Strategies that promote historical reasoning and contextualization: a pilot intervention with urban high school students

Reading and Writing - The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of two types of historical problem-solving instruction with advanced urban high school students’...     

Analysis and design for continuous-time string-connected Takagi–Sugeno systems

Distributed systems consist of interconnected, lower-dimensional subsystems. For such systems, distributed analysis and design present several advantages, such as modularity, easier analysis and design, and reduced computational complexity. A special case of distributed systems is when the subsystems are connected in a string. Applications include distributed process control, traffic and communication networks, irrigation systems, hydropower valleys, etc. By exploiting such a structure, in this paper, we propose conditions for the distributed stability analysis of Takagi–Sugeno fuzzy systems connected in a string. These conditions are also extended to observer and controller design and illustrated on numerical examples.     

组态视角下平台企业商业模式创新路径研究

为探索多重条件并发对平台企业商业模式创新的影响,基于机会资源一体观构建商业模式创新路径模型,通过对193个样本进行模糊集定性比较分析发现：平台企业商业模式创新路径形成依赖机会开发和资源联动层面要素的组合;机会开发和资源联动层面不同要素的组合形成两类商业模式创新路径,类型1强调模仿型机会开发与资源联动策略组合,类型2强调创新型机会开发与资源联动策略组合;机会开发适配的资源联动方式存在差异,其中模仿型机会开发与资源共享和资源编排匹配良好,而创新型机会开发与资源编排、资源拓展匹配良好。研究结论揭示了平台企业商业模式创新多条等效路径,丰富了商业模式创新前因研究,也为平台企业商业模式创新实践提供了理论指导。     

Epidemiology of injuries in First Division Spanish football

Abstract

The aim was to examine the injuries sustained by Spanish football players in the First Division and to compare injury-related variables in the context of both competition and training. The injury data were prospectively collected from 16 teams (427 players) using a specific web-based survey during the 2008/2009 season. A total of 1293 injuries were identified (145 were recurring injuries). The overall injury incidence was 5.65 injuries per 1000 h of exposure. Injuries were much more common during competition than during training (43.53 vs. 3.55 injuries per 1000 h of exposure, P < 0.05). Most of the injuries (89.6%) involved the lower extremities, and overuse (65.7%) was the main cause. Muscle and tendon injuries were the most common types of injury (53.8%) among the players. The incidence of training injuries was greater during the pre-season and tended to decrease throughout the season, while the incidence of competition injuries increased throughout the season (all P < 0.05). In conclusion, the results of this study suggest the need for injury prevention protocols in the First Division of the Spanish Football League to reduce the number of overuse injuries in the muscles and tendons in the lower extremities. In addition, special attention should be paid during the pre-season and the competitive phase II (the last four months of the season) in order to prevent training and competition injuries, respectively.     

Inclusive Pedagogy in Light of Social Justice. Special Educational Rights and Inclusive Classrooms: on whose terms? A Field Study in Stockholm Suburbs

The question of inclusive education is not straightforward. Despite all its good intentions, inclusive education, in practice faces numerous challenges today. This study analyses these challenges in the Swedish special education context. The author explores special educators’ experiences, possibilities and challenges when applying inclusive education. Findings reveal positive attitudes to the concept of inclusive classrooms. Nevertheless, teachers face more than a few grey areas that need to be put in place in order to achieve socially and cognitively inclusive classrooms.     

The effects of inter-letter spacing in visual-word recognition: Evidence with young normal readers and developmental dyslexics

Recent research has demonstrated that slight increases of inter-letter spacing have a positive impact on skilled readers' recognition of visually presented words. In the present study, we examined whether this effect generalises to young normal readers and readers with developmental dyslexia, and whether increased inter-letter spacing affects the reading times and comprehension of a short text. To that end, we conducted a series of lexical decision and continuous reading experiments in which words were presented with the default settings or with a small increase in inter-letter spacing. Increased spacing produced shorter word identification times not only with adult skilled readers (Experiment 1), but also with young normal readers (Grade 2 and Grade 4 children; Experiment 2) and, even to a larger degree, with readers with dyslexia (Experiments 3 and 4). These experiments suggest that slight increases in inter-letter spacing would improve the readability of texts aimed at children, especially those with dyslexia.     

Multimedia in modern language teacher education

This paper discusses the professional development of primary modern language teachers through the use of new technologies. It explores the principles upon which the development of a multimedia learning environment (FLiP – Foreign Languages in Primary) was constructed. These entail principles of effective modern‐language teaching, principles of teacher education, and a conception of the effective teacher. In addition, ways in which technology can support the principles of effective professional development are discussed. Information technology can be extremely empowering, extremely motivating and extremely conducive to creating new and exciting teacher‐education environments. The most outstanding contribution is that multimedia environments can make teachers look beyond the immediate context thanks to the incorporation of indirect observation.Les multimédias dans la formation des enseignants en langues étrangères. Cet article discute le d´eveloppement professionnel des enseignants du primaire en langues modernes, grâce à l'utilisation des nouvelles technologies. Il explore les principes selon lesquels le développement d'un environnement multimédia a été construit (FLIP - Foreign Languages in Primary). Ils impliquent les principes de l'enseignement efficace des langues modernes, les principes de la formation des maîtres, et une conception du maître efficace. De plus, les façons dont la technologie vont soutenir les principes d'un développement efficace sont discutées. La technologie de l'information peut être très puissante, très motivante pour créer des nouveaux environnements excitants pour la formation des maîtres. La plus importante contribution est que les environnement mulitimédia amènent les maîtres à regarder au delà du contexte immédiat grâce à l'incorporation de l'observation indirecte.Multimedia in der Ausbildung von Lehrern für neue Sprachen. Dieses Papier erörtert die professionelle Entwicklung von Material zur Ausbildung von Grundstufenlehrern für moderne Sprachen durch die Verwendung neuer Technologien. Es vermittelt die Prinzipien, auf denen die Entwicklung einer Multimedia Lernumgebung ('FLIP - Foreign Languages in Primary') aufgebaut wurde. Diese enthalten Prinzipien modernen Sprachunterrichts, Prinzipien von Lehrerbildung und ein Konzept des 'wirksamen' Lehrers. Außerdem wird diskutiert, welche Technik die Prinzipien wirksamer professioneller Entwicklung unterstützen kann. Die Nutzung von Informationstechnologie kann extrem verstärkend, extrem motivierend und äußerst dienlich sein, neue und aufregende Möglichkeiten für die Lehrerbildung.zu schaffen. Der hervorragendste Beitrag ist, daß Multimediaumgebungen es Lehrern ermöglichen können, sich öber den unmittelbaren Kontext durch die Integration indirekter Beobachtung zu informieren.     

La enseñanza de la redacción desde el punto de vista didáctico

En este artículo se hace una reflexión en profundidad uniendo el proceso de enseñar en general al proceso específico de enseñanza de la redacción, que se configura como tarea interdisciplinar en torno a la escritura como eje integrador para lograr la unidad curricular. Esta reflexión se concreta en 10 prescripciones o sugerencias para la actuación.     

The impact of electric overhead radiant heating on the indoor environment of historic churches

The impact of electric overhead radiant heaters on the microclimate, air flows, transport and deposition of suspended particulate matter (SPM) was monitored between March 2004 and March 2005 in the historic churches of Saint Michael Archangel in Szalowa and Saint Catherine in Cracow (Poland). The measurements show that although irradiation at the floor level increases temperature and reduces relative humidity in the interior of the church, the effect out of the heated zone and for the surfaces sheltered from irradiation is very limited, i.e. their extent is comparable with natural fluctuations inherent to the local climate of the church. The radiant heaters proved to generate little convectional flow of the air. Therefore, the heating system was not found to increase the concentration of SPM indoors; in particular, no re-suspension of particles already present in the church was observed. This work has demonstrated that the overhead radiant heaters are capable of providing localised heat to the areas where people congregate without adversely affecting painted walls and the works of arts displayed in churches. Care, however, should be taken that sensitive works of art are not exposed to the direct infrared radiation.