Four requirements for digital case study libraries

In education, case studies have been employed as a major pedagogical means to engage students with realistic materials and practical problems. The usefulness and success of case studies have been documented in literature. In this paper, we move the case study and its technical affordance a step further toward more authentic or realistic learning and toward communities of practice. Drawing on current intellectual achievement in education, developmental psychology and computer-supported collaborative learning, this paper proposes four requirements for interactive case study libraries, focusing on authentic learning, social interaction, resource accumulation, and communities of practice. With a usability engineering case study library as an example, we discuss design concerns derived from these requirements as well as its use in practice.     

Silent or Stealth Retractions,the Dangerous Voices of the Unknown,Deleted Literature

Retractions serve as one perspective of the publishing process, and can offer vast insight into the problems associated with basic research, with the traditional publishing platform, or with policies. Some established retraction guidelines exist, such as those established by the Committee on Publication Ethics, or COPE. This essay provides a perspective of stealth or silent retractions within the broader concept of retractions, and within the framework of the COPE retraction guidelines. The issue of opaque retraction notices, especially in the case of COPE members, as well as the prominence of questionable retraction policies among select “predatory” open access publishers, is emphasized. Select clear examples are provided.     

The Global/Local Book Publishing (R)evolution

In the decades since the Second World War, interest in Western-style children’s books has expanded in tandem with the growth of a literacy-minded global middle class. Now, as publishing for young people takes root for the first time in nations as economically and culturally diverse as Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and China, the opportunities for rights exchanges, co-editions, and other forms of industry cooperation across national and cultural borders are greater than ever.     

An Error is an Error… is an Erratum: The Ethics of not Correcting Errors in the Science Literature

This essay provides an unpalatable perspective on classifying the reluctance of authors, editors or publishers to correct their erroneous literature as being unethical. Authors who publish papers that carry errors and who take laurels for such publications, but who then fail to correct reported errors at a post-publication stage should be classified as unethical, and their act or irresponsibility as misconduct. Similarly, editors and publishers who fail to revise erroneous literature when claims are factually correct, independent of the volume of claims, are also in violation of their codes of conduct and professional responsibilities towards the scientific community and society. This essay provides a critical outlook on this issue which has begun to plague the post-publication movement in science, and which deserves urgent attention and focus.     

Microwave-assisted synthesis, anticonvulsant activity and quantum mechanical modelling of N-（4-bromo-3-methylphenyl） semicarbazones

Objective： To study the effect of halo substitution on disubstituted aryl semicarbazones on the anticonvulsant potential and model the activity based on quantum mechanics. Methods： A series of twenty-six compounds of N^4-（4-bromo-3-methylphenyl） semicarbazones were synthesized and evaluated for the anticonvulsant activity in the maximal electroshock seizure （MES） and subcutaneous pentylenetetrazole （scPTZ） seizure threshold tests. Some potential compounds were also tested in the subcutaneous strychnine （scSTY） and subcutaneous picrotoxin （scPIC） seizure threshold tests. The synthesized compounds were tested for behavioral impairment and CNS （central nervous system） depression in mice. Quantum mechanical modelling was carried out on these compounds to gain understanding on the structural features essential for activity. Results： Some compounds possessed broad spectrum anticonvulsant activity as indicated by their effect in pentylenetetrazole, strychnine, picrotoxin and maximal electroshock seizures models in resemblance to other aryl semicarbazone derivatives reported earlier. The higher the difference in HOMO （highest occupied molecular orbital） and LUMO （lowest unoccupied molecular orbital） energy levels was, the greater was the activity profile. Conclusion： The pharmacophoric requirements for compounds to exhibit anticonvulsant activity that includes one aryl unit in proximity to a hydrogen donor-acceptor domain and an electron donor have been justified with the molecular orbital surface analysis of the synthesized compounds.     

预测摄动平面非Hamilton系统混沌的解析方法

An analytical method for predicting chaos in perturbed planar non-Hamiltonian integrable systems with slowly varying parameters was developed.Based on the analysis of the geometric structure of unperturbed systems.the condition of transversely homoclinic intersection was given.The generalized Melnikov function of the perturbed system was fund by applying the theorem on the differentiability of ordinary differential equation solutions with respect to parameters.     

Insecticidal activity of the medicinal plant, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Alstonia boonei</Emphasis> De Wild,against <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sesamia calamistis</Emphasis> Hampson

The bioactivity of the aqueous extracts of the leaf and stem bark of the medicinal plant, Alstonia boonei De Wild (Apocyanaceae), against the pink stalk borer, Sesamia calamistis Hampson (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) was studied in a laboratory bioassay. The extracts were incorporated into artificial diet at a rate of 0.0% (control), 1.0%, 2.5%, 5.0%, and 10.0% (w/w). Both extracts significantly (P<0.01) reduced larval survival and weight in a dose dependent manner. The concentrations that killed 50% of the larvae (LC50) for the stem bark extract were 2.8% and 2.1% at 10 and 20 DAI (days after introduction), respectively, while those for the leaves extract were 5.6% and 3.5%. The weights of the larvae also varied significantly (P<0.05) between the treatments in a dose dependent manner. We conclude that both leaf and stem bark extracts of A. boonei are toxic, used as growth inhibitors to S. calamistis larvae, and hold good promise for use as alternative crop protectants against S. calamistis.     

Dialogical self: author and narrator of career life themes

This conceptual paper introduces the Theory of Dialogical Self to the career development literature. The life themes component of the Theory of Career Construction is the focus of application for dialogical self. It is proposed that the notion of dialogical self may contribute to understanding how individuals construct the career-related life themes. Dialogical self is thus presented as a promising theoretical construct to augment the explanatory capacity of the Theory of Career Construction and the constructivist, narrative approach to career theory in general. Implications for career counselling are presented.