Formality and informality in the summative assessment of motor vehicle apprentices: a case study

This article explores the interaction of formal and informal attributes of competence‐based assessment. Specifically, it presents evidence from a small qualitative case study of summative assessment practices for competence‐based qualifications within apprenticeships in the motor industry in England. The data are analysed through applying an adaptation of a framework for exploring the interplay of formality and informality in learning. This analysis reveals informal mentoring as a significant element which influences not only the process of assessment, but also its outcomes. We offer different possible interpretations of the data and their analysis, and conclude that, whichever interpretation is adopted, there appears to be a need for greater capacity‐building for assessors at a local level. This could acknowledge a more holistic role for assessors; recognise the importance of assessors’ informal practices in the formal retention and achievement of apprentices; and enhance awareness of inequalities that may be reinforced by both informal and formal attributes of assessment practices

Discretization of variational regularization in Banach spaces

Consider a nonlinear ill-posed operator equation $F(u)=y$ where $F$ is defined on a Banach space $X$. In general, for solving this equation numerically, a finite dimensional approximation of $X$ and an approximation of $F$ are required. Moreover, in general the given data \yd of $y$ are noisy. In this paper we analyze finite dimensional variational regularization, which takes into account operator approximations and noisy data: We show (semi-)convergence of the regularized solution of the finite dimensional problems and establish convergence rates in terms of Bregman distances under appropriate sourcewise representation of a solution of the equation. The more involved case of regularization in nonseparable Banach spaces is discussed in detail. In particular we consider the space of finite total variation functions, the space of functions of finite bounded deformation, and the $L^\infty$--space

Do the type and number of blockholders influence R&D investments? : new evidence from Spain

Using data from 3,638 Spanish firms between 1996 and 2000, this article studies the relationship between the presence of large shareholders in the ownership structure of firms and R&D investment. Consistent with our theoretical contention, our results indicate that the impact of large shareholders on the R&D investment is (1) negative when blockholders are banks, (2) positive when blockholders are non-financial corporations and (3) null when blockholders are individuals. In addition, we find a systematic negative relationship between the number of blockholders and R&D investment. Finally, we extend our study by analysing the influence that the combined effect between blockholder type and R&D investment has on the firm’s economic performance. Results of this work provide relevant implications for policy makers and academic research.Publicad

The writing on the wall: the concealed communities of the East Yorkshire horselads

This paper examines the graffiti found within late nineteenth and early-twentieth century farm buildings in the Wolds of East Yorkshire. It suggests that the graffiti were created by a group of young men at the bottom of the social hierarchy - the horselads – and was one of the ways in which they constructed a distinctive sense of communal identity, at a particular stage in their lives. Whilst it tells us much about changing agricultural regimes and social structures, it also informs us about experiences and attitudes often hidden from official histories and biographies. In this way, the graffiti are argued to inform our understanding, not only of a concealed community, but also about their hidden histor

Founders, Feminists, and a Fascist -- Some Notable Women in the Missouri Section of the MAA

In the history of the Missouri Section of the MAA, some of the more interesting people who influenced the growth and development of the section through the years were and are women. In this chapter, we discuss the contributions of a few (certainly not all) of these women to the Missouri Section and mathematics as a whole, including Emily Kathryn Wyant (founder of KME), Margaret F. Willerding (who dealt with sexism in the 1940s), Maria Castellani (an official in Mussolini’s Italy before coming to America), and T. Christine Stevens (co-founder of Project NExT). Without them, and others like them, both mathematics and the Missouri Section of the MAA would be poorer

Reducing recurrent care proceedings: initial evidence from new interventions

The English family justice system faces a crisis of recurrence. As many as one in four birth mothers involved in public law care proceedings in English family courts are likely to reappear in a subsequent set of proceedings within seven years. These mothers are involved in up to one-third of total care applications, as they are – by definition – linked to more than one child . Few birth mothers experiencing the removal of a child to care are offered any follow-up support, despite often facing multiple challenges including poverty, addiction, domestic violence and mental health problems. Since 2011, however, a number of new services have been established to begin to address their unmet needs. This article summarises the findings of the first academic-led evaluation of two of these initiatives. Presenting evidence from a mixed-methods evaluative study, it concludes that the new services were able to foster relationships that ‘worked’ in reducing recurrent proceedings. None of the women engaging with the services went on to experience what could be described as a ‘rapid repeat pregnancy’ within the evaluation window. Just as significantly, a number of clients reported some improvement in their psychological functioning, and the practitioners involved reported positively on their experience of delivering and managing innovative services. The article closes with a discussion of the challenges of evaluating personalised, strengths-based interventions and the possibilities of evidencing empowerment in these cases

Neurology

Contains reports on six research projects.U. S. Public Health Service (B-3055-4, B-3090-4, MH-06175-02)U. S. Air Force (AF49(638)-1313)U.S. Navy. Office of Naval Research (Nonr-1841(70)

The Cesàro operator in growth Banach spaces of analytic functions

[EN] The CesA ro operator C, when acting in the classical growth Banach spaces and , for , of analytic functions on , is investigated. Based on a detailed knowledge of their spectra (due to A. Aleman and A.-M. Persson) we are able to determine the norms of these operators precisely. It is then possible to characterize the mean ergodic and related properties of C acting in these spaces. In addition, we determine the largest Banach space of analytic functions on which C maps into (resp. into ); this optimal domain space always contains (resp. ) as a proper subspace.The research of the first two authors was partially supported by the projects MTM2013-43540-P and GVA Prometeo II/2013/013.Albanese, A.; Bonet Solves, JA.; Ricker, WJ. (2016). The Cesàro operator in growth Banach spaces of analytic functions. Integral Equations and Operator Theory. 86(1):97-112. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00020-016-2316-zS97112861Albanese A.A., Bonet J., Ricker W.J.: Convergence of arithmetic means of operators in Fréchet spaces. J. Math. Anal. Appl. 401, 160–173 (2013)Albanese, A.A., Bonet, J.,Ricker, W.J.: The Cesàro operator on power series spaces. Preprint (2016)Albrecht E., Miller T.L., Neumann M.M.: Spectral properties of generalized Cesàro operators on Hardy and weighted Bergman spaces. Archiv Math. 85, 446–459 (2005)Aleman A.: A class of integral operators on spaces of analytic functions. In: Proc. of the Winter School in Operator Theory and Complex Analysis, Univ. Málaga Secr. Publ., Málaga, pp. 3–30 (2007)Aleman A., Constantin O.: Spectra of integration operators on weighted Bergman spaces. J. Anal. Math. 109, 199–231 (2009)Aleman A., Persson A.-M.: Resolvent estimates and decomposable extensions of generalized Cesàro operators. J. Funct. Anal. 258, 67–98 (2010)Aleman A., Siskakis A.G.: An integral operator on H p . Complex Var. Theory Appl. 28, 149–158 (1995)Aleman A., Siskakis A.G.: Integration operators on Bergman spaces. Indiana Univ. Math. J. 46, 337–356 (1997)Bayart F., Matheron E.: Dynamics of Linear Operators. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (2009)Bierstedt K.D., Bonet J., Galbis A.: Weighted spaces of holomorphic functions on balanced domains. Michigan Math. J. 40, 271–297 (1993)Bierstedt K.D., Bonet J., Taskinen J.: Associated weights and spaces of holomorphic functions. Studia Math. 127, 137–168 (1998)Bierstedt, K.D., Summers, W.H.: Biduals of weighted Banach spaces of analytic functions. J. Aust. Math. Soc. 54, 70–79 (1993)Bonet J., Domanski P., Lindström M.: Essential norm and weak compactness on weighted Banach spaces of analytic functions. Can. Math. Bull. 42, 139–148 (1999)Curbera G.P., Ricker W.J.: Extensions of the classical Cesàro operator on Hardy spaces. Math. Scand. 108, 279–290 (2011)Danikas N., Siskakis A.: The Cesàro operator on bounded analytic functions. Analysis 13, 295–299 (1993)Duren P.: Theory of H p Spaces. Academic Press, New York (1970)Dunford N., Schwartz J.T.:Linear Operators I: General Theory, 2nd Printing. Wiley Interscience Publ., New York (1964)Grosse-Erdmann K., Peris A.: Linear Chaos. Springer, London (2011)Harutyunyan A., Lusky W.: On the boundedness of the differentiation operator between weighted spaces of holomorphic functions. Studia Math. 184, 233–247 (2008)Hedenmalm H., Korenblum B., Zhu K.: Theory of Bergman Spaces. Grad. Texts in Math., vol. 199. Springer, New York (2000)Katzelson Y., Tzafriri L.: On power bounded operators. J. Funct. Anal. 68, 313–328 (1968)Krengel U.: Ergodic Theorems. de Gruyter Studies in Mathematics, vol. 6. Walter de Gruyter Co., Berlin (1985)Lin M.: On the uniform ergodic theorem. Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 43, 337–340 (1974)Lusky W.: On the isomorphism classes of weighted spaces of harmonic and holomorphic functions. Studia Math. 175(1), 19–40 (2006)Megginson R.E.: An Introduction to Banach Space Theory. Springer, New York (1998)Meise R., Vogt D.: Introduction to Functional Analysis. Clarendon Press, Oxford (1997)Persson A.-M.: On the spectrum of the Cesàro operator on spaces of analytic functions. J. Math. Anal. Appl. 340, 1180–1203 (2008)Rubel L.A., Shields A.L.: The second dual of certain spaces of analytic functions. J. Aust. Math. Soc. 11, 276–280 (1970)Shields A.L., Williams D.L.: Bounded projections, duality and multipliers in spaces of analytic functions. Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 162, 287–302 (1971)Siskakis A.: Volterra operators on spaces of analytic functions—a survey. In: Proc. of the First Advanced Course in Operator Theory and Complex Analysis, Univ. Sevilla Serc. Publ., Seville, pp. 51–68 (2006