Reading to Learn or Learning to Read? Engaging College Students in Course Readings

Despite instructors' belief that class readings are integral to the learning process, only 20–30% of undergraduate students complete required readings. Failure to complete course reading has been associated with declines in exam and research performance. This article first offers a brief review of the literature on why students do not complete course readings: 1) unpreparedness, 2) lack of motivation, 3) time constraints, and 4) an underestimation of reading importance. We then identify approaches that encourage students to read, enjoy reading, and develop metacognitive knowledge, shown to improve learning.     

Agricultural and science education: a socio-analysis of their intersection and positions within the educational field

It can be argued that agricultural science is one of the original forms of science education. However, over the past century, agricultural science education has habitually been perceived as an educational venue meant solely for production agriculturalists. When examining modern agricultural education we find it to be a minority within the broader field of science education, contradicting its historically stout scientific standing within the sciences. This educational shift leaves one to ponder the historic development of contemporary agricultural education. To gain deeper insight into these questions we reviewed the historical evolution of agricultural education within the United States. We then examined the professional habitus, or cultural nuances, associated with contemporary agricultural education. Next, we considered potential outcomes associated with the profession embracing post-modern perspectives within mainstream science and community-based education. Finally, we call for critical venues within agriculture education to question the status quo and challenge the acceptance of commonly held views.     

The cognitive relevance of Indigenous and rural: Why is it critical to survival?

Using two case studies of children’s knowledge, this paper sheds light on the value, diversity, and necessity of Indigenous and place-based knowledge to science and engineering curricula in rural areas. Rural contexts are rich environments for cultivating contextual knowledge, hence framing a critical pedagogy of teaching and learning. Indigenous and rural place-based knowledge are nuanced and pragmatic in character, and offer solutions to both local and global challenges. Two case studies, drawn from the experience of Lakota and Dakota communities and rural New York State, demonstrate the need to conserve, transmit, and contribute to Indigenous and rural knowledge through experiential and place-based education that bridges the gap between children’s knowledge and global STEM. This knowledge is inherently diverse in its complexity and connectivity to habitat, and when viewed in this light, has the capacity to transform our perspectives on educational practices and policies as well as our overall outlook on conserving both ecological as well as cultural diversity worldwide. Because diversity and knowledge are necessary for the survival of life on this planet, an enriched concept of pedagogical pluralism, in terms of multiple ways of knowing, is a necessity.     

Turning science to account: Chicago and the general science movement in secondary education, 1905-1920

In the second decade of the twentieth century a new subject appeared in American high schools, aimed at providing citizens with an understanding of the essential nature of scientific thinking. "General science," as it was called, was developed and promoted by an emerging class of professional educators who sought to offer a version of science that they believed would both excite public interest and prove useful in the everyday lives of the masses of students streaming into the rapidly expanding institution of secondary education. It was to be a course with real utility that would transcend the boundaries of the specialized, abstract disciplinary subjects like chemistry and physics-subjects with identities tied to the practices and standards of the colleges and universities, which had long exerted control over the content of secondary schooling. This essay recounts the origins of general science and, in particular, examines how the intellectual and material environment of the city of Chicago at the turn of the century influenced the course that was produced and widely adopted in school programs across the United States.     

Diurnal variation in serum glucose,pyruvate, lactate and lactate dehydrogenase levels under different environmental temperatures

Circadian rhythm of serum glucose, pyruvate, lactate and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was studied in normal healthy young volunteers at the onset (I Group, 7 cases) and peak (II Group, 8 cases) of winters in India with highly varied temperature. There was a significant difference, in the circadian rhythm of glucose, pyruvate and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) of the two groups. A clockwise shift was observed in acrophase except in serum lactate, which is related to the energy demand in association with time qualified changes in diurnal activity of the individuals and change in photoperiod.     

Identification of analytic signals

This paper is devoted to the identification of analytic signals and to find a solution to the following problem. Given a realization of an analytic signal, it is necessary to find the analytic function by which the signal is described. The proposed approach to this problem is based on relatively simple relationships existing between many analytic signals and their respective derivatives. These relationships are closely related to the properties of the dynamic systems which generate the signals under investigation. Simple identification procedures are described and tested by means of computer simulation.     

广东科技期刊稿约中的审稿时间的调查和分析

调查了广东部分科技期刊稿约中的审稿时间，发现其中存在一些问题亟待解决。解决问题的关键在于签订著作权合同。规范期刊社和作者之间的著作权关系，严格依法办事。     

Environment and Policy Factors Shaping Global E-Commerce Diffusion: A Cross-Country Comparison

This article examines the key global, environmental and policy factors that act as determinants of e-commerce diffusion. It is based on systematic comparison of case studies from 10 countries--Brazil, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Mexico, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United States. It finds that B2B e-commerce seems to be driven by global forces, whereas B2C seems to be more of a local phenomenon. A preliminary explanation for this difference is that B2B is driven by global competition and MNCs that "push" e-commerce to their global suppliers, customers, and subsidiaries. This in turn creates pressures on local companies to adopt e-commerce to stay competitive. In contrast, B2C is "pulled" by consumer markets, which are mainly local and therefore divergent. While all consumers desire convenience and low prices, consumer preferences and values, national culture, and distribution systems differ markedly across countries and define differences in local consumer markets. These findings support the transformation perspective about globalization and its impacts. In terms of policy, the case studies suggest that enabling policies such as trade and telecommunications liberalization are likely to have the biggest impact on e-commerce, by making ICT and Internet access more affordable to firms and consumers, and increasing pressure on firms to adopt e-commerce to compete. Specific e-commerce legislation appears not to have as big an impact, although inadequate protection for both buyers and sellers in some countries suggests that mechanisms need to be developed to ensure greater confidence in doing business online.     

Serum oestradiol in women with carcinomas of the breast and uterine cervix

Endogenous oestrogens are thought to be involved in breast cancer, but few studies could show the direct relationship between hormones and pathological process of the disease. In the present study, oestradiol was estimated in the serum of pre-and postmenopausal breast cancer patients along with normal healthy controls and patients with carcinoma of the uterine cervix which is not dependent on oestrogens. Premenopausal patients with breast cancer showed higher levels of oestradiol as compared to premenopausal control women as well as cervical cancer patients. Whereas, no statistically significant differences were observed in serum oestradiol levels amongst postmenopausal groups of breast cancer, cervical cancer and normal women. The result of the study reflects the association of oestradiol as well as its difference in the pathological events of pre and postmenopausal breast cancer.