教育生态学视角下的基于职业能力的高职公共英语课程体系构建

从教育生态学的视角来看,高职公共英语课程也是一个微观的生态系统,但就学生职业能力的培养方面而言,该门课程的发展存在诸多方面的问题且处于生态失衡状态。分析了高职公共英语职业能力培养过程中的限制因子,尝试构建基于职业能力的高职公共英语课程体系,并对该系统进行了详细的阐述。     

田径运动生活化的迷失与回归

田径运动的产生和发展与人类日常行为的关系一直是人们关注的焦点。但综观已有的研究，至少在理论上还缺乏从其发展历程的角度进行系统的梳理和深入的研究。本文试图从田径课程生活化的迷失与回归阶段两个纬度对我国田径运动课程与生活相离合的轨迹进行阐述，旨在从哲学的角度论证新课程标准理念下田径运动课程生活化回归的必然性。     

Exploring students’ conceptions of science learning via drawing: a cross-sectional analysis

ABSTRACT

This cross-sectional study explored students’ conceptions of science learning via drawing analysis. A total of 906 Taiwanese students in 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th grade were asked to use drawing to illustrate how they conceptualise science learning. Students’ drawings were analysed using a coding checklist to determine the presence or absence of specified attributes. Data analysis showed that the majority of students pictured science learning as school-based, involving certain types of experiment or teacher lecturing. In addition, notable cross-sectional differences were found in the ‘Activity’ and ‘Emotions and attitudes’ categories in students’ drawings. Three major findings were made: (1) lower grade level students conceptualised science learning with a didactic approach, while higher graders might possess a quantitative view of science learning (i.e. how much is learned, not how well it is learned), (2) students’ positive and negative emotions and attitudes toward science learning reversed around middle school, and (3) female students expressed significantly more positive emotions and attitudes than their male counterparts. In conclusion, higher graders’ unfruitful conceptions of science learning warrant educators’ attention. Moreover, further investigation of girls’ more positive emotions and attitudes found in this study is needed.     

International programs of the National Library of Medicine

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) has a broad mission in biomedical information service. There are three major reasons for NLM, as a national institution, having an international program: first, the global nature of disease; second, the international scope of medical literature; and third, the universal goal of better communication. This paper reviews NLM's programs in relation to international medical information exchange: International MEDLARS Centers, collaboration with WHO and PAHO, NLM Special Foreign Currency Program, and development of the NLM collection.     

Physical activity correlates for children with autism spectrum disorders in middle school physical education

This study examined potential correlates that might influence physical activity (PA) of adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in physical education. Students with (n = 19) and without (n = 76) ASD wore an accelerometer during physical education. Data were collected in 38 physical education lessons. The results showed that (a) students with ASD were less physically active than their peers, (b) their PA was related positively to their social interaction with peers, and (c) their moderate to vigorous PA depended on PA content, physical environment, and instructor-related characteristics. The findings suggest a need for additional studies on the relationship between the needs of adolescents with ASD and the content offered in physical education so as to inform school policies and help to remove barriers to promoting PA among this population.     

Simulation of conformational preconditioning strategies for electrophoretic stretching of DNA in a microcontraction

We have used Brownian dynamics-finite element method to examine two conformational preconditioning approaches for improving DNA stretching in a microcontraction for the purpose of direct gene analysis. The newly proposed "pre-stretching" strategy is found to significantly improve the degree of DNA extension at the exit of the contraction. On the other hand, applying an oscillating extensional field to DNA yields no preconditioning effect. Detailed analysis of the evolution of DNA extension and conformation reveals that the success of our "pre-stretching" strategy relies on the "non-local" effect that cannot be predicted using simple kinematics analysis. In other words, accurate prediction can only be obtained using detailed simulations. Comparing to the existing preconditioning strategies, our "pre-stretching" method is easy to implement while still providing a very good performance. We hope that the insight gained from this study can be useful for future design of biomicrofluidic devices for DNA manipulation.     

A self-contained polymeric cartridge for automated biological sample preparation

Sample preparation is one of the most crucial processes for nucleic acids based disease diagnosis. Several steps are required for nucleic acids extraction, impurity washes, and DNA/RNA elution. Careful sample preparation is vital to the obtaining of reliable diagnosis, especially with low copies of pathogens and cells. This paper describes a low-cost, disposable lab cartridge for automatic sample preparation, which is capable of handling flexible sample volumes of 10 μl to 1 ml. This plastic cartridge contains all the necessary reagents for pathogen and cell lysis, DNA/RNA extraction, impurity washes, DNA/RNA elution and waste processing in a completely sealed cartridge. The entire sample preparation processes are automatically conducted within the cartridge on a desktop unit using a pneumatic fluid manipulation approach. Reagents transportation is achieved with a combination of push and pull forces (with compressed air and vacuum, respectively), which are connected to the pneumatic inlets at the bottom of the cartridge. These pneumatic forces are regulated by pinch valve manifold and two pneumatic syringe pumps within the desktop unit. The performance of this pneumatic reagent delivery method was examined. We have demonstrated the capability of the on-cartridge RNA extraction and cancer-specific gene amplification from 10 copies of MCF-7 breast cancer cells. The on-cartridge DNA recovery efficiency was 54-63%, which was comparable to or better than the conventional manual approach using silica spin column. The lab cartridge would be suitable for integration with lab-chip real-time polymerase chain reaction devices in providing a portable system for decentralized disease diagnosis.     

解析iSchools联盟发展现状与特色

从iSchools成员的分布、系所名称、博士班学程的特色,剖析iSchools成员的属性,以期能从中观察iSchools对资讯领域产生的影响。研究结果显示,目前iSchools 38个成员以美国为主,遍及欧、亚、澳各地,形成全球资讯学院联盟,有助于学术交流与合作。再者,其中有12个成员(占31.6%)来自ALA认可的学校,比例颇高,且其系所名称多单独使用资讯或资讯研究一词,传统的图书馆学系所在此已显式微。至于系所名称的表现,iSchools偏重资讯领域,有65.8%的系所名称以资讯一词起始、97.4%的系所名称涵盖资讯一词,显见资讯在此群组的主导性。最后,在人才培植方面,iSchools锁定资讯领域的高级学术、研究人才、企业界的高阶主管为目标,普设博士班学程,跨学科的课程以资讯为主体,强调科技应用。     

The Bumpy Road to Universal Access: An Actor-Network Analysis of a U.S. Municipal Broadband Internet Initiative

Universal high-speed Internet access can productively transform a nation's economy. However, many municipalities in the United States have been left behind in terms of Internet penetration. Some municipal governments have tried to address this by launching initiatives that aim at offering citywide, universal broadband access. Unfortunately, most of these initiatives either have been discontinued or have ended in failure. Drawing on actor-network theory, we conducted a 3-year study to investigate the evolution of the Internet TV initiative in LaGrange, Georgia, in the United States. The results reveal distinct interpretations of the initiative by different actor groups (the government, the service providers, socioeconomically advantaged residents, and socioeconomically disadvantaged residents), at different stages of implementation, pointing to tensions among the various groups. These tensions reflect the structural problems embedded in the macro political, economic, and societal context. The findings offer insights for policymakers who intend to achieve universal broadband access.