A new approach to numerical integration by means of steady-state flux in a slab

The definite integral is generally interpreted geometrically as an “area”. An alternate interpretation as a steady-state “flux” through a unit slab is derived, which leads to a new method of numerical integration. The usual sum of a large number of approximate areas is replaced by the flux through a “single” increment.The method involves the solution of a system of linear finite difference equations. The coefficient matrix is tri-diagonal and is solved efficiently by the Thomas algorithm. During the iterative process the coefficients are determined by simple quadrature schemes applied to each increment.Error analysis revealed that an expression could be derived for the roundoff error associated with the final Thomas iteration. It is shown that the roundoff error is smallest when the matrix coefficients a_k\S>1. The method is shown to be superior to the classical methods due to its simplicity and tolerance for variable increment size. In addition, a new function is determined which is useful in diffusion studies. Numerical data are presented confirming these results.     

Listening to Mothers II: Report of the Second National U.S. Survey of Women's Childbearing Experiences: Conducted January-February 2006 for Childbirth Connection by Harris Interactive(R) in partnership with Lamaze International

With permission from Childbirth Connection, the concise version of the Listening to Mothers II "Survey Methodology" is reprinted here. Harris Interactive(R) conducted Listening to Mothers II: Report of the Second National U.S. Survey of Women's Childbearing Experiences on behalf of Childbirth Connection. The survey consisted of 1,373 online interviews and 200 telephone interviews with women who had given birth in U.S. hospitals in 2005, with weighting of data to reflect the target population. Interviews were conducted from January 20 through February 21, 2006. The methods used to conduct the survey and analyze the data collected are described.     

Implicit theories of intelligence predict achievement across an adolescent transition: a longitudinal study and an intervention

Two studies explored the role of implicit theories of intelligence in adolescents' mathematics achievement. In Study 1 with 373 7th graders, the belief that intelligence is malleable (incremental theory) predicted an upward trajectory in grades over the two years of junior high school, while a belief that intelligence is fixed (entity theory) predicted a flat trajectory. A mediational model including learning goals, positive beliefs about effort, and causal attributions and strategies was tested. In Study 2, an intervention teaching an incremental theory to 7th graders ( N =48) promoted positive change in classroom motivation, compared with a control group ( N =43). Simultaneously, students in the control group displayed a continuing downward trajectory in grades, while this decline was reversed for students in the experimental group.     

“Ebooks for the Classroom+” at University of South Florida Libraries: A Case Study of Database Management

The University of South Florida Libraries has supported a campus-wide “Textbook Affordability Project” initiative by creating and maintaining an ebooks database called “Ebooks for the Classroom+.” This database facilitates faculty members’ adoption of ebooks as textbooks through library acquisitions in the hope that students can achieve academic success without paying for expensive textbooks. It is built and run by the library, using data based on vendor-supplied information. This paper discusses the approaches, the challenges, and the future plans for building and updating the database.     

Renewing professional organizations and action learning

This account concerns the renewal of established professional organizations though action learning. In order to revitalize one national organization, an executive group of leaders committed to co-leading and co-learning through a friendly, computer-supported governance structure. Manifestations of our work together were an accelerated decision-making process and creation of interdependent committees (e.g., research committee, policy committee). Keys to the innovative learning described are peer learning supported by turn taking of the executive leaders and synchronous learning buoyed by asynchronous communications technology. We awakened to the reality that if our organization was to grow, as executive leaders we had to manage our own teaching and learning and tap one another's expertise. We also learned that while face-to-face meetings and annual conferences foster goal attainment, collaboration and camaraderie, they limit the momentum necessary for organizational revival in a rapidly changing world. Organizational capacity is developing quickly as the leaders experiment with action learning interventions that are raising the overall caliber of this professional association.     

Student Perceptions of Learning in First Year in an Economics and Commerce Faculty

This article examines the perceptions and experiences of first year students in an Economics and Commerce Faculty. First year Bachelor of Commerce students responded to pre- and post- university experience surveys of their approaches to learning and experience of the learning environment in the faculty. Students' responses indicated a slide into surface learning during their first year and indicated that their expectations of learning at the university level were not realised. English speaking background (ESB) and nonEnglish speaking background (NESB) students were compared. While few differences between the two groups were identified a slight preference for social forms of learning and deeper approaches to learning were observed for NESB students. The implications of the findings for first year teaching are discussed.     

Black students and private schooling

Conclusions As black students move into private schools at greater rates, a number of questions are raised. To what extent and under what conditions is a private school education better than a public school education for black students? What are the social and educational benefits and costs of being educated in a largely white environment? And what will be the benefits and costs as private schools themselves become increasingly black? Are the economic sacrifices made by black families to send their children to private school worth it to the individual child—to the black community?     

Vowel perception and production in adolescents with reading disabilities

Perception and production of the vowels /I/, /?/, /æ/ in the words pit, pet and pat were investigated in two groups of adolescents who differed significantly on measures of reading and phonological awareness. Perception performance was assessed using slope measurements between vowel categories. Duration measurements and a rating system based on first and second formant (F1 and F2) values were used to analyze production performance. As a group, the students with reading disabilities not only perceived but also produced less well-defined vowel categories than the control group of age-matched good readers. Perception and production performance, however, were not correlated. Results suggest that the speech processing difficulties of the students with reading disabilities include weak phonological coding for vowel sounds with similar phonetic characteristics. The implications of these findings for intervention are addressed.     

The impact of the pandemic on early career researchers' work-life and scholarly communications: A quantitative aerial analysis

After two-years of repeat interviewing early career sciences/social sciences researchers from around the world about their work life and scholarly communications in pandemic-times, the Harbingers-2 project is in a position to release quantitative data on the pandemic's overall impact. The data comes from around 50 questions asked in the third and final round of interviews with 147 early career researchers (ECRs), which had a codifiable element to them (such as yes, no, do not know). The 19 scholarly topics covered include: pandemic-related research; research funding; changes to the workplace/working from home; pandemic-incurred stress and anxiety; teaching; employment security; career progression; mentoring; assessment (including metrics); collaboration; searching/finding information; ethics; networking; informal communication; publishing; sharing; pre-prints; outreach; and scholarly transformations. The main findings are that in six broad aspects of ECRs' work-life and scholarly behaviour, more than 50% of ECRs were impacted by the pandemic, with remote teaching having the greatest impact. By way of comparison, in another six aspects there was little change, least of all when it came to sharing activities. Among the countries studied, Malaysia stood out as being the most impacted, and of the disciplines it was the medical sciences and the soft social sciences most impacted.     

The diffusion of moisture in sorbent solids—I. Diffusion cell and pore diffusion

A complete theory of diffusion of absorbing gases in porous solids is developed. Both ordinary and thermal diffusion are considered. The thermodynamics of irreversible processes is used to derive the general flux equations.A new theoretical model of surface diffusion is presented. Moreover, the proper method of combining surface and gas-phase fluxes is established. The total flux in the pores is represented by a 5 parameter model, which includes the effects of (1) free (gaseous) diffusion, (2) Knudsen diffusion, and (3) surface diffusion.The design of a new diffusion cell is presented along with a stagewise method for analyzing results. The cell is unique in that specimens mounted in copper clad circuit board material permits nonisothermal as well as isothermal operation. Earlier designs were confined to isothermal operation due to mounting specimens in metallic materials such as brass and aluminum.