Regulation as both enabler of technology use and global competitive tool: The Gibraltar case     

Hans Jochen Scholl  Manuel Pedro Rodríguez Bolívar 《Government Information Quarterly》2019,36(3):601-613

Distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) such as Blockchain appear to have disruptive economic potential to traditional finance-sector and non-financial markets as the success of crypto currencies demonstrates. While traditional financial and securities markets are highly regulated, DLT transactions and exchanges have so far widely remained unregulated, which potentially poses major threats to individual investors and, via money laundering, terrorist financing, and tax evasion, to society at large. Governments have been taking different approaches to monitoring and regulating the fledgling DLT provision arena. However, the small jurisdiction of Gibraltar, an affluent self-governed and self-financed British overseas territory with a population of 34,000 at the Southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula has taken a proactive approach. What makes this case stand out is that Gibraltar is not only is the first jurisdiction worldwide to regulate general DLT provision, but it is rather using the regulation as a competitive tool and a means for creating new public value. The study inquires the potential benefits and challenges to this particular approach to DLT provision regulation, and it investigates and presents the various facets of public value generation, which might serve as a poster child for fast and smart regulation in the digital age.  相似文献   

Relationship between measures of academic quality and undergraduate student attrition: the case of higher education institutions in the Colombian Caribbean region     

Anabella Martínez  Mónica Borjas  Mariela Herrera  Jorge Valencia 《高等教育研究与发展》2015,34(6):1192-1206

Undergraduate student attrition is a major concern in higher education. It is usually explained by the impact of student attributes; however, recent developments in student success literature point to the need of exploring institutional practices that may impact a student's decision to abandon their studies. The current weight of academic quality assurance for Colombian higher education institutions (HEI) and what such measures may mean for how HEI fulfill their missions indicates the need to consider a possible relation between such quality measures and undergraduate student attrition. Using official databases from the Colombian Ministry of Education for the year 2009, this study explores through analysis of variance the relationship between attrition and three measures of academic quality: accreditation status, professional test scores required to graduate (Saber Pro Exam) and the number of research groups at HEI. The scope of the study is the Colombian Caribbean region and the sample includes 19 HEI. Study results demonstrate that the percentage of accredited undergraduate programs at HEI was the only measure of quality assurance, out of the three explored, that showed a statistically significant relationship with undergraduate student attrition rates.  相似文献   

Young children’s communication and expression of values during play sessions in preschool     

Hrönn Pálmadóttir  Eva Marianne Johansson 《Early Years: An International Journal of Research and Development》2015,35(3):289-302

The article explores how young children between one and three years old communicate and prioritise values in order to create and be a part of a community during play sessions in an Icelandic preschool. Furthermore, it aims to investigate the value conflicts that might occur and how the children resolve such conflicts. The study adopts the phenomenological approach of Merleau-Ponty emphasising human bodily existence. Data consist mainly of video recordings. The findings show three main categories that illustrate the values that the children prioritised and found meaningful to their interaction in their play: the value of ownership of toys, the value of others’ well-being and the value of belonging to the community. The values could also be in opposition to values that were either prioritised within the group of children or emphasised by the educators. The study implies that play situations are a valuable arena for children’s learning of values. The value conflicts appeared to be especially important, including children’s confrontations with each other’s perspectives and requiring the children to clarify their views. Thus, children’s positions and possibilities within the group became visible and influenced the resolution of the conflicts.  相似文献   

Analyzing Students’ Learning Progressions Throughout a Teaching Sequence on Acoustic Properties of Materials with a Model-Based Inquiry Approach     

María Isabel Hernández  Digna Couso  Roser Pintó 《Journal of Science Education and Technology》2015,24(2-3):356-377

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Factors influencing the presence of sustainability initiatives in the strategic planning of Spanish universities     

Manuel Larrán Jorge  Jesús Herrera Madueño 《Environmental Education Research》2015,21(8):1155-1187

Sustainability issues in higher educational institutions have attracted increasing levels of attention from both the public and policy-makers in recent decades. Many studies have called for a more integration of sustainability into mainstream university operations and curricula. Nevertheless, the interest in sustainability issues has been more recent in the specific case of Spain. On this basis, the aim of this paper is to examine the main factors (size of universities, chairs related to sustainability, political orientation and sustainability disclosure) that might explain the presence of sustainability initiatives in Spanish universities. To accomplish this task, data were collected using a systematic content analysis of the published strategic plans of Spanish universities during the last decade. Two main findings were identified: first, the four variables chosen were not related to the presence or absence of sustainability initiatives in the strategic plans of Spanish universities, excepting the partial influence exerted by the size and political orientation. Second, there was a scarce presence of sustainability initiatives in the strategic plans of Spanish universities analysed.  相似文献   

Nature as relationship partner: an old frame revisited     

Miklós Antal  Stefan Drews 《Environmental Education Research》2015,21(7):1056-1078

Language use that embodies a mechanistic, instrumental view of nature contributes to the environmental predicament. This paper argues that interpersonal relationships can be applied as suitable analogies and metaphors for human–nature relationships. To show that such reframing is necessary and possible, we used the Google Ngram Viewer to study how often expressions from different frames of nature were used in English language books between 1800 and 2008. As the language use of scientific publications is directly related to formal education, a similar analysis was conducted using the Scopus scientific database for 1993–2012. After presenting our numerical results, we explain why the interpersonal relationship frame is environmentally appropriate and widely applicable. It is pointed out that in both human–human and human–nature relations, complex systems are connected, change is constant, stress is unavoidable, and multiple dynamic equilibria exist. Moreover, a number of analogous psychological defense mechanisms are used, which can lead to similar systemic problems, such as unrealistic expectations, growing distance, and exploitation in the relationship. In light of these similarities, relevant theoretical and empirical results are re-examined. It is shown that the relationship frame can help understand and bring about the cognitive and behavioral changes required to improve human–nature relationships.  相似文献   

Mujeres in the Principal’s Office: Latina School Leaders     

Sylvia Méndez-Morse  Elizabeth T. Murakami  Mónica Byrne-Jiménez  Frank Hernandez 《Journal of Latinos & Education》2015,14(3):171-187

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Assessment of patient safety culture in clinical laboratories in the Spanish National Health System     

Angeles Giménez-Marín  Francisco Rivas-Ruiz  Ana M. García-Raja  Rafael Venta-Obaya  Margarita Fusté-Ventosa  Inmaculada Caballé-Martín  Alfonso Benítez-Estevez  Ana I. Quinteiro-García  José Luis Bedini  Antonio León-Justel  Montserrat Torra-Puig 《Biochemia medica : ?asopis Hrvatskoga dru?tva medicinskih biokemi?ara / HDMB》2015,25(3):363-376

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Biomolecule storage on non-modified thermoplastic microfluidic chip by ink-jet printing of ionogels     

M. Tijero  R. Díez-Ahedo  F. Benito-Lopez  L. Basabe-Desmonts  V. Castro-López  A. Valero 《Biomicrofluidics》2015,9(4)

This paper reports an innovative technique for reagents storage in microfluidic devices by means of a one-step UV-photoprintable ionogel-based microarray on non-modified polymeric substrates. Although the ionogel and the ink-jet printing technology are well published, this is the first study where both are used for long-term reagent storage in lab-on-a-chip devices. This technology for reagent storage is perfectly compatible with mass production fabrication processes since pre-treatment of the device substrate is not necessary and inkjet printing allows for an efficient reagent deposition process. The functionality of this microarray is demonstrated by testing the release of biotin-647 after being stored for 1 month at room temperature. Analysis of the fluorescence of the ionogel-based microarray that contains biotin-647 demonstrated that 90% of the biotin-647 present was released from the ionogel-based microarray after pumping PBS 0.1% Tween at 37 °C. Moreover, the activity of biotin-647 after being released from the ionogel-based microarray was investigated trough the binding capability of this biotin to a microcontact printed chip surface with avidin. These findings pave the way for a novel, one-step, cheap and mass production on-chip reagents storage method applicable to other reagents such as antibodies and proteins and enzymes.  相似文献   

Lean mass as a total mediator of the influence of muscular fitness on bone health in schoolchildren: a mediation analysis     

Ana Torres-Costoso  Luis Gracia-Marco  Mairena Sánchez-López  Jorge Cañete García-Prieto  Antonio García-Hermoso  Ana Díez-Fernández 《Journal of sports sciences》2015,33(8):817-830

This report aims to analyse the independent association of lean mass and muscle fitness with bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD), and to examine whether the relationship between muscle fitness and bone health is mediated by lean mass. Body composition (by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)), muscle fitness, physical activity, age and height were measured in 132 schoolchildren (62 boys, aged 8–11 years). Analysis of covariance tested differences in bone-related variables by lean mass and muscle fitness, controlling for different sets of confounders. Linear regression models fitted for mediation analyses examined whether the association between muscle fitness and bone mass was mediated by lean mass. Children with good performance in handgrip and standing long jump had better and worse bone health, respectively. These differences disappeared after controlling for lean mass. Children with high lean mass had higher values in all bone-related variables. In addition, the relationship between muscle fitness and bone mass was fully mediated by lean mass. In conclusion, the relationship between upper-limbs muscle fitness and bone health seems to be dependent on lean mass but not on muscle fitness. Schoolchildren with high lean mass have more BMC and BMD in all regions. Lean mass mediates the association between muscle fitness and bone mass.  相似文献