Global regularity of weak solutions to quasilinear elliptic and parabolic equations with controlled growth

We establish global regularity for weak solutions to quasilinear divergence form elliptic and parabolic equations over Lipschitz domains with controlled growth conditions on low order terms. The leading coefficients belong to the class of BMO functions with small mean oscillations with respect to $x$.Comment: 24 pages, to be submitte

A new and sensitive reaction rate method for spectrophotometric determination of trace amounts of thiourea in different water samples based on an induction period

BACKGROUNDAgrilus bigutattus (Fabricius) is a forest pest of increasing importance in the United Kingdom. The larvae damage weakened native oaks and are thought to contribute to premature tree death. Suspected links with acute oak decline (AOD) are not yet confirmed, but AOD-predisposed trees appear to become more susceptible to A. biguttatus attack. Thus, management may be necessary for control of this insect. To explore the possibility of monitoring beetle populations by baited traps, the host tree volatiles regulating A. biguttatus-oak interactions were studied. RESULTSBiologically active volatile organic compounds in dynamic headspace extracts of oak foliage and bark were identified initially by coupled gas chromatography-electroantennography (GC-EAG) and GC-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and the structures were confirmed by GC coinjection with authentic compounds. Of two synthetic blends of these compounds comprising the active leaf volatiles, the simpler one containing three components evoked strongly positive behavioural responses in four-arm olfactometer tests with virgin females and males, although fresh leaf material was more efficient than the blend. The other blend, comprising a five-component mixture made up of bark volatiles, proved to be as behaviourally active for gravid females as bark tissue. CONCLUSIONSThese initial results on A. biguttatus chemical ecology reveal aspects of the role of attractive tree volatiles in the host-finding of beetles and underpin the development of semiochemically based surveillance strategies for this forest insect. (c) 2015 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry

On the behaviour of solutions to the nonlinear elliptic Neumann problem in unbounded domains

summary:The asymptotic behaviour is studied for minima of regular variational problems with Neumann boundary conditions on noncompact part of boundary

Using new textbook materials by primary school teachers

Cílem empirické studie je prezentovat výsledky výzkumu výuky nového přírodovědného tématu učiteli 1. stupně ZŠ podle shodných učebnicových materiálů. Nejprve jsou popsána teoretická východiska a stav řešení problematiky užívání učebnicových materiálů učiteli se zřetelem na transformaci netradičního učiva a na zavádění netradičních metodických postupů. V další části je prezentována metodologie výzkumu. Výzkumná data byla získána analýzou učebnicových materiálů, prostřednictvím rozhovorů s třemi učitelkami a pozorováním jejich výuky. Následující části jsou věnovány výsledkům výzkumu a diskusi. Zkoumané učitelky při plánování výuky vycházely z návrhu postupu v příručce pro učitele, přičemž hloubka jeho promýšlení u nich byla různá a projevila se ve výuce. Jedna návrhy rozvíjela, druhá je vesměs přejala, ale realizovala neefektivně. Třetí vybírala učivo i postupy, které preferuje. Zvláště u učiva, které je koncipováno nově či netradičně, hrozí nebezpečí horší orientace učitelů ve struktuře učiva, vzdělávacích cílech a návrzích na didaktické zpracování učiva. Pro některé mohou být učebnicové materiály zdrojem znalostí obsahu a didaktických znalostí obsahu, pro jiné jsou pouze zdrojem didaktických námětů, jejichž záměry si učitelé mohou vysvětlovat i v rozporu se záměrem autorů učebnicových materiálů. Porozumění problémům učitelů při zavádění inovací ve výuce je předpokladem uvažování o účinných formách jejich profesní podpory.The aim of this empirical study is to present the results of research on primary school teachers teaching a new science topic using identical textbook materials. At first theoretical resources and the state of the art of using teaching materials by teachers are described with respect to the transformation of untraditional content and to the introduction of untraditional teaching methods. In the next part, research methodology is presented. Research data was obtained from an analysis of teaching materials, from in-depth interviews with three teachers and from observing their teaching. The next part is devoted to research results and discussion. The teachers drew heavily on procedures suggested in the teachers’ guide when they planned their lessons; the diff erence was in the depth of understanding, which was also apparent during the lessons. The first teacher developed suggestions; the second one accepted them but implemented them inefficiently. The third one was selecting aspects of the curriculum and procedures according to her preferences. Especially in cases where the textbook resources present the subject matter in a new and non-traditional way, teachers’ understanding of the structure may suff er as may the subject matter, the educational objectives and the proposed methodological approaches. For some of them textbook materials can be the source of content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge, for others they are just the source of didactic suggestions whose purposes can be explained by teachers sometimes quite diff erently from the purposes of textbook material authors. The understanding of teachers’ problems with introducing innovations is the starting point for thinking about eff ective forms of their professional support