天南海北

Big Ben Big Ben was built in 1858. It is the bell that chimes (钟敲响 ) the hours in the Clock Tower of the British Houses of Parliament (议会), Londa, and is so called because Sir Benjamin Hall (主持建钟的政府官员本杰明.霍尔爵士),     

Questions in the answers to primary school educational reconstruction in Sierra Leone

The purpose of this paper is to review current issues in pre- and primary school reform and to pose questions on the long-term implications of present day solutions. Such an exercise will open up discussion on the probable effects of educational policy decisions with a view to minimize negative effects brought on by new policies. Because data collection in Sierra Leone is embryonic and unreliable, it is difficult to be definitive in planning future reform in education based on available data. The civil war between 1989 and 1999 practically shut down the educational system. Some of the obvious steps taken to ameliorate the situation included mandatory compulsory primary education in 2004 and completing the construction of 500 new classroom buildings by 2008. School enrolment doubled between 2001 and 2005 and the Gross Enrolment Ratio （GER） was about 160 percent. It is important to join in a discussion of the long-term implications of short-term solutions to educational development in Sierra Leone. The paper is organized under the following headings： （1） The context of pre and primary school development; （2） Current education system; （3） Issues in pre-primary and primary education; （4） Government statements on education and jobs respectively; （5） Questioning as a way to improve education quality; （6） Discussion; and （7） Recommendation.     

Educational Assessment via a Web-Based Intelligent System

Effective assessment is vital in educational activities. We propose IWAS （intelligent Web-based assessment system）, an intelligent, generalized and real-time system to assess both learning and teaching. IWAS provides a foundation for more efficiency in instructional activities and, ultimately, students＇ performances. Our contributions are summarized as （1） Given the causes （student knowledge levels and learning styles）, BN （Bayesian Networks） technique is utilized to automatically reason on the probabilities of the presence of the effects （learning outcomes）; （2） The absence of teaching practice assessments is addressed via the feedbacks from three different levels, aiming to correlate the teaching assessment with the learning assessments for the improved effectiveness in instructional activities; （3） Under a client/server architecture, IWAS is decomposed into a set of independent modules; through the standard inter-module interfaces, the flexibility of easy maintenance makes IWAS a generalized system adaptable to different domains; and （4） Web technologies are integrated to deliver the formative feedbacks to users in a timely manner     

A case study on mathematics anxiety for mathematics of finance course

The DIIA （Diploma in Investment Analysis） students from the FBM （Faculty of Business Management） were required to undertake several MOF （Mathematic of Finance） courses. The passing rates for all of the MOF courses were good except for one course. There are many factors for this low passing rate phenomenon for this particular MOF course. One of the factors is mathematics anxiety as suggested by Richardson in 1971. As a result, this paper is carried out in order to measure the undergraduates＇ level of mathematics anxiety in general and between genders in this one particular course. The outcome is expected to fill in the gap as study of anxiety in MOF is still lacking. A 30-item MARS （Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale） is adapted and used in this study, because this course is predominant by complex computations. The Ss （samples） of the study are 119 students who undertook this MOF course during the study semester of December 2008 to April 2009 in UiTM （Universiti Teknologi MARA）. It is expected that the findings will show that the Ss have a considerably high mean for mathematics anxiety; and female students have a higher mean of mathematics anxiety as compared to their male counterparts. The study confirms the expectation of the researchers. In terms of the final and overall results, it was expected that the passing percentage be dominated by the male students. However, at the end of the study, the overall performance of the female students was much better compared to their male counterparts.     

Effect of controlled rolling/controlled cooling parameters on microstructure and mechanical properties of the novel pipeline steel

The study of controlled rolling/controlled cooling process parameters which affect the microstructure and mechanical properties of a novel pipeline steel has been optimized by the orthogonal experiment with four factors and three levels in this paper. However, the parameters of thermo-mechanical control process （TMCP） optimized by the Gleeble-3500 hot simulator could not satisfy performance requirements of the X100 pipeline steel. In order to improve the performance of this steel, the influence of finish cooling temperature （FCT） on the microstructure and property is studied in detail. It is found that, as this steel is thermo-mechanically treated by this set of parameters （the start heating temperature, finish rolling temperature （FRT）, FCT and cooling rate of 1,180 ℃, 810 ℃, 350 ℃ and 35 ℃/s, respectively）, the micro- structures are mainly composed of granular bainite （GB） and acicular ferrite （AF）. The effective grain sizes are below 20 μm; the steel reaches the optimal balance between the strength and the toughness; the yield strength is 695 MPa; the tensile strength is 768 MPa; the elongation is 16.6 %; the impact energy is 262 J at room temperature. All indexes could meet the requirements of X100 pipeline steel.     

Teaching areas of polygons： An alternative approach

Measurement is an integral component of the PK-12 mathematics curriculum. At various grade levels, much attention is given to the areas of geometric shapes. However, there is research evidence that measurement is problematic for US students. In this paper, the merits and demerits of two possible sequences （conventional and alternative） in teaching areas of polygons are discussed in the context of current reforms in mathematics education. Although both sequences are viable, the alternative sequence is suggested because it seems to be more consistent with the process standards （problem solving, reasoning and proof, communication, connections, and representation） of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics （NCTM）.     

Stability performance of buckling-restrained brace with brace joints

The stability and ductility of four buckling-restrained braces （BRBs） with brace joints were studied. The load-carrying element of BRB was fabricated with steel （Chinese Q235）, and a layer of colloidal silica sheet （0.5 mm in thickness） or four layers of plastic film （0.2 mm in thickness） were used as unbonding materials to provide space to prevent the buckling of inner core in higher modes and facilitate its lateral expansion in case of compression. Based on the equation of BRBs with brace joints of different restrained stiffnesses, the buckling load is calculated considering the initial geometric imperfections and residual stress, and the theoretical values agree well with the experiment re- sults. It is concluded that the buckling load and ductility of BRBs are influenced greatly by the restrained stiffness of brace joints. If the restrained stiffness is deficient, the unstrained segment of BRBs with less stiffness will buckle firstly. As a result, the ultimate load of BRBs decreases, and the maximum compression load is reduced to about 65% of the maximum tension load; the stiffness also degenerates, and there is a long decreasing stage on the back-bone curve in compression phase; the ductility decreases, i.e., the ultimate tension ductility and ultimate compression ductil- ity are approximately 15 and 1.3 respectively, and the cumulative plastic ductility is only approximately 200. If the restrained stiffness of joint is large enough, the stability will be improved as follows： the yielding strength and ultimate strength of BRBs are nearly the same, and there is an obvious strain intensification in both tension and compression phases; the ductility of brace also increases obviously, i.e., the ultimate tension ductility and ultimate compression ductility are both approximately 14, and the cumulative plastic ductility reaches 782.     

An Investigation of Non-Thesis Master＇s Program Geography Teacher Candidates＇ Attitudes Towards Teaching Profession Regarding Several Socio-Cultural Features

The purpose of this study is to examine the attitudes of non-thesis master＇s degree program： geography teacher candidates towards teaching profession regarding several socio-cultural features. The study was conducted in different universities with 218 geography teacher candidates enrolled in the geography education non-thesis master＇s degree program. The study was made by survey model. Data were collected by the ＂Attitude Scales Towards Teaching Profession＂ developed by ~etin （2006） and ＂Personal Information Form＂ developed by the authors. Data were analyzed by t-test, ANOVA （the one-way analysis of variance） （F） and LSD （least significant difference） techniques. The results are given as follows： （1） The average of candidates＇ attitude grades are in favor of female candidates; （2） There is no difference between whether candidates work at a job; （3） According to variables of the types of high school graduated, educational level of the parents, occupations, income level and living place, there is no difference in candidates＇ attitudes scores; and （4） Candidates＇ enrolled in the geography education non-thesis master＇s degree program reason of preference influence on attitudes to teaching profession.     

Holidays in Rome

Hello, my name is Zhang Cheng. I＇m from Zhejiang,China. Now I＇m on holidays in Rome（罗门）.Rome is a beautiful old city.Look,this is the Arch of Triumph（凯旋门）in ancient（古代的）Rome.It＇s also the oldest arch of triumph in the world.     

Cryptanalysis of an image encryption scheme based on the Hill cipher

This paper studies the security of an image encryption scheme based on the Hill cipher （Ismail et al., 2006） and reports its following problems： （1） There is a simple necessary and sufficient condition that makes a number of secret keys invalid; （2） It is insensitive to the change of the secret key; （3） It is insensitive to the change of the plain-image; （4） It can be broken with only one known/chosen plaintext; （5） It has some other minor defects. The proposed cryptanalysis discourages any use of the scheme in practice.     

Existence and uniqueness for a class of nine-bodies central configurations

On some necessary conditions for double pyramidal central configurations with concave heptagon for any given ratio of masses, the existence and uniqueness of a class of double pyramidal central configurations with concave heptagon base for nine-body problems is proved in this paper, and the range of the ratio cr of the circularity radius of the heptagon to the half-height of the double pyramidal central configuration involved in this class configurations is obtained, which is in the interval （√3/3,1.099 600 679）, and the configuration involved in the bodies with any σ∈ （√3/3, 1.099 600 679） can form a central configuration which is a uniquely central configuration is proved.     

Abstracts of Major Papers in This Issue

A Tentative Analysis of ＂Vocabulary Skills＂in A Framework of Reference for EFL Teaching at Tertiary Level in Shanghai, by WANG Zhiqin, p.46 A Framework of Reference for EFL Teaching at Tertiary Level in Shanghai （Trial implementation） is an EAP-oriented guideline for the EFL teaching, which is supposed to shift the teaching objective to serving the studying of academic subjects from teaching language. Vocabulary is an important indicator of the level of English language learning and is the cornerstone tbr listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. An analysis of the targets of vocabulary skills in the two levels （Basic Level and Advanced Level） is significant.     

万花筒

1.Year of the Cat in Vietnam （在越南的十二生肖中，猫取代了兔子的位置） 2011 is the Year of the Rabbit in China, but in Vietnam, people celebrate the Year of the Cat. Instead of the rabbit, the cat is the fourth animal of the 12 animal signs.     

Effect of nitrogen doping on the reduction of nitric oxide with activated carbon in the presence of oxygen

Nitrogen doping of activated carbon （AC） was performed by annealing both in ammonia and nitric oxide, and the activities of the modified carbons for NO reduction were studied in the presence of oxygen. Results show that nitrogen atoms were incorporated into the carbons, mostly in the form of pyridinic nitrogen or pyridonic nitrogen. The effect of nitrogen doping on the activities of the carbons can be ignored when oxygen is absent, but the doped carbons show desirable activities in the low temperature regime （≤500 ℃） when oxygen is present. The role of the surface nitrogen species is suggested to promote the formation of NO2 in the presence of oxygen, and NO2 can facilitate decomposition of the surface oxygen species in the low temperature regime     

An evaluation of factors influencing reading literacy across Italian 4th grade students

Questionnaire data from the PIRLS 2006 study in Italy provided a number of indices in order to summarize factors of educational context influencing reading achievement. The aim of the present paper is to study the relationships between school factors, teacher factors, family factors, student factors and reading achievement by means of multilevel regression analysis. Results show that pupils＇ attainment in reading is significantly related to： （1） home educational resources （home/student level effect）; （2） parents＇ attitudes toward reading （home/student level effect）; （3） students＇ attitudes toward reading; （4） students＇ reading self-concept; and （5） teacher career satisfaction （school/teacher level）.     

TEACHNJ： An Evaluation of Two Years of Implementation

In July 2009, the Obama administration lauched its $4.35 billion Race to the Top （RTT） Fund, providing states with competitive grants in an effort to reform education. One of the main conditions of this program was to award educational innovation. With this in mind, states enacted new legislation in the hopes of attracting more funding for their proposed programs. Although there were many levels of reform targeted by the RTT, of significance to this research is the emphasis placed on improving teacher effectiveness and measuring teacher performance via evaluation systems. The Teacher Effectiveness and Accountability for the Children of New Jersey （TEACHNJ） Act was adopted by the New Jersey legislature in August 2012 with the intent to raise student achievement by improving the quality of instruction. This research explores the impact the TEACHNJ Act has on teacher evaluations and professional development. A survey was administered to 1,235 public school teachers in New Jersey to ascertain teacher perceptions of the： （a） evaluation system in their school; （b） level of communication between teachers and administrators; and （c） availability, frequency, and effectiveness of professional development opportunities. The response rate was 21%. We found that formal evaluations are conducted infrequently with a varying degree of accuracy and impact. Nearly half of the teachers indicated that formal evaluations did not lead to improvements in their classroom. A majority of teachers questioned the administrative value of formal teacher evaluations, in particular the rewards and sanctions associated with the outcome of evaluations and a concem that poor performers were not sanctioned nor were effective teachers rewarded. We found that teachers perceive the greatest value to professional development, which is derived from peer mentoring and observations. We also found that professional development is the most effective when it is offered onsite, embedded in the classroom, continuous, and sustained over ti     

How intuition contributes to high performance： An educational perspective

Intuition usually is defined as the capability to act or decide appropriately without deliberately and consciously balancing alternatives, without following a certain rule or routine, and possibly without awareness （Gigerenzer, 2007; Hogarth, 2001; Klein, 2003; Myers, 2002）. It allows action which is quick （e.g. reaction to a challenging situation） and surprising, in the sense that it is extraordinary in performance level or shape. This paper reports theories of intuition and their empirical evidence in the field of professional work. It aims at reporting the state of research on intuition, discussing the relevance of different approaches for analyzing work performance, and describing challenges for future empirical research in the domain of professional working life.     

The need to know and to understand in Maslow＇s basic needs hierarchy

Despite the fact that the Maslow＇s hierarchy of basic needs has been vastly applied in literatures, a majority of resources has neglected to take the need to know and to understand into account. Moreover, there is a wide disagreement in the rest of resources in situation of that need. This article attempts to show that （1） Maslow has had faith in that need as a basic need; and （2） even though Maslow has not explicitly mentioned the situation of this need in his hierarchy, it is possible to find its situation through implications of Maslow＇s writing and other researchers＇ findings.