O presente estudo enfoca o papel das redes de agências de avaliação da qualidade e Acreditação da Educação Superior na América Latina a partir das redes RANA E RIACES. O tema da Acreditação tem alcançado ressonância nas sociedades científicas internacionais, em especial na União Europeia, USA, e atualmente Caribe e América Latina. A temática de Redes de Avaliação da qualidade e Acreditação da Educação Superior na América Latina ainda é pouco explorada, do ponto de vista da pesquisa, mas é tema de discussões diversas em muitos países. O estudo traz o cenário que propiciou o surgimento das redes de cooperação e intercâmbio para o desenvolvimento de conhecimentos em matéria de Acreditação e Avaliação da qualidade da Educação Superior. Considerações sobre as reformas da Educação Superior na América Latina são discutidas, além dos “apelos” da globalização à Universidade Latina do século XXI. Apresentam-se evidências de um cenário da Educação Superior na América Latina marcado por desigualdades de desenvolvimento e de características em seus sistemas de Educação Superior. No âmbito das reformas da Educação Superior há a preocupação de marcar o momento da inserção de processo de formação de sistemas de asseguramento da qualidade da Educação Superior. Duas redes da América Latina são estudadas a RANA e a RIACES. O método escolhido foi o estudo de caso, que propiciou conhecer a dinâmica de uma política de cooperação e integração no contexto de Redes. O estudo baseia-se em várias fontes, como a pesquisa documental, coleta de dados em fontes primárias e secundárias, entrevistas e visita às sedes das redes de agências. / The present study focuses on the role played by Quality Evaluation Agencies and Accreditation in Higher Education Agencies in Latin America from RANA and RIACES point of view. Accreditation is a theme that has, lately, reached great propagation in International Scientific Societies, mainly in the European Union, USA and more recently in the Caribbean and Latin America. The idea of Quality Evaluation and Accreditation Networks in Higher Education in Latin America is not very explored from a research point of view, but is a theme of great discussion in many countries. This study brings the scenario that made possible the upcoming cooperation and exchange networks to the development of knowledge in terms of Accreditation and Quality Evaluation in Higher Education. Considerations about the reforms in Higher Education in Latin America are discussed as well as the “calls” for globalization that the Latin University has received in the 21st century. Evidences of a scenario of inequalities in development in Higher Education in Latin America are presented as well as the characteristics of Higher Education systems. As for the reforms scope, there seems to be a certain concern about emphasizing the exact moment in which the process of formation of quality reassurance in Higher Education is inserted. Two Latin American agencies are studied: RANA and RIACES. The method chosen was case study, which enabled the acknowledgement of a cooperation and integration policy in these networks context. The study is based in many different resources such as documental research, data collection in primary and secondary sources, interviews and onsite visits to the agencies headquarters. / En esta investigación se enfoca el rol de las Redes de Agencias de Evaluación de la Calidad y de las Redes de Acreditación de la Educación Superior en América Latina, a partir del estudio de RANA y RIACES. El tema de la Acreditación ha alcanzado resonancia internacional en las sociedades científicas, en especial en la Unión Europea, América Latina y el Caribe. El temático de redes de la evaluación de la calidad y de la acreditación de la educación superior en América Latina todavía poco se explora del punto de vista de la investigación, pero es tema de controversias en muchos países. El estudio trae a la escena el brote de las redes de la cooperación y del intercambio para desarrollo del conocimiento en la acreditación y la evaluación de la calidad de la educación superior. Consideraciones sobre las reformas de la educación superior en América Latina son discutidas, en el encuadre de las reformas de la educación superior en el siglo XX, más allá de los “llamados” de la globalización a la universidad latina del siglo XXI. Evidencias de una escena de la educación superior enmarcada por la desigualdad y características diversificadas de desarrollo en sus sistemas de la educación superior, se superponen a los requisitos del mercado en líneas de dirección para su eficacia. Es en el momento de las reformas de la educación superior que se tiene la preocupación para enmarcar la inserción del proceso de la formación de sistemas de aseguramiento de la calidad de la educación superior. Dos agencias latinoamericanas son estudiadas: RANA y RIACES. El método elegido fue el estudio de caso, para comprehender la dinámica de una política de cooperación e integración en el contexto de redes. El estudio se basa en investigación documental, fuentes primarias y secundarias, recoge datos en entrevistas y visitas a las sedes de las redes de agencias.

The aim of this investigative thesis was to further study the use of financial bootstrapping in medium to large sized enterprises. The thesis furthermore aimed to investigate if there are any prerequisite bootstrapping methods used in correlation to annual turnover, industry as well as to conduct research to whether enterprises are aware of their current use of financial bootstrapping. The study can conclude that financial bootstrapping is used among medium to large sized enterprises. Furthermore, the study can also conclude that there exists a correlation between desired bootstrapping methods used and annual turnover. A correlation to the current lifecycle phase currently presided in, in regard to a specific financial bootstrapping method used could not be solely concluded as well as industry-based preferences in regards to specific bootstrapping methods could not be established. The thesis overall conclusion is that further research is needed to conclude if there exist any industry-based preferences towards usage of specific bootstrapping methods, as well as further research should be aware of problems this study has identified in order to better prepare future study in the aimed field. / Syftet med studien var att undersöka tillämpandet av finansiell bootstrapping bland medelstora och stora bolag. Studien ämnade även att vidareutforska huruvida det råder omsättnings & branschspecifika bootstrappingsmetoder samt förtydliga om det återfinns företag som själva inte framhäver sitt tillämpande. Resultaten visade att finansiell bootstrapping tillämpas bland medelstora och stora bolag samt att det råder vissa omsättningsspecifika bootstrappingsmetoder. Slutsatsen är att trots gynnsamma resultat krävs det vidareforskning inom ämnet för att ytterligare kunna påvisa branschspecifika bootstrappingsmetoder som dessutom kan generaliseras till en bredare population. Forskarna kan även konkludera att det krävs ett beaktande till rådande problematik denna studie påträffat för att öka framtida validitet ytterligare i genomförda studier.

The electromagnetic coupling of a microstrip transmission line (MS-TL) to a metamaterial backward wave Negative-Refractive-Index transmission line (NRI-TL) is the primary investigation of this dissertation. The coupling of forward waves in the MS-TL to the backward waves in the NRI-TL results in the formation of complex modes, characterized by simultaneous phase progression and attenuation along the lossless lines. Through network-theoretic considerations, we investigate the properties of these modes in the complex-frequency plane of the Laplace domain to help unravel the confusion that has existed in the literature regarding the independent excitation of a pair of conjugate complex modes. We show that it is possible to arbitrarily suppress one of the modes over a finite bandwidth and completely eliminate it at a discrete set of frequencies using proper source and load impedances. Hence we use conjugate modes with independent amplitudes in our eigenmode expansion when we analyse various coupling configurations between the two types of lines (MS/NRI-TL coupler). We derive approximate closed-form expression for the scattering parameters of the MS/NRI-TL coupler and these are complemented by design charts that allow the synthesis of a wide range of specifications. Moreover, these expressions reveal that such couplers allow for arbitrary backward coupling levels along with very high-isolation when they are made half a guided wavelength long. The MS/NRI-TL coupler offers some interesting applications which we highlight through the design and testing of a 3-dB power splitter, a high-directivity signal monitor and a compact corporate power divider. We have included design, simulation and experimental data for the fabricated prototypes exhibiting good agreement and thereby justifying the theory that has been developed in this work to explain the coupling between a right-handed MS-TL and a left-handed NRI-TL.

The electromagnetic coupling of a microstrip transmission line (MS-TL) to a metamaterial backward wave Negative-Refractive-Index transmission line (NRI-TL) is the primary investigation of this dissertation. The coupling of forward waves in the MS-TL to the backward waves in the NRI-TL results in the formation of complex modes, characterized by simultaneous phase progression and attenuation along the lossless lines. Through network-theoretic considerations, we investigate the properties of these modes in the complex-frequency plane of the Laplace domain to help unravel the confusion that has existed in the literature regarding the independent excitation of a pair of conjugate complex modes. We show that it is possible to arbitrarily suppress one of the modes over a finite bandwidth and completely eliminate it at a discrete set of frequencies using proper source and load impedances. Hence we use conjugate modes with independent amplitudes in our eigenmode expansion when we analyse various coupling configurations between the two types of lines (MS/NRI-TL coupler). We derive approximate closed-form expression for the scattering parameters of the MS/NRI-TL coupler and these are complemented by design charts that allow the synthesis of a wide range of specifications. Moreover, these expressions reveal that such couplers allow for arbitrary backward coupling levels along with very high-isolation when they are made half a guided wavelength long. The MS/NRI-TL coupler offers some interesting applications which we highlight through the design and testing of a 3-dB power splitter, a high-directivity signal monitor and a compact corporate power divider. We have included design, simulation and experimental data for the fabricated prototypes exhibiting good agreement and thereby justifying the theory that has been developed in this work to explain the coupling between a right-handed MS-TL and a left-handed NRI-TL.

Die internationale Vereinigung der Schall- und audiovisuellen Archive feiert dieses Jahr in Dresden ihr zwanzigjähriges Bestehen. Ziel der rund 400 institutionellen und privaten Mitglieder ist es, das kulturelle Erbe an Tondokumenten und audiovisuellen Medien zu sichern, zu erforschen und der Öffentlichkeit zu vermitteln.

No description available.

This article, written by Glenn Drexhage, Communications Officer – UBC Library/Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, appeared in the BCLA Browser: Linking the Library Landscape online newsletter (vol.1, no.1 2009). For more information, please visit the BC Digitization Symposium 2008 website at: http://symposium.westbeyondthewest.ca and the BCLA Browser website at: http://bclabrowser.ca.

No description available.

La comparaison de réseaux biologiques est actuellement l'une des approches les plus prometteuses pour aider à la compréhension du fonctionnement des organismes vivants. Elle apparaît comme la suite attendue de la comparaison de séquences biologiques dont l'étude ne représente en réalité que l'aspect génomique des informations manipulées par les biologistes. Dans cette thèse, nous proposons une approche innovante permettant de comparer deux réseaux biologiques modélisés respectivement par un graphe orienté D et un graphe non-orienté G, et dotés d'une fonction f établissant la correspondance entre les sommets des deux graphes. L'approche consiste à extraire automatiquement une structure dans D, biologiquement significative, dont les sommets induisent dans G, par f, une structure qui soit aussi biologiquement significative. Nous réalisons une étude algorithmique du problème issu de notre approche en commençant par sa version dans laquelle D est acyclique (DAG). Nous proposons des algorithmes polynomiaux pour certains cas, et nous montrons que d'autres cas sont algorithmiquement difficiles (NP-complets). Pour résoudre les instances difficiles, nous proposons une bonne heuristique et un algorithme exact basé sur la méthode branch-and-bound. Pour traiter le cas où D est cyclique, nous introduisons une méthode motivée par des hypothèses biologiques et consistant à décomposer D en DAGs tels que les sommets de chaque DAG induisent dans G un sous-graphe connexe. Nous étudions également dans cette thèse, l'inférence des voies de signalisation en combinant les informations sur les causes et sur les effets des événements extra-cellulaires. Nous modélisons ce problème par un problème d'orientation de graphes mixtes et nous effectuons une étude de complexité permettant d'identifier les instances faciles et celles difficiles.

Tradicinės x86 architektūros spartinimui artėjant prie galimybių ribos, kompanija Intel pradėjo kurti naują IA-64 architektūrą, paremtą EPIC – išreikštinai lygiagrečiai vykdomomis instrukcijomis vieno takto metu. Ši pagrindinė savybė leidžia vykdyti iki šešių instrukcijų per vieną taktą. Taipogi architektūra pasižymi tokiomis savybėmis, kurios leido efektyviai spręsti su kodo optimizavimu susijusias problemas tradicinėse architektūrose. Tačiau kompiliatorių optimizavimo algoritmai ilgą laiką buvo tobulinami tradicinėse architektūrose, todėl norint išnaudoti naująją architektūrą, reikia ieškoti būdų tobulinti esamus kompiliatorius. Vienas iš būdų – kompiliatoriaus vidinių parametrų atsakingų už optimizacijas reikšmių pritaikymas IA-64. Būtent toks yra šio darbo tikslas, kuriam pasiekti reikia išnagrinėti IA-64 savybes, jas vėliau eksperimentiškai taikyti realaus kodo pavyzdžiuose bei įvertinti jų įtaką kodo vykdymo spartai. Pagal gautus rezultatus nagrinėjami kompiliatoriaus vidiniai parametrai ir su specialia kompiliatorių testavimo programa randamas geriausias reikšmių rinkinys šiai architektūrai. Vėliau šis rinkinys išbandomas su taikomosiomis programomis. Gauto parametrų rinkinio reikšmės turėtų leisti generuoti efektyvesnį kodą IA-64 architektūrai. / After performance optimization of traditional architectures began to reach their limits, Intel corporation started to develop new architecture based on EPIC – Explicitly Parallel Instruction Counting. This main feature allowed up to six instructions to be executed in single CPU cycle. Also this architecture includes more features, which allowed efficient solution of traditional architectures code optimization problems. However for long time code optimization algorithms have been improved for traditional architectures only, as a result those algorithms should be adopted to new architecture. One of the ways to do that – exploration of internal compilers parameters, which are responsible for code optimizations. That is the primary target of this work and in order to reach it the features of the IA-64 architecture and impact to execution performance must be explored using real-life code examples. Tests results may be used later for internal parameters selection and further exploration of these parameters values by using special compiler performance testing benchmarks. The set of those new values could be tested with real life applications in order to prove efficiency of IA-64 architecture features.