Students' use of Wikipedia as an academic resource — Patterns of use and perceptions of usefulness

Wikipedia is now an established information source in contemporary society. With initial fears over its detrimental influence on scholarship and study habits now subsiding, this paper investigates what part Wikipedia plays in the academic lives of undergraduate students. The paper draws upon survey data gathered from students across two universities in Australia (n = 1658), alongside follow-up group interview data from a subsample of 35 students. Analysis of this data suggests that Wikipedia is now an embedded feature of most students' study, although to a lesser extent than other online information sources such as YouTube and Facebook. For the most part, Wikipedia was described as an introductory and/or supplementary source of information — providing initial orientation and occasional clarification on study topics. While 87.5% of students reported using Wikipedia, it was seen to be of limited usefulness when compared with university-provided library resources, e-books, learning management systems, lecture recordings and academic literature databases. These findings were notably patterned in terms of students' gender, year of study, first language spoken and subject of study

Resilience its nature and significance (a theoretical overview)

The Positive Psychology movement has turned the focus on the strengths that people bring to deal with trauma and crisis. The concept of resilience has assumed increasing significance in this regard and looks at how people withstand the effects of adversity and return to a state of normalcy. The understanding of resilience has been approached from several disciplinary perspectives resulting in a plethora of definitions and explanations. It has been regarded as a personality attribute by some and a contextual disposition by others. This theoretical overview adopts a historical approach and seeks to consolidate and synthesise key points in the understanding of resilience. It examines the multi-faceted nature of resilience and other related concepts as detailed in the extant literature. Characteristics of resilient people and its importance in coping have also been discussed. The bio-psychosocial nature of resilience is explored in this paper with reference to the ecosystems perspective. The concluding section briefly outlines implications for intervention

Global value chains and human development: a class-relational framework

Global Value Chain proponents argue that regional and human development can be achieved through ‘strategic coupling’ with transnational corporations. This argument is misleading for two reasons. First, GVC abstracts firm-firm and firm-state relations from their class-relational basis, obscuring fundamental developmental processes. Second, much GVC analysis promotes linear conceptions of development. This article provides a class-relational framework for GVC analysis. The formation and functioning of GVCs and the developmental effects associated with them are products of histories of evolving and often conflictive, class relations. A study of export horticulture in North East Brazil provides empirical support for these arguments

Ultraviolet Absorption Spectrum of Nitrous Oxide as Function of Temperature and Isotopic Substitution

The ultraviolet absorption spectra of nitrous oxide and its {sup 15}N isotopes over the wavelength range 197 to 172 nm and between 150 and 500 K show a weak continuous absorption and a pattern of diffuse banding that became pronounced at higher temperatures. The temperature dependence of the absorption spectrum results from the activation of the n{sub 2}{double_prime} bending mode. Deconvolution of the data shows that absorption by molecules in the (010) vibrational mode results in a spectrum of vibrational bands superimposed on a continuum. A weaker and nearly continuous spectrum results from the ultraviolet absorption by molecules in the (000) vibrational mode. Analysis of the structuring indicates n{sub 2}{double_prime} = (490 {+-} 10) cm{sup -1}. No rotational structure can be observed. Measurement of the n{sub 2}{double_prime} isotope shift is used to identify the quantum number of the upper state vibrational levels. Normal coordinate analysis of the excited state is used to determine a self-consistent set of molecular parameters: bond angle (115{sup o}), the values of n{sub 1}{prime} and n{sub 3}{prime} (1372 and 1761 cm{sup -1}, respectively), and the force constants of the upper state. It is suggested that the transitions observed are {sup 1}S{sup -}({sup 1}A{sup -}) {l_arrow} X- {sup 1}{sup +} and {sup 1}D {l_arrow} {tilde X} {sup 1}S{sup +}