Trend and patterns in explicit organizational knowledge: A correspondence analysis and cluster analysis

To study the explicit organizational knowledge pattern of an education and research institute is a tedious process as it deals with multiple subjects. Also, many qualitative and quantitative indicators such as peer review process, awards and honors received by the constitute members of the institute, national and international grants, and different types of publications can be considered to study the pattern followed in different disciplines over a period of time. Not all of these indicators will be giving the same message, and the choice of which one to select will depend on the type of research being evaluated. In this study to analyze explicit organizational knowledge, publications of Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in different disciplines over a span of 10 years from 1996 to 2005 are considered as given in the multidisciplinary database SCOPUS using correspondence analysis and cluster analysis.According to correspondence analysis, the study indicated that publication productivity of IISc is on the rise during the study period and research in Engineering, Agriculture & Biological science, Chemistry and Life sciences is high. Although a cluster analysis is carried out to find out demarcations between row elements and column elements, no useful interpretation could be drawn.However, this analysis has to be carried out further, by factoring indicators from research input as well as other socio-economic political, and cultural factors affecting the explicit organizational knowledge. Correspondence analysis and cluster analysis highlights what is interesting, and indicates the direction in which further inquiry should be done.     

Serum adenosine deaminase in carcinoma breast

Serum Adenosine Deaminase (ADA) activity was studied in 20 control cases and 32 patients with carcinoma breast. In control group the ADA activity ranged from 13–94 IU/L with a mean of 43.75±21.55 IU/L while in patients of carcinoma breast it was 16–95 IU/L with a mean of 47.46±22.54 IU/L, but these values were not statistically different. The ADA activity was also compared with other parameters in patients of carcinoma breast but the difference was not statistically significant in the various parameters like duration of disease, menopausal status, tumor size, hemoglobin level, total leucocyte count, absolute lymphocyte count, total serum proteins, serum albumin, histological grade of tumor and lymphocytic infiltration. The only significant difference in ADA activity was when N1 status of lymph node was compared with N2 status of lymph node.     

The impact of aid on education policy in India

In the early 1990s, large numbers of children in India remained out of school. International commitments to achieve education for all (EFA) globally meant that India was an important case for donors. India was pressed to accept aid for primary education, and agreed with some reluctance. Although subsequent donor involvement was substantial and influenced aspects of both policy implementation and management, it is shown that Indian education policy priorities remained self-determined. The Government of India – though falling short of securing universal education for its children – succeeded in using external resources and expertise in ways which suited its own purposes, whilst minimising external impact on policy development. The politics and economics of this process are discussed.     

Repertoires of collective action in an “IT City”: Urban civil society negotiations of offline and online spaces in Bangalore

This paper examines the ways in which two Internet-based civil society groups, Hasiru Usiru and Praja, negotiate online and offline spaces of collective action in Bangalore, India’s “IT City.” Based on ethnographic research, the study extends collective action theory through an examination of communicative interactions and experiences of urban civil society actors in a developing country. The paper highlight factors that impede and support collective actions, including attitudes toward the Internet as a tool for democratic engagement, ideological motivations, and perceptions of identity and membership, among others. Such a line of inquiry is significant in highlighting the possibilities of ICTs for collective action, while simultaneously avoiding the tendency to inflate and overestimate their capacity to produce social change.     

Environmental Education in Rural Central Himalayan Schools

Abstract

This article describes an experimental environmental education course in rural schools in India's central Himalayas. The course was designed to introduce environmental and livelihood issues into mainstream curriculum. The Uttaranchal Environment Education Centre initiated this program in 1987 with the help of national and state departments of education. This practical course focuses on land degradation, which is the region's major environmental problem. Students learn how to manage their village ecosystem to ensure maximum sustainable productivity. Currently, 1,000 teachers in 530 schools offer the course to approximately 68,000 students.     

Challenges of Integrating Mobile Technology into Mathematics Instruction in Secondary Schools: An Indonesian Context

Implementing mobile learning in curriculum-based educational settings faces challenges related to perceived ethical and learning issues. This study investigated the affordances of mobile technologies to support mathematics instruction by teachers. An exploratory study employing questionnaires and semi-structured interviews revealed that, while mathematics instruction can be augmented with mobile learning, the majority of schools in Indonesia have banned student use of mobile phones in classrooms. Teachers are concerned about the improper use of mobile phones that could impact their students' mental well-being and distract them from learning. Most teachers perceive mobile technologies to be disruptive and seem reluctant to use them for teaching delivery. However, teachers are eager to experiment with digital technologies within mathematics instruction. Our findings suggest infusing alternate technologies that fit better with the school's teaching and learning environment. This includes web-based applications that can run on different digital devices ranging from desktop computers, laptops, and tablets, to mobile phones. We propose setting up communities of practice for mathematics teachers to share their instructional repertoire on integrating digital technologies within the classroom.