Village Elders’ and Secondary School Students’ Explanations of Natural Phenomena in Papua New Guinea

This research investigated the sources of explanations and understanding of natural phenomena in terms of the students’ cultural and school science experiences. The first phase involved interviews with eight village elders that probed their explanations and understanding of natural phenomena. The second phase involved the design, development and administration of two questionnaires on natural phenomena to 179 students in a rural boarding high school in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Most village elders gave explanations of many of the phenomena in terms of spirits, spells, magic, religion, and personal experiences. Most school-aged students choose scientific explanations of natural phenomena in terms of what they had learned in school or from personal experiences. However, many choose explanations of the same phenomena about spirits, spells and magic that came from the village, family or home. The study revealed that students’ ideas about natural phenomena are strongly governed and controlled by their school science knowledge in the school setting. It is likely that their own traditional knowledge cannot be identified in a school setting but that questionnaires in the students’ local language be given to students in their villages (as opposed to school). In addition, so as not to diminish the value of this traditional knowledge, science education programs are needed that are able to consider and harmonise traditional knowledge with school science.     

Performance of PAHs emission from bituminous coal combustion

Carcinogenic and mutagenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) generated in coal combustion have caused great environmental health concern. Seventeen PAHs (16 high priority PAHs recommended by USEPA plus Benzo[e]pyrene) present in five raw bituminous coals and released during bituminous coal combustion were studied. The effects of combustion temperature, gas atmosphere, and chlorine content of raw coal on PAHs formation were investigated. Two additives (copper and cupric oxide) were added when the coal was burned. The results indicated that significant quantities of PAHs were produced from incomplete combustion of coal pyrolysis products at high temperature, and that temperature is an important causative factor of PAHs formation. PAHs concentrations decrease with the increase of chlorine content in oxygen or in nitrogen atmosphere. Copper and cupric oxide additives can promote PAHs formation (especially the multi-ring PAHs) during coal combustion.     

The effect of network size on intra-network knowledge processes

This paper addresses a neglected topic in the knowledge management literature: how the size of a network of actors affects the nature of intra-network social relations and knowledge processes. It makes a theoretical contribution to developing understanding in this area drawing on a range of literatures including practice-based perspectives on knowledge, the literature on the embeddedness of social relations, and relevant knowledge management literature. The central focus of this paper is on the relationship between network size, network density, and how these variables affect intra-network knowledge processes. It suggests that as network size increases network density is likely to decrease (as it becomes problematic for the actors in such networks to retain strong ties with a significant proportion of the network's members), which it will be suggested has significant ramifications for intra-network knowledge processes. This paper concludes by reflecting on the implications of the ideas developed for network-based forms of organizing, and innovation processes.     

Association of Elevated Serum Lipoprotein(a), Inflammation,Oxidative Stress and Chronic Kidney Disease with Hypertension in Non-diabetes Hypertensive Patients

Hypertension is the most common cardiovascular risk factor. Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], inflammation, oxidative stress and chronic kidney disease (CKD) exacerbate the response to tissue injury and acts as markers of the vascular disease, especially in glomerulosclerosis. We compared the clinical characteristics of 138 non-diabetes hypertensive women (ndHT) patients with 417 non-diabetes normotensive subjects and tested the association of hypertension with Lp(a), inflammation, CKD and oxidative stress by using multiple logistic regression. BP, BMI, waist circumference, creatinine, Lp(a), inflammation and malondialdehyde levels were significantly higher and CKD state in the ndHT patients (p < 0.05). Multiple logistic regression showed hypertension associated with increased Lp(a), inflammation, ORs and 95 % CIs were 2.52 (1.33, 4.80), 2.75 (1.44, 5.27) after adjusting for their covariates. Elevated serum Lp(a) and inflammation levels concomitants with increased oxidative stress and CKD were the major risk factors associated with hypertension and implications for the increased risk of HT and vascular disease.     

Critical factors influencing secondary school pupil’s decisions to study computing in tertiary education: Gender differences

This paper aims to determine the factors affecting the decisions of both male and female secondary school pupils whether or not to pursue undergraduate studies in Computing. It is based on research conducted in Greece, on a sample of 248 pupils, 135 of whom were female. All were aged 17 and about to decide on their future undergraduate studies. Questionnaires were used, addressing issues in the following four main categories: a) the reasons pupils chose/rejected Computing, b) how family and friends, the media and the school environment contribute to their decision, c) how pupils perceived their future after studying Computing and d) how pupils perceived the profile of a computer professional in terms of gender.

Getting sloshed in outer space

We document some basic facts about how liquids behave in the low gravity of outer space and how this poses challenges to space scientists and engineers who need to design and test systems that handle fluids in outer space while working in the 1-g environment on Earth. N Ananthkrishnan is Director, Coral Digital Technologies (P) Ltd, a Bangalore-based company working in the area of multidisciplinary simulation and system integration of aerospace, naval and surface vehicles, and in the design and development of autonomous unmanned/micro air vehicles.     

Community Consultation in Developing Museum Projects: A Case Study Using the Repertory Grid Technique

Good community consultation is a powerful tool in developing new museum projects and exhibitions, facilitating a more effective delivery of service to a diverse public. Existing techniques for both user and community consultation are limited with front end evaluation particularly undeveloped in the sector, often providing no meaningful base by which to compare project outcomes. Tension exists between government, which values quantitative data, and researchers who argue qualitative methods are more appropriate for evaluating community projects. This article reports a pilot study using the repertory grid technique to examine a ‘socially excluded’, ethnically diverse local community's perceptions, expectations and previous experiences of similar projects, to provide a benchmark against which to compare outcomes. This research formed part of the front end evaluation for a New Deal for Community's Project run by Sheffield Galleries and Museums Trust. The repertory grid technique was developed in psychological studies as a means of understanding respondents' own world views, and is particularly helpful in working with people with poor language skills. Although this study only used the technique qualitatively, it can be used to combine both quantitative and qualitative data, providing more robust data for evidence-based policy decisions. Using the repertory grid technique, respondents were able to list both perceived and practical barriers to participation in projects. The technique also enabled them to articulate what would motivate them to become involved in future projects. The repertory grid technique has significant potential for use in community consultation and project evaluation as a means of understanding local residents' perceptions and its visual representation means that its findings can be easily understood by participants, policy-makers and practitioners.     

IPv6: The next generation Internet Protocol

IPv4, the workhorse protocol of the currently popular TCP/ IP protocol suite, is fast becoming obsolete. The exponential growth of the Internet is the main reason that has required the creation of the next generation of Internet Protocol-IPv6. IPv6 is much more flexible and promises to take care of the address space and security issues in the foreseeable future. Part 1 of the paper lays the foundation of the various issues involved in designing the Internet Protocol and motivates the need for an upgraded version of this protocol.     

The Future of Defunct Religious Buildings: Dutch Approaches to Their Adaptive Re-use

Across the Western world, membership in the established organized churches is on the decline with a concomitant reduction in the need for churches and church halls. As redundant and unused churches are the focus of vandalism and decay, owners and heritage managers are looking for options to adaptively re-use such buildings. This article reviews the literature on the re-use of churches in the Netherlands, which has long history of innovatively addressing the problems. The options available range from re-use for religious purposes by other denominations or faiths, to community use (multi-purpose, sport, music etc.), and private use, which can be either commercial or residential. The attitudes of the community and the original property owners play a major part in successful adaptive re-use. Because of its long history, the Dutch experience in adaptive re-use of religious buildings has much to offer heritage managers in other countries faced with this emergent management issue.     

Practical Applications as a Source of Credibility: A Comparison of Three Fields of Dutch Academic Chemistry

In many Western science systems, funding structures increasingly stimulate academic research to contribute to practical applications, but at the same time the rise of bibliometric performance assessments have strengthened the pressure on academics to conduct excellent basic research that can be published in scholarly literature. We analyze the interplay between these two developments in a set of three case studies of fields of chemistry in the Netherlands. First, we describe how the conditions under which academic chemists work have changed since 1975. Second, we investigate whether practical applications have become a source of credibility for individual researchers. Indeed, this turns out to be the case in catalysis, where connecting with industrial applications helps in many steps of the credibility cycle. Practical applications yield much less credibility in environmental chemistry, where application-oriented research agendas help to acquire funding, but not to publish prestigious papers or to earn peer recognition. In biochemistry practical applications hardly help in gaining credibility, as this field is still strongly oriented at fundamental questions. The differences between the fields can be explained by the presence or absence of powerful upstream end-users, who can afford to invest in academic research with promising long term benefits.