Extending Responsiveness to Intervention to Mathematics at First and Third Grades

Responsiveness to intervention (RTI) is an innovative approach to the identification of learning disabilities (LD). The central assumption is that RTI can differentiate between two explanations for low achievement: poor instruction versus disability. If the child responds poorly to validated instruction, then the assessment eliminates instructional quality as a viable explanation for poor academic growth and instead provides evidence of a disability. For children who do respond nicely, RTI serves a critical prevention function. Most of RTI research has been focused on early reading. In this article, we describe two ongoing programs of research on RTI in the area of mathematics: one on a comprehensive mathematics curriculum at first grade and the other focused on word problems at third grade. For each research program, we describe the sample, explain how students are identified as at risk for mathematics disability, provide an overview of the interventions to which responsiveness is gauged, and describe some results to date.     

跑台运动和营养补充对大鼠骨骼肌能量代谢酶的影响

应用长期递增负荷跑台运动造成大鼠运动性贫血状态，并对其骨骼肌内某些能量代谢酶进行观察。雄性Wistar大鼠30只，随机、筛选分为3组：对照组（10只）、递增负荷跑台运动组（简称运动组，10只）、递增负荷跑台运动＋营养补充组（简称运动＋营养组，10只）。运动组和运动＋营养组的跑台训练安排按照运动性贫血模型建立方法实施。研究表明，运动性贫血条件下，大鼠腓肠肌Mg^2＋～ATP酶、Ca^2＋-ATP酶和Ca^2＋-Mg^2＋。ATP酶指标结果显著低于正常对照组，LDH的活力显著高于对照组而低于运动＋营养组，SDH的活力则没有表现出组间差异性。运动性贫血条件下，大鼠腓肠肌内ATP酶多数会发生显著性降低、LDH表现出显著性升高，表明运动性贫血发生时伴随着骨骼肌有氧代谢酶的活性下降和有氧代谢酶的活性升高，说明此种长期递增负荷跑台运动相对提高了机体利用无氧代谢的比例，而此营养补充对此种变化影响作用不明显，此变化的内部机理尚需进一步深入研究。     

Phosphate loading and the effects on VO2max in trained cyclists

It is known that an increased level of red blood cell 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (DPG) shifts the oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve to the right, thus allowing a greater unloading of oxygen at the tissue level. It has been hypothesized that phosphate might help increase VO2max by increasing 2,3-DPG level. Eight trained cyclists underwent three cycle ergometer tests (control, placebo, and experimental) to determine whether phosphate ingestion had any positive effect on VO2max, time to exhaustion, serum 2,3-DPG, and serum phosphate levels. We found no change between the control, placebo, or experimental conditions in pretest serum phosphate levels, but we did find increases in 2,3-DPG levels in the phosphate condition (p less than .05), which suggests that even a small amount of phosphate could increase levels of 2,3-DPG. We also found significant differences in VO2max between the control (p less than .05) and placebo (p less than .02) conditions and also in time to exhaustion between the three conditions (p less than .05). We suggest that phosphate may have an ergogenic effect, but clearly more work needs to be undertaken to ascertain the amount of phosphate required and the magnitude of the effect.     

Engineering Education in Developing Countries: social relevance versus international comparability

The growing frustration of developing countries with their relatively slow rate of economic progress, their increasing dependence on imports of technology despite genuine efforts for endogenous developemt, and the flight of their skilled manpower for employment in developed countries have combined to focus attention of their educational planners on the ‘appropriateness’ of their engineering education programmes. Since technology is nation- and culture-specific, it is argued that all educational programmes in the field of engineering and technology should be specifically designed to meet the needs of the country concerned. Formulation of such programmes may, however, inhibit mobility of engineers across national boundaries, hamper transferof technology and decelerate global economic and technological development. The paper examines the observable differences in the characteristics of developing and developed countries, the technological framework and projections of economic growth of developing countries and the special features of the engineering educational system needed to respond to their needs. Implications of recent advances in information technology, biotechnology and manufacturing technology on engineering education planning are analysed. The compatibility of socially relevant engineering education with that of internationally comparable standards is examined in detail. It is shown that it is possible to develop programmes in developing countries which are intellectually challenging, meet international standards of achievement and at the same tiem equip students with competence in technology assessment, with awareness of pitfalls of technology transfer and with experience in use of technological solutions for current social and economic problems. It is argued that such programmes while essential for developing countries will be equally useful to developed countries and would accelerate international appreciation of problems of development. The reversal of brain-drain is proposed through the creation of challenging opportunities at home coupled with the utiltisation of intellectual and financial resources of emigré nationals abroad.     

Medical student, resident, and faculty use of a computerized literature searching system

The experiences of medical students, residents, and faculty with a computerized literature searching system were evaluated. Third-year medical students, internal medicine and family practice residents, and full-time and voluntary faculty at one medical school had the opportunity to use a full-text and bibliographic medical literature retrieval system free of charge for an eleven-month period. Subjects conducted nearly nine thousand literature searches over a period of 942 system hours. Questionnaire data showed that participants could learn to use and would use an electronic information system, felt capable of using the system, utilized the system for a variety of purposes and in a number of different ways, and viewed the system as a valuable tool in searching the medical literature. The results are discussed in the context of the educational needs of the four user-groups and medical education planning by institutions.