EDUCATIONAL POLICY AND ECONOMIC POLICY: THE CASE OF SOUTHERN ITALY

The aim of this article is to describe the role of educational policies in state intervention in southern Italy. Its point of departure is recognition of the fact that education policies, particularly those concerned with higher education, have been given increasing importance in the plans for government intervention for development in this area. However, the increased emphasis on higher education, as well as on policies of technological development and innovation, has not resulted in improvements in the effectiveness of intervention. Rather, what has occurred has been the result of inadequate implementation techniques and of a general approach which has caused an overloading of the role and functions of higher education in a situation of general impoverishment and crisis in the basic educational structures (compulsory and secondary education). At the same time, the changing of the educational background of new and old professions due to the contemporary organization of labour seems to coincide, to some extent, with the emphasis on the upgrading of the general level of education, perceived as being needed for long‐term modernization policies in developing areas (or countries).     

Epidemiology of tennis injuries: An eight-year review of Davis Cup retirements

Tennis practice, especially at elite levels, may place players at risk for debilitating musculoskeletal injuries. The aim of this study was to analyse the epidemiological pattern of retirements due to medical conditions sustained by tennis players during Davis Cup matches in the 2006–2013 period. All uncompleted matches due to a medical condition (injuries and illnesses) occurred in the above-mentioned competition were collected from the official source, registered and analysed according to published guidelines. The overall incidence of match retirements was 1.66% (12/719). The injury rate was 6.05/1000 playing hours; and 6.64/1000 match exposures. Musculotendinous lesions were the most common type of injury (66.66%). The incidence of lower-limb injuries was higher than upper-limb and trunk lesions. The incidence of retired matches due to medical conditions was higher in hard courts than in clay courts (2.97% and 0.90%, respectively; p = 0.04), while the median value of inactivity of injuries was 32.0 days (range 3–297). In conclusion, the incidence of retirements due to medical conditions in Davis Cup matches was low supporting the assumption that elite tennis is a low-risk sport activity. Findings provided scientific evidences of injury patterns among male professional tennis players and may contribute to conduct better injury prevention strategies.     

Acute modification in plasma lipid levels in ultramarathon runners

We aimed to evaluate the effects of a 24-h ultramarathon, an aerobic test of high physical load, on lipid profile and apolipoproteins B (ApoB) and A1 (ApoA1) levels, minimally modified low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and oxidised LDL. Prospective evaluation of 16 male athletes who participated in an ultramarathon run, where the objective was to run the greatest distance possible in 24 h. Fourteen participants completed the run. The mean distance achieved was 133.1 km (maximum of 169.6 km). There was a trend in reduction of triglycerides and total cholesterol (P = 0.06 and 0.05, respectively), without significant modifications in high-density lipoprotein, LDL and ApoA1 levels (P = 0.16; 0.55 and 0.67). There was a marked reduction in ApoB levels (P < 0.001), correlated directly to the distance covered (Pearson R = 0.68). Accordingly, an increase in the LDL/ApoB ratio was observed. The stress of this physical activity was not associated to an increase in minimally modified LDL or oxidised LDL. Lipid profile levels were not acutely altered by prolonged physical activity. Similarly, there was no evidence of greater oxidation of LDL over a 24-h period of physical activity. The reduction in ApoB was directly proportional to the distance covered, suggesting an acute positive change in phenotype of LDL molecules.     

Wavelet-based deconvolution of ultrasonic signals in nondestructive evaluation

INTRODUCTION Deconvolution of ultrasonic signals is defined as the solution of the inverse problem of convolving an input signal, known as the system function h(n), with a medium reflectivity function x(n) and can be rep- resented by y(n)=h(n)*x(n) η(n), (1) where y(n) is the measured signal, * denotes the convolution operation and η(n) is the additive noise. Recovering x(n) from the observation y(n) leads to improving the appearance and the axial resolution of the RF-signals by removin…     

Understanding neurophobia: Reasons behind impaired understanding and learning of neuroanatomy in cross‐disciplinary healthcare students

Recent studies have highlighted a fear or difficulty with the study and understanding of neuroanatomy among medical and healthcare students. This has been linked with a diminished confidence of clinical practitioners and students to manage patients with neurological conditions. The underlying reasons for this difficulty have been queried among a broad cohort of medical, dental, occupational therapy, and speech and language sciences students. Direct evidence of the students’ perception regarding specific difficulties associated with learning neuroanatomy has been provided and some of the measures required to address these issues have been identified. Neuroanatomy is perceived as a more difficult subject compared to other anatomy topics (e.g., reproductive/pelvic anatomy) and not all components of the neuroanatomy curriculum are viewed as equally challenging. The difficulty in understanding neuroanatomical concepts is linked to intrinsic factors such as the inherent complex nature of the topic rather than outside influences (e.g., lecture duration). Participants reporting high levels of interest in the subject reported higher levels of knowledge, suggesting that teaching tools aimed at increasing interest, such as case‐based scenarios, could facilitate acquisition of knowledge. Newer pedagogies, including web‐resources and computer assisted learning (CAL) are considered important tools to improve neuroanatomy learning, whereas traditional tools such as lecture slides and notes were considered less important. In conclusion, it is suggested that understanding of neuroanatomy could be enhanced and neurophobia be decreased by purposefully designed CAL resources. This data could help curricular designers to refocus attention and guide educators to develop improved neuroanatomy web‐resources in future. Anat Sci Educ 11: 81–93. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.     

Evaluation of the University Teaching/Learning Process for the Improvement of Quality in Higher Education

This paper presents a proposal for the evaluation of the university teaching/ learning process, using indicators which are appropriate for activities developed in this process and aimed at its improvement and optimization. This analysis is carried out using the Instructional Model of the Educational Situation (MISE) developed by Rivas (1993, 1997). The data obtained from the application of questionnaires (MISE-teacher and MISE-student) in a specific instructional university process enables a contrast to be made between teacher and students' perception of the process being followed, as well as to capture the various students' perceptions and motivations throughout the course. The teacher can also obtain information on the strong and weak points of the process being developed and therefore propose improvements for future teaching/learning processes. In this way, the MISE becomes a useful tool for the formative evaluation of university teachers.     

Absorptive capacity and knowledge management in small and medium enterprises

Studies on knowledge management have generated an awareness that it is fundamentally important for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to be able to exploit sources of knowledge outside the firm by means of external relationships, but this understanding has not been followed up by an adequate theoretical and empirical research effort to analyse the role of relationships in an SME’s knowledge management processes. The present contribution first sketches this gap on the grounds of the available literature reviews. Then it proposes a framework – focusing the concept of absorptive capacity – with a view to filling this theoretical gap. Finally, based on the proposed framework, two specific topics of considerable importance to SMEs are discussed: (i) how capabilities are developed in the start-up phase of a new venture; and (ii) knowledge processes in geographical clusters.     

旅游,听力,生活

本文为外教Rober to P. Reyes在离开中国时,写给他学生的一封信,主要目的在于鼓励中国学生学习英语,以及如何培养英语学习的兴趣等各方面的良好建议。     

Item position effects in listening but not in reading in the European Survey of Language Competences

Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability - In contrast with the assumptions made in standard measurement models used in large-scale assessments, students’ performance may change...     

Educational Expansion and the Mediation of Discontent: The cultural politics of schooling in the Arab states

This paper probes the socioeconomic and political processes underlying the expansion of schooling in the Arab states. The paper, which does not report new data but rather critically reviews studies published so far, argues that both development and modernisation approaches, as well as class reproduction theories remain largely unable to account for the complex web of factors affecting educational expansion in the Arab states. These theories fail to point to the articulation of multi-level processes ultimately shaping the social and cultural underpinnings of educational expansion. Moreover, these theoretical approaches, beyond their paradigmatic differences, have confined Arab civil societies essentially to the structural outcome of state policies. Consequently, processes of civil dissent and resistance and their effects on educational expansion are naively conceptualised in terms of 'forces of tradition' versus 'forces of change'. The community-based, and conflict-laden power conjunctures shaping educational expansion in the Arab states have been largely left outside the analysis and the voices they represent often discarded. To probe the argument, first, the paper outlines the major macro-structural and historical factors affecting levels of literacy and access to educational resources in different Arab states. Secondly, published fieldwork research undertaken by others into community-based settings is examined in order to explore points of articulation between state policies, civil society processes and their sociopolitical and cultural effects on patterns of educational expansion. Thirdly, within the frame of a concluding discussion, the major implications are discussed and possible research paths are pointed to.