Factors influencing pro-environmental collaborative collective behaviors toward sustainability transition – a case of renewable energy

The transformation to sustainable social systems requires both individual and collective pro-environmental behaviors. In this study, we quantified the impacts of factors that promote or impede collective pro-environmental behaviors around the use of renewable energy. An online questionnaire was completed by Japanese high school and college students, and covariance structure analysis was performed on groups with strong or weak intention to participate in collective behaviors and groups with rich or little experience with community activities. Our results revealed that the belief that a global environmental crisis can be avoided by individual efforts was negatively related to collective behavioral intention. We also found that environmental education that aimed to enhance attachment to community and social norms, would be effective for the youth with weak collective behavioral intention, but not so for youth with strong collective behavioral intention. It would be more effective for youth with strong collective behavioral intention to learn the practical approaches for community participation and raise awareness of the perceived importance of collective pro-environmental behaviors.     

Chemical characterization and AMS radiocarbon dating of the binder of a prehistoric rock pictograph at Tadrart Acacus, southern west Libya

The analysis of the amino acid (AA) content in fragments derived from a prehistoric rock pictograph (Lancusi rock shelter) at Tadrart Acacus, southern west Libya, revealed the presence of material containing peptides differing in solubility in hot acidic or alkaline solutions, as well as in AA composition and racemization. Water-soluble components were constituted of low molecular weight peptides with high racemization of aspartic acid and alanine, whereas the water insoluble material consisted of species of a more complex AA composition and a different degree of racemization. The proteinaceous materials were assumed to originate from matter that had undergone over time different diagenetic processes. The water insoluble peptide-containing material was separated from the rock substrate by acid hydrolysis, dried and the resulting residue submitted to radiocarbon analysis. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) yielded an approximate age of 6145 ± 70 years B.P. (before present), which is consistent with archaeological inference and the climatic reconstruction of central Sahara. To our knowledge the present work represents the first attempt of direct radiocarbon dating of rock art in the Sahara desert.     

Faculty training: an unavoidable requirement for approaching more inclusive university classrooms

Adequate policies for faculty training in diversity continue to be pending on the agendas of many universities. This paper presents the recommendations of 44 university students with disabilities not only for adequate faculty training, but also on informing them on both matters of the disability itself and how to respond to the needs derived from it. The data analyzed come from research funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competiveness ‘University Barriers and Aids Identified by Students with Disabilities’, which has been underway since 2011. A biographical-narrative methodology was used. The university life histories of the students were compiled by making use of in-depth interviews, lifelines and photographs. The conclusions of the study discuss the main results along with other previous studies, and recommendations are made so universities can provide training plans leading to inclusive education and learning.     

On the Conditions for the Characteristic Roots of a Matrix in a Sector

Davison and Ramesh expressed equivalently the condition for the characteristic roots of a real matrix to lie within a sector by the condition for a matrixof doubled order to be Hurwitzian (1). A further generalization of their result is given in this note.     

Students with disabilities in higher education: a biographical-narrative approach to the role of lecturers

This article presents an analysis of how lecturers respond to students with disabilities, the initial question being: do lecturers aid or hinder students? Findings pertain to a broader research project being developed by a multidisciplinary team employing a non-usual research methodology in higher education (HE) research and students with disabilities: biographical-narrative methodology. The general aim is to analyse – by listening to the students themselves – barriers and support identified as affecting access, academic performance and overall perception of the HE experience. The present paper analyses lecturer-centred data to focus specifically on one of the objectives of our research project: the role that lecturers play in the inclusive education of students with disabilities. Unlike other international research, this article explores the barriers and support differentiating between five fields of knowledge: health sciences, experimental sciences, social sciences (law and education), engineering and technology and humanities. Findings are organized in four topic areas: lecturer attitudes, practices in the classroom, curricular adaptations and faculty training. Key findings are discussed in the conclusions section, together with a discussion of contributions made by earlier studies.     

Contributions of upper limb rotations to racket velocity in table tennis backhands against topspin and backspin

The purpose of this study was to assess the contributions of racket arm joint rotations to the racket tip velocity at ball impact in table tennis topspin backhands against topspin and backspin using the method of Sprigings et al. (1994). Two cine cameras were used to determine three-dimensional motions of the racket arm and racket, and the contributions of the rotations for 11 male advanced table tennis players. The racket upward velocity at impact was significantly higher in the backhand against backspin than against topspin, while the forward velocity was not significantly different between the two types of backhands. The negative contribution of elbow extension to the upward velocity was significantly less against backspin than against topspin. The contribution of wrist dorsiflexion to the upward velocity was significantly greater against backspin than against topspin. The magnitudes of the angular velocities of elbow extension and wrist dorsiflexion at impact were both similar between the two types of backhands. Our results suggest that the differences in contributions of elbow extension and wrist dorsiflexion to the upward velocity were associated with the difference in upper limb configuration rather than in magnitudes of their angular velocities.     

Attitudes of healthcare students on gross anatomy laboratory sessions

At Chiba University, gross anatomy laboratory sessions (“laboratories”) are required for physical therapy students. Though most physical therapy schools require their students to participate in laboratories so that they will better understand the structure of the human body, few data exist on the value of these laboratories specifically for physical therapy students. We administered questionnaires to physical therapy undergraduate students both before and after they participated in laboratories. Questionnaire items focused on student attitudes toward the laboratories and on human life and dignity. Data from 83 students were analyzed, with the following results: (1) 74.7% of students had a positive attitude about attending laboratories before doing so; (2) with few exceptions, students' attitudes about upcoming laboratories grew more positive after experiencing the laboratory work (P < 0.001); (3) laboratories caused students to contemplate the topics of human life and dignity; and (4) 83.1% of students hoped to participate in laboratories at least four times. These results indicate that laboratories reinforce physical therapy students' positive attitudes about laboratory learning and promote student reflection on human life and dignity. This study provides support for the implementation of multiple laboratory sessions using cadavers into a uniform curriculum for physical therapy students in Japan. Anat Sci Educ 2: 273–279, 2009. © 2009 American Association of Anatomists.     

《寇变纪》的世界--李世熊与明末清初福建省宁化县的地域社会

序言《康熙宁化县志》是现存唯一的清代福建省宁化县的地方志,它出自明末清初生活在该县的士人李世熊之手。该书第七卷《寇变志》记述了唐、宋、元时期发生的叛乱以及明正统14年的邓茂七叛乱,其中大部分涉及明朝后半期发生在该县的“寇”、“贼”的活动。笔者曾在1973年、1974年和1976年发表的《关于十七世纪的福建省宁化县黄通的抗租叛乱》(一)、(二)、(三)中,①介绍了《寇变志》中有关正德5年至崇祯12年间的内容,并全文翻译了其中从崇祯13年至康熙13年的有关内容。透过李世熊的记述,笔者探讨了领导“寇变”的黄通及其周围人们的活动、以及…     

Inclusive university settings? An analysis from the perspective of students with disabilities / ¿Contextos universitarios inclusivos? Un análisis desde la voz del alumnado con discapacidad

Abstract

This article presents the partial results of a study that analysed the barriers and means of support that students with disabilities find in classrooms and other university settings (offices, departments, libraries, etc.), using the biographical narrative method. The results of this article focus exclusively on the obstacles and means of support identified by humanities students, with the information organized in relation to the institution in general, infrastructures and architectural barriers, lecturers and their teaching methods, fellow students and proposals for improving universities and classrooms. Finally, the conclusion discusses the main findings regarding how the university facilitates or hinders the participants’ learning processes in this study. From this perspective, and taking the social model of disability as a reference, it is concluded that in order to become inclusive, the university must commit to adopting proactive measures that eliminate the barriers preventing these students from learning and from participating fully.