Newton and Colour: the Complex Interplay of Theory and Experiment

The general aim of this paper is to elucidate some aspects of Newton's theory of light and colours, specially as presented in his first optical paper of 1672. This study analyzes Newton's main experiments intended to show that light is a mixture of rays with different refrangibilities. Although this theory is nowadays accepted and taught without discussion it is not as simple as it seems and many questions may arise in a critical study. Newton's theory of light and colour can be used as an example of the great care that must be taken when History of Science is applied to science teaching. An inadequate use of History of Science in education may convey to the students a wrong conception of scientific method and a mythical idea of science.     

Blocking CRT: How the Emotionality of Whiteness Blocks CRT in Urban Teacher Education

Although Critical Race Theory (CRT) has been applied to teacher education, it has yet to be meaningfully integrated into the core of urban teacher education programs. The reticence to embrace CRT is largely due to the overwhelming presence of Whiteness, despite Sleeter's (2001) demand for diversification. This theoretically interpretative article employs CRT's methodology of counterstorytelling to interrogate how Whiteness manifests itself in emotional ways, like fetishism and sentimentalization, and how such emotions are the root of resistance toward CRT in teacher education. Drawing from Black feminism and Critical Whiteness Studies, we utilize emotionally-based theories to illustrate the importance of CRT in teacher education, to identify barriers to CRT, and to recommend how teacher education can more genuinely reinvest in antiracism.     

What we can learn from the use of student data in efficiency analysis within the context of higher education?

The main purpose of the paper is to estimate the efficiency of a big public university in Italy using individual student-level data, modeling exogenous variables in human capital formation through a heteroscedastic stochastic frontier approach. Specifically, a production function for tertiary education has been estimated with emphasis on inefficiency and its determinants, taking explicitly into account the role played by students’ socio-economic and educational background. The empirical evidence, based on 48,338 freshmen, leads towards the use of individual-level data in order to control for the portion of the student academic achievement affected by the personal characteristics and effort, and the portion ascribable to the resources or organization of the institutional activities. Within the limit of external validity allowed by operating within only one university, efficiency scores derived from using both individual-level and aggregate level data do offer an important instrument to the university and governance structures.     

“It’s Everybody’s Job”: Youth and Adult Constructions of Responsibility to Take Action for School Change through PAR

The Urban Review - Participatory action research (PAR) with youth holds potential to spur social justice-oriented change due to its explicit orientation to transform systemic inequity. Whereas...     

Consequences of Costa Rican teachers' attributions for students' failure

One hundred and fifty-five elementary teachers in San Jose, Costa Rica rated their expectancy of success, willingness to help, liking for, and evaluation of two students who were failing; one because of low ability, one because of insufficient effort. Significantly higher mean ratings on all four consequences were observed for the protocol describing the student who didn't try than for the protocol describing the student with low ability.     

Public research institutions and economic catch-up

Public research institutions, often but not always connected with universities, have been in the past important elements of the structures supporting economic catch-up. Recent changes in the international economic environment, and the growing scientific basis for contemporary technologies, will make those institutions even more important in the future. Universities and public labs have contributed to the development of technological capabilities in different forms across countries and economic sectors. In contrast with current emphasis on university-based embryonic inventions and fundamental research, effective research programs have predominantly occurred in the application-oriented sciences and engineering, and have been oriented towards problem-solving, and the advancement of technologies of interest to a well-defined user-community.     

Sports mega-events in the perception of the local community: the case of Itaquera region in São Paulo at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil

Hosting sporting mega-events involve considerable investment in and significant engagement with local communities. This paper contributes to the burgeoning literature about sporting mega event’s socio-geographical impacts on tourism, employment, urban regeneration, and socio-economic and cultural benefits. Within the context of 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, we assess, utilizing interview data from local communities, the impact of the construction of the 2014 World Cup’s opening venue, ‘Arena Corinthians’ soccer stadium, in Itaquera, as well as other infrastructure developments more widely in the East Zone of São Paulo. The results point to the diversity of opinions among the resident community about the real legacies resulting from this sport mega-event.     

Bullying in Italian schools: the role of perceived teacher unfairness

The principal aim of the study is to examine the role of perceived teacher unfairness in predicting bullying behaviour. Data were taken from the “Health Behaviour in School Aged Children” project, a cross-sectional survey investigating health behaviours among early adolescents in selected European countries. Bullying behaviour (bully, victim, and bully/victim), perceived teacher unfairness and others confounding factors were measured through a self-administered questionnaire filled out by a representative sample of 4,386 (48.4% males) Italian students (11, 13, and 15 years old). Covariates included demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, school performance and other psychological factors. After adjusting for age and gender, teacher unfairness showed a significant association with being a bully (OR = 1.59; CI = 1.40–1.80) and a bully or victim (OR = 1.47; CI = 1.21–1.78). This relationship remained significant after additional adjustment for several potential confounding factors. Results show that characteristics of the school setting such as teacher unfairness can be significant predictors of involvement in bullying behaviour among early adolescents.     

Changes in University Governance in France and in Italy

Tertiary Education and Management - The transformation of higher education systems under the pressure of new needs required by the “society of knowledge” in France and Italy has had a...     

萝卜硫烷对脑线粒体的影响:机理观点和未来发展方向

有机硫化物萝卜硫烷(SFN)是一种有效的细胞保护剂,在体外和体内实验模型中均可促进抗氧化、抗炎、抗糖化和抗菌作用。因为氧化磷酸化系统的存在,所以线粒体是三磷酸腺苷(ATP)的主要产生部位。同时,线粒体也是具核人体细胞中产生活性氧的主要场所。线粒体损伤在多种人类疾病中起着重要作用,包括神经退行性病变和代谢异常。本文描述和讨论了SFN调节哺乳动物细胞中线粒体功能和动力学的作用和机理,以及其对肿瘤细胞中线粒体促凋亡途径的促进作用。SFN对线粒体的调节作用使得它在一定程度上被认为是一种细胞保护剂。本文还指出了几个需要通过进一步实验解决的问题,即未来的可能研究方向,这可能会对该领域的研究人员具有指导作用。