Investigation of Poor Academic Achievement in Children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a neurogenetic developmental disorder that presents with progressive muscular weakness. It is caused by a mutation in a gene that results in the absence of specific products that normally localize to muscle cells and the central nervous system (CNS). The majority of affected individuals have IQs within the normal range, generally with lower verbal than performance IQ scores. Prior work has demonstrated selective deficits on tests of verbal span and immediate memory. For the current study, 26 boys with DMD (and normal intellectual function) and their unaffected siblings were evaluated. Paired comparisons demonstrated that the children with DMD had significantly poorer academic achievement scores than their siblings, even though their vocabulary levels and home and educational environments were comparable. Children with DMD also had more behavioral concerns, physical disabilities, and poorer verbal memory spans. Linear regression indicated that behavioral concerns, executive function, and physical disability did not contribute substantially to academic performance, whereas performance on verbal span did. DMD presents with a selective developmental aberration in verbal span that has wide‐ranging consequences on learning skills.     

浅论中学业余田径训练的特点及其控制过程

采用文献资料等研究方法,对我国中学业余田径训练的特点进行了初步分析,根据控制论、信息论和系统论的原理和方法,对中学业余田径运动员的选材、训练目标的确定、训练阶段的划分、训练计划的制定、训练计划的实施、训练结果的检查和评定等进行控制,旨在为中学体育教师和教练员控制业余田径训练过程提供参考.     

大学体育课程教学模式设计与动作探讨

本丈参照2002年教育部新颁布的《全国普通高等学校体育课程教学指导纲要》，针对目前高校体育发展的现状，围绕“生活体育、体育生活”这一思路，就体育如何真正走入大学生生活及高校体育与社会体育接轨等问题提出新的操作思路，设计了“一年级选项课 二年级课外教学俱乐部 高年级选修课 全方位体育俱乐部”这一模式。旨在为全国大多数尚未启动或即将启动的高校体育课程教学改革提供借鉴和参考。     

Metaphor and Totem: Exploring and evaluating prior experiential learning

The evaluation and recognition of prior experiential learning is now well established. A significant issue in such evaluations has been the centrality of the learner and his/her empowerment in the educational process. However, most models of evaluation require equivalency between the unique experiences of the subject and existing course analogues. In these models evaluation is based on metaphor, on finding varying degrees of similarity between the experience being assessed and currently existing academic structures. The present paper calls for a richer perspective to be taken in assessing prior experiential learning with particular interest being seen in the notion of totemism as characterised by anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss. A replacement of metaphor by totemism may restore power, ownership and centrality of the experience to the candidate for assessment, while allowing evaluators an opportunity to engage in a novel but authentic articulation of the underlying academic equivalency of the experience.     

Interlibrary loan and commercial document supply: Finding the right fit

This study examined the cost and performance of six commercial document suppliers accessible via OCLC, and comapared their service to that of traditional interlibrary loan (ILL). Results indicated that, while commercial firms cannot be recommended as a wholesale replacement for ILL, they can add much-needed flexibility to a library's overall plan for document delivery.     

Developing a general practice library: a collaborative project between a GP and librarian

The authors report on a self‐completed questionnaire study from a North Yorkshire based general practice regarding the information needs of its clinicians. The work was carried out with a particular focus on the practice library, and the findings identified that a new approach to maintaining and developing the library was needed. The literature regarding the information needs of primary care clinicians and the role of practice libraries is considered, and compared to those of the clinicians at the practice. Discussion follows on how a collaborative project was set up between the practice and a librarian based at the local NHS Trust library in order to improve the existing practice library. Difficulties encountered and issues unique to the project are explored, including training implications presented by the implementation of electronic resources. Marketing activities implemented are discussed, how the library will operate in its new capacity, and how ongoing support and maintenance of the library will be carried out. It is concluded that although scepticism still exists regarding librarian involvement in practice libraries, collaboration between clinicians and librarians is an effective approach to the successful development and maintenance of a practice library, and recommendations are therefore made for similar collaborative work.