Adolescents’ personal conceptions of intelligence: The development of a new scale and some exploratory evidence

This study presents the building of an instrument to measure personal conceptions of intelligence based upon Dweck research, and some exploratory evidence. The instrument is directed to adolescents, has got more items than the original one and incorporates new aspects, such as the importance of effort and ability in relation with personal conceptions of intelligence. The results of a factor analysis evidenced the existence of two distinct factors — a static and a dynamic one — that explain together 31.7% of the total variance. The internal consistency of the scales evidenced alpha coefficients between .74 and .80. The results of a test-retest reliability study (with a month interval) proved to be better for the static scale than to the the dynamic one, as well as the results of an external validity study (correlations with grade point average). Some differential exploratory studies showed differences in personal conceptions of intelligence related to school grades (5th to 11th): the scores increased from the 5th to the 11th grade, showing that older students were less “static” (more “dynamic”), and also related to the socio-economic status (high vs. low): the higher SES subjects appeared less “static” (more “dynamic”) than the lower SES subjects.     

Three dimensional couette flow and heat transfer through a porous medium with variable permeability

This paper reports research on the effects of variations in injection velocity and permeability on the heat transfer and flow through a highly porous medium between two horizontal parallel plates situated at constant distance with constant suction by the upper plate. Due to this type of variation in injection velocity and in permeability the flow becomes three dimensional. The governing equations are solved by adopting complex variable notations to obtain the expressions for the velocity and temperature field. The skin-friction along the main flow direction and rate of heat transfer are discussed with the help of graphs.     

Expertise Differences in the Comprehension of Visualizations: a Meta-Analysis of Eye-Tracking Research in Professional Domains

This meta-analysis integrates 296 effect sizes reported in eye-tracking research on expertise differences in the comprehension of visualizations. Three theories were evaluated: Ericsson and Kintsch’s (Psychol Rev 102:211–245, 1995) theory of long-term working memory, Haider and Frensch’s (J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cognit 25:172–190, 1999) information-reduction hypothesis, and the holistic model of image perception of Kundel et al. (Radiology 242:396–402, 2007). Eye movement and performance data were cumulated from 819 experts, 187 intermediates, and 893 novices. In support of the evaluated theories, experts, when compared with non-experts, had shorter fixation durations, more fixations on task-relevant areas, and fewer fixations on task-redundant areas; experts also had longer saccades and shorter times to first fixate relevant information, owing to superiority in parafoveal processing and selective attention allocation. Eye movements, reaction time, and performance accuracy were moderated by characteristics of visualization (dynamics, realism, dimensionality, modality, and text annotation), task (complexity, time-on-task, and task control), and domain (sports, medicine, transportation, other). These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for theories of visual expertise in professional domains and their significance for the design of learning environments.     

Facilitating Understanding of Movements in Dynamic Visualizations: an Embodied Perspective

Learners studying mechanical or technical processes via dynamic visualizations often fail to build an accurate mental representation of the system’s movements. Based on embodied theories of cognition assuming that action, perception, and cognition are closely intertwined, this paper proposes that the learning effectiveness of dynamic visualizations could be enhanced by grounding the movements of the presentation in people’s own bodily experiences during learning. We discuss recent research on embodied cognition and provide specific strategies for how the body can be used to ground movements during the learning process: (1) making or observing gestures, (2) manipulating and interacting with objects, (3) using body metaphors, and (4) using eye movements as retrieval cues. Implications for the design of dynamic visualizations as well as directions for future research are presented.     

Die ?sterreichische Studierendenanwaltschaft: ein effizientes Beschwerdeinstrument oder Multifunktions-Hybrid?

Bereits 1997 ist im damaligen Bundesministerium für Wissenschaft und Verkehr die Studierendenanwaltschaft, ?hnlich wie andere Sonderanwaltschaften des Bundes, eingerichtet worden. Mit der Einführung von Studiengebühren an Universit?ten und Fachhochschulen 2001 wurden ihre Agenden von einer reinen Informations- auf eine ministerielle Beschwerdestelle zur Meldung und Behebung von Missst?nden und Unzul?nglichkeiten ausgeweitet. Nach zehn Jahren T?tigkeit zeigen die Erfahrungen aus dem Alltag, dass überwiegend informelle Individualhilfe im Vordergrund der T?tigkeit dieser Einrichtung steht. Systemm?ngel sind schwerer zu beheben, da solche meist ressourcenbedingt oder mit einander konkurrierenden gesetzlichen Regelungen verbunden sind und es keine festgelegten Normen des Einschreitens innerhalb der offiziellen Rechtsaufsicht des Ministeriums gibt. L?sungen sind von der Kooperationsbereitschaft der Verantwortlichen vor Ort abh?ngig.     

Function oriented service composition modeling

Formal models for service composition have been proposed with the variation of the requirements of service developers. Some famous models have provided checking and verification techniques and tools for the behavior of service composition. These models generally focus much on the message flow of web services and neglecting the data contained in the exchanged messages among services, which restrict the application range of these models and also the web service techniques. As new kind of services with different protocols and communication methods have appeared, it is needed to model service composition from a new view which is adapted to the new development in service area. In this paper we offer a function oriented model of service composition which treats the composite service as a software system and specify the function of services which can be directly used to the realization by service providers.     

Helping Homeless Families Overcome Barriers to Successful Functioning

The author articulates key stressors in the lives of families who are homeless. These stresses often combine with barriers such as lack of job opportunities and/or insensitive professionals. Strategies for helping homeless families overcome these barriers and related issues are presented.