State Scholarships Research Articles

The Covid-19 Pandemic as a Driver of More Responsive Social Procedures: between Theory and Practices in Slovenia

Abstract Social and other administrative procedures are gaining importance because of the increasing complexity of administrative relationships brought about by the Covid‐19 pandemic, digitalisation, and other societal changes. When exercising social rights, procedural elements should be seen – both at the level of regulation and enforcement of the rules – as factors contributing to the welfare state, the rule of law, and good administration, and not as an excuse for a bureaucratic attitude. In view of the multifunctionality of social procedures, including their casual‐functional role in social relationships and their potential for a critical value‐based evaluation of the current regulation, the rationale for this study is to assess the impact of the Covid‐19 pandemic on special administrative procedures conducted by the 16 social work centres (SWCs) in Slovenia. A special emphasis is placed on the informational calculation of social assistance payments, such as child benefits, kindergarten subsidies or state scholarships ‐by far the most numerous procedures involving social rights in Slovenia, with over one million cases annually. Drawing upon a normative analysis, available statistics, semi‐structured interviews with SWCs managers and surveys among employees, the findings reveal that the response of SWCs to the crisis has improved. However, largely due to the lack of coordination on the part of the line ministry, the simplifications introduced mainly benefit the public administration rather than particularly vulnerable parties to the procedure. Consequently, there is a need to pay greater attention to providing the parties with adequate protection of their constitutional rights and other elements of good public governance. Points for Practitioners In addition to analysing the direct practical implications of the legislative, organisational, and IT adaptations to the Covid‐19 pandemic, the article provides a broader study of the multifunctionality of social procedures and their role in ensuring citizens’ fundamental rights in times of socially unstable conditions. The findings are thus directly applicable for practitioners deciding on social procedures in the broader European setting, and for policymakers and legislators in the respective fields. As the conclusions are grounded on a strong methodological framework, this should contribute to advocating the much‐needed change in ensuring the protection of the basic constitutional rights in social procedures in times of crisis in Central Europe and beyond.

장학금 유형에 따른 심리적 가치 및 저축성향과 소비지출

In the present study, a line is drawn between grade scholarship and state scholarship in an attempt to examine how student recipients of a scholarship perceive the psychological value of the grant, for what purpose they seek to use the scholarship, and what implications such behaviors would have for management of scholarship. The results of the study are as follows. First, the recipients of the grade scholarship feel higher psychological value than those of the state scholarship since the grade scholarship is regarded to be the due price for their efforts and the state scholarship is deemed to have little connection with the efforts invested. Second, a stronger tendency is found to spend the grade scholarship for buying hedonic products than utilitarian products. Third, there is little distinction between the grade scholarship and state scholarship in terms of the saving amounts. Thus, it seems thus necessary to lead students to spend the grade scholarship for buying utilitarian products that are needed for the promotion of academic performance after saving a certain amount of the grade scholarship. The study focuses on grade scholarships and state scholarships, and approaches the psychological value, saving tendency, and the impact of scholarships on the type of product purchased, from the theoretical perspective of psychological and emotional accounting.

Demystifying college costs: how nudges can and can't help

Abstract As US college costs continue to rise, governments and institutions have quadrupled financial aid. Yet, the administrative process of receiving financial aid remains complex, raising costs for families and deterring students from enrolling. In two large-scale field experiments (N = 265,570), we test the impact of nudging high-school seniors in California to register for state scholarships. We find that simplifying communication and affirming belonging each significantly increase registrations, by 9% and 11%, respectively. Yet, these nudges do not impact the final step of the financial aid process – receiving the scholarship. In contrast, a simplified letter that affirms belonging while also making comparable cost calculations more salient significantly impacts college choice, increasing enrollment in the lowest net cost option by 10.4%. Our findings suggest that different nudges are likely to address different types of administrative burdens, and their combination may be the most effective way to shift educational outcomes.

The Fight for a Public University in Boston: Making a Public-Private Educational System

Abstract:This article explores the conflict between US public and private higher educational institutions by tracing the long struggle for a public university in Boston between 1890 and 1980. This history reveals how the competitive relationship between public and private institutions was central to the formation of each sector, while also complicating a clear dichotomy between the two. Educational innovations such as state scholarships, teacher-training initiatives, university extension courses, and junior colleges are also recast in this story as strategies to limit, rather than expand, the public sector. Finally, this history should prompt a reinterpretation of the current neoliberal moment. Rather than view contemporary budget cuts and public-private partnerships as novel historical departures of the late twentieth century, they appear in this Massachusetts story as a return to a political landscape long hostile to public higher education.

HISTORY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF UKRAINIAN STUDIES AT THE HANKUK UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN STUDIES: ACHIEVEMENTS AND PROSPECTS

The article deals the achievements of the Department of Ukrainian Studies for 12 years of its work, as well as outlines the prospects for the future. The peculiarities of the education system in the Republic of Korea, the form of education, the attitude of students to the educational process, the problems of the first years of teaching the Ukrainian language at the Department of Ukrainian Studies at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies are highlighted. Today there are 3 teachers and 2 lecturers and about 100 students at the Department of Ukrainian Studies. The education system in Korean universities is built on the American model: training lasts 4 years. The academic year coincides with the calendar year. The first semester begins on March 1 and lasts exactly 16 weeks, as well as the second semester begins on September 1 and also lasts 16 weeks. The Department of Ukrainian Studies trains only bachelors. The curriculum at the Department of Ukrainian Studies meets the requirements of the Ministry of Education and Science of Korea and the general university regulations on study at the faculties of regional studies. Disciplines taught at the Faculty of Ukrainian Studies include Ukrainian language (beginning, intermediate and advanced level), history of Ukraine, culture, literature, art, politics, economics, translation, as well as comparative disciplines related to Ukraine in local lore, philosophy and pedagogical aspects. Another aspect to focus on is the peculiarities of Korean students’ education and their attitude to education in general. Features of the Korean education system related to Confucianism, so Korean students: (a) prefer grammar-/vocabulary-based rote learning to higher-order thinking (problem-solving, critical thinking, etc.); (b) are passive absorbers of information, rather than active discoverers; (c) are unable to use the target language; and (d) have their ability for creativity and risk-taking burned out of them by a hierarchical, teachercentered, test-driven, memory-based education system. Special attention is paid to scientific and methodological activities (development and publication their own textbooks) and publishing activities at the Department of Ukrainian Studies, in particular, the Korean Journal of Ukrainian Studies (KJUS, 2020) – the first journal of Ukrainian studies not only in Korea but also in the world. Among the prospects that need to be addressed as a matter of priority are: certification of knowledge of Korean students, the problem of state scholarships (exchange programs at the expense of Ukraine) and support of Ukrainian studies centers abroad by state institutions of Ukraine. Key words: Department of Ukrainian Studies, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, education system, Korean students, Ukrainian as a foreign language.

Patrolling Human SLE Haematopoietic Progenitors Demonstrate Enhanced Extramedullary Colonisation; Implications for Peripheral Tissue Injury

Systemic Lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease where bone-marrow-derived haematopoietic cells have a key role in its pathogenesis with accumulating evidence suggesting an aberrant function of haematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs). By employing next-generation sequencing, we compared the gene transcription signatures of CD34+ HSPCs deriving from either the bone marrow or HSPCs patrolling the bloodstream of healthy and individuals with SLE, seeking common transcriptional pathways that may have been modified between steady and disease states. Our findings indicate that circulating and bone marrow-derived HSPCs are distinct in steady and diseased states. Non-mobilised, SLE-derived circulating HSPCs demonstrated enhanced engrafting and altered differentiation capacities. Importantly, xenotransplantation of circulating HSPCs in humanised mice showed that human peripheral blood HSPCs possess the ability for extramedullary organ colonisation to the kidneys. SLE CD34+ HSPCs homing and engraftment at extramedullary sites such as the spleen and kidneys may participate in peripheral tissue injury. Funding Information: This study was supported by the H2020-ERC-2016-ADG-LUPUSCARE-742390 and Greek State Scholarships Foundation (ΙΚΥ) MIS-5000432 and MIS-5001552 grants. Declaration of Interests: None. Ethics Approval Statement: Informed consent was obtained from all patients and human controls prior to sample collection (IRB protocol number 10/22-6-2017). All mouse animal work has been approved by the BRFAA ethics committee and the Attica Veterinary Department (758634/22-11/2019).

State Scholarship Programs and Grants as a Factor of the Human Capital Development: Russian and Foreign Experience

Recognizing the importance of the development of human capital, many countries contribute to the growth of international student mobility through various state grants and scholarships for their citizens and foreign students. Nevertheless, there is a lack of research on the state's benefit from sponsoring scholarship programs and study abroad grants in the context of the development of the country's human capital. This article examines scholarship programs and grants to study abroad regarding human capital development, how they can help build human capital, and what can be an obstacle for that. The authors analyze the features and implementation mechanisms and provide typology of the programs in modern conditions. Based on a review of state scholarship programs and grants for studying abroad, and an analysis of scholars' studies and regulatory documents, authors identify existing and potential obstacles to building up and effectively using human capital such as non-return of scholarship holders to their homeland, deskilling, bureaucratic employment procedures, emigration intentions after fulfilling obligations under the program, etc. Exploring of foreign and Russian experience in implementing state scholarship and grant programs, authors determine several ways for the further development of the programs in the context of the idea of human capital building. The results of the study can be applied to the development and improvement of the Russian scholarship programs and grants for studying abroad.

Predictive modelling of burnout among Kazakhstani English teacher candidates

Introduction. In Kazakhstan, 55% of English pre-service teacher candidates do not plan to work in public schools after graduation. The current quantitative study, using statistical analysis, sought to determine the causes of this phenomenon.The aim of the present research was to determine the probability of early career burnout among future English teachers using predictive modeling.Methodology and research methods. To create a predictive model, the authors used the following statistical data analysis tools: factor analysis, ordinal regression, and the Сhi-square test. The selection of the above tools provides to predict the probability of work intention in a Kazakhstani public school for more than five years. This period acts as a proxy variable for predicting future teachers’ burnout rates. The study involved 160 pre-service teachers, who received State scholarships for free tuition, with an obligation to work in public schools after graduation.Results and scientific novelty. The data indicated that some respondents would only work for a period of less than five years, due to a sense of despair about their profession. The results demonstrate that pre-service teachers require better training. Furthermore, the authors found a correlation in teaching career expectations and the gender gap, where mature female participants were more likely to carry an intention to work for more than five years.Practical significance. The present study makes a contribution to further research aimed at preventing the shortage and turnover of teaching staff in the workplace by detecting early warning signs of burnout among prospective teachers. The authors identified the indicators of the risk group of novice teachers, who are more prone to burnout due to emotional exhaustion, low self-efficacy, low expectations, and prospects from a teaching career. The authors believe that effective career guidance provides an adequate selection of the most motivated applicants with high occupational expectations.

Applying a ‘glonacal’ framework: the education choices of academically elite students in Singapore in relation to state scholarships

ABSTRACT This study is an attempt at better understanding the education choices of top-performing students in elite schooling. It applies a ‘glonacal’ framework (Maxwell 2018, “Changing Spaces – The Reshaping of (Elite) Education Through Internationalisation.” In Elite Education and Internationalization: From the Early Years Into Higher Education, edited by C. Maxwell, U. Deppe, H. Kruger, and W. Helsper, 347–367. London: Palgrave Macmillan.) and focuses on the case of academically elite students who have graduated from an elite secondary school in Singapore, and their attitudes toward a scheme of undergraduate state scholarships. Drawing on life history interviews and focus group discussions with such individuals, I uncover how Singaporean informants portrayed aspirations of moving abroad for university education, and of returning to Singapore, commensurate with the state’s strategy of tying them to the local through contractual bonds. Their characterisation of the scholarship in terms of ‘comfort’ and ‘stability’ must be contextualised within a nationalistic regime linking an elitist education system via scholarships to the local sphere of social and political power. The discussion serves to demonstrate relations between transnational mobility, the school and the local political economy, and how these have an influence on student subjectivities regarding education choices.

Anthony David Griffiths

Anthony David Griffiths (“Tony”) was born on 5 March 1937 in Merthyr Tydfil. Tony’s mother, Eira (nee Lewis), was a haberdasher and needlewoman, and his father, Trefor, and grandfather were...

Digital Transformations to Improve the Work and Distribution of the State Scholarships Programs

Purpose – Based on the analysis of Kazakhstan’s experience of digital transformation, this study suggests a concept for digital solution to...

Material and Living Conditions and Scholarship Provision for the Students of the Sumy State Pedagogical Institute in 1930-1940

The article reveals the peculiarities of material and living conditions of the students of the Sumy State Pedagogical Institute in 1930-1940. On the basis of archival documents, the level of scholarship provision for students during the 30-40 of the XX century was analyzed, and a comparative analysis of the monetary equivalent of state scholarships in relation to workers’ wages was conducted. The authors cite archival sources that confirm the existence of various sources of scholarship support, for example from trade union organizations. It was stated, that the number and the size of scholarships of the students of the Sumy State Pedagogical Institute was gradually increasing, depending on the results of their study. Nevertheless, the scholarship support, as it is evidenced by the archival documents, was not sufficient for a young person to provide himself with basic clothing and treatment needs, also taking into account the fact that students, like all Ukrainian citizens, were forced to give out some of the funds for state loans. The article analyzes the reasons why students were deprived of scholarship, or why its size was diminished: academic debts, missing classes, violation of discipline, etc. The authors analyze the students’ situation after the introduction of compulsory tuition fee at higher educational establishments, increasing the requirements for the quality of education as the main factor in obtaining a scholarship. The article also investigates the problem of providing accommodation for students in hostels. The analysis of archival documents proves that this problem was acute in 1930-1940. It was solved gradually, sometimes without taking into account the interests of student youth. The article cites archival documents, some of which have been introduced into scientific circles for the first time.

(Invited) Large Area Synthesis of 2D Metal Dichalcogenides By Van Der Waals Molecular Beam Epitaxy

A large number of 2D Transition Metal Dichalcogenide (TMD) materials on micron-sized flakes exfoliated from bulk have been studied extensively showing exciting new physical properties and good prospects to impact a wide range of applications [1]. On the other hand, large area growth on suitable substrates is urgently needed in order to make the transition from lab-based research to real world applications. Molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) is traditionally used to achieve van der Waals epitaxy as first conceptualized by Koma and co-workers[2]. The epitaxial growth of single or few layer 2D TMDs is very challenging because it depends critically on the substrate and surface preparation methodology. Although Si as one of the most technologically important substrates is preferred for TMD growth, the film quality is not adequate. Engineered substrates such as epi-AlN(0001)/Si and epi-InAs(111)/Si available in large wafer sizes (200 and 300 mm) could be good candidates in the effort to improve the thin film quality. In this work, we will first review our work on MoSe2 [3], HfSe2 [4] WSe2[5], SnSe2[5] and HfTe2 [6] and their van der Waals heterostructures [5,7] grown by MBE on AlN/Si focusing on the microstructure, thin film morphology and homogeneity. Then we will show more recent results on metallic or semimetallic telluride TMDs (MoTe2, TiTe2, ZrTe2, HfTe2) grown on InAs/Si substrates with much improved epitaxial quality. Using synchrotron XRD, high resolution STEM and in-situ STM, excellent rotational commensurability, quasi van der Waals gap at the interface and Moire pattern are observed indicating good registry between the 2D TMD epilayer and the substrate through weak van der Waals forces. We will show that MBE grown 1ML MoTe2 on InAs(111) adopts the metastable distorted 1T’ crystal structure which is metallic and predicted to be a 2D tolological insulator (or Quantum Spin Hall state). Using in-situ ARPES complemented by DFT calculations we show that the valence and conduction bands of few layer HfTe2 [6] and ZrTe2 cross at the Fermi level exhibiting abrupt linear dispersions at the zone center. The latter indicates massles Dirac fermions which are maintained down to the 2D limit suggesting that single layers of epitaxial HfTe2 and ZrTe2 could be considered as the electronic analogue of graphene. Finally, we show that in 1 ML TiTe2 it is possible to substitute the top Te row by Se to form the ordered Janus ternary 2D material Te-Ti-Se similar to S-Mo-Se material recently reported [8,9]. These materials are predicted to have exiting new physical properties and are expected to open a new field in the wide area of 2D materials and devices. Acknowledgements: This work is financially supported by the LANEF Chair of Excellence program of U. Grenoble Alpes and CEA (A.D.), the Greek State Scholarships Foundation (IKY) Program for the strengthening of postdoctoral research (P.T.), The FLAG-ERA project MELoDICA (A.D.) and the French state funds ANR-10-LABX-51-01 (Labex LANEF du Programme d'Investissements d'Avenir) and Equipex ANR-11-EQPX-0010 (G.R.)

Medical students, beneficiaries of the state scholarships of the Republic of Serbia, and their education in the 21st century: The possibility of improvement

In the 19th century, at the time when Serbia was being established, the education of students scholars abroad was viewed as one of the main tools for professional development and a strong society. Medical students were one of the first who were sent to study abroad. This practice was associated with increasing vertical social mobility of society. The results achieved in the 19th century encouraged us to focus on the study of temporary migrations of students scholars from Serbia in the 21st century. This article was created as a result of this study.4 Our goal was to define the profile of medical students scholars who studied abroad in the 21st century thanks to the state funds, to determine the reasons why they opted for education outside their country, and to determine the level of openness of the Serbian society towards them. However, the main objective was to contribute to the research of reverse migration.

Women and Political Leadership in an Authoritarian Context: A Case Study of the Sixth Parliament in the Islamic Republic of Iran

When Iran's new president, Hassan Rouhani, presented his proposed Cabinet to the Majles (parliament) in August 2013, one issue brought up in social media was the strange silence of the women members throughout the intensive four-day sessions to assess the ministerial nominees' programs before the vote of confidence. None of the nine women parliamentary members (MPs) used the podium to object that the president had not nominated any woman as minister. Only on social media and Persian language television was there criticism for the absence of women ministers. Eventually, Rouhani promised to include a woman in his Cabinet and to promote women in middle managerial positions. Not only was this tokenism evidence of gender-blindness, but it also evinced historical amnesia, as it overlooked the intense campaigning for women's greater participation and rights on the part of the 13 women members of Iran's Sixth Majles during the reform era coinciding with President Mohammad Khatami's two terms (1997–2005). That parliament is notable for its commitment to political and cultural reform and for the caucus that agitated for women's greater presence. Among its accomplishments were passage of the UN's Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW); raising the minimum age of marriage for girls from puberty to 13; and removing the ban on single young women traveling abroad on state scholarships.

He challenging role of public libraries as providers of lifelong learning opportunities for personal and social skills development

Public libraries have been for centuries an integral part of the society offering free places and equal access to resources for leisure and educational purposes. They support both organised and self-conducted learning in all education forms, i.e. formal, non-formal and informal learning for all age groups. However, the global technological developments have changed the demands for easier access to knowledge and the new socio-economic conditions affected informational, educational and training needs throughout life. Nowadays, they have to find ways to overcome the challenges of the competitive environment, which will enable them to redefine themselves as a vital part of the knowledge society connected to the emerging community needs by becoming more active in lifelong learning. This paper presents an overview of public libraries’ role as providers of lifelong learning opportunities. The review is focused on the value-added services provision, including information literacy and other educational programs and activities for personal and social skills development. Additionally, provides some brief information on Greek public libraries and their role in lifelong learning over the last decades.*The fulfilment of the paper was co-funded through the Hellenic State Scholarships Foundation (I™IšI¥) from funds coming from the European Social Fund and the Educational Program “Education and Life Long Learning” (NSRF, 2007 – 2013).** This paper is a revised version of the paper entitled “Lifelong learning opportunities and challenges for public libraries”, presented at the 15th International Academic Conference in Rome, 14-17 April 2015.

Quid Pro Quo

Motivation: ISPs today are seeing unprecedented growth in residential broadband traffic volumes driven by the wide- spread popularity of video streaming services such as Net- flix, Hulu, Youtube and so on. This traffic explosion creates a need for (expensive) periodic network capacity upgrades and also increases transit costs paid to upstream providers. As a response, several ISPs started to impose time-of-day data caps, i.e., where per subscriber data usage limits are defined for particular periods of the day, e.g. BRC [USA] from 5pm-1am daily.While these have the effect of reducing traffic in busy periods (and hence costs), they also run the risk of alienating subscribers due their punitive nature. In this abstract, we propose an alternative mechanism where the ISP has a simple fixed monthly subscription price but also applies price discounts to influence subscribers to shift their traffic demands outside of the peak windows.Cost Model: Most ISPs size the network for peak demand and over-provision network capacity so that average utilization stays below a threshold p. Capacity upgrades are triggered by sustained, upward shifts in the peak traffic (denoted P100). Hence, capacity cost can be assumed to scale proportionally to a rate factor c (e/Mbps) and P100. The second cost component, transit, is charged based on the 95th percentile (denoted P95) of the transit traffic (computed over 5 minute windows in a month) and a committed price r (e per Mbps). The actual fraction of transit traffic (f) depends greatly on several factors -- ISP size, geographic market, etc. For example, f ~ 0.3 in Japan, and f ~ 0.8 in Africa [1].Utility Model: Previous work has considered user utility to be a quadratic function of the monthly data usage [2]. In this abstract, we assume a general model where each subscriber may have different utility functions at different peak-time intervals. Hence, for a subscriber k that generates wt amount of data (in bytes) in t, the total utility will be: Uk(w) = ∑/t αkt • (bkt • w't -- w'2t/2) (1) where w't = min v{wt, bkt} and αkt, bkt are constants.IncentiveMechanism: The exact price discount is based on two values computed by the ISP in each interval t: (i) The implementation of the scientific publication is co-financed through the Project "State Scholarships Foundation" from the resources of the Operational Program "Education & Lifelong Learning", European Social Fund (ESF) and the NSRF, 2007-2013. The first author would like to acknowledge the "Alexander S. Onassis" Public Benefit Foundation, Greece for providing a scholarship. a data threshold Dt ≥ 0 (in bytes) and (ii) a discount rate pt ≥ 0 (in e/byte). If the monthly data usage of k inside t, dkt, is lower than Dt, k gets a discount pt • (Dt--dkt). Then, k will adopt her behavior so that: Max/dk≥0 Uk(dk) + ∑Pt • (Dt ? dkt (D, p))+ (2) where (.)+ = max(., 0). D, p and dk are the vectors 8t. We assume that the ISP can estimate the per subscriber daily traffic pattern and predict how it will change as a response to the incentives by solving the problem in (2). Then, the ISP will try to minimize the incentive and traffic costs: Min/D,p ∑/t(pt ∑(Dt -- dkt(D, p))+) + r • f • P95 + c/? • P100 (3) where P95, P100 are the traffic percentiles after incentives.Approximation: The above problem is NP-Hard in general. The difficulty lies on the ordering in the objective function, which renders it non-continuous. Interestingly, the slightly different problem for which we are to minimize the weighted sum of all the percentile values from the 95th up to the 100th, is of lower complexity. Specifically, this problem can be solved by replacing the percentile terms with new optimization variables and adding a set of linear constraints [3]. The ISP can alternatively solve the above problem to get a solution close to the optimal one for the problem in (3).Evaluation: We applied the price incentives on a dataset of 223 subscribers of a European ISP measured in Dec. 2013. The ISP offers discounts only during the peak period of 6- 11pm, at 1 hour granularity. We set bkt to the total data usage of k in t in our dataset, and considered utility to be equal to the tariff price to find akt. We find evidence of tangible benefits to the ISP (up to 24% cost reduction), while the discounts varied from 0.08e - 1.45e per subscriber.Conclusion: The proposed mechanism does not mandate changes in behavior, but instead offers a quid-pro-quo to subscribers. In contrast to previous incentive mechanisms [4], [5], our scheme is designed requiring no dynamic traffic management and additional communication between the ISP and the subscribers.

Learning Organizations and Policy Transfer in the EU: Greece’s State Scholarships Foundation in a Reform-resistant Context

In the context of policy change in the EU, lifelong-learning has acquired a growing significance due to its promise to foster both professional development and personal fulfillment and thus contribute to the enhancement of social inclusion, active citizenship, competitiveness, and employability. The need for developing a smart and sustainable economy puts greater emphasis on the efficient management of Human Resources in order to produce quality services and improve governance, especially in public administration. Education and training can play a pivotal role towards this objective, as the development of the public servants’ skills and competences through an effective competent-based learning platform will contribute to the enhancement of the organization’s operational and administrative capacity. Greece is a member-state in need of intensified policy transfer in general and of further developing learning organizations in particular. Focusing on Greece’s State Scholarships Foundation (IKY) as a case study encourages us to explore two distinct but closely related aspects: (a) the role of the Foundation in policy transfer and the transnationalisation of policy and (b) the changes which the Foundation itself is undergoing as a learning organization. The paper suggests that viewing the transformation of public organizations into learning organizations as an instrument for policy reform may be a valuable way forward in the attempt to modernize public administration in Greece’s reform-resistant context.

First Thomas Pickering memorial lecture*: ambulatory blood pressure measurement is essential for the management of hypertension.

THOMAS G. PICKERING Dr Thomas George Pickering, physician, clinical scientist, professor and mentor, editor, husband, father, and grandfather, died on May 14, 2009, at the age of 69 from complications of brain cancer, an illness that he had fought with dignity and courage for more than a year (Figure 1). Tom was educated at Bryanston School in Blandford, England, where he won state and entrance scholarships. He went on to study medicine at Trinity College, Cambridge, and the Middlesex Hospital Medical School, London, where he graduated in 1966, being awarded the first Broderip Scholarship. His early postgraduate years were spent at Middlesex Hospital and the Radcliffe Infirmary. He sat for the membership of the Royal College of Physicians of London in 1968 (becoming a fellow in 1980) and went on to earn a PhD degree at Oxford University in 1970. In 1972, he went to New York to take up appointments as Associate Physician at the Rockefeller University Hospital and Assistant Professor at Cornell University, and he spent 2 years as Assistant Professor at the Rockefeller University working with Neal Miller on biofeedback mechanisms. He was appointed Assistant Physician to the New York Hospital in 1974. He later returned to the Radcliffe Infirmary to work with Peter Sleight on research into baroreceptor function, the autonomic nervous system, and the emerging class of cardiovascular medications, known as the adrenoreceptor blockers. He was attracted back to New York City by the possibility of being able to work as both a practicing physician and a clinical investigator and he spent more than 20 years in a productive career in behavioral cardiovascular medicine, clinical hypertension, and blood pressure (BP) measurement research at Cornell University Medical College. In 2000, he became Director of Behavioural Cardiovascular Health and the Hypertension Program at the Cardiovascular Institute of Mount Sinai Medical Center and in 2003 he moved to Columbia University Medical College as Professor of Medicine and Director of the Behavioural Cardiovascular Health and Hypertension Program. So much for Dr Pickering, the scientist, what about Tom the man we came to love and admire? Tom was the quintessential Englishman, mannerly, gentle, and gentlemanly (the two must not be confused) whose enquiring mind was tinged with that spirit of philosophy whereby he knew nothing was new under the sun, but that what was fundamental to science was the expression of fact and the style of that expression. He was aware that each small brick added to the edifice of knowledge would enhance our understanding of hypertension and ultimately benefit those we graduated to serve as doctors—our patients. My first contact with the Pickering family was with Tom’s father, Sir George Pickering, when we were seated together on a bus taking us from the airport to a hotel in Valetta in 1975. I recall a man of small stature in an incredibly grubby raincoat who talked animatedly to me about the new drugs for the treatment of hypertension. However, my abiding memory is of his kindness to me the following morning when I was the first speaker in a session chaired by him in what was probably my first address to an international audience (Figure 2). As I prepared to begin my presentation there was the unmistakable sound of slides cascading from a carousel to the floor, whereupon Sir George looking encouragingly at me said ‘‘And now we will see how the young doctor from Dublin can convince us without slides!’’ Fortunately, during my sleepless night of rehearsing my lecture I had written prompt cards for each slide a precaution acknowledged by Sir George as ‘‘being a lesson to us all not to rely on slides.’’ Tom’s mother, Lady Carola, was a regular attendee at the British Hypertension Memorial Lectures named after her late husband. The most memorable of these was the ninth Sir George Pickering Lecture delivered in Dublin by Tom in September 1991 on ‘‘Ambulatory Monitoring and the Definition of Hypertension.’’ At dinner at the Royal College of Surgeons she remarked to me: ‘‘Eoin, I am so pleased; I never thought Tom had it in him.’’ How little mothAddress for correspondence: Eoin O’Brien, DSc, MD, FRCP, Department of Molecular Pharmacology, The Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland E-mail: eobrien@iol.ie

Estimation of Errors in Force Platform Data

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image sizeKey words: biomechanicsforce plateskineticsreliability Additional informationNotes on contributorsStelios G. PsycharakisThe first author would like to gratefully acknowledge the Greek State Scholarships Foundation for its financial support throughout this study. At the time of this study, both authors were with the School of Leisure and Sport Studies at Leeds Metropolitan University. Please address all correspondence concerning this article to Stelios Psycharakis, The University of Edinburgh, St Leonard's Land, Holyrood Road, EH8 8AQ, Edinburgh, UK.