Job Security: Protecting At-Will Employees with Good Cause Legislation

Recent decades have witnessed significant developments in employment termination law in the United States. In particular, the long-standing “at-will” doctrine, under which employers can fire employees for good, bad, or no reason at all, has experienced great erosion and wide variations in law from state to state. There has been a movement of statutory and common law restrictions limiting an employer’s freedom to terminate at will, which reflects the increasing consciousness of job security by society and workers. This paper analyzes the problem of job security by tracing the origin of the at-will doctrine to 19th century principles favoring economic individualism and formalistic interpretation of contracts, and by examining the doctrinal basis for the at-will rule in light of modern tort and contract principles. Finally, this paper contends that total abolition of at-will employment by unjust-dismissal legislation will ultimately be necessary for all employees to be fully protected against wrongful discharge

ニンテイSAヲドウニュウシタプログラミングキソノジュギョウジッセントヒョウカ

経営情報学科では、大学初年次に情報教育としてプログラミング教育を実施しているが、多様な学生を教育対象としているため、学生にプログラミングという概念を理解させるには授業実践上多くの努力が必要となる。本論文では演習型授業「プログラミング基礎」の教育目標に到達するための授業デザインと2010年度に実践した授業評価について示した。授業アンケート結果より、大学入学までにプログラミングの経験がない学生であっても、「簡単なC プログラミングができるようになる」という教育目標は達成されたと考える。また「学生が自分の学習成果を認識できるようになる」という教育目標については、ある程度達成されていると考える。また授業を受けることによって卒業後の職業に対して前向きな意見を持つようになっていることが知られる。また授業実践の工夫として導入した「学びあい」の考え方とそれをすすめるための認定SA の仕組みもある程度有効に機能していたと考えてさしつかえない。学生の状況を観察し、授業設計を繰り返し、学生に授業過程を明示化し、授業途中であっても進度を調整したこと、また授業設計を実現し易い授業環境(授業支援ツールや情報処理室の設備)の整備などが、その評価結果に影響したと考える

看護系大学教員の仕事における困難感－私立看護系大学への調査から－

本研究の目的は，看護系大学教員の仕事における困難感について明らかにすることである．研究依頼に同意 した関東圏内にある私立看護系大学14 校の教員を対象とし郵送法による無記名自記式質問紙調査を実施した． 有効回答者97 人を対象に内容分析を行った．その結果，170 コードが抽出され，67 のサブカテゴリ―，６ のカテゴリー【教授活動における困難感】，【学生指導における困難感】，【職務における困難感】，【研究活動に おける困難感】，【上司との関係における困難感】，【同僚との関係における困難感】が生成された．今後は，教 員個々の教育力や指導力の向上を促進する組織としての取り組みや教員組織間の人間関係の円滑化を図る職場 環境づくりを目指す必要がある

授業支援システムを用いたプログラミング基礎教育の授業実践

大学のプログラミング基礎教育において修得させたい能力は、初歩的なプログラミング能力、課題内容に関して相談できるコミュニケーション能力、論理的思考能力、自己学習能力などである。これらの能力を持つ学習者が世間一般や産業界から求められていると考える。しかし、現状では、積極的に自分でプログラムを考えている学習者は少なく、プログラムの作成から実行までの操作ができれば満足している学習者が多く見受けられる。また、プログラミング初心者は、授業内容が進むにつれて、プログラムの構造が複雑になるため、途中で構造を作ることができなくなり、論理的思考を身につけるまでに至らないことが多い。教員が学習者の学習内容の理解度を把握し、理解度が低い内容は次回の授業に反映させて、つまづきをなくして次の内容に進む工夫が必要と考える。授業を受ける学習者は、高校の教科「情報」で教育をうけており、最低限の機器操作能力は持っているが、抽象的な数操作や概念理解の学習経験が少ないうえ、積極的に学習する心構えは希薄であり、授業活動を支援するシステムが必要となる。そこで、これまでの授業実践より、授業設計に役立つ知見を収集し、それらを組み合わせた授業支援システムを開発した。本稿では、2007年度に実施した授業支援システムを用いた授業実践について述べる

Comparison between the low and high frequencies of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on pregnancy of mice Swiss

Introdução: A estimulação elétrica nervosa transcutânea (TENS) é uma modalidade terapêutica analgésica, não invasiva e que não apresenta interação com medicamentos. É definida como qualquer dispositivo de estimulação que emita correntes elétricas através da superfície intacta da pele. É utilizada por fisioterapeutas para o manejo sintomático de dor aguda ou crônica em locais de atendimento à saúde. Objetivo: Avaliar os efeitos da estimulação elétrica nervosa transcutânea de baixa e alta frequência sobre o abdome gravídico da camundonga Swiss durante toda a prenhez. Métodos: Trinta camundongas prenhas, pesando 20 a 36 gramas, da linhagem Swiss, foram divididas ao acaso em três grupos (n=10): grupo placebo (P), onde os animais foram submetidos à simulação da eletroestimulação com o aparelho devidamente desligado, diariamente por 20 minutos, a partir do dia zero até o 20° dia da prenhez; grupo experimental baixa frequência (BF), onde os animais foram submetidos ao tratamento por eletroestimulação diariamente por 20 minutos, a partir do dia zero até o 20° dia da prenhez com o aparelho previamente programado com os seguintes parâmetros: frequência baixa de 10 Hertz (Hz), duração de pulso de 200 microssegundos (?s) e a intensidade sensorial foi considerada a partir de 2.0 miliamperes (mA); grupo experimental alta frequência (AF), no qual os animais foram submetidos ao tratamento da eletroestimulação diariamente por 20 minutos, a partir do dia zero até o 20° dia da prenhez com o aparelho previamente programado com os seguintes parâmetros: frequência alta de 150 Hz, duração de pulso de 200 ?s e a intensidade sensorial foi considerada a partir de 2.0 mA. As camundongas foram pesadas no dia zero, 7°, 14° e 20° dia para verificar o ganho ponderal semanal. No 20º dia as camundongas do grupo P, BF e AF foram anestesiados com xilazina e ketamina na dosagem de 0,1 mg/kg e 0,2 mg/kg, respectivamente, e sacrificadas para verificar o número de implantações, reabsorções, de fetos, de placentas e malformações fetais maiores e externas. Resultados: Não houve diferenças estatisticamente significantes ao analisar os ganhos ponderais semanais das matrizes (zero, sétimo, 14° e 20°), número de fetos, placentas, reabsorções, implantações e malformações comparando os dados do grupo placebo e os experimentais. Conclusões: As camundongas submetidas ao tratamento com a TENS de baixa e alta frequência, sobre o abdome gravídico, não apresentaram efeitos deletérios ou teratogênicosIntroduction: The transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) is a non-invasive analgesic therapeutic modality, and does not present interaction with drugs. It is defined as any stimulation device that transmits electrical currents through the intact skin surface. It is used by physical therapists for the symptomatic management of acute or chronic pain of benign origin in health care facilities. Aim: To assess the effects of low and high frequencies of Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation (TENS) on the pregnant abdomen of albine female mice over the pregnancy period. Methods: Thirty pregnant mice, weighting between 20 to 36 grams, of the Swiss lineage were randomly divided in three groups (n=10): Placebo group (P), in which the animals were submitted to a daily electric stimulation treatment with the device unplugged, for 20 minutes, from day zero until the 20th day of pregnancy; Low Frequency Experimental group (LF), in which the animals were submitted to a daily electric stimulation treatment, for 20 minutes, from day zero until the 20th day of pregnancy and the device was previously set up with the following parameters: low frequency 10 Hertz (Hz), 200 microseconds pulse (?s) length and the sensorial intensity will be considered from 2.0 milliamperes (mA) and up, High Frequency Experimental group (HF), in which the animals were submitted to a daily electric stimulation treatment for 20 minutes from day zero until the 20th day of pregnancy and the device was set up with the following parameters: high frequency 150 Hz, 200 ?s length and the sensorial intensity will be considered from 2.0 mA and up. The mice were weighed on day zero, 7th, 14th and 20th days in order to check the weekly pondered weight gain. On the 20th day the mice of the P, LF and HF groups were anesthetized with xylazine and ketamine with a dosage of 0,1 mg/kg and 0,2 mg/kg, respectively. After that, the mice were sacrificed in order to check the number of implantations, reabsorptions, fetus, placenta and major and external fetal malformations. Results: There were no significant statistic differences when analyzing the weekly pondered gain of the matrices (zero, 7th, 14th, 20th), number of fetus, placenta, reabsorptions, implantations and malformations and comparing data of the placebo group to the experimental groups. Conclusions: The mice submitted to the low and high frequency TENS treatment on the pregnant abdomen do not presented neither deleterious nor teratogen effect

Indices for nutritional condition and thresholds for winter survival in sika deer in Hokkaido, Japan

We derived fat indices for sika deer (Cervus nippon yesoensis) in eastern Hokkaido, Japan, and estimated the probability of over-winter survival with a logistic regression model using fat indices. Kidney fat mass (KFM) appears to be an adequate index of wide range of physical conditions before the onset of severe nutritional stress. When KFM values fell below 20g, femur (FMF) and mandible cavity fat (MCF) indices declined sharply. FMF and MCF were useful indices for detecting malnourished deer. A logistic regression model describes survival thresholds in two bone fat indices for calves (45%) and three fat indices for adult females (FMF=25%, MCF=30%, KFM=20g). These models are useful for estimating the probability of winter survival in Hokkaido sika deer