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In Jamaica, schools are placed in six regions which involve one to three parishes, but in one instance, two regions are partially located in one parish. While schools in any jurisdiction should perform in accordance with stated standards and established criteria, there are many factors which seem to mitigate against this expectation. This failure usually results in weaker schools located in some regions whose performance differ based on factors such as location-urban versus rural, the levels and types of schools, the overall population of these schools, and quality of human resources, including teachers and principals, among others. In Jamaica, Region 1 comprises three adjoining parishes, Kingston, St. Andrew and St. Thomas. Five of the regions are essentially in rural Jamaica, except region 1 and even then substantial parts of St. Andrew are rural and St. Thomas is fully rural. The fact that schools are located in mainly rural settings means that the leadership displayed by the principal will be influenced by the given context and his/her ability to use personal abilities and characteristics to influence change. This study seeks to determine if school constituents' ratings of the leadership dimensions of high-performing principals based on the regional location of schools. A knowledge of the ratings of high-performing principals is important because the leadership provided by the principal is central to school performance generally. This paper locates the study of high-performing principal in the Jamaican school context and provides a review of the relevant literature with emphasis on the phases of leadership development and the four dimensions related to the performance of high-performing principals. The overview of the methodology presents the sample, procedures and statistical tests which were used and the findings presented and discussed in regards to the four dimensions related to the performance of high-performing principals. The conclusion makes specific suggestions and recommendations regarding strategies and approaches to address some of the problems related to the differences in the ratings of the performance dimensions of high-performing principals based on school regions.

The purpose of the current study was to analyse both the general school constituents' and male and females school constituents' ratings of the performance of male and female high-performing principals in the Jamaican public schools. With a sample of 2384 respondents representing school constituents from 125 schools, the returns were 1523 (64%). The data were collected using a 69-item Likert scale and analysed using Principals Component Analysis (PCA) and t-test. The results of the analysis revealed four dimensions of leadership performance: philosophy and abilities, leadership and management, student support systems, and community support and relationships. The findings showed that there were significant differences in how the general school constituents rated high-performing principals on three of the four dimensions of performance. There were no differences in male respondents' ratings of male and female principals; however, there were significant differences in the ratings of female respondents of the four dimensions.

BackgroundNon-communicable diseases (NCDs) remain a major public health concern globally, threatening the achievement of sustainable development goal 3.4 (SDG 3.4), which seeks to reduce premature NCD-related deaths by one-third by 2030. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), improving the efficiency of NCD spending (i.e., maximizing the impact of every dollar spent on NCDs) is one of the strategic approaches for achieving SDG target 3.4. This study aims to assess the efficiency and productivity of NCDs spending in 34 sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries from 2015 to 2019.MethodsThe study employed the data envelopment analysis (DEA) double-bootstrap truncated and Tobit regressions, one-stage stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) model, the Malmquist productivity index (MPI), and spatial autocorrelation analysis to estimate NCDs spending efficiency, identify the context-specific environmental factors that influence NCDs spending efficiency, evaluate total productivity change and identify its components, and assess the spatial interdependence of the efficiency scores.ResultsThe estimated average DEA bias-corrected NCD spending efficiency score was 87.3% (95% CI: 86.2-88.5). Additionally, smoking per capita, solid fuel pollution, alcohol use, governance quality, urbanization, GDP per capita, external funding for NCDs, and private domestic funding for NCDs healthcare services were found to be significantly associated with NCDs spending efficiency. The study also revealed a decline of 3.2% in the MPI, driven by a 10.6% technical regress. Although all countries registered growth in efficiency, except for the Central Africa Republic and DR Congo, the growth in efficiency was overshadowed by the decline in technical change. Global Moran's I test indicated the existence of significant positive spatial autocorrelation in the efficiency of NCDs spending across SSA countries.ConclusionThe study underscores the importance of efficient use of resources in NCDs treatment and prevention and increased investment in NCDs research and development in achieving the SDG target 3.4.

The article presents the evaluation of the training programme for secondary school principals conducted in the period between 2006 and 2009. A mixed method approach was used to conduct the summative evaluation with 28 graduate participants. For the impact evaluation, 15 of the graduates were interviewed three years after the programme was completed. The quantitative data was analyzed using means and standard deviation. The findings revealed that participants gained technical and relational skills but responses were less favourable in relation to cognitive or conceptual skills, while the support from lecturers and workplaces was strong but less favourable from the central ministry. There was a positive impact on participants' performance during the period of training, especially in the areas of confidence, collegiality and overall leadership. For the impact evaluation, graduates credited the programme for their promotion to become principals, vice principals, senior teachers or give added responsibilities. They identified areas to be enhanced for any further programme to include school law, financial management, policy development and interpretation, and conflict management and relational skills. The main recommendation is that for any further programme for the training of principals should be guided by the findings of the evaluation. (Contains 7 tables and 1 figure.)

The study explored critical factors that explain leadership performance of high-performing principals and examined the relationship between these factors based on the ratings of school constituents in the public school system. The principal component analysis with the use of Varimax Rotation revealed that four components explain 51.1% of the variance in the correlation matrix. Correlations among the four components range from strong to moderate with the relationship between components 1 and 22 (personal philosophy and abilities and leadership) demonstrating the only strong, positive correlation within the matrix. This study showed that two of the dimensions identified were in keeping with the leadership-related categories of personal philosophy and abilities (combined), and leadership itself obtained from the qualitative study. The strength of the relationship suggests that personal philosophy, personal abilities and leadership are interrelated and must be integrated for greatest performance effect. The findings should have practical benefits for principals, especially in the areas of training, education and development; performance evaluation; and recruitment. Further research on a regional basis would assist in determining if leadership practices are consistent across the territories, bearing in mind the contextual basis which obtains and the differences and similarities in how public schools are led.

Integrins are transmembrane receptors that play a critical role in many biological processes which can be therapeutically modulated using integrin blockers, such as peptidomimetic ligands. This work aimed to develop new potential β1 integrin antagonists using modeled receptors based on the aligned crystallographic structures and docked with three lead compounds (BIO1211, BIO5192, and TCS2314), widely known as α4β1 antagonists. Lead-compound complex optimization was performed by keeping intact the carboxylate moiety of the ligand, adding substituents in two other regions of the molecule to increase the affinity with the target. Additionally, pharmacokinetic predictions were performed for the ten best ligands generated, with the lowest docking interaction energy obtained for α4β1 and BIO5192. Results revealed an essential salt bridge between the BIO5192 carboxylate group and the Mg2+ MIDAS ion of the integrin. We then generated more than 200 new BIO5192 derivatives, some with a greater predicted affinity to α4β1. Furthermore, the significance of retaining the pyrrolidine core of the ligand and increasing the therapeutic potential of the new compounds is emphasized. Finally, one novel molecule (1592) was identified as a potential drug candidate, with appropriate pharmacokinetic profiles, similar dynamic behavior at the integrin interaction site compared with BIO5192, and a higher predicted affinity to VLA-4.

The article presents a conceptual model of effective school leadership which is based on the experience and knowledge gained from research work done with high-performing principals in the Jamaican school system. The basic and underlying premise is that to understand how leadership works, it is essential to explore the dimensions, components, and elements which shape and inform the behavior of the leaders. The article also presents the conceptual framework for the model and elaborates on the six dimensions which are the basis for analyzing and synthesizing leadership practice. The model would be useful as a diagnostic tool, and a guide for recruiting and developing training programs for principals.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.26694/reufpi.v4i2.3841 Objetivo: Descrever o comportamento sexual e fatores associados em caminhoneiros de rota longa. Método: Estudo de natureza quantitativa, descritiva, realizado por meio de inquérito epidemiológico, no município de Teresina. A população foi composta por uma amostra de 384 caminhoneiros de rota longa, submetidos à entrevista mediante o consentimento, respeitando os preceitos éticos da Resolução 466/2012. Resultados: A totalidade da amostra (n=377) era do sexo masculino (100%), sendo que 61,8% cursaram apenas o ensino fundamental e 79,6% eram casados. Um expressivo percentual (64,5%) referiu multiparceria, sendo que 45,8% nunca fizeram uso de preservativo. Apenas a faixa etária e a religião foram estatisticamente associadas à média de parceiros sexuais (p

This study analyses the role that the gender difference of school constituents plays in rating the performance of high-performing principals in 125 schools across Jamaica. A Principal Components Analysis (PCA) generated four dimensions which conceptualized leadership performance in effective principals, and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to assess the fit between the resulting data and the hypothesis of gender difference in the performance of high-performing principals. The analysis from the independent-samples "t"-test showed that there was a significant difference between the rating of male and female school constituents on the dimensions of leadership and management, and community support and relationships. For the dimensions of personal philosophy and abilities, and student support systems there was no significant difference between male and female constituents. The similarities and differences in the rating of the dimensions of performance of high-performing principals by male and female school constituents may be influenced by factors related to the gender of the principals, the nature of the dimensions being rated, and the gender of the school constituents themselves.

The purpose of the study was to determine if there was a difference in the ratings among senior administrators/managers, middle managers and classroom teachers of the four dimensions of leadership performance related to high-performing principals in the Jamaican public school system. The study showed that there were differences in how senior managers, middle managers and classroom teachers rated the dimensions of leadership, and philosophy and abilities; but there were similarities in how middle managers and classroom teachers rated both dimensions. For the dimensions of students support and community support and relationships, there were differences in the ratings between senior managers and middle managers and between middle managers and classroom teachers; but there were similarities between senior managers and classroom teachers. The study confirmed the existence of both bureaucratic and professional structures to leadership, as well as the loosely coupled relationship and a distributed leadership system. The power relationship was also evident. The implication for leadership in schools is that all constituents must work closer with each other to form a collaborative network with high-performing principals in order to enhance the effectiveness of principal leadership performance.

This paper seeks to explore the implementation of three of the critical elements required to improve performance in the education system: governance, accountability and management. The paper examines the education reform processes conducted by five Caribbean countries: Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Guyana, Belize, Trinidad and Tobago, along with those represented by the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States. The individual countries along with the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States have all embraced and implemented at some level the elements of governance, accountability and management as a part of their strategic planning arrangements between 1990 and 2010. The review shows that clear efforts were made by these countries to address the issue of governance, accountability and management although with varying levels of success. The most notable achievement was that the democratization and decentralization of the education process in these countries seemed to be a central strategy being used to strengthen governance, management and accountability. However, the implementation needs to be deepened so that stakeholders, especially at the school level, can have a greater say and make a more worthwhile and meaningful contribution to the process.

The Education for All (EFA) goals, established for countries to improve educational performance, are most challenging for many developing countries. Notwithstanding the challenges, each country must implement suitable programme intervention in order to accomplish these goals. Goal 6 calls for the overall improvement of the education product, which is a prerequisite for decent human existence. One of the areas for capacity building is related to the leadership required to drive the performance of the education system. A conceptual case developmental model presented in this article is informed by relevant experience and evidence borne out of the local educational leadership context and practice. It focuses on the integration of the vital factors such as stakeholder ownership, candidates for training, selection process, certification and licensure and standards, which are the required ingredients for an effective, internationally-oriented training programme. The programme delivery emphasizes learning through engaging the workplace in a substantial way while pursuing the academic aspects of the training. The article concludes with a reflection on the challenges which are hampering the efforts of developing countries to achieve the EFA goals.

As inovações tecnológicas nas indústrias farmacêuticas e da medicina permitiram o prolongamento da vida sexual da população de idosos. Esse fator associado ao rompimento de tabus que envolvem a sexualidade na terceira idade tornam os idosos mais vulneráveis às infecções sexualmente transmissíveis (IST's). Um dos fatores que contribuem para a multiplicação dos casos é a falta de informação. O objetivo do estudo é analisar a vulnerabilidade às infecções sexualmente transmissíveis/Aids em idosos que frequentaram um espaço cultural de dança. Trata-se de uma pesquisa do tipo descritiva, com abordagem quantitativa. O local do estudo é um espaço cultural de dança localizado no município de Teresina-PI. A amostra é composta por 40 idosos, de ambos os sexos, que frequentavam o espaço cultural. Foi preenchido um questionário denominado ficha de coleta de dados que foi dividido em três partes. Com o presente estudo, percebeu-se nitidamente que a maioria dos idosos exercem atividade sexual com regularidade e possuem conhecimento da importância do uso do preservativo, porém acabam negligenciando sua utilização devido a sua condição de idoso. Com relação à atividade de dança, verificou-se que os idosos reconhecem a importância da mesma na melhoria da saúde e de sua qualidade de vida. Portanto, observa-se que a sexualidade deve ser debatida com os idosos e estimulada dentro de uma prática saudável e sem estigmas.

No abstract available.

This study explored essential factors which define high performing principals in the Jamaican school system, using a mixed method research approach. Of 999 principals in the public education system, 125 who satisfied the criteria for high-performing principals were identified by regional directors, consulting with education officers and senior education officers. Twenty (20) principals selected from the six regional offices, along with the regional directors, were interviewed to determine the characteristics, abilities and behaviours associated with high-performing principals. Data analysis focused on placing factors associated with high-performing principals into categories based on the consistent patterns of behaviours, characteristics and actions which emerged during the interviews. Nine categories were identified, revealing that high performing principals: (a) articulated a philosophy of self and school, (b) emphasized the importance of personal characteristics, abilities and qualities, (c) practiced situational and transformational leadership behaviour, (d) provided a supportive platform for student growth and development, (e) focused on students' academic performance and achievement, (f) emphasized the need for strong staff involvement and support, (g) recognized the psychological benefits of a well-managed school plant, (h) engendered broad-based community relationship, and (i) enjoyed a cordial if sometimes fractious relationship with the Ministry of Education (MOE) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The competency-based approach to education and training has been at the heart of the design, delivery and assessment techniques currently applied to technical vocational education and training (TVET). However, there are increasing criticisms of this particular approach. This paper clarifies the difference between competency and competence and provides an historical overview of the development of competency-based education and training. The concept of competency used in the design, implementation and assessment of education and training is elaborated in a typical model showing the components of a competency module or units of standards. The paper then explores the benefits and criticisms of the competency-based approach and sets out the bases for both the continued endorsement of and the faults highlighted in this approach to TVET Among the benefits identified include its use in (a) determining the competencies related human resources development, (b) providing the learner with the skills to function in the job and (c) providing a broad-based approach to learning, especially at the secondary level of the school system. While the criticisms are numerous, the ones that have gained currency include the (a) limiting of training to the competencies derived from existing jobs, (b) exclusion of students, teachers and other stakeholders from the process of developing competencies and (c) focus on outcomes or products of performance with little consideration of the process involved. The paper concludes that those responsible for implementing TVET and competency-based education and training must make adjustments and modifications to incorporate the changes needed to overcome the limitations of a competency-based approach to education and training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The standards-based systems framework provides a description of and establishes the linkages for all the critical components and elements required for the effective transformation of the public education system of Jamaica. The transformation process must be seen in the context of the modernization of the public sector, an effort by government to enhance the quality of the services it provides to the public. There are four essential components supporting the implementation of the transformation of the public education system. These include: (1) policy and implementing entities, (2) critical input factors, (3) transformation imperatives, which include the goals, objectives, and activities, and (4) critical output elements. The underpinnings of the framework are identified as values, leadership, and vision, which are some of the mission elements of the present transformation process. For the transformation to realize the goals outlined by the Task Force on Educational Reform, there must be a national approach to the implementation process, and the full involvement of the main stakeholders is necessary to guarantee success. Further, consistent with the recommendation of the Task Force on Educational Reform, leadership for the transformation process must be provided by entities that are not constrained by the dictates of the Ministry of Education (MOE). This approach is necessary to ensure transparency and openness while at the same time limiting the natural resistance to authentic change. This model could be used as a guide or blueprint for other countries in the region which are currently engaged or planning to engage in the transformation of their education systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impaired glucose tolerance and impaired fasting glucose form an intermediate stage in the natural history of diabetes mellitus. From 10 to 15 percent of adults in the United States have one of these conditions. Impaired glucose tolerance is defined as two-hour glucose levels of 140 to 199 mg per dL (7.8 to 11.0 mmol) on the 75-g oral glucose tolerance test, and impaired fasting glucose is defined as glucose levels of 100 to 125 mg per dL (5.6 to 6.9 mmol per L) in fasting patients. These glucose levels are above normal but below the level that is diagnostic for diabetes. Patients with impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose have a significant risk of developing diabetes and thus are an important target group for primary prevention. Risk factors for diabetes include family history of diabetes, body mass index greater than 25 kg per m2, sedentary lifestyle, hypertension, dyslipidemia, history of gestational diabetes or large-for-gestational-age infant, and polycystic ovary syndrome. Blacks, Latin Americans, Native Americans, and Asian-Pacific Islanders also are at increased risk for diabetes. Patients at higher risk should be screened with a fasting plasma glucose level. When the diagnosis of impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose is made, physicians should counsel patients to lose 5 to 7 percent of their body weight and engage in moderate physical activity for at least 150 minutes per week. Drug therapy with metformin or acarbose has been shown to delay or prevent the onset of diabetes. However, medications are not as effective as lifestyle changes, and it is not known if treatment with these drugs is cost effective in the management of impaired glucose tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on intentional rounding, a systematic method of checking on hospitalized patients at specific intervals to reduce adverse events, anticipate needs, provide comfort and decrease patient anxiety.