atividades em coordenações de pós-graduação. Concluiu-se, em relação aos gestores, que o sistema não atende de forma adequada às coordenações de cursos em suas demandas por informação na universidade

Towards an Architecture for Semiautonomous Robot Telecontrol Systems.

The design and development of a computational system to support robot–operator collaboration is a challenging task, not only because of the overall system complexity, but furthermore because of the involvement of different technical and scientific disciplines, namely, Software Engineering, Psychology and Artificial Intelligence, among others. In our opinion the approach generally used to face this type of project is based on system architectures inherited from the development of autonomous robots and therefore fails to incorporate explicitly the role of the operator, i.e. these architectures lack a view that help the operator to see him/herself as an integral part of the system. The goal of this paper is to provide a human-centered paradigm that makes it possible to create this kind of view of the system architecture. This architectural description includes the definition of the role of operator and autonomous behaviour of the robot, it identifies the shared knowledge, and it helps the operator to see the robot as an intentional being as himself/herself

Frameworks for Protocol Implementation

This paper reports on the development of a catalogue of frameworks for protocol implementation. Frameworks are software structures developed for a specific application domain, which can be re-used in the implementation of various different concrete systems in this domain. By using frameworks we aim at increasing the effectiveness of the protocol implementation process. We assume that whenever protocols are directly implemented from their specifications one may be able to increase the correctness and the speed of the implementation process, and the maintainability of the resulting system. We argue that frameworks should match the concepts underlying the techniques used for specifying protocols. Consequently, we couple the development of frameworks for protocol implementation to the investigation of the different alternative design models for protocol specification. This paper presents the approach we have been using to develop frameworks, and illustrates this approach with an example of framework

The Expenditure Composition Hypothesis: Empirical Evidence and Implications for Monetary Policy.

Leão (2005) has recently proposed a new explanation for the short run variability of the velocity of money based on the changes in the composition of the expenditure that occur along the business cycle. This paper presents further empirical evidence in favour of Leão’s Expenditure Composition Hypothesis, and draws new implications of this hypothesis for monetary policy. We use a VAR model to analyze the determinants of the velocity of both M1 and M3 in the USA. The main conclusion is that increases in the weight of investment and durable consumption in total expenditure raise the velocity of both narrow and broad money. This is in line with the Expenditure Composition Hypothesis. Furthermore, we draw a new implication of this hypothesis for monetary policy. The more a central bank’s decisions on the interest rate respond to money growth, the more volatile economic growth will be. In other words, a monetary policy strategy - like that of the ECB – which puts emphasis on money growth is de-stabilizing.Velocity of money; monetary policy; business cycle.