Stress testing and risk evaluation of new capacity payment algorithm proposed by Market Council

In the Russian Wholesale Market, electricity and capacity are traded separately. Capacity is a special good, the sale of which obliges suppliers to keep their generating equipment ready to produce the quantity of electricity indicated by the System Operator. The purpose of the formation of capacity trading was the maintenance of reliable and uninterrupted delivery of electricity in the wholesale market. The price of capacity reflects constant investments in construction, modernization and maintenance of power plants. So, the capacity sale creates favorable conditions to attract investments in the energy sector because it guarantees the investor that his investments will be returned.

Curriculum innovation in teacher education : exploring conceptions among Tanzanian teacher educators

The focus of the study is to understand curriculum innovation from the perspective of Tanzanian teacher educators. It is argued that the deterioration of quality of education in schools is partly to be attributed to the way in which teachers are educated. Curriculum innovation is considered as an essential strategy for bringing about improvement in teacher education. Therefore, in 2000 a new curriculum was introduced; however, right from the inception the curriculum was criticised by teacher educators. The overall aim of the study is to investigate teacher educators’ conceptions of curriculum innovation. In the theoretical framework the main focus is on discussion about different curriculum approaches for teacher education and innovation. In order to achieve the aim of the study, a phenomenographic approach is employed. This approach is used in order to identify similarities and variation in educators’ conceptions of curriculum innovation. The empirical basis of the study consists of interviews with thirty teacher educators working in eight teachers’ colleges situated in various parts of Tanzania. The findings, in brief, reveal variation in teacher educators’ conceptions of the dominant domains of innovation. Two broad conceptions of teaching with six aspects are identified. Conceptions of educational studies are presented in four broad categories of description with four aspects. Similarly, in methodology subjects two conceptions are described with four aspects. On the integration of subject matter studies and subject methods, two broad conceptions are presented with six aspects. Conceptions of textbook prescription policy are characterised in two broad categories of description with four aspects. With the use of modules two broad conceptions are identified with six aspects. In addition, the study identifies four broad conceptions of future curriculum approaches with eight aspects. Looking across the categories of description, the results indicate that educators cope with innovation individually. Three character types of teacher educators are presented: loyal, creative and critical. Furthermore, four types of phenomena suggesting critical areas about teacher educators’ conceptions of innovation are described: educators’ prior educational background, technical factors, student teachers’ factors and shifting from teaching to learning. On the whole, educators express a number of frame factors in the process of change towards the aim of curriculum innovation. This indicates that the new curriculum (2000) is not implemented as intended by curriculum developers. Constraints to the implementation are presented and discussed in detail. From these findings, two models of educators’ stance towards curriculum innovation are presented and can be used as a framework for planning successful curriculum innovations and analysing practice in teachers’ colleges.

Active teaching-learning methodologies: medical students' views of problem-based learning

The prevailing undergraduate medical training process still favors disconnection and professional distancing from social needs. The Brazilian Ministries of Education and Health, through the National Curriculum Guidelines, the Incentives Program for Changes in the Medical Curriculum (PROMED), and the National Program for Reorientation of Professional Training in Health (PRO-SAÚDE), promoted the stimulus for an effective connection between medical institutions and the Unified National Health System (SUS). In accordance to the new paradigm for medical training, the Centro Universitário Serra dos Órgãos (UNIFESO) established a teaching plan in 2005 using active methodologies, specifically problem-based learning (PBL). Research was conducted through semi-structured interviews with third-year undergraduate students at the UNIFESO Medical School. The results were categorized as proposed by Bardin's thematic analysis, with the purpose of verifying the students' impressions of the new curriculum. Active methodologies proved to be well-accepted by students, who defined them as exciting and inclusive of theory and practice in medical education.

A composição do curriculum vitae entre estudantes de medicina e seus condicionantes

Nesta pesquisa, investigam-se as escolhas de atividades formadoras feitas por estudantes de Medicina e seus motivos, com o fim de apreender a lógica dessas escolhas no contexto institucional em que se apresentam e no contexto social mais amplo das sociedades capitalistas atuais, onde se afirmam novos padrões de autorrealização, conforme as pesquisas de A. Ehrenberg. Assim, não só escutamos os estudantes, como também estivemos atentos às práticas e aos valores vigentes na faculdade estudada e a outros procedimentos indicados pelos entrevistados, entre eles a seleção para a residência médica. Parte-se de dados colhidos por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas com 12 alunos e mediante um questionário respondido por 156 dos 160 alunos que cursavam o oitavo período da Faculdade de Medicina estudada. A análise dos dados apoia-se em pesquisas similares e em estudos sobre as transformações atuais nos padrões de comportamento dos indivíduos na sociedade.

O Core Curriculum da Unesco como Base para Formação em Bioética

RESUMO A revolução biotecnológica das últimas décadas teve como resultado o desenvolvimento de um poder quase sem limites sobre a vida humana. Tal contexto exige do profissional uma visão globalizada dos problemas éticos e sociais da era contemporânea, alicerçada em sólidas bases filosóficas e legais. Este contexto torna necessária a promoção de novas competências e habilidades relacionadas à vida profissional. Neste sentido, o ensino da Bioética desponta como uma possibilidade de inovação curricular alternativa ao tradicional modelo prescritivo e normativo. Este artigo relata a experiência da Cátedra Unesco de Bioética da Universidade de Brasília com a utilização do Core Curriculum proposto pela Unesco como instrumento didático-pedagógico adequado ao ensino da Bioética. Entre os dilemas pedagógicos enfrentados pela Bioética como disciplina encontram-se: a construção de seus conteúdos, sua estruturação, as concepções teóricas a serem seguidas e seus objetivos. A contextualização e o aperfeiçoamento da estratégia proposta pelo Core Curriculum podem significar importantes instrumentos facilitadores para docentes que buscam organizar práticas didático-pedagógicas inovadoras em Bioética com o intuito de proporcionar resultados efetivos na formação de seus estudantes.

Managing innovation in oil and gas companies: A proposed framework for the management of innovation at Ecopetrol S.A.

Actually, the term innovation seems to be one of the most used in any kind of business practices. However, in order to get value from it, companies need to define a systematic and structured way to manage innovation. This process can be difficult and very risky since it is associated with the development of firm´s capabilities which involves human and technical challenges according to the context of a firm. Additionally, it seems not to exist a magic formula to manage innovation and what may work in a company may not work in another, even though in the same type of industry. In this sense, the purpose of this research is to identify how the oil and gas companies can manage innovation and what are the main elements, their interrelations and structure, required for managing innovation effectively in this critical sector for the world economy. The study follows a holistic single case study in a National Oil Company (NOC) of a developing country to explore how innovation performs in the industry, what are the main elements regarding innovation management and their interactions according to the nature of the industry. Contributory literature and qualitative data from the case study company (with the use of non-standardized interviews) is collected and analyzed. The research confirms the relevance and importance of the definition and implementation of an innovation framework in order to ensure the generation of value and organize as well as guide the efforts in innovation done by a firm. In this way based on the theoretical background, research´s findings, and in the company´s innovation environment and conditions, a framework for managing innovation at the case study company is suggested. This study is one of the few, if not only one, that has reviewed the way as oil and gas companies manage innovation and its practical implementation in a company from a developing country. Both researchers and practitioners will get a photograph of understanding innovation management in the oil and gas industry and its growing necessity in the business world. Some issues have been highlighted, so that future study can be focused in those directions. In fact, even though research on innovation management has significantly grown, there are still many issues that need to be addressed to get insight about managing innovation in various contexts and industries. Studies are mostly performed in the context of large firms and in developed countries, so then research in the context of developing countries is still almost an untouched area, especially in the oil and gas industry. Finally, from the research it seems crucial to explore the effect of some innovation-related variables such as: open innovation in third world economies and in state-own companies; the impact of mergers and acquisitions in innovation performance in oil and gas companies; value measurement in the first stages of the innovation process; and, development of innovation capabilities in companies from developing nations.

A Modified phosphate-carrier protein theory is proposed as a non-target site mechanism For glyphosate resistance in weeds

Glyphosate is an herbicide that inhibits the enzyme 5-enolpyruvyl-shikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPs) (EC 2.5.1.19). EPSPs is the sixth enzyme of the shikimate pathway, by which plants synthesize the aromatic amino acids phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan and many compounds used in secondary metabolism pathways. About fifteen years ago it was hypothesized that it was unlikely weeds would evolve resistance to this herbicide because of the limited degree of glyphosate metabolism observed in plants, the low resistance level attained to EPSPs gene overexpression, and because of the lower fitness in plants with an altered EPSPs enzyme. However, today 20 weed species have been described with glyphosate resistant biotypes that are found in all five continents of the world and exploit several different resistant mechanisms. The survival and adaptation of these glyphosate resistant weeds are related toresistance mechanisms that occur in plants selected through the intense selection pressure from repeated and exclusive use of glyphosate as the only control measure. In this paper the physiological, biochemical, and genetic basis of glyphosate resistance mechanisms in weed species are reviewed and a novel and innovative theory that integrates all the mechanisms of non-target site glyphosate resistance in plants is presented.

Map illustrating the site of the harbours for the proposed Obi-railway : the soundings are all calculated in feet and are based upon the data of the Russian Marine Ministry : the underlined figures are soundings taken by the scooner Bakan, 1887

Kartta kuuluu A. E. Nordenskiöldin kokoelmaan

Map of the north coast of Russia indicating the proposed trade route of the Obi-railway

Kartta kuuluu A. E. Nordenskiöldin kokoelmaan