Graphics calculator use in examinations: accident or design?

As graphics calculators become more available, interest will focus on how to incorporate them appropriately into curriculum structures, and particularly into examinations. We describe and exemplify a typology of use of graphics calculators in mathematics examinations, from the perspective of people designing examinations, together with some principles for the awarding of partial credit to student responses. This typology can be used to help design examinations in which students are permitted to use graphics calculators as well as to interrogate existing examination practice

Understanding what you are doing: A new angle on CAS?

Powerful Computer Algebra Systems (CAS) are often used only with reluctance in early undergraduate mathematics teaching, partly because of concerns that they may not encourage students to understand what they are doing. In this exploratory study, a version of a CAS that has been designed for secondary school students was used, with a view to considering the value of this sort of student learning support for first year undergraduate students enrolled in degree programs other than mathematics. Workshops were designed to help students understand aspects of elementary symbolic manipulation, through the use of the Algebra mode of an algebraic calculator, the Casio Algebra FX 2.0. The Algebra mode of this calculator allows a user to undertake elementary algebraic manipulation, routinely providing all intermediate results, in contrast to more powerful CAS software, which usually provides simplified results only. The students were volunteers from an introductory level unit, designed to provide a bridge between school and university studies of mathematics and with a focus on algebra and calculus. The two structured workshop sessions focussed respectively on the solution of linear equations and on relationships between factorising and expanding; attention focussed on using the calculators as personal learning devices. Following the workshops, structured interviews were used to systematically record student reactions to the experience. As a result of the study, the paper offers advice on the merits of using algebraic calculators in this sort of way

Graphics calculators in the mathematics curriculum: Integration or differentiation?

Graphics calculators are examples of powerful technologies that we want our students to learn to use well. However if we use them in our courses only for learning, students will not regard them with due importance because they are not integrated into the assessment. On the other hand, if graphics calculators are integrated into both learning and assessment there are risks associated with students becoming calculator dependent, issues of equity arise associated with calculator access and there may be problems with setting an appropriate examination. We discuss this dilemma in the light of our experiences and the reactions of our students over the last two years

Symbolic manipulation on a TI-92: New threat or hidden treasures?

The availability of hand held devices that can undertake symbolic manipulation is a recent phenomenon, potentially of great significance for both the algebra and calculus curriculum in the secondary and lower undergraduate years. The significance to date of symbolic manipulation for mathematics is described, and parallels drawn with the significance of arithmetic skills for the primary school. It is suggested that, while symbolic manipulation is central to mathematics, many students develop only a restricted competence with the associated mathematical ideas. The Texas Instruments TI-92 is used to suggest some potential beneficial uses of technology that involves symbolic manipulation

Graphics calculators and assessment

Graphics calculators are powerful tools for learning mathematics and we want our students to learn to use them effectively. The use of these hand held personal computers provides opportunities for learning in interactive and dynamic ways. However, it is not until their use is totally integrated into all aspects of the curriculum that students regard them with due importance. This includes their use in all kinds of assessment tasks such as assignments, tests and examinations as well as in activities and explorations aimed at developing students’ understanding. The incorporation of graphics calculators into assessment tasks requires careful construction of these tasks. In this paper, discuss issues of equity relating to calculator models, levels of calculator use and the purpose and design of appropriate tasks. We also describe a typology we have developed to assist in the design and wording of assessment tasks which encourage appropriate use of graphics calculators, but which do not compromise important course objectives

Research on oxygen toxicity at the cellular level Final report, 15 Apr. 1965 - 15 Jun. 1966

Oxygen toxicity at cellular level in manned spacecraf

Psychological adjustment of men with prostate cancer: A review of the literature

OBJECTIVE: Prostate cancer (PCA) is the most common malignancy and a major cause of death in men but, importantly, a substantial proportion will live for several years following diagnosis. However, they face the prospect of experiencing symptoms, side-effects of treatment and diminished quality of life. The patient's psychological adjustment is particularly complex, given the potential trajectory of the disease, from the point of diagnosis, with its immediate impact, to the phase of palliative care, with its attendant issue of facing mortality. Since a comprehensive review of the literature on psychological adjustment of men with PCA has not yet been done, we have documented relevant research, integrated findings and drawn conclusions, where possible, in order to map out clinical and research implications. METHOD: We searched 5 databases for the period 1994 - July 2006, during which most of the work in the field has been done. RESULTS: We found few studies of substance among the 60 we examined to draw conclusions about psychological adjustment to prostate cancer and its treatment. This is in marked contrast to the picture in breast cancer. While some patterns have emerged, many gaps remain to be filled. DISCUSSION: Aspects of methodology need attention, particularly longitudinal, prospective designs, incorporation of control groups and the use of valid and reliable measures. There is scope for qualitative studies as a complement to quantitative research

Psychosocial adjustment in newly diagnosed prostate cancer

Objective: To examine the psychological and social adjustment of men with early or advanced stage prostate cancer and to compare them with a matched group of cancer-free community volunteers. Methods: A longitudinal observational study in which 367 men recently diagnosed with early (n =211) or advanced stage (n = 156), prostate cancer were compared to 169 cancer-free men from the community, of similar age and residential area, using self-report measures of psychosocial adjustment. Results: On the mental health subscales of the Short-Form 36-item Health Survey, men with advanced disease had lower vitality and social functioning than the other two groups, and lower mental health scores than the comparison group. Both patient groups had lower role-emotional scores than the comparison group. With regard to the Brief Symptom Inventory, the advanced disease group had higher somatization scores, and lower interpersonal sensitivity and paranoid ideation scores than the early stage group and the community comparison group. In terms of psychiatric morbidity, there were higher rates of anxiety disorders but not depressive disorders in both patient groups although overall diagnosis rates were low. No differences were found in terms of couple or family functioning. Conclusions: There is impairment in psychosocial function in men with prostate cancer, particularly those with advanced disease, but no increase in the rate of formal psychiatric disorder or adverse effects on the couples and families. This suggests directions for psychosocial interventions with these patient group

Was Sinn Féin dying? A quantitative post-mortem of the party's decline and the emergence of Fianna Fáil

This article calls for a reappraisal of the consensus surrounding the split within Sinn Féin in 1926 that led to the foundation of Fianna Fáil. It demonstrates that quantitative factors cited to demonstrate Sinn Féin’s “terminal” decline – finances, cumann numbers, and election results – and to explain de Valera’s decision to leave Sinn Féin and establish a rival republican organisation, Fianna Fáil, do not provide sufficient objective grounds to explain the republican leader’s actions. This article demonstrates that Sinn Féin’s election results during the period in question (1923-1926) were encouraging and the decline in finances and cumann numbers can be explained by the fact that the base year used to compare progress was 1923, an election year. Moreover, this article compares the performance of Sinn Féin to the first five years of Fianna Fáil (1926-1931) to show that what has been interpreted as terminal decline can also be attributed to normal inter-election lulls in party activity. Correspondingly, subjective factors – e.g. personal rivalries, differences in ideology, organisational style and levels of patience in terms of achieving political power – were most likely the determining factors rather than organisational decline

Effect of antiandrogen flutamide on measures of hepatic regeneration in rats

Male rat liver undergoes a process of demasculinization during hepatic regeneration following partial hepatectomy. The possibility that antiandrogens might potentiate this demasculinization process and in so doing augment the hepatic regenerative response was investigated. Adult male Wistar rats were treated with the antiandrogen flutamide (2 mg/rat/day or 5 mg/rat/day subcutaneously) or vehicle for three days prior to and daily after a 70% partial hepatectomy. At various times after hepatectomy, the liver remnants were removed and weighed. Rates of DNA and polyamine synthesis were assessed by measuring thymidine kinase and ornithine decarboxylase activities, respectively. Hepatic estrogen receptor status and the activity of alcohol dehydrogenase, an androgen-sensitive protein, were measured. Prior to surgery, the administration of 5 mg/day flutamide reduced the hepatic cytosolic androgen receptor activity by 98% and hepatic cytosolic estrogen receptor content by 92% compared to that present in vehicle-treated controls. After hepatectomy, however, all differences in sex hormone receptor activity between the treatment groups were abolished. The rate of liver growth after partial hepatectomy in the three groups was identical. Moreover, hepatectomy-induced increases in ornithine decarboxylase activity and thymidine kinase activity were comparable. These data demonstrate that, although flutamide administration initially alters the sex hormone receptor status of the liver, these affects have no effect on the hepatic regenerative response following a partial hepatectomy. © 1989 Plenum Publishing Corporation