Self-efficacy beliefs and the relation between career planning and perception of barriers

This study tested the hypothesis that self-efficacy in career roles moderates the relation between perception of career barriers and career planning, in a study with Portuguese students, 488 in Grade 9 and 517 in Grade 12. The results supported the hypothesis only among Grade 9 girls, showing that perception of career barriers leads to less career planning among girls low in self-efficacy. The findings suggest that variables such as gender and psychological maturity need to be considered in understanding career planning.     

Disparate faculty perspectives on system changes in higher education

Higher education (HE) systems around the world have experienced profound structural changes, particularly since the late 1960s to early 1970s, essentially driven by the need to expand access to tertiary education. This has resulted in a diversity of HE institutions (HEI) with different roles, missions and statuses, as well as academic staff with diverse perspectives and motivations. The present study is based on a survey undertaken in Portugal by a trade union, which aimed to collect faculty perspectives on a proposed HE reform sent out for public discussion by the government. Questions addressed the reorganization of the HEI network, the internal restructuring of HEI, the funding system and the binary divide of HEI (universities and polytechnics). The survey results showed a disparity of faculty perspectives about the proposed reform, closely related to the diversity of HEI. Respondents from lower academic categories and from smaller HEI were more opposed to reorganizing the HEI network. This reorganization was more widely accepted by university staff, who were also more in favour of a binary system than were polytechnic respondents. Although there was general agreement about the need to change the funding system, polytechnic respondents were strongly against a funding differentiation between universities and polytechnics. Despite an overall reformist trend, the enthusiasm for reforms declined substantially when the questions had a direct reference to the respondent’s region or institution. It is argued that HE expansion has driven the diversification of HEI, leading to a range of perspectives about the HE system and the way it should be changed. These conclusions may contribute to insights into other HE systems around the world where institutional diversification has been sought by public policies.     

How and where is artificial intelligence in the public sector going? A literature review and research agenda

To obtain benefits in the provision of public services, managers of public organizations have considerably increased the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) systems. However, research on AI is still scarce, and the advance of this technology in the public sector, as well as the applications and results of this strategy, need to be systematized. With this goal in mind, this paper examines research related to AI as applied to the public sector. A review of the literature covering articles available in five research databases was completed using the PRISMA protocol for literature reviews. The search process yielded 59 articles within the scope of the study out of a total of 1682 studies. Results show a growing trend of interest in AI in the public sector, with India and the US as the most active countries. General public service, economic affairs, and environmental protection are the functions of government with the most studies related to AI. The Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) technique is the most recurrent in the investigated studies and was pointed out as a technique that provides positive results in several areas of its application. A research framework for AI solutions for the public sector is presented, where it is demonstrated that policies and ethical implications of the use of AI permeate all layers of application of this technology and the solutions can generate value for functions of government. However, for this, a prior debate with society about the use of AI in the public sector is recommended.     

Using a Satisfaction Index to Compare Students’ Satisfaction During and After Higher Education Service Consumption

Tertiary Education and Management - This study explores the factors that influence students’ satisfaction with higher education services and assess how they change after graduation, when...     

Within- and Between-Day Repeatability and Variability in Children's Physiological Responses During Submaximal Treadmill Exercise

The purpose of this study was to verify within- and between-day repeatability and variability in children's oxygen uptake (VO₂), gross economy (GE; VO₂ divided by speed) and heart rate (HR) during treadmill walking based on self-selected speed (SS). Fourteen children (10.1 ± 1.4 years) undertook three testing sessions over 2 days in which four walking speeds, including SS were tested. Within- and between-day repeatability were assessed using the Bland and Altman method, and coefficients of variability (CV) were determined for each child across exercise bouts and averaged to obtain a mean group CV value for VO₂, GE, and HR per speed. Repeated measures analysis of variance showed no statistically significant differences in within- or between-day CV for VO₂, GE, or HR at any speed. Repeatability within- and between-day for VO₂, GE, and HR for all speeds was verified. These results suggest that submaximal VO₂ during treadmill walking is stable and reproducible at a range of speeds based on children's SS.     

Improving OER descriptions to enhance their availability,reuse, and enrichment

Education and Information Technologies - Nowadays, information and communication technologies (ICTs) and virtual training have increased the use of educational resources. This growth use has...     

Inerter-like devices used for vibration isolation: A historical perspective

Recently, a lot of attention has been given to a mechanical device known as the inerter. It is a mechanical component that can be compared to a capacitor with two ungrounded terminals in the mechanical-electrical systems analogy. In this paper, it is shown that although the concept of an inerter as a separate mechanical element is relatively new, there are several well-established vibration isolation systems that exhibit similar behavior to a simple lumped parameter system containing an inerter. Through a review of the literature, a link is established between the old and new ideas. Furthermore, a comparison between the systems is carried out using the quantities of mechanical impedance and displacement transmissibility. The advantages and disadvantages of using the inerter in vibration isolation are discussed, and a simple way of improving the high-frequency performance without severely degrading the low-frequency performance is described.     

Technical replicas of Portuguese ceramic tile bodies produced in the Oporto region in the late nineteenth to early twentieth centuries

Portugal is well known for its facades decorated entirely with ornamented glazed ceramic wall tiles called azulejos. On ageing, the tiles may detach and fall off, or deteriorate to such an extent that it becomes necessary to replicate them. Hence tile replication is a common practice in Portugal for façade restoration, but very often these new tiles do not have the same physical and/or chemical properties as the original ones. Such differences might be a factor in differential deterioration of the façades after restoration. One step toward an improvement in compatibility is to make new ceramic bodies with the same characteristics as the original ones. This study focuses on two types of glazed ceramic wall tiles from the Oporto region in Portugal: ‘calcic faience’ and pó de pedra. A total of 25 samples from the late nineteenth to early twentieth centuries were studied systematically as an attempt to improve knowledge of these materials and to create a basis for their replication. All samples were collected from facades that were under conservation/restoration at the time when sampling was performed. The original traditional ceramic bodies were analyzed by X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence. Total open porosity, capillary absorption coefficient, and mercury intrusion porosimetry were also measured in order to gain knowledge on their physical characteristics in addition to their chemical and mineralogical compositions. High-temperature crystalline phases such as diopside, gehlenite, and mullite were found in the calcic faience, suggesting that the firing temperature of calcic faience bodies was within the range of 1100–1150?°C. Calcination trials were also performed in order to determine the most probable firing temperatures of the ceramic bodies. Collected data led to the assumption that the raw materials used for the ceramic bodies were kaolinitic clay, quartz sand, limestone, and talc. The raw materials for pó de pedra tiles were found to include kaolinite clay and quartz with firing temperatures estimated within the temperature range of 1150–1360?°C. Technical replicas made on the basis of these investigations were found to have the same mineralogical and capillary properties as the original tiles.     

Maximal and submaximal physiological responses to adaptation to deep water running

Abstract

The aim of the study was to compare physiological responses between runners adapted and not adapted to deep water running at maximal intensity and the intensity equivalent to the ventilatory threshold. Seventeen runners, either adapted (n = 10) or not adapted (n = 7) to deep water running, participated in the study. Participants in both groups undertook a maximal treadmill running and deep water running graded exercise test in which cardiorespiratory variables were measured. Interactions between adaptation (adapted vs. non-adapted) and condition (treadmill running vs. deep water running) were analysed. The main effects of adaptation and condition were also analysed in isolation. Runners adapted to deep water running experienced less of a reduction in maximum oxygen consumption ([Vdot]O_2max) in deep water running compared with treadmill running than runners not adapted to deep water running. Maximal oxygen consumption, maximal heart rate, maximal ventilation, [Vdot]O₂ at the ventilatory threshold, heart rate at the ventilatory threshold, and ventilation at the ventilatory threshold were significantly higher during treadmill than deep water running. Therefore, we conclude that adaptation to deep water running reduces the difference in [Vdot]O_2max between the two modalities, possibly due to an increase in muscle recruitment. The results of this study support previous findings of a lower maximal and submaximal physiological response on deep water running for most of the measured parameters.