The Adoption of the Compact Disk Player: An Event History Analysis for the Netherlands

The compact disk (CD) player was one of the major audio innovations of the 1980s in the Netherlands. For studies of the temporal and social diffusion pattern of the CD player and the compact disks, both cultural and economic theories about innovations and music consumption are available. In this paper, these theories are combined in six working hypotheses concerning earlier adoption. The empirical analysis includes both time-invariant and time-varying variables and consumer characteristics. Event history analysis, the technique used in this article, enables one to incorporate these kinds of variables simultaneously in a dynamic model. Compared with the diffusion models usually employed by means of longitudinal analysis, event history analysis is a significant improvement in studying the development of the CD market in the Netherlands.     

Artificial intelligence in education: evolution of the teaching—learning relationship

In this paper some of the implications of the exploitation of Artificial Intelligence techniques in the educational field are presented, and the evolution of the changing quality of interaction between student and teacher is illustrated. Such historical changes are presented as a consequence of the introduction of new technologies in education. Particular aspects of Intelligent Educational Systems are presented, pointing out the innovative features of such systems compared with traditional applications.     

道德规范与国书馆事业

美国图书馆协会的<职业道德规范声明>提出了以图书馆事业为中心的具体原则,其<图书馆权利法案>则明确了图书馆的责任和义务.目前,美国社会和政治环境的变化为图书馆职业带来了越来越多的忧虑和压力."9·11"后出台的<爱国者法案>明显与图书馆职业道德规范中所阐述的重要原则相冲突.因此,美国图书馆协会决心抵制<爱国者法案>对知识、信息自由开放以及行使个人隐私权的限制.     

Un inventaire des notions impliquées dans un enseignement général de mathématique à l'école secondaire

Sans résumé     

Cinema Demand in Spain: A Cointegration Analysis

In this paper we explain the decline in cinema attendance in Spain since 1968. We use a cointegration analysis to estimate an individual demand function for cinema, with annual data and in terms of average attendance per inhabitant. We find that cinema is a luxury good and that its demand is elastic with respect to its price. We also show that television acts as a deterrent with regard to cinema attendance. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.