Rose garden promises of intelligent tutoring systems: Blossom or thorn

Intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) have been in existence for over a decade. However, few controlled evaluation studies have been conducted comparing the effectiveness of these systems to more traditional instruction methods. Two main promises of ITSs are examined: (1) Engender more effective and efficient learning in relation to traditional formats; and (2) Reduce the range of learning outcome measures where a majority of individuals are elevated to high performance levels. Bloom (1984) has referred to these as the two sigma problem; to achieve two standard deviation improvements with tutoring over traditional instruction methods. Four ITSs are discussed in relation to the two promises. These tutors have undergone systematic, controlled evaluations: (1) The LISP tutor (Anderson Farrell and Sauers, 1984); (2) Smithtown (Shute and Glaser, in press); (3) Sherlock (Lesgold, Lajoie, Bunzo and Eggan, 1990); and (4) The Pascal ITS (Bonar, Cunningham, Beatty and Well, 1988). Results show that these four tutors do accelerate learning with no degradation in final outcome. Suggestions for improvements to the design and evaluation of ITSs are discussed

Intelligent tutoring systems as tools for investigating individual differences in learning

The ultimate goal of this research is to build an improved model-based selection and classification system for the United States Air Force. Researchers are developing innovative approaches to ability testing. The Learning Abilities Measurement Program (LAMP) examines individual differences in learning abilities, seeking answers to the questions of why some people learn more and better than others and whether there are basic cognitive processes applicable across tasks and domains that are predictive of successful performance (or whether there are more complex problem solving behaviors involved)

Gender ratios in library management (‘directorship’) roles in New Zealand public and tertiary libraries

Research problem: This study looked at the percentage of female managers in charge of library systems within New Zealand between 1980 and 2013 to see if their gender balance matched the wider library workforce (which has upwards of 80% female staff). Methodology: Directories of public libraries were examined and the gender of each library manager was noted. Results: The overall figure for library managers was found to be around 80%, with a slight improvement over the period examined. However, when public libraries were divided by size, the results for the 1980s showed that large libraries had fewer female managers than the overall library workforce, while small libraries had a larger percentage. This difference was shown to decrease over the period studied, until both large and small libraries had around 80% female staff. A similar result was shown in preliminary data sourced from New South Wales (Australia), which suggested that this trend also occurs overseas. The New Zealand data also considered tertiary institutions. At the beginning of the study, only one out of six university library systems was managed by a woman, while in the most recent year seven out of ten managers were female. In contrast, there was found to be a high percentage of female managers in charge of polytechs over this same time. Implications: These results suggest that a gender bias existed within some sectors of librarianship (within large public libraries and university libraries) at the beginning of the study period, but that this bias has largely disappeared in recent years

Reference apparatus for medical ultrasonic transducer

Once reference apparatus has been located properly, and its position on chest of patient has been recorded on skin by means of indelible fiducial marks, it is simple matter at later time to reposition probe on chest over heart. In this way, signals from exact same area of heart can be re-examined

Polynomials represented by norm forms via the beta sieve

A central question in Arithmetic geometry is to determine for which polynomials $f \in \mathbb{Z}[t]$ and which number fields $K$ the Hasse principle holds for the affine equation $f(t) = N_{K/\mathbb{Q}}(\boldsymbol{x}) \neq 0$. Whilst extensively studied in the literature, current results are largely limited to polynomials and number fields of low degree. In this paper, we establish the Hasse principle for a wide family of polynomials and number fields, including polynomials that are products of arbitrarily many linear, quadratic or cubic factors. The proof generalises an argument of Irving, which makes use of the beta sieve of Rosser and Iwaniec. As a further application of our sieve results, we prove new cases of a conjecture of Harpaz and Wittenberg on locally split values of polynomials over number fields, and discuss consequences for rational points in fibrations.Comment: 58 page

Family Support as a Gang Reduction Measure

Recent public concern about youth gangs in Britain has prompted a narrow, almost stereotypical, range of US-derived policy responses. This paper argues that family support is an unexplored but potentially effective gang reduction tool, but in order to overcome persistent concerns regarding misidentification, stigmatic labelling and policy misdirection, programmes must not only be 'good science' but also be non-punitive, acceptable to families and context-sensitive. Beginning with a discussion of the grounds for intervention, the paper identifies likely barriers from the point of view of the parents of gang members, and from these, derives necessary standards for effective support. The paper describes some promising ('public health oriented') and unpromising ('criminal justice oriented') programmes, and argues for more 'gang-sensitive' family support and a related research agenda. © 2011 The Author(s). Children and Society © 2011 National Children's Bureau and Blackwell Publishing Limited

Fiduciary Administration - Compensation - Extra Compensation and the Rule Against Self-Dealing

Respondent was a member of a firm of certified public accountants who were actively engaged in assisting decedent work out his income tax difficulties at the time of his death. Under decedent\u27s will respondent was named executor and trustee along with decedent\u27s lawyer and a trust company. The executors employed respondent\u27s partnership to perform services in connection with the estate. The surviving widow and life beneficiary of the estate filed objections to the account of the executors, urging that the rule against self-dealing on the part of fiduciaries precluded respondent from recovering for services performed as an accountant in addition to his duties as an executor. On appeal from a decree of surrogate\u27s court overruling this objection, held, affirmed, subject to modification. The respondent was entitled to extra compensation for his services as an accountant in addition to his compensation as executor and trustee, but only to the extent that the court considered reasonable and fair. In re Tuttle\u27s Will, 4 App. Div. (2d) 310, 164 N.Y.S. (2d) 573 (1957)