Thesaurus-based automatic book indexing

This paper describes a technique for automatic book indexing. The technique requires a dictionary of terms that are to appear in the index, along with all text strings that count as instances of the term. It also requires that the text be in a form suitable for processing by a text formatter. A program searches the text for each occurrence of a term or its associated strings and creates an entry to the index when either is found. The results of the experimental application to a portion of a book text are presented, including measures of precision and recall, with precision giving the ratio of terms correctly assigned in the automatic process to the total assigned, and recall giving the ratio of correct terms automatically assigned to the total number of term assignments according to a human standard. Results indicate that the technique can be applied successfully, especially for texts that employ a technical vocabulary and where there is a premium on indexing exhaustivity.     

The skinfold: myth and reality

The interest in skinfolds, given the easy accessibility of the subcutaneous layer and its non-invasive nature, has led to a proliferation of 'skinfold' applications and formulae. To obtain data to investigate body composition methods, particularly the use of skinfolds, two separate cadaver dissection studies were undertaken, allowing for the analysis of data from 32 cadavers with more than 2500 data per cadaver. In addition, 40 elderly 'living' subjects of the same age range were compared with the cadaver population and no significant macro-morphological differences were found. The available data have clearly demonstrated that skinfold compressibility is by no means constant. Adipose tissue patterning by assessment of skinfold thickness using calipers and incision confirms significant sex differences but emphasizes the neglected importance of skin thickness. It appears that the best adipose tissue predictors are different from those used in general. Also the problem of estimating body fat content by skinfold is compounded by the fact that two identical thicknesses of adipose tissue may contain significantly different concentrations of fat. Skinfolds are significantly related to external (subcutaneous) adipose tissue. However, the relation to internal tissue is less evident and the relation with intramuscular adiposity is unknown.     

Intervention with infants at risk for abuse or neglect

The need for direct services to infants at risk for abuse or neglect is addressed, with an emphasis on the advantages to the child of the integration of various modalities of treatment. The expertise of professionals who work with infants and young children in therapeutic and stimulation programs is required. Their experience also underscores the need for direct intervention in the parent-child interaction process. The developmental line of mastery and competence is reviewed with highlights of how this may be derailed in the at-risk infant. Finally, two suggestions are developed: that empathy might be taught to parents through an educational mode and that surrogate parenting, part-time, might be implemented routinely with mistreated children, at-risk infants, and perhaps for all infants.     

Rethinking approaches to research: the importance of considering contextually mitigating factors in promoting equitable practices in science education research

Cultural Studies of Science Education - In this paper, we explore themes that emerged while reading “How does one recognize contextual mitigating factors (CMFs) as a basis to understand and...     

Embedding CETLs in a performance‐oriented culture in higher education: Reflections on finding creative space

This article offers insight into the realization of the Higher Education Funding Council for England's vision for Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETLs) as catalysts for change. Two CETLs, the Centre for Interprofessional e‐Learning (CIPeL) and the Surrey Centre for Excellence in Professional Training and Education (SCEPTrE), provide illustrative cases of two similar but different change initiatives. CETLs might be expected to embody and inspire creativity in teaching and learning yet they are embedded in institutions where activities are increasingly shaped by the discourse of performativity. Findings from the two case studies, which focus on similar schemes designed to promote staff involvement in creative projects, challenge the suggestion that creativity is stifled in a performative context.     

Revisiting print exposure: exploring differential links to vocabulary,comprehension and reading rate

Undergraduates (N=171) completed a revised version of the Author Recognition Test ( Stanovich & West, 1989 ). The resulting print exposure scores were divided into two dimensions: personal reading experience (primary print knowledge – PPK) and secondary print knowledge (SPK). Both PPK and SPK were correlated with print exposure, but not with each other. PPK correlated more strongly with reading‐related variables (vocabulary, comprehension and reading rate) than did SPK. Of particular importance, PPK accounted for variance in all three criterion variables after the effects of SPK had been factored out. Thus, these data support the notion that it is the act of reading over and above memory for reading‐related information that furthers the development of linguistic skill.     

Investigating the Intertwinement of Knowledge,Value, and Experience of Upper Secondary Students’ Argumentation Concerning Socioscientific Issues

This study aims to explore students’ argumentation and decision-making relating to an authentic socioscientific issue (SSI)—the problem of environmental toxins in fish from the Baltic Sea. A multi-disciplinary instructional module, designed in order to develop students’ skills to argue about complex SSI, was successfully tested. Seven science majors in the final year of their upper secondary studies participated in this study. Their argumentation and decision-making processes were followed closely, and data were collected during multiple stages of the instructional module: group discussions were audio recorded, the participants wrote reports on their decision making, and postexercise interviews were conducted with individual students. The analysis focused on the skill of evaluation demonstrated by the students during the exercise and the relationships between the knowledge, values, and experiences that they used in their argumentation. Even though all of the students had access to the same information and agreed on the factual aspects of the issue, they came to different decisions. All of the students took counter-arguments and the limitations of their claims into account and were able to extend their claims where appropriate. However, their decisions differed depending on their background knowledge, values, and experiences (i.e., their intellectual baggage). The implication to SSI teaching and learning is discussed.