Does generating examples aid proof production?

Many mathematics education researchers have suggested that asking learners to generate examples of mathematical concepts is an effective way of learning about novel concepts. To date, however, this suggestion has limited empirical support. We asked undergraduate students to study a novel concept by either tackling example generation tasks or reading worked solutions to these tasks. Contrary to suggestions in the literature, we found no advantage for the example generation group on subsequent proof production tasks. From a second study, we found that undergraduate students overwhelmingly adopt a trial and error approach to example generation and suggest that different example generation strategies may result in different learning gains. We conclude by arguing that the teaching strategy of example generation is not yet understood well enough to be a viable pedagogical recommendation.     

Improved production of spiramycin by mutant Streptomyces ambofaciens

INTRODUCTION which the hydroxyl group is acetylated, and spi- ramycin III in which the same position is propio- Spiramycin belongs to the macrolide antibi- nylated (Omura et al., 1979). The addition of short-otics group. The molecular structure of spiramycin chain fatty acids stimulates the production of spi-consists of a 16-membered branched lactonic ring …     

Lovastatin production by Aspergillus terreus in solid-state fermentation

Lovastatin production by Aspergillus terreus ATCC 20542 in solid-state fermentation (SSF) was studied. Various substrates were used to evaluate the ability of A. terreus to produce lovastatin. The results showed that either rice or wheat bran was suitable substrate for lovastatin production in SSF. The maximum yield of lovastatin (2.9 mg/g dry substrate) using rice as substrate was achieved after incubating for 11 d at the following optimized process parameters: 50%～60% initial moisture content,pH 5.5,incubation temperature 28 °C.     

Beyond production: learners’ perceptions about interactional processes

The interaction hypothesis of second language acquisition and associated work by Gass (Input, Interaction, and the Second Language Learner, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers, Mahwah, NJ, 1997), Long (The role of the linguistic environment in second language acquisition, in: W.C. Ritchie, T.K. Bhatia (Eds.), Handbook of Language Acquisition, Volume 2: Second Language Acquisition, Academic Press, New York, 1996, pp. 413–468), Pica (Language Learning 44 (1994) 493) and Swain (Three functions of output in second language learning, in: G. Cook, B. Seidlhofer (Eds.), Principle and Practice in Applied Linguistics: Studies in Honour of H.G. Widdowson, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1995, pp. 125–144) suggest that negotiated interaction facilitates SLA. Researchers have claimed that developmentally beneficial interactional opportunities for learners include obtaining comprehensible input, receiving feedback, being pushed to make targetlike modifications in output, and having opportunities to test linguistic hypotheses. The current study focuses on learners’ roles in relation to these interactional processes, and examines learners’ perspectives in relation to researchers’ claims about interactional benefits. Forty-six learners of ESL from different L1 backgrounds were videotaped while interacting with peers, a teacher, and native speakers in intact classrooms and dyadic settings. The learners later viewed the tapes and introspected about their thoughts at the time of the original interactions. Results suggest that there was substantial overlap between the researchers’ claims and learners’ comments in relation to many of the interactional opportunities. A qualitative exploration of the learners’ perspectives revealed interesting insights into their perceptions about interactional processes. Overall, this study indicates that interaction research could profit from utilizing learners’ perspectives to supplement production data in the ongoing debate about the potentially beneficial processes of interaction.     

Kinetics study on biomass pyrolysis for fuel gas production

INTRODUCTIONSincebiomassisanabundant,inexpensiveandrenewableresource ,itsconversiontosyn theticfuelsandchemicalproductsappearsat tractive.Amongallkindsofbiomassconversionroutes,pyrolysisisbeinggivenincreasingatten tionsincetheprocessissimpleandmaybeopti m…     

The construction and production of youth ‘at risk’

Following the Commonwealth Government funding cuts in 1986, a hiatus has developed in in‐service teacher education in Australia. Recent curriculum innovations and expanding stresses in the educational environment have generated in‐service education needs which are possibly greater than at any other time in the recent past. The trend in other industrialized countries has been to encourage or even require teachers in primary and secondary education to achieve postgraduate qualifications. Similar pressures are currently mounting in Australia. The combination of the stresses and new emphasis, calls for a rethinking of existing approaches and policies. The restructuring of the education system in a number of States, the difficulties which have become apparent in solution‐centred in‐service programmes and the continuing unsatisfactory ad hoc arrangements for the design and delivery of such programmes across Australia indicate that the need for different policies and provisions in teacher professional development is acute. After analysing the state of the art of in‐service training in Australia, this paper provides possible rationales for such policies and programmes and suggests the development of a multiprogramme policy package which could assist the teachers to ensure a better quality and cost‐effective educational service.     

Implications of automation in engineer-to-order production：a case study

In order to retain a certain level of production in Norway,suppliers to the Norwegian maritime industry need to lower their production costs.Automation is generally an effective way of achieving this in standardized high-volume,low variety production.However,manufacturing companies in the Norwegian maritime industry typically supply capital-intensive,advanced and customized products in low volumes.In this engineer-to-order production situation,manual labor is traditionally preferred over automation.Nonetheless,such companies increasingly automate parts of their production.This paper presents a case of a supplier that has chosen to automate its welding operations,the implications and determinants of this decision.     

TransFormers in knowledge production: building science–practice collaborations

This article places action learning in the context of system innovation, as it studies the potential use of action learning for system change. In order to effect such system change, collaboration between actors from different institutional backgrounds is essential. To gain insight into if and how action learning can be applied for system change, we study three system change projects in Dutch agriculture. We focus specifically on the approaches developed by the project leaders for collaboration between the scientists and the entrepreneurs and analyse how the interaction between these two contributed to the learning process within the project. This article concludes with guiding concepts for action learning for system change in the field of sustainable development of agriculture and beyond.     

Visual–motor symbol production facilitates letter recognition in young children

Previous research has suggested that handwriting letters may be an important exerciser to facilitate early letter understanding. Experimental studies to date, however, have not investigated whether this effect is general to any visual–motor experience or specific to handwriting letters. In the present work, we addressed this issue by testing letter knowledge using three measures in preschool children before and after a school-based intervention. Participants were divided into four training groups (letter-writing, digit-writing, letter-viewing, digit-viewing) that either wrote letters or digits or viewed letters or digits, twice a week for 6 weeks. We hypothesized that the visual–motor experience of handwriting letters or digits would improve letter knowledge more than viewing experience and that this effect would not be specific to training with letters. Our results demonstrated that the writing groups improved in letter recognition—one component of letter knowledge—significantly more than the viewing groups. The letter-writing group did not improve significantly more than the digit-writing group. These results suggest that visual–motor practice with any symbol could lead to increases in letter recognition. We interpret this novel finding as suggesting that any handwriting will increase letter recognition in part because it facilitates gains in visual–motor coordination.     

Batch and fed-batch production of butyric acid by Clostridium butyricum ZJUCB

INTRODUCTION Butyric acid has several potential applications in industry. Its applications in the foodstuffs and beverage industries are widespread. It may be used as the pure acid in the dairy industry, or in the form of esters as a food additive to increase fruit fragrance. Furthermore, butyric acid could also have some important physiological functions. For example, butyric acid esters are the character-impact flavors in tropic fruits and dairy products (Centeno et al., 2002; Watson e…     

Rent-Seeking through collective bargaining: Teachers unions and education production☆

We explore how teachers unions affect education production by comparing outcomes between districts allocating new tax revenue amidst collective bargaining negotiations and districts allocating tax revenue well before. Districts facing union pressure increase teacher salaries and benefits, spend down reserves, and experience no student achievement gains. Conversely, districts facing less pressure hire more teachers (instead of increasing compensation) and realize significant student achievement gains. We interpret these results as causal evidence of the negative impact of teacher rent seeking on education production, as the timing of district tax elections relative to collective bargaining appears to be as good as random.     

Lost in translation? Comparative education research and the production of academic knowledge

The worth of academic knowledge tends to be tested against global metrics of citations and articles published in high-ranking English language academic journals. This paper examines academic knowledge production in three local fields of research with different national languages (English, Finnish and French). It focuses on knowledge production on the topic of apprenticeship where there are distinctive differences in the three local research fields and the associated patterns of academic publication over a 15-year period. The findings suggest that publication patterns are still largely tied to the respective national languages. Concerns are raised about the limited visibility of non-Anglophone local contexts and conceptual frameworks as filtered through global academic knowledge production processes. The language practices in the production of academic knowledge need to be challenged to ensure that knowledge from these sources is not lost in translation or in the re-contextualisation for global audiences.     

The production of ‘proper cheating’ in online examinations within technological universities

This paper uses poststructuralist theories of governmentality, agency, consumption and Barry’s (2001) concept of Technological Societies, as a heuristic framework to trace the role of online education technologies in the instantiation of subjectification processes within contemporary Australian universities. This case study of the unintended effects of the adoption and usage of an online educational technology (WebFreedom) for online examinations in an Australian university setting is analysed using poststructuralist theories of governmentality, agency and consumption. The analysis demonstrates how techniques of governing the learning practices of students via online educational technologies intersect with the agentive capacity of students who are relocated as consumers in the higher education marketplace. In particular the paper focuses on the production of unintended localized online examination behaviours resulting in a form of ‘subterranean ethics’ or cheating in online exams. The results from this case study raise critical questions concerning the ways in which both students and tertiary educators are constituted within neoliberal governmental thought, as well as the ways in which students produce themselves in practice as autonomous agents and educational consumers within tertiary education. Suggestions on the focus of future research in the area are discussed.     

Handwriting production in Spanish children with dyslexia: spelling or motor difficulties?

Reading and Writing - Spelling and handwriting are different processes; however, they are learned simultaneously, and numerous studies have shown that they interact. Besides the commonly reported...     

Effect of temperature on batch elastase production by Bacillus sp. EL31410

The production of elastase by Bacillus sp. EL31410 at various temperatures was investigated. In order to study the effect of temperature on elastase fermentation, different cultivation temperatures, ranging from 39 ℃ to 28 ℃, were evaluated in shake flask. The result indicated that 37 ℃ was best for cell growth at earlier stage; while maximum elastase activity was obtained when the cells were cultivated at 30 ℃. This result was verified by batch fermentation in 5-L bio-reactor under 37 ℃ and 30 ℃ temperature, respectively. The specific cell growth rate at 37 ℃ was higher than that at 30 ℃ during earlier stage of cultivation. The maximum value [5.5 U/(h-g DCW)] of elastase formation rate occurred at 24 h at 30 ℃ compared to 4.6 U/(h-g DCW) at 30 h at 37 ℃. Based on these results, two-stage temperature shift strategy and oscillatory temperature cultivation mode were evaluated in the next study. When compared to single temperature of 37 ℃ or 30 ℃, both two-stage temperature shift strategy and os     

The effects of summary production and encoding condition on children��s metacognitive monitoring

Two studies were conducted to investigate whether context variations were suitable to improve metacognitive judgments in children in a complex, everyday memory task. In the first phase of each experiment, participants were shown a short event (video) and gave judgments-of-learning (JOLs), that is, rated their certainty that they would later be able to recall specific details correctly. In the second phase of the experiments, participants took part in a memory interview about the memory event and gave confidence judgments (CJs), that is, rated their certainty that the provided answers to the memory questions were correct. Study 1 specifically investigated the potential positive influence of giving a verbal summary before the JOL-interview on metacognitive monitoring, whereas Study 2 had a closer look on the effect of intentional versus non-intentional encoding on JOL and CJ accuracy. Results revealed no significant influence of giving a summary and hardly any effect of encoding condition on metamemory monitoring although children from age 6 on showed adequate monitoring performance. JOL accuracy appears to be a complex process, which is even more difficult to influence in children than in adults.     

Letter coding affects movement production in word writing: an English–Italian cross-linguistic study

Reading and Writing - The present research is a cross-linguistic study indicating that the timing of motor production not only depends on the shape of a letter and the activation of its motor...     

Speaking the culture: understanding the micro-level production of school culture through leaders’ talk

Global contexts of accountability have placed unprecedented pressure on school leaders to improve the performance of their schools. Despite recognition that leaders’ influence is mediated by school culture, few studies offer systematic examinations of culture-in-action in schools. The concept of culture remains nebulous and is frequently glossed over as being ‘messy’ in studies of school change. This paper uses tools from membership categorisation analysis to demonstrate how culture is produced at a micro-level in and through the actions of leaders in one school. My analysis shows a disjuncture between the purported values and policies of the school and the ways that school leaders through their talk construct and implement school practices, and thus the culture-in-action at their school. I argue that implementing effective change is impossible without understanding and disrupting the micro-level production and reproduction of culture in schools.     

Best‐selling feminisms: The rhetorical production of popular press feminists’ romantic quest

In the past decade, an emerging group of “popular press feminists” have garnered considerable media attention for their critiques of academic feminism. Despite persistent challenges to their arguments, these authors have gained media legitimacy. Through a rhetorical analysis, we argue that the texts of Camille Paglia, Katie Roiplie, and Christina Hoff Sommers derive their powerful appeal from assuming the form of an archetypal romantic quest narrative —a compelling story that sets up rigid dichotomies and creates double binds that limit possibilities for critical assessments as well as honest debate and exchange.