Problems in the Perception of Perspective in Drawing

It is well known that the shape and size of objects visually changes if the object's distance from the viewer and the position of the object changes. For these reasons, drawing three-dimensional objects on a picture plane demands not only knowledge of their external peculiarities, but also skills in matching the shape of objects to the peculiarities of visual perception which allows us to represent objects ‘truthfully’. However, this is one of the hardest tasks in drawing. It needs specific theoretical training in the construction of perspective. A review of textbooks and resource books on drawing published in different countries during the last 30 years reveals that a body of rules for linear perspective has evolved which is stable and interpreted similarly. However, explanations of the practical implementation of one-point perspective are not quite logical. This article covers some of the problems of the perception of perspective, and offers methodical recommendations for implementing perspective in training for drawing.     

The integration experience of hearing impaired elementary school students in separated and integrated school settings

Integration experiences of hearing impaired German elementary school students in separate educational settings (n = 31) were compared with those of counterparts at the same level in integrated settings (n = 26), and evaluated in regard to psychosocial behavior, semantic-lexical abilities, and communicative skills. Analysis of questionnaire responses and intelligence subtests showed that the only difference between the samples concerned perceived well-being in school, and favored the integrated students. Other percentages of variance are explainable by school type (10%), parents' hearing status (12%), and use of bimodal communication (11%). The integrated students demonstrated a higher level of integration experience, associated with fewer psychosocial abnormalities and better communicative skills. The results indicate that educational setting is not the only factor influencing students' perceived well-being. Other contextual factors, e.g., hearing status of parents and communicative skills, have a similar positive impact on integration experiences     

Bias and Bias Correction Method for Nonproportional Abilities Requirement (NPAR) Tests

Test items must often be broad in scope to be ecologically valid. It is therefore almost inevitable that secondary dimensions are introduced into a test during test development. A cognitive test may require one or more abilities besides the primary ability to correctly respond to an item, in which case a unidimensional test score overestimates the primary ability and creates interpretability problems. In this article, we demonstrate the nonproportional abilities requirement, a phenomenon with which secondary abilities are more required for difficult items. A novel and practical method for correcting bias in the primary ability is proposed and illustrated using a real data set from an international assessment. Simulation data are also used to evaluate the performance of the method.     

Insulator-based dielectrophoresis of mitochondria

Isolated mitochondria display a wide range of sizes plausibly resulting from the coexistence of subpopulations, some of which may be associated with disease or aging. Strategies to separate subpopulations are needed to study the importance of these organelles in cellular functions. Here, insulator-based dielectrophoresis (iDEP) was exploited to provide a new dimension of organelle separation. The dielectrophoretic properties of isolated Fischer 344 (F344) rat semimembranosus muscle mitochondria and C57BL/6 mouse hepatic mitochondria in low conductivity buffer (0.025–0.030 S/m) at physiological pH (7.2–7.4) were studied using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic devices. First, direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC) of 0–50 kHz with potentials of 0–3000 V applied over a channel length of 1 cm were separately employed to generate inhomogeneous electric fields and establish that mitochondria exhibit negative DEP (nDEP). DEP trapping potential thresholds at 0–50 kHz were also determined to be weakly dependent on applied frequency and were generally above 200 V. Second, we demonstrated a separation scheme using DC potentials <100 V to perform the first size-based iDEP sorting of mitochondria. Samples of isolated mitochondria with heterogeneous sizes (150 nm–2 μm diameters) were successfully separated into sub-micron fractions, indicating the ability to isolate mitochondria into populations based on their size.     

Magnitude of multiplanar breast kinematics differs depending upon run distance

Recommendations for breast support, dynamic breast pain assessment, and implications for sports performance have been made within breast biomechanics research; however, these studies have been based upon short exercise protocols (2–5 min). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of breast support on multiplanar breast kinematics over a 5-kilometre run. Ten female participants (34D or 32DD) conducted two 5-kilometre runs, in a low and high breast support. Relative multiplanar breast kinematics were averaged over five gait cycles at six intervals of a 5-kilometre run. Increases in multiplanar breast kinematics were reported from the start to the end of the run, with the greatest rate of increase in breast kinematics reported within the first two kilometres of running. The greatest relative increases in breast range of motion (34%), velocity (33%), and acceleration (41%) were reported in the superioinferior direction at the fifth kilometre (33 min of running) in the high breast support. Key findings suggest that the run distance, and therefore run duration, employed for both fundamental research and product validation protocols should be carefully considered and it is suggested that running protocols for assessing breast biomechanics should exceed 7 min.     

The international,global and intercultural dimensions in schools: an analysis of four internationalised Israeli schools

Many educational systems worldwide are making substantial efforts to integrate an international dimension into local schools, fostering significant changes in the processes of instruction and learning as well as transformations at pedagogical and organisational levels. In this paper, we analyse data collected in four schools in Israel that the local press and educational authorities have acknowledged as schools that prominently and comprehensively incorporated international, global and intercultural dimensions. We employ a case-study approach based on interviews with principals and teachers; analysis of schools' websites and documents; and on-site observations, in order to analyse the expression of internationalisation, understand who is involved in the implementation process, and stimulate thinking about the broader impact of this process. We find that ideological and pragmatic reasons underlie schools' motivations to internationalise; their population and status comprise major factors in the decision regarding how, where, why, and when to integrate international and intercultural dimensions. The stakeholders interviewed perceive of internationalisation as offering both cosmopolitan capital to the students and a distinctive feature to the school. The schools demonstrate diverse internationalisation patterns that are neither monitored nor guided by any regulatory agency. These findings contribute to the identification of the factors promoting or delaying the internalisation process and to the understanding of the impact of this process on schools.     

Use of the MSJCC: A content analysis of ACA journals

Using quantitative content analysis, we examined the prevalence and use of the Multicultural Social Justice Counseling Competencies (MSJCC) in 21 ACA journals between June 2015 and July 2021. We found that only 7.62% of the articles (n = 2860) referenced the MSJCC. Implications for counselor educators are discussed.