Philosophy and education

The traditional form of educational philosophy, which originated with Plato, was that of grand system building. That approach, which may be described as “applied philosophy”, had its last major exponent in John Dewey. In the twentieth century it has been supplanted by approaches which consider the process of education itself to be the source of issues which may be resolved by philosophical means. So, under the influence of positivism recent philosophy of education has been directed towards solving, or dissolving, confusions of linguistic origin. In addition, the contributing disciplines, especially psychology and sociology, have been amenable to philosophical enquiry. In recent years, further issues have arisen outside the classroom and community which require a philosophical, value-oriented approach such as culture conflict, advancing technology and global eco-issues. Currently, educational issues have been extended to concern with the individual and problems of humanization. Philosophy continues to play a significant role in helping to reconcile divergent pressures, towards the end of realizing the dignity of man in an increasingly interdependent world.     

Prozess-Familien-Punkte

Zusammenfassung Software-Entwicklung auf Grundlage von Software-System-Familien ist durch eine organisierte Wiederverwendung und Variabilit?t auf Basis einer gemeinsamen Plattform gekennzeichnet. Zus?tzliche Effizienzsteigerungen werden bei Software-System-Familien in prozessgetriebenen Anwendungsdom?nen durch die explizite Berücksichtigung von softwareinternen Prozessabl?ufen erm?glicht. Ausgehend von diesem Potenzial skizziert der vorliegende Beitrag eine Methodik zur Umfangsmessung und Aufwandsprognose für Prozess-Familien. Die hierbei beschriebenen Softwaremetriken wurden in empirischen Fallstudien validiert und erm?glichen eine Bewertung der Effizienzvorteile dieses neuen Entwicklungsansatzes.

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Software system families are characterized through a structured reuse of components and a high degree of automation based on a common infrastructure. It is possible to increase the efficiency of software system families by an explicit consideration of process flows in application domains which are driven by processes. Based on that fact this article briefly describes the approach of process family engineering. Afterwards the metrics of Process-Family-Points are explained in detail. These are the only framework to measure the size and estimate the effort of process families. Subsequently this paper shows the first results from a validation of the Process-Family-Points in the application domains of Electronic Business and Automotive.

     

Convergence Challenges in Sport-Related Applied Disciplines: The Case of Sport Management

Responding to a series of articles in sport management literature calling for more diversity in terms of areas of interest or methods, this study warns against the danger of excessively fragmenting this field of research. The works of T. Kuhn (1962) and J. Pfeffer (1993) are taken as the basis of an argument connecting convergence with scientific strength. However, being aware of the large number of counterarguments directed at this line of reasoning, a new model of convergence, which focuses on clusters of research contributions with similar areas of interest, methods, and concepts, is proposed. The existence of these clusters is determined with the help of a bibliometric analysis of publications in three sport management journals. This analysis determines that there are justified reasons to be concerned about the level of convergence in the field, pointing to a reduced ability to create large clusters of contributions in similar areas of interest.     

Comparison of hyaluronic acid in patients with rheumatoid arthritis,systemic sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus

IntroductionThe aim of the present study was to determine and compare the concentration of hyaluronic acid (HA) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic sclerosis (SSc) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and its correlation with parameters of disease activity and duration. The hypothesis was that HA should be increased in rheumatic diseases. We also expected that HA could be a marker of disease activity and inflammation in some of these diseases.Materials and methodsThe study group comprised 149 patients with RA, SSc and SLE hospitalized in the Department of Rheumatology and Internal Diseases, Medical University of Bialystok (Bialystok, Poland) and 30 healthy controls. The concentrations of HA, C-reactive protein (CRP) and rheumatoid factor (RF) were measured using Architect ci8200; haemoglobin, platelets on Sysmex XS-800i; and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) on Sediplus S 2000 analysers. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistica 13.3 PL.ResultsHyaluronic acid was increased in RA, SLE and SSc when compared to controls (P < 0.001, P = 0.011, and P = 0.015, respectively). There were no differences in HA between rheumatic diseases (P = 0.840). Hyaluronic acid positively correlated with SLE activity (P = 0.025). In RA, HA positively correlated with ESR (P = 0.028) and CRP (P = 0.009). However, HA was not found to correlate with the duration of rheumatic diseases.ConclusionsHyaluronic acid concentration undergoes changes in rheumatic diseases with no difference between RA, SLE and SSc. In RA, HA concentration can be a marker of inflammation, while in SLE patients an indicator of disease activity.     

The future of higher education

Higher education is no longer suited to contemporary needs. Not only is it socially inequitable, the once-and-for-all education of youth as a preliminary to employment is of decreasing value in an era of rapid scientific and technological change. Merely expanding the system is socially wasteful and results in an undersirable prolongation of formal education and dependence on family and state. A gradual but radical overhaul of the fabric of higher education is needed which will bring to an end its exalted position on the educational ladder. It must open its doors to working people of all ages and classes, and achieve an interweaving of work and learning. If this is to be attained, however, three conditions should be fulfilled: the opportunity to combine work and study must be open to all; the occupational structure must be modified to make it possible in every profession to study one's way to the top; and secondary education, no longer a direct link to the universities, must have a stronger occupational and scientific orientation. The greatest gain of this revitalization will be in the increased involvement of the younger generation in the community at large, which holds out the promise of achieving the great objective of a nation embracing both young and old, workers and intelligentsia alike.