Addressing the Conflicting Dimension of Groupware: A Case Study in Software Requirements Validation

This paper addresses the conflicting dimension of groupware, seeking the reconciliation of two very different assumptions about the users' attitudes using groupware tools: users either collaborate or negotiate to reach consensus. We argue that groupware should integrate the full spectrum of attitudes occurring between these two extremes. The designed solution integrates content and process support in a coherent model supporting low and high conflict situations. Furthermore, we propose a set of benefits and resistances, developed at the user-interface level, aiming to influence users towards low conflict attitudes when interacting with groupware. This approach was applied in a case study involving the development of a groupware tool supporting Quality Function Deployment for software requirements validation in a real-world organization. The case study indicated that the proposed approach was beneficial promoting consensus

IN VITRO AND IN VIVO REMOVAL OF ORAL ANTIDIABETIC AGENTS (METFORMIN) USING ACTIVATED CARBONS

Diabetes is the most worldwide common chronic disease, according the International Diabetes Federation [1], more than 32 million citizens living in the European Union have diabetes, representing nearly 10% of the population, to which we should add equal number of people suffering from impaired glucose tolerance. Diabetes prevalence is growing at alarming rate worldwide, being of particular relevance the type 2 diabetes. Nowadays 285 million people worldwide live with diabetes and it is expected that this numbers will increase by 20% until 2030 due to obesity and the ageing of the population [1]. This growth leads to an increasing consumption of drugs such as oral antidiabetics. Metformin is one of the active principles most commonly used for this purpose being among the pharmaceuticals with the highest production numbers worldwide to treat type 2 diabetes because is cheap, has high level of tolerance and when used in the prescribed dosage is very secure with minimal side effects. However, in case of overdose of metformin upon a ingestion of more than 10 times the prescribed dosage, accidentally or on propose, lactic acidosis and low blood pressure can occur. Overdoses with metformin are relatively uncommon, but may have serious consequences, if medical attention is not given on time, it may lead to coma and ultimately death Because of its spread use another problem must be taken into consideration, which needs to be addressed, the occurrence of metformin residues in sewage and surface waters due to improper discharge of the non-used tablets to regular garbage [2]. This situation is becoming a serious problem of environmental pollution and public health. This paper reports the use of activated carbon produced from biomass for the removal of metformin in 2 different settings. On one hand, from aqueous solutions and, in another hand, from simulated biological fluids (gastric and intestinal) conjugated with in vivo testing

Comparaison des méthodes de réduction d'ordre POD et Krylov, application à la méthode PEEC

International audienceDe nos jours, les logiciels de simulation physique ont la capacité de produire des modèles très précis, mais en contrepartie, ils sont très coûteux en temps de calcul et en mémoire. Ce travail présente la comparaison de deux méthodes de réduction d'ordre : la décomposition orthogonale aux valeurs propres (POD) et la méthode de correspondance des moments (Moment Matching / Krylov). Une façon automatique de choisir les points d'expansion est proposée. La mesure d'impédance d'une antenne est utilisée comme exemple d'application. Les avantages et désavantages de chaque méthode sont présentés et discutés

Qualitative modelling of credit scoring : a case study in banking

Several modelling procedures have been suggested in the literature that aim to help credit granting decisions. Most of these utilize statistical, operational research and artificial intelligence techniques to identify patterns among past applications, in order to enable a more well-informed assessment of risk as well as the automation of credit scoring. For some types of loans, we find that the modelling procedure must permit the consideration of qualitative expert judgements concerning the performance attractiveness of the applications. In this paper, we describe in detail the various steps taken to build such a model in the context of the banking sector, using the MACBETH interactive approach. The model addresses the scoring of medium and long term loans to firms, to enable the multicriteria assignment of each application to a category which may range from rejection to acceptance with different spreads.peer-reviewe

Tutorial usefulness in videogame Wii consoles : fast learning of guidelines and game movements

One of the key challenges of video game design is teaching new players how to play. Although game developers frequently use tutorials to teach game mechanics, little is known about how tutorials affect game learnability and player engagement. Seeking this problem, this paper intends to analyse the efficiency and usability of the Wii Sports tutorials and also the user s learning curve. The study was based upon heuristics, direct observation of the users and questionnaires, in order to evaluate all possible variables.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Representation Of Harmonic Cycles Of Modis Time Series For The Analysis Of Sugarcane Cultivation

The objective of this work was to evaluate sugarcane cultivation, in a harmonic analysis applied to a time series of Modis vegetation indices, with the representation of harmonic terms. Daily rainfall data were obtained from Agritempo for the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and accumulated for a period of 16 days of Modis compositions, from the 2004/2005 to 2011/2012 crop seasons. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the enhanced vegetation index (EVI) were used in time-series decomposed in harmonic terms by the harmonic analysis. In order to visualize the growing conditions of vegetation in agricultural areas, specially the phase information, the HLS transformation was applied to the harmonic terms obtained by the Hants algorithm, using Envi software. Sugarcane cultivation in the state of Sao Paulo shows spatial patterns that are coherent with the sugarcane development cycle and consistent with the variability of seasonal rainfall that directly affect the maximum period of vegetation indices. The peak growth stage of sugarcane occurs in years of normal rainfall; however, in years with below normal rainfall, sugarcane maturation phase is anticipated, and, in years with above normal rainfall, the growth phase is anticipated, which causes maturation delay.51111868187

Gender and racial inequalities in trends of oral cancer mortality in Sao Paulo, Brazil

OBJETIVO: Analisar tendências recentes da mortalidade por câncer de boca, focalizando diferenças quanto a sexo e raça. MÉTODOS: Foram utilizados dados oficiais de população e mortalidade na cidade de São Paulo entre 2003 e 2009 para estimar coeficientes de mortalidade por câncer de boca (C00-C10, Classificação Internacional de Doenças, 10a Revisão), com ajuste por idade e estratificação por sexo (feminino e masculino) e cor (negros e brancos). Para cálculo de tendências foi utilizado o procedimento de Prais-Winsten de autorregressão para análise de séries temporais. RESULTADOS: No período de estudo, 8.505 indivíduos residentes na cidade morreram de câncer de boca. Os coeficientes apresentaram tendência crescente para mulheres (taxa de crescimento anual = 4,4%, IC95% 1,4;7,5) e estacionária para homens, representando inversão das tendências anteriores entre os sexos, na cidade. Identificou-se tendência crescente para negros, com elevada taxa de aumento anual (9,1%, IC95% 5,5;12,9), e tendência estacionária para brancos. A mortalidade por câncer de boca em negros quase dobrou durante o período e ultrapassou a mortalidade em brancos para quase todas as categorias. CONCLUSÕES: A mortalidade entre mulheres aumentou mais do que entre homens e duplicou entre negros. A vigilância de tendências da mortalidade por câncer de boca entre os estratos de sexo e cor pode contribuir para programas de saúde que reduzam a carga de doença e atenuem diferenças em saúde que são injustas, evitáveis e desnecessárias.OBJETIVO: Analizar tendencias recientes de mortalidad por cáncer de boca, enfocando diferencias con respecto a sexo y raza MÉTODOS: Se utilizaron datos oficiales de población y mortalidad en la ciudad de Sao Paulo (Brasil) entre 2003 y 2009 para estimar coeficientes de mortalidad por cáncer de boca (C00-C10, Clasificación Internacional de Enfermedades, 10ª Revisión), con ajuste por edad y estratificación por sexo (femenino y masculino) y raza (negros y blancos). Para calcular las tendencias se utilizó procedimiento de Prais-Winsten de auto-regresión para análisis de series temporales. RESULTADOS: En el período de estudio, 8505 individuos residentes en la ciudad murieron por cáncer de boca. Los coeficientes presentaron tendencia creciente en mujeres (tasa de crecimiento anual = 4,4%, IC95%: 1,4;7,5) y estacionaria en hombres, representando inversión de las tendencias anteriores entre sexos, en la ciudad. Se identificó tendencia creciente en negros, con elevada tasa de crecimiento anual (9,1%, IC95%:5,5;12,9), y tendencias estacionaras en blancos. La mortalidad por cáncer de boca en negros casi se duplicó durante el período y sobrepasó la mortalidad en blancos para casi todas las categorías. CONCLUSIONES: la mortalidad entre mujeres aumentó más que en hombres y se duplicó en negros. La vigilancia de tendencias de mortalidad por cáncer de boca entre los estratos de sexo y raza puede contribuir en programas de salud que reduzcan la carga de enfermedad, y atenúen las diferencias que son injustas, evitables e innecesarias.OBJECTIVE: To analyse recent trends in oral cancer mortality, focusing specifically on differences concerning gender and race. METHODS: Official information on deaths and population in the city of Sao Paulo, 2003 to 2009, were used to estimate mortality rates from oral cancer (C00 to C10, International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision), adjusted for age and stratified by gender (females and males) and race (blacks and whites). The Prais-Winsten auto-regression procedure was used to analyse the time series. RESULTS: During the study period, 8,505 individuals living in the city of Sao Paulo died of oral cancer. Rates increased for females (rate of yearly increase = 4.4%, 95%CI 1.4;7.5), and levelled off for men, which represents an inversion of previous trends among genders in the city. Increases were identified for blacks, with a high rate of yearly increase of 9.1% (95%CI 5.5;12.9), and levelled off for whites. Oral cancer mortality in blacks almost doubled during the study period, and surpassed mortality in whites for almost all categories. CONCLUSIONS: Mortality presented a higher increase among women than in men, and it doubled among backs. The surveillance of trends of oral cancer mortality across gender and racial groups may contribute to implementing socially appropriate health policies, which concurrently reduce the burden of disease and the attenuation of unfair, avoidable and unnecessary inequalities in health

A Legislação Brasileira e a Recuperação de Menores Infratores

This article treats of the historical background of Brazilian legislation concerning the punishment and rehabilitation of juvenile offenders. It begins with the psychological definition of what childhood and adolescence in relation to human development, and analyzes the existing legislation concerning the violation perpetrated by minors during the Brazilian legislative history. It shows that there is, on the one hand, a concern founded with the assistance to the lower, and the protection that is given to him in a vulnerable situation. It also presents which the gaps that prevent the effective recovery of minors in conflict with the law, criticizing, in the end, the simplistic policy of adopting the reduction of criminal responsibility as a way of reducing crime committed by persons below eighteen years.O presente artigo trata do panorama histórico da legislação brasileira a respeito da punição e recuperação de menores infratores. Começa com a definição psicológica do que seja a infância e adolescência em relação ao desenvolvimento humano, e analisa os diplomas legais existentes concernentes à infração praticada por menores de idade no decorrer da história legislativa brasileira. Mostra que há, de um lado, uma preocupação fundamentada com a assistência ao menor, e a proteção que a ele é dada em situação de vulnerabilidade. Apresenta ainda quais as lacunas existentes que impossibilitam a efetiva recuperação de menores em conflito com a lei, criticando, ao final, a política simplista da adoção da redução da maioridade penal, como forma de reduzir a criminalidade praticada por menores de dezoito anos

Search for a non-standard-model Higgs boson decaying to a pair of new light bosons in four-muon final states

Results are reported from a search for non-standard-model Higgs boson decays to pairs of new light bosons, each of which decays into the μ+μ− final state. The new bosons may be produced either promptly or via a decay chain. The data set corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.3 fb−1 of proton–proton collisions at View the MathML source, recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2011. Such Higgs boson decays are predicted in several scenarios of new physics, including supersymmetric models with extended Higgs sectors or hidden valleys. Thus, the results of the search are relevant for establishing whether the new particle observed in Higgs boson searches at the LHC has the properties expected for a standard model Higgs boson. No excess of events is observed with respect to the yields expected from standard model processes. A model-independent upper limit of 0.86±0.06 fb on the product of the cross section times branching fraction times acceptance is obtained. The results, which are applicable to a broad spectrum of new physics scenarios, are compared with the predictions of two benchmark models as functions of a Higgs boson mass larger than 86 GeV/c2 and of a new light boson mass within the range 0.25–3.55 GeV/c2Peer Reviewe