Network Rules

Crawford compares the debate between the telcos and the online companies over broadband access regimes often called the network neutrality debate to the ongoing tussle between intellectual property maximalists and free culture advocates which are strikingly parallel sets of arguments. The maximalists claim that creativity comes from lone genuises (the romantic author) who must be given legal incentives to works but intellectual property scholars have carefully examined the incentives of their arguments and have pointed out that granting overly strong property rights to copyright holders might not be socially appropriate. Moreover, the network providers claim that they (the romantic builders) must be allowed by law to price-discriminate vis-a-vis content sources in order to be encouraged to build the network

The Internet and the Project of Communications Law

The internet offers the potential for economic growth stemming from online human communications, but recent industry and government actions have disfavored these possibilities by treating the internet like a content-delivery supply chain. This article recommends that the internet be at the center of communications policy and that laws affecting internet access be evaluated in terms of whether they further U.S. economic growth by facilitating increased emergent online diversity. It criticizes the nearly exclusive focus of communications policy on the private economic success of infrastructure and “application” providers, and suggests that communications policy be focused on facilitating communications themselves

The Biology of the Broadcast Flag

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and its content affiliates would like all consumer electronics and information technology companies to innovate according to the rules. The arguments made by the MPAA and its content colleagues in support of national (and, eventually, global) control over the functionality of the devices that manipulate content are fundamentally troubling for the future of innovation and the future of law itself. But the content industry has hit on a very important way of thinking about law. We should pay attention to the evolutionary ecosystem of the law as the background medium in which innovation occurs, business models evolve, and social factions grow and prosper. This article argues that preserving the flexibility and evolutionary richness of the code/law background medium ( code/law ) should be our aim. We need to avoid both codes and laws that unduly freeze innovation, so that code/law can continue to evolve. Competitive digital rights management (DRM) systems - private ordering - are a better solution in this context than harmonized code/law

Examining current provision, practice and experience of initial teacher training providers in Ireland preparing pre service teachers for the inclusion of students with special education needs in physical education classes.

Research from an international perspective in relation to the preparation of pre service teachers in physical education and special educational needs indicates that initial teacher training providers are inconsistent in the amount of time spent addressing the issue and the nature of curricular content (Vickerman, 2007). In Ireland, research of Meegan and MacPhail (2005) and Crawford (2011) indicates that physical education teachers do not feel adequately prepared to accommodate students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in physical education classes. This study examined initial teacher training provision in Ireland in the training of pre service physical education teachers in SEN. The methodology used was qualitative and included questionnaires and interviews (n=4). Findings indicated that time allocation (semester long modules), working with children with disabilities in mainstream settings (school or leisure centre based), lack of collaboration with other PETE providers (n=4) and a need for continued professional development were themes in need of address. Using a combined approach where the recently designed European Inclusive Physical Education Training (Kudlácěk, Jesina, & Flanagan, 2010) model is infused through the undergraduate degree programme is proposed. Further, the accommodation of hands on experience for undergraduates in mainstream settings and the establishment of inter institutional communities of practice, with a national disability research initiative, is essential to ensure quality adapted physical activity training can be accommodated throughout Ireland

'It's a challenge': Post primary physical education teachers' experiences of and perspectives on inclusive practice with students with disabilities

Internationally, several studies have indicated insufficient emphasis on the theory and practice of inclusion in relation to disability, in both initial teacher education and continuing professional development programmes for Physical Education (PE) teachers.  This has resulted in some negative attitudes and perceived lack of competency among teachers in relation to inclusive practices in PE. There is a lack of in-depth studies in this regard from an Irish perspective. This current study sought to explore seven PE teachers' experiences and perspectives in relation to the inclusion of students with disabilities in four post primary schools using a multiple case study design. Qualitative data was generated from in-depth semi structured interviews. Teachers felt that there was a lack of both theory and particularly 'hands-on' praxis in initial teacher education and continuing professional education in relation to inclusion and PE. Teachers appear to be comfortable with inclusion; however, the word "challenge" emerged as a concern in relation to interviewees' experiences. This study has implications for more appropriate theoretical and experiential learning in both initial teacher education and continuing professional development for PE teachers to facilitate quality inclusion for students with disabilities

Ultrasonic Evaluation of Low Density Powder Compacts

Ultrasonic evaluation of powder compacts provides valuable information about the density of the powder and incipient defects in the compact. Since the specimens would be contaminated if they were inspected with traditional immersion or contact techniques, procedures to dry couple or vacuum bag and immerse the powder samples were implemented. With these methods ultrasonic energy was propagated through the powder compacts and the acoustic velocity and attenuation were measured. The ability to immerse the powder samples not only provides consistent coupling but allows scanning which is a valuable tool to image variations and defects in the compacts

School sport and academic achievement

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Physical Education and School Sport (PESS) is an integral part of the school curriculum in Ireland. Historically the Healthy Body, Healthy Mind philosophy has promoted the inclusion of PESS alongside more cognitive school subjects and research suggests that PESS can promote cognitive function and provide educational benefits. However there is little research on how the choice of school sport influences academic achievement. This case study aims to investigate how participation in school sport influences the Leaving Certificate points score in an Irish secondary school. In particular, the study will investigate how the particular sport chosen by students participating in school sport during their Leaving Certificate years influences their Leaving Certificate results. METHODS: The study recorded the Leaving Certificate scores and sporting participation from 402 school children graduating from an all-boys secondary school in the Republic of Ireland during the period 2008-2011. Sports participation was assigned one of four categories: Rugby; Rowing; Soccer; No Sport. RESULTS: Participation in a sport during the Leaving Certificate years conferred a 25.4 point benefit to the final Leaving Certificate score. However, participation in Rowing, the only individual sport available in the study, resulted in significantly higher Leaving Certificate scores than Rugby, Soccer and No Sport (p < .05), conferring an additional 73.4 point benefit over the next highest group, Rugby. CONCLUSION: Promoting participation in school sport and providing access to a range of team and individual sports throughout the secondary school years may be a beneficial way to improve students Leaving Certificate results