Finite element simulation of pole vaulting

Pole vaulting is one of the most spectacular disciplines in athletics. The evolution of world record heights is strongly influenced by the development of advanced poles and subsequent materials. Employing advanced, load-adjusted composites has resulted in a steady increase of the world record height. This study provides a framework for finite element simulations of pole vaulting with focus on the initial and boundary conditions as well as finite element choices. The influence of the pole bending stiffness on the achievable height is systematically simulated. Higher effective bending stiffness leads to higher pole vaulting heights. However, if a certain stiffness is exceeded, the vaulter will not be able to bend the pole enough which leads to failed attempts.     

Young Children's Use of Surface and Object Information in Drawings of Everyday Scenes

Pictorial symbols such as photographs, drawings, and maps are ubiquitous in modern cultures. Nevertheless, it remains unclear how children relate these symbols to the scenes that they represent. The present work investigates 4‐year‐old children's (N = 144) sensitivity to extended surface layouts and objects when using drawings of a room to find locations in that room. Children used either extended surfaces or objects when interpreting drawings, but they did not combine these two types of information to disambiguate target locations. Moreover, children's evaluations of drawings depicting surfaces or objects did not align with their use of such information in those drawings. These findings suggest that pictures of all kinds serve as media in which children deploy symbolic spatial skills flexibly and automatically.     

Pickeringite: A deleterious salt on buildings

Pickeringite, MgAl₂(SO₄)₄·22H₂O, was observed as efflorescence at the church of Saints Peter and Paul in Largario (Switzerland). The spongy salt crusts formed directly on rusty, deeply weathered gneiss rich in mica. The building stones originate from rocks in the vicinity of the village. On outcrops, similar occurrences were discovered. Ferrous and pyritic gneiss exhibited efflorescences of gypsum, epsomite, potassium alum, and pickeringite in sheltered places. Based on these observations and the known conditions of formation, we conclude that pickeringite resulted as a secondary mineral from weathering of pyritic gneiss. Most likely, weathering happened in an environment where, among other ions, aluminium and magnesium were present, but calcium and carbonate were absent. Such conditions rarely occur. If our hypothesis was confirmed, the fact that an extremely acid, calcium- and carbonate-free weathering system evolves next to lime mortars and plasters would be very surprising. It would imply that restricted zones devoid of a buffering effect develop on a microscopic scale.     

Online Bullying among High-School Students in India

Six hundred and forty high-school students (Grades 7–12) from a large central government school in South India participated in this exploratory study of online bullying (cyberbullying) in India. Participants responded to the Survey on Social Use of Information and Communications Technology (SSUICT; Bhat and Ragan 2013). Findings indicated that approximately half the participants experienced online bullying in one or more roles described by Bhat et al. Education about Asia, 2(18), 36–39, (2013), with these being: initiating online bully, secondary online bully, bystander, or target of online bullying. Overall, engagement in online bullying tended to increase with grade level, and participation in the role of secondary online bully was the highest of the four roles for Grades 8–12. Male participants reported higher engagement in all four roles than female participants, and this difference was significant for the roles of initiating online bully, secondary online bully, and target of online bullying. Significant correlations were found between the four roles of online bullying. Recommendations for addressing the issue of online bullying in the Indian context are provided, along with limitations of the study and suggestions for future research.     

Relational Learning in Social Work Education: Transformative Education for Teaching a Course on Loss,Grief and Death

This article explores the relational learning model for teaching clinical social work practice. Evaluations of a course on loss, grief, and death illustrate that relational learning methods enhanced students' relational and communicative knowledge and skills, and contributed to a transformative learning process. Relational learning is a method of teaching that is consistent with the postmodern classroom and with the mission of contemporary social work practice.