Back Away From the Lecture Notes: Using a Simulation Game to Engage Social Studies Haters

Simulation games may increase student engagement in the social studies classroom. Papert (1991) states that constructionism allows students to build, whether tangible or intangible objects, and that the building and conversation around the building allows student to learn best. In this study, the researcher observed and interviewed participants, as well as wrote in a journal about the experience, regarding playing a simulation game about the Electoral College. The researcher utilized en vivo coding to facilitate data interpretation. The participants were 18 year-old students at a suburban high school in a metropolitan area in the southeastern United States. These participants were selected by self-identifying themselves as ‘social studies haters.’ The researcher gathered data to determine if the simulation game has a relationship to engagement in the social studies classroom and examined with the simulation game, eLECTIONS, exercised elements of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) theory to engage the participants. The researcher determined that self-identified social studies haters at this school more strongly engaged in the social studies content when they participated in the simulation game on the Electoral College. The research also determined UDL enhanced engagement in the simulation game

Money and happiness : rank of income, not income, affects life satisfaction

Does money buy happiness, or does happiness come indirectly from the higher rank in society that money brings? Here we test a rank hypothesis, according to which people gain utility from the ranked position of their income within a comparison group. The rank hypothesis contrasts with traditional reference income hypotheses, which suggest utility from income depends on comparison to a social group reference norm. We find that the ranked position of an individual’s income predicts general life satisfaction, while absolute income and reference income have no effect. Furthermore, individuals weight upward comparisons more than downward comparisons. According to the rank hypothesis, income and utility are not directly linked: Increasing an individual’s income will only increase their utility if ranked position also increases and will necessarily reduce the utility of others who will lose rank

Quantum Electrodynamic Corrections to Cyclotron States in a Penning Trap

We analyze the leading and higher-order quantum electrodynamic corrections to the energy levels for a single electron bound in a Penning trap, including the Bethe logarithm correction due to virtual excitations of the reference quantum cyclotron state. The effective coupling parameter alpha_c in the Penning trap is identified as the square root of the ratio of the cyclotron frequency, converted to an energy via multiplication by the Planck constant, to the electron rest mass energy. We find a large, state-independent, logarithmic one-loop self-energy correction of order alpha alpha_c^4 m c^2 ln(alpha_c^(-2)), where m is the electron rest mass and c is the speed of light. Furthermore, we find a state-independent "trapped" Bethe logarithm. We also obtain a state-dependent higher-order logarithmic self-energy correction of order alpha alpha_c^6 m c^2 ln(alpha_c^(-2)). In the high-energy part of the bound-state self energy, we need to consider terms with up to six magnetic interaction vertices inside the virtual photon loop.Comment: 11 pages; RevTe

A bee or not a bee: an experimental test of acoustic mimicry by hoverflies

The degree of similarity between Batesian mimics and their models varies widely and occurs across a range of sensory modalities. We use three complementary experimental paradigms to investigate acoustic mimicry in hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) which mimic stinging Hymenoptera. First, we analyse sounds made by 13 hoverfly species and 9 Hymenoptera species with and without simulated predation (“alarm” and “flight” sounds, respectively). We demonstrate that the bumblebees Bombus terrestris, B. hortorum, and B. lucorum, and the hoverfly Cheilosia illustrata exhibit alarm sounds that are significantly different to their respective flight sounds, and indistinguishable between species. We then demonstrate that the B. terrestris alarm sound reduces predation on artificial prey by wild birds, but that the hoverfly mimic alarm sound does not. Finally, we trained chicks to avoid distasteful food in the presence of different acoustic stimuli. Overall the chicks showed no difference in response to bee and hoverfly stimuli, demonstrating no innate aversion to the Bombus alarm sound. We therefore conclude that (i) similarity of acoustic signals exists among Hymenoptera and hoverflies, (ii) acoustic aposematic signals (but not the almost identical mimetic signals) are effective at reducing predation, and (iii) wild birds exhibit learned rather than innate aversion to certain acoustic stimuli

Virtual images and billiards

Students in introductory physics courses struggle to understand virtual image formation by a plane mirror and the proper construction of ray diagrams. This difficulty, if not sufficiently addressed, results in further problems throughout the study of geometric optics. Specifically, students fail to apply proper graphical representation of light rays during investigations of the formation of real images by converging lenses and concave mirrors. We present a guided-inquiry activity based on the research-verified Physics by Inquiry text that incorporates a small and inexpensive billiards table, with billiard balls acting as "light". In this way, we approach the abstract concept of virtual images by relation to the concrete concept of physical reflection.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Physics Educatio

Socio-ecological analysis of natural resource use in Betampona Strict Natural Reserve

Without an adequate understanding of the socio-political context in which a natural environment is embedded, it is impossible to prevent, mitigate and adapt to future unwanted changes in the socio - ecological system. It is advantageous for environmental managers to see the social aspects of the socio-ecological system so that they can understand not only the effects but also the motivations of natural resource use. In Madagascar, lemurs and other mammalian wildlife are hotly contested resources because they are threatened and endemic biodiversity and yet are hunted for food throughout the island. Using semi - structured interviews in nearly 300 households in 19 communities surrounding the Betampona Strict Natural Reserve, our team found that more than 60 % of households had consumed wildlife within the past year, with approximately a quarter of wildlife harvest being illegal and nearly 95 % of wildlife harvest being directed to subsistence consumption and not for sale. Although rates of wildlife consumption were quite low throughout the region, we found a strong effect of the pres­ence of the Madagascar Fauna and Flora Group research station. We found that the rates of wildlife consumption increased by 1.3 times for each kilometer distance from the station. Due to the low rates of wildlife consumption, we did not find a significant impact on human health and anemia (as measured through hemoglobin levels), and very low prevalence of anemia generally compared to other regions of Madagascar. Wildlife consumption does not appear to play a tremendous economic or health role in the communities surrounding this particular protected area, and thus increased enforcement of seasonal infractions of legal species and of all illegal species would be warranted. To improve current levels of nutrition, targeted interventions could focus on domesticated livestock diseases that plague the region.  RÉSUMÉLorsque des changements inopinés surviennent dans un sys­tème socio-écologique, il est impossible de prévenir, d’atté­nuer et d’adapter si le contexte socio-politique dans lequel un environnement naturel évolue n’est pas bien compris. Les gestionnaires de l’environnement ont tout intérêt à considérer les aspects sociaux du système socio-écologique de manière à comprendre non seulement les effets de l’utilisation des res­sources naturelles mais aussi ce qui motive cette utilisation. A Madagascar, les lémuriens et d’autres mammifères sont des ressources vivement contestées car ces espèces sont mena­cées et tout en représentant la biodiversité endémique, elles sont cependant chassées pour leur viande sur l’ensemble de l’île. En utilisant des entretiens semi-structurés auprès de 300 ménages dans 19 communautés villageoises de la périphérie de la Réserve Naturelle Intégrale de Betampona, la présente étude a montré que plus de 60 % des ménages avaient consommé du gibier au cours de l’année écoulée dont environ un quart de manière illégale et près de 95 % pour répondre à des besoins de subsistance mais pas pour la vente. Bien que les taux de consommation de gibier étaient plutôt faibles sur l’ensemble de la région, un fort effet de la présence de la station de recherche de Madagascar Fauna and Flora Group a été noté avec des taux de consommation de gibier multipliés par un facteur de 1,3 pour chaque km distant de la station de recherche. En raison des faibles taux de consommation de gibier, aucun impact signifi­catif sur la santé humaine et l’anémie n’a été observé (tel que mesuré par le taux d’hémoglobine) et une prévalence extrême­ment faible de l’anémie générale par rapport à d’autres régions de Madagascar. La consommation de gibier ne semble pas jouer un rôle économique ou sanitaire majeur pour les communautés de la périphérie de cette aire protégée en particulier, de sorte qu’il serait justifié d’appliquer plus strictement les lois portant sur le calendrier de chasse du gibier autorisé et l’interdiction de chasser d’autres espèces. Pour améliorer les niveaux actuels de la nutrition, des interventions ciblées pourraient se concentrer sur les maladies des animaux domestiques qui sévissent dans la région.