205 research outputs found
School-based mentoring in initial teacher education : the exploratory phase
The Faculty of Education at the University of Malta has long set its eyes on
introducing some form of school-based mentoring as part of initial teacher
education (ITE). Over the years, faculty staff members have become increasingly
more convinced of the professional benefits that can be derived when carefully
selected and trained practitioners in schools mentor ITE students during field
placements. Important developments outside the Faculty have also paved
the way for the eventual introduction of school-based mentoring. Suffice
it to mention the declared support, at least in principle, by a number of key
stakeholders outside the Faculty who operate in the field of education. This
support appears to extend across the Ministry for Education and Employment,
policy makers, the Directorates for Education, high ranking administrators
from the state, Church and independent school sectors, school leaders and
teachers, and the teachers’ union. Put differently, the indications are that the
local context, in the widest sense of the word, is now ready for the development
and implementation of a sustainable school-based mentoring system that is
tailored to address the professional learning needs of faculty students enrolled
in ITE studies.peer-reviewe
The Removal of Artificially Generated Polarization in SHARP Maps
We characterize the problem of artificial polarization for the Submillimeter
High Angular Resolution Polarimeter (SHARP) through the use of simulated data
and observations made at the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO). These
erroneous, artificial polarization signals are introduced into the data through
misalignments in the bolometer sub-arrays plus pointing drifts present during
the data-taking procedure. An algorithm is outlined here to address this
problem and correct for it, provided that one can measure the degree of the
sub-array misalignments and telescope pointing drifts. Tests involving
simulated sources of Gaussian intensity profile indicate that the level of
introduced artificial polarization is highly dependent upon the angular size of
the source. Despite this, the correction algorithm is effective at removing up
to 60% of the artificial polarization during these tests. The analysis of
Jupiter data taken in January 2006 and February 2007 indicates a mean
polarization of 1.44%+/-0.04% and 0.95%+/-0.09%, respectively. The application
of the correction algorithm yields mean reductions in the polarization of
approximately 0.15% and 0.03% for the 2006 and 2007 data sets, respectively.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figure
Post-Traumatic Growth after Cancer: A Thematic Analysis Study
Background: That a diagnosis of, and treatment to cancer brings along shock, distress and possible long-term negative life changes is very clear from human experience and research alike. But such an experience can also relate to positive life changes, as increasing research on the aftermath of serious illness, such as cancer diagnosis consistently shows. Observations of positive outcomes linked to quality of life are increasingly being found in cancer studies. These results seem to converge with post-traumatic growth (PTG) which emphasize positive life changes as resulting from considerable life-changing events that are borne from crises or trauma.
Objectives: Aims to this study were to 1) investigate the holistic impact and ramifications of PTG on the recovery from serious illness such as cancer; 2) clarify the relationship, if any, of PTG with mental health outcomes; and 3) how is PTG strengthened or otherwise, when one is faced by such life-changing event.
Methods: Using a Thematic Analysis design, we investigated how the diagnosis of, and treatment to cancer impacted the patients and survivors. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with people who had received treatment for breast (n=3), MSS (n=1), ovarian (n=2), bone (n=2), H. Lymphoma (n=1), Liver (n=1). Using descriptive mapping, we clarified whether this study results are consistent with Tedeschi and Calhoun’s PTG framework.
Results: Findings charted on the key factors of PTG.
Conclusions: Cancer results in varied consequences and in negative and positive adjustments. Further development of findings which charted on major PTG dimensions is warranted
The DDO IVC Distance Project: Survey Description and the Distance to G139.6+47.6
We present a detailed analysis of the distance determination for one
intermediate Velocity Cloud (IVC G139.6+47.6) from the ongoing DDO IVC Distance
Project. Stars along the line of sight to G139.6+47.6 are examined for the
presence of sodium absorption attributable to the cloud, and the distance
bracket is established by astrometric and spectroscopic parallax measurements
of demonstrated foreground and background stars. We detail our strategy
regarding target selection, observational setup, and analysis of the data,
including a discussion of wavelength calibration and sky subtraction
uncertainties. We find a distance estimate of 129 (+/- 10) pc for the lower
limit and 257 (+211-33) pc for the upper limit. Given the high number of stars
showing absorption due to this IVC, we also discuss the small-scale covering
factor of the cloud and the likely significance of non-detections for
subsequent observations of this and other similar IVC's. Distance measurements
of the remaining targets in the DDO IVC project will be detailed in a companion
paper.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, LaTe
Mercy in the Maltese educational system : education practices to foster respect for diversity towards the migrant population
The growing diversity of learners in Maltese schools presents new challenges to policy-makers and practitioners. Schools and teachers often find themselves at odds when trying to respond to the increasingly diverse needs of the student population within schools. Over the past decade Malta made the shift from a country of emigration to a country of immigration. This trend is represented in Maltese schools, as the student population becomes increasingly heterogeneous. While this new reality is more pronounced in certain areas,
all colleges have a representation of non-Maltese students, with Maria Regina College having the highest representation with a total of 1,134 students (819 at primary level, 95 in middle school and 220 in secondary school) and Saint Nicholas College having the lowest number, with a total population of eighty one migrant students (fifty-nine in the primary, eleven in middle school and eleven in the secondary school).peer-reviewe
Composites with needle-like inclusions exhibiting negative thermal expansion : a preliminary investigation
In this work a simple cylindrical structure with a stiff needle-like inclusion embedded within a much softer matrix is presented and analysed with the aim of obtaining a system with tunable thermal expansion properties. It is shown that by the correct combination of the thermal and mechanical properties of the matrix and inclusion, it is possible to design a system which can be tailor-made to exhibit particular values of the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) in the radial direction and also negative thermal expansion (NTE). In particular an analytical model to quantify the radial strain with changes in temperature is derived and verified through finite element analysis. The model is used to find correct property combinations which lead to particular values of thermal expansion which could also be negative or zero.peer-reviewe
Loose packings of frictional spheres
We have produced loose packings of cohesionless, frictional spheres by
sequential deposition of highly-spherical, monodisperse particles through a
fluid. By varying the properties of the fluid and the particles, we have
identified the Stokes number (St) - rather than the buoyancy of the particles
in the fluid - as the parameter controlling the approach to the loose packing
limit. The loose packing limit is attained at a threshold value of St at which
the kinetic energy of a particle impinging on the packing is fully dissipated
by the fluid. Thus, for cohesionless particles, the dynamics of the deposition
process, rather than the stability of the static packing, defines the random
loose packing limit. We have made direct measurements of the interparticle
friction in the fluid, and present an experimental measurement of the loose
packing volume fraction, \phi_{RLP}, as a function of the friction coefficient
\mu_s.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure
Magnetic Fields and Infall Motions in NGC 1333 IRAS 4
We present single-dish 350 micron dust continuum polarimetry as well as HCN
and HCO+ J=4-3 rotational emission spectra obtained on NGC 1333 IRAS 4. The
polarimetry indicates a uniform field morphology over a 20" radius from the
peak continuum flux of IRAS 4A, in agreement with models of magnetically
supported cloud collapse. The field morphology around IRAS 4B appears to be
quite distinct however, with indications of depolarization observed towards the
peak flux of this source. Inverse P-Cygni profiles are observed in the HCN
J=4-3 line spectra towards IRAS 4A, providing a clear indication of infall gas
motions. Taken together, the evidence gathered here appears to support the
scenario that IRAS 4A is a cloud core in a critical state of support against
gravitational collapse.Comment: 23 pages, 6 figures, 2 table
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