Software engineering 2004 : A jewel in the ACM/IEEE-CS curricula effort

We outline the ACM/IEEE-CS sponsored Computing Curricula project, and then discuss the context and development of its Software Engineering Volume (SE2004).. We then discuss evaluation of the volume, internationalization, the relationship with other disciplines, and the importance of the document’s future evolution.Education for the 21 st century - impact of ICT and Digital Resources ConferenceRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Bio-inspired band-gap tunable elastic optical multilayer fibers.

The concentrically-layered photonic structure found in the tropical fruit Margaritaria nobilis serves as inspiration for photonic fibers with mechanically tunable band-gap. The fibers show the spectral filtering capabilities of a planar Bragg stack while the microscopic curvature decreases the strong directional chromaticity associated with flat multilayers. Elongation of the elastic fibers results in a shift of the reflection of over 200 nm.Financial support from the US Air Force Offi ce of Scientifi c Research Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative under award numbers FA9550-09-1-0669-DOD35CAP, FA9550-10-1-0020 and the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council EP/G060649/1 is gratefully acknowledged. M.Ko. acknowledges the fi nancial support from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in form of a Feodor Lynen postdoctoral research fellowship. This work was performed in part at the Center for Nanoscale Systems (CNS), a member of the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN), which is supported by the National Science Foundation under NSF award no. ECS-0335765. CNS is part of Harvard University

Bio-Inspired Band-Gap Tunable Elastic Optical Multilayer Fibers

Engineering and Applied Science

Software engineering 2004 : A jewel in the ACM/IEEE-CS curricula effort

We outline the ACM/IEEE-CS sponsored Computing Curricula project, and then discuss the context and development of its Software Engineering Volume (SE2004).. We then discuss evaluation of the volume, internationalization, the relationship with other disciplines, and the importance of the document’s future evolution.Education for the 21 st century - impact of ICT and Digital Resources ConferenceRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

"She's a dog at the end of the day": guide dog owners' perspectives on the behaviour of their guide dog

A guide dog is a domestic dog (Canis familiaris) that is specifically educated to provide mobility support to a blind or visually impaired owner. Current dog suitability assessments focus on behavioural traits, including: trainability, reactivity or attention to environmental stimuli, low aggressiveness, fearfulness and stress behaviour, energy levels, and attachment behaviour. The aim of this study was to find out which aspects of guide dog behaviour are of key importance to guide dog owners themselves. Sixty-three semi-structured interview surveys were carried out with guide dog owners. Topics included the behaviour of their guide dog both within and outside their working role, and also focused on examples of behaviour which might be considered outside a guide dog owner’s typical expectations. Both positive and negative examples and situations were covered. This allowed for the discovery of new perspectives and emerging themes on living and working with a guide dog. Thematic analysis of the results reveals that a dog’s safe behaviour in the face of traffic was the most important positive aspect of a guide dog’s behaviour and pulling or high tension on the lead and /or harness was the most discussed negative aspect. Other aspects of guide dog behaviour were highlighted as particularly pleasing or disappointing by owners including attentiveness to the task, work, environment and owner; confidence in work and decision making (with confident dogs resulting in confident owners) obedience and control; calmness and locating objectives. The results reveal important areas of behaviour that are not currently considered priorities in guide dog assessments; these key areas were consistency of behaviour, the dog’s maturity and the dog’s behaviour in relation to children. The survey revealed a large range in what owners considered problematic or pleasing behaviours and this highlights the heterogeneity in guide dog owners and the potential multifarious roles of the guide dog. This study contributes to the literature on which behaviour is considered appropriate or inappropriate in dogs and on the nature of human-animal interactions

Structural colour from helicoidal cell-wall architecture in fruits of Margaritaria nobilis

The bright and intense blue-green coloration of the fruits of Margaritaria nobilis (Phyllanthaceae) was investigated using polarization-resolved spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Optical measurements of freshly collected fruits revealed a strong circularly polarized reflection of the fruit that originates from a cellulose helicoidal cell wall structure in the pericarp cells. Hyperspectral microscopy was used to capture the iridescent effect at the single-cell level.Leverhulme Trust (F/09-741/G)United States. Air Force Office of Scientific Research (award number FA9550-10-1-0020)Adolphe Merkle FoundationSwiss National Science Foundation (National Centre of Competence in Research Bio-Inspired Materials)Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (Great Britain) (BBSRC David Phillips fellowship (BB/K014617/1)

The anorexic self vs. the authentic self : a systematic and integrative guide in the adult treatment of anorexia nervosa

vii, 147 leaves ; 28 cm. --Anorexia nervosa is a serious and persistent mental health disorder that has the highest mortality risk and suicide rate of any psychiatric illness in the Western world. Anorexia nervosa presents a challenge to understand on almost every level. Treatment outcomes for anorexia nervosa are often not optimistic, and treatment efficacy has been under-researched. Informed by an extensive literature review, a systematic and integrative guide addressing the anorexic self in anorexia nervosa was designed specifically for adult women currently struggling with the disease. Cognitive behavioural, interpersonal, and narrative therapeutic techniques attempt to uncover the nature of the anorexic identity and the extent to which it takes over a client’s sense of self. A therapeutic guide targeting the commonalities and uniqueness of anorexic clients provides a treatment alternative for clients who continually struggle with the anorexic identity. By initially treating the anorexic identity, clients may be able to identify cognitive distortions and recognize the control that the anorexic identity has over psychological, social, and behavioural wellbeing. The hope in designing and implementing an alternative approach for treating anorexia nervosa is that we will gain the ability to identify the core issues of the anorexic thought process and provide a unique healing experience for those involved in treatment

Introducing System Theory Using "Ordinary People": a Resource for Educators

ix, 78 leaves ; 29 cmThe intent of my Master of Counselling final project is to offer instructors a teaching resource, based on a classic film, for when they want to shift their students’ conceptualizations of clinical cases from an individual focus to a family systems perspective. Within this project, the film Ordinary People (Paramount Pictures, & Redford, 1980) is introduced as a strategy to guide instructors in helping students to identify and analyze how patterns of behaviour within a family maintain problems, and how, from a systemic view, those patterns may be adapted to better serve each member. With this foundational knowledge of family systems theories, students have increased options for understanding their client’s issues, and creating appropriate treatment plans

Challenges for inclusive education

vii, 76 leaves ; 29 cm. --This study attempted to discover teachers' perceptions of the success of inclusive education - inclusion of learning disabled students - in the junior high schools of Westwind School Division #74. Several areas were explored. They included the extent to which inclusion is implemented across the Division, the teachers' perceptions of the academic and social success of the learning disabled students, the teachers' perceptions of the effects on the regular students, the teachers' evaluation of the extent to which factors stated in literature as being essential to the success of inclusion were present in their schools, and the changes needed for more successful inclusion. The sample for this study comprised all of the junior high teachers in the division who taught one or more of the core subject areas (science, social studies, mathematics, language arts) in Grades 7-9. All completed a written survey, then a sub-group were interviewed. The results demonstrated that although 82.93% of the teachers believed the regular classroom was the rightful place for the learning disabled students to learn, 80.48% felt that they were unable to meet the needs of these students. To improve the quality of the inclusive programming the respondents felt they required more planning and collaboration time, an increase in knowledge regarding programming adjustments for learning disabled students, reduced class sizes and other professional development activities to meet their individual needs

School health programming to meet the needs of at risk students

v, 41 leaves ; 28 cm. --''Most health problems in North America today result from health compromising environments, as well as from personal behaviors established during the school years. Many people believe and expect adolescents to be healthy, yet they are the only group to experience an increase in mortality and morbidity since 1960 (Curtis, 1992). Although prevention is a difficult concept to sell, children who are at risk for school failure are also at risk for poor health. Schools are already serving as centers for delivering varied services and are establishing links between students, families and community resources (Graham & Uphold, 1993). Although there are literally thousands of "canned" health programs available to schools and teachers, there is little available for at risk students. Government and administrators have set the standard for mainstream youth and many teachers are not trained in adolescent development and health promotion. Public health nurses and community agencies are not being utilized for promoting healthy lifestyles. The most successful health programs have been those involving youth themselves. To reach these young people most in need, we need to find ways, in the services and information we offer, to fit into their frame of reference and their way of doing things. A health needs assessment was conducted by means of focus groups with at risk students at an alternate school. The data was analyzed/or themes. A special health activity will be planned using this data.