Science in mid-Victorian Punch

This article examines the scientific content of the most famous comic journal of the Victorian period: Punch. Concentrating on the first three decades of the periodical (1841-1871), I show that Punch usually engaged with science that was highly topical, of consequence to the lives of its bourgeois readers, and suitable for comic interpretation. But Punch's satire of scientific topics was highly complex. It often contained allusions to non-scientific topics, and its engagement with science ranged from the utterly comic to the sharply critical. Punch prompted readers to think as well as laugh about science, and probably shaped their scientific education more than we think.     

Providing online course opportunities for learners who are deaf, hard of hearing, or hearing

For more than 20 years, two courses, History, Education, and Guidance of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing and Introduction to Instructional Methods for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing, have been taught at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania using a traditional lecture format. A state grant provided funding to explore the use of technology to teach online courses to college-age learners who are deaf, hard of hearing, or hearing. Saba Centra software was used as the online tool for the synchronous presentation of course content, which included PowerPoint lecture material, text chat opportunities, sign language-interpreted video, and other forms of class participation (e.g., signaling for questions raised, responding in a "yes/no" format). The present article covers recent successes and challenges in offering online courses in a "virtual classroom" format to deaf and hard of hearing learners, as well as hearing learners, from a qualitative research perspective.     

Social behavior of children in a classroom setting

Forty-two children (25 boys, 17 girls) in two traditional second-grade classrooms were videotaped during normal classroom activity until approximately 50 min of tape was accumulated for each child. A variety of behaviors was then coded on an event recorder, including child-child interactions, general behaviors, and child-teacher interactions. Teacher evaluations expressed as ratings between bipolar adjectives were also obtained. A principal components analysis revealed six distinct factors. The strongest factor was composed of teacher-child interactions. Analyses of variance indicated that sex and birth order differences were limited. Compared to boys, girls engaged in more verbalization with same-sex peers (p < .001) and more cooperation with same-sex peers (p < .05). Teacher's evaluations were not significantly influenced by the sex of the children. Favorable teacher evaluations were clearly associated with the extent to which a child approached and remained in proximity to the teacher.     

Transfer of momentum from different arm segments to a light movable target during a straight punch thrown by expert boxers

Abstract

Three modern views about the factors limiting oxygen uptake in healthy humans are set against the original (early 1920s) concept of A. V. Hill and colleagues. The majority view for most of the intervening time has been that cardiac output is the essential limiting function. Among recent research in support of this contention is that, in quadrupeds, pericardiectomy, which allows greater diastolic filling, elevates maximum oxygen uptake; however, the relevance to bipedal exercise can be questioned. In any case, algebraic analyses of model systems indicate that all identifiable stages on the oxygen transport pathway, from pulmonary diffusion to oxidative phosphorylation in skeletal muscle mitochondria, materially influence maximum uptake. Thus, if a high cardiac output is to be of benefit, all the other steps must function better too. Nevertheless, these two viewpoints concur that the limit to maximum oxygen uptake is somatic. In contrast, there are strong indications that at altitudes where oxygen availability is about half that at sea level, cerebral oxygenation is a limiting factor, and some recent experiments raise the possibility that it might be a substantial influence at sea level also. Clearly, consensus cannot yet be reached on the question posed in the title.     

Reliability of a 5-m multiple shuttle test

The aim of the present study was to determine the reliability of a modified 5-m multiple shuttle test. The ‘matchrelated fitness’ of 23 female hockey players was assessed on four occasions within 4 weeks. The results of each test session and each shuttle were analysed using analysis of variance with repeated measures to determine the reliability of the test. The mean distance for each of the six shuttles decreased (121.2 ? 7.5, 114.5 ? 7.5, 112.2 ? 7.5, 109.9 ? 7.9, 108.4 ? 8.1 and 108.7 ? 8.3 m for shuttles 1-6, respectively; P < 0.001) similarly for each of the four sessions (P = 0.99). The total and peak distances covered during the tests were not significantly different (P = 0.99 and P = 0.12, respectively). The intra-class correlation coefficient (R) for these variables was 0.98 and 0.86, respectively. The delta distance and the fatigue index calculated post-test were significantly different (P = 0.001 and P = 0.006, respectively) between the four sessions. The intra-class correlation coefficient for both these variables was 0.74. Heart rate and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were not significantly different between sessions (P = 0.42 and P = 0.095, respectively). The intra-class correlation coefficient for heart rate ranged from 0.65 to 0.97 and that for RPE from 0.85 to 0.91. We conclude that the 5-m multiple shuttle run test is a reliable measure of total and peak distances, heart rate and RPE response and is sufficiently reliabile to track changes in fitness over a season. The delta distance and fatigue index are not as reliable and should be interpreted with caution.     

Hail to Thee, Our Alma Mater: Alumni Role Identity and the Relationship to Institutional Support Behaviors

With the decline in state and federal support for higher education continuing to plague colleges and universities across the U.S., many institutions are looking to increase the levels of support annually received from alumni and other constituencies. Research on alumni relations in American colleges and universities has historically focused on different factors related to charitable giving. Although this study has resulted in some valuable information for institutions to use for alumni involvement purposes, most of the research has not been able to produce a meaningful look into how alumni identify with their college or university after graduation. The purpose of this study is to assess how college and university alumni view their role with these institutions after graduation and how that perception relates to behaviors of support. An online survey was constructed to assess three dimensions of alumni role identity based upon previous research on the identification process of blood donation. This study took place through the alumni association at a large, public research university in the Midwest and found that those who displayed increased alumni role identity were more likely to support the university through joining the alumni association, attending university sponsored events and charitable giving. This study breaks ground for a new method of measuring the role of alumni within colleges and universities in efforts to increase support and ease the financial pressures of today’s institutions.     

The Influence of Communication Apprehension on Superiors' Propensity for and Practice of Participative Decision Making

This investigation examined if traitlike communication apprehension (CA) serves as a significant predictor of superiors' propensity for and practice of participative decision making (PDM)—that is, involving others in decision-making processes. A total of 219 superiors recruited from a variety of organizations served as participants in this study. Results revealed that traitlike CA is a significant determinant of variation in superiors' inclination for, as well as their actual practice of, PDM. These findings suggest that superiors with lower CA possess favorable perceptions of PDM and are more inclined to involve others in decision-making processes than their colleagues with higher CA. Conversely, results suggest that superiors with higher CA typically possess less favorable perceptions of PDM and are less likely to involve others when making decisions. Theoretical and practical implications underpinning these results are explored. Future research directions are also proposed.     

Single nanopore transport of synthetic and biological polyelectrolytes in three-dimensional hybrid microfluidic∕nanofluidic devices

This paper presents a study of electrokinetic transport in single nanopores integrated into vertically stacked three-dimensional hybrid microfluidic∕nanofluidic structures. In these devices, single nanopores, created by focused ion beam (FIB) milling in thin polymer films, provide fluidic connection between two vertically separated, perpendicular microfluidic channels. Experiments address both systems in which the nanoporous membrane is composed of the same (homojunction) or different (heterojunction) polymer as the microfluidic channels. These devices are then used to study the electrokinetic transport properties of synthetic (i.e., polystyrene sulfonate and polyallylamine) and biological (i.e., DNA) polyelectrolytes across these nanopores using both electrical current measurements and confocal microscopy. Both optical and electrical measurements indicate that electro-osmotic transport is predominant over electrophoresis in single nanopores with d>180 nm, consistent with results obtained under similar conditions for nanocapillary array membranes.     

A Community of Voices: Educational Blog Management Strategies and Tools

Web 2.0 offers a new type of interactive technology that may change the focus and approach of formal education in ways we are just beginning to comprehend. The new and unique qualities of Web 2.0 can be compounded in traditional educational settings by the fact that students often times have far more experience with and understanding the new technology than the teachers who are developing curriculums and setting educational goals. At the same time, Web 2.0 has become so pervasive in such a short time that it makes little sense to ignore it in educational settings. This current article suggests blogging may be the most “education friendly” of the new interactive tools. Blog posts offer students the opportunity to develop their own voice in the classroom, while commentary serves as an important reinforcement for self-reflection and continued participation. The difficulty for teachers is in understanding how to integrate, use and maintain course blogs so that they are a strong and positive educational force in the classroom. At the core of using blogs is the development of blog management strategies. Based on the authors’ use of blogs in undergraduate courses, the current paper outlines an approach to blog management.