Further adventures in language arts

The American education system must make great strides to keep up with technological advances and to understand the implications of these new technologies.     

Implementation and Evaluation of a Values Clarification Activity for a Large Undergraduate Human Sexuality Course

Values clarification is an important tool that helps individuals to clarify their beliefs about sexuality-related issues. This lesson plan provides instructions for a 1-hour values clarification activity for a large undergraduate human sexuality course that serves as an introduction to course content and tone, stimulates students' initial thinking about course topics, and demonstrates the diversity of perspectives on sexuality-related issues. Survey-based evaluation findings (N = 71) establish that the activity successfully meets its learning objectives and that students feel comfortable participating. Step-by-step directions, recommendations for facilitation, and reflections on best practices for the activity are provided.     

Cycling on rollers: influence of tyre pressure and cross section on power requirements

The resistance against a cyclist while riding on rollers is due mainly to rolling resistance produced by the deformation of the tyre as it rolls against small diameter drums. Resistance is then combined with wheel speed to set power output. The effect of tyre pressure and cross-section on power was investigated by systematically altering the pressure (552 kPa, 690 kPa, and 827 KPa) in a 20c, 23c, 25c, and 28c tyre of the same design while riding at a wheel speed of 45 kph. Average power over 1 minute was measured with a Power Tap Hub (Tune Corporation, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA) on five occasions. Statistical significance was evaluated at p < 0.05. Power requirements increased significantly with each reduction in tyre pressure for all tyres and pressures except the 25c between 690 and 827 kPa. The 20c tyre required significantly more power from the cyclist at each tested tyre pressure when compared to the other tyres (which were not different from each other). The differences in resistance from tyre size were not observed when ridden on the road. Additionally, a slightly different tyre design from the same manufacturer responded similarly in the 20c, but was significantly different in the 23c size. It was also observed that power requirements increased significantly when both the wheels were ridden on the rollers as compared to just the rear wheel. These results indicate that the power requirements may be significantly altered by the cyclist by adjusting tyre pressure, tyre cross-section size, tyre type, and with the number of wheels contacting the rollers. However, the magnitude of these power requirements may not be suitable for intense workouts of trained cyclists.     

Evolution of a veterinary medical library.

Planning a new library and developing a book and journal collection for the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University are described. The Veterinary Medical Library is a self-contained unit (6,800 square feet) for print material within the Veterinary Medical Building. Seating for 140 patrons is available. The collection is designed to provide basic materials for teaching and research in veterinary and comparative medicine. Indexing and abstracting tools permit access to local, state, and national resources as well. At present the collection totals over 17,000 volumes and over 500 serial titles. A working collection of 25,000 volumes will be maintained in the Veterinary Medical Library, and the University Library will continue to function as the principal backup source.     

Examiner errors on the WRAT-R

A random sample of 55 WRAT-R protocols, completed by nine practitioners for a metropolitan school district in the South, was analyzed for examiner errors. All nine practitioners made errors, which occurred on 95% of the protocols and averaged 3.0 errors per protocol. The most frequent errors included failures to obtain a correct ceiling or basal, and failures to record examinees' responses. Correction of the examiner errors resulted in changes in 11 standard scores, and 3 additional changes in grade equivalent scores. These results indicate that WRAT-R administration and scoring are not as objective as assumed by the test developers, and that examiner errors on this test can adversely affect diagnostic decisions.     

我在中国教书

2006年,对我来说是一个全新的开始,我来到了中国衢州。在这个全新的国度里,我从事了一份以前未曾做过的工作,同时也交上新的朋友。对我来说,以前从未有过这样的经历,所以来到衢州时一直有些紧张和担心,而即将独自去面对所有的一切让我尤其感到焦虑不安。此前,我曾经到过中国首都北京,但那是完全不同的一种情况：那时我是学生,     

Celebrating Chinese New Year in the Tang Paradise

From January 23 to March 2, the Tang Paradise, a large historic theme park in the New Area of A Qujiang in Xi＇an, hosted a grand lan- tern fair to celebrate the Chinese lu- nar year of the horse, attracting tens of thousands of visitors. This 39-day- long lantern fair features the ele- ments of the Tang Dynasty which set the capital in Xi＇an, appealing visitors with exotic gourmet, folk tradition showcases, gala shows and dazzling displays of Chinese palace lanterns.     

Tang Paradise Celebrates Ninth Anniversary

Shangyi Festival, also known as the Double Third Festival, is an ancient Chinese festival celebrated on the third day of the third lunar month. On this day, people would go for an outing by the water, picnic and pluck orchids. The festival this year coincides with the 9th anniversary of the Tang Paradise, a site park in the southern suburb of Xi＇an, a historic city of northwest Shaanxi province. The spring outing event entitled ＂En- voy of Spring＂ and the poetry recital for women were launched in the park to celebrate this traditional festival.