Study Trips and Black Licorice

Postcard from Amber Hay, during the Linfield College Semester Abroad Program at Telemark University College in Bø, Norwa

Process not product: Arc, Hull's architecture centre

This paper discusses the Arc project in Hull. It takes the form of a case study of a building conceived from the outset as having no fixed final form or indeed permanent location. The first iteration of the building, designed by Niall Mclaughlin Architects, was completed in 2006 and houses the events space and offices for Arc, the Architecture Centre for Hull and the Humber Region. The project grew out of an initiative formed by collaboration between academics from the two local Universities, plus Community and Business representatives. The intention was that the organization would act as a catalyst for change, and raise architectural aspirations underpinned by an ethos that local people were experts in their own lives. Arc did this through a series of interlinked programmes including Design Review, and the Learning and Public Realm programmes. In addition the building hosted exhibitions, debates and workshops. This is a timely moment to revisit this project as the particular set of circumstances that enabled the building to be realized have already passed into history. Arc both as a building and as organization can now be seen as representative of a particular political and cultural moment in the UK, one that is now firmly over

Rubric supported journal writing in mathematics : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Educational Studies (Mathematics), at Massey University

Using an Action Research model, this project followed the implementation of a journal writing programme in mathematics, in a grade three (year 4) class. The effect of journal writing, as a formative assessment tool upon a single teacher's approach to the teaching and assessment of mathematics in her textbook-based, whole class mathematics programme, is the focus of the study. The teacher who participated in this project looked towards the journal writing programme to assist her in making changes to her teaching and assessment practises in mathematics, in an effort to bring them in line with her performance based approach to other areas of the curriculum. Using Greenwood's (1993) criteria for mathematical thinking, rubrics were designed to make mathematical thinking a focus of her teaching and assessment in mathematics. Several changes in the teacher's approach to the teaching and assessment of mathematics were observed within the study period and continued sustained changes were realised in the longer term. In addition, aspects of her teaching and assessment practices that were not observed to change are discussed. The suggestion is made that the potential of journal writing to be used to extend and challenge the mathematical thinking of students may be partly dependent upon the depth and breadth of the mathematical knowledge of the teacher

Person to Person in Norway

While still in the midst of their study abroad experiences, students at Linfield College write reflective essays. Their essays address issues of cultural similarity and difference, compare lifestyles, mores, norms, and habits between their host countries and home, and examine changes in perceptions about their host countries and the United States. In this essay, Amber Hay describes her observations during her study abroad program at Telemark University College in Bø, Norway

Zur Biologie des nicht identifizierten invasiven Weberknechtes Leibunum sp. (Arachnida: Opiliones)

Since about the year 2000 an unidentified, introduced harvestman of the genus Leiobunum has been rapidly invading Europe. The published records are from the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. A population of Leiobunum sp. in the Netherlands was studied frequently during the day and night. Its life cycle, hunting strategy, diet and accompanying harvestman species were recorded, and mating, male-male fights and ovipositing behaviour studied, as well as the spider species preying on this Leiobunum species. Food items were collected, indicating that its food consists of a wide range of live as well as dead invertebrates including spent spider prey scavenged for at ground level. Vegetable matter like berries, as well as bird droppings were also consumed. The mating strategy is very complex. A male guards an egg depositing female and he defends her against other advancing males, resulting in male-male fights. The guarding male frequently mates. Also courtship behaviour has been observed, including nuptial feeding with a fluid, probably originating from the accessory penal glands and delivered by the male into the female’s stomotheca via sacs located on the distal part of the penis truncus. Eggs are deposited in holes and crevices of walls.Seit dem Jahr 2000 breitet sich eine eingeschleppte und bislang nicht identifizierte Weberknechtart der Gattung Leiobunum rasch in West- und Mitteleuropa aus. Die publizierten Funde stammen aus den Niederlanden, Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz. Während regelmäßiger, vorwiegend nächtlich durchgeführter Beobachtungen einer großen niederländischen Population, wurden Lebenszyklus, Jagdverhalten, Nahrung, begleitende Weberknechtarten, sich von diesen Weberknechten ernährende Spinnen, sowie Paarungsverhalten und Eiablage studiert. Die Weberknechte sind nachtaktiv und halten sich tagsüber meist in großen Ansammlungen vorwiegend an Mauern und Hauswänden auf. Leiobunum sp. ernährt sich räuberisch von verschiedensten kleinen Insekten. Einen weiteren beträchtlichen Anteil an seiner Nahrung bilden tote Insekten und andere wirbellose Tiere, sowie von Spinnen aus ihren Netzen entfernte Beutetiere, die von den Weberknechten am Boden gesammelt werden. Auch Vogelkot und pflanzliches Material wie z. B. Beeren werden verzehrt. Als äußerst kompliziert erwies sich das Paarungsverhalten. Bei der Eiablage bewacht das Männchen das Weibchen und verteidigt es gegen jedes weitere sich nähernde Männchen. Während dieser Bewachung kommt es mehrmals zur Paarung. Das Männchen scheint dem Weibchen dabei regelmäßig als Brautgeschenk eine Flüssigkeit darzubieten, die innerhalb der häutigen Membrane im distalen Teil des Penistruncus gespeichert ist. Die Eier werden in Spalten von vertikalen Strukturen abgelegt

Temporal Stimulus Generalization in Humans

Two experiments investigated temporal generalization in humans using a computer based task which presented red dots with a range of lines at different angles and durations. After training with a standard S+ stimulus duration, generalization testing commenced with an asymmetrical series of presentations of lines of varying angles and durations. Experiment 1 had four conditions, with a standard S+ duration being the presentation of a red dot for a fixed duration. Two of the conditions had the addition of the line tilt. In Experiment 1, 11 participants produced a peak shift effect in all four conditions. Experiment 2 was the same as Experiment 1 except that there were two conditions. Condition 2 was the same as Condition 1 except that the participants were given a verbal instruction to think of the line tilt as if hands on a clock. All 9 participants produced a peak shift effect in both conditions. In Experiment 2, the effect of categorising the stimuli and in turn changing the stimuli from a continuous dimension to discrete stimuli (one in which could be labelled) and the verbal instruction of to think of the line tilt as if hands on a clock did not have an effect on the peak shift as predicted. The results for both experiments were in accordance with predictions of adaptation level theory

Integrating influenza antigenic dynamics with molecular evolution.

Influenza viruses undergo continual antigenic evolution allowing mutant viruses to evade host immunity acquired to previous virus strains. Antigenic phenotype is often assessed through pairwise measurement of cross-reactivity between influenza strains using the hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay. Here, we extend previous approaches to antigenic cartography, and simultaneously characterize antigenic and genetic evolution by modeling the diffusion of antigenic phenotype over a shared virus phylogeny. Using HI data from influenza lineages A/H3N2, A/H1N1, B/Victoria and B/Yamagata, we determine patterns of antigenic drift across viral lineages, showing that A/H3N2 evolves faster and in a more punctuated fashion than other influenza lineages. We also show that year-to-year antigenic drift appears to drive incidence patterns within each influenza lineage. This work makes possible substantial future advances in investigating the dynamics of influenza and other antigenically-variable pathogens by providing a model that intimately combines molecular and antigenic evolution. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01914.001

Interviews via VoIP: benefits and disadvantages within a PhD study of SMEs

The benefits and disadvantages of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) are explored as part of a PhD study to conduct qualitative interviews to discuss risk management within records management. This was used in conjunction with an internet-based electronic whiteboard system to provide online collaboration between participant and researcher. This work describes interviews that were held separately with two participants from one small to medium enterprise (SME). An analysis of factors that might affect researcher choice of interview format is given, and the differences noted between other formats of ‘remote’ interview. Suggestions are made as to how other forms of e-communication may be used for interviews