596 research outputs found
Governance implications of the UN Higher Education Sustainability Initiative
The Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI, 2017a) states that higher education institutions (HEIs) are integrating the SDGs into sustainability strategies in the form of research, teaching, pedagogy, and campus practices, and to position HEIs as key drivers for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Concern has been raised (HESI, 2017b) as to the potential impact of HEIs in helping to achieve the SDGs; the challenges faced by HEIs with integrating the SDGs into curriculum and institutional strategies; the role of partnerships for HEIs among students, faculty, government, and various stakeholders; and how the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the SDGs, will transform the work of HEIs. Prior research has highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary research and studies (e.g. Mader & Rammel, 2015); and more recently Rasche et al (2017) conceive that governance systems in general can serve to make, take, or break support for the SDGs. In fact, Velazquez et al., (2005) found many obstacles preventing the success of sustainability initiatives on campuses around the world. This paper reviews progress of a sample of 300+ HEIs that are signatories to the HESI. Findings reveal a difference between HEI governance that is ‘instrumental’ and governance that is ‘holistic’ in relation to sustainability with implications for achieving the SDGs in general and for academic-business partnerships in particular. The research is supported by a grant from Enterprise Educators UK (EEUK, 2017) a network of 1,600 enterprise and entrepreneurship educators and practitioners from over 100 UK Higher and Further Education Institutions and related organisations
Self-similar Bianchi models: II. Class B models
In a companion article (referred hearafter as paper I) a detailed study of
the simply transitive Spatially Homogeneous (SH) models of class A concerning
the existence of a simply transitive similarity group has been given. The
present work (paper II) continues and completes the above study by considering
the remaining set of class B models. Following the procedure of paper I we find
all SH models of class B subjected only to the minimal geometric assumption to
admit a proper Homothetic Vector Field (HVF). The physical implications of the
obtained geometric results are studied by specialising our considerations to
the case of vacuum and law perfect fluid models. As a result we
regain all the known exact solutions regarding vacuum and non-tilted perfect
fluid models. In the case of tilted fluids we find the \emph{general
}self-similar solution for the exceptional type VI model and we
identify it as equilibrium point in the corresponding dynamical state space. It
is found that this \emph{new} exact solution belongs to the subclass of models
, is defined for and
although has a five dimensional stable manifold there exist always two unstable
modes in the restricted state space. Furthermore the analysis of the remaining
types, guarantees that tilted perfect fluid models of types III, IV, V and
VII cannot admit a proper HVF strongly suggesting that these models either
may not be asymptotically self-similar (type V) or may be extreme tilted at
late times. Finally for each Bianchi type, we give the extreme tilted
equilibrium points of their state space.Comment: Latex, 15 pages, no figures; to appear in Classical Quantum Gravity
(uses iopart style/class files); (v2) minor corrections to match published
versio
The entrepreneurial university as an engine for sustainable development
This study adopts a novel approach of conceptualising entrepreneurial universities through the lens of the UN higher education sustainability initiative (HESI). Transcending the narrow approach of the entrepreneurial universities as generating spin-offs, entrepreneurial universities are closely linked with the concept of sustainable development. Interpreting entrepreneurial universities as agents promoting economic, social and environmental change, the HESI can offer a useful framework for expanding the potential of entrepreneurial universities. This study reveals that whilst the majority of HESI signatories only commit to a limited number of sustainable development goals (SDGs), there is sufficient evidence of ‘best practices’ to regard the HESI as a useful and transformative framework for HEIs that can encourage innovation and entrepreneurship. To this extent, this paper aims to capture the interaction between entrepreneurial universities and the SDGs. However, the paper draws attention to the need for a holistic approach for HEIs that allows for more transdisciplinary thinking and collaboration. It is revealed that this can be challenging for HEIs.
Keywords: entrepreneurial university; sustainability; higher education sustainability initiative; HESI; sustainable development goals; SDGs; entrepreneurship
Investigating factors affecting students’ performance to PISA Science items
The present paper aims to investigate, on the one hand, the extent to which PISA Science items validly assess the knowledge and skills of 15 year-old Greek students, while, on the other hand, to examine the effect of the following factors: student’s gender, scientific processes and contexts (situations) on the students’ performance in these PISA items. The research used paper-and-pencil test with published PISA Science items, conducted individual semi-structured interviews with 15 year-old students and finally marked the students’ responses, according to the PISA marking guide. Τhe basic finding resulting from the data analysis is that the paper-and-pencil test with the PISA Science items does not tend, unlike the interview, to effectively record the Greek students’ Science knowledge and skills. Moreover, the analysis revealed that the performance of students in the PISA Science items (paper-and-pencil test and interview) tend to be independent of the student’s gender and depend on the context in which the knowledge and processes are assessed. Additionally, the possible correlation between the students’ performance and the factor of scientific processes seems to depend on the setting in which the students provide their responses (paper-and-pencil test or interview)
Governance implications of the UN Higher Education Sustainability Initiative
The Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI, 2017a) states that higher education institutions (HEIs) are integrating the SDGs into sustainability strategies in the form of research, teaching, pedagogy, and campus practices, and to position HEIs as key drivers for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Concern has been raised (HESI, 2017b) as to the potential impact of HEIs in helping to achieve the SDGs; the challenges faced by HEIs with integrating the SDGs into curriculum and institutional strategies; the role of partnerships for HEIs among students, faculty, government, and various stakeholders; and how the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the SDGs, will transform the work of HEIs. Prior research has highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary research and studies (e.g. Mader & Rammel, 2015); and more recently Rasche et al (2017) conceive that governance systems in general can serve to make, take, or break support for the SDGs. In fact, Velazquez et al., (2005) found many obstacles preventing the success of sustainability initiatives on campuses around the world. This paper reviews progress of a sample of 300+ HEIs that are signatories to the HESI. Findings reveal a difference between HEI governance that is ‘instrumental’ and governance that is ‘holistic’ in relation to sustainability with implications for achieving the SDGs in general and for academic-business partnerships in particular. The research is supported by a grant from Enterprise Educators UK (EEUK, 2017) a network of 1,600 enterprise and entrepreneurship educators and practitioners from over 100 UK Higher and Further Education Institutions and related organisations
Pilot phase III immunotherapy study in early-stage breast cancer patients using oxidized mannan-MUC1 [ISRCTN71711835]
INTRODUCTION: Mucin 1 (MUC1) is a high molecular weight glycoprotein overexpressed on adenocarcinoma cells and is a target for immunotherapy protocols. To date, clinical trials against MUC1 have included advanced cancer patients. Herein, we report a trial using early stage breast cancer patients and injection of oxidized mannan-MUC1. METHOD: In a randomized, double-blind study, 31 patients with stage II breast cancer and with no evidence of disease received subcutaneous injections of either placebo or oxidized mannan-MUC1, to immunize against MUC1 and prevent cancer reoccurrence/metastases. Twenty-eight patients received the full course of injections of either oxidized mannan-MUC1 or placebo. Survival and immunological assays were assessed. RESULTS: After more than 5.5 years had elapsed since the last patient began treatment (8.5 years from the start of treatment of the first patient), the recurrence rate in patients receiving the placebo was 27% (4/15; the expected rate of recurrence in stage II breast cancer); those receiving immunotherapy had no recurrences (0/16), and this finding was statistically significant (P = 0.0292). Of the patients receiving oxidized mannan-MUC1, nine out of 13 had measurable antibodies to MUC1 and four out of 10 had MUC1-specific T cell responses; none of the placebo-treated patients exhibited an immune response to MUC1. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that, in early breast cancer, MUC1 immunotherapy is beneficial, and that a larger phase III study should be undertaken
Cosmology from an AdS Schwarzschild black hole via holography
We derive the equations of cosmological evolution from an AdS Schwarzschild
black hole via holographic renormalization with appropriate boundary
conditions.Comment: 6 page
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