The development of the mathematical department of the Educational Times from 1847 to 1862.

Mathematics held an important place in the first twelve of years of the Educational Times (1847-1923), and in November 1848 a department of mathematical questions and solutions was launched. In 1864 this department was reprinted in a daughter journal: Mathematical Questions with Their solutions from The Educational Times (MQ). This thesis concentrates on the development of this department from its inception until 1862, when William John Clarke Miller became its editor; and is considered in terms of the editors, contributors and mathematics. To facilitate this research, a source-oriented database using K L E I O (kleio) software was constructed. It contains data taken from the questions and solutions and also miscellaneous items from the journal. Database analysis was used in conjunction with traditional, archival sources; for example, the respective, previously unknown correspondence of two of the main contributors, Thomas Turner Wilkinson and Miller. The development of the department fell into two main periods: the early 1850s when it was edited by Richard Wilson then James Wharton and had an educational bias; and the late 1850s when it was dominated by Miller and Stephen Watson who contributed moderately complex problems of a reasonably high standard on conic sections, probability and number theory. In 1850 Miller started contributing with a group of pupils and masters, including Robert Harley, from the Dissenters' College, Taunton. Another group of contributors which emerged was one of northern geometers, with whom Wilkinson was connected. He collaborated with Thomas Stephens Davies on geometry and this influenced his contributions to the department. Miller edited the department from 1862 to 1897 and MQ from 1863 to 1897 and made MO an international journal of renown for its original research. It contained contributions from some of the most eminent national and international mathematicians, including Cayley, Sylvester, Hirst and Clifford. The start of this new phase is briefly introduced and reviewed

Multiple benefits of manure: the key to maintenance of soil fertility and restoration of depleted sandy soils on African smallholder farms

Manure is a key nutrient resource on smallholder farms in the tropics, especially on poorly buffered sandy soils, due to its multiple benefits for soil fertility. Farmers preferentially apply manure to fields closest to homesteads (homefields), which are more fertile than fields further away (outfields). A three-year experiment was established on homefields and outfields on sandy and clayey soils to assess the effects of mineral nitrogen (N) fertilizer application in combination with manure or mineral phosphorus (P) on maize yields and soil chemical properties. Significant maize responses to application of N and manure were observed on all fields except the depleted sandy outfield. Large amounts of manure (17 t ha¿1 year¿1) were required to significantly increase soil organic carbon (SOC), pH, available P, and base saturation, and restore productivity of the depleted sandy outfield. Sole N as ammonium nitrate (100 kg N ha¿1) or in combination with single superphosphate led to acidification of the sandy soils, with a decrease of up to 0.8 pH units after three seasons. In a greenhouse experiment, N and calcium (Ca) were identified as deficient in the sandy homefield, while N, P, Ca, and zinc (Zn) were deficient or low on the sandy outfield. The deficiencies of Ca and Zn were alleviated by the addition of manure. This study highlights the essential role of manure in sustaining and replenishing soil fertility on smallholder farms through its multiple effects, although it should be used in combination with N mineral fertilizers due to its low capacity to supply N

The College of Preceptors and the Educational Times: Changes for British mathematics education in the mid-nineteenth century

AbstractFounded in Britain in 1846 to standardize the teaching profession, the College of Preceptors is little known today. The College was closely linked to the Educational Times (hereafter ET), a journal of “Education, Science and Literature” launched in 1847. This paper examines in detail a sample of College examinations, articles on mathematics education, and reviews of mathematics textbooks that appeared in the ET. Key figures in the mathematical discussion were William Whewell, Augustus De Morgan, and Thomas Tate. The paper shows how the discourse on mathematics education led to the introduction of entrance examinations for Oxford and Cambridge Universities

Human Capacity Development for Income Generation and Organic Market Linkages in Uganda

Rapid economic growth in Uganda has resulted from the strong emphasis on the market liberalization policies tied to export promotion. Commercialization of smallholder farmers’ products has been at the heart of the country’s development program since the year 2000. This study describes how the organic farming sector links farmers to markets through community empowerment, resource development and market linkage intervention strategies using a qualitative analysis of the institutional support provided by the organic sector. The private sector assures technical commodity related support, organic export linkage, and higher incomes while the civil service society emphasizes facilitation to a wide range of market linkages and builds capacities along aspects of the market chain. They both contribute to the empowerment of the communities to make decisions on various aspects of their farm lives. Further studies to assess the impact of the respective farmer market interventions on the livelihoods of the rural population are required