Primary Science Teaching to Bicolano Students: In Bicol, English or Filipino?

This study aimed to determine the effects of using the local and mother languages on primary students’ academic performance in science, which is officially taught in English. Using the official language, English, and the two local languages- Filipino, the national and official language, and Bicol, the mother language of the respondents- science lessons were developed and administered to three randomly grouped students.  After each science lesson, the researcher administered tests in three languages to the three groups of students to determine their comprehension of science lessons in the three languages.   The findings indicated that students who were taught using the Filipino language obtained better mean scores in the test compared to students who were taught using their mother language. On the other hand, students who were taught using the English language obtained the lowest mean scores.  Furthermore, the results revealed that the Bicol speaking students prefer the Filipino language during class discussions, recitations, in following their teacher’s instructions during science related classroom activities, and in doing their homework

Multilingual Lexical Semantic Resources for Ontology Translation

We describe the integration of some multilingual language resources in ontological descriptions, with the purpose of providing ontologies, which are normally using concept labels in just one (natural) language, with multilingual facility in their design and use in the context of Semantic Web applications, supporting both the semantic annotation of textual documents with multilingual ontology labels and ontology extraction from multilingual text sources

Gipsy 3D: Analysis, Visualization and Vo-Tools

The scientific goals of the AMIGA project are based on the analysis of a significant amount of spectroscopic 3D data. In order to perform this work we present an initiative to develop a new VO compliant package, including present core applications and tasks offered by the Groningen Image Processing System (GIPSY), and new ones based on use cases elaborated in collaboration with ad- vanced users. One of the main goals is to provide local interoperability between GIPSY (visualization and data analysis) and other VO software. The connectivity with the Virtual Observatory environment will provide general access to 3D data VO archives and services, maximizing the potential for scientific discovery.Comment: 2 pages, 1 figure, to appear in the proceedings of the "Multi-wavelength Astronomy and Virtual Observatory" Workshop held at ESAC 1-3 Dec 200

University Faculty Perceptions of Professional Development: Impact and Effectiveness

The purpose of this study was to examine faculty perceptions of the effectiveness and impact of professional development programs and activities in the areas of teaching, research, and service. This qualitative phenomenological study was conducted in a four-year Hispanic-serving institution in South Texas. It focused on exploring tenured and tenure-track faculty perceptions and experiences of their participation in professional development to help them meet tenure and promotion expectations. Analysis of data showed that faculty had mixed feelings about the workshops and training sessions that were offered on campus. However, networking, collaboration, and access to resources and technology were practices that enhanced their professional experiences. Further research needs to be conducted to learn more about why some faculty decide not to participate in faculty development or professional development activities on campuses

University Faculty Perceptions of Professional Development: Impact and Effectiveness

The purpose of this study was to examine faculty perceptions of the effectiveness and impact of professional development programs and activities in the areas of teaching, research, and service. This qualitative phenomenological study was conducted in a four-year Hispanic-serving institution in South Texas. It focused on exploring tenured and tenure-track faculty perceptions and experiences of their participation in professional development to help them meet tenure and promotion expectations. Analysis of data showed that faculty had mixed feelings about the workshops and training sessions that were offered on campus. However, networking, collaboration, and access to resources and technology were practices that enhanced their professional experiences. Further research needs to be conducted to learn more about why some faculty decide not to participate in faculty development or professional development activities on campuses

Investigation on cam-follower lubricated contacts

The cam-follower contact is one of the most complex lubricated non-conformal contact due to its continuous variation of load, speed and geometry. The complexity of the phenomena occurring in the camshaft systems make experimental verifications very important. In this work, an already existing versatile experimental apparatus for investigation of non-conformal lubricated contacts, able to measure film thickness using the optical interference method and friction force trough a load cell, has been modified in order to tests cam-follower contacts. Some test have been carried out for investigating the behaviour of some fundamental components of the rig. A theoretical/numerical simulations has been performed to investigate the dynamic behaviour of the system and in order to provide some indications for the interpretation of the experimental results. Purposely developed versions of the programme have been also an important support for the design and of a new apparatus specifically addressed to the cam-follower contact and with increased potentialities capable of more detailed measurement of film thickness and contact forces. The apparatus is able to reproduce a cam-follower mechanism that uses a rocker as a link device between the cam follower set and the valve