Cultural Appropriation of Concepts of Democracy

This article investigates how 14 year-old students seem to conceptualise democracy in four countries, namely, Italy, Germany, Hungary and Greece. In particular, it will be examined whether adolescents living in different cultural milieus develop different conceptions and different practices regarding democracy. The article indirectly questions the way in which teaching of social and political education in school is related to students' concepts and attitudes. Students' responses in the second phase questionnaires of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) research are the focus of the analysis in this article. A crucial question is whether similarities or homogenisation of students' conceptions regarding democracy are viewed as the result of equal participation in the processes of constructing meaning through education, for example, or as the result of (oppressive?) homogenisation in school and society. However, it will be argued that there is always varying meaning construction and a definite (re)formulation of practices in any conception, and in any practice, a particular cultural appropriation of concepts and practices. From this perspective, the important issue explored in this article is the ways in which independent-contextual construction of meaning for democracy as well as in relation to the dominant in the West model emerges across the four countries reviewed. © 2003, 2003 European Educational Research Association

Cultural Appropriation of Concepts of Democracy

This article investigates how 14 year-old students seem to conceptualise democracy in four countries, namely, Italy, Germany, Hungary and Greece. In particular, it will be examined whether adolescents living in different cultural milieus develop different conceptions and different practices regarding democracy. The article indirectly questions the way in which teaching of social and political education in school is related to students' concepts and attitudes. Students' responses in the second phase questionnaires of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) research are the focus of the analysis in this article. A crucial question is whether similarities or homogenisation of students' conceptions regarding democracy are viewed as the result of equal participation in the processes of constructing meaning through education, for example, or as the result of (oppressive?) homogenisation in school and society. However, it will be argued that there is always varying meaning construction and a definite (re)formulation of practices in any conception, and in any practice, a particular cultural appropriation of concepts and practices. From this perspective, the important issue explored in this article is the ways in which independent-contextual construction of meaning for democracy as well as in relation to the dominant in the West model emerges across the four countries reviewed. © 2003, 2003 European Educational Research Association

Transient Effects of Anesthesia on Leukocyte Apoptosis and Monocyte Cytokine Stimulation: A Clinical Study

The effects of anesthetics on immune cell apoptosis and cytokine stimulation were studied in a prospective study. American Society of Anesthesiologists I/II patients underwent elective inguinal hernia repair or varicose veins stripping surgery and were randomized to either epidural anesthesia (n = 14) or general anesthesia with sevoflurane (n = 19) or propofol (n = 15). Blood was sampled before anesthesia induction (T0), at the end of surgery (T1), and 6 h later (T2). Apoptosis was determined by ANNEXIN-V staining of white blood cells; monocytes were isolated and stimulated for cytokine production. Results were compared with 10 healthy volunteers well-matched for age and gender. Apoptosis of lymphocytes and monocytes was increased in the epidural and sevoflurane groups at T2. Propofol group had increased production of interleukin-6 at T1 and sevoflurane and epidural groups had decreased production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha at T2. Results emphasize the modulation of immune function by epidural and sevoflurane but not propofol anesthesia in a clinical setting. © 2018 Taylor & Francis

The impact of intraoperative propofol administration in the prevention of postoperative pruritus induced by epidural morphine

Background and objective: We examined the efficacy of intraoperative propofol administration to prevent pruritus induced by epidural morphine. Methods: Seventy patients ASA I-II undergoing combined epidural and general anaesthesia for hysterectomy were randomly assigned to two groups, Group P where anaesthesia was induced with propofol and fentanyl and maintained with propofol-nitrous oxide and Group S in which anaesthesia was induced with thiopental and fentanyl and maintained with sevoflurane-nitrous oxide. All patients received a ropivacaine epidural bolus with 3 mg morphine I h before the end of surgery. The incidence and severity of pruritus were evaluated every 4 h for the first 12 h postoperatively by blinded observers. Results: The total incidence of pruritus was significantly higher (P = 0.024) in Group S (65.6%) compared to Group P (29%) between 4 and 8 h postoperatively. There were also significantly more patients (P = 0.03) reporting severe pruritus in Group S (22%) compared to Group P (0). Conclusion: Propofol-based general anaesthesia compared to thiopental-sevoflurane-based anaesthesia reduces the incidence and severity of pruritus induced by a single injection of 3 mg epidural morphine with ropivacaine

Contextual factors and effective school improvement

This research provides policy-makers, researchers, and educators at all levels with a glimpse of the contextual influence on effective school improvement (ESI) in 8 European countries. What are the factors at the contextual level, particularly at the national level, which influence ESI? Are there any similarities or differences between the influences they exert on ESI in different countries? Can common traits be identified? These are the core questions this paper tries to explore. It has drawn on insights from 5 areas of research: school effectiveness; school improvement; curriculum; public choice (marketization); organization, organizational learning, and learning organization. This yields a "goal - pressure - support" conceptual framework accompanied by 10 contextual factors and 48 indicators. Given the original conceptual framework and the empirical support of 31 case studies contributed by 8 European countries, the findings of this study may have significant implications for policy, practice, school effectiveness, and school improvement