Ways of experiencing the act of learning to program: a phenomenographic study of introductory programming students at university

The research reported here investigates variation in first year university students’ early experiences of learning to program, with a particular focus on revealing differences in how they go about learning to program. A phenomenographic research approach was used to reveal variation in how the act of learning to program may be constituted amongst first year university students. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with students who had either recently completed, or were enrolled in, a university-level introductory programming subject. Analysis revealed that students might go about learning to program in any of five different ways; by: (1) Following – where learning to program is experienced as ‘getting through’ the unit; (2) Coding – where learning to program is experienced as learning to code; (3) Understanding and integrating – where learning to program is experienced as learning to write a program through understanding and integrating concepts; (4) Problem solving – where learning to program is experienced as learning to do what it takes to solve a problem, and; (5) Participating or enculturation – where learning to program is experienced as discovering what it means to become a programmer. The relationships between these different approaches to learning are represented diagrammatically. The mapping of the variation constitutes a framework within which one aspect of the teaching and learning of introductory programming, how students go about it, may be understood. Implications for teaching and learning in introductory university curricula are discussed

Decorum or Deterrence? The Politics of Execution in Malawi, 1915-1966

This article is not the final print version. The print version is available at http://www.Bergpublishers.com.Capital punishment - specifically public execution - is here investigated not simply as a judicial punishment, but as a lens through which to view the civil and socio-political development of Malawi from the colonial to early independence eras. Public executions were an exceptional measure, employed at times of marked social and political unrest, being ordered by the colonial government in response to the Chilembwe Uprising in 1915 and by Prime Minister Banda in 1965 in the aftermath of the Cabinet crisis and Chipembere Uprising. This article looks at the continuities and changes in the practice and signification of these judicial killings

"The extreme penalty of the law": mercy and the death penalty as aspects of state power in colonial Nyasaland, c. 1903-47

Open access article.Capital punishment was the pinnacle of the colonial judicial system and its use of state violence, but has previously been neglected as a topic of historical research in Africa. This article is based on the case files and legal records of over 800 capital trials – predominantly for murder – dating between 1900 and 1947. It outlines the functioning of the legal system in Nyasaland and the tensions between “violence” and “humanitarianism” in the use and reform of the death penalty. Capital punishment was a political penalty as much as a judicial punishment, with both didactic and deterrent functions: it operated through mercy and the sparing of condemned lives as well as through executions. Mercy in Nyasaland was consistent with colonial political objectives and cultural values: it was decided not only on the facts of cases, but according to British conceptions of “justice”, “order”, “criminality”, and “African” behaviour. This article analyses the use of mercy in Nyasaland to provide a lens on the nature of colonial governance, and the tensions between African and colonial understandings of violence.Arts and Humanities Research Council (UK) and the Beit Fund, University of Oxfor

July 1964

Turf and Lawn Grass Association Better turf through research and Educatio

1964

Turf Management Club by John Traynor (page 1) Who Is Superintendent Here by H.E. Frenette (1) Good Turf Can Result from good Sodding (3) Golf Course Superintendent by Edwart Wiacek (4) Picture - Outstanding Senior Prof. Troll Picture - recognition for Blazers St. Andrew\u27s, Scotland by William Hynd (5) Analogy of a Turf Manager by James B. Cole (6) Fish Trouble by Peter A. Langelier and Dennis P. Leger (8) Square Rings by Robert P. McGuire (9) A Different Type of Course by Robert Hall (10) Literature by Pierre Coste (11) Weeds in Golf Course Turf and Their Control by John F. Cornman (A-1) The USe of Liquid Fertilizer by Anthony B. Longo (A-3) Fertilizing a Golf Course Through an Irrigation System by Herbert E. Berg (A-6) The Extent of Winter Injury on Golf Courses by James L. Holmes (A-11) The Problem of Winter Injury by James B. Beard (A-13) Establishing, Maintaining, and Selling Sod for Turf Areas in New England by George F. Stewart (A-20) Problems of Maintaining Turf Around Industrial Grounds by George Moore (A-22) Landscaping Industrial sites by A.W. Boicourt (A-25) Introduction to the panel Discussion on Grasses for Tees and Their Management by Alexander M. Radko (A-28) Building a Golf Tee by Phil Cassidy (A-29) Grasses for Tees and Their Management by Wm. Dest (A-31) Golf Course Tee maintenance by Jim Fulwider (A-32) Tees by F. Thompson (A-33) How to Draw up a Contract by Lawrence D. Rhoades (A-34) My Contract by Lucien E. Duval (A-37) The Golf Car Problem by Geoffrey S. Cornish (A-41) Golf Cars and Turfgrass by Lee Record (A-42) Course Design and Golf Cars by William F. Mitchell (A-42) Golf Cars and the Established Course by Sherwood Moore (A-45) Course Design and Golf Cars by Phil Wogan (a-52) Introduction of Cars to the New Course by M. Ovian (A-56

Comprehensive mRNA Expression Profiling Distinguishes Tauopathies and Identifies Shared Molecular Pathways

Background: Understanding the aetiologies of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Pick's disease (PiD), Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) and Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is often hampered by the considerable clinical and molecular overlap between these diseases and normal ageing. The development of high throughput genomic technologies such as microarrays provide a new molecular tool to gain insight in the complexity and relationships between diseases, as they provide data on the simultaneous activity of multiple genes, gene networks and cellular pathways. Methodology/Principal Findings: We have constructed genome wide expression profiles from snap frozen post-mortem tissue from the medial temporal lobe of patients with four neurodegenerative disorders (5 AD, 5 PSP, 5 PiD and 5 FTD patients) and 5 control subjects. All patients were matched for age, gender, ApoE-e and MAPT (tau) haplotype. From all groups a total of 790 probes were shown to be differently expressed when compared to control individuals. The results from these experiments were then used to investigate the correlations between clinical, pathological and molecular findings. From the 790 identified probes we extracted a gene set of 166 probes whose expression could discriminate between these disorders and normal ageing. Conclusions/Significance: From genome wide expression profiles we extracted a gene set of 166 probes whose expression could discriminate between neurological disorders and normal ageing. This gene set can be further developed into an accurate microarray-based classification test. Furthermore, from this dataset we extracted a disease specific set of genes and identified two aging related transcription factors (FOXO1A and FOXO3A) as possible drug targets related to neurodegenerative disease

Human subcortical brain asymmetries in 15,847 people worldwide reveal effects of age and sex

The two hemispheres of the human brain differ functionally and structurally. Despite over a century of research, the extent to which brain asymmetry is influenced by sex, handedness, age, and genetic factors is still controversial. Here we present the largest ever analysis of subcortical brain asymmetries, in a harmonized multi-site study using meta-analysis methods. Volumetric asymmetry of seven subcortical structures was assessed in 15,847 MRI scans from 52 datasets worldwide. There were sex differences in the asymmetry of the globus pallidus and putamen. Heritability estimates, derived from 1170 subjects belonging to 71 extended pedigrees, revealed that additive genetic factors influenced the asymmetry of these two structures and that of the hippocampus and thalamus. Handedness had no detectable effect on subcortical asymmetries, even in this unprecedented sample size, but the asymmetry of the putamen varied with age. Genetic drivers of asymmetry in the hippocampus, thalamus and basal ganglia may affect variability in human cognition, including susceptibility to psychiatric disorders

The biology and genetics of curly hair

YesHair fibres show wide diversity across and within all human populations, suggesting that hair fibre form and colour have been subject to much adaptive pressure over thousands of years. All human hair fibres typically have the same basic structure. However, the three-dimensional shape of the entire fibre varies considerably depending on ethnicity and geography, with examples from very straight hair with no rotational turn about the long axis, to the tightly sprung coils of African races. The creation of the highly complex biomaterials in hair follicle and how these confer mechanical functions on the fibre so formed is a topic that remains relatively unexplained thus far. We review the current understanding on how hair fibres are formed into a nonlinear coiled form and which genetic and biological factors are thought to be responsible for hair shape. We report on a new GWAS comparing low and high curl individuals in South Africa, revealing strong links to polymorphic variation in trichohyalin, a copper transporter protein CUTC and the inner root sheath component keratin 74. This builds onto the growing knowledge base describing the control of curly hair formation.Unilever R&

Ways of experiencing the act of learning to program: A phenomenographic study of introductory programming students at university

Research Report: The research reported here investigates variation in first year university students’early experiences of learning to program, with a particular focus on revealingdifferences in how they go about learning to program. A phenomenographic researchapproach was used to reveal variation in relation to the act of learning to program. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with students who had either completed,or were recently completing a university level introductory programming subject. Theanalysis process revealed five different ways in which students go about learning toprogram in introductory university level units. These are captured in categories ofdescription which capture the critical dimensions of what students learn as well ashow they go about learning. Students may go about learning to program by: • Following – where learning to program is experienced as ‘getting through’ the unit. • Coding – where learning to program is experienced as learning to code • Understanding and integrating – where learning to program is experienced as learning to write a program through understanding and integrating concepts • Problem solving – where learning to program is experienced as learning to do what it takes to solve a problem • Participating or enculturation – where learning to program is experienced as discovering what it means to become a programmer The mapping of the variation constitutes a framework within which one aspect of theteaching and learning of introductory programming, how students go about it, may beunderstood. Implications for teaching and learning in introductory university curriculaassociated with each category are discussed. Recommendations for further researchare made