An investigation into the feasibility of introducing computer based control into the early years of secondary education

In our everyday lives we are surrounded by control systems. Computer based control systems are becoming increasingly important. The hardware currently exists in the majority of schools which would enable pupils to participate in computer based control. Primary schools are beginning to recognise the potential of computer based control. However, control does not generally feature in the first or second year curriculum in secondary schools, which only tend to provide experience of it to fourth and fifth form pupils as part of their examination courses. This research attempts to establish whether computer based control is a suitable activity for first and second year pupils. It draws from the experience of many curriculum areas and argues that the activities associated with computer based control are consistent with the previous experience of pupils; that pupils would be motivated by the activities and that they would develop procedural understanding. The thesis describes? a survey into ownership and use of construction kits; a twelve week course in computer based control; the resources which were developed to support the course; and the trials of the course. The research suggests that computer based control can provide suitable activities for twelve and thirteen year old pupils. It identifies a number of problems which seem to indicate that when modelling pupils tend to operate at an aesthetic rather than functional level, and that the difficulty which pupils encounter with a task is a function of the number of 'steps' involved in the task

Neue Kompetenzen für E-Portfolio-Begleiter/innen? Der Kurs MOSEP – More Self-Esteem with my E-Portfolio

Die Arbeit mit E-Portfolios gewinnt in den letzten Jahren zunehmend an Bedeutung und ist ein wichtiger Bestandteil des Repertoires technologiegestützter offener Lern- und Lehrmethoden. Die Notwendigkeit, die Lernverantwortung stärker in die Hände der Lernenden zu legen, wird als eine Grundvoraussetzung für lebenslanges Lernen betrachtet. Um jedoch diese Lernverantwortung auch aktiv übernehmen zu können, ist es auf Seiten der Lernenden notwendig, sich über die individuellen Lernprozesse im Klaren zu sein. Auf Seite der Lehrenden ist es notwendig, diese Prozesse auch optimal begleiten zu können. Das Leonardo-da-Vinci-Projekt MOSEP (More Self-Esteem with my E-Portfolio, http://www.mosep.org) hat sich der Frage nach den notwendigen Kompetenzen der E-Portfolio-Begleiter/innen angenommen und einen Kurs für E-Portfolio-Begleiter/innen umgesetzt. (DIPF/ Orig.

Two new apterous Aradidae

7 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.Includes bibliographical references (p. 7)

Construction of probabilistic event trees for eruption forecasting at Sinabung volcano, Indonesia 2013-14

Eruptions of Sinabung volcano, Indonesia have been ongoing since 2013. Since that time, the character of eruptions has changed, from phreatic to phreatomagmatic to magmatic explosive eruptions, and from production of a lava dome that collapsed to a subsequent thick lava flow that slowly ceased to be active, and later, to a new lava dome. As the eruption progressed, event trees were constructed to forecast eruptive behavior six times, with forecast windows that ranged from 2. weeks to 1. year: November 7-10, December 12-14, and December 27, 2013; and January 9-10, May 13, and October 7, 2014. These event trees were successful in helping to frame the forecast scenarios, to collate current monitoring information, and to document outstanding questions and unknowns. The highest probability forecasts closely matched outcomes of eruption size (including extrusion of the first dome), production of pyroclastic density currents, and pyroclastic density current runout distances. Events assigned low probabilities also occurred, including total collapse of the lava dome in January 2014 and production of a small blast pyroclastic density current in February 2014

Fungus beetles

6 p. ; 24 cm.Includes bibliographical references (p. 5-6)

Flower beetles

18 p. ; 23 cm.Includes bibliographical references (p. 18)

Leaf beetles of Mexico

95 p. : maps ; 24 cm.Includes bibliographical references (p. 93-95)

Fungus beetles

8 p. ; 24 cm.Includes bibliographical references (p. 7-8)

Primitive layered gabbros from fast-spreading lower oceanic crust

Three-quarters of the oceanic crust formed at fast-spreading ridges is composed of plutonic rocks whose mineral assemblages, textures and compositions record the history of melt transport and crystallization between the mantle and the sea floor. Despite the importance of these rocks, sampling them in situ is extremely challenging owing to the overlying dykes and lavas. This means that models for understanding the formation of the lower crust are based largely on geophysical studies and ancient analogues (ophiolites) that did not form at typical mid-ocean ridges. Here we describe cored intervals of primitive, modally layered gabbroic rocks from the lower plutonic crust formed at a fast-spreading ridge, sampled by the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program at the Hess Deep rift. Centimetre-scale, modally layered rocks, some of which have a strong layering-parallel foliation, confirm a long-held belief that such rocks are a key constituent of the lower oceanic crust formed at fast-spreading ridges. Geochemical analysis of these primitive lower plutonic rocks-in combination with previous geochemical data for shallow-level plutonic rocks, sheeted dykes and lavas-provides the most completely constrained estimate of the bulk composition of fast-spreading oceanic crust so far. Simple crystallization models using this bulk crustal composition as the parental melt accurately predict the bulk composition of both the lavas and the plutonic rocks. However, the recovered plutonic rocks show early crystallization of orthopyroxene, which is not predicted by current models of melt extraction from the mantle and mid-ocean-ridge basalt differentiation. The simplest explanation of this observation is that compositionally diverse melts are extracted from the mantle and partly crystallize before mixing to produce the more homogeneous magmas that erupt