A Study of the Influence of Logo on Locus of Control, Attitudes toward Mathematics, and Problem-Solving Ability in Children in Grades 4, 5, 6

This study was designed to determine the influence of the Logo computer environment on locus of control, attitudes toward mathematics, and problem-solving ability. An experimental design was employed to test whether students in grades 4, 5, 6 who studied Logo showed more positive attitudes toward mathematics and scored higher on locus of control measures than a control group. The intact non-equivalent control group design was employed. The experimental group of 174 youngsters studied Logo for 12 weeks. Ninety-eight youngsters comprised the control group. Differences between groups pre and post Logo training were tested using two instruments, A Study of Attitude toward Arithmetic and the Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Questionnaire. Interactions of pretest and posttest scores with group, sex and grade were examined using analyses of variances (ANOVAS); pretest and posttest differences were tested within various group, sex and grade level combinations. Logical thinking and problem solving skills of youngsters who studied Logo were examined separately with several observational data gathering methods. There were significant (p \u3c .01) test-retest differences in attitudes toward arithmetic between groups by sex. A subgroup analysis revealed that boys’ attitudes improved significantly after studying Logo while girls\u27 attitudes declined. No changes in attitude were shown in the control group. No significant differences were shown in locus of control measures between groups. However, a test-retest analysis revealed that boys and girls in the experimental group increased their scores. No significant differences were shown in locus of control measures between groups. However, a test-retest analysis revealed that boys and girls in the experimental group increased their scores (p \u3c. 01 and p \u3c .05, respectively) as did girls in the control group (p \u3c. 01). Boys in the control group showed no change in test-retest scores. Observational research revealed that Logo did not significantly improve problem-solving abilities even though most children enjoyed the computer and found Logo fun. Different social organizational patterns were shown between boys and girls in their willingness to spend free time on the computer and in their response to making errors. Teachers expressed reservations about how much learning actually occurred and felt that a comprehensive curriculum and more and better inservices were necessary. It is recommended that research be conducted to find ways in which Logo can be used to benefit children of both sexes

CIVIL PRACTICE Civil Practice Act: Allow for Discretionary Appeal of Class Certification; Adopt Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23 Pertaining to Class Actions; Amend Interest Amount on Judgments; Prohibit Third Voluntary Dismissal by Plaintiff; Permit Courts to Use Discretion in Declining Jurisdiction When Another Forum is More Convenient; Change the Pre-Judgment Interest Rate; Provide for Vacation of an Arbitration Award Based Upon an Arbitrator\u27s Manifest Disregard for the Law

The Act replaces the Georgia rule relating to class actions by adopting Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23. The Federal Rule allows for a discretionary intermediate appeal which existing state law did not allow. The Act amends the Georgia Code to allow courts to vacate arbitration awards when the arbitrator disregarded background substantive law in making a decision. The Act changes pre-judgment interest amounts on civil awards. Further, the Act prohibits plaintiffs from filing the same claim three times after voluntarily dismissing the claim twice. The Act also gives courts more discretion to deny jurisdiction in civil actions against nonresident defendants when a more convenient forum is available

Ingenuous interpretation of elevated blood levels of macromolecular markers of myocardial injury: a recipe for confusion

AbstractSeveral assumptions about elevations of macromolecular markers of myocardial injury in blood require critical consideration. The dichotomy of modest, persistent elevations of troponins I and T as prognostic factors in patients with unstable angina and absent elevations of isoenzymes of creatine kinase is presently unexplained. Factors influencing the appearance of macromolecular markers of myocardial injury in blood are considered, including the need to estimate baseline values, to consider elevations as deviations from baseline rather than simply points within a distribution of baseline values in normal subjects, to recognize operative biochemical and physiologic determinants of marker release from injured myocytes and washout and to take into account the influence of apoptosis. Elucidation and consideration of mechanisms underlying the appearance of specific macromolecular markers in blood appear likely to improve diagnosis and explain the prognostic power of the troponins in patients with unstable angina. Detection of proteolytic breakdown products of troponins in blood is likely to explain the modest, persistent elevations seen in some patients with unstable angina and their prognostic implications

Employee Views of Academics (Standards, Performance, and Integrity), Governance, and Finance of Intercollegiate Athletics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

As intercollegiate athletics continue to evolve, there continue to be calls for reform from faculty on both the campus and national levels. Scholarly inquires into faculty perceptions and satisfaction levels pertaining to intercollegiate athletics have provided valuable insight into the variation between campuses as study results have not been uniform (Putler & Wolfe, 1999). With differing beliefs, each faculty-led reform group has a different agenda and set of guiding principles. The purpose of this study is to examine all UNC-CH employees' satisfaction with intercollegiate athletics at UNC-CH. This will extend the 2006 Knight Commission sponsored study, Faculty Perceptions of Intercollegiate Athletics: A National Study of Faculty at NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Institutions to gather preliminary data using a survey for all UNC- CH employees pertaining specifically to satisfaction with academics, governance, and finance of athletics at UNC-CH. In order to guide the examination of employee satisfaction of intercollegiate athletics at UNC-CH, this study was framed utilizing three philosophical viewpoints, which describe basic faculty issues and assumptions that divide institutional reformers and reform groups within Division I institutions across the country (Sack, 2009). The presentation will discuss the findings of this study.Master of Art

River inundation suggests ice-sheet runoff retention

AbstractThe Greenland ice sheet is experiencing dramatic melt that is likely to continue with rapid Arctic warming. However, the proportion of meltwater stored before reaching the global ocean remains difficult to quantify. We use NASA MODIS surface reflectance data to estimate river discharge from two West Greenland rivers – the Watson River near Kangerlussuaq and the Naujat Kuat River near Nuuk – over the summers of 2000–12. By comparison with in situ river discharge observations, ‘inundation–discharge’ relations were constructed for both rivers. MODIS-based total annual discharges agree well with total discharge estimated from in situ observations (86% of summer discharge in 2009 to 96% in 2011 at the Watson River, and 106% of total discharge in 2011 to 104% in 2012 at the Naujat Kuat River). We find, however, that a time-lapse camera, deployed at the Watson River in summer 2012, better captures the variations in observed discharge, benefiting from fewer data gaps due to clouds. The MODIS-derived estimates indicate that summer discharge has not significantly increased over the last decade, despite a strong warming trend. Also, meltwater runoff estimates derived from the regional climate model RACMO2/GR for the drainage basins are higher than our reconstructions of river discharge. These results provide indirect evidence for a considerable component of water storage within the glacio-hydrological system.</jats:p