Square PoliticsKey characteristics of the indignant mobilizations in Greece.

This paper discusses the findings from an online survey completed by nearly 500 persons claiming participation in the indignant (Aganaktismenoi) mobilizations of Syntagma square in Athens during May/June 2011. The demographics of the respondents could have been highly affected by the research medium that was used. However, this paper argues that since the indignant mobilizations were called across different nations by using online social networks, like facebook, the characteristics identified in the Greek case perfectly fit within the general pattern that characterised the participants in these mobilizations. As such, this paper puts the mobilizations at Syntagma square in a good footing for comparative cross-national examination. Furthermore, this paper confirms the increasingly important role played by cyber activism over socio-political contestation in the Greek context. In addition, it discusses the impact that this cyber activism has on the gender composition of political activism and the role of mainstream political participation.

A construção coletiva interdisciplinar em educação ambiental no ensino médio: a microbacia hidrográfica do Ribeirão dos Peixes como tema gerador

O Ribeirão dos Peixes é o principal corpo de água do município de Dois Córregos (SP), e as conseqüências das atividades antrópicas no local exigem urgentes providências para a recuperação do sistema. Considerando que as bacias hidrográficas representam uma temática bastante adequada para um programa de Educação Ambiental e, ainda, as dificuldades/necessidades apresentadas, pelos professores, para o desenvolvimento de práticas que estimulem a conscientização dos alunos com respeito às questões ambientais, o presente estudo visou à formação interdisciplinar de educadores que atuavam no terceiro ano do ensino médio de uma escola estadual, no sentido de possibilitar que trabalhassem posteriormente com seus alunos a dimensão ambiental da microbacia hidrográfica do Ribeirão dos Peixes. Uma investigação inicial sobre as práticas pedagógicas dos professores em relação à abordagem do tema e à Educação Ambiental forneceu subsídios para que este trabalho fosse conduzido, por meio da Pesquisa-ação-participativa e complementada pelo Ensino por pesquisa.

O uso da aprendizagem baseada em problemas e a atuação docente

Recent national education policy documents have emphasized the importance of methodologies and problem-centered learning processes. The purpose of this article is to promote reflection on the problem-based learning (PBL) understood as a methodology that favors learning processes and the active role of students. PBL emerged in undergraduate medical and has been gaining ground not only in higher education but also in basic education. This conception of teaching-learning breaks with the traditional relationship teacher-student- knowledge, introducing new dynamics of relationships between subjects and those with knowledge. From this perspective the educational performance turns and brings new challenges to the teacher.

Research report. A subtropical urban community. Investigating medium to high density residential typologies. Findings and recommendations from the Design Charrette

In June 2009 the Centre for Subtropical Design at the Queensland University of Technology conducted a design charrette to research design concepts for liveable subtropical neighbourhoods characterised by higher-density, mixed-use, family orientated housing. Subsequent analysis of the proposed designs evaluated how well these typologies support economic, environmental and social sustainability. The study was led by Ms Rosemary Kennedy, Director of the Centre for Subtropical Design and QUT School of Design Adjunct Professor Peter Richards, Chair of the Centre for Subtropical Design Board and director of Deicke Richards Architects and Urban Designers.

ACE Research Vignette #52: Business growth and new initiatives in small and medium manufacturing enterprises from a design innovation program

This series of research vignettes is aimed at sharing current and interesting research findings from our team of international Entrepreneurship researchers. This vignette, written by Dr Judy Matthews examines the effects of firm engagement with design innovation programs on entrepreneurial activities of small and medium enterprises.

The Intrapreneur Innovation:Led by Medium and Small Size Companies‘Managers*(Qualitative Research)

This research is focused on an exploratory study developed with Pymes managers and theirroles as intrapreneurs. Using their leadership to impel innovation into organizations.Looking to determined how Pymes employers incentive into organizations individuals or groupinnovations. Therefore, it is possible to think that managers lead the innovation process, whichis classified gradually according to companies needs in order to improve their competitiveness.Organization must have intrapreneuring and organized culture with flexible structure to generateindividual autonomy. A characteristic is the amount of capital risk needed; that is why it isnecessary encourage their work and their risk tolerance.

Research on policies and institutions to support small and medium scale enterprise in the Caribbean: Trinidad adn Tobago report

The Government of Trinidad and Tobago continues to provide support to SMEs in order to enhance their international competitiveness. The increasing effects of globalization and the reality of several trade agreements require that local businesses attain and maintain a level of competitiveness which ensures their continued survival and growth. This report examines in detail the policy environment within which these enterprises operate. It also examines the role of the key implementing agencies such as the BDC and NEDCO for government’s policy on the sector and also the role of the respective line ministries. These organizations strive to deliver value added technical, financial and export promotion services to its clients on a subsidised basis. The services offered reflect five key business areas such as financing, training, technical assistance, trade assistance, business re-engineering, project management and export promotion. In the case of the BDC its services target six sectors: food and beverage, metal processing, leisure marine, including yachting, information and communication technology/electronics, printing and packaging and entertainment. These said sectors are identified by the government, on the basis of a study which was done by TIDCO, for the promotion of a cluster development strategy. In the case of NEDCO it targets the following sectors: art and craft, food and beverages, fashion and fashion accessories, culture and ecotourism, bed and breakfast operations, indigenous entertainment and light manufacturing.

Ca-amendement and tillage: medium term synergies for improving key soil properties of acid soils. Soil and tillage research, 134: 195-206

Ca-amendments are routinely applied to improve acid soils, whilst no-tillage (NT) has been widely recommended in soils where traditional tillage (TT) has led to losses of organic matter. However, the potential interactions between the two treatments are only partially known. Our study was conducted on an annual forage crop agrosystem with a degraded Palexerult soil located in SW Spain, in order to assess if the combination of NT plus a Ca-amendment provides additional benefits to those of their separate use. To this end we analysed the effects of four different combinations of tillage and Ca-amendment on selected key soil properties, focusing on their relationships. The experimental design was a split-plot with four replicates. The main factor was tillage (NT versus TT) and the second factor was the application or not of a Ca-amendment, consisting of a mixture of sugar foam (SF) and red gypsum (RG). Soil samples were collected from 3 soil layers down to 50 cm after four years of treatment (2009). The use of the Ca-amendment improved pH and Al-toxicity down to 25 cm and increased exchangeable Ca2+ down to 50 cm, even under NT due to the combined effect of SF and RG. Both NT and the Ca-amendment had a beneficial effect on total organic carbon (TOC), especially on particulate organic carbon (POC), in the 0–5 cm layer, with the highest contents observed when both practices were combined. Unlike NT, the Ca-amendment failed to improve soil aggregation in spite of the carbon supplied. This carbon was not protected within the stable aggregates in the medium term, making it more susceptible to mineralization. We suggest that the fraction of Al extracted by oxalate from solid phase (AlOxa-Cu-K) and the glomalin-related soil proteins (GRSPs) are involved in the accumulation of carbon within water stable aggregates, probably through the formation of non-toxic stable Al-OM compounds, including those formed with GRSPs. NT alone decreased AlK in the 0–5 cm soil layer, possibly by increasing POC, TOC and GRSPs, which were observed to play a role in reducing Al toxicity. From our findings, the combination of NT and Ca-amendment appears to be the best management practice to improve chemical and physical characteristics of acid soils degraded by tillage.