Mathematics education issues in Ireland: special reference to appraisal

As we approach the end of the 1980s, many issues face mathematics educators in the shadow of general unemployment and with inadequate resources. The teaching of mathematics, for example, is becoming increasingly complex and demanding. It is being greatly affected by increased demands for accountability from society and changing pedagogical possibilities with the onslaught of the microcomputer. The focus of this study is on the identification, elaboration and analysis of key issues in mathematics education in Ireland, on which decisions will have to be made and to suggest possible responses together with probable implications. Many of these issues are not specific to Ireland. This study offers mathematics teachers, schools and ministries of education in other countries a useful rationale on key issues within which further debate and critical evaluation can take place in an organized fashion. [Continues.

Optical Imaging Method for Bridge Painting Maintenance and Inspection

The term quality is defined as the conformance to predetermined requirements or specifications. These requirements may be set in terms of the end result required or as a detailed description of how work should be executed. Recently, there has been increasing interest in quality assurance in the construction industry. Quality assurance includes design and planning, sampling, inspection, testing, and assessment to ensure that end products perform according to specifications. This research proposes a new quality assessment model for highway steel bridges and more specifically for coating rust assessment. The research proposes a hybrid model using image processing and neural networks for defect recognition and measurement. The basic concept of the model is to acquire digital images of the areas to be assessed and analyze those images to recognize and measure defect patterns. Neural networks are incorporated into the model to learn from example and simulate human expertise to automate the process for future use. The model is supplemented with a statistical quality assessment plan to use the model efficiently and obtain consistent and reliable results. The statistical plan will determine the number and locations of assessment images to be taken. Moreover, the plan will address the risks associated with the estimated assessment. Finally, the plan will assist making the final acceptance/rejection decision based on the predefined criteria for acceptance and rejection

Understanding Whitehead

Originally published in 1962. The central aim of this book is to discuss the development of Alfred North Whitehead's thought and to underscore how it is unique. The book collects nine essays written by Victor Lowe originally published between 1941 and 1961. The essays have been revised for inclusion in this volume

Aeronautical Engineering: A Continuing Bibliography With Indexes

This supplemental issue of Aeronautical Engineering, A Continuing Bibliography with Indexes (NASA/SP-1999-7037) lists reports, articles, and other documents recently announced in the NASA STI Database. The coverage includes documents on the engineering and theoretical aspects of design, construction, evaluation, testing, operation, and performance of aircraft (including aircraft engines) and associated components, equipment, and systems. It also includes research and development in aerodynamics, aeronautics, and ground support equipment for aeronautical vehicles. Each entry in the publication consists of a standard bibliographic citation accompanied, in most cases, by an abstract. Two indexes-subject and author are included after the abstract section

Mindfulness: An Ancient Wisdom for the Reconceptualisation of Modern Education in the Complex World

Exploring the new science of emergence allows us to create a very different classroom than how the modern classroom has been conceptualised under the mentality of efficiency and output. Working on the whole person, and not just the mind, we see a shift from the epistemic pillars of truth to more ontological concerns as regards student achievement in our post-Modern and critical discourses. It is important to understand these shifts and how we are to transition our own perception and mentality not only in our research methodologies but also our approach to conceptualisations of issues in education and sustainability. We can no longer think linearly to approach complex problems or advocate for education and disregard our interconnectedness insofar as it enhances our children’s education. We must, therefore, contemplate and transition to a world that is ecological and not mechanical, complex and not complicated—in essence, we must work to link mind-body with self-environment and transcend these in order to bring about an integration toward a sustainable future. A fundamental shift in consciousness and perception may implicate our nature of creating dichotomous entities in our own microcosms, yet postmodern theorists assume, a priori, that these dualities can be bridged in naturalism alone. I, on the other hand, embrace metaphysics to understand the implicated modern classroom in a hierarchical context and ask: is not the very omission of metaphysics in postmodern discourse a symptom from an education whose foundation was built in its absence? The very dereliction of ancient wisdom in education is very peculiar indeed. Western mindfulness may play a vital component in consummating pragmatic idealism, but only under circumstances admitting metaphysics can we truly transcend our limitations, thereby placing Eastern Mindfulness not as an ecological component, but as an ecological and metaphysical foundation