bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Demands of Scientific Medical Institution Management Personnel as a Way to Improve Activity Management
Authors: Карась Дмитрий , Karas' Dmitriy , Данильченко Яна , Danil'chenko Yana , Крючков Дмитрий , Kruchkov Dmitriy , Артамонова Галина , Artamonova Galina
Published: January 2019

To improve the management systems of modern healthcare institutions, it is important to use the best methods and tools. The practice of quality management standards application indicates that they have to be adapted to the conditions of a particular organization. It should be based on actual involvement of staff in the improvement process. Moreover, demands and complaints of the personnel should be taken into consideration. First of all, one should define the difficulties which prevent the effective management and the methods of their elimination. Second, one should involve the staff in the reformation process. The study investigates ideas and demands expressed by the scientific medical institution management about work improvement. The main research method was an opinion poll based on an original questionnaire. The research subject was the management system of the Institute for Complex Issues of Cardiovascular Diseases of the Federal Agency for Scientific Organizations of Russia; the unit of observation was managers of the institution; the research scope involved 41 people working for research. The opinion survey was performed twice: when the improvements were planned (2010) and after the implementation of quality management system project based on the requirements of ISO 9001 standard (2015). The first survey (2010) revealed difficulties in the staff performance. They were grouped into five quality blocks. Each block included improvement measures. The obtained information became the basis for the design of the process model of quality management system. The second survey (2015) showed a change in the structure of difficulties and a weakening of their priority. The study of the demands made by the management personnel of the Research Institute provided an important information about the character of the necessary changes and revealed the drawbacks in the work. The research allowed the management to avoid the gap between the needs of the staff and the ongoing transformations. The authors believe that the ISO 9001 standard may be used as a methodological basis for systematization of the problems in management and their negotiation.
Problems of Strategic Management of Socio-Economic Development at the Regional and Municipal Levels
Authors: Нестеров Алексей , Nesterov Alexey
Published: January 2019

The paper features the problems of strategic management of social and economic development at the regional and municipal levels. Currently, the legal and the regulatory framework that ensures the management of socio-economic development at the regional and municipal levels is quite dynamic and corresponds with the current conditions and challenges. The legal and regulatory framework in the field of strategic management is formed not only as an institutional basis for socio-economic development: it also represents a thoroughly developed system of methods and tools for developing strategic documents and ensuring their implementation. However, normative legal documents reflect, as a rule, a traditional view of the implementation of the strategic planning process, formed within the scientific schools of design and planning, with the inclusion of individual elements of advanced technologies of strategic management. Federal authorities have consistently formed the basis for the actual strengthening of the role of the methodology of strategic management in regional and municipal management. The consistent implementation of the program-target approach, the methodology of strategic planning, the principles of project management in the practice of state and municipal management forms the basis for applying the principles of agile public administration as the basis for strategic management in real-time. Independence, initiative, innovation, openness, agile, competence, and high motivation will increasingly determine success in the practice of state and municipal government. Hence, successful work on overcoming the resistance of the administrative bureaucratic management system will be a pledge of effective implementation and application of mechanisms and technologies of project management and agile public administration.
Project Management of the Development of Single-Industry Towns
Authors: Рыбкина Елена , Rybkina Elena
Published: January 2019

The research features the issues of development of monoprofile municipal formations through the prism of project management methodology, which was previously applied to investment projects of private companies and had mostly theoretical relation to the municipal level. The paper presents a consolidated view on the approach to the implementation of project management methodology in single-industry towns and an attempt to predict the outcome of this process. The author describes the steps taken towards implementation of project management at the municipal level in 2015–2017, including the process of managerial competences formation in project managers dealing with the projects of development of municipal formations with a single-industry economy. The research systematizes the intermediate results of the priority program "Complex development of single-industry towns" in the direction "training of teams managing projects of development of single-industry towns". An attempt was made to relate costs to results planned by the program. The author believes that the training cost resulted in quantitative changes in the development of single-industry towns. However, no changes were recorded at the qualitative level, which could eventually lead to the initiation and implementation of viable and sustainable investment projects that contribute to the synergetic development of the economy of single-industry towns.
The Catalan Conflict in Spain: Consequences for the European Union
Authors: Вербицкая Татьяна , Verbitskaya Tatyana , Гилева Полина , Gileva Polina , Золотарев Федор , Zolotarev Fedor , Коростелев Дмитрий , Korostelev Dmitriy , Начинов Денис , Nachinov Denis , Цуканов Леонид , Tsukanov Leonid
Published: January 2019

The present paper identifies the specific features of the conflict between Madrid and Catalonia and its significance for the European Union. The Catalan conflict serves here as an example of the regionalism processes in the European Union. The author defines the conflict as postmodern, which determines the novelty of the research. The research employed integrated scientific methods. The comparative method was used to compare the economic, social, cultural, and political positions and aspects of Catalonia and Spain; the method of actualization was used to describe the situation taking into account the specifics of the region; the method of structural analysis was used to study the content of the conflict. The authors applied the systemic approach since the structure of the Spanish political system is extremely complex. Analytical expert articles, news reports, and video recordings were used as an empirical research base. As a result, some features of the conflict in the postmodern world were revealed and exemplified by the Catalan crisis.
The Main Determinants of Team Work Efficiency
Authors: Слинкова Ольга , Slinkova Olga , Пастухова Дарья , Pastukhova Darya
Published: January 2019

The research features the main factors that influence the effectiveness of team work, i.e. the size of the team, the age and sex its members, their psychological compatibility, cohesion, and relationship character. The paper proves the ambiguous nature of the influence of these factors on team work effectiveness and states the need for a situational approach. The authors believe that the size of the team and its cohesion produces a positive effect on the team work and establish various types of effects, e.g. the effect of social laziness, the effect of freedom from obligations, the effect of conformism, the effect of one-sidedness, the halo effect, etc. According to the authors, the cooperation and rivalry are the main styles of relations in team work. The propositions expressed by the authors expand the field of scientific discussion on the problem of the effectiveness of team work.
The Development of the Hostel Market as a Promising Area of Small Business
Authors: Такмашева Ирина , Takmasheva Irina , Тяглов Сергей , Tyaglov Sergey
Published: January 2019

The research features the Khanty-Mansiysk hostel market as a promising area of small business. The main objective of the study is to develop practical recommendations for the opening of hostels in the city of Khanty-Mansiysk. To achieve this goal, the following problem issues were studied: foreign experience in the development of hostel market, evaluation of supply and demand for hotel business in Khanty-Mansiysk, pricing in the hotel services market, and business climate for the development of the hostel market. The authors used the methods of statistical and comparative analysis, special methods of economic analysis, as well as the method of strategic planning SWOT-analysis. As a result of the research, the authors formulated proposals for the opening of hostels in Khanty-Mansiysk. The recommendations can be used by entrepreneurs engaged in the local hotel business. The proposals can also be useful to Khanty-Mansiysk administration in developing a strategy for the social and economic development of the municipality.
Typology of Single-Industry Towns According to the Degree of Diversification of Secondary Vocational Education as an Information Base of Professional Retraining Projects
Authors: Тюличева Лидия , Tiulicheva Lidiia
Published: January 2019

In the process of diversifying the economy of single-industry towns, a contradiction may appear between the homogeneous professional composition of the population and the need for personnel with diverse professional and qualification characteristics. Elimination of this risk lies in the field of diversification of vocational education.

The task of the study was to diagnose the degree of diversification of secondary vocational education in single-industry towns with the status of a territory of advanced socio-economic development. The definition of this characteristic was considered as the definition formed to date, one of the prerequisites for the implementation of the program for the development of single-industry towns.

The present research features the existing differences between single-industry cities with the status of territory of advanced socio-economic development in terms of the degree of diversification of secondary vocational education. The authors analyzed the mid-level training programs and programs for training skilled workers and employees that are being implemented in the 2017/18 school year. On this basis, a typology of single-industry towns was developed and proposed.

This typology can form the basis for the development of a set of strategies for the diversification of free software for single-industry towns of different types. This, in turn, will make it possible to introduce into the development program of each single-industry town a project to transform the vocational qualification structure of the population in accordance with the needs of a diversifying economy, which will increase the level of complexity of the program for developing a single-industry town as a whole.
Institutional Background of Social Market Economy
Authors: Чеботаренко Елена , Chebotarenko Elena
Published: January 2019

The quality of life of people and the degree of focus of market economy on the interests of people depend to a great extent on the structure of public institutes, which include formal and informal norms, rules and the organizations that support them. To develop these norms and rules, it is necessary to rely not only on rational considering and calculation of the interacting parties, but also on habits, customs, and traditions. The universal nature of functions of public institutes always acts in the specific ethical cover that reflects the culture of people, their idea of the social justice focused on three fundamental values: equal opportunities, overcoming excess inequalities, and providing honest rules of the game. The institutionalization process includes stages connected with understanding and acceptance by the majority of the principles of socially oriented economy, development of the particular rules, and mechanisms supporting them. Some institutes perform functions of control over the flaws of the market mechanism, others are aimed at alignment of excess social and economic inequalities and ensuring the compensating advantages to everyone.
Modern Management Technologies, Methods, and Instruments of the "Five Steps of Routine Improvement" Urban Environment Program in Russian Single-Industry Settlements
Authors: Щербина Ольга , Shcherbina Olga
Published: January 2019

The research features the problem of search for modern management technologies for the development of single-industry towns. The author proposes the framework concept "Five Steps of Routine Improvement" as a tool for improving the urban environment. It establishes a differentiated approach to the selection of projects for improvement for each single-unit municipal entity. The paper gives an analysis of the sequence of actions announced within the framework of the 5 steps of the concept. The main problems are connected with the attitude of the municipal authorities and the involvement of residents in solving the problems of the urban environment. The social orientation of the steps of the concept makes it possible to solve the problem of involvement of citizens and to overcome the mentioned problems. To raise municipal management effectiveness, the author proposes to monitor infrastructure facilities to attract business and thus solve the problem of financial resources. A project approach and a complex analysis of all components of the concept can overcome all the barriers.
The Problem of Searching for Promising Production Technologies in the Field of Integrated Development of Mineral Resources in the Coal Industry
Authors: Гоосен Елена , Goosen Elena , Никитенко Сергей , Nikitenko Sergey , Клишин Владимир , Klishin Vladimir
Published: January 2019

The paper offers an analysis of the problems and prospects of the most difficult branch of the Russian economy, i.e. coal industry. An attempt is made to find directions for diversifying the economy of a coal region. The authors suggested turning to the theory of value chains. The coal industry is the beginning of a chain of added value formation. The study confirmed the possibility of cooperation with the engineering industry for building new technological chains. The analysis also made it possible to put forward a hypothesis that localization on the territory of processing industries, based on related technologies within the framework of modern elongated and ramified supply chains and value chains, can become an instrument for overcoming "enclave" and reducing resource dependence of regions. Based on the analysis of patent sources, the authors defined the main directions of development of the coal industry that are currently in the focus of attention of the leading coal-mining countries and companies. On the basis of scientific research and design, the authors use the example of the Kemerovo region to determine the degree of technological development of the supported patents and the level of companies' readiness for joint projects with the machine-building industry.
How much data is enough? Financial optimisation of condition assessment spending to support pipeline replacement decisions
Authors: Laven Kevin , Boyle Fionn , Diemel Roel , Murray Paul
Published: January 2019

When facing pipeline replacement decisions, asset managers face a dilemma. Factual information about the condition of the pipelines allows better replacement decisions and capital efficiency gains. On the other hand, gathering this information is costly. Performing a cost-benefit analysis is also challenging, as the benefits are difficult to project. This paper models the financial impact of pipeline condition assessment by considering the financial risk associated with decision making errors. An economic optimization equation using the model is presented. This equation yields the Economic Assessment Level: the amount of condition information needed to minimize the total combined spending on information gathering and incorrect decisions. Case studies and examples of the impact of different levels of information gathering are presented. The results of these programs are compared with the predictions of the model, illustrating how the calculations can be used to improve capital improvement program efficiency real world situations.
The Prognostic and Predictive Value of microRNAs in Patients with H. pylori-positive Gastric Cancer
Authors: Parizadeh Seyed Mostafa , Jafarzadeh-Esfehani Reza , Avan Amir , Ghandehari Maryam , Goldani Fatemeh , Parizadeh Seyed Mohammadreza
Published: January 2019

Gastric cancer (GC) has a high mortality rate with a poor 5-year survival. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is present as part of the normal flora of stomach. It is found in the gastric mucosa of more than half of the world population. This bacterium is involved in developing H. pylori-induced GC due to the regulation of different micro ribonucleic acid (miRNA or miR). miRNAs are small noncoding RNAs and are recognized as prognostic biomarkers for GC that may control gene expression. miRNAs may function as tumor suppressors, or oncogenes. In this review, we evaluated studies that investigated the ectopic expression of miRNAs in the prognosis of H. pylori positive and negative GC.
Fibrinolytic Activity of Two Polypeptide Chains from Human Plasminogen#
Authors: Joison Agustín , Baiardi Gustavo , Donalisio Rocío , Gallo Federico
Published: January 2019

Background:

Plasminogen is a blood plasma glycoprotein of molecular weight about 92,000 Daltons. Physiologically, it incorporates into blood clots and after its activation by plasminogen activators to plasmin can perform a fibrinolytic function. Microplasmin is truncate polypeptide chain derivate of plasmin may be increase the fibrinolytic activity.

Objective:

To study the amino acid sequence of two polypeptides chains derivate to the plasminogen with fibrinolytic activity.

Methods:

he two polypeptides chains were prepared by isoelectric precipitation of human plasma in sodium borate buffer. The sample in a second step was subjected to affinity and ionic interchange chromatography and denaturalized electrophoresis was carried out on the sample previous heat 70ºC.

Results:

Two polypeptide chains of 29.000 and 35.000 Daltons by autolysis controlled were obtained with 25 UI of fibrinolytic activity in fibrin plate.

Conclusion:

Microplasmin was obtained with cleavage in different amino acid bounds and rearrangement of amino acids by autolysis with controlled alkaline precipitation.
One-pot Synthesis of 2-Hydroxy-1,4-Naphthoquinone (Lawsone)
Authors: Sivakumar Dhanavel , Thanusu Jayaraman , Kanagarajan Vijayakumar , Nagarajan Samuthira , Manikandan Haridoss , Gopalakrishnan Mannathusamy
Published: January 2019

Aims and Scope:

The 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (lawsone) and 2,5-dihydroxy-1,
4-naphthoquninone (5-hydroxylawsone) are synthesized by one step process. The process involves an
inexpensive catalyst urea hydrogen peroxide and a base (t-BuOK) in alcohol for the transformation of
1-naphthol or 2,5-dihydroxynaphthalene to lawsone or its derivatives in the presences of oxygen. The process
is further directed to produce lawsone or its derivatives, with no extraneous heating to make it energetically efficient.
The synthesized compounds are analyzed by FT-IR, 1H and 13C NMR spectral studies.

Materials and Methods:

All the raw materials were purchased from commercial suppliers and used as such
without further purification. The infrared spectra were recorded on a Thermo Nicolet-Avatar-330 FT-IR
spectrophotometer using KBr (pellets) and noteworthy absorption values (cm-1) are obtained. 1H and 13C NMR
spectra are recorded at 293K on BRUKER AMX-400 Spectrometer operating with the frequencies of 300
MHz and 75, 125 MHz respectively using DMSO-d6 as solvent.

Results:

The 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (lawsone) and 2,5-dihydroxy-1,4-naphthoquninone (5-
hydroxylawsone) are synthesised from 1-naphthol and 1,5-dihydorxynaphalene with urea-hydrogen peroxide as
the catalyst in basic medium and oxygen as the oxidizing agent. After purification, the formed products are
analysed by IR and NMR spectroscopy. The yield is 82% and the purity of the products is > 95%.

Conclusion:

The present study highlights the process for the manufacturing of lawsone and its derivatives
which is efficient in terms of energy needed for the activation of products from reactants. The advantages
include its cost-effective nature in terms of simple inexpensive catalyst required for the process and high yield.
The mild reaction conditions employed and the harmless by product obtained further confirm the usefulness of
this synthetic process.
3D-QSAR Assisted Design of Novel 7-Deazapurine Derivatives as TNNI3K Kinase Inhibitors Using Molecular Docking and Molecular Dynamics Simulation
Authors: Balasubramanian Pavithra K. , Balupuri Anand , Bhujbal Swapnil P. , Cho Seung Joo
Published: January 2019

Background:

Cardiac troponin I-interacting kinase (TNNI3K) is a cardiac-specific kinase that belongs to MAPKKK family. It is a dual-function kinase with tyrosine and serine/threonine kinase activity. Over-expression of TNNI3K results in various cardiovascular diseases such as cardiomyopathy, ischemia/reperfusion injury, heart failure, etc. Since, it is a cardiac-specific kinase and expressed only in heart tissue, it is an ideal molecular target to treat cardiac diseases. The main objective of the work is to study and understand the structure-activity relationship of the reported deazapurine derivatives and to use the 3D-QSAR and docking results to design potent and novel TNNI3K inhibitors of this series.

Methods:

In the present study, we have used molecular docking 3D QSAR, and molecular dynamics simulation to understand the structure-activity correlation of reported TNNI3K inhibitors and to design novel compounds of deazapurine derivatives with increased activity.

Results:

Both CoMFA (q2=0.669, NOC=5, r2=0.944) and CoMSIA (q2=0.783, NOC=5, r2=0.965) have resulted in satisfactory models. The models were validated using external test set, Leave-out- Five, bootstrapping, progressive scrambling, and rm2 metrics calculations. The validation procedures showed the developed models were robust and reliable. The docking results and the contour maps analysis helped in the better understanding of the structure-activity relationship.

Conclusion:

This is the first report on 3D-QSAR modeling studies of TNNI3K inhibitors. Both docking and MD results were consistent and showed good correlation with the previous experimental data. Based on the information obtained from contour maps, 31 novel TNNI3K inhibitors were designed. These designed compounds showed higher activity than the existing dataset compounds.
Adolescent Obesity and Eating Disorders: Can Calorie Restriction have a Positive Impact
Authors: Visweswaraiah Naveen , Nathan Kousalya
Published: January 2019

Background:

The current obesogenic environment with relatively increased affordability and availability of high calorie food and beverages, has led to an alarming increase in the prevalence of obesity and related lifestyle disorders in children and adolescents, predisposing them to accelerated aging. The increased prevalence may be due to the eating behavior of adolescents, their genetic and molecular etiology and/or due to the impact of psychological stress and their wrong lifestyle choices. Calorie restriction has been extensively researched for reducing the obesity in adolescents and adults but is yet to be successfully implemented.

Objective:

The present review paper focuses on the types of calorie restriction diets, the role of its mimics and the nutrigenomic mechanisms that may be helpful in reducing obesity and related disorders in the adolescents. The role of behavioral therapeutic techniques and physical activity has also been highlighted in addition to the calorie restricted diet for bringing about an overall lifestyle modification in the management of obesity.

Conclusion:

Food preferences are acquired in childhood and sound nutritional practices should be established in childhood to prevent lifestyle disorders and premature aging. Though CR is a known and preferred non-pharmacological intervention in the management of obesity, its implemention has not been explored and evaluated extensively. This is a vital area that needs scientific research as the goals of obesity managements are no longer just weight loss through dietary restrictions. An interdisciplinary method to lifestyle modification in the management of adolescent obesity addressing all physiological and psychosocial aspects is recommended.
Multilayer Neural Network with Synapse Based on Two Successive Memristors
Authors: Vo Minh-Huan
Published: January 2019

Introduction:

Synapse based on two successive memristors builds the synaptic weights of the artificial neural network for training three-bit parity problem and five-character recognition.

Methods:

The proposed memristor synapse circuit creates positive weights in the range [0;1], and maps it to range [-1;1] to program both the positive and negative weights. The proposed scheme achieves the same accuracy rate as the conventional bridge synapse schemes which consist of four memristors.

Results and Conclusion:

However, proposed synapse circuit decreases 50% the number of memristors and 76.88% power consumption compared to the conventional bridge memristor synapse.
The Analysis of Dynamic O/D Adjustment for Bicycle Traffic Demand Estimation with AIMSUN Simulation Model: A Case Study of Nakhon Sawan Municipality in Thailand
Authors: Chalermwongphan Karn , Upala Prapatpong
Published: January 2019

Aim:

This research aimed to present the process of estimating bicycle traffic demand in order to design bike routes that meet the daily transportation needs of the people in Nakhon Sawan Municipality.

Methods:

The primary and secondary traffic data were collected to develop a virtual traffic simulation model with the use of the AIMSUN simulation software. The model validation method was carried out to adjust the origin and destination survey data (O/D matrix) by running dynamic O/D adjustment. The 99 replication scenarios were statistically examined and assessed using the goodness-of-fit test. The 9 measures, which were examined, included: 1) Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), 2) Root Mean Square Percentage Error (RMSPE%), 3) Mean Absolute Deviation (MAD), 4) Mean Bias Error (MBE), 5) Mean Percentage Error (MPE%), 6) Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE%), 7) Coefficient of Determination (R2), 8) GEH Statistic (GEH), and 9) Thiel’s U Statistic (Theil’s U).

Results:

The resulting statistical values were used to determine the acceptable ranges according to the acceptable indicators of each factor.

Conclusion:

It was found that there were only 8 scenarios that met the evaluation criteria. The selection and ranking process was consequently carried out using the multi-factor scoring method, which could eliminate errors that might arise from applying only one goodness-of-fit test measure.
Catalyst-Free Glycerol Promoted Green Synthesis of 2-amino-1,8- naphthyridine -3-carbonitriles and 2-amino-3-quinolinecarbonitriles
Authors: Shivhare Km Neha , Srivastava Anushree , Siddiqui Ibadur Rahman
Published: January 2019

We describe herein the use of glycerol as an efficient and sustainable approach for the synthesis
of 2-amino-1, 8-naphthyridine-3-carbonitriles and 2-amino-3-quinolinecarbonitriles. The catalyst-
free reactions occur straightforwardly using biodegradable and non-hazardous solvent. It is a
strategy to address mounting environmental concerns with current approach includes the use of environmentally
benign solvent, simple workup procedure, economic viability, shorter reaction time and
providing good to excellent yield.
The Call
Authors: Whiteman Carol
Published: January 2019

In this poem about a key element of the transformational process, the author describes how an appreciative phone call from an alumna inspired and encouraged her to re-commit to her purpose and continue on her feminst leadership journey.
Seeking self in place
Authors: Meng Yi
Published: January 2019

Performative inquiry is a way of being in inquiry which attends to the individual moments emerging from performative encounters, calling upon our attention to what matters through reflection (Fels, 2010; 2012; 2014). In this paper, I engage in performative inquiry to explore my identities through experiencing different places of Canada and practicing visual art. Three key moments occur during the performative explorations, which embodies new possible ways of understanding my struggles with my pedagogical identity as a Chinese studying and teaching art at Canadian postsecondary institutions and opening up a new space to envision art education future.
Debating the Meaning of "Social Studies"
Authors: Broom Catherine
Published: January 2019

After briefly reviewing relevant public schooling history and how it has contextualized the development of social studies, heated debates are described. Two main perspectives are portrayed: the progressive developers’ views and those of their critics. The paper concludes with an attempt to bridge this seemingly insurmountable ideological divide.
The Arts and the Authentic Learner
Authors: Vasko Zuzana
Published: January 2019

Amidst a goal-oriented society driven by a market economy, knowing one’s truer values and finding a sense of personal authenticity may seem challenging. With the view that education is to prepare a student for a meaningful life, this paper looks toward how arts education and the encouragement of aesthetic experience can go a long way toward helping students find a sense of authenticity in their lives. The arts foster a connection with the self as well as with our peers and the culture of which we are a part. The humanizing characteristics of art such as the emotions, intuition, our bodies and senses, and our beliefs are explored, as is the role of contemporary art. While this paper takes the viewpoint of a visual artist, the ideas apply to the arts in general.
Living Pedagogy of Embodied Voice
Authors: Ramsay Lorna
Published: January 2019

In a multi-modal narrative of text and images, this piece links learning goals with embodied aesthetic expression.
The class as a learning entity (complex adaptive system): An idea from complexity science and educational research
Authors: Newell Craig
Published: January 2019

Educational theorists are making increasing use of the metaphors and concepts of complexity thinking in their discourses. In particular, Professors Brent Davis, Elaine Simmt, and Dennis Sumara have written extensively about using complexity thinking to shift attention from the individual student as the locus of learning (cognizing agent) to the social collective—the class—as the locus of learning. In this model, the class (students and teacher) is (potentially) a complex adaptive system. The students and teacher remain complex adaptive systems in their own right, but through dynamic local interactions there is the possibility of emergent behaviours indicative of learning that transcends that of the individuals within the class. The social collective we know as a class becomes an instance of the Aristotlean adage, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” (With the coda that we cannot understand the whole by merely understanding the components.) Davis, Simmt, and Sumara have segued from complexity-informed descriptions of educational collectives to discussions about facilitating the self-organization of classes into complex adaptive systems – learning systems, in their language. In this paper, I discuss complex adaptive systems and look at how Davis, Simmt, and Sumara developed their thesis that the class collective, rather than individual student, is the appropriate level to investigate learning and teaching. We conclude by addressing some of the possibilities and challenges inherent in such a redescription of communities of learners.
Launching a Graduate Education Course in Educational Neuroscience
Authors: Campbell Stephen
Published: January 2019

An increasing number of education facilities and faculty members are working in a new area of educational research known as educational neuroscience. A key factor for the success and future viability of educational neuroscience concerns training highly qualified personnel who can assist in establishing this new area and move it forward. As an educational researcher currently instituting an educational neuroscience laboratory, this issue is no longer solely an academic interest; it has become a pressing practical matter of vital concern. This discussion paper reports and reflects on the design, approval, implementation, conduct, and reception of a new graduate course, entitled “Educational Neuroscience: Background, Theories, and Methods,” offered for the first time in the 2005-2006 academic year.
Hanging Out: One of the High Arts of Dialogue
Authors: Scott Charles
Published: January 2019

The practice of hanging out represents an example of an informal and yet rigorous practice of dialogue which has educational merits in both formal and informal settings. It can embody the features and capacities of dialogue, and its benefits rest in creating a safe space for interaction, allowing real questions, fostering creativity, and offering an opportunity for learners to explore more deeply their fundamental values and epistemic outlooks. Several dialogical capacities contribute to the possibilities of hanging out as an effective pedagogical practice, and three of them—becoming aware, presence, and confirmation—are briefly detailed. I suggest that hanging out as a pedagogical practice is of value in a world which is ever more complex, connected, diverse, and uncertain.
Acoustic Epistemology in Education
Authors: Droumeva Milena
Published: January 2019

Epistemology – the question of what knowledge is and how it is acquired – is naturally an important one in the discursive domain of education. Yet, educational notions of epistemology still rely almost exclusively on text in order to define, store and convey knowledge. Formal curriculum is also primarily encoded in and understood through text. Despite the critical interventions of theorists such as Walter Ong and Marshal McLuhan who expose the visual and literary bias of our culture, as well as educators such as Barry Truax and R.M. Schafer who have advocated for the phenomenological benefits of listening and orality, education is a long way from shifting its epistemological paradigm from one that is text-centric to one that involves the body and the senses as foundational elements to knowledge construction, teaching practice and curriculum. This paper focuses particularly on orality and acoustic dimensions of communication, and proposes implications for how they might be important to educational practice and institutional conceptions of knowledge.
Releasing Silent Texts: Narratives of Reflective Arts Performance and Special Needs Education
Authors: Ramsay Lorna
Published: January 2019

Narratives lie in metaphorical spaces of exchange that encourage release of silent texts, spaces where voice is aesthetic reflection in performance, expression of vulnerable and embodied pedagogy of daily living and learning. I share my fictional and non-fictional autobiographical narratives of a special needs student while questioning teaching practices and re-viewing blurred borders between self-made definitions of educator, learner, and researcher. With undergraduate university education students, I share narratives of my work with special needs children as I explore invested reflective silent spaces in re-listening and re-hearing beyond fringes of the teacher/student relationship. Students share narratives of vulnerability, self-reflective re-hearing with image and sound, multi-layers of storytelling in separate and shared living landscapes.
"Inter-facing Reflexive Pedagogy"
Authors: Glen Carla Jane
Published: January 2019

“Inter-facing Reflexive Pedagogy” is a chapter excerpt from my doctoral dissertation: Spectacle, Shock, and Surfacing (2009) that calls attention to visual culture through performative inquiry by making connections between meaning making for everyday life and the practice of installation art by repositioning one’s own body through the installation art form. This becomes meaningful for the spectator/participant by incorporating a reflexive encounter both historically with visual culture and socially where constructed techniques and procedures are closed to contextual circumstances. In a system of relations, through an engagement in counter-constructed spectacle strategies, learning involves the whole person; it implies becoming a full participant. Encounters with an art form are never just an end point, since it may challenge the spectator/participant to new encounters of experience. Merleau-Ponty links these encounters as a route —an experience that proceeds through dialogue and evokes change. By presenting moments of possibilities through physical, emotional, and intellectual spaces for discourse on subjects in and around visual culture, the spectator/participant has the opportunity to re-claim his or her agency and autonomy by first speaking through the installation and then to the

community of which he/she is a significant part.
The Living Building and teaching through environments
Authors: Rudkowski Magdalena
Published: January 2019

My personal childhood experience in combination with over ten years studying and working with young children has led me to become passionate about children’s relationships and understandings of the natural world and the innate curiosity that young children hold in the early years of their lives.
Pondering, Mucking with Data, Theorizing and Taking Action - Finding Solutions Together: The Context for Collaboration
Authors: Brayne Robin
Published: January 2019

Dr. Robin Brayne gave the 2012 Learning Together Conference Keynote on May 5, 2012. The video of the keynote speech is located on YouTube via the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPy2q8oJuX0
Stumbling in a Murky Place – An account of a “tempting” methodology
Authors: Chen Rosa Hong
Published: January 2019

In this paper, I take on a “post”-concept as the point of departure to reflect on a troubled thinking and practice of research. Struggling with making methodological decisions, I put deconstructivism to work within the limits of methodology and the presentation of methodology with a particular focus on their situatedness, contingency, and necessity. I conclude that a deconstructive point of view encompasses both ontological and epistemological aspects of research methodology, hence inviting a true sense of knowing or knowings.
The Emperor’s New Clothes: Exposure and Vulnerability in Academe
Authors: Donovan Sadie
Published: January 2019

As a white, female, aspiring anti-racist researcher and scholar, issues of power and whiteness are never resolved. I must continually disrupt and be disrupted by the source of my social capital, never finding comfort in the assumption that ‘I’ know what it means to be a critical white anti-racist scholar. This realization has not been an easy one to come by. In the past, I had trusted my ability to think critically about my own privilege, and that trust betrayed me (Thompson 2003). The heightened awareness of my own ignore-ance came from a reading of Thompson’s (2003) ‘Tiffany, Friend of People of Color’, where she cautions against the dangers of white investments in anti-racism¹. For me, that was a critical uncomfortable, disruptive moment whereby I realized the dangers of my previously felt confidence. This paper, then, is a product of the renewed disruption caused by Thompson’s article. In it, I attempt to work through the paralysis I initially felt in my first reading by examining the continued issues of power that are embedded in white anti-racist scholarship and how we may work through them, in spite of their continued existence.

To begin to dismantle these issues, I revisit Thompson’s article in greater detail, elaborating on the points that caused me to become disrupted. I then utilize literary symbols from the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale, ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes,’ as a way to aid us in an examination of our white privilege. Through the medium of ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’, I attempt to critique how white power within academia is maintained. From there, I argue that we must expose regardless, in order to work towards social justice. Once we, that is, white, anti-racist scholars, are disrupted, it is essential that we continue to stay within the disruption, and to accept being naked and vulnerable as part of our growth as progressive individuals.However, we must first turn to the source of my disruption. The next section introduces the reader to Thompson to uncover what prompted my strong reactions in the first place.
Unknown Unknowns: Is Virtue Something We Can Empirically Observe?
Authors: Rodgers Shannon
Published: January 2019

Given the general interest on the part of governments and educators to teach students about citizenship and character, it is worthwhile to examine particular assumptions about virtue, including that virtue is a definable thing or an identifiable set of qualities; that it can be observed and therefore known; and that it can be taught. Further, given the psychological research in this area and its subsequent impact on educational programs and policies, it is important for educators to question and contrast such research with the philosophical foundations (also influential on educational programs and policies) on which virtue is based.
A Critical Reflection of Collaborative Inquiry: To what extent is collaborative learning beneficial in my classroom?
Authors: Lavorata Bianca
Published: January 2019

Twenty years ago, I was a Grade 6 student in a Grade 6/7 classroom. I remember learning material through direct teacher instruction. The structure was quite clear-cut; the teacher transmitted information and the students listened and absorbed the material. Tests were distributed, graded, and then new content would be introduced. Students were seated in rows, sometimes according to alphabetical order, which inhibited peer intermingling and interaction. This type of traditional teaching still exists in many classrooms despite educational advances that highlight the importance of collaborative student-centred learning rather than a teacher-centred classroom. I strongly maintain that “a major value of collaboration, the reason why it is so praised in our rhetoric, is that we can do more and better work collaboratively than we can alone” (Johnston-Parsons, M., 2010, p. 289). Student centred learning may be referred to as learning that “has student responsibility and activity at its heart, in contrast to the stronger emphasis on teacher-control and the coverage of academic content” found in much traditional teaching classrooms (Cannon, R., Ingleton, C., Kiley, M., & Rogers, T., 2000, pg.3). I further extend this definition and place emphasis on student centred learning as a classroom in which students play an active role in their learning, as oppose to a passive role in a teacher-centered learning environment.
Non-Native English-Speaking Teachers’ Legitimacy Negotiation in North American ELT Classrooms
Authors: Song Chao
Published: January 2019

The purpose of this paper is to examine the complexities of non-native English-speaking teachers’ (NNESTs’) legitimacy negotiation process in North American English language teaching (ELT) classrooms. This paper explores how NNESTs’ processes and outcomes of legitimacy negotiation can be impacted by unbalanced power relations, assigned-identity, and human agency. By drawing on various sociocultural theories, particularly power relations (Bourdieu, 1977; Holland, Lachicotte, Skinner, and Cain 2001; Norton, 2000), identity (Norton, 2000; Harklau, 2000; Morita, 2004), and human agency (Canagarajah, 1999; Norton & Toohey, 2001; Lantolf & Pavlenko, 2001), the analysis examines how the three factors—unbalanced power relations, assigned identity and personal agency manifest themselves in NNESTs’ attempting to cross barriers erected by language, culture, and racial boundaries.
What Does a Mythopoetic Inquiry Look Like?
Authors: Ruebsaat Susanna
Published: January 2019

A Mythopoetic Inquiry is a narrative of the imagination which creates an alternate story to the dominant story (individually or collectively). We create the story as we are living it; writing the narrative at the same time as we are reading it to ourselves and the world. Creating a vision while seeing; an imaginative vision about what is and what can be.

A mythopoetic inquiry has its own logic but also needs to connect to reality. Art making (and other creative activities), can be a bridge between imagination and reality; letting the art tell the story from that liminal place between the conscious and unconscious. It is important to consider that there are practical aspects of this imagining. As humans we have a shared imagination (myths and archetypes) that is the common ground of this imagining.
Cultivating Methodology Through Somaesthetics
Authors: Turner Shirley
Published: January 2019

A gardener wouldn’t dream of cultivating her plot with just a trowel, nor would a chef cook with just a knife, so why do many academics rely on prose as their only means of representing their work? I will explore how educational theory and practice might be cultivated through praxis in the context of the fundamental basis of all place-based learning – the body through which we all experience the world. I will use three interrelated representations to explore the linkage between contemplative practice and the development of teaching and learning as a process: poetry, art and prose. The roots of my investigation are threefold: my recent experience of a three year Iyengar yoga teacher training program which represents the contemplative component, an exploration of mixed media métissage, and my ongoing work as a high school teacher in an inner city setting using experiential learning to stimulate interaction in my classes. These educational perspectives are further nested among personal interests in wilderness expeditions, gardening and artwork that delve into my ecological connectedness with the world and my responses to it.