Are the social workers prepared to assist a changing population of dysfunctional parents in Sweden?

What kind of support can an affluent society as the Swedish offer dysfunctional parents in order to give the infants an optimal start in life? The purpose of the present study was to analyze the social situation in families precipitating the admission of infants to institutional care in 1970. 1975 and 1980. The results show that in 1980 more complex forms of parental dysfunction were common including mental disorders, criminality, abuse of alcohol and drug addiction. The reported incidence of domestic violence had increased significantly from 1970 to 1980 as well as the number of maltreated infants. The social welfare agencies had greater difficulties and to a larger extent lacked adequate methods of providing assistance to the dysfunctional parents in 1980 than in 1970.     

Academic motivation in children with dyslexia

The authors' purpose was to determine which form of therapeutic aid may influence academic approach and avoidance motivation in children with dyslexia. There were 165 children with dyslexia assessed with the use of ”I and my school” questionnaire. The authors considered the children's previous therapeutic experience and on its basis they were divided into three groups. Children receiving systematic therapeutic treatment display a significantly higher level of academic approach motivation as compared to those from the two other groups. Those children also manifest a lower level of academic avoidance motivation compared to those receiving no form of specialist treatment. Girls, regardless of their therapeutic experience, demonstrate a higher level of approach motivation; boys, on the other hand, display a higher level of avoidance motivation. The study shows that the quality of provided therapeutic aid affects emotional-motivational sphere of children with dyslexia. Systematic therapeutic aid increases academic approach motivation and reduces avoidance motivation.     

Culture,Technology, Communication: Towards an Intercultural Global Village,edited by Charles Ess with Fay Sudweeks. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2001. 355 pp. $26.95. ISBN 0-7914-5016-3

Abstract

The evolution into the age of information has produced a number of consequences that were never considered during the move into this new era. Among them is a phenomenon called the electronic immigrant. The worldwide telecommunications infrastructure has made it possible to telecommute from any location where the worker can link up with the network. Thus, new potentials and problems have evolved along with the electronic technology. This article examines this new worker and identifies the chief problems and promises created by the concept of the electronic immigrant.     

负载型Pd基双金属催化剂的设计及其在环境领域的应用（英文）

负载型双金属催化剂在很多催化反应中都有着十分重要的意义,包括选择性氧化、加氢/氢解、重整、生物质转化等反应。这一类催化剂的活性、选择性和稳定性取决于颗粒尺寸、组成和形貌等结构特性。针对Pd基负载型双金属催化剂体系,本文讨论了其结构特性,并探讨了不同合成方法对结构性质的调控机制。同时,本文阐述了Pd基催化剂在环境催化反应中的应用,包括CO氧化、烃类氧化、加氢脱氯和NO_x分解等反应。尽管在这些领域的研究取得了一定的进展,然而还需要更先进的催化技术来应对一些重大的挑战,如环境修复等。最近,在材料、光谱、显微、催化化学以及工程领域的研究人员的共同努力下,通过先进表征方法、机理研究手段的采用以及构效关系的研究,针对双金属催化剂设计的研究取得了一些新的进展。本篇综述旨在激励相关领域科学家设计合理的新型催化剂体系,以用于未来的绿色及可持续发展。     

Mathematics learning and practice in and out of school: A framework for connecting these experiences

A variety of researchers in the last fifteen years have described how people learn and use mathematics in out-of-school situations. These researchers have found that mathematics learning and practice in and out of school differ in a number of ways. In this paper we examine and discuss these differences while maintaining the position that while some differences may be inherent, many differences can be narrowed so that mathematics learning and practice in school and out of school can build on each other and be connected. Before discussing a framework that we think sheds some light on connecting these experiences, we present some research from several of our studies that illustrates some of the differences between in-school and out-of-school mathematics practice and lays the groundwork for the discussion of the framework.We then discuss Saxe's (1991) research framework for gaining insight into the interplay between sociocultural and cognitive development processes through the analysis of practice participation (p. 13). Although Saxe's framework is a method for studying the interplay between sociocultural and cognitive development processes, we propose that it may be helpful in working towards connecting in-school and out-of-school mathematics learning and practice. Thus, we discuss the framework with illustrations from our own research, and then elaborate on ways to make this interplay between in-school and out-of-school contexts more deliberate.     

Designing Pd-based supported bimetallic catalysts for environmental applications

Supported bimetallic nanoparticulate catalysts are an important class of heterogeneous catalysts for many reactions including selective oxidation, hydrogenation/hydrogenolysis, reforming, biomass conversion reactions, and many more. The activity, selectivity, and stability of these catalysts depend on their structural features including particle size, composition, and morphology. In this review, we present important structural features relevant to supported bimetallic catalysts focusing on Pd-based bimetallic systems and recently reported strategies to control them through different synthesis methodologies. Further, we focus on a few reactions that are relevant to environmental catalysis, i.e. CO oxidation, hydrocarbon oxidation, hydrodechlorination, and NO _x decomposition, where Pd-based catalysts are often used successfully. In spite of much progress in these areas, still there is a need for more advanced catalytic technologies to address the grand challenges like environmental remediation. Some of the recent advances in the design of bimetallic catalysts were made because of the combined efforts of material scientists, spectroscopists, microscopists, catalysis chemists, and engineers through state-of-the-art characterization methodologies, mechanistic investigations, and structure-activity correlations. This review is aimed at inspiring scientists to rationally design catalysts for a green and sustainable future.     

The role of the formal written curriculum in standards-based reform

More than 15 years after the introduction of a standards-based curriculum reform, the mathematics teachers are positive towards the reform message but have not changed their classroom practice accordingly. To improve the impact of future reforms, it is important to learn from this situation and to better understand the role of the national policy documents. The purpose of this study is therefore to examine how the standards-based reform in mathematics in Sweden was conveyed in the formal written curriculum. The research questions focus on to what extent and how clearly the national policy documents convey the message. The results show that the message is present to a large extent in the policy documents, but that it is vague and formulated with complex wording. The study gives concrete examples and shows in detail in what ways the documents are vague and complex.     

More like real life-Motivational methods of teaching in upper secondary school

Motivational methods of teaching are topical subjects and much discussed issues regarding schools and education. The first question of our study covers student motivation and students＇ perception of their own schools＇ teaching methods. The second question reflects on how upper secondary school teachers perceive their roles as teachers, their thoughts on acquirement of knowledge and how learning takes place. The third question treats the subject of how school and education is organized. The upper secondary school the authors chose for the case study is a school that recruits students on a national basis and is directed towards the education of fire and rescue service personnel. The programme follows the national science curriculum and gives qualification for further studies at most universities. The school started in the autumn of 1998 and is known for being successful at working with student involvement, responsibility and subject integration. The study which was conducted during the autumn of 2007 included 32 students from two of the learning groups from the same year and started on the day of introduction of a new theme and finished with their presentation of results. The authors made observations, interviewed and through questionnaires studied how students comprehended the schools＇ working methods. We also interviewed their teachers and headmaster. The theoretic standpoint is Activity Theory （Chaiklin, S. ＆ Lave, J. 1996; Knutagard, H., 2002; Vygotsky, L. S., 1986）. The conclusions are that the students are encuitured into a school＇s activities that are similar to what students perceive as that of real life. It gives meaning and motivation to learning and makes it meaningful. They identify their own responsibility and cooperative learning as the most important parts. The teachers＇ own learning process and planning work is parallel to the work forms applicable to the students. They are all interdependent of each other since all the work areas are thematic. The school can be seen as an activity system where members interplay and communication develops a common culture.     

Searching the Polish Medical Bibliography (Polska Bibliografia Lekarska) for trials

Background: The Polish Medical Bibliography (Polska Bibliografia Lekarska) contains 350 000 records dating from 1979. These records from the fields of medicine, nursing, dentistry, health care systems and preclinical sciences are from nearly 300 biomedical journals published in Poland. Methods: We systematically searched the Polish Medical Bibliography Part II (1996–2006) CD‐ROM (July 2006) using both English and Polish phrases for randomized trials, manually checked results and, for the trials identified in this way, sought these on medline and embase . Results: Systematic searching identified records of 680 randomized trials from all areas of health care. Nearly 40% of these were not found on either medline or embase . Conclusions: The Polish Medical Bibliography should be of interest to health care information specialists concerned with comprehensive searches for trials.