Some Reflections On Contemporary Canadian Catholic Education

Increasingly, Canadian Catholic education is identified according to theological and denominational distinctiveness. In the past, however, Catholic education was grounded upon an unambiguous philosophy of education, one that recognized education and teaching as primarily philosophical activities. Today, there is a noticeable absence of an identifiable Catholic philosophy of education, an absence that is particularly conspicuous in the pluralist and multi-faith makeup of Canada. In such a context, relying upon theological distinctiveness is insufficient. What is unique about Catholic education? What are some of the reasons that have led to the abandoning of a distinctively Catholic philosophy of education? Can such an education defend itself without identifying its unique philosophical and pedagogical principles? These, among others, are some of questions and issues of this paper.     

Le portrait professionnel de l'enseignant et la fonction enseignante

Les projets pilotes pour la transition de l'école à la vie active, organisés par la Commission des Communautés Européennes (1978‐1982), nous ont donné la possibilité de définir la fonction enseignante autrement que par la simple compétence disciplinaire. En particulier, la projet réalisé à Milan a permis d'élaborer une méthodologie pour la définition du portrait professionnel de l'enseignant: il s'agit de considérer le “produit” terminal de son activité, c'est‐à‐dire les compétences que doit avoir l'élève à la fin d'une formation donnée; ces compétences seraient analysées par un groupe formé par les enseignants et les experts du monde du travail qui sont intéressés par l'utilisation de telles compétences. On parvient ainsi à déterminer le curriculum et par là on arrive aux qualités professionnelles que l'enseignant doit avoir pour le développer.

C'est par cette méthodologie que l'analyse comparée de l'ensemble des projets pilotes nous a conduit à différencier la fonction enseignante en six niveaux: modérateur du travail de groupe, “tutor” pour la transition, expert d'une discipline, programmateur curriculaire, analyste de systèmes et d'institutions d'enseignement, évaluateur des processus de formation. A ces niveaux opérationnels, s'ajoutent deux dimensions intentionnelles: la dimension collégiale de l'exercice de la profession et la dimension éducative qui permet à l'enseignant d'être l'interprète du “Sujet historique”.     

The Impact of Design-Based STEM Integration Curricula on Student Achievement in Engineering,Science, and Mathematics

The new science education reform documents call for integration of engineering into K-12 science classes. Engineering design and practices are new to most science teachers, meaning that implementing effective engineering instruction is likely to be challenging. This quasi-experimental study explored the influence of teacher-developed, engineering design-based science curriculum units on learning and achievement among grade 4–8 students of different races, gender, special education status, and limited English proficiency (LEP) status. Treatment and control students (n = 4450) completed pretest and posttest assessments in science, engineering, and mathematics as well as a state-mandated mathematics test. Single-level regression results for science outcomes favored the treatment for one science assessment (physical science, heat transfer), but multilevel analyses showed no significant treatment effect. We also found that engineering integration had different effects across race and gender and that teacher gender can reduce or exacerbate the gap in engineering achievement for student subgroups depending on the outcome. Other teacher factors such as the quality of engineering-focused science units and engineering instruction were predictive of student achievement in engineering. Implications for practice are discussed.     

Heat Transfer in Packed Bed Heat Recuperators—I. A Precision Numerical Analysis

An extensive literature survey is reported that verifies the need for a more precise representation of the heat transfer film coefficient in packed beds. A precision numerical analysis scheme is developed for a much more general model than previously reported. Application of the results to the experimental data will be reported in Part II of the paper.     

What mathematical competencies does a citizen need to interpret Mexico’s official information about the COVID-19 pandemic?

Educational Studies in Mathematics - We report a study on mathematical literacy with special emphasis on health literacy. In particular, we identify and characterize the mathematical competencies...     

Under what conditions do firms benefit from the research efforts of other organizations?

Although R&D spillovers play a key role in the battle for technological leadership, it is unclear under what conditions firms build on and benefit from the discoveries of others. The study described here empirically examines this issue. The findings indicate that, depending on technological opportunities, firm size and competitive pressure, the net impact of R&D spillovers on productivity can be either positive or negative. Specifically, we find that although spillover effects are positively associated with the technological opportunities that a firm faces, this relationship is reversed when firm size is considered. Whilst external R&D affects large self-reliant firms negatively, its impact on the productivity of smaller firms (who usually introduce incremental innovations that are characterized by a strong reliance on external technologies) is positive, and even higher than that of their own R&D. We also demonstrate that the economic payoff for firms’ own R&D is lower when they face intense competition. In cases of low-appropriability, however, spillover effects are more positive, allowing firms to increase their performance using the inventions of others.     

Haemoglobin A1c-based screening for prediabetes and diabetes mellitus: a multi-center study in Croatian adult population

IntroductionBased on the hypothesis that there is a substantial rate of adults with prediabetes and undiagnosed diabetes mellitus (DM), our aim was to perform haemoglobin A1c (HbA_1c)-based screening in a cohort of Croatian adults and estimate the prevalence of prediabetes and undiagnosed DM according to American Diabetes Association criteria.Materials and methodsThis multi-center, cross-sectional study performed in six Croatian hospitals included 5527 patients aged 40 to 70 years admitted to the Emergency Department or undergoing a primary care check-up. Haemoglobin A1c was measured from leftover whole blood samples using the enzymatic method on either Alinity c or Architect c-series analyser (Abbott Laboratories, Chicago, USA). Haemoglobin A1c between 39-47 mmol/mol was classified as prediabetes, while ≥ 48 mmol/mol as undiagnosed DM.ResultsAfter exclusion of 435 patients with known DM, the final cohort included 5092 patients (median age 57; 56% males). A total of 882 (17.3%) patients had HbA_1c values between 39 and 47 mmol/mol. There were 214 (4.2%) patients with HbA_1c ≥ 48 mmol/mol. Prediabetes prevalence ranged from 14.2% to 20.5%, while undiagnosed DM from 3.3% to 7.3%, with statistically significant differences among settings (P < 0.001). Age-stratified analysis showed that prediabetes and undiagnosed DM prevalence increase with age (P < 0.001), being 25.4% and 5.8%, respectively, in patients aged 60 to 70 years.ConclusionUnderlying impairment of glucose metabolism was identified in about one in five adults, with significant number of patients with already overt DM. These results should serve as a starting point for further steps directed towards promotion of preventive measures for DM in Croatia.     

Comparison of diagnostic accuracy for eight SARS-CoV-2 serological assays

IntroductionSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) serological tests have been suggested as an additional diagnostic tool in highly suspected cases with a negative molecular test and determination of seroprevalence in population. We compared the diagnostic performance of eight commercial serological assays for IgA, IgM, and IgG antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.Materials and methodsThe comparison study was performed on a total of 76 serum samples: 30 SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-negative and 46 SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive patients with asymptomatic to severe disease and symptoms duration from 3-30 days. The study included: three rapid lateral flow immunochromatographic assays (LFIC), two enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), and three chemiluminescence immunoassays (CLIA).ResultsAgreement between IgM assays were minimal to moderate (kappa 0.26 to 0.63) and for IgG moderate to excellent (kappa 0.72 to 0.92). Sensitivities improved with > 10 days of symptoms and were: 30% to 89% for IgM; 89% to 100% for IgG; 96% for IgA; 100% for IgA/IgM combination; 96% for total antibodies. Overall specificities were: 90% to 100% for IgM; 85% to 100% for IgG; 90% for IgA; 70% for IgA/IgM combination; 100% for total antibodies. Diagnostic accuracy for IgG ELISA and CIA assays were excellent (AUC ≥ 0.90), without significant difference. IgA showed significantly better diagnostic accuracy than IgM (P < 0.001).ConclusionThere is high variability between IgM assays independently of the assay format, while IgG assays showed moderate to perfect agreement. The appropriate time for testing is crucial for the proper immunity investigation.