Erratum to：A 3D model for coupling dynamics analysis of high-speed train/track system

The original version of this article unfortunately contained one mistake.In p.980,the legend in Fig.15a was incorrect.The correct version of Fig.15a is given below.     

Heuristic algorithm based on the principle of minimum total potential energy （HAPE）： a new algorithm for nesting problems

We present a new algorithm for nesting problems. Many equally spaced points are set on a sheet, and a piece is moved to one of the points and rotated by an angle. Both the point and the rotation angle constitute the packing attitude of the piece. We propose a new algorithm named HAPE (Heuristic Algorithm based on the principle of minimum total Potential Energy) to find the optimal packing attitude at which the piece has the lowest center of gravity. In addition, a new technique for polygon overlap testing is proposed which avoids the time-consuming calculation of no-fit-polygon (NFP). The detailed implementation of HAPE is presented and two computational experiments are described. The first experiment is based on a real industrial problem and the second on 11 published benchmark problems. Using a hill-climbing (HC) search method, the proposed algorithm performs well in comparison with other published solutions.     

Identification of candidate genes for drought stress tolerance in rice by the integration of a genetic （QTL） map with the rice genome physical map

INTRODUCTION Drought stress is a major constraint to rice(Oryza sativa) production and yield stability in rainedecosystems (Dey and Upadhyaya, 1996). Rice mustbe made more drought tolerant, but this is a somewhatcontradictory objective considering that rice is mostcommonly grown under flooded conditions. Achiev-ing drought tolerance in rice will require a deeperunderstanding of the possible physiological mecha-nisms available for water stress tolerance and theidentification of favo…     

Bridging the Digital Divide and the Use of Information and Communications Technology （ICT） in South African Universities： a Comparison Study among Selected Historically Black Universities （HBUs） and Historically White Universities （HWUs）

It has become common place for students in historically white universities （HWUs） in South Africa to have 24 hour access to computers, the Internet, e-learning facilities, check results online and even register online. However, historically black universities （HBUs） are still battling to have access to these facilities. On a macro level, the issue of lack of access to basic ICT facilities or digital divide exists. This is evident in the fact that developed nations like U.S.A and Switzerland have significant access to ICT, while under-developed nations in Africa like Ethiopia and Congo do not enjoy considerable access. On a micro level in South Africa, digital divide still exists. Even the divide exists among South African Universities as students in historically white institutions like Pretoria, Rhodes and Stellenbosch Universities enjoy unlimited access to ICT facilities like computers and the internet. However, the reverse is the case in HBUs where access rate is very limited and personal observation bears this out as most historically black institutions like the University of Fort Hare, University of Limpopo, and University of Zululand, just to mention a few are still battling with the issue of access to ICT facilities. This paper presents the findings of a survey conducted to examine the present ICT status / capacity of HBUs compared to what exists in HWUs in South Africa. It will attempt to identify the reasons for the continued disparity in ICT access between HWUs and HBUs and also to identify how HBUs can address the divide and leapfrog to an era of full ICT access.     

A comparison of learning management systems in a school district: searching for the ideal personalized integrated educational system (PIES)

This study explored the use of several learning management systems (LMS), their benefits, and their limitations in relation to the desired characteristics of an ideal Personalized Integrated Educational System (PIES) for the information age. A qualitative research design was used. The participants of the study were teachers, administrators, and technology coordinators in a small suburban school district. The data were collected through interviews and were subjected to content analysis. The findings of the study indicated that each of the LMSs investigated in this study still has some significant limitations, for none of them provides all the information-age functions of PIES, and what an ideal PIES should possess as information-age functions can be categorized under students’ learning, assessment and system-related preferences.     

A Systems Approach to Identifying and Managing Opportunities and Constraints to Delivering Innovation Policy for Agriculture: An Analysis of the Australian Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) Program

Abstract

In this paper we outline an analytical approach to identifying points in the policy process where management intervention to adjust organizational design could enhance delivery of innovation policy over time. We illustrate this approach using an example from native vegetation policy in the state of Victoria, Australia. We then use this approach to interpret recent reviews of the Australian Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) Program, a policy instrument aimed at enhancing national economic growth by fostering innovation in research and development.

The approach described in this paper is grounded in the idea of policy as a complex and adaptive organizational system.

From the findings it was apparent that reviews of the Australian CRC Program have recognized some of its complex and dynamic properties. However, they have been limited in their capacity to translate this recognition into practical recommendations for organizational design to improve delivery on innovation, particularly in relation to the uptake of research outputs by industries such as agriculture. We propose that this is likely to reflect the bureaucratic foundations of innovation policy and the difficulties associated with changing processes and ways of managing them that have become locked in to the organizational system.

The design of policy instruments to deliver innovation, such as the CRC Program, should be informed by a detailed understanding of the dynamics that are mediating between policy objectives and outcomes over time. Dynamics such as the impact of bureaucratic constraints on the flexibility of policy processes and the participants engaged in them. In the absence of this sort of understanding, dynamics that critically affect the capacity of policy instruments to deliver innovation are likely to go unidentified and left to run their own course to an unpredictable and potentially counterproductive end.

While the idea of policy as a complex organizational system is well known, there remains a substantive gap in knowledge as to how thinking about policy in this way might be applied to generate practical options for improving organizational design. The analytical approach described in this paper addresses this gap in knowledge. In the absence of such approaches, the effectiveness of policy instruments such as the CRC Program, which are intended to foster innovation, will continue to be limited by deficiencies in organizational design.     

The (limited) use of local-level assessment system: A case study of the Head Start National Reporting System and on-going child assessments in a local program

Using concepts from the evaluation literature, this case study describes the instrumental, conceptual, and political influence of the Head Start National Reporting System (NRS) and on-going child assessments in a local Head Start program. This study found that a local program intentionally aimed to limit the influence of the NRS. The NRS validated the program's performance for the program administrators and local governing bodies. It had no impact on teaching and learning, and was not used to make decisions to guide local program improvement. On-going child assessments were more widely valued within the local program. These assessments had some impact on teachers’ individualization of instruction for children, and managers made some effort to use program-level findings to inform program development. Similar to the NRS, the on-going child assessments were also used to provide accountability with local governing bodies. Based on these findings, implications for the use of local-level systems in early childhood programs are discussed.     

The significance of a process evaluation in interpreting the validity of an RCT evaluation of a complex teaching intervention: the case of Integrated Group Reading (IGR) as a targeted intervention for delayed Year 2 and 3 pupils

The significance of a process evaluation for understanding randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of complex teaching interventions in a classroom setting is discussed in relation to the evaluation of the Integrated Group Reading (IGR) programme trial. This process evaluation is based on realist principles and draws on different data sources. The findings indicate that the efficacy of a classroom-based complex intervention like IGR is hard to evaluate given the nature of the intervention and its context. These findings illustrate that a process evaluation should not be seen as a subsidiary study to the experimental trial, but as an independent study in its own right as it can shed light onto the setting up and running of the trial. The paper argues that RCTs by themselves do not necessarily provide the ‘best evidence’ and need to be supplemented by other evaluation perspectives.