Designing digital technologies and learning activities for different geometries

This chapter focuses on digital technologies and geometry education, a combination of topics that provides a suitable avenue for analysing closely the issues and challenges involved in designing and utilizing digital technologies for learning mathematics. In revealing these issues and challenges, the chapter examines the design of digital technologies and related forms of learning activities for a range of geometries, including Euclidean and co-ordinate geometries in two and three dimensions, and non-Euclidean geometries such as spherical, hyperbolic and fractal geometry. This analysis reveals the decisions that designers take when designing for different geometries on the flat computer screen. Such decisions are not only about the geometry but also about the learner in terms of supporting their perceptions of what are the key features of geometry

Conceptions of Law in Classical Athens

This thesis investigates the underlying assumptions Athenians had about their laws: it seeks to ask what Athenians assumed their laws were for, and where they thought those laws got their authority. It neither answers nor seeks to answer the difficult question of how Athenian juries made decisions, but by focussing on Athenian conceptions of their laws it offers a tool for those who would study Athenian litigation and legislating. These questions are first explored through a study of the responses of the restored democracy to the remnants of the Thirty’s attempts at legislating. The various and inconsistent responses made help to frame jurisprudential questions within the actions of democratic Athens. The modern jurisprudential theory of interpretativism is used to access Athenian ideas on the principles assumed to underlie Athens’ laws, and the thesis argues that Athenians were equally likely to present arguments which rely on polis expediency as the principle underlying Athens’ laws as they were to present arguments relying on justice as that principle. The same theoretical framework is used to explore the accepted role of morality as the principle underlying Athens’ laws and the thesis argues that though morality could be used for this purpose, such uses were rare. The thesis then explores Athens’ weak enforcement of laws and weak ideal of obedience to law as law and concludes that the enforcement of morality did not form a large part of Athenians’ assumptions about what their law was supposed to achieve or from where it drew its authority. How far Athens recognised the authority of law via the authority of the person or body which made that law is then explored. Fourth-century Athenians are shown to have held ambivalent views about democratic law making and law makers, and the thesis concludes that democratic Athens’ respect for its ancient lawgivers came to affect its ability to fully realise its own institutions’ legislative authority. Finally, the thesis looks at Athenian idealised views of Spartan law to clarify the questions raised in the study of Athenians’ conceptions of their own laws

Discrepancies between registration and publication of randomised controlled trials: an observational study

Abstract OBJECTIVES: To determine the consistency between information contained in the registration and publication of randomised controlled trials (RCTs). DESIGN: An observational study of RCTs published between May 2011 and May 2012 in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) and the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) comparing registry data with publication data. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTINGS: Data extracted from published RCTs in BMJ and JAMA. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Timing of trial registration in relation to completion of trial data collection and publication. Registered versus published primary and secondary outcomes, sample size. RESULTS: We identified 40 RCTs in BMJ and 36 in JAMA. All 36 JAMA trials and 39 (98%) BMJ trials were registered. All registered trials were registered prior to publication. Thirty-two (82%) BMJ trials recorded the date of data completion; of these, in two trials the date of trial registration postdated the registered date of data completion. There were discrepancies between primary outcomes declared in the trial registry information and in the published paper in 18 (47%) BMJ papers and seven (19%) JAMA papers. The original sample size stated in the trial registration was achieved in 24 (60%) BMJ papers and 21 (58%) JAMA papers. CONCLUSIONS: Compulsory registration of RCTs is meaningless if the content of registry information is not complete or if discrepancies between registration and publication are not reported. This study demonstrates that discrepancies in primary and secondary outcomes and sample size between trial registration and publication remain commonplace, giving further strength to the World Health Organisation's argument for mandatory completion of a minimum number of compulsory fields

Moving beyond the restrictions : the evaluation of the Alice Springs alcohol management plan

There have been a number of evaluations of alcohol management in the Alice Springs region. Interestingly, an evaluation in 1975 emphasised the need for government and other agencies to view the issues holistically and to address them accordingly. The outcomes of this evaluation point to a similar situation with comparable recommendations. The situation in Alice Springs is unique in some respects but has parallel characteristics to other towns and communities in Australia. Alice Springs is an important regional supply, service-orientated, and tourism town. Its people have diverse backgrounds and appear as durable as the environment they live in. Associated with this is a hard drinking culture that permeates the community with a range of issues regardless of one’s cultural background. The research group found a community that in many ways is ruptured and fragmented when it comes to the ways and means of how such challenges can be confronted. This situation is exemplified by the perception that alcohol problems are confined to a minority of drinkers that seemingly pervades the dialogue surrounding drinking and its effects in the town. Nevertheless, a positive outcome of such discourse is the fact that people do care about their community and are very keen to live in a town where there are more responsible attitudes toward drinking. There is some way to go; the first thing that everyone needs to accept is that it is a community problem. Non-Indigenous and Indigenous individuals, groups and organisations all have a responsibility therefore in addressing the challenges and working toward better solutions. Government have an important role of course, however the acceptance by the community that it is a community problem is paramount. Some of the community and government initiatives are having a positive effect on drinking in the town. However, some of the initiatives, such as certain restrictions, can and should not be considered, on their own, as long-term solutions. Other processes need to be implemented, oversighted and managed in an effective manner. An important component of such processes is data that is well managed, available, and appropriate for those agencies involved

Many Low Income Women In Texas Do Not Get the Effective Contraception They Want After Giving Birth

Population Research Cente

The Small World of the University: A Classroom Exercise in the Study of Networks

A small world study is an easy way to introduce students to the challenges and rewards of network studies. Hypotheses about networks can be formulated and easily tested during the course of a term. Here, hypotheses about the communication patterns among undergraduates were tested by creating a small world study with an administrator as a target. Undergraduates were found to prefer to pass small world folders among their own class and did not pass folders to lower classes. Graduate students, faculty and staff were more closely connected to the administration as compared to undergraduate students, and freshmen were particularly isolated in communication networks. Women relied more on homophilous ties to pass folders compared to men, and both sexes relied on homophilous ties when passing folders across occupational boundaries

Cancer survival in Australia 1992–1997 : geographic categories and socioeconomic status

Cancer Survival in Australia 1992-1997 is the first national analysis of how cancer survival varies by socioeconomic status and geographic region. It presents an analysis of five-year relative survival proportions by geographic category and socioeconomic status for persons diagnosed with cancer during the years 1992-1997.This analysis is presented by age and sex for all cancers (Excluding non-melanocytic skin cancers) combined and for the following National Health Priority Area cancers - colorectal cancer, cancer of the lung, melanoma, cancer of the breast (females only), cancer of the cervix, cancer of the prostate, and non-Hodgkin\u27s lymphoma.This report is the third in a series of three reports on relative survival after being diagnosed with cancer. It is an important reference for all those interested in the health of Australians

How has HRM evolved in a post-disaster situation?

The post-disaster period following the Christchurch 2011 seismic disaster resulted in a variety of changes for HR practitioners. A multiple-case study analysis surrounding post-disaster experiences of 11 HR practitioners showed that the focus of HR practitioners evolved from immediate employee welfare, to creative retentive practices, to ensuring employee wellbeing. There also became an increasing awareness of the importance of employee-focused HRM, resulting in a changed outlook for some practitioners. The post-disaster period provided a potential learning experience for practitioners, along with an opportunity for practitioners to introduce new initiatives. As a result, some participants felt HRM gained increasing legitimacy within their organisations. Throughout the period, both employees and HR practitioners adapted to the ‘new normal’ at varying rates, influencing their ability to perform at work. The study brings awareness of the need for HR practitioners to utilise a more employee- centred style of HRM in both normal and post-disaster environments

Misplaced Trust: Measuring the Interference of Machine Learning in Human Decision-Making

ML decision-aid systems are increasingly common on the web, but their successful integration relies on people trusting them appropriately: they should use the system to fill in gaps in their ability, but recognize signals that the system might be incorrect. We measured how people's trust in ML recommendations differs by expertise and with more system information through a task-based study of 175 adults. We used two tasks that are difficult for humans: comparing large crowd sizes and identifying similar-looking animals. Our results provide three key insights: (1) People trust incorrect ML recommendations for tasks that they perform correctly the majority of the time, even if they have high prior knowledge about ML or are given information indicating the system is not confident in its prediction; (2) Four different types of system information all increased people's trust in recommendations; and (3) Math and logic skills may be as important as ML for decision-makers working with ML recommendations.Comment: 10 page