Latin American Universities: From an Original Revolution to an Uncertain Transition

The aim of this paper is to discuss the prospects of Latin American public universities. Its main assertion is that universities could become important actors of development in Latin America, but prevailing trends point in another direction. The paper focuses on the interactions between, on the one hand, specific traditions and social contexts, and, on the other hand, global trends concerning the role of knowledge and academic changes. The specific traits of the evolution of Higher Education in Latin America are discussed, in order to describe the emergence of an original ‘idea of University’. Changes and continuities during the last decades of the 20th century are summarized. Similarities and differences between developed countries and Latin America concerning current trends in Higher Education are analyzed. Particular attention is given to the interactions between what is happening in Latin American universities and the new insertion of the continent in the global economy. A prospective analysis is attempted, focusing on the social commitment of universities.     

Stiffness,intralimb coordination,and joint modulation during a continuous vertical jump test

This study analysed the modulation of jump performance, vertical stiffness as well as joint and intralimb coordination throughout a 30-s vertical jump test. Twenty male athletes performed the test on a force plate while undergoing kinematic analysis. Jump height, power output, ground contact time, vertical stiffness, maximum knee and hip flexion angles, and coordination by continuous relative phase (CRP) were analysed. Analysis of variance was used to compare variables within deciles, and t-tests were used to compare CRP data between the initial and final jumps. Results showed reduction in jump height, power output, and vertical stiffness, with an increase in contact time found during the test. Maximum knee and hip flexion angles declined, but hip angle decreased earlier (10–20% of the test) than knee angle (90–100%). No changes were observed in CRP for thigh–leg coupling when comparing initial and final jumps, but the trunk–thigh coupling was more in-phase near the end of the test. We conclude that fatigue causes reduction in jump performance, as well as changes in stiffness and joint angles. Furthermore, changes in intralimb coordination appear at the last 10% of the test, suggesting a neuromotor mechanism to counterbalance the loss of muscle strength.     

La crisis de la noción de estructura lógica: análisis experimental del estadio de las operaciones concretas

RESUMEN

La investigación descrita en este artículo se centra en las críticas al enfoque estructural piagetiano y su postulado logicista. En su lugar, se aboga por un enfoque procedural encaminado al descubrimiento de estrategias y procesos cognitivos involucrados en la realización de tareas. Los sujetos fueron 240 niños que asistían a clases de tercero y octavo de EGB. La discusión de los resultados se realiza en términos de procesamiento de la información, esbozándose además un modelo teórico-evolutivo para ese estadio, así como una argumentación crítica en torno al logicismo.     

Reproducibility of upper leg EMG frequency content during cycling

Reproducibility of frequency content from surface electromyography (sEMG) signals has not been assessed and it is unknown if incremental load testing design could affect sEMG in cycling. The goals of this study were to assess the reproducibility of measures from sEMG frequency content between sessions and to compare these frequency components between a ramp and a step incremental cycling test. Eighteen cyclists performed four incremental load cycling tests to exhaustion. Two tests were performed using a step increment (load started at 100 W for 3 min followed by increments of 30 W every 3 min) and two were performed using a ramp increment (load started at 100 W for 1 min followed by increments of 30 W·min^?1). sEMG was monitored bilaterally for the rectus femoris and vastus lateralis throughout the tests and converted into overall activation (whole signal bandwidth), high- and low-frequency contents. The reproducibility of the frequency content ranged from none to strong (ICC = 0.07–0.90). Vastus lateralis activation was larger at the step compared to the ramp test (P < 0.01), without differences for rectus femoris (P = 0.22–0.91) and for the high-frequency (P = 0.28–0.95) and low-frequency contents (P = 0.13–0.94). sEMG from vastus lateralis and rectus femoris presented none to strong reproducibility. Vastus lateralis is more activated in step test design.     

The role of executive functions in the relation between socioeconomic level and the development of reading and maths skills / El rol de las funciones ejecutivas en la relación entre el nivel socioeconómico y el desarrollo de habilidades lectoras y matemáticas

Executive functions (EF) are a set of processes that allow individuals to plan, monitor and organize tasks and thus play a key role in the development of reading and maths skills. Environmental factors such as socioeconomic level (SEL) influence reading and maths skills as well as EFs. The aim of this study is to explore the extent to which executive functions play a mediating role between SEL and reading and maths performance. To this end, we assessed 286 Chilean primary education students: 86 with a high SEL and 200 with a low level. The results show that the high-SEL group obtained consistently higher scores than their peers with low SEL levels in both reading and maths tasks as well as in EF measurements. This suggests that SEL could influence the development of these variables. The results also showed that EFs partially mediate the relation between SEL and reading and maths skills in primary school students through the specific function of inhibition. The results are discussed in light of the effect of SEL on the development of EFs and school learning.     

Knowledge management taxonomy in the Brazilian automotive industry

Knowledge management (KM) is based on contextual factors of the organization, such as human resources, organizational culture, and organizational structure, developed separately by the organizations. This research aims to identify clusters for the development of these contextual factors. The research was based on an instrument containing questions that evaluate the degree of development of the contextual factors of the organization. We collected data from 78 companies of the Brazilian automotive industry, and analyzed them from multivariate techniques of factor analysis, cluster analysis, and discriminant analysis. The research results present four distinct clusters for the development of the contextual factors that support KM. The mapped clusters indicate that a small group of companies are innovative and explorative of knowledge and lead the industry’s creative process, while the other two groups, called exploitative and retardative companies, follow the development proposed by the companies of the two first groups.     

Balancing Institutional Demands with Effective Practice: A Lesson in Curricular and Professional Development

ABSTRACT

Online writing courses have developed in importance to meet student learning and institutional expectations; over time, a controversy about training online instructors and building sustainable programs has emerged. This article relates training demands within the University of Arizona’s Writing Program and development of an online professional & technical writing certificate. The article proposes training instructors with master courses and building a sustained program through a participatory design to create a professional and integrated environment.     

The Use of Clinical Reasoning Skills in the Setting of Uncertainty: A Case of Trial Femoral Head Migration

Clinical skills and medical knowledge enable physicians to overcome the uncertainty of emergent and rare clinical scenarios. Recently, a growing emphasis on evidence-based medicine (EBM) has flooded medical curricula of universities across the globe with guideline-based material, and while it has given teachers and students new tools to improve medical education, clinical reasoning must be reaffirmed in its capacity to provide physicians with the ability to solve unexpected clinical scenarios. Anatomical education in medical school should have two main objectives: to acquire anatomical knowledge and to develop the skill of applying that knowledge in clinical scenarios. The authors present a clinical scenario in which an unexpected and rare complication occurred during a routine elective hip replacement surgery. The general surgeon presiding over the case, also an anatomy professor, solved the problem using clinical reasoning and anatomical knowledge. It was a clear example of how clinical reasoning is key in approaching unprecedented, rare, or unknown complications. The intention of this scenario is to remind colleagues and medical schools that, although EBM is the standard, educators must uphold sound clinical reasoning to best prepare health care providers for their careers.     

Spatial integration with rats

Rats were trained to find the hidden platform in a Morris pool, whose location was defined by reference to a small number of landmarks around the circumference of the pool. In each of three experiments, an experimental group was trained on alternate trials with two different subsets of three of the available landmarks, with the two subsets sharing one landmark in common. When tested with landmarks drawn from both of their training configurations, but without the landmark common to the two sets, they had no difficulty in locating the platform. In Experiment 1, they performed at least as well as a group trained with all the available landmarks present on every trial. In Experiment 2, they performed significantly better than a group trained with two different subsets of landmarks that shared no one landmark in common.