新课改下初中英语听力教学面临的困难及其对策

英语听力教学具有重要意义。听,在人们日常生活交际活动中作用最大。说话者将信息传递给了听话者,听者只有通过听来获得信息,并对信息主动积极地加工处理,最后做出反馈,它是一种主动、积极的交际行为,同时也是读和写的基础。为此,英语听力已被正式列入中学课程表,引起了广大师生的高度重视,成为英语教学的一大重点。但听一直是英语学习者的一大薄弱环节,如何通过有效教学来提高学生的听力已成为英语教学中师生共同探讨和研究的课题,也是一个很现实和迫切需要解决的问题。     

Energy cost and kinematics of level,uphill and downhill running: fatigue-induced changes after a mountain ultramarathon

This study aimed to determine whether the fatigue induced by a mountain ultramarathon (MUM) led to changes in energy cost and kinematic during level and graded running. Pre- and post-race, 14 ultratrail runners ran on a level, uphill (5%) and downhill (5%) treadmill at 10 km · h^?1. Kinematic data were acquired using a photocell system. Post-race, the downhill energy cost increased by 13.1% (P < 0.001). No change was noted in level and uphill running. Duty factor and stride frequency were increased, whereas swing time, cycle time and stride length were decreased in all conditions (P < 0.05). Contact time was increased and the rate of force generation was decreased only in the uphill and downhill conditions (P < 0.05). Positive correlations were observed between performance time and the pre- to post-changes in the energy cost of level (r = 0.52, P = 0.04) and uphill running (r = 0.50, P = 0.04). MUM-induced fatigue resulted in physiological and spatiotemporal changes, though the response to fatigue varied considerably between running conditions. These changes resulted in a significant increment only in the downhill energy cost. Incorporating downhill locomotion in the training programmes of ultratrailers may help to improve performance-related physiological and biomechanical parameters.     

Intangible assets and firm heterogeneity: Evidence from Italy

The positive impact of intangible assets on several measures of economic performance is well documented in the literature. Less clear is what initially leads firms to invest in intangible assets. The latter is particularly important because, at least for the Italian manufacturing sector, firms exhibit strong heterogeneity in their investments in intangible assets. In line with the capability-based theory of the firm, we argue that the firm's propensity to invest in intangible assets can be explained by factors that are internal and specific to the firm. Making use of a rich dataset, we test and provide support for our hypotheses. In particular, we find that the propensity to invest in intangible assets increases with the firm's size, human capital, and historical intangible asset base. This points towards the existence of a cumulative process of intangible asset accumulation, which may account for most of the heterogeneity observed in the data. The paper adds to the previous literature in two ways: first, it highlights the existence of strong intra-industry heterogeneity in intangible asset investments, and second, it offers an explanation for such heterogeneity.     

Linguistic kernels for answer re-ranking in question answering systems

Answer selection is the most complex phase of a question answering (QA) system. To solve this task, typical approaches use unsupervised methods such as computing the similarity between query and answer, optionally exploiting advanced syntactic, semantic or logic representations.     

Nationalism and globalism in the junior secondary history curricula of Hong Kong and Shanghai

Facing the trend and pressure of globalisation, the history curricula of Hong Kong and Shanghai have been undergoing reforms in order to better equip the youth for coping with rapid contextual changes. At the same time, there have been attempts to reposition nationalism in the changing contexts. This paper aims to compare and contrast how the forces of nationalism and globalisation affect, and are re‐presented in, the contents of the junior secondary history curricula of the two cities, with a view to exploring the convergent and divergent trends of development in the two systems (capitalist and socialist) within one country. It is expected that the findings will shed light on the continuities and changes in the junior secondary history curricula of the two cities, and explore possible alternatives for the improvement of history education.     

Authoring systems reassessed

A study of authoring system technology was done to update a previous study done in 1985. While the earlier study focused on software selection methods, the current one emphasizes trends in authoring tool characteristics, vendor approaches to the market-place, and evaluation methods. It also raises questions about some of the often tacit assumptions underlying the technology's development and use.     

Effectiveness of citrate buffer-fluoride mixture in Terumo tubes as an inhibitor of in vitro glycolysis

Introduction

Glycolysis affects glucose determination in vitro. The placement of sample tubes in ice-water slurry with plasma separation within 30 minutes is recommended, or alternatively the use of a glycolysis inhibitor. The aim of our two-steps study was to evaluate which Terumo tube is best for glucose determination in routine clinical setting.

Materials and methods

In the first study, blood from 100 volunteers was collected into lithium heparin (LH), NaF/Na heparin (FH) and NaF/citrate buffer/Na₂EDTA (FC-Mixture) tubes. LH sample was treated as recommended and considered as reference, while FH and FC-Mixture samples were aliquoted, maintained at room temperature (RT) for 1, 2 and 4 hours; centrifuged and plasma analysed in triplicate. In the second study, samples from 375 volunteers were collected in LH, FH and FC-Mixture tubes and held at RT before centrifugation from 10 to 340 minutes, depending on each laboratory practice. Samples were analysed in one analytical run.

Results

In the first study, FH glucose concentrations were 5.15 ± 0.66 mmol/L, 5.05 ± 0.65 mmol/L and 5.00 ± 0.65 mmol/L (P < 0.001) in tubes stored at RT for 1, 2 and 4 hours, respectively. Mean biases in all time points exceeded the analytical goal for desirable bias based on biological variation criteria. FC-Mixture glucose concentrations were 5.48 ± 0.65 mmol/L, 5.46 ± 0.6 mmol/L and 5.46 ± 0.64 mmol/L in tubes stored at RT for 1, 2 and 4 hours, respectively. Mean biases for FC-Mixture glucose in all time points reached optimal analytical goals. In the second study, the biases for LH and FH glucose compared to reference FC-Mixture glucose exceeded the preset analytical goals, regardless of the blood collection to centrifugation time interval.

Conclusions

FC-mixture tubes glucose concentrations were preserved up to 4h storage at RT. We confirmed that NaF alone does not allow immediate glycolysis inhibition in real life pre-centrifugation storage conditions (up to 340 minutes). FC-Mixture should be used exclusively for glucose determination in laboratories unable to implement the recommended blood samples’ treatment.Key words: glucose, pre-analytical phase, sodium fluoride, citrate acidification, stability     

Exploring pedagogical relationships in the context of free play

Early childhood advocates agree that positive teacher–child relationships are critical to classroom quality. Much research has emphasized quantifiable teacher characteristics and child outcomes without fully capturing the complexity of these relationships. Drawing on extensive classroom observations, two video-recorded free play sessions and teacher interviews, this study explored some of the ways that preschool teachers create and maintain positive relationships, with emphasis on how they care for the children: their ways of being with and for them. The results of this study provide practical examples for building and sustaining teacher–child relationships, help delineate the complexity of the relationships that exist in preschool classrooms and demonstrate the everyday ways in which those relationships are foundational for children’s learning and development.     

Beyond competition: a comparative review of conceptual approaches to international student mobility

The existing literature offers an instrumentalist approach that focuses on how economic rationality underlies international student mobility (ISM). In response to these instrumentalist accounts, a critical approach emerges and reemphasises the importance of humanity and human rights in ISM and the process of internationalisation of higher education. However, this paper argues that these critical perspectives are insufficient to address the non-instrumental values of ISM. To address this argument, the paper uses the capability approach to reframe the meanings of ISM, thereby broadening the conceptual approaches to this aspect of internationalisation of higher education. Specifically, the paper suggests that international mobility is a way to promote individual freedom. On the conceptual basis of the capability approach, the paper identifies three interrelated orientations for future research on the impact of mobility on international students.     

Social capital,affect balance and personal well-being among teachers in Israel and Palestine

Informed by a perspective centred on psychological health and well-being, the present research investigated whether teachers’ overall well-being was influenced by their affect balance, as well as the extent to which both affect and well-being are influenced by social capital, in conflict-ridden areas such as the occupied Palestinian Territories (Gaza Strip and West Bank). The study involved three cohorts of Palestinian teachers working in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, respectively (N = 153). Dynamics of social exclusion, religious difference, educational disparity, poor educational standards and a lack of opportunity are factors affecting Palestinian teachers in both Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. The results supported the hypothesis that emotional balance directly influences teachers’ well-being. Teachers with higher levels of positive affect reported greater personal well-being than those with higher levels of negative affect. Social capital also positively influenced teachers’ personal well-being, both directly, and indirectly by fostering positive emotions. These results suggest that availability of community resources plays a key role in promoting teachers’ well-being.