Enterprise and entrepreneurship education: Towards a comparative analysis

Purpose - This paper states the case for adopting a comparative method of analysis to the study of enterprise education. Adopting a comparative approach can provide fresh insights and opportunities for researching from different perspectives. It develops understanding of the concept by reexamining its origins and history. By default its purpose, development operation and rationale are also briefly discussed through reference to literature and policy. Design/methodology/approach - This paper draws on the literature around enterprise and entrepreneurship education. It argues that comparative analysis of enterprise education is an important methodological tool that can enrich, deepen and inform research processes, findings and outcomes. Comparative analysis can take a number of forms and can include within country, cross-country, historical, temporal, longitudinal, spatial, pedagogical, policy or other types of comparison. Findings - This paper unpacks and teases out some of the points of difference and similarity between enterprise education concepts, policies and practices; and the way they are introduced to, applied and operate in different contexts. The main focus and point for comparison is the UK. Enterprise education is distinct from and should not be confused with business and economics. Teacher training in the techniques of enterprise education and resources designed to suit social and cultural requirements is crucial to achieve successful project outcomes. Originality/value - The comparative analysis of enterprise education programmes and policies advocated here adds value and provides additional insight to these concepts and practices

Fixed-width output analysis for Markov chain Monte Carlo

Markov chain Monte Carlo is a method of producing a correlated sample in order to estimate features of a target distribution via ergodic averages. A fundamental question is when should sampling stop? That is, when are the ergodic averages good estimates of the desired quantities? We consider a method that stops the simulation when the width of a confidence interval based on an ergodic average is less than a user-specified value. Hence calculating a Monte Carlo standard error is a critical step in assessing the simulation output. We consider the regenerative simulation and batch means methods of estimating the variance of the asymptotic normal distribution. We give sufficient conditions for the strong consistency of both methods and investigate their finite sample properties in a variety of examples

Study of Fluid Experiment System (FES)/CAST/Holographic Ground System (HGS)

The use of holographic and schlieren optical techniques for studying the concentration gradients in solidification processes has been used by several investigators over the years. The HGS facility at MSFC has been primary resource in researching this capability. Consequently, scientific personnel have been able to utilize these techniques in both ground based research and in space experiments. An important event in the scientific utilization of the HGS facilities was the TGS Crystal Growth and the casting and solidification technology (CAST) experiments that were flown on the International Microgravity Laboratory (IML) mission in March of this year. The preparation and processing of these space observations are the primary experiments reported in this work. This project provides some ground-based studies to optimize on the holographic techniques used to acquire information about the crystal growth processes flown on IML. Since the ground-based studies will be compared with the space-based experimental results, it is necessary to conduct sufficient ground based studies to best determine how the experiment worked in space. The current capabilities in computer based systems for image processing and numerical computation have certainly assisted in those efforts. As anticipated, this study has certainly shown that these advanced computing capabilities are helpful in the data analysis of such experiments

Increased Access (knowledge) of Health Promotion & Preventative care reduces chronic disease within African American Communities

Abstract This research study seeks to investigate what relationships exist between preventative health and health promotion, and knowledge of or access to these resources by low income and more specifically African American populations. Through experimental research the study is looking to see if these variables increase or decrease the outcomes of Chronic issues and diseases and issues within these populations. The research will gather information from established reputable journals and scholarly articles, in conjunction with a survey given to a number of selected and voluntary participants. The selection of individuals will be reflective of the population at large. More specifically, since the research is focusing only on the African American community, the participants will be selected based on incomes reflective of the average median African American population with in the United States. This research will attempt to randomly survey 30-50 African American participants to gather finding and analyze the responses of these individuals. If the research findings are in fact correct and consistent, the study aims to reduces chronic occurrences, raise awareness, and empower individuals to positively promote healthy living, and lifestyle change. It also aims to reduce the economic strain related to the healthcare costs, and treatment needed for individuals with Chronic issues and diseases. Keywords: Preventative care, health promotion, Chronic disease, Health disparities, Low income, African American, Minority, Cancer, Diabetes, Over fat, overweight, High blood pressure

What is the Critical Idea?: Some Preliminary Notes on Critical Pedagogy

In the previous edition of Pedagogy and the Human Sciences, DeCesare offers some thoughtful comments concerning the role of the term “critical” as it relates to the three articles in the “Teaching and Learning Amidst Diversity” section. In response to Harkins and Wells (2009), DeCesare (2009) proposes three primary criticisms: (1) Teaching students to stand up for themselves and to listen to others does not teach them critical thinking skills; (2) “Requiring students to actively participate in an in-class exercise does not teach critical thinking skills; and (3) “Teaching students to understand and repeat personal experiences does not teach critical thinking skills” (p. 74). DeCesare criticized Harkins and Wells’ conception of critical pedagogy stating that it is “less about critical thinking than about what educators have recently been calling ‘active learning,’ ‘personal empowerment,’ and ‘cultural sensitivity’” (p. 77). DeCesare’s criticisms, I believe, missed the essential point of the exercise. The current paper offers a few comments of clarification to identify principles for further exploration

Prior in vitro exposure to voriconazole confers resistance to amphotericin B in aspergillus fumigatus biofilms

Triazoles are the mainstay of treatment for aspergillosis, although resistance to these antifungal agents may be associated with treatment failure. Refractory infections often necessitate a switch to other antifungal agents, including amphotericin B (AmB), although these infections may not resolve. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of prior azole exposure on AmB sensitivity in Aspergillus fumigatus biofilms. It was hypothesised that sequential antifungal therapy has the potential to impact adaptive resistance mechanisms. Antifungal sensitivity was determined for each isolate against AmB ± voriconazole (VRZ) exposure by a broth microdilution method and an XTT metabolic assay. To analyse the role of extracellular DNA (eDNA) and Hsp90 activation, sensitivity to AmB ± DNA-digesting enzyme (DNase) or Hsp90 inhibitor [geldanamycin (GDA)] was also tested. Finally, scanning electron microscopy was performed to assess phenotypic changes. The in vitro data revealed that A. fumigatus sensitivity to AmB was decreased when it was tested in combination with VRZ. In addition, a two- to four-fold decreased sensitivity to AmB was recorded against VRZ-exposed germlings compared with controls. It was also shown that depletion of eDNA by DNase treatment enhanced AmB activity against VRZ-exposed cells by eight-fold, which visually could be explained by destabilisation of the biofilm when examined microscopically. Pharmacological inhibition of Hsp90 by GDA significantly improved biofilm susceptibility to AmB by four- to eight-fold. In conclusion, A. fumigatus pre-exposure to VRZ concomitantly induces eDNA release and activates the stress response, which collectively confers AmB resistance in vitro