Impact of the consumption of electronic contents on research productivity in the universities of Castile and Leon

The aim of this study is to investigate the link between the use of electronic resources and the academic output of researchers in the state universities of Castile and Leon (Spain) in the period 2006 to 2011. An analysis was undertaken of the consumption of contents distributed to the Universities of Burgos, Leon, Salamanca and Valladolid by three multidisciplinary suppliers whose materials are widely used: ScienceDirect, SpringerLink and Wiley. In investigating academic output, the databases Web of Science (WoS) from Thomson Reuters and Scopus from Elsevier were taken into account. The consumption of electronic academic contents at the four universities shows an upward trend over the years considered. There is an undoubted preference for titles distributed by ScienceDirect, striking in all the institutions. The study confirms that academics from the areas of science and technology were the most frequent users. The field of Chemistry registered the highest rates of both consumption and academic production, followed at some distance by publications related to Food Science and Technology, in respect of preferred title use, and by Physics with regard to communication of research results. Many of the journals selected for publications belonged to the suppliers investigated. Nevertheless, the work showed no absolute direct correlation between titles selected for academic publication and titles used from the platforms analyzed.     

Stability robustness of perturbed structured systems

In this paper, the robust stability problem of structured linear systems is analyzed. In order to preserve the structure of the initial system, the structure of the admissible perturbations is characterized. Frobenius and infinity matrix norms are used to study the robust stability of the system affected by different admissible perturbations. Upper bounds for the perturbations are obtained, which guarantee that the perturbed system remains stable. Finally, some examples are shown to illustrate the results.     

论曾祥芹先生的文章学教育观念与贡献

曾祥芹作为当代著名的实用文章学的开创者和奠基人之一,作为中国阅读学研究专家、中国语文教育学研究专家,于文章本体研究、文章阅读研究、文章教育研究、文章写作研究、文章学学科建设、文章学史研究、文章学方法论研究等方面都颇有建树。于文章教育方面,曾先生由文章学入手更新了语文教学理念,同时又提倡在教学实践中以文章学为指导,扭转了脱离文章学的误区;而在文章学学科建设上,他不仅为文章学的独立提出了理论体系,还为文章学的学科发展进行了长远规划。文章学教育观念也是曾先生学术上最有价值、最有意义的"内核"之一。     

Effects of three types of retirement preparation program: A qualitative study of civil servants in Brazil

ABSTRACT

Studies on the effectiveness of retirement planning programs are relatively scarce. Retirement preparation and planning programs may assist individuals to smooth the transition to retirement and subsequent adjustment. This qualitative study examines the effects of three retirement preparation programs on civil servants in Brazil. Theoretically, the study builds on the transtheoretical model (TTM), also called the stages of change model. Twenty civil servants (aged 53–67) working for the Brazilian government were randomly assigned to one of the three retirement planning programs entitled testimony, short, and extensive. The results of qualitative interviews, conducted 6 months after completion of the programs, show that participants on the extensive program presented a broader array of changes in retirement planning and had progressed through more stages of the TTM than participants who took part in the short and testimony programs.     

Programming-languages as a conceptual framework for teaching mathematics

Formal mathematical methods remain, for most high school students, mysterious, artificial and not a part of their regular intuitive thinking. The authors develop some themes that could lead to a radically new approach. According to this thesis, the teaching of programming languages as a regular part of academic progress can contribute effectively to reduce formal barriers. This education can also be used to enable pupils to access an accurate understanding of some key mathematical concepts. In the field of heuristic knowledge for technical problem solving, experience of programming is no less valuable: it lends itself to promote a discussion of relations between formal procedures and the comprehension of intuitive problem solving and provides examples for the development of heuristic precepts (formulating a plan, subdividing the complexities, etc.). The knowledge gained in programming can also be used for the discussion of concepts and problems of classical mathematics. Finally, it can also facilitate the expansion of mathematical culture to topics in biological and physical sciences, linguistics, etc. The authors describe a programming language called ‘Logo’ adapted to objectify an enduring framework of mathematical experimentation.