Synthesis, transport, and ionophore properties of α,ω- biphosphorylated azapodands: VIII. Solvent extraction of the metal ions with N,N′-bis(dioctylphosphorylmethyl)-1,8-diamino-3,6-dioxaoctane

Liquid extraction from the aqueous solutions of perchloric acid with neutral azapodand extractant N,N′-bis(dioctylphosphorylmethyl)-1,8- diamino-3,6-dioxaoctane has been highly efficient in the cases of uranyl ions and some metals of groups II and III. To estimate the synergic effect of organophosphorus extractants, the neutral extractant was applied in the mixture with an acidic component, bis(pentadecyl)phosphoric acid. The synergic effect has exclusively been observed in the extraction of zinc and cadmium ions. © 2013 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd

Understanding the role of objects in cross-disciplinary collaboration

In this paper we make a case for the use of multiple theoretical perspectives – theory on boundary objects, epistemic objects, cultural historical activity theory and objects as infrastructure - to understand the role of objects in cross-disciplinary collaboration. A pluralist approach highlights that objects perform at least three types of work in this context: they motivate collaboration; they allow participants to work across different types of boundaries; and they constitute the fundamental infrastructure of the activity. Building on the results of an empirical study we illustrate the insights that each theoretical lens affords into practices of collaboration and develop a novel analytical framework that organizes objects according to the active work they perform. Our framework can help shed new light on the phenomenon, especially with regards the shifting status of objects and sources of conflict (and change) in collaboration. After discussing these novel insights, we outline directions for future research stemming from a pluralist approach. We conclude by noting the managerial implications of our finding

A case study analysis of a constructionist knowledge building community with activity theory

This article investigates how activity theory can help research a constructionist community. We present a constructionist activity model called CONstructionism Through ACtivity Theory (CONTACT) model and explain how it can be used to analyse the constructionist activity in knowledge building communities. We then illustrate the model through its application to analysing the Wiki-supported community associated with a computer game. Our analysis focuses mainly on two perspectives: individual and collective actions, as well as individual and collective mediations. Experiences and challenges from the analysis are reported to demonstrate how CONTACT is helpful in analysing such communities

The Depth and Dynamics of Context: Tracing the Sources and Channels of Engagement and Disengagement in Students' Response to Literature

In this article, we analyze one coauthor's 12th-grade English class, focusing on a small group of students who interpreted the character of Gertrude in Hamlet through a body biography, a life-sized human outline that students filled with words and images that represented their understanding of the character. We analyze the body biography production as a function of the social context of activity and then analyze the processes of composition involved in their production. Analysis of the data reveals that (a) the students exhibited different degrees of commitment to and involvement in the group task, (b) the degree of equity in productivity and social relations varied within the group in accordance with these different degrees of engagement, and (c) the inequity in social relations and contributions to the group product belied the degree to which the final interpretive product met the teacher's assessment criteria. We conclude with a reconsideration of the notion of engagement that includes attention to both the immediate social relations within the classroom and the histories of engagement that students bring to class.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline

Teaching Writing: a situated dynamic

publication-status: Publishedtypes: ArticleThe paper is theoretically grounded in Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) which holds that human development is founded within participation in social and cultural practices. In particular, the teaching of literacy is shaped not only by the curriculum as designated by policy makers and the institution in which it is located but also by the individuals’ understanding of what literacy and learning involves and how they act to achieve their goals. The paper explores data from a project that investigated the relationship between classroom talk and the teaching of writing in six early years classrooms. Participants’ own understandings of teaching and learning need to be taken into account by researchers and policy makers. CHAT has been used to explore the dynamic relationship between activity at societal, institutional and individual levels. It is argued that researchers and policy makers need to take account of the wider socio-cultural context in planning and evaluating curriculum development initiatives

Project management between will and representation

This article challenges some deep-rooted assumptions of project management. Inspired by the work of the German philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer, it calls for looking at projects through two complementary lenses: one that accounts for cognitive and representational aspects and one that accounts for material and volitional aspects. Understanding the many ways in which these aspects transpire and interact in projects sheds new light on project organizations, as imperfect and fragile representations that chase a shifting nexus of intractable human, social, technical, and material processes. This, in turn, can bring about a new grasp of notions such as value,\ud knowledge, complexity, and risk

The discipline of noticing as a path to understanding

This paper explores the application of the ‘discipline of noticing’ in a UK-based teacher development programme designed to enable primary school teachers to develop a deeper understanding of their pedagogical subject knowledge within mathematics, primarily through researching their practice and developing a critical reflexivity. The researchers involved in this study focused on ‘noticing’ as a support for ‘researching from the inside’, in which the practitioner records microincidents in the classroom which have particular salience for them. Subsequent reflection aims to facilitate a drawing back from immediate practice and enabling teachers to see things they have previously overlooked, or have become habituated to see. Focusing on a case study of one teacher participant, this paper explores how the discipline of noticing enables the development of a ‘third space’ in which teacher and researcher roles become hybridised. We argue that teacher empowerment and change is sustained within and beyond the researched context through an emergent participant perspective which enables context-sensitivity and a response to learner identities and local knowledges in the pursuit of particular social justice concerns