361 research outputs found
Recent Developments in Employment Relations in the Philippines
We seek to describe recent developments in employment relations in the Philippines, placing these developments in the contexts of the distinctive elements of the Philippine social/political/industrial relations systems as well as the ongoing trade-based and functional integration of international markets and the recent regional economic crisis. We find that, while some firms are pursuing functional flexibility and more cooperative employment relations, the logic of competition has primarily induced firms to adopt practices that promote numerical flexibility such that a core-periphery workforce is created. We argue that the labor movement in the Philippines has been hampered in its efforts to effectively counter employer strategies by its low density, its fragmentation, and an unfavorable public policy environment; Philippine labor unions have, however, made some recent gains in organizing and inter-union coordination. We also argue that governments, both national and regional, have not done enough to counteract the negative effects of market integration on workers nor to evolve the Philippines into a higher value-added exporter
Change detection in categorical evolving data streams
Detecting change in evolving data streams is a central issue for accurate adaptive learning. In real world applications, data streams have categorical features, and changes induced in the data distribution of these categorical features have not been considered extensively so far. Previous work on change detection focused on detecting changes in the accuracy of the learners, but without considering changes in the data distribution.
To cope with these issues, we propose a new unsupervised change detection method, called CDCStream (Change Detection in Categorical Data Streams), well suited for categorical data streams. The proposed method is able to detect changes in a batch incremental scenario. It is based on the two following characteristics: (i) a summarization strategy is proposed to compress the actual batch by extracting a descriptive summary and (ii) a new segmentation algorithm is proposed to highlight changes and issue warnings for a data stream. To evaluate our proposal we employ it in a learning task over real world data and we compare its results with state of the art methods. We also report qualitative evaluation in order to show the behavior of CDCStream
Teaching Basic Counseling Skills to Aspiring School Leaders: Active Listening Skills as Critical Components of Team Building and Collaboration
The preparation of school leaders in educational leadership programs provides multiple challenges in terms of a set course of study with discrete skills for the leader. Programs in educational leadership have been criticized for curricular disarray (Levine, 2005). Deficiencies cited by an American Enterprise Institute study of 31 educational leadership programs found that a small percentage of instruction in those programs focused on issues such as data analysis, public relations, marketing, and parent and school board relations (Hess & Kelly, 2005). A Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) study of educational leadership programs found that the majority of universities âfall short of implementing the conditions necessary to create high quality programs centered on preparing principals who can lead improvement in student achievementâ (Southern Regional Education Board, 2005, p. 8). A move away from curricula organized along those lines began in the 1980s with a new emphasis on skills required of an instructional leader (Hallinger, 2003; Jason, 2001)
A Biosemiotic Modeling of the Body-âSelfâ Synechism
As a counterargument to the Cartesian split that has impacted both speculative and practical fields of knowledge and culture, we propose Peirceâs doctrine of synechism to show the continuity in the semiotic activity that moves from the body as an Interpretant to the emergence of another Interpretant called the âself.â Biosemiotics, a nascent field of interdisciplinary research that tackles inquiries about signs, communication, and information involving living organisms is used as the framework in the discussion. The main question of whether a non-material âselfâ can emerge from a material body is tackled in many stages. First, the biosemiotic continuum is established in the natural biological processes that takes place in the body. These processes can be taken as an autonomous semiotic system generating the âlanguageâ of the body or the Primary Modeling System (PMS). Second, synechism is also observed in the relationship between the mind and the body and this is evident in any physicianâs clinical practice. The patient creates a Secondary Modeling System (SMS) of how she perceives what the body communicates to her regarding its state or condition. Finally, the question about whether the emergence of âselfâ is synechistic as well is tackled. There is one organ from which emerges an Interpretant that is capable of generating a dialog between a Subject, that is the âself,â with its Object, and that is the brain. It is the primordial seat of specifically human activities like thought and language. The recent theory on quantum consciousness supports the doctrine synechism between the body as Interpretant to the âselfâ as Interpretant. This synechism is crucial for the creation of Secondary Models of ârealityâ that will, in turn, determine the creation of Tertiary Models more familiarly called culture
Poverty Reduction Initiatives at the Universidad de Santa Isabel: Vincentian Seeds of Hope
Following its mission to be an agent of social transformation, the Universidad de Santa Isabel in the Phillipines has many initiatives for poverty reduction. The USI Saint Louise de Marillac Alternative College has a Social Entrepreneurship degree that teaches business and entrepreneurial skills along with social responsibility and Vincentian values. Tuition is based on a sliding scale, and the program also helps graduates establish their businesses. USI has a savings program for personnel and students. It also pays interest and makes loans, including loans for housing that have helped many people out of homelessness after natural disasters. Scholarships are also offered through the university. Among many others, there are projects that provide education in citizenship and social advocacy, help communities start their own businesses, and encourage different university departments and sectors to unite in community extension activities
Contexts of diffusion: Adoption of research synthesis in Social Work and Women's Studies
Texts reveal the subjects of interest in research fields, and the values,
beliefs, and practices of researchers. In this study, texts are examined
through bibliometric mapping and topic modeling to provide a birds eye view of
the social dynamics associated with the diffusion of research synthesis methods
in the contexts of Social Work and Women's Studies. Research synthesis texts
are especially revealing because the methods, which include meta-analysis and
systematic review, are reliant on the availability of past research and data,
sometimes idealized as objective, egalitarian approaches to research
evaluation, fundamentally tied to past research practices, and performed with
the goal informing future research and practice. This study highlights the
co-influence of past and subsequent research within research fields;
illustrates dynamics of the diffusion process; and provides insight into the
cultural contexts of research in Social Work and Women's Studies. This study
suggests the potential to further develop bibliometric mapping and topic
modeling techniques to inform research problem selection and resource
allocation.Comment: To appear in proceedings of the 2014 International Conference on
Social Computing, Behavioral-Cultural Modeling, and Prediction (SBP2014
Viral Loads and Disease Severity in Children with Rhinovirus-Associated Illnesses
The role of rhinoviruses (RVs) in children with clinical syndromes not classically associated with RV infections is not well understood. We analyzed a cohort of children <= 21 years old who were PCR+ for RV at a large Pediatric Hospital from 2011 to 2013. Using univariate and multivariable logistic regression, we analyzed the associations between demographic, clinical characteristics, microbiology data, and clinical outcomes in children with compatible symptoms and incidental RV detection. Of the 2473 children (inpatients and outpatients) with an RV+ PCR, 2382 (96%) had compatible symptoms, and 91 (4%) did not. The overall median age was 14 months and 78% had underlying comorbidities. No differences in RV viral loads were found according to the presence of compatible symptoms, while in children with classic RV symptoms, RV viral loads were higher in single RV infections versus RV viral co-infections. Bacterial co-infections were more common in RV incidental detection (7.6%) than in children with compatible symptoms (1.9%, p < 0.001). The presence of compatible symptoms independently increased the odds ratio (OR, 95% CI) of hospitalization 4.8 (3.1-7.4), prolonged hospital stays 1.9 (1.1-3.1), need for oxygen 12 (5.8-25.0) and pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission 4.13 (2.0-8.2). Thus, despite comparable RV loads, disease severity was significantly worse in children with compatible symptoms
Manufacturing and characterization of coatings from polyamide powders functionalized with nanosilica
Polyamide coatings are thermoplastics with great advantages such as a good corrosion protection of the base metal and wear resistance. Their application as powder coatings is an environmentally friendly option that is currently attracting growing interest. However, during their life service, they can sometimes be exposed to conditions that they are unable to stand. In this work, a polyamide 11 (PA11) powder was reinforced with different percentages of silica nanoparticles (1â 3 wt. %). Powder mixtures were prepared through extrusion followed by compression molding processes to manufacture coatings. For the coatings under study, the effect of 500 h xenon exposure was studied in order to know their ultraviolet (UV) resistance. Attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) tests were performed to study changes in polymer structure and if they are affected by nanoparticles. The effect of nanoadditions and xenon exposure on hardness and stiffness were also evaluated. Furthermore, reciprocal wear tests were performed before and after irradiation, and the wear tracks were analyzed using optoelectronic microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Finally, the aesthetic properties were measured. The results reveal improvements in mechanical and wear properties when 1% nanosilica is added to the PA11, which then become more relevant after xenon radiation exposure.This research was funded by Interreg SUDOE, through KrEaTive Habitat project (grant SOE1/P1/E0307
Academic Profile and College Preparedness of K-12 Graduates: The Case of the Indigenous Peoples (IPs) in the Northern Philippines
The indigenous peoples (IPs) are recognized as one of the disadvantaged social groups constituting Philippine minorities. While there have been several studies seeking to explain issues relating to IPsâ participation in education, these have not adequately provided baseline data on the their academic profile and college preparedness, which are essential in understanding their effective transition from basic to tertiary education. Using descriptive-correlational design, this study investigated the association of academic profile and college preparedness of 1,860 IPs enrolled in a public university in the northern Philippines. The results revealed that the majority of respondents were college unprepared. Moreover, the level of preparedness differed significantly in terms of the type of senior high school (SHS) where they graduated, as well as the SHS track and strand they had taken. Kendall's tau-b statistic results showed that IPs who had higher SHS grade point average (GPA), more academic and nonacademic awards, greater participation in organizations and more involvement in cocurricular activities tended to be more college prepared. In regard to educational practice, improving college preparedness with due consideration of the academic profile facilitates an increased ability for IPs to be admitted to college and to succeed without remediation in college foundation courses
The value of economic and cultural capital to college readiness among Filipino senior high school graduates
Guided by the lens of Bourdieu, this study examined the relationship of the students' economic capital (parents' monthly income and students' weekly allowance) and cultural capital (parents' highest educational attainment and students' community involvement) to their college readiness. The study utilized a descriptive-correlational design, and data were collected from 6,626 K-12 graduates enrolled in one state-university in Cagayan Valley Region, Philippines. The results reveal that the respondents have parents who have income below the Philippine poverty threshold level and have obtained a secondary level of education. They, too, are college-unready, implying that the competencies they obtained from their basic education need further enhancement. Moreover, economic and cultural capital becomes significant resources that are valuable in explaining the college readiness of Filipino Senior High School (SHS) graduates. Those who come from families with higher economic and cultural capital tend to have higher college readiness. Remarkably, the low economic and cultural capital of the students possibly explains their lack of college readiness. As they have less economic and cultural capital, they tend to have fewer competencies to capacitate them in hurdling tertiary education. Hence, these disadvantaged students generally struggle to achieve more and to be successful in life
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