Higher Academic Level Research Articles

Factores que influyen en la participación en cursos de educación continua del personal de enfermería

Introducción: la educación continua se concibe como una modalidad educativa que permite, a una persona –profesional o no–, actualizarse en un área específica para desarrollarse profesionalmente. Objetivo: determinar los factores que influyen en la participación, en cursos de educación continua, del personal de enfermería. Material y métodos: estudio observacional, trasversal, prolectivo y descriptivo, a una muestra por conveniencia de 136 sujetos, conformada por personal de base del área de enfermería del Hospital General Fernando Quiroz Gutiérrez del ISSSTE. Los datos fueron recolectados con un instrumento diseñado ex-profeso, auto-administrado, con una confiabilidad Alpha de Cronbach de 0.93 (0.82-0.93). Resultados: de la participación en cursos de educa-ción continua en los que participa el personal de enfermería, llama la atención el reporte de no asistencia a los mismos del 34% (46) de los enfermeros(as). La antigüedad que tiene el personal de enfermería dentro del instituto, se correlaciona de manera negativa con el número de cursos tomados (rs = -0.316, p < 0.0001) esto es, a mayor antigüedad, menor número de cursos tomados; mientras que a mayor nivel académico, se observa una correlacion positiva, es decir que, asisten a un mayor número de cursos (rs = 0.265, p < 0.002). Conclusión: Los cursos de educación continua deben tener características de visibilidad que los hagan atractivos y, en su programación, deben considerarse las habilidades que se desea sean adquiridas.

Time Flies when You′re Having Fun!

Time Flies when You′re Having Fun!

PAVE: Personalized Academic Venue recommendation Exploiting co-publication networks

Academic venues have risen beyond the imagination for the rapid development of information technology. It is necessary for researchers to acknowledge high quality and fruitful academic venues. However, the information overload problem in big scholarly data creates tremendous challenges for mining these venues and relevant information. In this work, we propose PAVE, a novel Personalized Academic Venue recommendation Exploiting co-publication networks. PAVE runs a random walk with restart model on a co-publication network which contains two kinds of associations, coauthor relations and author-venue relations. We define a transfer matrix with bias to drive the random walk by exploiting three academic factors, co-publication frequency, relation weight and researchers' academic level. PAVE is inspired from the fact that researchers are more likely to contact those who have high co-publication frequencies and similar academic levels. Additionally, in PAVE, we consider the difference of weights between two kinds of associations. Extensive experiments on DBLP data set demonstrate that, in comparison to relevant baseline approaches, PAVE performs better in terms of precision, recall, F1 and average venue quality.

Julio R. Villanueva, microbiologist, researcher, and mentor of generations of scientists.

On November 21, 2017, Professor Julio R. Villanueva died in Salamanca. Born on April 27, 1928 in Villamayor, council of Piloña (Asturias), he lived almost to the age of 90. His was an accomplished life, full of endeavors and exciting works in the world of research and teaching, which earned him very broad recognition both in Spain and the international arena. Villanueva was undoubtedly the driving force of Fundamental Microbiology in Spain. His early steps came at a time when experimental biology was arriving at an important new age, using microbial systems for experimentation that lead to general conclusions about all living beings. The unveiling of the majority of biological phenomena came from the study of microbial systems. From this context Villanueva derived his motivation - he was always known for the energy he put into all his endeavors - to promote his research and create a scientific and academic school of thought. He tried to project his passion for research at the University at all costs, in a manner that was often timely, and other times not so much, and always proclaimed that only universities that research actively deserve their titles. To this purpose, he sought out the most highly qualified and motivated graduates to invite to join his group and pursue academic careers. We, his disciples, always felt the encouragement - and also the demand - to continually train in research, as an essential requirement of being a university professor. Few mentors have encouraged the lives of so many researchers, valuing above all else their virtues and motivation, with no interest other than for them to be the best. Committed to Spain reaching the highest scientific and academic levels, he also served in important positions, such as the Rector of the University of Salamanca. In his laboratory, a critical resource for microbial studies was initiated, creating the Spanish Type Culture Collection (CECT), which continues today at the University of Valencia. His efforts in favor of promoting research were also developed in collaboration with outstanding organizations, especially the Ramón Areces Foundation. He was tireless when participating on the selection committees for diverse educational and scientific awards, highlighted by the "Premio Principe (Princesa) de Asturias" for scientific and technical research, which he chaired for several years. And finally, it is also necessary to remember his performance as "full academician" and President of the Royal National Academy of Pharmacy (Spain). Prof. Villanueva always showed special appreciation for the living world as a whole, with its immense diversity despite the unity of essential processes that occur in all living things. In taxonomy, his name was given to a biological species, not microbial but of insects: A few years ago, the INBio (an important center in global biodiversity in Costa Rica) described a new species of fly, assigning the name of Mesorhaga villanuevi. Given the name by the Australian researcher Bickel, it is a small insect collected in the foothills of the Guanacaste mountain range. Without a doubt, Prof. Villanueva appreciated this designation of the exotic species. To better understand the key aspects of his life and work, we put the different phases in context with the circumstances in which they happened.

O desempenho da investigação em gestão em Portugal: Algumas causas e consequências

Motivados pela revisão da literatura em torno das questões da qualidade, da investigação, do reconhecimento académico e da atividade docente, o objetivo deste estudo é o de identificar causas e consequências do desempenho da investigação em gestão que é feita nas universidades portuguesas. A análise empírica tem por base as fichas curriculares dos docentes submetidas, obrigatoriamente, à Agência Nacional de Avaliação e Acreditação do Ensino Superior. Os dados dizem respeito ao, à data, único censo nacional de acreditação de cursos. Regressão logística, análise de clusters e optimal scalingsão os métodos utilizados no tratamento empírico da informação. O estudo parece confirmar o que já era apontado por alguns autores de que quem faz investigação tende a conseguir uma maior promoção académica, quer porque atinge categorias profissionais mais elevadas, quer porque obtém graus académicos mais avançados ou vínculos contratuais mais estáveis. Contrariamente, a carga horária não se apresenta como fator capaz de influenciar a investigação que é realizada. De salientar, é a clara ausência de contributo da idade, do género, da internacionalização, da experiência profissional ou da endogamia na produção da investigação científica.

Leadership

Encouraging and allowing students to enroll in rigorous courses, such as Advanced Placement courses, is a critical first step in providing more equity in high schools. Leaders must deliberately and intentionally change the conditions that restrict access by rewriting the rules, examining the data, supporting students, teachers, and leaders and establishing accountability based on the idea that all students must have access to the highest academic levels a school offers. The author shares his experience as a superintendent in Stamford, Conn., and Montgomery County (Md.) Public Schools to show how these changes can occur and the differences they can make.

“SILESIA ANTIQUA” JOURNAL – THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

The museum and archaeology journal “Silesia Antiqua” is an annual publication by the Archaeological Museum in Wrocław, which was established in the 1950s. A 50th-anniversary issue was published in 2016, and in line with the convention adopted since the journal’s very inception, it is divided thematically. The most extensive article is devoted to the results of archaeological research and research methods. The history of the archaeology of Silesia, the analysis of archives, and the description of the archaeological and exhibition activity of the museum in Wrocław and similar smaller establishments in Silesia also occupies a lot of space. “Silesia Antiqua” is one of the journals which has not changed the standards it set for itself 60 years ago. The consistent graphics and the layout of regular columns, as well as the high academic level of its contents, testify to that.

Exploring dynamic research interest and academic influence for scientific collaborator recommendation

In many cases, it is time-consuming for researchers to find proper collaborators who can provide researching guidance besides simply collaborating. The Most Beneficial Collaborators (MBCs), who have high academic level and relevant research topics, can genuinely help researchers to enrich their research. However, how can we find the MBCs? In this paper, we propose a most Beneficial Collaborator Recommendation model called BCR. BCR learns on researchers’ publications and associates three academic features: topic distribution of research interest, interest variation with time and researchers’ impact in collaborators network. We run a topic model on researchers’ publications in each year for topic clustering. The generated topic distribution matrix is fixed by a time function to fit the interest dynamic transformation. The academic social impact is also considered to mine the most prolific researchers. Finally, a TopN MBCs recommendation list is generated according to the computed score. Extensive experiments on a dataset with citation network demonstrate that, in comparison to relevant baseline approaches, our BCR performs better in terms of precision, recall, F1 score and the recommendation quality.

A practice for engineering students based on the control and monitoring an experimental biomass combustor using labview

ABSTRACTThe methods delineated herein enable students to acquire new knowledge and competences at a high academic level in an independent manner and to demonstrate competence in the current concepts and theories governing energy flows, heat transfer, and energy conversions. These methods have been used in the Energy Thermal Master class that is offered in the Engineering School at the University of Vigo. The study presents an innovative learning method in which two new pedagogical concepts are combined, “learning by doing” and “blended learning,” implying a modernization of the classical learning methods. Using the methodology described below, students are able to operate a biomass experimental as well as use numerous measuring devices to obtain the combustion parameters, which are the latest commercial technology. Furthermore, by using LabVIEW programming, students are able to realize the importance of automation in the facilities and to create a code that is responsible for the control, supervision and monitoring of the system. In addition to the purely experimental aspect, students must analyze the data acquired by LabVIEW, apply their theoretical knowledge and exchange data with other groups, improving their teamwork skills. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 25:392–403, 2017; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/cae; DOI 10.1002/cae.21806

An Empirical Study on the Application of Cooperative Learning to Comprehensive English Classes in a Chinese Independent College

This research investigated a comparison between the effect of cooperative learning and lecture teaching on Comprehensive English classes in a Chinese Independent College. An empirical study for two semesters was carried out in the forms of pretest, posttest, questionnaire and interviews. While control class was taught in the conventional way, experiment class was instructed based on cooperative base groups with positive interdependence structured on purpose. Compared with traditional instructions, cooperative learning as pedagogy can improve students’ performance on course exams, but not necessarily their language competence as shown in national English competency tests taken before and after the experiement. Test results also indicate students from experiment class who excelled in competency test outnumbered those from control class, revealing that cooperative learning has positive impacts especially on students at a relatively higher academic level. Questionaire results show that students are most inclined to agree they have more chances to practice the language in a cooperative environment.

Exploring Muslim Attitudes Towards Corporate Social Responsibility: Are Saudi Business Students Different?

This study investigates potential differences in attitudes towards corporate social responsibility (CSR) between Saudis and Muslims from other predominately Islamic countries. We propose that Saudi Arabia’s unique rentier-state welfare and higher education systems account for these distinctions. In evaluating our propositions, we replicate Brammer et al. (J Bus Eth 71(3):229–243, 2007) survey on attitudes towards CSR using a sample of Saudi undergraduate and graduate business students and compare the results against data from subjects in other majority Muslim countries. In addition, this work examines possible differences within the Saudi sample with respect to sex and academic level. Our results indicate that our Saudi subjects maintain higher expectations for corporations’ social responsibility within their supply chain than the Brammer et al.’s sample. In contrast, Muslims in the Brammer et al.’s sample hold higher expectations for corporations in supporting societal development and poverty alleviation in comparison to the Saudi sample. We also find within the Saudi sample that females and subjects at higher academic levels are more inclined to hold corporations responsible for social issues related to CSR than males and subjects in lower academic levels. We examine these findings, explore their implications, and propose areas for future research.

Diabetes knowledge in adolescents with type 1 diabetes and their parents and glycemic control

To evaluate diabetes knowledge and skills (DKS) in adolescents (>10 year) with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and their parents, and its effect on glycemic control. A ready-to-use program and a standardized questionnaire comprising 50 true-false questions based on this program, were elaborated by a National Committee, to help dispensing education at diagnosis of T1D. The questionnaire was completed by 2933 T1D patients (49% girls, 51% boys; 14.1 ± 2.5 year), 2180 mothers and 798 fathers, in 115 pediatric centers. Associations between DKS score (number of correct answers), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and sociofamilial characteristics were assessed. DKS score increased with age, and was higher in girls than in boys and in mothers than in fathers; it correlated strongly between adolescents and their own parents; it was higher when adolescents had previously participated in diabetes camp and when parents had higher academic levels. HbA1c decreased significantly with parents' higher DKS score and academic level, and when both parents lived together. Mean adolescent DKS score was significantly higher in patients with HbA1c below 8% or 8.5% than for patients with HbA1c above these thresholds. A large survey in T1D children and adolescents and their parents showed associations between DKS and glycemic control, and the major role of sociofamilial factors.

Teacher Candidates’ Learning Strategies and Academic Self-Efficacy Levels: Is There a Relation Between the Two?

The current study aimed to identify teacher candidates’ learning strategies and academic self-efficacy levels. Furthermore, the correlations between these variables and gender and departments were looked into. The study was mainly descriptive and correlational. The sample of the study consisted of 256 teacher candidates enrolled at a faculty of education. To collect data, The Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) and Academic Self-Efficacy Scale were used. During the analysis phase of the study besides descriptive statistics, bivariate correlation and multivariate analysis of variance were carried out. The findings revealed that there was a significant correlation between the learning strategies rehearsal, organization, metacognitive self-regulation, association, time/study environmental, and peer learning and help seeking. The results MANOVA revealed significant relations between rehearsal, organization, metacognitive self-regulation strategies and departments and gender. Furthermore, the findings indicated that the teacher candidates had an overall high academic self-efficacy levels.

Disordered eating, amenorrhea, and substance use and misuse among professional ballet dancers: Preliminary analysis.

Substance use and misuse (SUM), eating disorders (ED) and consequent amenorrhea (AM) occur frequently in professional ballet dancing. The objective of this study has been to explore the prevalence and association between ED, AM and SUM in ballet. The sample comprised 21 ballet dancers, 23.1±4.5 years old, members of the professional National Ballet Ensemble from Croatia. Variables were collected by questionnaires examining SUM, occurrence of amenorrhea, and corresponding ballet-specific and socio-demographic factors (Questionnaire on Substance Use - QSU) and the level of ED (Brief Eating Disorder in Athletes Questionnaire - BEDA-Q). Smoking is prevalent in 40% of dancers (25% smoke on a daily basis), 36% often use analgesics, and 25% engage in binge drinking at least once a month. Smoking and binge drinking are less frequent in ballerinas with a higher academic level (r = 0.60 and r = 0.54 for binge drinking and smoking, respectively; p < 0.05). Alcohol drinking is higher among dancers who consume analgesics more often and those with a higher BEDA-Q score (r = 0.53 and r = 0.54 for analgesics and BEDA-Q, respectively; p < 0.05). Amenorrhea is more prevalent among those dancers with a higher BEDA-Q score. Women who consume nutritional supplements are less likely to use analgesics (Mann Whitney U test = 2.11; p < 0.05). Efforts seeking to prevent ED in ballet should target dancers who consume alcohol to a greater extent. Future studies should specifically explore the less frequent consumption of analgesics among dancers who consume nutritional supplements.

POLITICAL ATMOSPHERE IN DORPAT IN EMIL KRAEPELIN’S PERIOD

1. Historical background Since the 13th century up to World War I, the German minority, who Christianized the Estonians and Latvians, had been the ruling class in the Estonian area. Although the Livonian Order founded by the Teutonic Order ceased to exist in the middle of the 16th century and the territory of today's Republic of Estonia, mainly inhabited by Estonians, was in the 17th century under the reign of Poland and Sweden, and since the 18th century of the Russian empire, the Germans maintained their privilege to rule in the area. The Russian empire even granted an extensive autonomy to the Estonian and Livonian Ritterschaften (Russian Baltic Sea provinces), which enabled to manage all the living spheres in German and guaranteed the superiority of the Lutheran church in the Estonian area (Schirren 1865, 1869, Pistohlkors 2006, Ungern-Sternberg 2013). The university that opened in Dorpat in accordance with the ukase of Emperor Alexander I in 1802 used German as the official language and its theological faculty propagated Lutheran religion. The first professors of the University of Dorpat mainly (with a few exceptions) came from German-speaking countries and territories in Europe, later local Germans, born in the areas of present-day Estonia and Latvia, were also employed. It was the German language used in instruction that guaranteed a very high academic level similar to that in universities of Germany and such a situation lasted almost until the last decades of the 19th century (Engelhardt 1933). During the 19th century, the class-conscious Russian empire as well as the German-governed Estonian area underwent great changes. The national consciousness awaking slowly among the peoples of the empire: the Russians, Estonians, Latvians, Polish and other ethnic groups since the mid-nineteenth century seriously undermined the basis of the class-society in Russia and in the 1860s the government considered necessary to react to that (Kappeler 1992, Miller 2008). It means that Russian began to be increasingly introduced in the whole empire as the official language, including the University of Dorpat, some limits were established to religious freedom, an attempt was made to unify the legislation of different parts of the empire and some other steps were taken. The measures taken with the aim to modernize the country, but, at the same time, maintain the class-system, generated different feelings among the nations of the empire. The term Russification was introduced. The American historian Edward C. Thaden and his pupils proved in the 1980s already that the term Russification was an ambiguous notion and the Russification policy differed regionally to a great extent (Thaden 1981, Thaden, Thaden 1984, Haltzel 1977). Most recent studies concerning the borderland areas of the Russian empire confirm that point of view (Bobrovnikov, Babich 2007, Dameshek, Remnev 2007, Dolbilov 2010, Beauvois 2011, Dolbilov, Miller 2007, Kushko, Taki 2012). Another aspect is how different nations of the Russian empire perceived Russification, in our case the Germans living in the Estonian and Livonian areas. The loyalty of Germans living in the Baltic Sea provinces to the Russian emperor was remarkable. They often held high military and civil positions in the empire, worked as leading officials at ministries, were outstanding scholars greatly contributing to the development of Russian science. That is why the increasing interference of the central government of Russia in the life of the Russian Baltic Sea provinces since the 1840s was so painful to local Germans (often called Baltic Germans). The following steps were classified as Russification: attempts to increase the role of the Russian language in everyday affairs and the school system of the Baltic provinces, including the University of Dorpat, attempts to put an end to teaching Lutheranism in Dorpat University in 1843 and the interference in ruling the province, giving the Estonians and Latvians passports and the freedom to move and freeing them from the patronization of landlords (passport law 1863, parish reform 1866, court reform 1889) (Bock 1869, Schirren 1869, Eckardt 1869, 1870, [Buchholtz] 1883, 1888, Anonymous 1886, cf. …

Knowledge of premarital screening among male university students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Background: In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where the consanguineous marriage rate is high, premarital counseling is the service offered to young couples on their way to marriage to guide, educate, and prepare them for the establishment of a healthy family. Objective: To assess knowledge of premarital screening and their relation to socio-demographic background of male university students in Riyadh City. Materials and Methods: It was a cross-sectional study included a representative sample of male university students at King Saud University, Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia. A multistage random sampling technique was applied in three stages. In the first stage, one student from literate collage and one from scientific college were selected by simple random method. In the second stage, three levels were selected by random sampling from each college. In the third stage, about 50 students were recruited from each of the classrooms. A self-administered questionnaire consisted of two main parts was used; the first part was based on socio-demographic data and the second part dealt with the students’ knowledge about the hereditary disorder in premarital screening program. Result: The study included 320 male students. Their age ranged between 18 and 30 years with a mean of 21.2 years and standard deviation of ±1.6 years. They were almost equally distributed between participated two colleges (Science and Arts). Almost a quarter of students (23.1%) reported family history of hereditary diseases, whereas 10.9% of them reported personal history of hereditary diseases. Their main sources of information about premarital screening were friends (60.8%), television (35.9%), and medical courses (22.2%). Older, science college students, those of higher academic level and having information about premarital screening from school and from friends showed significant higher level of knowledge. Conclusion: This study highlights that knowledge of male university students in King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia about the PMS program was insufficient in some areas such as transmission of hepatitis B and C viruses through sexual transmission and from mother to fetus. In light of our results, there is certainly a need for more information and education about the program.

Effectiveness of Morning Report Sessions of Cardiology Wards at Teaching Hospitals of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (2012-2013)

Introduction: Morning report is an important teaching method for interns and externs. Achieving the objectives of morning report affects future performance. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to analyze the effectiveness of morning reports. Methods: Viewpoints of 85 interns and externs at the cardiology wards of teaching hospitals of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in the academic year of 2012-2013 were investigated. The instrument for data collection was a researcher-made questionnaire. Data were analyzed by chisquare and independent t-test. Effectiveness was defined as the rate of the achievement of the goals of morning reports based on dividing the total score of the questionnaire (54 scores) into three parts of 0-17 (poor effectiveness), 18-36 (moderate effectiveness) and 37-54 (good effectiveness). Results: The effectiveness of morning report sessions without the presence of residents was reported as moderate in hospital A, and the effectiveness of morning report sessions with the presence of residents in hospital B was reported as moderate in the opinion of interns and poor in the view of externs. There was no significant difference between the viewpoints of interns in hospitals A and B with regard to the effectiveness of morning report sessions (p=0.169). Conclusion: Results indicate that the higher academic level of subjects discussed in morning reports with presence of residents caused a reduction in the participation rate of interns and externs, thereby decreasing their learning and satisfaction. However, without the presence of residents, the students’ feelings of fear and anxiety were reduced and their satisfaction was heightened.

Medical educators: the rich symbiosis between clinical and teaching roles.

Although many medical educators now undertake formal courses in education, some to a high academic level, there has been little investigation into the ways in which their clinical and educational roles interact. In this qualitative study, we investigate these links and consider their importance. We carried out semi-structured interviews with 18 medical educators from a variety of backgrounds and specialties to investigate the links between clinical and educational roles. Data were analysed for recurring themes. We found an intuitive sharing of professional skills between the clinical and educational roles of doctors. Doctors came to see their practice as more complex and nuanced through their teaching, giving them a route to deepen their understanding of their own professional practice and enhance their self-worth. When teaching, doctors drew upon clinical experience, particularly their communication and problem-solving skills, to develop their practice in a holistic way. We found an intuitive sharing of professional skills between the clinical and educational roles of doctors We have found that medical practitioners bring their experience and expertise in clinical medicine to their work as educators. In addition, developing as a medical educator affects and enhances clinical practice. These findings have important implications for those charged with the development of medical education and medical educators themselves, as well as the patients that they care for.

’n Behoefte-analise met die oog op die ontwerp van ’n Taal vir Spesifieke Doeleindes (TSD)-kursus vir leerderonderwysers met Afrikaans as tweede taal

’n Behoefte-analise met die oog op die ontwerp van ’n Taal vir Spesifieke Doeleindes (TSD)-kursus vir leerderonderwysers met Afrikaans as tweede taal

Factores de contexto socioeconómicos y educativos en estudiantes de nivel superior, sugerencia para una realidad actual

Investigacion es un analisis comparativo entre factores de contexto y rendimiento academico para conocer cuales son los factores que predicen el alto o bajo rendimiento escolar en universitarios. Diseno no experimental, transversal, de campo, en formato de encuesta descriptivo y analitico. Poblacion de 45,161 estudiantes universitarios y con seleccion de una muestra forzada de 6,425 (14%) dividida en dos grupo por rendimiento: grupo de bajo 1,233 (3%) y grupo de alto 5,192 (11%). Las variables que predicen en p <0.05 fueron: la historia academica (71.1%), horas dedicadas al trabajo en area educativa (69%) Habitos alimenticios (74%) Formas de aprendizaje (79%) Habitos de estudio (63%), la situacion socioeconomica (58%) y con malas instalaciones educativas (60%). Se realizan recomendaciones para impactar el indice de eficiencia terminal. Lo que va a permitir insertar a los jovenes preparados y responsables dentro de la sociedad economicamente activa.