A novel surface modification technique for forming porous polymer monoliths in poly(dimethylsiloxane)

A new method of surface modification is described for enabling the in situ formation of homogenous porous polymer monoliths (PPMs) within poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microfluidic channels that uses 365 nm UV illumination for polymerization. Porous polymer monolith formation in PDMS can be challenging because PDMS readily absorbs the monomers and solvents, changing the final monolith morphology, and because PDMS absorbs oxygen, which inhibits free-radical polymerization. The new approach is based on sequentially absorbing a non-hydrogen-abstracting photoinitiator and the monomers methyl methacrylate and ethylene diacrylate within the walls of the microchannel, and then polymerizing the surface treatment polymer within the PDMS, entangled with it but not covalently bound. Four different monolith compositions were tested, all of which yielded monoliths that were securely anchored and could withstand pressures exceeding the bonding strength of PDMS (40 psi) without dislodging. One was a recipe that was optimized to give a larger average pore size, required for low back pressure. This monolith was used to concentrate and subsequently mechanical lyse B lymphocytes.     

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An Application of Multiple Intelligences in a Lebanese Kindergarten

This study is an application of a Multiple Intelligences-based approach to assessment and educational practice in early childhood years, the Spectrum Project, in a Lebanese kindergarten. A control group design was used. The Spectrum activities were manipulated for the whole academic year by 150 kindergarten students (75 girls, 75 boys), enrolled in one branch of a private school, while the other branch of the same school worked with the regular curriculum. The purpose of the study was to determine if, through assessment of those activities, a profile of children's abilities, strengths, and weaknesses could be identified. Means and standard deviations for every activity were reported. A second purpose was to investigate the relationship between the different domains or intelligences. Pearson product-moment coefficients were computed. Finally, the difference in the end-of-year achievement between the experimental and the control group was investigated. The data are discussed in terms of cross-cultural interpretations. Implications and recommendations for future research are presented.     

Influence of a Reflective Explicit Activity‐Based Approach on Elementary Teachers' Conceptions of Nature of Science

This study assessed the influence of a reflective, explicit, activity‐based approach to nature of science (NOS) instruction undertaken in the context of an elementary science methods course on preservice teachers' views of some aspects of NOS. These aspects included the empirical, tentative, subjective (theory‐laden), imaginative and creative, and social and cultural NOS. Two additional aspects were the distinction between observation and inference, and the functions of and relationship between scientific theories and laws. Participants were 25 undergraduate and 25 graduate preservice elementary teachers enrolled in two sections of the investigated course. An open‐ended NOS questionnaire coupled with individual interviews was used to assess participants' NOS views before and at the conclusion of the course. The majority of participants held naive views of the target NOS aspects at the beginning of the study. During the first week of class, participants were engaged in specially designed activities that were coupled with explicit NOS instruction. Throughout the remainder of the course, participants were provided with structured opportunities to reflect on their views of the target NOS aspects. Postinstruction assessments indicated that participants made substantial gains in their views of some of the target NOS aspects. Less substantial gains were evident in the case of the subjective, and social and cultural NOS. The results of the present study support the effectiveness of explicit, reflective NOS instruction. Such instruction, nonetheless, might be rendered more effective when integrated within a conceptual change approach. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 37: 295–317, 2000.     

Impairment of teacher efficiency during extended sessions of test correction

SUMMARY The relationship between monotonous work, mental fatigue, and reduction in efficiency has been discussed at length in the literature. This paper examines a theory, based on the interactions revealed in those studies, that uninterrupted examination of a large number of tests over an extended period of time, leads to inconsistency in grading. Three specialists judged typed compositions of seventh-grade pupils, and independently awarded the grade of 80% to 31 papers. These compositions were submitted to 60 female teachers. Each teacher received all 31 papers, stacked in one of three different, randomly arranged sequences. The subjects, unaware of the earlier review, were asked to read the compositions in one sitting and in the order in which they were stacked, and to assign a grade. There was no communication between teachers in the project with regard to the task. The variable found to contribute significantly to the grading pattern was the order in which the essays were arranged. The first tests received lower grades, on average, than those awarded by the specialists. As the teachers worked their way through the stack, the grades gradually rose, and eventually exceeded those given by the specialists. The discrepancy between the mean evaluation of the first papers and last papers in the pile was approximately 10%. Teacher seniority and other variables tested did not contribute significantly to the process.     

Aspects of mathematics education in some third world universities

Information on principal aspects of the present state of mathematics education in 18 third world universities is presented. The principal tool used in collecting the information was a questionnaire which was widely distributed. Analysis of the information reveals important variations and similarities in the programs and structures of responding institutions. Some weaknesses are identified.This is an extended version of a paper presented to the Symposium on the State of Physics and Mathematics in Africa, held at ICTP, Trieste, Italy, 8–13 October, 1984.     

Educating children with Down's syndrome in the United Arab Emirates

It is always instructive to hear about the experiences of those seeking to promote inclusion in a range of cultures and countries around the world. In this article Dr Gaad, Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of the United Arab Emirates, reports on her Government-funded research into the education of children with Down's syndrome in her country. As an Arabic speaker, Dr Gaad was able to gather the views of parents, professionals and policy makers in some depth. As an educator, she brought a critical level of analysis to the lessons she observed.
In the following pages, Dr Gaad reflects on the attitudes, values and beliefs that impact upon the education of children with Down's syndrome in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). She discusses the educational services that are currently provided for these children and gives focused consideration to the issue of inclusion. The article closes with Dr Gaad's recommendations for future practice.     

Editorial

If the founders and editors of the International Journal ofPublic Opinion Research described the ideal spectrum of thejournal’s content, we would all very likely enumeratethe following five dimensions, usually in a comparative and/orinternational context: theories about the dynamics of publicopinion, methodological problems and developments, the roleof the news media in public communication, public opinion researchas a social and political problem, and public opinion data on