FACULDADE DA CIDADANIA ZUMBI DOS PALMARES: "O QUILOMBO DO SÉCULO XXI"?

Nesta pesquisa, empreendemos uma análise sobre a ideologia de classe média que permeia o projeto educacional da Faculdade da Cidadania Zumbi dos Palmares. Inicialmente, procuramos pontuar os determinantes históricos responsáveis pelo acesso e ascensão de uma parcela da população negra paulistana, ao mercado de trabalho assalariado e ao sistema de ensino público. Em seguida, através de uma leitura crítica de vinte e seis editoriais da revista institucional Afirmativa Plural, de 2004 a 2009, buscamos apreender os princípios ideológicos que norteiam as ações do grupo fundador da Unipalmares. Seu projeto de formação superior apresenta como objetivo proporcionar aos estudantes, negros e não-negros, uma formação universitária humanística, tendo como foco a diversidade étnica e cultural. No entanto, os editoriais evidenciaram um projeto educacional quase que exclusivamente marcado por alusões à formação de um contingente de executivos negros. Para isso, além dos conteúdos direcionados para a formação executiva, há as histórias de negros bem sucedidos que servem de modelos positivos a serem seguidos. Nessa direção, as imagens selecionadas para a capa das edições reforçam na criação de uma realidade, de classe média, a ser alcançada pelos estudantes, forjando, assim, uma certa ansiedade em pertencer àquele universo pautado no consumo como símbolo de prestígio.(AU)

A FORMAÇÃO DO PEDAGOGO: ESTUDO DE CASO COM ALUNOS EGRESSOS DE UM CURSO DE PEDAGOGIA

A pesquisa elaborada teve por finalidade realizar uma investigação sobre a atuação de docentes das séries iniciais do Ensino Fundamental, relacionando-a ao desenvolvimento das competências e habilidades alcançadas a partir de sua formação realizada em um Curso de Pedagogia. O universo dessa pesquisa foi um Instituto Superior de Educação, na região do grande ABC de São Paulo, tendo como sujeitos alunos egressos do Curso de Pedagogia, formados a partir de 2005, que exercem suas atividades profissionais em espaços escolares. A metodologia utilizada para essa pesquisa foi um estudo de caso realizado a partir da análise da proposta formativa de pedagogos da Instituição pesquisada, relacionada às competências e habilidades desenvolvidas nos alunos egressos. Realizamos também uma análise comparativa entre os sujeitos da pesquisa em relação à formação anterior ao Curso de Pedagogia. A pesquisa de campo foi desenvolvida com 17 alunos egressos que cursaram Pedagogia no Instituto Superior de Educação pesquisado, por meio da aplicação de um questionário encaminhado via e-mail. A partir do retorno dos questionários, foi analisado o nível de satisfação dos alunos egressos em relação à sua formação acadêmica, ficando evidente os aspectos defasados, detectados pelos sujeitos, a partir da prática docente que exercem. Com base nas informações do questionário, selecionamos seis alunos egressos: três que cursaram o ensino médio regular e três que cursaram o 2º grau com Habilitação para o Magistério ou o CEFAM, para a realização de entrevistas, com o objetivo de aprofundar informações sobre a atuação docente relacionada à formação.(AU)

Innovation in the pharmaceutical industry:a study of the effects of regulation on the U.K. pharmaceutical industry

A history of government drug regulation and the relationship between the pharmaceutical companies in the U.K. and the licensing authority is outlined. Phases of regulatory stringency are identified with the formation of the Committees on Safety of Drugs and Medicines viewed as watersheds. A study of the impact of government regulation on industrial R&D activities focuses on the effects on the rate and direction of new product innovation. A literature review examines the decline in new chemical entity innovation. Regulations are cited as a major but not singular cause of the decline. Previous research attempting to determine the causes of such a decline on an empirical basis is given and the methodological problems associated with such research are identified. The U.K. owned sector of the British pharmaceutical industry is selected for a study employing a bottom-up approach allowing disaggregation of data. A historical background to the industry is provided, with each company analysed or a case study basis. Variations between companies regarding the policies adopted for R&D are emphasised. The process of drug innovation is described in order to determine possible indicators of the rate and direction of inventive and innovative activity. All possible indicators are considered and their suitability assessed. R&D expenditure data for the period 1960-1983 is subsequently presented as an input indicator. Intermediate output indicators are treated in a similar way and patent data are identified as a readily-available and useful source. The advantages and disadvantages of using such data are considered. Using interview material, patenting policies for most of the U.K. companies are described providing a background for a patent-based study. Sources of patent data are examined with an emphasis on computerised systems. A number of searches using a variety of sources are presented. Patent family size is examined as a possible indicator of an invention's relative importance. The patenting activity of the companies over the period 1960-1983 is given and the variation between companies is noted. The relationship between patent data and other indicators used is analysed using statistical methods resulting in an apparent lack of correlation. An alternative approach taking into account variations in company policy and phases in research activity indicates a stronger relationship between patenting activity, R&D Expenditure and NCE output over the period. The relationship is not apparent at an aggregated company level. Some evidence is presented for a relationship between phases of regulatory stringency, inventive and innovative activity but the importance of other factors is emphasised.

Behind the scenes:a week in the life of a Senior Pro-Vice Chancellor

Helen Higson graduated from Cambridge University in 1982 and followed this up with an MSc with the Open University and a PhD at Birkbeck College London. She started working in HE at Southampton University and has spent the last 25 years at Aston University. Her roles there have been various, starting as PA to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor External Relations and spending 20 years with Aston Business School. Helen was awarded a Personal Chair in Higher Education Learning and Management in 2008 and is currently Senior Pro-Vice-Chancellor, with responsibility for International Relations, Employability, Schools Liaison, Registry and Planning. Helen was awarded an AUA Fellowship in 2010 and an OBE in the 2011 New Year Honours list.

Extent and nature of unlicensed and off-label medicine use in hospitalised children in Palestine

Objective of the study To determine the extent and nature of unlicensed/off-label prescribing patterns in hospitalised children in Palestine. Setting Four paediatric wards in two public health system hospitals in Palestine [Caritas children’s hospital (Medical and neonatal intensive care units) and Rafidia general hospital (Medical and surgical units)]. Method A prospective survey of drugs administered to infants and children <18 years old was carried out over a five-week period in the four paediatric wards. Main outcome measure Drug-licensing status of all prescriptions was determined according to the Palestinian Registered Product List and the Physician’s Desk Reference. Results Overall, 917 drug prescriptions were administered to 387children. Of all drug prescriptions, 528 (57.5%) were licensed for use in children; 65 (7.1%) were unlicensed; and 324 (35.3%) were used off-label. Of all children, 49.6% received off-label prescriptions, 10.1% received unlicensed medications and 8.2% received both. Seventy-two percent of off-label drugs and 66% of unlicensed drugs were prescribed for children <2 years. Multivariate analysis showed that patients who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit and infants aged 0–1 years were most likely to receive a greater number of off-label or unlicensed medications (OR 1.80; 95% CI 1.03–3.59 and OR 1.99; 95% CI 0.88–3.73, respectively). Conclusion The present findings confirmed the elevated prevalence of unlicensed and off-label paediatric drugs use in Palestine and strongly support the need to perform well designed clinical studies in children.

Intellectual property asset management:how to identify, protect, manage and exploit intellectual property within the business environment

In the new ‘knowledge-intensive economies’ Intellectual assets increasingly play a key part on balance sheets. There is an increasing global awareness that in order to promote innovation and the growth of the economy, businesses must fully recognise and exploit their intellectual assets. A company’s ability to innovate rapidly and successfully is now regarded as essential and most breakthroughs are made by Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), usually with no in-house legal professionals to help them. It is essential that those working with or creating intellectual property rights (IPR) are aware of the basics of Intellectual Property Law. Intellectual Property Asset Management provides business and management students at all levels with an accessible-straight-forward explanation of what the main Intellectual Property rights are and how these rights are protected. Locating the subject squarely in a business context and using case studies and examples throughout drawn from a wide range of business organisations, it explains how an organisation can exploit their rights through licensing, franchising and other means in order to make the best possible use of their IP assets. This book will provide students with: • the basic Intellectual Property law knowledge needed to identify a potential IP issue • the tools and understanding to assess an IP breach • the ability to identify where the problem cannot be solved in house and where expert legal assistance is required • the knowledge required to work effectively with lawyers and other legal professionals to achieve the desired outcome

Using SPICE for power system simulations

Power system simulation software is a useful tool for teaching the fundamentals of power system design and operation. However, existing commercial packages are not ideal for teaching work-based students because of high-cost, complexity of the software and licensing restrictions. This paper describes a set of power systems libraries that have been developed for use with the free, student-edition of a Micro-Cap Spice that overcomes these problems. In addition, these libraries are easily adapted to include power electronic converter based components into the simulation, such as HVDC, FACTS and smart-grid devices, as well as advanced system control functions. These types of technology are set to become more widespread throughout existing power networks, and their inclusion into a power engineering degree course is therefore becoming increasingly important.

In memoriam: Dimitar Shishkov

Bulgarian and world computer science lost a prominent colleague: Dimitar Petrov Shishkov 22th January 1939, Varna – 8th March 2004, Sofia D. Shishkov graduated mathematics at Sofia University in 1962. In the last year of his studies he started a specialization as a programmer at the Joint Institute of Nuclear Research – Dubna which lasted three years. Then he worked at the Institute of Mathematics for two years. In 1966 D. Shishkov together with a group of experts transferred to the newly created Central Laboratory for Information Technologies. In 1976 he defended his PhD dissertation. He has been an associate professor in computer science at Sofia University since 1985 and a professor in computer science since 2000. His scientific interests and results were in the fields of computer architectures, computational linguistics, artificial intelligence, numerical methods, data structures, etc. He was remarkable with his teaching activities. D. Shishkov was the creator of high-quality software for the first Bulgarian electronic calculator “ELKA” – one of the first calculators in the world as well as for the series of next calculators and for specialized minicomputers. He was the initiator of the international project “Computerization of the natural languages”. He was a member of a range of international scientific organizations. Among his numerous activities was the organization of the I-st Programming competition in 1979. D. Shishkov was the initiator of sport dancing in Bulgaria (1967) and founder of the first sport-dancing high school education in the world. D. Shishkov was a highly accomplished person with a diversity of interests, with a developed social responsibility and accuracy in his work. In 1996 D. Shishkov was awarded with the International Prize ITHEA for outstanding achievements in the field of Information Theories and Applications. We are grateful to D. Shishkov for the chance to work together with him for establishment and development of IJ ITA.

Dynamic Determination of Personalized Educational Paths

Report published in the Proceedings of the National Conference on "Education and Research in the Information Society", Plovdiv, May, 2014

The role of law and ethics in developing business management as a profession

Currently, business management is far from being recognised as a profession. This paper suggests that a professional spirit should be developed which could function as a filter of commercial reasoning. Broadly, management will not be organised within the framework of a well-established profession unless formal knowledge, licensing, professional autonomy and professional codes of conduct are developed sufficiently. In developing business management as a profession, law may play a key role. Where the idea is that business management should be more professsionalised, managers must show that they are willing to adopt ethical values, while arriving at business decisions. The paper argues that ethics cannot survive without legal regulation, which, in turn, will not be supported by law unless lawyers can find alternative solutions to the large mechanisms of the official society, secured by the monopolised coercion of the nation state. From a micro perspective of law and business ethics, communities can be developed with their own conventions, rules and standards that are generated and sanctioned within the boundaries of the communities themselves.

A túlképzettség vizsgálata a Debreceni Egyetem végzettjei esetében (The effect of overeducation in the case of graduates of University of Debrecen)

Jelen cikk célja annak mélyrehatóbb vizsgálata, hogy a felsőfokú végzettséggel rendelkező frissdiplomások nagyarányú létszámnövekedése milyen hatással volt a munkaerő-piaci helyzetükre, jelen esetben keresetükre. Homogén-e az egyetemet végzett hallgatók csoportja, vagy elkülöníthetők olyan alcsoportok, amelyben a végzett hallgatók kevesebbet keresnek jobb helyzetben lévő társaiknál? A fentebbi kérdés megválaszolására a Debreceni Egyetem 2007-ben és 2009-ben végzett hallgatóinak Diplomás Pályakövető Rendszeren keresztül nyert adatait használta fel a szerző. A tömegesedés egyik következménye lehet, hogy a felsőfokú végzettséggel rendelkező munkavállaló nem talál a végzettségének megfelelő munkát, és így kénytelen olyan munkakört betölteni, amelynek végzettségigénye alacsonyabb, mint az övé. Az ilyen módon túlképzett munkavállalók keresete alacsonyabb, mint hasonló végzettségű, de megfelelő munkakörben dolgozó társaiké. Ez a vizsgált minta tanúsága szerint a DE végzettjeinek esetében 12-17% körül alakult, ami megfelel a nemzetközi eredményeknek. _________ The main goal of this article to examine the effect of a large increase in the number of university graduates on their labour market position, mainly on their wages. Is the group of graduated students homogenous, or are there any subgroups in which graduates earn less than their counterparts? To answer this question, the author examines the database of the Graduate Students’ Survey which contains data about the students of University of Debrecen who finished their studies in 2007 and 2009. As a result of overeducation, graduates do not find the kind of jobs which require their level of education. These so called overeducated workers earn less than their counterparts. In this case, this wage penalty is between 12%-17%, which is similar to international results.

Perceptions of beginning teachers in Florida regarding their preparation as it relates to the Florida Essential Generic Competencies

The purpose of the study is to investigate how beginning teachers in the state of Florida perceive their preparation to demonstrate the 27 Florida Essential Generic Competencies.^ The basic research question of this study was: How do beginning teachers perceive their level of preparation regarding their implementation of the Florida Essential Generic Competencies? This study identified and categorized the perceived degree of preparation for each of the competencies. Also, elementary, middle, and high school beginning teachers were compared to find significant differences and similarities in their perception of their preparation. A comparison was also done for graduates from in-state versus out-of-state and private versus public institutions.^ A survey developed in collaboration with the Department of Education, Florida State University, members of the Professional Orientation Program (POP) Coordinators, and the Project Director of Program Review in the College of Education at the University of South Florida, was sent to 5,076 beginning teachers. A total of 1,995 returned the survey in February of 1993. The Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) procedure was used (Alpha =.05). Statistical analysis of the data involved a comparison of the different groups of beginning teachers by school level and kind of graduating institutions. The dependent variables analyzed were the responses to all items representing the generic competencies.^ The study identified and categorized the degree of preparation for each competency. The competencies receiving the lowest ratings for degree of preparation were: integrate computers in instruction; manage situations involving child abuse and/or neglect; severe emotional stress; alcohol and drug abuse.^ The Wilkes lambda and the Hotellings multivariate tests of significance were used to examine the differences among the groups. The competency items were further analyzed by a univariate F test. Results indicated that: (1) significant differences were found in nine competency items in which elementary teachers felt better prepared than middle and high school beginning teachers, (2) graduates from a Florida teacher education program felt they were better prepared in demonstrating the competencies than those from out-of-state schools, and (3) no significant difference was found in the perceptions of those who graduated from public versus private institutions.^ Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations are made: (1) Florida's institutions responsible for teacher preparation programs need to focus on those competencies receiving the lowest ratings, (2) Districts should provide an orientation program for out-of-state beginning teachers, and (3) The survey instrument should be used annually to evaluate teacher education programs. ^

With the highest ideals: The Florida State Normal College at DeFuniak Springs, 1887--1905

The urgent need for teachers led the Florida legislature in 1887 to establish the Florida State Normal College at DeFuniak Springs. The college closed in 1905 with passage of the Buckman Act, which mandated a complete reorganization of state-supported higher education and ended coeducation for white students. This small college, open for eighteen years, was uniquely situated in time and place to examine larger questions in American educational history as well as contribute to the history of higher education in Florida, which developed differently than in other states.^ This historical case study used archival sources to examine this institution, and contribute to the history of the origins of Florida's system of higher education. Key questions guiding the research were the nature of the students, fundamental aspects of school life, the impact of the school on the students, and the role of the school in the development of higher education in Florida. Original sources included the Catalogs, Register and Minutes of the school. The census of 1900 was used to develop information on the backgrounds of the students. Findings were: DeFuniak Springs was chosen for the school because of the Florida Chautauqua; the school was coeducational and had few rules but the internalized social codes of the students resulted in almost no difficulties with discipline; the students, a majority of whom were women, were from middle-class southern families; the college compared favorably in faculty, facilities and curriculum to institutions elsewhere; although few students graduated, alumni played a key role in shaping Florida's common schools; and, the Buckman Act entirely changed the nature of higher education in Florida.^ Implications were: The coeducational nature of the college a hundred years ago significantly changes the picture of Florida's higher education; the school was small, but its influence far outlasted the institution; and, the school struggled with issues which continue to trouble modern educators such as finances, the legislature, student retention, underpreparedness, and the proper structuring of a curriculum, which indicates the persistence of these issues. ^

A comparison of the academic performance of students with General Educational Development credentials and high school diplomas at a selected community college

This study compared the performance of students who earned GED credentials in Florida with that of graduates of Florida high schools, when members of both groups enrolled for the first time in fall 1992 at an urban multicultural community college in south Florida. GED's and HSD's were matched on gender, race, age range, placement levels, and enrollment in college preparatory courses (reading, English, mathematics). The paired samples t-test compared course grades, first semester GPA, and total college GPA for the groups and subgroups of matched students at a probability level of .05. The McNemar test compared how many students in each group and subgroup re-enrolled for a second and third term, or ever; how many were placed on special academic status during their college enrollment; and how many graduated within 16 semesters. Differences between groups were found only for placement on probation—with HSD's on probation in significantly higher proportion than GED's. ^ Additional findings among subgroups revealed that male and Caucasian HSD subjects earned higher math grades than their GED counterparts. Male HSD's were more likely than male GED's to return to the college at some point after the first term. However, male HSD's were placed on probation in greater proportion than the GED's with whom they were matched. ^ Female GED's earned higher English grades and higher first semester and cumulative GPA's and returned to the college in greater proportion than their HSD counterparts. Black GED's earned higher first-semester GPA's, re-enrolled in terms 2 and 3 and graduated from the college in higher percentages than Black HSD's. Black HSD's were placed on probation in higher proportion than Black GED's. Lastly, greater percentages of HSD than GED subjects in the lowest age range (16–19) were placed on probation. ^ Results connected to the performance of Black GED subjects are likely to have been affected by the fact that 50% of Black study subjects had been born in Jamaica. The place of the GED in the constellation of methods for earning credit by examination is explored, future implications are discussed, and further study is recommended. ^

Predictors of first semester attrition and their relation to retention of generic associate degree nursing students

In community college nursing programs the high rate of attrition was a major concern to faculty and administrators. Since first semester attrition could lead to permanent loss of students and low retention in nursing programs, it was important to identify at-risk students early and develop proactive approaches to assist them to be successful. The goal of nursing programs was to graduate students who were eligible to take the national council licensing examination (RN). This was especially important during a time of critical shortage in the nursing workforce. ^ This study took place at a large, multi-campus community college, and used Tinto's (1975) Student Integration Model of persistence as the framework. A correlational study was conducted to determine whether the independent variables, past academic achievement, English proficiency, achievement tendency, weekly hours of employment and financial resources, could discriminate between the two grade groups, pass and not pass. Establishing the relationship between the selected variables and successful course completion might be used to reduce attrition and improve retention. Three research instruments were used to collect data. A Demographic Information form developed by the researcher was used to obtain academic data, the research questionnaire Measure of Achieving Tendency measured achievement motivation, and the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE), Form 8, Level A, Tests 1, 4, and 5 measured the level of English proficiency. The Department of Nursing academic policy, requiring a minimum course grade of “C” or better was used to determine the final course outcome. A stepwise discriminant analysis procedure indicated that college language level and pre-semester grade point average were significant predictors of final course outcome. ^ Based on the findings of the study recommendations focused on assessing students' English proficiency prior to admission into the nursing program, an intensive remediation plan in language comprehension for at-risk students, and the selection of alternate textbooks and readings that more closely matched the English proficiency level of the students. A pilot study should be conducted to investigate the benefit of raising the admission grade point average. ^