3,715 research outputs found
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 âsocial studies haters.â 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 individualâs 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 individualâs 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 (âalarmâ and âflightâ 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 presÂence 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.  RĂSUMĂLorsque des changements inopinĂ©s surviennent dans un sysÂtĂšme socio-Ă©cologique, il est impossible de prĂ©venir, dâattĂ©Ânuer et dâadapter si le contexte socio-politique dans lequel un environnement naturel Ă©volue nâest pas bien compris. Les gestionnaires de lâenvironnement ont tout intĂ©rĂȘt Ă considĂ©rer les aspects sociaux du systĂšme socio-Ă©cologique de maniĂšre Ă comprendre non seulement les effets de lâutilisation des resÂsources naturelles mais aussi ce qui motive cette utilisation. A Madagascar, les lĂ©muriens et dâautres mammifĂšres sont des ressources vivement contestĂ©es car ces espĂšces sont menaÂcĂ©es et tout en reprĂ©sentant la biodiversitĂ© endĂ©mique, elles sont cependant chassĂ©es pour leur viande sur lâensemble de lâĂźle. En utilisant des entretiens semi-structurĂ©s auprĂšs de 300 mĂ©nages dans 19 communautĂ©s villageoises de la pĂ©riphĂ©rie de la RĂ©serve Naturelle IntĂ©grale de Betampona, la prĂ©sente Ă©tude a montrĂ© que plus de 60 % des mĂ©nages avaient consommĂ© du gibier au cours de lâannĂ©e Ă©coulĂ©e dont environ un quart de maniĂšre illĂ©gale et prĂšs de 95 % pour rĂ©pondre Ă des besoins de subsistance mais pas pour la vente. Bien que les taux de consommation de gibier Ă©taient plutĂŽt faibles sur lâensemble de la rĂ©gion, un fort effet de la prĂ©sence de la station de recherche de Madagascar Fauna and Flora Group a Ă©tĂ© notĂ© avec des taux de consommation de gibier multipliĂ©s 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 signifiÂcatif sur la santĂ© humaine et lâanĂ©mie nâa Ă©tĂ© observĂ© (tel que mesurĂ© par le taux dâhĂ©moglobine) et une prĂ©valence extrĂȘmeÂment faible de lâanĂ©mie gĂ©nĂ©rale par rapport Ă dâautres rĂ©gions de Madagascar. La consommation de gibier ne semble pas jouer un rĂŽle Ă©conomique ou sanitaire majeur pour les communautĂ©s de la pĂ©riphĂ©rie de cette aire protĂ©gĂ©e en particulier, de sorte quâil serait justifiĂ© dâappliquer plus strictement les lois portant sur le calendrier de chasse du gibier autorisĂ© et lâinterdiction de chasser dâautres espĂšces. Pour amĂ©liorer les niveaux actuels de la nutrition, des interventions ciblĂ©es pourraient se concentrer sur les maladies des animaux domestiques qui sĂ©vissent dans la rĂ©gion.
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