A stochastic model for sediment yield using the Principle of Maximum Entropy

An edited version of this paper was published by AGU. Copyright 1987 American Geophysical Union.The principle of maximum entropy was applied to derive a stochastic model for sediment yield from upland watersheds. By maximizing the conditional entropy subject to certain constraints, a probability distribution of sediment yield conditioned on the probability distribution of direct runoff volume was obtained. This distribution resulted in minimally prejudiced assignment of probabilities on the basis of given information. The parameters of this distribution were determined from such prior information about the direct runoff volume and sediment yield as their means and covariance. The stochastic model was verified by using three sets of field data and was compared with a bivariate normal distribution. The model yielded sediment yield reasonably accurately.This study was supported in part by funds provided by the Geological Survey, U.S. Department of Agriculture, through the Louisiana Water Resources Research Institute, under the project, A Multivariate Stochastic Analysis of Flood Magnitude, Duration and Volume

EFL students' perspectives on English: the (widening) gap between ideals and practices Perspectivas de estudantes de língua estrangeira sobre o inglês: a (grande) lacuna entre ideais e práticas

This paper is based on a survey into perspectives on the English language conducted in a MA in TEFL program in a Croatian University. In the study we examine non-native student-teachers' attitudes towards English and explore four key issues: a) which varieties of English are preferred, b) how the notion of English as an International Language is conceptualized, c) how attitudes about English inform teaching and learning, and d) to what extent the sociocultural context informs attitudes about English. In the English department, there is no articulated policy toward English, yet there appears to be a strong attachment to native-speaker norms. However, with the internationalization of English and the changing ownership of the language, in recent years, much debate has arisen over the native-speaker ideal (HOLLIDAY, 2005; MCKAY, 2002). The English language is used primarily by non-native speakers to communicate with non-native speakers but it appears that this notion has had little impact on teaching and learning (see JENKINS, 2007). We see this gap as an important, and relatively underexplored issue, which merits more interest in English studies. We conclude that, in this context, perceptions of English are still formed by native-speaker norms, and lack of policy on the English language, in fact, supports native-speaker policy.<br>Este artigo baseia-se em um levantamento de perspectivas sobre a língua inglesa, conduzido com alunos de um programa de Mestrado em Ensino da Língua Inglesa de uma universidade croata. No estudo, examinamos as atitudes dos alunos-professores em relação ao inglês e exploramos quatro questões-chave: a) quais variedades do inglês são preferidas, b) como a noção de inglês como língua internacional é conceptualizada, c) como atitudes em relação ao inglês informam o ensino e a aprendizagem e d) o quanto o contexto sociocultural informa as atitudes em relação ao inglês. No Departamento de Inglês da universidade não há política articulada em relção ao inglês, porém parece haver um vínculo forte com normas nativas. Entretanto, com a internacionalização do inglês e as mudanças na propriedade da língua, em anos mais recentes, muitos debates vêm surgindo acerca do falante nativo ideal (HOLLIDAY, 2005; MCKAY, 2002). A língua inglesa é usada primariamente por falantes não nativos, mas aparentemente esta noção tem pouco impacto no ensino e na aprendizagem (ver JENKINS, 2007). Nós vemos esta lacuna como uma questão importante e pouco explorada, não obstante meritória de mais interesse nos estudos da língua inglesa. Concluímos que, nesse contexto, as percepções sobre o inglês ainda são formadas por normas nativas e que a falta de políticas sobre a língua inglesa apoiam uma política do falante nativo