The effects of motivational constructs and engagements on mathematics achievements: a comparative study using TIMSS 2011 data of Chinese Taipei,Singapore, and the USA

Motivational constructs and students’ engagements have great impacts on students’ mathematics achievements, yet they have not been theoretically investigated using international large-scale assessment data. This study utilized the mathematics data of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study 2011 to conduct a comparative and empirical study on exploring: (1) the changes of motivational constructs from 4th grade to 8th grade; and (2) the effects of motivational constructs from the expectancy-value model and students’ engagements on mathematics achievements. The countries investigated include Chinese Taipei, Singapore, and the USA. The results showed that: (1) students’ motivations deteriorate over school years; (2) self-confidence in mathematics (SCM) has the strongest relationship with mathematics achievements. Furthermore, it is evident that Singapore has the most effective schools in students’ mathematics education. More findings of this comparative study are subsequently discussed.     

Grounds for Design: The Improvement of School and College Grounds

A number of national initiatives have encouraged the development of school and college grounds as an improved resource for recreational and educational purposes. This report outlines art and design activities which have been taking place at St Andrew's College, promoting interaction with the immediate environment and encouraging the use and improvement of existing resources by students, staff and visitors. It also provides examples of work carried out in partnership with artists, architects and industry and how this has assisted liaison with schools in the process of change through the development of their grounds. It concludes that our future lies in encouraging a greater concern for and a deeper understanding of nature through design education, therefore, it is essential that young children have stimulating outdoor environments in which to grow and learn     

关于费尔玛定理的一种证明方法

费尔玛定理在数论中有很重要的作用，对于它的证明有各种不同的方法，现在我们利用群的有关性质和定理来证明。     

Postcolonial remembering in Taiwan: 228 and transitional justice as “The end of fear”

ABSTRACT

This essay examines the contested dynamics of postcolonial remembering in Taiwan. Focusing on the long-suppressed 228 massacre in particular and the White Terror period in general, we bring Taiwan’s postcolonial remembering into international and intercultural communication studies by analyzing two contemporary sites: Taipei’s 228 Memorial Museum and the Cihu Memorial Sculpture Park. As our case studies demonstrate, Taiwan’s postcolonial remembering offers unique indications of how public memory work can help move a culture toward a sense of reconciliation, thus promoting what one of our collaborators called “the end of fear.”     

Microfluidic study of the chemotactic response of Escherichia coli to amino acids,signaling molecules and secondary metabolites

Quorum sensing and chemotaxis both affect bacterial behavior on the population level. Chemotaxis shapes the spatial distribution of cells, while quorum sensing realizes a cell-density dependent gene regulation. An interesting question is if these mechanisms interact on some level: Does quorum sensing, a density dependent process, affect cell density itself via chemotaxis? Since quorum sensing often spans across species, such a feedback mechanism may also exist between multiple species. We constructed a microfluidic platform to study these questions. A flow-free, stable linear chemical gradient is formed in our device within a few minutes that makes it suitable for sensitive testing of chemoeffectors: we showed that the amino acid lysine is a weak chemoattractant for Escherichia coli, while arginine is neutral. We studied the effect of quorum sensing signal molecules of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on E. coli chemotaxis. Our results show that N-(3-oxododecanoyl)-homoserine lactone (oxo-C12-HSL) and N-(butryl)-homoserine lactone (C4-HSL) are attractants. Furthermore, we tested the chemoeffector potential of pyocyanin and pyoverdine, secondary metabolites under a quorum sensing control. Pyocyanin is proved to be a weak attractant while pyoverdine are repellent. We demonstrated the usability of the device in co-culturing experiments, where we showed that various factors released by P. aeruginosa affect the dynamic spatial rearrangement of a neighboring E. coli population, while surface adhesion of the cells is also modulated.     

Review Essay: Addressing the Epidemic of Epidemics: Germs,Security, and a Call for Biocriticism

CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH: HIS LIFE AND LEGEND. By Bradford Smith. Philadelphia: The J. B. Lippincott Company, 1953; pp. 375. $5.00.

PETER E. DIETZ: LABOR PRIEST. By Mary Harrita Fox. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1953; pp. ix+285. $4.75.

THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS IN CONGRESS. By George G. Galloway. New York: The Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1953; pp. xii+689. $6.00.

THE YALTA BETRAYAL. By Felix Wittmer. Caldwell, Idaho: The Caxton Printers, Ltd., 1953; pp. 135. $1.25.

A GUIDE TO HELP THE SEVERELY HARD‐OF‐HEARING CHILD. By Helen Hulick Beebe. Basel, Switzerland: S. Karger, 1953.

SPEECH COMPOSITION. By William Norwood Brigance. (Second Edition). New York: Appleton‐Century‐Crofts, Inc., 1953; pp. vii+385. $3.00.

YOU'RE THE SPEAKER. By Vera Gough. New York: William Morrow &; Company, 1954; pp. 158. $2.50.

INTERPRETATIVE READING. By Sara Lowrey and Gertrude E. Johnson. (Revised Edition). New York: Appleton‐Century‐Crofts, Inc., 1953; pp. xvii+595. $3.75.

HEALTH AND SAFETY PLAYS AND PROGRAMS. By Aileen Fisher. Boston: Plays, Inc., 1953; pp. viii+267. $3.50.

PARKER'S TELEVISION PLAYS. By Kenneth T. Parker. Minneapolis: The Northwestern Press, 1954; pp. 245. $2.75.

WEIRD TALES OF OLD JAPAN. By Eisaburo Kusano. Tokyo: Tokyo News Service, Ltd., 1953; pp. iii+127. $2.50.

GUIDE TO AMERICAN LITERATURE AND ITS BACKGROUNDS SINCE 1890. By Howard Mumford Jones. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1953; pp. 151. $1.50.

TOWARD A DEMOCRATIC WORK PROCESS. By Fred H. Blum. New York: Harper &; Brothers, 1953; pp. xxi+229. $3.50.

HOW TO BE A BOARD OR COMMITTEE MEMBER. By Roy Sorenson. New York: Association Press, 1953; pp. 64. $1.00.

PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE MADE EASY: A VISUAL AID BASED ON ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER. By Rheva Ott Shryock. Ellenton, Florida: College Offset Press, 1953; pp. 16. $2.50.

TEACHING SPEECH IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOL. By Karl Robinson. (Second Edition). New York: Longmans, Green and Company, 1954; pp. vii+438. $4.25.

PSYCHOLOGY IN THE NURSERY SCHOOL. By Nelly Wolffheim. Translated by Charles L. Hannam. New York: The Philosophical Library, Inc., 1953; pp. 144. $3.75.     

Tradition,tension, and transformation: a structuration analysis of a game warden service in transition

Independence and competence define the traditional characteristics of a game warden. External pressure to transform the game warden service into a more culturally and ethnically diverse state law enforcement agency, however, creates tensions surrounding these characteristics in the organization's structurationally defined agency and reflexivity of law enforcement; duality of structure in office memos and citation counts; social integration and institutional reproduction of law enforcement training, use of decoys, and search and seizure procedures; and time-space distanciation of working a 40-hour week or having complete responsibility for a territory. The present study examined how these tensions interact with the traditional assumptions of independence and competence to transform the meaning of these characteristics, and of the game warden service itself.     

新疆边境少数民族基础教育功能及发展对策研究

鉴于新疆边境地区的社会特殊性和战略地位,新疆边境少数民族基础教育功能应具体表现在:引导少数民族成员社会化;维系国家安全与社会稳定大局;促进民族经济发展;建立多元和谐文化环境.为了促进其教育功能的发挥,应提高对边境少数民族基础教育的战略认识;增强对边境少数民族基础教育的扶持力度;积极稳妥地开展双语教育;开发和实施边境地区特色课程;促进少数民族地区基础教育信息化.