Chemistry: The Middle Kingdom

Chemistry occupies a unique middle position between physics and mathematics on the one side and biology, ecology, sociology and economics on the other. It is said that chemistry is reducible into physics and finally mathematics. However, in moving from the covalent to the non-covalent world we obtain a new chemistry, one that is a starting point for the emergence of the soft sciences. This article argues that this new chemistry represents a paradigm shift in the way in which chemists think about their subject today. Biology may be considered as emerging out of this new chemistry, which in itself cannot be reduced into physics and mathematics as was the case for chemistry thus far practiced. This dualistic nature of chemistry, reducible and irreducible, is a new development but one that ensures that the subject will remain alive and well in the foreseeable future. Gautam R. Desiraju has made seminal contributions to the development and worldwide growth of the subject of crystal engineering, especially with reference to the properties of novel interaction types such as the weak hydrogen bond. He has been at the University of Hyderabad since 1979. “... so chemistry can be no more than systematic art or experimental teachings, indeed never real science, because its principles ... do not lend themselves to the application of mathematics.” Immanuel Kant     

A meta-study of qualitative research on mental toughness development

Mental toughness (MT) is considered a necessary ingredient for high-level performance. Unsurprisingly, scholarly interest in the development of mental toughness has increased over the past decade, with much of this work informed by qualitative designs. No study to date has systematically reviewed and integrated this body of qualitative research on MT development. The primary purpose of this study was to create an integrated theoretical framework that incorporates extant MT development research in sport and performance settings. Three subsequent aims were to (a) systematically review and evaluate the qualitative literature regarding key developmental factors and processes for MT; (b) synthesise knowledge of key developmental factors and processes for MT; and (c) generate an integrated framework that can inform future research and advancement in theory with regard to MT development. Following a systematic search of online journals, search engines, and databases, 10 papers met the criteria for inclusion and were retained. These studies served as the primary data for meta-data, meta-method, and meta-theory analyses, which were integrated using a meta-synthesis approach. Four key themes were identified from the existing qualitative evidence: personal characteristics, interactions with environment, progressive development, and breadth of experience. These unique themes were integrated with existing theory to propose a bioecological model of MT development that encompasses interdependent interactions among the person, proximal processes, context, and time. We describe how this model can be used as a heuristic for research and practice, and underscore the importance of methodological diversity for future work on the development of MT.     

运用多媒体技术优化高师音乐欣赏课

高等师范学院音乐教育专业,学科设置重点在于学生的任课能力的培养。音乐欣赏课是高等师范院校的一门必修课,同时也是一门能够较好地培养学生音乐能力的课程。传统的＂＂讲授——接受＂＂教学模式在很大程度上限制了学生对于音乐欣赏课的兴趣。文章对利用多媒体技术优化音乐欣赏课程提出了几点具体的措施。     

A Father’s Interactions with His Toddler: Personal and Professional Lessons for Early Childhood Educators

In this article a university professor, former student, and father describe the father’s interactions with his toddler-age son within a parent–child playgroup. The authors discuss the important role of fathers, what they learned from observing the father interact with his son, and implications for teachers and other professionals.     

China's Spectrum Factory Gathers Momentum

<正>Only one year of pilot survey followed by two years of spectroscopic survey,LLAAMMOOSSTT––––CChhiinnaa’’ss ffiirrsstt wwoorrlldd--ccllaassss tteelleessccooppee––––hhaadd aallrreeaaddyy aaccqquuiirreedd tthhee ssppeeccttrraa of about 3.5 million stars in the Milky Way by July 2014.With further accumulation of data,it will greatly deepen our understanding of the structure,formation and evolution of our home Galaxy.     

Repeated Reading,Turn Taking,and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)

This single participant multiple baseline research design measured the effects of repeatedly reading narrative books to children who used voice output augmentative communication devices to communicate. The study sought to determine if there was a difference observed in the number of turns taken when reading stories repeatedly. Three girls ranging in age from seven to nine listened to a different illustrated narrative book during each baseline session. During the intervention phase, a single illustrated book was read repeatedly to each child for six sessions followed by an additional intervention of a second illustrated book for six more sessions. Two of the three participants took more turns during the repeated reading when comparing mean scores. Upon visual inspection it appears the increases were generally in the first couple of repeated readings and then a slope return was displayed toward the baseline level over the six repeated readings. Implications for practice are shared.     

Teacher–child relationships and early childhood practice

This phenomenological study explored how two experienced teachers interacted with children in classes of three‐ and five‐year‐olds. The aim was to further understand the nature of practice that promotes communicative teacher–child relationships. The study took place in a private preschool programme in the United States. Through once‐a‐week participant observations from September to December 2009 and interviews with the teachers, the study illustrated how their practice was based around valuing children’s ideas, effort, space and work, and around maintaining enthusiasm towards children’s and their own learning. In these processes, the study showed the importance of (1) teachers’ firm understanding of the context of children’s development, and their awareness of the role which they play in creating this, and (2) an environment that promotes ‘flow’ of their practice. As the study builds on developmental systems theory, the findings highlight the ways in which contexts that support teachers’ professional autonomy may influence their interactions and relationships with children.     

Differences in practitioners’ understanding of play and how this influences pedagogy and children’s perceptions of play

This paper presents research that examines the links between practitioners’ understanding of play and its relationship to learning, their pedagogic interactions with children and children’s own perceptions of their play. Previous research has shown a mismatch between practitioners’ understanding of play and their practice. This research identifies how differences in understanding of play, especially the role of the adult, by practitioners in two unrelated settings are associated with variation in pedagogic interactions emphasising choice and control. Furthermore, it is argued that these differences are reflected in differences in children’s use of the cue of adult presence as a defining feature of play and not-play activities.     

人力资源管理政策对组织吸引力影响的实证研究

采用三因子实验设计的方式,随机分派8种人力资源管理情境中的一种给参与者填答并进行组织吸引力的测量。研究发现,重视培训、个人导向奖金政策或以个人能力为升迁依据的人力资源管理政策对组织吸引力都有着正面的影响。结果还显示,组织可以将各人力资源管理政策进行组合,从而提升组织对人才的吸引力。结论能为组织设计人力资源管理政策及人才招聘提供一定的参考建议,帮助组织吸引更多的人才,提升其竞争优势。     

非营利组织与政府互动行为的实证研究——以温州绿眼睛环保组织为例

作为一类重要的社会行动主体,非营利组织要与不同的行动主体发生互动交换行为。政府作为比较特别的行动主体,与非营利组织的关系已经引起了学术界的广泛关注,但我国政府与非营利组织的关系不能简单地套用已有的西方模式。笔者通过一个具体个案来探讨其与政府在互动中交换着怎样的资源?这种交换对非营利组织的发展有何影响?哪些因素会影响两者之间的交换等问题。