The development of beginning mathematics teacher pedagogical content knowledge

Recent research efforts (Schmidt et al. in The preparation gap: teacher education for middle school mathematics in six countries, MSU Center for Research in Mathematics and Science Education, 2007) demonstrate that teacher development programs in high-performing countries offer experiences that are designed to develop both mathematical knowledge and pedagogical knowledge. However, identifying the nature of the mathematical knowledge and the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) required for effective teaching remains elusive (Ball et al. in J Teacher Educ 59:389–407, 2008). Building on the initial conceptual framework of Magnusson et al. (Examining pedagogical content knowledge, Kluwer, Dordrecht, pp 95–132, 1999), we examined the PCK development for two beginning middle and secondary mathematics teachers in an alternative certification program. The PCK development of these two individuals varied due to their focus on developing particular aspects of their PCK, with one individual focusing on assessment and student understanding, and the other individual focusing on curricular knowledge. Our findings indicate that these individuals privileged particular aspects of their knowledge, leading to differences in their PCK development. This study provides insight into the specific aspects of PCK that developed through the course of actual instructional practice, providing a lens for future research in this area.     

Minority Language Issues in Chinese Higher Education: Policy Reforms and Practice among the Korean and Mongol Ethnic Groups

The purpose of this study is to compare Korean and Mongol minorities in the People’s Republic of China in terms of their native language preservation and educational experiences at the higher education level, and to investigate differences and similarities between Korean and Mongol minorities’ language issues. Content area experts on Chinese minority education from China, South Korea, and the United States were interviewed for this study. Findings include suggestions for helping to formulate government educational policies regarding issues related to language in Chinese minority education at the higher education level. This information is helpful to better understand and educate others in school and home settings where Chinese ethnic minority students reside. The advancement of Chinese minority education knowledge related to higher education will significantly strengthen and empower individuals, families, and communities throughout the People’s Republic of China.     

A predictive controller for joint pitch-roll stabilization

Reduction of roll and pitch motions is critical in improving the safety and operability of a ship. In this paper, a predictive controller for a ship equipped with two pairs of active fins is proposed for joint pitch-roll stabilization. The proposed controller is developed on the basis of ship motion and hydrodynamic force prediction (SMHFP). The SMHFP controller consists of a short-term predictor, a force estimator, and a fin angle allocator. The short-term predictor adopts an autoregressive (AR) approach and serves to forecast ship motions. Then, predicted ship motions are used in an external hydrodynamic force estimator to evaluate the expected stabilizing forces. Finally, the optimal attack angles for active fins are allocated based on external hydrodynamic forces forecasts. The control system of the stabilizing fins and SMHFP controller is integrated into the sea-keeping program. The program was developed based on a weakly nonlinear 2.5D method, which shows better efficiency and accuracy compared with conventional 2D and 3D methods. To evaluate the performance of the proposed controller, numerical simulations of the joint pitch-roll stabilization under various sea states were investigated on a ship model. The results suggest that the SMHFP controller shows satisfactory performance in reducing pitch and roll motions simultaneously.     

A growth-based topology optimizer for stiffness design of continuum structures under harmonic force excitation

The aim of this study is to explore the potential of various plant ramifications as concept generators for creating a brand topology optimization solution for stiffness design of continuum structures under harmonic force excitations. Firstly, a mathematical model is built to identify analytical laws that underlie the optimality of the effective but individual design rules of existing leaf venation morphogenesis. Then, a new evolutionary algorithm is developed to find the optimal topology of stiffened structures under harmonic force excitations. Candidate stiffeners are treated as being alive, growing at locations with a maximum displacement response gradient along the structural surface. Since the scale of the candidate stiffeners can be adaptively expanded or reduced during the simulation, computational resources could be saved, thereby enhancing the flexibility of topology optimization. Finally, the suggested approach is applied to a case study in which the displacement amplitude at specified locations is defined as the objective and the volume of added stiffeners as the constraint. The simulation process shows how the stiffness design of continuum structures can be conducted automatically using this bionic approach.     

Effects of concomitant diabetes mellitus and hyperthyroidism on testicular and epididymal histoarchitecture and steroidogenesis in male animals

This study evaluated the effects of comorbid disorders of diabetes and hyperthyroidism in the adult male mice. In total, 32 ICR strain mice were equally distributed into four groups: control (C), diabetic (D), diabetic-plushyperthyroid (DH), and hyperthyroid (H). Mice allocated for diabetes received a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ) at 200 mg/kg body weight. At the onset of diabetes, one group of mice was concomitantly injected levothyroxine (LT4; 0.3 mg/kg body weight) and the other set of animals received the same treatment independently on a daily basis. The body weight, as well as the testicular and epididymal weights, was reduced markedly in D and DH mice. Higher trends of blood glucose levels were seen in the DH group, in comparison to euthyroid diabetic mice. Thyroid hormones could exert a transient effect on blood glucose homeostasis by altering the serum blood glucose level in diabetic patients. Histomorphometric analysis showed increased luminal sizes of seminiferous tubules, along with decreased epithelial height and atrophic changes in germinal stem cells in the testis of DH and H mice. Caput epididymis of DH mice showed extensive compaction of principal cells, loss of stereocilia, lipid vacuolization, and inflammatory infiltrations; however, damaged tubular integrity, packed clear cells, exfoliated cells, and round spermatids were profoundly noticed in the cauda epididymis. Hyperthyroidism elevated the serum testosterone levels in H and DH mice and produced critical damages to the histoarchitecture of the epididymis. Collectively, this experiment endeavored to mimic the polyglandular autoimmune syndrome, which will be helpful to better understand the reasons for male infertility in diabetic-cum-hyperthyroid patients.     

Investigating the structural relationship for the determinants of cloud computing adoption in education

This research is one of the first few to investigate the adoption and usage of cloud computing in higher education in the context of developing countries, in this case Thailand. It proposes extending the technology acceptance model to integrate subjective norm, perceived convenience, trust, computer self-efficacy, and software functionality in order to better understand the degree of influence that each has on the adoption of cloud in an educational setting. The instrument development was modified from past studies on technology adoption. Data was collected from two leading universities in Thailand, Mahidol University International College, and Thammasat University. Structural equation modeling was applied to the research, the results of which illustrated that perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, intention to use, perceived convenience, trust, and software functionality have a statistically positive relationship towards the adoption of cloud computing. However, it is interesting to note that, contrary to most studies, computer self-efficacy and subjective norm did not posit a positive relationship. The research also presents the conclusions, which include a discussion of the findings, the academic and practical implications, and limitations.