Review article

Ducellier, A., Kaplan, M., Martin, Bernadette, avec la collaboration de Françoise Micheau. Le Moyen Âge en Orient. Byzance et l'Islam. Des Barbares aux Ottomans. Paris: Hachette Histoire Université, 1990.     

Subspace design of low-rank estimators for higher-order statistics

Higher-order statistics (HOS) are well known for their robustness to additive Gaussian noise and ability to preserve phase. HOS estimates, on the other hand, have been criticized for high complexity and the need for long data in order to maintain small variance. Since rank reduction offers a general principle for reduction of estimator variance and complexity, we consider the problem of designing low-rank estimators for HOS. We propose three methods for choosing the transformation matrix that reduces the mean-square error (MSE) associated with the low-rank HOS estimates. We also demonstrate the advantages of using low-rank third-order moment estimates for blind system estimation. Results indicate that the full rank MSE corresponding to some data length N can be attained by a low-rank estimator corresponding to a length significantly smaller than N.     

A note on the construction of test panels for the spectral imaging of paintings

The construction and examination of test panels is an ad hoc procedure, necessary for every spectral imaging study of paintings. Despite the common features, almost every scientific team follows a different way of construction. Furthermore, many of these approaches are not adequately documented in the relevant papers. Failure to use common language and practice leads to confusion about properties of materials and paint layers that have been overall examined by the scientists, as well as the validity of the results and their exploitation in several conservation applications. The present theoretical approach points out the need for common protocols for the construction of test panels and draws general principles as a flow chart on which they should be based.     

Small-group discussion in physics: Peer interaction modes in pairs and fours

The importance of group discussion in facilitating learning in science is widely acknowledged. At the same time, it is recognized that in the social context of small groups, peers' discussion processes and their subsequent learning are influenced by factors other than students' conceptual understanding. Focusing on the social processes of knowledge construction in group settings, this article investigates the ways Greek secondary school students interacted in pairs and fours while discussing and attempting to explain simple physical phenomena. The study showed that students progressed significantly more in their physics reasoning after participation in fours than pairs. Moreover, the analysis of discourse in the different groupings suggested that the differences in progress were related to the more constrained modes of interaction of pairs. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Nurture groups in a Scottish secondary school: purpose,features, value and areas for development

Nurture groups (NGs) are increasingly being established in Scottish secondary schools yet research in this context is limited. The current study explores the purpose, features and value of two NGs in a Scottish secondary school through interviewing current and former NG members, parents/carers, NG staff and other school staff. A thematic analysis of the findings suggests that the two NGs offer young people a smooth transition from primary, prepare them physically and emotionally for learning, encourage friendships and equip them with social skills. However, optimal function and gains are compromised by systemic gaps in formal communication, monitoring and reintegration processes across the school and between school and home, among others. These factors are discussed in the context of their importance in supporting generalisation of skills outwith the NG and the function of the wider organisation.     

The Execution of the Forty-two Martyrs of Amorion: Proposing an interpretation

On the 6th of March 845 the Arabs executed forty-two Byzantine prisoners, some of them very eminent, who had been captured after the fall of the city of Armorion in Asia Minor. This seems, on the face of it, to defy logic, as it was common practice in those days to keep prisoners in custody while negotiating an exchange, particularly of high-ranking officials. It seems even more perverse when one considers that the forty-two prisoners had been kept in custody for six-and-a-half years before their execution and that an agreement for an exchange had been concluded between the caliph and the emperor some months before. Moreover, the Byzantines had a greater number of Arab prisoners awaiting exchange. However, by looking at the internal policies of the caliph, al-Wāthiq, one can see a different picture: His determination to impose the religious Mu'tazila doctrine, by force if necessary, provoked a series of uprisings (842, 844-46). The public decapitation of the forty-two officers after they had refused to pray with the caliph, was a valuable propaganda exercise, a show of power, which mattered much more to him in those circumstances than the freedom of a number of his soldiers and officials.     

The Emotional Readiness of Greek Cypriot Teachers for Peaceful Co-existence

In this article, we: (1) offer a conceptualisation of what it means for Greek Cypriot teachers to be ‘reconciled’ with the ‘other side’ (i.e. Turkish Cypriots) in Cyprus; (2) examine Greek Cypriot teachers' emotional responses to the new educational objective of cultivating peaceful coexistence in schools; and (3) investigate how Greek Cypriot teachers' perceptions of reconciliation and emotional responses to the new educational objective of cultivating peaceful coexistence are entangled, and what implications these entanglements may have for educational reform efforts. This investigation is based on data collected in a national survey of Greek Cypriot primary and secondary teachers. The study is important not only for the Greek Cypriot educational system, but also for educational reform efforts in other conflict-ridden areas in Europe because it addresses a fundamental issue in relation to reconciliation: Can teachers, who may still carry traumatic experiences from a conflict and thus be (potentially) emotionally unready to engage in reconciliation, be convinced to put the past behind and promote peaceful coexistence in schools? The findings highlight the teachers' multiple ambivalences, yet they also identify openings for promoting reconciliation and peaceful coexistence in schools. The implications are discussed in terms of educational policymaking, curriculum development, and teacher training.     

Learning from patients: constructions of knowledge and legitimacy in hospital-based quality improvement programmes

ABSTRACT

Health services organisations are increasingly incorporating patient engagement strategies as a form of quality improvement. Such strategies take form in programmes where organisations partner with patients in order to learn from their experiences and thereby change how services are designed, delivered, and implemented. In this study, we examined the enactment of patient engagement programmes within an academic health science organisation in Canada. This was accomplished through an exploration of the various constructions of patient participants’ legitimacy, credibility, and expertise as manifesting through participation in the various practices associated with the programmes. Analysis was based on a selection of international, national, and organisational texts, as well as interviews with patient participants (n?=?20) and hospital staff members (n?=?6). Through this analysis, we argue that organisations are not learning from patients per se, but are learning from particular constructions of patient subjectivities in the form of patient advisers. We argue that if patient engagement programmes are premised upon opportunities to learn from patients, these programmes require a coherent theory of workplace learning. We suggest attention to the politics of knowledge production as a fruitful way to conceptualise how clinicians and administrators might learn from patients at the organisational level.