Using Animals to Teach Children Biology: Exploring the Use of Biological Explanations in Children’s Anthropomorphic Storybooks

Research Findings: Anthropomorphism—the attribution of human characteristics to nonhuman entities—has long been a staple of children’s media. However, children’s experiences with anthropomorphic media may interfere with biological reasoning instead encouraging an anthropocentric view of the natural world. To date, little research has addressed the typical content of children’s storybooks about animals: Do these storybooks present factual information that may support early developing biological reasoning, or do they instead focus on human-centered, psychological information that may encourage anthropocentrism? We analyzed the types of causal explanatory information that commercial storybooks about animals provide to children about 2 biological concepts that have been extensively studied in the experimental literature: biological inheritance and the transmission of illness. Using coding schemes similar to those used in prior experimental literature to assess preschool-age children’s biological reasoning, we found that none of the anthropomorphized books presented children with scientifically accurate causal mechanisms. These books focused almost exclusively on social-emotional experiences as opposed to biological explanations, which may inadvertently encourage anthropocentric reasoning. Practice or Policy: Understanding more about the content of informal sources of early learning can help inform educators on how to best support developing knowledge about the natural world and biological properties.     

模糊数据库及其在计算机网络传输的研究

通过对自然界中一些模糊现象的分析，发现通常数据库不能对模糊信息进行象描述，并在通常数据库的基础上给出了一种新的、规范的模糊数据库——A—A^*型模糊数据库，给出了模糊数据库传输的解决方案。     

论巴金的小说理论与批评

巴金的小说理论最具实践性,是他大量小说创作经验的总结和升华。他视创作为表达自己内心情感的需要,是自己生活的一部分;主张创作面向读者,"把心交给读者",和读者进行诚挚的情感交流;同时认为"艺术的最高境界是无技巧",肯定情感是创作的主要内容,形式和技巧只是它的附庸。小说应当有其教化的功能和审美的功能。巴金的小说理论和批评总是围绕着表现情感这条主线,它是朴实无华、独树一帜的。     

Using an Approximate Chi-Square Statistic to Test the Number of Dimensions Underlying the Responses to a Set of Items

An approximate χ² statistic based on McDonald's (1967) nonlinear factor analytic representation of item response theory was proposed and investigated with simulated data. The results were compared with Stout's T statistic (Nandakumar & Stout, 1993; Stout, 1987). Unidimensional and two-dimensional item response data were simulated under varying levels of sample size, test length, test reliability, and dimension dominance. The approximate χ² statistic had good control over Type I errors when unidimensional data were generated and displayed very good power in identifying the two-dimensional data. The performance of the approximate χ² was at least as good as Stout's T statistic in all conditions and was better than Stout's T statistic with smaller sample sizes and shorter tests. Further implications regarding the potential use of nonlinear factor analysis and the approximate χ² in addressing current measurement issues are discussed.     

基于Haar小波多分辨分析非线性图像消噪的研究

本文基于Haar小波多分辨分析研究非线性图像消噪 ,通过小波收缩得到消噪的阈值范围 ,提出了小波包的重构 .实验结果表明 :Harr小波图像处理 ,实现再次低通滤波图像的噪声消除 ,其高频滤波特性优良 ,图像有较好的消噪结果     

符号及符号互动对平面设计的影响

平面设计是利用平面媒体传达信息为目的的 ,设计者应准确把握住它应用的符号和影响方法上的互动 ,保证这些符号恰如其分地表述设计者的设计理念     

高职教育实践教学体系的构建

构建实践教学体系，是由高职学院的性质所界定，它有助于改变高职教育理论脱离实际的教学状况，加强学生实践能力和适应能力的培养，促进学生综合素质的全面提高，以适应经济、社会发展的人才培养格局的要求。实践教学体系的构建，应以转变教育教学观念、优化课程结构、造就“双师”型教师队伍，促进科技成果转化、加强实践基地建设为重点。     

在传统与现代的天平上——试论《啼笑因缘》的叙事特色

张恨水的小说虽然沿袭了传统小说的叙事模式 ,但在叙事时间、叙事视角和叙事结构等方面吸收了一些现代小说的叙事技巧 ,形成了自己的特色 ,为中国小说叙事模式的转变作出了一定贡献。     

The impact of university incorporation on college lecturers

In South Africa, recent government plans tochange the institutional landscape of highereducation have resulted in mergers of collegesinto universities or technikons. The researchreported in this article focuses solely on theimpact of a ``college-into-university'incorporation as manifested in the personal,emotional and career experiences of thesecollege staff members. It traces the changes intheir perceptions and emotions during and afterthe incorporation process. It also identifiesrecurring themes and issues evident in thepersonal lives of those affected by thisincorporation.A unique research methodology was engaged: TheCollege staff who had been appointed to theuniversity after the merger, identified sevencritical themes and then designed and conducted30 semi-structured interviews among themselves.This article thus documents the impact ofincorporation into a university on theindividual and collective lives of theresearchers themselves.The data suggest that the emotional impact ofincorporation was intense and that theuncertainty, especially, led to considerabletrauma. The most important concern emanatingfrom this joint research project is that whilea certain degree of distress is unavoidable inany institutional merger, inattention to themanagement of human resources, emotions andaspirations could linger on, possibly having anegative effect on the ambitions for thetransformation of the new entity.