bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Avaliação das violências e valores morais
Authors: Tostain Manuel , Lebreuilly Joëlle , Lebreuilly Romain
Published: June 2015

Neste artigo, procuramos pôr em perspectiva os trabalhos de psicologia experimental, particularmente psicossociais, e as análises sociojurídicas recentes que tratam dos processos de julgamento de responsabilidade realizados no âmbito da avaliação das violências comuns. Investigamos as características e a significação da responsabilidade objetiva dos psicólogos e da objetivação penal dos juristas supondo que essas duas noções remetem, no contexto de segurança atual, a um aumento da vontade repressiva contra autores de atos delituosos.
Tolerância versus discriminação junto dos estudantes universitários portugueses
Authors: Pedro Ana Paula , Pires Lucília
Published: June 2015

O trabalho de investigação que desenvolvemos centrou-se nas representações sociais dos valores dos estudantes universitários em Portugal. Para testar a questão da tolerância vs discriminação, especialmente o traço de discriminação flagrante, colocamos os estudantes perante uma listagem de indivíduos pertencentes a grupos minoritários que, por caraterísticas diversas, poderiam ser alvo de intolerância e ostracismo social, e perguntámos quais destes indivíduos os universitários não queriam como vizinhos. Adicionalmente, inquirimos quais os comportamentos e atitudes sociais os jovens consideravam condenáveis ou aceitáveis. Procurámos também medir as percepções dos estudantes quanto à aceitação ou não aceitação desses comportamentos pela sociedade. Comparamos de seguida os dados obtidos com os recolhidos pelo European Values Survey (2008) junto de uma amostra representativa da população portuguesa e procuramos captar divergências e convergências
Avaliação de valores sociomorais: procedimentos para a construção de uma escala
Authors: Tavares Marialva Rossi
Published: June 2015

Este artigo apresenta um relato de pesquisa em fase de préteste para a construção de uma escala de avaliação em valores baseada na metodologia da Teoria da Resposta ao Item (TRI) que permita verificar a presença e a força de adesão a valores morais de justiça, respeito, solidariedade e convivência democrática em crianças do 2º ciclo do ensino fundamental, jovens do ensino médio e professores de educação básica. A construção dos itens/questões fundamentou-se na teoria de Kohlberg, e sua análise e revisão, nas curvas características dos itens (CCI’s), elaboradas com base na aplicação dos procedimentos de calibração dos itens segundo a TRI. Essa revisão dispõe dos dados de respostas abertas obtidos com a aplicação dos mesmos itens, sem as respectivas alternativas, a um grupo menor de alunos e professores. Esse processo mostra quais as dificuldades para elaborar itens discriminativos e como as análises das respostas abertas ajudam na sua reformulação.
Apresentação
Authors: Novaes Gláucia Torres Franco
Published: June 2015

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Validade de construto em testes educacionais
Authors: Vianna Heraldo Marelim
Published: June 2015

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Natureza das medidas educacionais
Authors: Vianna Heraldo Marelim
Published: June 2015

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Qualificação técnica e construção de instrumentos de medida educacional
Authors: Vianna Heraldo Marelim
Published: June 2015

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Avaliação e o avaliador educacional: depoimento
Authors: Vianna Heraldo Marelim
Published: June 2015

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Avaliação educacional: problemas gerais e formação do avaliador
Authors: Vianna Heraldo Marelim
Published: June 2015

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Avaliando a avaliação: da prática à pesquisa
Authors: Vianna Heraldo Marelim
Published: June 2015

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Avaliações nacionais em larga escala: análises e propostas
Authors: Vianna Heraldo Marelim
Published: June 2015

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Avaliação educacional: vivência e reflexão
Authors: Vianna Heraldo Marelim
Published: June 2015

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A didática de professores referenciais e suas contribuições para a formação docente
Authors: Cruz Giseli Barreto da , Marcel Jules
Published: June 2015

Este artigo discute o papel da didática na formação de professorespara a escola contemporânea. O objetivo do estudo consiste emanalisar as visões de estudantes sobre as práticas didáticas deprofessores formadores indicados por eles como referenciais.Para atender ao proposto, foi produzido um questionário comquestões abertas e fechadas, disponibilizado virtualmente aosestudantes do curso de Pedagogia da Faculdade de Educaçãoda Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Os dados foramexaminados de acordo com a análise de conteúdo e discutidos apartir do que defendem Shulman (2005), em seus estudos sobre abase de conhecimentos profissionais da docência, e Cunha (2012)e André (1995), no que tange às práticas do bom professores.
Redação no vestibular: perspectivas de reorientação da prática escolar
Authors: Castaldo Márcia Martins , Colello Silvia M. Gasparian
Published: June 2015

Para compreender como escrevem os alunos no final da educação básica, analisou-se, na pesquisa, a redação dissertativa do vestibular com base no referencial sócio- histórico, em particular, os postulados de Bakhtin, assim como nos preceitos da linguística textual. O corpus reuniu uma amostra de 374 redações produzidas no Vestibular Fuvest-2007, que foi analisada pelos critérios da norma culta, expressividade, configuração organizacional e remissão extratextual. Os resultados revelam dificuldades de interlocução: a língua cindida entre um saber-dizer e um dever-dizer, o que fundamenta iniciativas para a reorientação do ensino da língua escrita e para a formação de professores.
Os efeitos da inserção escolar para alunos pouco convencionais
Authors: Rahme Mônica Maria Farid , Mrech Leny Magalhães
Published: June 2015

Neste artigo, discutimos questões relacionadas à inserção escolar de alunos considerados pouco convencionais, procurando destacar o quanto a convivência entre colegas pode ser uma dimensão a ser considerada no trabalho educativo. Para tanto, retomamos pesquisas que focalizam os efeitos da escolarização para esses alunos. Em seguida, apresentamos dados de um estudo sobre os efeitos da convivência entre pares na escola, quando uma criança apresentava fragilidades em sua constituição como sujeito. Para realização deste trabalho, adotamos como procedimentos metodológicos o registro sistemático dos dados levantados no trabalho de campo, a prática de entrevistas e a realização de filmagens. A partir desses dados, procuramos indicar o quanto a entrada na escola pode superar a transmissão formal de conhecimentos, operando, para algumas crianças, como um fator de estruturação subjetiva.
Rankings na educação superior: as melhores faculdades do Brasil (1982-2000)
Authors: Calderón Adolfo Ignacio , Matias Raone Cezar , Lourenço Henrique da Silva
Published: June 2015

Este artigo aborda o estudo do extinto ranking Melhores Faculdades, o primeiro no campo da educação superior brasileira, criado em 1981 e editado anualmente, por dezenove anos, pela revista masculina Playboy. Foca o funcionamento e a metodologia desse ranking a partir de uma revisão bibliográfica e documental, envolvendo artigos científicos, notícias de jornal, depoimentos de autoridades universitárias publicados em portais da internet e, sobretudo, a análise de suas edições. Partindo da contextualização teórica sobre os rankings acadêmicos, o artigo revela a metodologia adotada pelo ranking em questão, baseada principalmente nas opiniões de chefes de recursos humanos de grandes empresas e diretores dos cursos avaliados, demonstrando a predominância de um grupo de instituições da região Sudeste como responsáveis pelos cursos de melhor qualidade e acenando para, apesar das críticas, a aceitação dos rankings como referenciais de qualidade pelos gestores universitários.
Produção acadêmica brasileira sobre avaliação em educação infantil: primeiras aproximações
Authors: Moro Catarina , Souza Gizele de
Published: June 2015

Este trabalho busca contribuir com o debate sobre política de avaliação em educação infantil no Brasil a partir das últimas modificações da legislação e das normatizações federais sobre o tema, levando em conta as polêmicas em torno das práticas atuais de avaliação da primeira etapa da educação básica. É finalidade do estudo mapear e examinar a produção acadêmica brasileira dedicada a esse tema no período de 1997 a 2012. O corpus empírico da pesquisa circunscreve-se a teses e dissertações cadastradas no banco de teses da Capes e a artigos de periódicos incluídos na plataforma SciELO, no portal de periódicos da Capes e no portal Educ@.
Avaliação, índices e bonificação: controvérsias suscitadas por dados da rede estadual paulista
Authors: Sousa Sandra Zákia , Da Maia Marcia Vieira , Haas Celia Maria
Published: June 2015

Com base em resultados do Índice de Desenvolvimento da Educação do Estado de São Paulo (Idesp) obtidos entre 2008 e 2012 pelas turmas do 3º ano do ensino médio de 41 unidades da rede pública de um município da Grande São Paulo, são analisadas as variações desses resultados no período, cotejando as metas estabelecidas para as escolas a cada ano, o Idesp obtido e o recebimento ou não da bonificação. A interpretação dos dados aponta oscilação de desempenho das escolas no decorrer dos anos analisados, não apoiando conclusões que indiquem melhorias gradativas e sustentáveis e identificando, inclusive, premiação de escolas que atingiram patamares inferiores aos de anos anteriores.
Cotidiano escolar e Saresp
Authors: Lammoglia Bruna , Bicudo Maria Aparecida Viggiani
Published: June 2015

Com a presente pesquisa, buscamos compreender como o Sistema de Avaliação de Rendimento Escolar do Estado de São Paulo (Saresp) se mostra no cotidiano da realidade escolar. A pesquisa é de caráter qualitativo e efetuada segundo uma abordagem fenomenológica. O Saresp é focado como fenômeno, investigado na expressão da realidade vivida por professores, alunos e demais agentes da instituição escolar. São apresentadas, como resultado da investigação, convergências articuladas pelo movimento de redução fenomenológica que tomou como dados os depoimentos de sujeitos entrevistados e textos teóricos estudados, tendo como eixos: realidade escolar; visão do Saresp; comprometimento com o Saresp; encaminhamentos pedagógicos e políticos com base nos resultados do Saresp; e visão da matemática escolar.
Fundamentos da educação experiencial: bem-estar e envolvimento na educação infantil
Authors: Laevers Ferre
Published: June 2015

O modelo da educação experiencial é o resultado de um projeto inspirado na abordagem rogeriana. Seu principal foco é a perspectiva da criança, buscando identificar os tipos de experiência que o ambiente de aprendizagem oferece e como essas experiências podem ser otimizadas. Uma das principais contribuições desse modelo está na identificação de dois indicadores-chave de qualidade, bem-estar e envolvimento, que oferecem uma medida reveladora do poder do processo e esclarecem como as crianças avançam. Como consequência, o conhecimento sobre o contexto educacional apresenta uma série de princípios e práticas que podem ser vistos como um caminho para aumentar os níveis de bem-estar e envolvimento das crianças. Esse modelo vai além da relação processo e contexto, articulando os resultados do processo educativo. Aqui, inspirados por Piaget, o conceito de aprendizagem significativa foi desenvolvido em conexão com uma visão holística sobre resultados e competências.
A prova formativa na educação superior: possibilidade de regulação e autorregulação
Authors: Moraes Dirce Aparecida Folleto de
Published: June 2015

Este artigo tem como propósito principal relatar os resultados da investigação sobre as possibilidades do uso da prova como instrumento de avaliação formativa em um curso de formação de professores na tentativa de superar sua visão classificatória da prova. Nesses cursos, faz-se necessário vivenciar experiências que ajudem os sujeitos a entender a utilização dos instrumentos avaliativos em uma perspectiva formativa capaz de subsidiar a regulação e a autorregulação dos processos de ensino e aprendizagem, distanciando-se da função de apenas verificar o que foi aprendido e dar uma nota. A pesquisa focou a prática de uma prova em sua função formativa, servindo tanto ao professor como aos alunos para repensar e modificar suas ações. Os resultados apontaram que, quando se compreende o significado da avaliação em sua função formativa, a visão classificatória pode ser superada e uma nova concepção de avaliação constituída.
Avaliações educacionais e seus reflexos em ações federais e na mídia eletrônica
Authors: Neto João Luiz Horta
Published: June 2015

O objetivo deste trabalho é discutir os usos dos resultados das avaliações educacionais brasileiras por algumas ações desenvolvidas pelo governo federal no Plano de Desenvolvimento da Escola, seus possíveis reflexos no trabalho da escola e como a mídia eletrônica escrita vem tratando do tema. Discute-se o direito à aprendizagem e o processo de accountability, eixos das ações governamentais nos últimos anos. A seguir, analisa-se o desenvolvimento dos testes aplicados aos alunos do ensino fundamental entre 1990 e 2012, identificando seus instrumentos e principais resultados. Devido à atual importância dos testes como um indicador de qualidade educacional, investigou-se, ainda, como essa qualidade é tratada pelos meios de comunicação eletrônicos. Conclui-se que os testes têm sido utilizados basicamente como instrumento para definir desempenhos das escolas, com reflexos indesejáveis sobre o trabalho que elas e seus profissionais realizam, na medida em que o foco das ações tem sido buscar melhorar o desempenho nos testes.
Avaliações externas: tensões e desafios para a gestão escolar
Authors: Carvalho Cynthia Paes de , Oliveira Ana Cristina Prado de , Lima Maria de Fátima Magalhães de
Published: June 2015

No contexto das políticas de avaliação e responsabilização na rede pública municipal de ensino do Rio de Janeiro, o artigo traz três estudos que partem de observações e entrevistas realizadas em uma escola pública da rede e de incursões exploratórias sobre os dados dos questionários contextuais dos diretores da Prova Brasil 2007, 2009 e 2011. São discutidos os desafios e as tensões cada vez mais presentes na pauta da gestão escolar, com destaque para a sobrecarga de trabalho burocrático num contexto de precariedade de condições de administração, de uma mediação tensa das políticas junto aos agentes escolares e ainda das tendências de mudanças na gestão pedagógica. Conclui-se ressaltando a importância do adensamento da reflexão sobre a pesquisa e a formação em gestão escolar diante dos novos desafios políticos e pedagógicos, sem perder de vista suas limitações administrativas e político-legais.
Evidências do efeito da repetência nos primeiros anos escolares
Authors: Correa Erisson Viana , Bonamino Alicia , Soares Tufi Machado
Published: June 2015

No contexto do debate sobre as vantagens e desvantagens da repetência escolar como medida pedagógica, este trabalho pretende verificar os efeitos dessa prática sobre o desempenho de estudantes dos anos iniciais do ensino fundamental. O objetivo é investigar se alunos que repetiram, mesmo ao custo de um ano extra de escolarização, apresentam ganhos reais de proficiência que justifiquem a utilização de tal medida. Para tanto, desenvolvemos um estudo observacional que compara dois grupos de alunos, repetentes e promovidos, organizados por pareamento assistido, analisando o impacto da repetência nas medidas de proficiência em Língua Portuguesa e Matemática desses grupos em diferentes momentos da sua trajetória escolar. Os resultados mostram que, ao longo do tempo, os alunos repetentes aprendem menos que os promovidos. Quando comparados em uma mesma série, independente do ano letivo em que a cursaram, os repetentes se saem melhor, embora o efeito em Língua Portuguesa se perca ao longo das séries.
Accountability escolar: um estudo exploratório do perfil das escolas premiadas
Authors: Koslinski Mariane Campelo , Cunha Carolina Portela da , Andrade Felipe Macedo de
Published: June 2015

O artigo investiga o perfil das escolas que foram premiadas por um dos programas que compõem a política de accountability escolar, recentemente adotada pela Secretaria Municipal de Educação (SME) do Rio de Janeiro. Discute-se uma bibliografia que sinaliza como desenhos de políticas de responsabilização podem emitir diferentes sinais para atores escolares e descreve-se, brevemente, a política de responsabilização escolar da SME do Rio de Janeiro. As análises utilizaram bases dos dados da SME do Rio de Janeiro e dos questionários contextuais da Prova Brasil, sendo identificadas algumas limitações do programa em premiar o esforço dos atores escolares. Nas considerações finais, são pontuadas algumas alterações na regulamentação que buscam corrigir alguns dos sinais/incentivos emitidos pelo programa foco do estudo.
A qualidade da educação e a disseminação de sistemas de avaliação
Authors: Tavares Júnior Fernando , Neubert Luiz Flávio
Published: June 2015

Nos últimos quinze anos, disseminaram-se no Brasil políticas de avaliação educacional. Os estados exerceram especial protagonismo nesse processo. Desde a Conferência de Jomtien, em 1990, observa-se o mesmo em escala global, concomitante às primeiras experiências em larga escala na América Latina. No Brasil, ocorreram dois movimentos: inicialmente, do governo federal, com avaliações bianuais, amostrais e diagnósticas; posteriormente, avaliações descentralizadas, estaduais, anuais, censitárias e relacionadas à gestão de suas redes, processo que se intensificou na última década. Este trabalho analisa a associação entre a implantação de sistemas estaduais de avaliação educacional no Brasil e o desenvolvimento da proficiência média entre os alunos das respectivas redes estaduais de ensino. Utilizam-se os resultados agregados das redes estaduais nas avaliações nacionais como parâmetro externo, e observa-se associação entre a implantação de avaliações e a elevação da proficiência média nos anos seguintes.
Os questionários do SAEB: o que eles realmente medem?
Authors: Karino Camila Akemi , Vinha Luís Gustavo do Amaral , Laros Jacob Arie
Published: June 2015

O presente estudo investigou as evidências de validade de construto dos questionários do SAEB de 2009. Depois de um processo de tratamento de dados e análise exploratória, foram analisadas as respostas de 1.906.616 alunos do 9º ano do ensino fundamental, de 77.905 professores e de 27.292 diretores, além das informações relacionadas às 27.045 escolas de todo Brasil. Análise Fatorial foi utilizada para identificar os construtos mensurados pelos questionários. Os resultados indicaram a existência de quatro fatores no questionário de escola, seis fatores no questionário de diretor, seis fatores no questionário de professor e quatro fatores no questionário de aluno. Uma reflexão crítica é necessária para avaliar se os construtos mensurados pelos questionários do SAEB são os construtos que realmente importam em relação ao desempenho escolar.
Modeling trade‐offs between plant fiber and toxins: a framework for quantifying risks perceived by foraging herbivores
Authors: Camp Meghan J. , Shipley Lisa A. , Johnson Timothy R. , Forbey Jennifer Sorensen , Rachlow Janet L. , Crowell Miranda M.
Published: June 2015

When selecting habitats, herbivores must weigh multiple risks, such as predation, starvation, toxicity, and thermal stress, forcing them to make fitness trade‐offs. Here, we applied the method of paired comparisons (PC) to investigate how herbivores make trade‐offs between habitat features that influence selection of food patches. The method of PC measures utility and the inverse of utility, relative risk, and makes trade‐offs and indifferences explicit by forcing animals to make choices between two patches with different types of risks. Using a series of paired‐choice experiments to titrate the equivalence curve and find the marginal rate of substitution for one risk over the other, we evaluated how toxin‐tolerant (pygmy rabbit Brachylagus idahoensis) and fiber‐tolerant (mountain cottontail rabbit Sylviagus nuttallii) herbivores differed in their hypothesized perceived risk of fiber and toxins in food. Pygmy rabbits were willing to consume nearly five times more of the toxin 1,8‐cineole in their diets to avoid consuming higher levels of fiber than were mountain cottontails. Fiber posed a greater relative risk for pygmy rabbits than cottontails and cineole a greater risk for cottontails than pygmy rabbits. Our flexible modeling approach can be used to (1) quantify how animals evaluate and trade off multiple habitat attributes when the benefits and risks are difficult to quantify, and (2) integrate diverse risks that influence fitness and habitat selection into a single index of habitat value. This index potentially could be applied to landscapes to predict habitat selection across several scales.
On the Advection-Upstream-Splitting-Method Hybrid Scheme: A Simple Transient-Flow Model for Managed-Pressure-Drilling and Underbalanced-Drilling Applications
Authors: Udegbunam John Emeka , Fjelde Kjell Kåre , Evje Steinar , Nygaard Gerhard
Published: June 2015

Transient flow models play an important role in the planning and follow-up of advanced well operations such as managed pressure drilling (MPD) and underbalanced operations. The most recent trend is a situation whereby flow models and control-engineering algorithms are combined in various settings to control flow parameters. This requires robust flow models and an in-depth understanding of uncertainties in the modeling process.

This paper presents a simple and robust transient model that can handle highly dynamic flow systems. The model, the Advection-Upstream-Splitting-Model hybrid scheme, was developed for academic and training purposes. With the model, students can investigate different flow scenarios and pressure-control challenges encountered in general well control, MPD, underbalanced drilling, and automation.

The capability of this model to handle highly changing flow scenarios is demonstrated with examples taken from MPD and underbalanced operations. The effect of numerical dissipation on the model predictions is briefly discussed.
Listeria Infection in Pregnancy: A Review of Literature
Authors: Luca Carmen De , Donati Laura , D’Oria Luisa , Licameli Angelo , Pellegrino Marcella , Santis Marco De
Published: June 2015

Listeria monocytogenes, a Gram-positive bacterium, is responsible for human listeriosis. Infection with Listeria
has been associated with the consumption of contaminated and/or inadequately cooked food, particularly dairy products,
leafy vegetables, fish, and meat. The main clinical manifestations include diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, which are
usually followed by fever and flu-like symptoms.

Listeriosis affects pregnant women in about one in seven (14%) cases. They are approximately 10 times more likely to catch
the disease than the general population. Although Listeria infection during pregnancy is usually uncomplicated for the
mother, fetal and neonatal infection can be severe and fatal. Animal studies have shown a dose-response relationship between
L. monocytogenes bacterial load and adverse pregnancy outcome, mainly pregnancy loss. Fetal and neonatal infection occurs
through the transplacental passage of the bacterium or through exposure in the perinatal period. In pregnant women Listeria
infection was associated with fetal loss, preterm birth, neonatal infection or neonatal death. Blood culture is the principal
diagnostic tool and the antibiotic of choice for the treatment of listeriosis is penicillin, with high doses injected intravenously
for at least 14 days. In case of suspected or confirmed maternal listeriosis, a program of fetal surveillance should be
implemented. Common fetal ultrasound findings in listeria infection include non-immune hydrops, intracranial calcifications,
and intrauterine fetal demise. Strategies for the prevention of listeriosis, including avoiding unpasteurized dairy products,
uncooked food and leftover food, have significantly decreased the number of cases of infection. Prevention in pregnant
women can be achieved by sticking to prophylactic measures and strict diet recommendations.
Subsidence in Collarless Corail Hip Replacement
Authors: Selvaratnam Veenesh , Shetty Vishwanath , Sahni Vishal
Published: June 2015

The purpose of this study was to assess whether subsidence occurs in collarless Corail hip replacement (CCHR) and to ascertain the extent and timing of subsidence if present. Retrospective case notes analysis was performed. Sixty eight patients who had CCHR were identified from our database. Male to female ratio was 32:36. Their mean age was 74.2 years (range 37-95 years). Indications for surgery were osteoarthritis in 64 (94%) patients, rheumatoid arthritis in two (3%) patients and avascular necrosis in two (3%) patients. Subsidence was measured at 6 weeks, 6 months and 1 year post-op compared to initial post-op x-rays. At 6 weeks x-ray 21 patients did not have any subsidence, 18 patients had 1 millimeter (mm) subsidence, 10 patients had 2mms subsidence, 4 patients had 3mms subsidence, 5 patients had 4mms subsidence, 1 patient had 5mms subsidence, 4 patients had 6 mms subsidence and 1 patient each had subsidence of 7mms, 9mms, 11mms, 13mms and 26 mms respectively. When compared with 6 months x-rays only 2 patients had a further subsidence of 2mms while another patient had 3mms subsidence. No further subsidence occurred at 1 year follow up x-rays. One patient had revision surgery due to symptomatic subsidence (29mms) at 6 months follow up. Subsidence does occur in the first 6 weeks in collarless Corail hip replacement, and to a lesser extent until 6 months postoperatively, but does not progress further.
Planning to Minimize the Risks and Maximize the Rewards of the Estate Portability Election
Authors: Duncan William A. , Everett John O. , Raabe William A.
Published: June 2015

Estate tax planning has been changed substantially with the enactment of the carryover of unused estate tax exclusion amounts from the first spouse to die to the estate of the second spouse. Termed portability, the availability of the deceased spouse's unused exclusion amount (DSUEA) largely eliminates the need for most taxpayers to conduct a series of lifetime asset transfers to balance estates and maximize the use of the exclusions. It also opens an opportunity for a double basis increase adjustment, one when the first spouse dies and a second when the surviving spouse dies.

Where the DSUEA is sufficient to offset the additional inclusion from estate taxation in whole or in part, there may be an advantage to using the marital deduction to avoid inclusion in the tax base until the second demise. We explore the combination of estate asset values, appreciation expectations, and appropriate properties within the context of planning with the portability election, as well as the risk variables associated with such planning strategies.
Career-Risk Concerns, Information Effort, and Optimal Pay-for-Performance Sensitivity
Authors: Chen Qi , Dikolli Shane S. , Jiang Wei
Published: June 2015

Prior work has established that managers' concerns about the level of their future compensation (i.e., implicit incentives from career concerns) may substitute for explicit incentives in compensation contracts offered to the managers in a single-task setting (Gibbons and Murphy 1992). We show that the substitution effect can be weakened, and even reversed, when managers (1) exert effort, in addition to production effort, to influence information about their ability, and (2) are concerned about both the level and variability of their reputation. We also find that managerial concern about the variability of reputation can lead to the optimal pay-for-performance sensitivity increasing in the underlying risk measure, rather than decreasing in risk, as in standard incentive-risk trade-offs. We test these predictions using a large sample of CEO compensation outcomes. Results are consistent with our model predictions.
Workplace Culture Mediates Performance Appraisal Effectiveness and Employee Outcomes: A Study in a Retail Setting
Authors: Cravens Karen S. , Oliver Elizabeth Goad , Oishi Shigehiro , Stewart Jeanine S.
Published: June 2015

Performance measures have long played a central role in motivating employees to help achieve organizational objectives. However, previous research regarding the effectiveness of performance measures and the performance appraisal process does not provide consistent recommendations for improvement. This study explores the effect of a positive work environment that mediates the relationship between the effectiveness of the performance appraisal process and employee outcomes. Based upon experimental findings in the growing field of positive psychology as applied to a business setting, or positive organizational scholarship, this study puts forward a new construct, workplace culture, that measures the employees' perception of a positive, holistic, transparent, and supportive workplace and examines how it affects outcomes associated with employee success. Using a large sample of sales associates from a national retailer, our results indicate that workplace culture mediates the relationship between the effectiveness of the performance appraisal process and job satisfaction, employee retention, and self-reported performance.
Characteristics of bone fractures and usefulness of micro–computed tomography for fracture detection in rabbits: 210 cases (2007–2013)
Authors: Sasai Hiroshi , Fujita Daisuke , Tagami Yukari , Seto Eiko , Denda Yuki , Hamakita Hideaki , Ichihashi Tomonori , Okamura Kensaku , Furuya Masaru , Tani Hiroyuki , Sasai Kazumi , Yamate Jyoji
Published: June 2015

Objective—To characterize bone fractures and the usefulness of micro-CT for imaging fractures in pet rabbits.

Design—Retrospective case series.

Animals—210 client-owned rabbits with bone fractures.

Procedures—Medical records of rabbits evaluated for bone fractures from 2007 through 2013 were examined. Information was collected on signalment and nature of fractures, and radiographic and micro-CT images of fractures were reviewed.

Results—Almost half (n = 95 [47.7%]) of fractures were in rabbits < 3 years old. Accidental fall was the most common cause. Vertebral fracture was the most common type of fracture with a nonneoplastic cause (n = 46 [23.2%]) and was most common in the L4-L7 region. The tibia was the most common site for limb fracture among all fractures with a nonneoplastic cause (45 [22.7%]). Twelve (5.7%) fractures had a neoplastic cause, and 7 of these were associated with metastatic uterine adenocarcinoma. Females were significantly more likely to have a fracture caused by neoplasia than were males. Compared with radiography, micro-CT provided more detailed fracture information, particularly for complicated fractures or structures (eg, skull, pelvic, vertebral, and comminuted limb fractures).

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Findings were useful for understanding the nature of fractures in pet rabbits and supported the use of micro-CT versus radiography for fracture detection and evaluation.
The Gift of Nature in Mauss and Derrida
Authors: Fritsch Matthias
Published: June 2015

This essay proposes a reinterpretation of Marcel Mauss's famous The Gift with a focus on the question as to why gifts obligate recipients. Mauss argues that for the archaic cultures he studies, a donor is not separable from the thing given, so that the recipient also receives some of the donor's ‘spirit’ that wishes to return to its origin. In my reconstruction, I stress that the donor is not separable from her gift because it is understood to come from her tribe, its tradition and ancestors, as well as from its ‘native soil’ and natural elements, which are taken to be inassimilable by the recipient. I then examine Derrida's reading of Mauss in view of this unpossessable and the role of natural elements in it. In the face of Derrida's rejection of Mauss's foundationalist use of a cyclical nature, I conclude that for both authors nature may name not only a desire for the origin, but also a differential and open-ended force that turns and re-turns in all gifts.
Back to the Bathtub of the Future: The Anthropocene and Romantic Post-Personal Personification
Authors: Earle Bo
Published: June 2015

Part of the impasse we face in discussing climate change is that to speak on behalf of a beleaguered planet we need to mean too much. But if the Anthropocene names the era of man-made climate, it is also the era of the exhaustion of humanistic purpose, in which science has lost much of its normative social authority even as its warnings of global crisis become increasingly dire, and since 9/11 ethical norms generally have been increasingly undermined by global corporate capitalism and the War on Terror. The iconic Romantic period lyrics explored here—by Smith, Wordsworth, Byron and Keats—suggest how this debilitation of restrictive, normative economies might teach us how to mean less, to consume less meaning, by framing speech in Latour's sense as prosthesis, and speaking, with de Man, as personification. Perhaps counter to common conceptions of both Bataille and Romanticism, such lyric engages excess as a sublimity of frequency rather than amplitude, undermining anthropocentrism not by pretending to exceed it (such pretense is after all anthropocentrism's signature), but by a ‘post-personal personification’ that endlessly rehearses anthropocentric form for its own sake.
Optimization of a Fuzzy-Logic-Control-Based MPPT Algorithm Using the Particle Swarm Optimization Technique
Authors: Cheng Po-Chen , Peng Bo-Rei , Liu Yi-Hua , Cheng Yu-Shan , Huang Jia-Wei
Published: June 2015

In this paper, an asymmetrical fuzzy-logic-control (FLC)-based maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm for photovoltaic (PV) systems is presented. Two membership function (MF) design methodologies that can improve the effectiveness of the proposed asymmetrical FLC-based MPPT methods are then proposed. The first method can quickly determine the input MF setting values via the power–voltage (P–V) curve of solar cells under standard test conditions (STC). The second method uses the particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique to optimize the input MF setting values. Because the PSO approach must target and optimize a cost function, a cost function design methodology that meets the performance requirements of practical photovoltaic generation systems (PGSs) is also proposed. According to the simulated and experimental results, the proposed asymmetrical FLC-based MPPT method has the highest fitness value, therefore, it can successfully address the tracking speed/tracking accuracy dilemma compared with the traditional perturb and observe (P&O) and symmetrical FLC-based MPPT algorithms. Compared to the conventional FLC-based MPPT method, the obtained optimal asymmetrical FLC-based MPPT can improve the transient time and the MPPT tracking accuracy by 25.8% and 0.98% under STC, respectively.
Obesity and Insulin Resistance Are the Central Issues in Prevention of and Care for Comorbidities
Authors: Govers Elisabeth
Published: June 2015

For a long time the assumption has been that, although weight reduction was necessary and desirable, comorbidities were far more important and needed treatment even if weight loss was not a treatment goal, preferably with medication. This controversy leads to postponement of treatment, and later on causes very intensive medical treatment, thus, raising the health care costs to unacceptable levels, leading to the medicalization of individuals, and a declining of the responsibility of patients for their health, leaving the question of when to regard their own weight as a problem that should be dealt with up to individuals. The central problem is insulin resistance, which leads to a cascade of health problems. This condition should be diagnosed in primary practice and obesity clinics to ensure a better, tailor-made treatment for patients. Treatment should start at the earliest stage possible, when comorbidities are still reversible and includes a personalized dietary advice and counseling, preferably by a dietitian, to tackle insulin resistance. An exercise program is part of the treatment.
Vanadium Compounds as Pro-Inflammatory Agents: Effects on Cyclooxygenases
Authors: Korbecki Jan , Baranowska-Bosiacka Irena , Gutowska Izabela , Chlubek Dariusz
Published: June 2015

This paper discusses how the activity and expression of cyclooxygenases are influenced by vanadium compounds at anticancer concentrations and recorded in inorganic vanadium poisonings. We refer mainly to the effects of vanadate (orthovanadate), vanadyl and pervanadate ions; the main focus is placed on their impact on intracellular signaling. We describe the exact mechanism of the effect of vanadium compounds on protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTP), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), PLCγ, Src, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades, transcription factor NF-κB, the effect on the proteolysis of COX-2 and the activity of cPLA2. For a better understanding of these processes, a lot of space is devoted to the transformation of vanadium compounds within the cell and the molecular influence on the direct targets of the discussed vanadium compounds.
Nano-Sized Cyclodextrin-Based Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Adsorbents for Perfluorinated Compounds—A Mini-Review
Authors: Karoyo Abdalla , Wilson Lee
Published: June 2015

Recent efforts have been directed towards the design of efficient and contaminant selective remediation technology for the removal of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) from soils, sediments, and aquatic environments. While there is a general consensus on adsorption-based processes as the most suitable methodology for the removal of PFCs from aquatic environments, challenges exist regarding the optimal materials design of sorbents for selective uptake of PFCs. This article reviews the sorptive uptake of PFCs using cyclodextrin (CD)-based polymer adsorbents with nano- to micron-sized structural attributes. The relationship between synthesis of adsorbent materials and their structure relate to the overall sorption properties. Hence, the adsorptive uptake properties of CD-based molecularly imprinted polymers (CD-MIPs) are reviewed and compared with conventional MIPs. Further comparison is made with non-imprinted polymers (NIPs) that are based on cross-linking of pre-polymer units such as chitosan with epichlorohydrin in the absence of a molecular template. In general, MIPs offer the advantage of selectivity, chemical tunability, high stability and mechanical strength, ease of regeneration, and overall lower cost compared to NIPs. In particular, CD-MIPs offer the added advantage of possessing multiple binding sites with unique physicochemical properties such as tunable surface properties and morphology that may vary considerably. This mini-review provides a rationale for the design of unique polymer adsorbent materials that employ an intrinsic porogen via incorporation of a macrocyclic compound in the polymer framework to afford adsorbent materials with tunable physicochemical properties and unique nanostructure properties.
A Two-Account Life Insurance Model for Scenario-Based Valuation Including Event Risk
Authors: Jensen Ninna , Schomacker Kristian
Published: June 2015

Using a two-account model with event risk, we model life insurance contracts taking into account both guaranteed and non-guaranteed payments in participating life insurance as well as in unit-linked insurance. Here, event risk is used as a generic term for life insurance events, such as death, disability, etc. In our treatment of participating life insurance, we have special focus on the bonus schemes “consolidation” and “additional benefits”, and one goal is to formalize how these work and interact. Another goal is to describe similarities and differences between participating life insurance and unit-linked insurance. By use of a two-account model, we are able to illustrate general concepts without making the model too abstract. To allow for complicated financial markets without dramatically increasing the mathematical complexity, we focus on economic scenarios. We illustrate the use of our model by conducting scenario analysis based on Monte Carlo simulation, but the model applies to scenarios in general and to worst-case and best-estimate scenarios in particular. In addition to easy computations, our model offers a common framework for the valuation of life insurance payments across product types. This enables comparison of participating life insurance products and unit-linked insurance products, thus building a bridge between the two different ways of formalizing life insurance products. Finally, our model distinguishes itself from the existing literature by taking into account the Markov model for the state of the policyholder and, hereby, facilitating event risk.
Visual Privacy by Context: Proposal and Evaluation of a Level-Based Visualisation Scheme
Authors: Padilla-López José , Chaaraoui Alexandros , Gu Feng , Flórez-Revuelta Francisco
Published: June 2015

Privacy in image and video data has become an important subject since cameras are being installed in an increasing number of public and private spaces. Specifically, in assisted living, intelligent monitoring based on computer vision can allow one to provide risk detection and support services that increase people’s autonomy at home. In the present work, a level-based visualisation scheme is proposed to provide visual privacy when human intervention is necessary, such as at telerehabilitation and safety assessment applications. Visualisation levels are dynamically selected based on the previously modelled context. In this way, different levels of protection can be provided, maintaining the necessary intelligibility required for the applications. Furthermore, a case study of a living room, where a top-view camera is installed, is presented. Finally, the performed survey-based evaluation indicates the degree of protection provided by the different visualisation models, as well as the personal privacy preferences and valuations of the users.
Generation of Red-Shifted Cameleons for Imaging Ca2+ Dynamics of the Endoplasmic Reticulum
Authors: Waldeck-Weiermair Markus , Bischof Helmut , Blass Sandra , Deak Andras , Klec Christiane , Graier Thomas , Roller Clara , Rost Rene , Eroglu Emrah , Gottschalk Benjamin , Hofmann Nicole , Graier Wolfgang , Malli Roland
Published: June 2015

Cameleons are sophisticated genetically encoded fluorescent probes that allow quantifying cellular Ca2+ signals. The probes are based on Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) between terminally located fluorescent proteins (FPs), which move together upon binding of Ca2+ to the central calmodulin myosin light chain kinase M13 domain. Most of the available cameleons consist of cyan and yellow FPs (CFP and YFP) as the FRET pair. However, red-shifted versions with green and orange or red FPs (GFP, OFP, RFP) have some advantages such as less phototoxicity and minimal spectral overlay with autofluorescence of cells and fura-2, a prominent chemical Ca2+ indicator. While GFP/OFP- or GFP/RFP-based cameleons have been successfully used to study cytosolic and mitochondrial Ca2+ signals, red-shifted cameleons to visualize Ca2+ dynamics of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) have not been developed so far. In this study, we generated and tested several ER targeted red-shifted cameleons. Our results show that GFP/OFP-based cameleons due to miss-targeting and their high Ca2+ binding affinity are inappropriate to record ER Ca2+ signals. However, ER targeted GFP/RFP-based probes were suitable to sense ER Ca2+ in a reliable manner. With this study we increased the palette of cameleons for visualizing Ca2+ dynamics within the main intracellular Ca2+ store.
Review of Research Status and Development Trends of Wireless Passive LC Resonant Sensors for Harsh Environments
Authors: Li Chen , Tan Qiulin , Jia Pinggang , Zhang Wendong , Liu Jun , Xue Chenyang , Xiong Jijun
Published: June 2015

Measurement technology for various key parameters in harsh environments (e.g., high-temperature and biomedical applications) continues to be limited. Wireless passive LC resonant sensors offer long service life and can be suitable for harsh environments because they can transmit signals without battery power or wired connections. Consequently, these devices have become the focus of many current research studies. This paper addresses recent research, key technologies, and practical applications relative to passive LC sensors used to monitor temperature, pressure, humidity, and harmful gases in harsh environments. The advantages and disadvantages of various sensor types are discussed, and prospects and challenges for future development of these sensors are presented.
Implications of Climate Change for Ghana’s Economy
Authors: Arndt Channing , Asante Felix , Thurlow James
Published: June 2015

Long-run economic development in Ghana is potentially vulnerable to anthropogenic climate change given the country’s dependence on rain-fed agriculture, hydropower and unpaved rural roads. We use a computable general equilibrium model, informed by detailed sector studies, to estimate the economy-wide impacts of climate change under four climate projections. Climate change is found to always reduce national welfare, with poor and urban households and the northern Savannah zone being the worst affected. However, there is wide variation across scenarios in the size of climate impacts and in the relative importance of sectoral impact channels, thus underscoring the need for multi-sector approaches that account for climate uncertainty. Our analysis of adaptation options indicates that investing in agricultural research and extension, and improved road surfaces, are potentially cost-effective means of mitigating most of the damages from climate change in Ghana.
Multi-Classifier Based on a Query-by-Singing/Humming System
Authors: Nam Gi , Park Kang
Published: June 2015

With the increase in the number of music files on various devices, it can be difficult to locate a desired file, especially when the title of the song or the name of the singer is not known. We propose a new query-by-singing/humming (QbSH) system that can find music files that match what the user is singing or humming. This research is novel in the following three ways: first, the Fourier descriptor (FD) method is proposed as the first classifier; it transforms the humming or music waveform into the frequency domain. Second, quantized dynamic time warping (QDTW) using symmetrical search space and quantized linear scaling (QLS) are used as the second and third classifiers, respectively, which increase the accuracy of the QbSH system compared to the conventional DTW and LS methods. Third, five classifiers, which include the three already mentioned along with the conventional DTW using symmetrical search space and LS methods, are combined using score level fusion, which further enhances performance. Experimental results with the 2009 MIR-QbSH corpus and the AFA MIDI 100 databases show that the proposed method outperforms those using a single classifier and other fusion methods.
The Emerging Roles of Viroporins in ER Stress Response and Autophagy Induction during Virus Infection
Authors: Fung To , Torres Jaume , Liu Ding
Published: June 2015

Viroporins are small hydrophobic viral proteins that oligomerize to form aqueous pores on cellular membranes. Studies in recent years have demonstrated that viroporins serve important functions during virus replication and contribute to viral pathogenicity. A number of viroporins have also been shown to localize to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and/or its associated membranous organelles. In fact, replication of most RNA viruses is closely linked to the ER, and has been found to cause ER stress in the infected cells. On the other hand, autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved “self-eating” mechanism that is also observed in cells infected with RNA viruses. Both ER stress and autophagy are also known to modulate a wide variety of signaling pathways including pro-inflammatory and innate immune response, thereby constituting a major aspect of host-virus interactions. In this review, the potential involvement of viroporins in virus-induced ER stress and autophagy will be discussed.