“The end justifies the means”

This paper seeks to demonstrate how the format of the current UPSR (Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah) examination influences the style of teaching of English in Primary Schools from Year 1 to 6. “Teachers teach for the test” is a common expression used to justify approaches to language teaching, and as the ‘test’ has only reading and writing components, oral and listening skills are given scant recognition for any contribution in preparing for the ‘test’. It is not the place of this paper to suggest wholesale changes to the UPSR examination, but that the preparation for this final test can be made more efficient by developing the students’ skills of listening and speaking as a foundation and efficient springboard to prepare them for the reading and writing elements of the test. This paper details changes in the assessment system for primary level one only, as the final three years of the child’s teaching can be dedicated to the intense preparation for success in the examination. This preparation will be much easier and more efficient because the children will be able to build on a foundation of communicative skills, prior to embarking on the more academic skills needed for the examination. This will serve the pupils in two ways, by allowing them to be more communicative with their language skills and give them a good foundation for the grammar, reading and written exercises which are the sole features of the UPSR examination. I will also give practical examples of level 1 Primary Schools examinations which can be more communicative and still be faithful to long term UPSR preparation. Versions of this scheme are already being carried out in Kelantan and a report on this will also be presented

Patterns of growth, mortality, and size of the tropical damselfish Acanthochromis polyacanthus across the continental shelf of the Great Barrier Reef

Age-based analyses were used to demonstrate consistent differences in growth between populations of Acanthochromis polyacanthus (Pomacentridae) collected at three distance strata across the continental shelf (inner, mid-, and outer shelf) of the central Great Barrier Reef (three reefs per distance stratum). Fish had significantly greater maximum lengths with increasing distance from shore, but fish from all distances reached approximately the same maximum age, indicating that growth is more rapid for fish found on outer-shelf reefs. Only one fish collected from inner-shelf reefs reached >100 mm SL, whereas 38−67% of fish collected from the outer shelf were >100 mm SL. The largest age class of adult-size fish collected from inner and mid-shelf locations comprised 3−4 year-olds, but shifted to 2-year-olds on outer-shelf reefs. Mortality schedules (Z and S) were similar irrespective of shelf position (inner shelf: 0.51 and 60.0%; mid-shelf: 0.48 and 61.8%; outer shelf: 0.43 and 65.1%, respectively). Age validation of captive fish indicated that growth increments are deposited annually, between the end of winter and early spring. The observed cross-shelf patterns in adult sizes and growth were unlikely to be a result of genetic differences between sample populations because all fish collected showed the same color pattern. It is likely that cross-shelf variation in quality and quantity of food, as well as in turbidity, are factors that contribute to the observed patterns of growth. Similar patterns of cross-shelf mortality indicate that predation rates varied little across the shelf. Our study cautions against pooling demographic parameters on broad spatial scales without consideration of the potential for cross-shelf variabi

Teaching the Doppler Effect in Astrophysics

The Doppler effect is a shift in the frequency of waves emitted from an object moving relative to the observer. By observing and analysing the Doppler shift in electromagnetic waves from astronomical objects, astronomers gain greater insight into the structure and operation of our universe. In this paper, a simple technique is described for teaching the basics of the Doppler effect to undergraduate astrophysics students using acoustic waves. An advantage of the technique is that it produces a visual representation of the acoustic Doppler shift. The equipment comprises a 40 kHz acoustic transmitter and a microphone. The sound is bounced off a computer fan and the signal collected by a DrDAQ ADC and processed by a spectrum analyser. Widening of the spectrum is observed as the fan power supply potential is increased from 4 to 12 V.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, published in Eur. J. Phy

The Health Care Consequences of Smoking and its Regulation

The literature on the health economics of smoking presents two principal facts: that smoking increases health care costs, and that restrictions on smoking lead to reductions in smoking prevalence and intensity. Some researchers have hypothesized that these two facts, in combination, allow the inference that restricting smoking will lower health care costs. For a variety of reasons, however, observed associations between smoking and health care use on the one hand, and regulations and smoking on the other, do not imply a casual effect of the restrictions on health care. This paper extends the literature by examining whether cigarette tax increases lead to lower health care costs. Using data from the 1991 and 1993 National Heath Interview Surveys, it first reproduces the principal results in the literature on smoking, taxes, and health care utilization, and then estimates the effects of tobacco taxes on health care. The results indicate that once one controls for endogenous quits, the health care benefits of smoking cessation are greater than previously believed. There is weak evidence that tax increases lead to higher cessation rates. In combination, these results suggest that, in addition providing a source for funding excess health care costs, tax increases may lower health care costs (for given longevity) directly by inducing smokers to quit.

Comics Plus

Comics Plus offers subscribers a digital library of comics, manga, and graphic novels licensed from more than 100 different publishers, including such indie gems as IDW, Boom Studios, Dark Horse, and Kodansha Comics. Its all-access package includes more than 20,000 titles, about 14,000 of which are appropriate for K-12 readers. Granular title control gives admins the power to customize Comics Plus to suit the readers they serve. But some titles aren’t included at all, namely the best-selling books of the industry’s top players. Comics Plus may someday persuade these publishers––Marvel, DC, Image, and VIZ Media––to play ball. Until then, most librarians will need to supplement Comics Plus with other methods of acquisition

The Research Needs and Practices of Asian Studies Scholars at Trinity University: A Report for Ithaka S+R

This report describes the research needs and practices of nine Asian Studies scholars at Trinity University, a private liberal arts college in San Antonio, Texas. Part of a nationwide study coordinated by Ithaka S+R, the report describes scholars’ 1 methods, information needs, and publication practices in order to better align and deliver research support from academic departments, librarians, university administrators, and other stakeholders. The report culminates in predictions on the future of the field, and offers several recommendations to help scholars achieve the future they envision for Asian Studies

Working in the Data Mine (With Apologies to Allen Toussaint)

A Review of Digital Labor: The Internet as Playground and Factory edited by Trebor Schotz