Validation of a stages of exercise change questionnaire

The purpose of this study was to examine evidence for the validity of a stages of change measure of the Transtheoretical Model for exercise behavior. Participants were 152 university students (53.3% women, 71.6% Caucasian, M age = 19.18 years) who completed processes of change, self-efficacy, decisional balance, stages of change, and exercise behavior questionnaires as well as a maximal treadmill test. Participants in the action and maintenance stages had the highest strenuous (PC/C/P < A/M) and moderate (PC/C < A/M) self-reported exercise behavior. Those in the maintenance stage had the highest estimated aerobic fitness (PC/P < MA). The differences between the early stages (PC, C, and P) and the later stages (A and M) as described by the first function were primarily due to the behavioral process of change. The differences between the extreme stages (PC and M) and the middle stages (C, P, and A) were due to the experiential processes of change and the pros of decisional balance. The hypothesized patterns of stage differences were partially supported. Failure to obtain full support may have been due to methodological issues or inherent difficulties in detecting evidence for the validity of stages of change measures.     

文献检索课实习及成绩评定方式探讨

概述了全国各高校文献检索课实习及成绩评定方式大致情况后,从文献检索课的教学内容、教学条件、教学方式、实习方式等方面考虑,探讨了文献检索课实习及成绩评定方式应该达到的效果,并据此设计了一种实习及成绩评定方式,即以平时课后实习作业为平时成绩,期末写一篇综述为期末成绩,两者相加为总成绩     

Search on surfaces: Exploring the potential of interactive tabletops for collaborative search tasks

Collaborative information seeking often takes place in co-located settings; such opportunities may be planned (business colleagues meeting in a conference room or students working together in a library) or spontaneous (family members gathered in their living room or friends meeting at a café). Surface computing technologies (i.e., interactive tabletops) hold great potential for enhancing collaborative information seeking activities. Such devices provide engaging direct manipulation interactions, facilitate awareness of collaborators’ activities, and afford spatial organization of content. However, current tabletop technologies also present several challenges that creators of collaborative information seeking system must account for in their designs. In this article, we explore the design space for collaborative search systems on interactive tabletops, discussing the benefits and challenges of creating search applications for these devices. We discuss how features of our tabletop search prototypes TeamSearch, FourBySix Search, Cambiera, and WeSearch, illustrate different aspects of this design space.     

Media Production

Barrie Redfern's Local Radio (London and New York: Focal Press, 1978—$8.95, paper)

Norman Crowhurst's How to Select and Install Your Own Speakers (Blue Ridge Summit, Pa.: TAB Books, 1979—49.95, and also in paperback)

Hindman, Janes, Larry Kirkman, and Elizabeth Monk. TV Acting: A Manual for Camera Performance (1979—$15.50/7.95 , 191 pp.)

Williamson, Daniel R. Newsqathering. (1979—$13.50/7.50 , 250 pp.)

Stonecipher, Harry W. Editorial and Persuasive Writing: Opinion Functions of the News Media (1979—$13.95/7.95, 256 pp.)

Richard Robinson's The Video Primer: Equipment, Production, and Concepts (New York: Quick Fox, 1979—$14.95/6.95)

Marshall Lee's Bookmaking: The Illustrated euide to Design/production/editing (New York: R.R. Bowker, 1979—$25.00)

Lenny Lipton's Lipton on Filmmaking (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1979—$7.95, paper, with a hardback also available)

Philip C. Geraci's Photojournalism: Making Pictures for Publication (Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing, 1978—$12.95, paper)     

Scale and Translation Invariant Collaborative Filtering Systems

Collaborative filtering systems are prediction algorithms over sparse data sets of user preferences. We modify a wide range of state-of-the-art collaborative filtering systems to make them scale and translation invariant and generally improve their accuracy without increasing their computational cost. Using the EachMovie and the Jester data sets, we show that learning-free constant time scale and translation invariant schemes outperforms other learning-free constant time schemes by at least 3% and perform as well as expensive memory-based schemes (within 4%). Over the Jester data set, we show that a scale and translation invariant Eigentaste algorithm outperforms Eigentaste 2.0 by 20%. These results suggest that scale and translation invariance is a desirable property.     

Mobiles for literacy in developing countries: An effectiveness framework

In recent years, the advent of low-cost digital and mobile devices has led to a strong expansion of social interventions, including those that try to improve student learning and literacy outcomes. Many of these are focused on improving reading in low-income countries, and particularly among the most disadvantaged. Some of these early efforts have been called successful, but little credible evidence exists for those claims. Drawing on a robust sample of projects in the domain of mobiles for literacy, this article introduces a design solution framework that combines intervention purposes with devices, end users, and local contexts. In combination with a suggested set of purpose-driven methods for monitoring and evaluation, this new framework provides useful parameters for measuring effectiveness in the domain of mobiles for literacy.     

Attentional capture by spoken language: effects on netballers’ visual task performance

Abstract

In two experiments, participants performed visual detection, visual discrimination and decision-making tasks, in which a binary (left/right) response was required. In all experimental conditions, a spoken word (“left”/“right”) was presented monaurally (left or right ear) at the onset of the visual stimulus. In Experiment 1, 26 non-athletes located a target amongst an array of distractors as quickly as possible, in both the presence and absence of spoken cues. Participants performed superiorly in the presence of valid cues, relative to invalid-cue and control conditions. In Experiment 2, 42 skilled netballers completed three tasks, in randomised order: a visual detection task, a visual discrimination task and a netball decision-making task – all in the presence of spoken cues. Our data showed that spoken auditory cues affected not only target detection, but also performance on more complex decision-making tasks: cues that were either spatially or semantically invalid slowed target detection time; spatially invalid cues impaired discrimination task accuracy; and cues that were either spatially or semantically valid improved accuracy and speeded decision-making time in the netball task. When studying visual perception and attention in sport, the impact of concomitant auditory information should be taken into account in order to achieve a more representative task design.     

Tailoring an information skills programme for Trainee Nursing Associates

This feature describes the tailored information skills programme which was delivered for the second cohort of Trainee Nursing Associates (TNAs) at Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and presents the results of the evaluation which was undertaken. Literature searching and critical appraisal were offered to the first cohort. Feedback was collated, and sessions were refined and tailored to better meet the information needs of the second cohort of TNAs. A comparison of confidence ratings before and after the programme ascertained whether the information skills programme had a positive benefit in confidence levels of attendees. D.I.